NRF earmarks B2bn for e-commerce ventures
NRF earmarks B2bn for e-commerce venturesMr Dan said the company is likely to settle 2-3 deals to acquire startups or SMEs in the rest of the year. SET-listed NR Instant Produce Plc (NRF), the producer and distributor of food from plant protein, plans to invest 2 billion baht in the e-commerce business in 2021-2022 in a move to boost sales to 5 billion baht in 2023. With WellPath and new e-commerce deals, NRF will extend its e-commerce business by importing products to sell in Thailand and the Asean market via e-commerce platforms. Boosted by new acquisitions, the company recently revised its revenue target to 5 billion baht within 2023, from 3 billion baht earlier projected. Of the total, 50% revenue will come from e-commerce business, with 20% from plant-based products and the rest from others including functional hemp products.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 16, 2021 23:26 UTC
Ratch eyes completion of two more acquisitions
Ratch eyes completion of two more acquisitionsSET-listed Ratch Group Plc, a major power operator, plans to conclude two more deals on power generation asset acquisition within this year in a move to expand its capacity to 10 gigawatts over the next five years. Ratch has prepared capital spending worth 15 billion baht for asset acquisition this year. At present, Ratch runs power plants, with a combined capacity of 7,053MW. Its two power plants are scheduled to start operation in October this year. During the first half of this year, Ratch spent 5.44 billion baht for both power and non-power businesses.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 16, 2021 23:26 UTC
Property outlook worsens
"The pandemic situation in the second quarter was worse than in the first quarter, resulting in an economic regression. The second quarter recorded housing transfers totalling 62,072 units worth 194.4 billion baht. The key driver was single detached houses with 36% growth to 62.72 billion baht, while townhouses and condos had a single-digit increase of 7% to 34.97 billion baht and 4% to 49.68 billion baht, respectively. Pruksa reported 14.16 billion baht in presales in the first half, a 48% growth from the same period last year. Presales in the second quarter had a consecutive rise since the fourth quarter last year with 7.2 billion baht.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 16, 2021 23:26 UTC
Protesters rally at Government House
Like in the past three days, nighttime clashes between police and demonstrators followed in the Din Daeng area in Bangkok after the rally ended. According to them, the goal of the rally was for Gen Prayut to resign unconditionally. The group ended the rally at 6pm but some demonstrators went back to the Din Daeng area where riot police were stationed. Since Saturday, different groups of anti-government protesters have taken to the streets in Bangkok and the provinces, demanding that Gen Prayut resign. Their rally site in the capital has always been Gen Prayut’s house in the 1st Infantry Regiment.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 16, 2021 13:00 UTC
Melbourne under coronavirus curfew after street parties, pub crawls
Melbourne under coronavirus curfew after street parties, pub crawlsAuthorities in Melbourne are trying to stamp out an outbreak of the Delta coronavirus variant. MELBOURNE: A coronavirus curfew was announced Monday for Australia's second-biggest city of Melbourne, with residents confined to their homes overnight as authorities work to stamp out a Delta variant outbreak. More than five million Melbourne residents will be unable to leave their homes between 9pm and 5am from Monday evening, with essential workers requiring permits to be on the streets. Victoria state premier Dan Andrews said the decision came after a series of street parties, pub crawls and home gatherings over the weekend, as Melbourne reached a "tipping point" in its latest outbreak. Australia has recorded more than 39,000 cases of Covid-19 and 966 deaths to date in a population of 25 million.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 16, 2021 04:41 UTC
Yet another reason to love the Lab
Prof Dr Kaywalee Chatdarong, deputy dean for Research and Innovation at the Faculty of Veterinary Science. The main objective of the sniffer dogs project is to screen people who have asymptomatic Covid-19 or people who show no symptoms. Even though the screening results of trained dogs showed high accuracy, Prof Dr Kaywalee does not recommend using the results on its own. There are many confounding factors that affect recent sweat samples, including vaccines and variants," said Prof Dr Kaywalee. These projects are possible but we need financial resources in order to train new dogs with patient sample cases," added Prof Dr Kaywalee.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 16, 2021 00:45 UTC
New app an asset for analysis
New app an asset for analysisFazWaz invested more than 15 million baht in the development of the app. FazWaz, a Thailand-based online real estate group, has recently launched a new app aimed at accelerating the digitalisation of the local property market. Brennan Campbell, FazWaz chief executive, said the app will help real estate developers, institutional investors, banks and brokers better analyse the market and consumer needs through a base of historical and real-time data. He said online search and transaction data was showing a "remarkable uplift" in resort markets such as Hua Hin. The Insights app is now available free on both the App Store for iOS and Play Store for Android.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 16, 2021 00:33 UTC
Thammasat rector gives vision for future
Thammasat University rector Gasinee Witoonchart says Thammasat University helps students deal with real-world challenges and equips them with the skills to handle them. Thammasat UniversityThammasat University rector Gasinee Witoonchart has set a vision to create a university for the people and for the future, that will also build solutions to rising global challenges. Under the leadership of Assoc Prof Gasinee, Thammasat University has risen as one of the major players fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. She spent her student years at Thammasat Business School, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration. Thammasat University must be at the forefront to enhance this ability for individuals, organisations, and even society.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 15, 2021 23:48 UTC
Temples a refuge for Covid victims
The temple had been running a community isolation centre for a while before the project's launch. The testing team comprises four monks and 15 volunteers. The team was not taking any chances and placed all in the temple's isolation centre. At least 10 other temples in Bangkok are operating community isolation centres. The temple's centre is now functioning as a one-stop facility where tests and an isolation programme are run in tandem.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 15, 2021 23:26 UTC
No Messi, no problem as Barcelona take 'leap into unknown' with victory
No Messi, no problem as Barcelona take 'leap into unknown' with victoryAt the double: Barcelona's Danish forward Martin Braithwaite celebrates after scoring his second goal. MADRID: Barcelona started life without Lionel Messi by defeating Real Sociedad 4-2 in their La Liga opener at the Camp Nou on Sunday even if fans admitted it felt like "a leap into the unknown". Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi called time on his two-decade career at Barcelona last week and moved to Paris Saint-Germain. The supporter added: "It's a leap into the unknown (without Messi). Inside the Camp Nou, fans made the most of their return after 18 months, chanting "Messi!
Source:Bangkok Post
August 15, 2021 22:30 UTC
Who said what in sport this weekend
Who said what in sport this weekendGlory days: In this file photo taken on June 18, 1974 Gerd Mueller scores past Australian goalkeeper Jack Reilly during the World CupPARIS - Who said what in sport this weekend:"Today is a sad, black day for FC Bayern and its fans." I want to give myself a glimmer of hope to return to the tour in some shape or form." -- Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after 73,000 fans were at Old Trafford for the 4-1 win over Leeds. "To pass 9,000 Test runs and score 180 not out at the 'home of cricket' is an amazing achievement." - Jonny Bairstow on England skipper Joe Root who made an unbeaten 180 in the second Test against India at Lord's.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 15, 2021 21:11 UTC
Swift Taliban takeover leaves US image in tatters
Swift Taliban takeover leaves US image in tattersTaliban fighters and local people sit on an Afghan National Army humvee vehicle on a street in JalalabadWASHINGTON - After two decades in Afghanistan, America's longest war was ending with the image of the United States in tatters. Haqqani, now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, noted how US diplomats in the end could do little more than send tweets urging the Taliban to stop. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, also speaking on ABC, said the United States had "succeeded" in its primary mission of bringing justice the Al-Qaeda perpetrators of the September 11 attacks. But Fontaine, who opposed the withdrawal, said the United States was taking major risks by effectively ceding Afghanistan to the Taliban, who never formally broke with Al-Qaeda. "Perhaps some of the external pressures on the United States to act as if it is the answer to everything in the world will reduce."
Source:Bangkok Post
August 15, 2021 18:11 UTC
Protesters around Thailand honk horns to banish Prayut
Some protesters hold flares in Ratchaprasong, one of the starting points for several "car mob" rallies in Bangkok on Sunday. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)Thousands of anti-government protesters in Bangkok and other provinces blared their car and motorcycle horns on Sunday in a deafening call for the ouster of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. The honking began at 6pm during the playing of the national anthem, the climax of a day of predominantly peaceful "car mob" rallies in Bangkok and other provinces. Protesters shelter behind traffic barriers during a clash with riot police in Din Daeng area of Bangkok on Sunday. (Photo: Apichit Jinakul)The day of protests was overwhelmingly peaceful, but violence did erupt at Din Daeng intersection, the scene of other recent clashes.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 15, 2021 12:45 UTC
Japan animation industry sales fall in 2020, first drop in decade
(Kyodo photo)TOKYO: Sales in Japan's animation production industry fell 1.8% on year in 2020, the first drop in a decade. The industry's sales totaled 251.1 billion yen (76 billion baht) last year, down from a record 255.7 billion yen in 2019, Teikoku Databank said in a recent survey report. Still, the Covid-19 pandemic had delayed production processes at many studios, leading 48.6% of 300 animation production companies surveyed to report a sales fall in 2020. The outlook for the Japanese animation industry appears difficult, with competition likely to intensify from Chinese animation firms, the research firm said. Chinese companies are offering higher salaries to hire Japanese talent and gaining Japanese production skills by taking stakes in Japanese studios.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 15, 2021 05:15 UTC
It's hard to beat a bit of Idle chatter
It's hard to beat a bit of Idle chatterThanks to readers for pointing out that in a recent column on quaint place names I failed to mention the village of Idle, now a suburb of Bradford, West Yorkshire. On Aug 9 in Boring they celebrated the official annual "Dull and Boring Day" with an appropriate "not too exciting party". Citizens were spotted enjoying a Boring beer in a Boring pub, holding Boring conversations with Boring people. Nothing to declareAmerica is replete with all sorts of intriguing place names. It is a delightful spot and like most tourists I couldn't resist having a beer in Beer.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 15, 2021 00:00 UTC