Defending Formula One champion Max Verstappen shared on Twitter on Wednesday pictures of him in his father’s car when he was a child.
The caption said, “Back after more than 20 years.”
“It was a very special moment today to be back in the car I sat in as a young boy when my dad drove for Honda.
“Especially when realising all the successes we achieved together over the past few years.”
His father Jos Verstappen was also an F1 driver who raced from 1994 to 2003 and won two podium finishes in his career.
He drove for the Honda team in the car in the pictures in the 1999 season.
Max Verstappen started F1 racing in 2015 with the Italian Scuderia Toro Rosso team.
His first win came in his second year at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, which was the first race after he was traded to Red Bull Racing.
He has driven for the team since then and won the 2021 Formula One World Championship, which was decided in a historic last lap in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix against Lewis Hamilton.
He has won 31 races and 73 podium spots after eight years in the F1. He currently is in first place in the 2022 Formula One World Championship, with five races still to go.
Erik ten Hag is taking 22 players to Cyprus for Manchester United’s Europa League group game away to Omonia Nicosia.
The list features several changes from the party that travelled to Moldova in mid-September, with fit-again forwards Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford plus on-loan goalkeeper Martin Dubravka among the names added to it.
Ten Hag will clearly be hoping for a similar outcome to that previous overseas trip, as the Reds look to build on the comfortable 2-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol.
Forwards: Ronaldo, Martial, Rashford, Antony, Sancho, Pellistri, Elanga, Garnacho. Players absent from this trip include Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, Donny van de Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has provided the latest on his plans for our Europa League away tie against Omonia Nicosia.
Erik Ten Hag faced the media at Carrington before flying out with his squad for Thursday’s 17:45 BST kick-off in Cyprus.
After defenders Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, plus midfielder Donny van de Beek, were missing from the morning’s open training session at Carrington, their injury situation was one of the first topics posed to Erik during the briefing.
“They are unavailable for tomorrow,” said Ten Hag of the aforementioned quartet.
“Yes, in the case of Rapha, I have good hope [that he comes back soon].
“Harry will take a little bit longer. The other two, I cannot give a prognosis.”
The manager added that everybody else is training well and, of course, he will have plenty of options in attack, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial fit again.
We hope to announce the travelling squad in full this afternoon.
TEN HAG: CASEMIRO AND SCOTT ARE BOTH IMPORTANT FOR US
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag explained that Scott McTominay has earned his recent minutes on the pitch for the Reds with good performances.
Before Sunday’s derby defeat, the Scotland international had started in each of the five wins from our previous six games, only missing the defeat to Real Sociedad in our Europa League opener.
His success in a deeper midfield role this season has potentially limited the minutes of new signing Casemiro since his summer arrival, with Ten Hag saying that the Brazilian’s lack of starts in a United shirt so far (one) isn’t down to anything the South American has done.
“I said already before, it had nothing to do with Casemiro, it was all to do with Scott because, when you look at Brentford, he wasn’t in the team [and] we lose. Then [from] the day that Casemiro signed, we played six games and we won five,” Erik told reporters when asked about Casemiro’s playing time in his pre-Omonia press conference.
“And, in five games, he [McTominay] played. In one game, he didn’t, and that was against [Real] Sociedad [a 1-0 loss]. So, for me, that was logical [to play McTominay] because it’s competition in the team. For me, it wasn’t a choice [not to play him].
“He performed really well, he developed really well and it had nothing to do with Casemiro, but I’m sure Casemiro will play a really important role.” Despite Casemiro having to be patient at present, Erik has no doubt that the five-times Champions League winner has an integral part to play in his United side in the future.
“We know all his background, we know all the titles he won. You see every day in training, he can contribute in this team, and he will be a really important player for this team,” the Dutchman continued.
“So, we will see what will happen but I’m convinced that will happen.”
The competition for places in midfield, heightened by the having the pair as options, makes the manager’s team selection for Thursday’s Europa League game at Omonia all the more intriguing.
Ten Hag says that he will pick the best side available to him, as we go in search of back-to-back wins in the competition.
“First of all, it doesn’t make a difference – Europa League, Premier League. We have to win in all the leagues and all the cups.
“So, today, we will play our best team and we have to construct the team because also we want a competitive culture in our team, in this club.”
Thai women lose to Germany for second successive defeat in volleyball world championship
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2022
THE NATION
Thailand suffered their second consecutive defeat in Phase 2 of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship 2022 on Wednesday evening in Lodz, Poland, losing to Germany in four sets.
In a Pool F match at the Atlas Arena, the Thai women, ranked world No. 14, lost 25-19, 25-22, 18-25, 25-23 to 13th-ranked Germany. Thailand had lost their previous group match against Canada.
The latest Pool F standings saw Serbia on top with 20 points, followed by Türkiye with 17 points, USA with 15 points, and co-hosts Poland with 13 points. Thailand are in sixth position with 10 points, below Canada (11 points), while Germany are at the bottom with 10 points, below the Dominican Republic (11 points).
The top four teams from each of the two Phase 2 groups will advance to the quarter-finals.
The Thai women had beaten the Germans in three of their last five encounters, including at the Nations League 2021 tournament in Italy.
The Thai team will have a day to rest before the next two matches on Friday and Saturday, against Serbia and the US, respectively. Both matches start from 7.45pm.
State agency working to make industrial estates eco-friendly and help Thailand achieve carbon neutrality
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2022
THE NATION
The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) is striving to make industrial estates nationwide eco-friendly in a bid to enable Thailand achieve its carbon neutral target.
The assistant to the IEAT governor, Buppha Kawinvasin, said the move aims to improve industrial estates’ efficiency and boost confidence among locals living near industrial estates as climate change is affecting people worldwide.
She added that this move is in line with the IEAT’s vision to promote investment in industrial estates and improve services to meet international standards and become eco-friendly.
“The IEAT is developing industrial estates in six aspects: circular economy, economic growth, green industry, renewable water, renewable energy and social responsibility,” she explained.
She said the IEAT is cooperating with several agencies on this issue, such as the Board of Investment, on promoting smart industry among entrepreneurs, and with PEA Encom International Co Ltd, an electrical/electronic manufacturing company, on the development of smart grids.
She added that the IEAT’s project to set up solar rooftops in 13 industrial estates had helped reduce 2,482 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from 2020-22.
“The IEAT will continue on this mission to improve people’s quality of life and enable Thailand to achieve carbon neutrality,” she added.
Thailand is going green, with ambitions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065.
5 tech tools used in power generation will help Thailand fulfil its net-zero dreams
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
THE NATION
Five technologies play a key role in Thailand’s power generation sector as it works towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero emissions by 2065.
The independent power producer, Electricity Generating Pcl (EGCO) said these technologies have been developed to make power generation environmentally friendly as well as allow consumers to play a part in energy management.
The five technologies are:
• Blockchain: Apart from playing a key role in cryptocurrency trading, blockchain also facilitates trade in power generation by opening the door to purchase agreements between parties.
• Machine learning: This technology helps consumers learn how much electricity has been used and power distributors can provide information and launch promotions to engage consumers.
• Data analytics: This helps power distributors to predict consumption, so they can build infrastructure and create maintenance plans to generate higher revenue.
• Smart grids: Data analytics, energy storage and management can be integrated with this technology to enhance electricity distributors’ business operations.
• Artificial intelligence (AI): This technology can detect abnormalities in electricity distribution, such as electricity theft which caused damages worth US$96 billion worldwide.
New investment makes LINE MAN Wongnai Thailand’s largest tech startup
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
Led by GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund and LINE Corporation, LINE MAN Wongnai Raises US$265M in Series-B Funding,
LINE MAN Wongnai announced today that it has raised US$265 million in a Series-B investment round led by GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, and LINE Corporation. This fundraising round was also joined by BRV Capital Management, PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR), Bualuang Ventures and Taiwan Mobile.
With this investment, LINE MAN Wongnai has achieved a valuation of over US$1 billion, making it Thailand’s largest tech startup by valuation.
The funding will be used to strengthen LINE MAN Wongnai’s strong position in the food delivery market, expand new service categories, recruit tech talent and improve tech infrastructure. LINE MAN Wongnai aims to be employing more than 450 talented tech professionals by the end of 2022.
LINE MAN Wongnai was established in 2020 from the merger of LINE MAN, Thailand’s No. 1 on-demand assistant app, and Wongnai, a restaurant review platform. The company aims to be the most innovative e-commerce platform for services in Thailand with diverse business portfolios:
● On-Demand Businesses – LINE MAN services include food delivery, grocery delivery, messenger and taxi. The number of orders made each month through the food delivery service grew by more than 15 times between January 2020 and August 2022, making it the fastest-growing food delivery platform in the country. Now LINE MAN operates in all 77 provinces in Thailand, offering delivery options to 700,000 restaurants, the most among food delivery service providers.
● Merchant Solutions – Wongnai connects close to 1 million merchants to users nationwide through search and reviews. In addition, Wongnai POS has become the No. 1 point-of-sale solution in the food & beverage industry with over 50,000 merchants.
● Value-Added Services – Utilizing a large base of customers, riders, and restaurants, LINE MAN Wongnai offers advertising and financial services, among others, to incrementally add value to the stakeholders in the ecosystem.
Yod Chinsupakul, CEO, LINE MAN Wongnai, said “Today’s announcement marks a remarkable milestone for LINE MAN Wongnai. I am grateful to GIC, LINE and other investors who gave us the opportunity to create large-scale impacts and to become a national champion for Food Delivery. Food has been our passion since I co-founded Wongnai and now to be able to connect millions of users with the biggest pool of restaurants we have is a dream come true. We are also proud to create over 100,000 jobs for the riders, most of whom earn more than twice the minimum wage. We are committed to driving Thailand forward. Today, we promise to bring best-in-class and tailor-made products and services to help Thai people live better.”
In Young Chung, Chief Financial Officer, LINE MAN Wongnai, said “The announcement opens the next chapter for LINE MAN Wongnai to grow from a local Thai start-up to a regional tech platform. We thank LINE for embracing us into its deep mobile ecosystem and providing ongoing support for our journey. We also thank GIC for not only giving us the trust and capital but also guidance and insight from its global presence and BRV for its continuous support since the Series A lead investment. Our LINE MAN Wongnai team will strive to become the most inspiring tech company through IPO and beyond in coming years, for our society and young generations.”
Eunjung Lee, CEO, LINE Plus Corporation, said “LINE MAN is one of the great success cases, highlighting LINE’s dedication to creating services tailored to the local needs of each market. With this fundraising, LINE MAN Wongnai solidifies a foundation for its future growth, creating a better, more convenient daily life for Thai users.”
EV board changes gear to promote the use of electric vehicles
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2022
THE NATION
The government is working on measures to promote the use of electric vehicles (EV), Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said after the EV board meeting on Friday.
The government’s EV incentive campaign had led to bookings for 17,068 electric cars and motorcycles, he said.
Thailand currently has 869 EV charging stations with 2,572 chargers. The EV board is looking at rapidly increasing the number of charging stations nationwide.
“The EV board is ready to promote Thailand as an EV production base, as well as boost the confidence among EV users,” he said.
He said the board has tasked the Industry Ministry with proposing guidelines to promote the use of EVs as public vehicles, starting with EV tuk-tuk.
He added that related agencies had been appointed to publicise setting up EV charging stations in condominiums and residences.
Supattanapong explained that the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, the Provincial Electricity Authority, PTT Oil and Retail Business, and Energy Absolute had launched an application to help EV users find charging stations.
He said the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has approved the use of a second electricity meter in residences to promote the use of EVs, adding that the ERC is preparing proposals and announcements related to EV-charging stations, such as electricity price at 2.9162 baht per unit.
He explained that the Thai Industrial Standards Institute has set up 123 standards related to EV components, such as battery, charger and inverter.
He added that the EV board has told the Excise Department to consider guidelines to support manufacture of batteries in Thailand.
“In addition, the board has also told related agencies to publicise EV-related measures in October in a bid to gain the confidence of the people,” he added.
DITP launches new AI tool to evaluate Thailand’s trade prospects
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2022
THE NATION
The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) has launched a new tool to evaluate opportunities and risks in international trade.
Phusit Rattanakul Seriroengrit, DITP’s director general, said on Friday that the DITP Business AI tool can analyse products in five categories, including agriculture, food, lifestyle and fashion, health and beauty, and industrial sectors.
He said the system features a global trade analytics option which predicts export trends in the short term (three months) and long term (12 months).
The system can also analyse news reports related to international trade to evaluate the business sentiment, while its market insight option can analyse buyers’ demands via e-commerce platforms.
“DITP Business AI can also evaluate situations that may have an impact on international trade and offers guidelines on evaluating trade partners’ potential,” he explained.
“The system can also analyse competitors to evaluate risks that may trigger Thailand’s loss of market share.”
He said DITP Business AI can help the department monitor consumer trends, such as products related to the bio-circular-green (BCG) economy model, future foods, ageing society and soft power.
“This information can help boost Thailand’s competitiveness and give local businesses access to the international market,” he said.
He added that DITP is cooperating with the Digital Economy Promotion Agency on applying digital innovations to international trade to maximise Thailand’s potential.
“We are confident the DITP Business AI will help Thai manufacturers and exporters set up production plans in line with global trends and cope with export risks,” he added.
‘CircularOne’ Thailand’s first AI-enabled reversed vending machine
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022
CircularOne is the result of collaboration between SUSTAINTECH and Tencent Cloud to improve the sorting and management of used containers in response to the circular economy trend.
SUSTAINTECH, a sustainable tech startup, announces the launch of “CircularOne”, Thailand’s first AI-Enabled Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) innovated by the Thai people.
The CircularOne machine leverages different cloud and AI technologies from Tencent Cloud – the cloud business of global technology company Tencent to handle and store glass bottles in their perfect condition for autonomous reuse or reversed vending to check the material quality and to sort all deposited containers that range from PET bottles, aluminium cans and “glass bottles”.
The solutions from Tencent Cloud allow CircularOne to operate more precisely and ensures effective recycling, reuse, and return to the system in response to the Circular Economy trend as well as the need to alleviate waste-management issues, make people’s lives better and solve the global warming crisis.
Chirawat Tangkitchaiwat, Founder and CEO of SUSTAINTECH, said “The world today is facing air and natural resource crisis, a result of manufacturing, consuming, and managing misbehaviours that subsequently, lead to increased pollution and greenhouse gas. According to data from the World Bank Group (Market study for Thailand: Plastics circularity opportunities and barriers) Thailand ranked sixth among countries responsible for plastic leakage into marine environments.”
The country only recycled 616,000 tons — an equivalent to only 17.6 per cent — of the 3.49 million tons of plastics it consumed yearly. With that being said, it is paramount to create a Circular Economy system to alleviate waste management issues, improve people’s quality of life and help with the global warming crisis.
Consequently, the company has developed CircularOne to sort beverage containers in order to reduce the volume of containers to be recreated and promote reuse.
CircularOne is also SUSTAINTECH’s first Reversed Vending Machine that enables used bottles to be automatically reused and recycled. The deposit machine accepts PET bottles, aluminium cans and ‘glass bottles and is the first of its kind from SUSTAINTECH in Thailand.
SUSTAINTECH is considered the first company to have invented and developed an automatically used container the deposit machine that is able to handle glass bottles in their original condition. The machine also incorporates cloud-AI solutions from Tencent Cloud in response to the rising demand for used container storage and sorting technology. The machine also has its own container-sorting as well as quality-checking systems.
With the use of CircularOne, SUSTAINTECH is also determined to promote Circular Economy engagement among all parties from operators of the beverage business, container business, recycling business, real estate business, and garbage collectors to consumers as a means to enhance the efficiency of waste management for the sustainable future.
Chang Foo, Chief Operating Officer of Tencent (Thailand) Co., Ltd., expressed that “Tencent Cloud is pleased to be part of an effort to improve the management and return of waste into the system through the recycling process. Tencent Cloud’s solutions work together to categorize used bottles and enhance the operation and precision of CircularOne.”
Apart from sorting used containers, such solutions can also detect and eject broken or damaged glass bottles and send notifications which consume less time and make the sorting process more effective.
“The collaboration is a significant milestone that reflects Tencent Cloud’s determination to support Thai businesses of all sizes from various industries through over 400 diversified cloud solutions that respond to different needs. By combining our extensive industry expertise with our infrastructure strength, which includes two data centres in Thailand, the company will continue to develop solutions in response to various stakeholder requirements and become a driving force in making the circular economy principle a reality.”
