Seeing how much the water level rises

Tourists surrounded by flowers at Mon Jodd in Chiang Mai. (Photo: Dusida Worrachaddejchai) Thai domestic tourism is expected to grow by 162% to 188 million trips and generate 720 billion baht this year, despite rising inflation and sluggish purchasing power, according to ttb analytics, the research arm of TMBThanachart Bank. The growth will be mainly driven by the further easing of Covid-19 controls from July, said the firm. All 77 provinces nationwide will be designated as "green" Covid-19 surveillance zones, allowing business operators to fully operate without restrictions, while the cancellation of Thailand Pass from next month is expected to improve tourism sentiment. According to the analysis, even though Thai tourists remain concerned about surging energy prices, there is strong pent-up demand. Those who want to travel are expected to opt for secondary destinations more so than usual to avoid crowded places and maintain social distancing practices. The uniqueness of … [Read more...] about Thai tourist trips to rise dramatically

Soldiers of the armed forces of Ukraine take part in military exercises in Odessa region on Wednesday. The National Economic and Social Development Council says the ongoing war in Ukraine is becoming a greater geopolitical risk next year. (AFP photo) Structural changes in geopolitics are likely to create more risks for the Thai economy next year, warns the state planning unit's chief. Danucha Pichayanan, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), said the ongoing war in Ukraine is expected to become more complex and unpredictable, potentially becoming a greater geopolitical risk in 2023. "Several factors are driving this elevated risk, starting with structural changes in the geopolitical environment that includes a more competitive world order, rising economic inequality and political dysfunction globally," Mr Danucha said. He said geopolitics will lead to a disruption of the supply chain, which will inevitably affect Thai manufacturing. … [Read more...] about NESDC sees rising global risks in 2023

Houston could finally see the skies open up early next week after nearly a month of hot and dry conditions across the state, meteorologists forecast. Houston has been without significant rain for some time, creating drought conditions bad enough for the city to implement voluntary water restrictions . Other communities south of the city are in an extreme drought. Since June 1, the Bayou City has seen less than a quarter-inch of rain, according to Tim Cady, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in League City. The city normally records 4.75 inches this month. That all could change, significantly or not, come Monday when widespread showers are predicted to move into Southeast Texas, bringing welcomed rain as well as thunderstorms starting in the morning hours. "Hopefully it will bring some much-needed rain," Cady said in a phone call Friday. "A lot of our area is in a drought right now. Hopefully, this should provide some relief as we see this more widespread coverage … [Read more...] about Houston will finally see some rain next week after dangerous heat

People apply for jobs at a job expo in Bangkok in 2020. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul) The country's reopening and a push for economic recovery is expected to generate double-digit growth in the country's employment rate this year, according to job search platform JobsDB. IT, engineering, digital marketing professions and those with skill sets to support the creation of the metaverse are in short supply, despite an increase in their salaries, said JobsDB. Hybrid work is a key incentive that can help retain employees and avoid mass resignations, said the company. "We believe the Thai employment rate will see double-digit growth this year following the easing of pandemic restrictions over the past two months, with a 20-50% rise expected, depending on the sector," said Duangporn Promon, managing director of JobsDB Recruitment (Thailand). IT workers have the highest demand since the pandemic and this trend will continue because of digital transformation, she said. Programmers, … [Read more...] about Reopening to see Thai employment rate rocket this year

PTT’s liquefied natural gas terminal at Map Ta Phut Industrial estate in Rayong province. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul) LONDON: Asian liquefied natural gas (LNG) spot prices continued its upward trend this week as fears of further market tightening following a major outage at a Freeport plant and reduced Russian gas flows to Europe pushed buyers to cover short-term needs. The average LNG price for August delivery into north-east Asia was estimated at US$37 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), up $0.5 or 1.4% from the previous week, industry sources said. "The market is back in a bullish mood, with prices up 60% in a couple of weeks, and we expect this to continue," said Alex Froley, LNG analyst at data intelligence firm ICIS. Froley attributed the jump to lower Russian flows to Europe and the closure of a 15 million tonne per annum plant operated by Freeport LNG in the United States, as "neither of those gas sources look set to pick back up again in the near term". Asian … [Read more...] about Asia LNG spot prices continue rising

Medical personnel provide services to outpatients at a private hospital in Bangkok.  Pornprom Satrabhaya The fields of medical services, beauty and e-commerce are tipped to see the brightest prospects in the second half of the year, according to the latest survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC). Thanavath Phonvichai, UTCC president, said the pandemic caused people to pay more attention to their healthcare, diet and exercise, while the growing numbers of elderly in the Thai population had resulted in higher demand for medical services and beauty. More importantly, the country's reopening to international visitors is expected to reinvigorate medical tourism, he said. However, Mr Thanavath warned of risk factors for the industry, including relatively high competition as the number of players expands and consumer concerns about the country's economic prospects and their future income. In addition, he said the industry has insufficient medical personnel … [Read more...] about Medical services set to see strong growth

Listen to this article The governing body issued a technical directive on the subject prior to the Canadian GP indicating that it would use the weekend to gather data prior to a future clampdown on safety grounds. However, exactly what course the FIA can take to control it remains open to question, and the matter will be discussed in a meeting of technical directors before the British GP. Alpine has not suffered with porpoising and bouncing as much as some rivals, although both Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso admitted that it was an issue in Baku. However like other drivers they were not badly affected by it in Montreal. "It's up to the FIA to help on all safety issues," Szafnauer said after Sunday's race. "And I'm sure they're looking into it. But there's a process that needs to be followed. And I think they will do that. "I didn't see a lot of porpoising out there. We asked our drivers on a scale of one to 10, 10 being the worst, where you can't take the … [Read more...] about Alpine welcomes F1 porpoising clampdown if it levels playing field

Listen to this article Engineering solutions to problems is in motorsport's DNA, such is the never-ending quest to design, build and develop the best package to succeed. For the most part, teams are constantly evolving their machines in pursuit of performance. But sometimes an issue presents itself that requires clever thinking and swift action to avert a potential crisis. The World Rally Championship recently found itself in such a situation, when increased cockpit temperatures in the new Rally1 hybrid cars necessitated a quick response from the FIA and the teams. In the first year of shaken-up regulations, resulting in all-new car designs, teething issues are not unusual. And one of the unfortunate byproducts of incorporating the 100kW hybrid unit into WRC cars is that the exhaust now runs down the right-hand side, where the co-driver sits, instead of through tunnelling down the centre of the car as before. Cockpit temperatures have increased significantly as a result, with … [Read more...] about The quick fixes that averted a WRC cockpit crisis

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate bargainers reached agreement Tuesday on a bipartisan gun violence bill, potentially teeing up final passage by week's end on an incremental but landmark package that would stand as Congress’ response to mass shootings in Texas and New York that shook the nation. Lawmakers released the 80-page bill nine days after agreeing to a framework for the plan and 29 years after Congress last enacted major firearms curbs. It cleared an initial procedural hurdle by 64-34, with 14 Republicans joining all 48 Democrats and two allied independents in voting yes. That strongly supported a prediction by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of approval later this week. Passage by the Democratic-led House could follow quickly. Though Republicans blocked tougher restrictions sought by Democrats, the accord marks an election-year breakthrough on an issue that pits the GOP's staunch gun-owning and rural voters against Democrats' urban-centered backers of firearms curbs. … [Read more...] about Senators reach bipartisan compromise on gun violence bill backed by Texas Sen. John Cornyn