Business

PTT is going on a green spending spree
Business, Singapore, World

PTT is going on a green spending spree

PTT is going on a green spending spree PTT Plc diversifies its invesments to include electric-vehicle and renewable-energy companies. (Bangkok Post photo) PTT Plc, whose sales account for about 10% of the nation’s economic output, is suddenly spending billions of dollars on electric-vehicle and renewable-energy companies and tilting its traditional businesses towards chemicals and plastics. PTT announced investments of almost $10 billion since May to build an EV business and snap up petrochemical assets in Europe and renewable-energy projects in Asia. And the group isn’t done yet. “The company must transform its strategy and vision for sustainable growth with an increased environmental awareness,” said Arawadee Photisaro, PTT’s senior executive vice president for corporate strategy. “C
Taking a dim view
Business, World

Taking a dim view

EA has become a giant renewable energy developer by taking a cautious approach to business An electric bus developed by EA is scheduled to debut by the end of 2021. Sun Tech Palm Oil Co may not be as widely known as Energy Absolute Plc (EA), but they share the same origin. A palm oil-based biodiesel and glycerin manufacturer and liquefied petroleum gas trader, Sun Tech Palm Oil was the former name of EA. The renaming marked a significant step for the company in becoming a giant renewable energy developer in Thailand. While the old name vanished, the business mindset of the executives remained. They continue to look for dim prospects in sunrise businesses, driving EA to diversify into a range of businesses from renewable power generation and energy storage system (ESS) development to a...
Cabinet approves VAT extension
Business, World

Cabinet approves VAT extension

The 7% VAT rate, which has been extended several times, was set to expire on Sept 30 this year. (Photo: Kitja Apichonrojarek) The cabinet on Tuesday approved the extension of the 7% value-added tax (VAT) rate for another two years to help reduce the financial burden of consumers, enhance business confidence and boost economic recovery. Rachada Dhanadirek, a deputy government spokeswoman, said the 7% VAT will be retained until Sept 30, 2023. The 7% tax rate, which has been extended several times, was set to expire on Sept 30 this year. The VAT was introduced in 1992 at a rate of 10%, but was slashed to 7% in late 1997 at the private sector's request. The rate has been kept at 7% ever since. According to Ms Rachada, the 7% VAT extension is unlikely to greatly affect the state revenue c...
China in new debate, uses ‘cyber theft’ to bolster its military
Business, China, World

China in new debate, uses ‘cyber theft’ to bolster its military

Beijing, China: Peter Suciu, writing in The National Interest, said that there is no denying that Beijing has taken it to heart especially where military hardware is involved. In the spring of 2019, the Pentagon accused China of using “cyber theft” and other methods to bolster its military. In 2007 Lockheed Martin had found that Chinese hackers had been stealing technical documents related to the F-35 program, while a similar theft occurred when hackers working for Beijing breached a network of an Australian F-35 sub-contractor, the Asia Times reported. Based on those breaches, it seems likely that the Chinese had acquired crucial information and technical data that has been utilised in the production of the J-20. Also, the J-20’s development began in earnest only after the F-22 was
Ripe time to give ICT education for girls a boost
Business, Politics, World

Ripe time to give ICT education for girls a boost

Ripe time to give ICT education for girls a boost Arisa, 17, a student of Unesco's Learning Coin initiative, works with a tablet provided through the initiative. (Photo: UNESCO) Supakarn Jantawang has a plan. Inspired by design thinking, she wants to work with her school's student council committee in Chumphon, a province in the south of Thailand, to manage food waste in collaboration with nearby vendors. For her, education about information and communications technologies (ICTs) is more than facts and figures -- design thinking has given her a critical-thinking approach to solve problems systematically step by step, which she thinks will help in her future career as a doctor. For an increasing number of people, in Thailand and worldwide, the knowledge and skills associated with ICTs ar...
China’s anti-sanctions law a new headache for banks in Hong Kong
Business, China, Singapore, World

China’s anti-sanctions law a new headache for banks in Hong Kong

China's anti-sanctions law a new headache for banks in Hong Kong Finance hub Hong Kong has long marketed itself as a reliable business gateway to China. HONG KONG: China's plan to expand its anti-sanctions law into Hong Kong is a fresh compliance headache for international banks already caught up in deteriorating relations between Beijing and major western powers, analysts and insiders say. As a finance hub with an internationally respected legal system, Hong Kong has long marketed itself as a reliable business gateway to authoritarian China. But swirling geopolitical tensions -- and China's crackdown on dissent in the city -- have made that business environment less smooth the last two years. And things could be about to get even more complicated. In June, China passed a broad anti-...
In Bangkok, an army of volunteers fights coronavirus
Business, World

In Bangkok, an army of volunteers fights coronavirus

In Bangkok, an army of volunteers fights coronavirus Buddhist monk Phrompong Kaino puts on personal protective equipment (PPE) to perform coronavirus disease testing in a community near his temple in Bangkok, Aug 4, 2021. (Reuters photo) Monk Phrompong Kaino, 33, works around the clock providing free Covid-19 swab tests for vulnerable people in high-risk Bangkok communities, part of a project by his temple that has reached more than 2,000 people in just over a month. He is one of thousands of ordinary people who have pitched in to try to help the country get out of its worst coronavirus crisis to date, which has strained hospitals and health services in the capital. One in five of those tested by the project Phra Phrompong’s temple runs were positive for Covid-19 and were offered care
N.S. Liberal leader faces barrage of criticism over ousting of young female candidate
Business, World

N.S. Liberal leader faces barrage of criticism over ousting of young female candidate

HALIFAX - A young woman’s angry denunciation of Nova Scotia’s Liberals for dropping her candidacy over revealing photos left leader Iain Rankin exposed Friday to wider critiques of his leadership style. “This was supposed to be a boring summer campaign and now it’s really not … and the Liberal party is getting attention for the wrong reasons,” Lori Turnbull, an associate professor at the school of public administration at Dalhousie University, said Friday in an interview. The controversy appeared minor on Saturday, when Robyn Ingraham announced she would not be running in Dartmouth South, citing “the time commitment and intensity of a campaign and the impact it will have on my mental health.” But in a terse social media post days later, Ingraham stated the real reason she was forced to
Protesters clash with police in Din Daeng
Business, World

Protesters clash with police in Din Daeng

Protesters clash with police in Din Daeng A police box is seen burning in Din Daeng area where anti-government protesters clashed with police on Tuesday. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya) Some anti-government demonstrators clashed with police in Bangkok’s Din Daeng area on Tuesday evening after a rally earlier in the day. The clash capped a day of protests in cars and on motorcycles by the so-called car mob on Tuesday. It was led by the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration. Earlier in the day, the protesters stopped outside buildings linked to cabinet members or supporters of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to make speeches and call for resignations. They accused the government of mismanaging the pandemic and abusing its power to silence critics. (Video by Nutthawat Wicheanbut)
Bluesman Jim Guiboche Touches People’s Lives With Great Music
Business, World

Bluesman Jim Guiboche Touches People’s Lives With Great Music

(ANNews) – Jim Guiboche has been a staple of the Edmonton blues scene for over thirty years. He is on the verge of being honoured with the Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame award and, as anyone who’s worked with Jim will tell you, it’s due to his great talent and immense work ethic. The latter he credits almost entirely to his father. Well before he played guitar or worked at a job, Guiboche loved school, specifically algebra and biology. It came quite naturally to him, he says, but of course, he had to work at it. “My dad, was a really hard worker,” he begins, “almost to the point of being a workaholic, but he still spent time with the family. I think it dated back to him as a kid, growing up.” Jim’s father was a commercial fisherman in Portage MB, so he learned fishing and left school at 13