Thai innovation UNC Calcium won the gold medal in Germany
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2022
Thai brands have recently won the hearts of the world. The Thai innovation from Yoo Fish Ball Yoawarat was the gold medal winner in world-class inventions on the environment in Germany
Keyoon Choklumlert, an executive chairman of Yoo Fishball Co Ltd and founder of UNC Natural dietary supplement, said that it was an honour to represent Thailand, and able to bring innovative “products” UNC Calcium (UNC Calcium 100% from natural extract) was used medically and the body absorbs better than other forms of calcium.
It is the product that has received the first prize for innovation for the environment and consumer safety (World Competition of Green Invention Award).
The “product” is a natural production process by bringing waste materials from marine fish processing to add value and develop into medical innovations.
To prevent and rehabilitate osteoporosis. It can strengthen and repair damaged bones and teeth.
According to the research, it can increase bone cells which effectively helps to inhibit and reduce bone pain.
It helps bone mass to be denser and adds moisture to bone mass to make it easier to move while it does not affect the digestion process or cause flatulence or constipation like other forms of calcium.
Chulalongkorn University confirms that UNC calcium can stimulate the growth of bone stem cells and is non-toxic to cells after long-term exposure to UNC calcium.
Keyoon explained further that this success comes from the support from the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the National Innovation Agency (NIA) and the National Research Agency (NRCT), for providing research funds for continuous development over the past 5 years for medical use.
As a result, the products have received 27 prestigious gold medals both domestically and internationally. UNC Calcium Plus products received the National Innovation Award in 2020.
It is also a green business BCG (Bio Circular Green Economy) for the world of consumer safety and the environment.
Shopee stops internet bank transfers ‘to streamline payment method’
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2022
E-commerce platform Shopee has stopped internet bank transfers as a payment method for purchases, as it wants to improve user experience, and the move is unrelated to the case of a buyer’s account being allegedly hacked, the company said.
In its press statement issued on Wednesday, Shopee said its “initial findings suggest that the individuals are likely victims of phishing scams”.
In a message at 11am on Monday, Shopee said it was permanently removing the option of paying via internet bank transfers from Tuesday.
The statement issued on Wednesday was referring to a Facebook post that a customer had lost 50,000 baht after she tied her bank account to purchases from Shopee.
On Saturday, a Facebook user going by the name Guft Sichol said her Siam Commercial Bank account tied to her Shopee account had been nearly emptied. She said she had more than 50,000 baht, but on Saturday she found only 400 baht in her account.
Her statement showed that nine transfers had been made from her account to Sips Shopeepay (Thailand) Co Ltd on December 1 and 2. The total amount transferred was 49,396 and there was no sign of the money in her ShopeePay e-wallet either.
The complainant said she had made no purchases from Shopee on those days.
She said she had searched and found that several other Shopee users faced similar issues.
“We understand the distress this may have caused. We are in contact with the individuals, and we are committed to supporting them and the relevant authorities in any investigations. Our users can continue to shop safely and securely on Shopee. Our platform is compliant with all relevant regulations,” Shopee said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The phasing out of internet bank transfers as a payment method on Shopee is completely unrelated to this matter. To improve the user experience, we have been streamlining our payment methods by phasing out redundant options, including payment via offline bank transfers such as bank’s counter.
“This was communicated to our users in November. Users may continue to shop as usual on Shopee using various popular payment methods, including ShopeePay wallet, Direct Debit, Promptpay and credit cards.”
Thailand’s automakers offering staff up to 8-month bonus for New Year
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2022
Major automobile manufacturers in Thailand have announced impressive New Year bonuses for employees after profits grew amid the recovery from Covid-19.
A survey by Thansettakij found that large automakers are offering bonuses of several months pay plus special allowances in line with sales growth.
The first 10 months saw 698,000 vehicles sold in Thailand, up 17.1% from the same period last year.
Automakers are offering the following bonuses:
– Isuzu Motors (Thailand): 8-month bonus plus special allowance of 27,000 baht
– Toyota Motors (Thailand): 7.5-month bonus plus special allowance of 34,000 and allowance to mark 60th anniversary of 16,000 baht
– Honda Automobile (Thailand): 5.4-month bonus plus special allowance of 50,000 baht.
Thansettakij also found that major suppliers of parts to automakers are also paying their workers high bonuses:
– Denso (Thailand) Co Ltd: 7.4-month bonus plus special allowance of 32,500 baht
– Yokohama Tyre Manufacturing: 5-month bonus plus special allowance of 25,000 baht.
Major industrial manufacturers that have followed suit include:
– Daikin Industries (Thailand): 7.2-month bonus plus 23,700-baht special allowance and 4.8% salary increase
– Thai Union Group Plc: Considering 1- to 2.5-month bonuses
Thansettakij has also surveyed the following hotels for their bonus policy this year:
Co-organized by China Daily and Asia News Network, a photography exhibition themed “Changing Asia – New Normal” will open in Hong Kong on December 9, 2022. It was held in Bangkok on Nov 16, coinciding with Bangkok’s hosting of a key meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economies, which made a great success. The exhibition has attracted 179 photographers from 18 countries, with 1,175 images submitted. Zhou Li, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily Group, and publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia will deliver the welcoming remarks at the opening ceremony.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday afternoon to attend the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council summit, and pay a state visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Chinese maritime militia vessels posing as fishing boats are edging closer to Palawan as part of a ploy to restrict access by Filipinos to key areas in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to a maritime law expert.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stormed to power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), ending the 15-year rule of the BJP in the powerful civic body of the National Capital.
Kazuyo Ichimori, a visiting professor at Nagasaki University, has been named as the recipient of the 29th Yomiuri International Cooperation Prize for her commitment to eliminating the mosquito-borne tropical disease lymphatic filariasis in developing countries — particularly during her time as a World Health Organization specialist.
Although Japan failed to achieve its long-cherished dream of advancing to the World Cup quarterfinals, a solid mark has been left on Japanese soccer history through the efforts of the Hajime Moriyasu-coached national team, which vanquished major powers of the soccer world.
President Yoon Suk-yeol’s pushback against the news media is unproductive. Tough media questions accompany the job of leading a democratic state. State leaders cannot muzzle reporters or throw them in prison like a dictator. Nor should they think the silent treatment will work. Questions will only continue and likely sharpen the more a leader hunkers down.
The Indonesian government has exempted electric vehicles (EVs), battery EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs from sales and luxury sales taxes, plans to subsidize EV purchases and has successfully wooed in EV manufacturing behemoths from South Korea, China and Japan to set up manufacturing plants in the country.
A memorandum of understanding on banking cooperation between the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) and the Central Bank of Russian Federation was signed on December 5.
The World Bank (WB) has maintained its 2022 economic growth forecast for Cambodia, issued in September, at 4.8 per cent, highlighting the Kingdom’s remarkable post-Covid-19 economic recovery.
South Korea, the United States and Japan should work closely together to address geopolitical challenges pressing Northeast Asia and beyond, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said at a forum.
The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee convened a meeting on Tuesday to analyze and study the economic work in 2023, and make arrangements for improving Party conduct and moral integrity, and combating corruption.
Major advertising company Hakuhodo Inc. has admitted to participating in bid-rigging for contracts to plan test events for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The super rich in some of the world’s wealth management hubs, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, have not been put off by the recent cryptocurrency crash and continue to look to digital assets to diversify their investments, according to a survey out on Wednesday.
Malaysia’s new PM halts flood-mitigation projects as graft dragnet widens
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2022
The Treasury’s top civil servant has gone on leave, even as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reported for duty as Malaysia’s finance minister on Tuesday and widened a dragnet on alleged misappropriation of funds under his predecessors.
Although he walked back on the RM600 billion (US$136 billion) figure mentioned on Monday as public expenditure Anwar said was improperly approved when Perikatan Nasional (PN) leader Muhyiddin Yassin was premier from 2020 to 2021, he insisted that “tens of billions were allocated with breaches in procedure”.
Anwar also ordered the halt of RM7 billion in flood mitigation initiatives approved by Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who was prime minister from Aug 2021 to November this year, that were directly awarded without competitive tenders.
“I want to remind Muhyiddin not to challenge this because it is clear there were several processes and procedures that were not followed and some interested companies or [companies] linked to family were involved,” he told a press conference after arriving at the Finance Ministry for the first time.
Anwar did not offer details on which companies or whose families were linked to these projects.
The premier also said that the membership and terms of reference of a new advisory team headed by Hassan Marican, the former chief of state oil giant Petronas, would be finalised after “we consult the senior officials and new KSP”.
KSP refers to the Ketua Setiausaha Perbendaharaan, or Treasury secretary-general. The post is currently held by Asri Hamidin, who was appointed in April 2020 after Muhyiddin became prime minister.
An aide to Anwar later clarified that there was no new Treasury secretary-general, but that a deputy would be acting in Asri’s place while he was on leave. The aide did not state why the officer was off-duty during the first days of the new administration.
Anwar was received by the Finance Ministry’s deputy secretaries-general on Tuesday morning, in Asri’s absence.
Several sources said that Asri had been put on leave by the new administration, which is also looking to review the much-delayed roll-out of the next generation 5G mobile network, a signature Finance Ministry project launched during Muhyiddin’s time in power. In his capacity as the highest-ranking civil servant in the Treasury, Asri sits on the board of several government-linked entities, including as chairman of Digital Nasional, the state vehicle tasked with building up Malaysia’s 5G infrastructure at a cost of MR16.5 billion.
Umno’s Zafrul Aziz was finance minister from March 2020 until elections were held in November. Umno, which leads the Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance, was part of the governments led by both Muhyiddin and Ismail and continues to form part of the ruling government that is now led by Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition.
Zafrul has been reappointed to Cabinet as international trade and industry minister by Anwar, who presides over a “unity government” that includes all MPs save for the 73 opposition lawmakers in PN. Former premier Muhyiddin had refused to join hands with PH after the November 19 elections, insisting he had the backing of 115 MPs, despite the palace declaring that no leader had secured a majority in the 222-seat parliament.
Both former premiers Ismail and Muhyiddin have denied that money had gone missing from Covid-19 stimulus packages since 2020, with the latter pointing out that the government’s fiscal injection for the packages was only RM83 billion and not RM600 billion.
Zafrul, when tabling the budget in October under former premier Ismail, had announced a flood mitigation plan for which RM15 billion had been allocated until 2030 as part of a long-term strategy to adapt to climate change.
Parti Islam SeMalaysia deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who was environment and water minister when these projects were approved, insisted that “all financial monitoring processes were tightly monitored according to” finance ministry guidelines.
“As Prime Minister, [Anwar] should not presume all directly negotiated tenders are improper. As finance minister, I am sure that he knows that direct negotiation for flood mitigation projects that had to be expedited was not a procurement offence,” said the PN lawmaker.
‘We will keep dancing’ Vinicius Jr, after criticism of goal celebs
The Brazilian football confederation released behind the scenes video of players celebrating their 4-1 win over S. Korea at the World Cup’s Round of 16.
Time magazine explains why Ukraine’s Zelensky is Person of the Year
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2022
Time magazine has named President Volodymyr Zelensky and the “spirit of Ukraine” as its Person of the Year for protecting the country against Russia’s invasion.
The award goes to the person or entity that the US news magazine deems has had the biggest influence on world events in the past 12 months.
“The Russian goal at the start of the invasion had been to kill or capture Zelensky and decapitate his government,” Time wrote.
But Zelensky made the fateful decision not to flee Kyiv, instead staying and rallying support in the weeks after Russian bombs began falling on February 24, said Time’s editor Edward Felsenthal.
Zelensky’s rallying call resulted in billions of dollars of military and humanitarian aid from many countries that had enabled Ukraine to withstand the might of the Russian army, he added.
The invasion was condemned by 141 countries at the United Nations, with only North Korea, Syria, Eritrea, and Belarus voting with Russia, Felsenthal noted.
“This year’s choice was the most clear-cut in memory,” he said.
“Whether the battle for Ukraine fills one with hope or with fear, Zelensky galvanised the world in a way we haven’t seen in decades.”
He also praised the spirit of Ukrainian individuals inside and outside the country who fought for their homeland behind the scenes.
Ursula von der Leyen Tops Forbes’ 19th Annual Ranking of the World’s Most Powerful Women
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2022
Forbes on Wednesday announced its 19th annual ranking of The World’s Most Powerful Women, the definitive audit of the most dynamic female business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and politicians making an impact on the world today.
“Today’s most powerful women are leading on the world stage across every industry and sphere of influence,” said Moira Forbes, Executive Vice President, Forbes. “In a year marked by uncertainty and volatility, women’s power is being leveraged beyond economic and political might to transform industries and solve society’s most urgent issues.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tops this year’s list, closely followed by European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde. Both women rose in the ranking this year in recognition of the critical role they played in galvanizing EU member states to support Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Von der Leyen, who replaces novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott as No. 1, said that supporting Ukraine comes at a high cost but freedom was “priceless”.
“Ursula von der Leyen’s influence is unique—no one else on the list formulates policy on behalf of 450 million people—but her commitment to a free and democratic society is not,” says Maggie McGrath, editor of ForbesWomen. “Von der Leyen is just one face of the biggest storyline of 2022: women acting as stalwarts for democracy.”
Members of the 2022 ranking represent women in six categories: business, technology, finance, media & entertainment, politics & policy, and philanthropy. Those featured are builders, disruptors, and innovators in every sector, from corporate to creative worlds, taking a modern, forward-looking view on power.
This year’s list sees more women than ever before leading the world’s financial markets. With inflation and the growing threat of a global recession both rising, the list highlights women at the helm of the most influential financial institutions steering monetary policy, from Kristalina Georgieva at the International Monetary Fund to Janet Yellen at the US Treasury.
Giorgia Meloni is the most notable newcomer on this year’s list. She was recently elected as Italy’s first female Prime Minister, taking charge of the fourth-largest economy in the EU and the eighth largest economy globally.
Other newcomers include Netflix’s Global Head of TV, Bela Bajaria, philanthropist and music legend Dolly Parton, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Tesla Chair Robin Denholm. Returning to the list this year are showrunner Shonda Rhimes and the Co-CEO of Chinese insurance giant Ping An, Jessica Tan.
The symbolic No. 100 went to Jina ‘Mahsa’ Amini, the 22-year-old Iranian woman whose death in police custody sparked the most significant protests in Iran since the 1979 revolution, and this marks the list’s first posthumous honor. Amini’s inclusion represents the collective power of thousands of women who are not only speaking out against the mandatory hijab and Iran’s morality police but ultimately calling for a revolutionary regime change.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II dropped off the ranking for the first time following her passing in September at the age of 96. The late Queen left a legacy as the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-verified reigning female monarch in history. Another list mainstay, Sheryl Sandberg, dropped off this year after stepping down as COO of Meta.
To compile the list, Forbes looks at hard power (currencies and constitutions) and (dynamic power) (audiences, communities and creative influence). Forbes applied four metrics to determine who makes the cut: money, media, impact and spheres of influence.
New Peru president sworn in after predecessor Castillo ousted
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2022
Peruvian politician Dina Boluarte was sworn in as interim president on Wednesday, hours after Pedro Castillo was removed in an impeachment trial during a day of high political drama in the Andean nation.
Boluarte, elevated from vice president, becomes Peru’s first-ever female president, following Castillo’s attempt to dissolve the legislature by decree to avoid the impeachment vote, which sparked a wave of resignations by ministers and criticism from allies.
Peru’s Congress voted to oust Castillo in an impeachment trial on Wednesday, hours after he plunged the country into a constitutional crisis by attempting to dissolve the legislature by decree.
Ignoring Castillo’s attempt to shut down Congress, lawmakers moved ahead with the previously planned impeachment trial, with 101 votes in favour of removing him, six against and 10 abstentions. The result was announced with loud cheers and the legislature called Vice President Dina Boluarte to take office.
That sparked resignations by key ministers from Castillo’s government and allegations of a “coup” by opposition members and allies. The police and Armed Forces warned him that the route he had taken to try to dissolve Congress was unconstitutional.
Congress summoned Castillo last week to respond to accusations of “moral incapacity” to govern. The prosecutor’s office in October filed a constitutional complaint against Castillo for allegedly leading “a criminal organization” to profit from state contracts and for obstructing investigations.
Castillo has called the allegations “slander” by groups seeking “to take advantage and seize the power that the people took from them at the polls.”
The leftist teacher-turned-president has survived two previous attempts to impeach him since he began his term in July 2021.
Thansettakij has also surveyed the following hotels for their bonus policy this year:
SootinClaimon.Com 