Becoming the best bus rental Thailand Has

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8 September 2022, 16:02

For a very long time, there was no bus rental Bangkok could offer: before you could ever go anywhere outside Bangkok, you would have had to first figure out how to get to one of just a handful of bus terminals in Bangkok. In an era before the charter coach, Bangkok had no reason to add any terminals, or provide any decent service, since there was no competition, so you might have had to change buses a few times to get to the terminal leaving Bangkok, in addition to carrying all your luggage with you, and adhering to their departure schedules. It was both cumbersome and tiresome to do so, and all this when you were meant to be enjoying a holiday. Once on the bus proper, you then had practically little else to do but wait. There was no entertainment to be had, air conditioning was often in suspect conditions, and this wasn’t a technological barrier either: not even magazines or simple puzzles were provided. The worst part was you had to go through all of this twice, since the return trip would have been a very similar story. The charter bus Thailand, and indeed the world over, provided at your beck and call today has come a long way since, but its beginnings were very humble.

Our founder didn’t like that, so he decided it was time for some change.

25 years on, Patsornchai Tour now stands alone at the top for charter buses in Thailand. Our initial experiences were what shaped our company and principles into what they are today: we kept what little we thought was acceptable, while changing and improving the things we thought were not. Chief of our innovative approach to bus rentals 25 years ago, and even now more than ever was that we listened to our customers. Reviews and any criticisms are very seriously considered, because that is the principle this company was founded upon, and it has led us down a path filled with incredible stories.

Our most memorable moments

Bus rental companies have it hard: we generally never make anyone’s journey, but we can easily ruin one. At Patsornchai Tour however, we can proudly say we have definitely made some journeys just as memorable as the destination. Let’s have a look at some of our greatest highlights.

Featured on One 31

While usually not high on a list of things to look out for when you’re renting a bus in Thailand, our fleet looks stunning, if we do say so ourselves. In fact, it’s not just us who think so, as the producers at One 31 chose the New White 39-seat Patsornchai as their transportation of choice for The Next One.

We at Patsornchai Tour believe that a pleasant journey starts the moment you set your eyes on your mode of transport, so we take every care to ensure it looks good enough for a photo every time. Clean whites not only look elegant as they are, they also reflect heat very well, making cabin temperature regulation much more manageable. In addition, the signature swathes of white with blue accents make Patsornchai Tour instantly recognizable amongst a crowd, a common complaint from customers at times when there are numerous buses parked in a shared lot, and they also give your media an extra pop.

Contestants of the EA Champions Cup Spring 2018

For their road to the World eCup Finals, these talented young players had a different kind of road to navigate to BITEC Bangna. 12 of the best teams this side of Asia needed the best charter bus Bangkok had on offer to compete in the EA Champions Cup Spring 2018.

We had to ensure a smooth journey, and a relaxing cabin environment for the players to perform their best during game time. The MAN Patsornchai stepped up to the plate and then some, garnering praise for its smooth drive, elegant media presentation, and calming interior.

Leicester City Champions of England 2015

It was just 3 years earlier that Patsornchai Tour was the transportation of choice for the Foxes to celebrate their 2013-2014 Championship win, trophy on full display, with Patsornchai Tour as their transportation of choice for their victory parade in Bangkok. It was quite the surreal experience: a Thai owner of a little-known Midlands sports team had just clinched an unlikely Championship win after a rough start to the season. That was definitely a first for Bangkok, and we were delighted to celebrate with them, though understandably at this stage, it was more curious excitement than elation over their triumph. Oh how quickly narratives can change…

3 years on, overcoming 5000-1 odds, and scraping by relegation just the year before, it came as an absolute shock that the Foxes would seal their place in history with an impossible Premier League win! The celebrations this time dwarfed the previous one by a wide margin, with the country seemingly united in willing the Foxes to a fairytale ending, so it was only fitting that the best bus rental in Thailand would parade the team once again, glistening Premier League Trophy in tow, down the streets of Bangkok.

It was an honor to be a part of such a momentous occasion, and we feel many of the best qualities of the title-winning team are mirrored at Patsornchai Tour: great management, a remarkable work ethic, and an undying dedication to a cause.

These are just 3 of our more recent clients that have had a lasting impact on us, with many more that we simply cannot fit into one article, and hopefully with many more to follow in the future. Covid has truly been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for not just ourselves, but for countries as a whole as well: working from home; temporary closures of entertainment venues, restaurants; and even a brief ban on provincial travel in Thailand has affected us in many adverse ways as a bus rental company, but we took the initiative to improve our fleet and upskill our staff instead of simply waiting. We looked forward to a time when we would return to service you again, and we wanted to do it better.

Memorable, but not the proudest

Our company highlights comprise some of the most recognizable names, both local and worldwide, and it fills us with great pride to have been their transportation of choice, but we devote the same love and attention to every single one of our clients.

We enjoy listening to customer feedback at Patsornchai Tour, sometimes it is simply a client telling us about their holiday, and then we end up talking for a while; other times it is a serious critique of our service, in which case we try and work with them in order to find a solution. Either way, to us feedback is feedback no matter how big or small: we treat all comments with the respect they deserve.

Every comment is critically assessed and improvements are carefully implemented. We believe our journey to the top as the best bus rental Bangkok has ever seen has been made possible because we listen to everything our clients have to say.

Photos from flashy events and celebrities leaving our buses are nice to hang up on our walls, and indeed get everybody involved very excited to be a part of, but the real lasting achievements for us are a good round of service and happy customers. At the end of a service, if we had done a good job, that is when we feel the most pride. We are what we are today because of you.

Read more about bus rental in Bangkok at
https://www.PatsornchaiTour.com/en

China Earthquake Deaths Rise to 74 as Lockdown Anger Grows

By

Associated Press

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8 September 2022, 12:30

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, soldiers clear debris to search for survivors at an earthquake hit Moxi Town of Luding County, southwest China's Sichuan Province Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. Photo: Ran Peizong / Xinhua via AP

BEIJING (AP) — The death toll in this week’s earthquake in western China has jumped to 74 with another 26 people still missing, the government reported Wednesday, as frustration rose with uncompromising COVID-19 lockdown measures that prevented residents from leaving their buildings after the shaking.

The 6.8 magnitude quake that struct just after noon Monday in Sichuan province caused extensive damage to homes in the Ganze Tibetan Autonomous Region and shook buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu, whose 21 million citizens are under a strict COVID-19 lockdown.

Following the quake, police and health workers refused to allow anxious residents of apartment buildings out, adding to anger over the government’s strict “zero-COVID policy” mandating lockdowns, quarantines and other restrictions, even while the rest of the world has largely reopened.

Footage circulating online showed residents of the central city of Wuhan, where the pandemic is believed to have originated in late 2019, chanting “lift the lockdown, refuse to be tested” at police.

The restrictions have prompted protests online and in person, rare in China’s tightly controlled society where the all-powerful Communist Party can easily sentence people to months or years in prison on loosely defined charges such as “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”

In all, 65 million Chinese in 33 cities, including seven provincial capitals, are currently under varying levels of lockdown. The government is also discouraging domestic travel during the Mid-Autumn Festival on Saturday and the weeklong National Holiday at the start of October.

Outbreaks have been reported in 103 cities, the highest since the early days of the pandemic in early 2020.

Monday’s quake was centered in a mountainous area of Luding county, which sits on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau roughly 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Chengdu, where tectonic plates grind up against each other.

China’s deadliest earthquake in recent years was a 7.9 magnitude quake in 2008 that killed nearly 90,000 people in Sichuan. The temblor devastated towns, schools and rural communities outside Chengdu, leading to a years-long effort to rebuild with more resistant materials.

Rescued Irrawaddy Dolphin Calf Dies Despite Weeks of Care

By

Associated Press

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8 September 2022, 12:00

FILE - A baby dolphin nicknamed Paradon swims at the Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Center in Rayong province in eastern Thailand, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP File

BANGKOK (AP) — An Irrawaddy dolphin calf who was rescued and nursed day and night for weeks by veterinarians and volunteers after his rescue from a tidal pool on Thailand’s shore has died despite all their efforts, officials who were providing emergency care for the animal said Wednesday.

The baby was nicknamed Paradon, roughly translated as “brotherly burden,” when he was found by fishermen on July 22, and dozens of veterinarians and volunteers helped care for him at Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Center in Rayong in the Gulf of Thailand.

“We were quite shocked because it happened so fast. Paradon had made much improvement since we have found him,” said Oranee Jongkolpath, a veterinarian at the center.

“He started to get sick again on Aug. 31, having difficulty breathing and suffering from diarrhea. He deteriorated so quickly, and he died that night.”

Oranee, together with her colleagues and volunteers, had been providing 24-hour watch over the injured calf.

The team looking after Paradon said an initial examination found infection in his lungs, but is waiting for full laboratory results to determine the exact cause of death.

“While we can’t save Paradon’s life, we have learned a lot from it. Not many people have cared for Irrawaddy dolphins, let alone a calf. Everything we have done in a month of caring for him are all lessons learned for us, from its behavior, its food intake, and even its sickness,” Oranee said.

Irrawaddy dolphins, considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, are found in the shallow coastal waters of South and Southeast Asia and in three rivers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia. Their survival is threatened by habitat loss, pollution and fishing, when dolphins are caught unintentionally with other species.

Officials from the marine research center believe around 400 Irrawaddy dolphins remain along the country’s eastern coast bordering Cambodia.

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Story: Tassanee Vejpongsa.

Russia Sends More Energy to Asia as Europe Cuts Back

By

Associated Press

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7 September 2022, 11:30

FILE - The tanker Sun Arrows loads its cargo of liquefied natural gas from the Sakhalin-2 project in the port of Prigorodnoye, Russia, on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. Photo: AP File

BERLIN (AP) — Russia sent significantly more oil and coal to India and China over the summer compared with the start of the year, while European countries that long relied on Russian energy have cut back sharply in response to the war in Ukraine, said a report published Tuesday.

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said Russia received about 158 billion euros ($158 billion) in revenue for the sale of oil, natural gas and coal from February to August, more than half of which — some 85 billion euros worth — was exported to the European Union.

Within the EU, Germany was the biggest importer, buying 19 billion euros worth of fossil fuels from Russia during the six-month period.

The single biggest importer worldwide, however, was China, which bought 35 billion euros worth of Russian energy, the Helsinki-based group said.

While Russia’s revenue rose, overall export volumes dropped by 18% compared with when the country invaded Ukraine, the report said.

The EU has cut its imports from Russia by 35% since the war began, with Russian coal now banned in the 27-nation bloc and a halt to oil sales due to take effect at the end of the year.

Russia itself has sharply cut flows of natural gas to the EU, indicating this week that they would not resume unless Western sanctions are lifted.

Germany’s economy minister, Robert Habeck, said Monday that his country doesn’t expect gas imports from Russia to resume anymore.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock acknowledged Tuesday that past purchases of cheap Russian gas had come at the expense of Germany’s national security — an argument past governments in Berlin had firmly rejected.

“Until recently, there were spurious technical reasons; now the rulers in the Kremlin are alluding to our sanctions as a whole, which supposedly stand in the way of further gas deliveries,” Baerbock said in a speech to German diplomats and business representatives in Berlin. “We must state this very clearly: We will not succumb to this blackmail.”

Meanwhile, India and China imported significantly more coal and crude oil from Russia in July and August than in February and March, according to the report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

The group said fossil fuel exports contributed about 43 billion euros to Russia’s federal budget, compared with independent estimates that the war has so far cost the Russian state the equivalent of 100 billion euros.

UN Agency Calls for Safety Zone Around Ukraine Nuclear Plant

By

Associated Press

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7 September 2022, 11:00

A Ukrainian soldier takes a selfie as an artillery system fires in the front line in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov / AP

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The U.N. atomic watchdog agency urged Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday to establish a “nuclear safety and security protection zone” around the Zaporizhzhia power plant amid mounting fears the fighting could trigger a catastrophe in a country still scarred by the Chernobyl disaster.

“We are playing with fire, and something very, very catastrophic could take place,” Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned the U.N. Security Council, days after leading an inspection visit to the plant.

In a detailed report on its visit, the IAEA said shelling around the Europe’s largest nuclear power plant should stop immediately. “This requires agreement by all relevant parties to the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone” around the plant, it said.

At the Security Council meeting, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres likewise demanded that Russian and Ukrainian forces commit to halting all military activity around the plant and agree on a “demilitarized perimeter.”

Guterres said this would include “a commitment by Russian forces to withdraw all military personnel and equipment from that perimeter and a commitment by Ukrainian forces not to move into it.”

Asked by reporters about establishing a demilitarized zone, Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said the proposal “is not serious.”

“The Ukrainians will immediately step in and ruin the whole thing. We’re defending, we’re protecting the station,” he said. “In fact, it is not militarized. There is no equipment at the station.”

Speaking to journalists later, Nebenizia said Russia wanted to see details of the proposals for demilitarized and protection zones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country needs to look at the specifics of the protection-zone proposal and could support the measure if it envisions the demilitarization of the plant.

In his nightly address to the nation, Zelenskyy praised the IAEA report’s “clear references” to the presence of Russian troops and military equipment at the plant. He urged the agency to explicitly back Kyiv’s long-held position that Russian forces need to withdraw from the facility and its surroundings.

Shelling continued around the plant on Tuesday, a day after it was again knocked off Ukraine’s electrical grid and put in the precarious position of relying on its own power to run its safety systems.

Normally the plant relies on power from the outside to run the critical cooling systems that keep its reactors and its spent fuel from overheating. A loss of those systems could lead to a meltdown or other release of radiation.

“For radiation protection professionals, for the Ukrainian and even the Russian people, and those of central Europe, this is a very worrying time — and that’s an understatement,” said Paul Dorfman, a nuclear safety expert at the University of Sussex in England.

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of shelling Enerhodar, the city where the plant is situated. The Ukrainians also charged that the Kremlin’s forces fired on a town across the Dnieper River from the power station.

The Ukrainian mayor of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov, reported a powerful blast in the city around midday. The explosion left the city of 53,000 cut off from its power and water supplies. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the blast.

World leaders have called for the demilitarization of the plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the war but is being run by Ukrainian engineers.

In its report, the IAEA did not assign blame for the shelling at the plant. The agency has sought to keep out of the political fray.

It did note that on several occasions, the plant lost, fully or in part, its off-site power supply because of military activity in the area. The U.N. agency said a backup power supply line should be reestablished and asked that “all military activities that may affect the power supply systems end.”

In addition, the IAEA warned that the Ukrainian staff operating the plant under Russian military occupation is “under constant high stress and pressure, especially with the limited staff available” — a situation that could “lead to increased human error with implications for nuclear safety.”

It recommended that “an appropriate work environment, including family support,” be reestablished.

The IAEA also said the staff is not being given unrestricted access to some parts of the plant and must get permission from the Russian occupying forces to reach the cooling ponds where spent fuel is kept. Grossi expressed concern that that could hamper the staff’s response in an emergency.

The report said the team saw Russian military personnel, vehicles and equipment at various locations, including several military trucks on the floor of two turbine halls. It called for “the removal of vehicles from areas that could interfere with the operation of safety and security systems and equipment.”

Two inspectors from the IAEA mission remained at the plant, a decision welcomed by Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak.

“There are Russian troops now who don’t understand what’s happening, don’t assess the risks correctly,” Podolyak said. “There is a number of our workers there, who need some kind of protection, people from the international community standing by their side and telling (Russian troops): ‘Don’t touch these people, let them work.’”

On Monday, the IAEA said Ukrainian authorities reported that the plant’s last transmission line linking it to the nation’s power grid was disconnected to allow workers to put out a fire caused by shelling.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko told Ukrainian television: “Any repairs are impossible at this point — there are ongoing hostilities around the plant.”

In the meantime, the plant’s only remaining operational reactor will “generate the power the plant needs for its safety and other functions,” the IAEA said.

Mycle Schneider, an independent analyst in Canada on nuclear energy, said that means the plant was probably functioning in “island mode,” or producing electricity for its own operations.

“Island mode is a very shaky, unstable and unreliable way to provide continuous power supply to a nuclear plant,” Schneider said. He said that “many if not most islanding attempts fail.”

The Zaporizhzhia plant has diesel emergency backup generators to produce power to run the place if the outside source is disrupted. But Schneider said the plant’s operators may have decided to go into island mode first.

If the plant turns to the diesel generators as a last resort and they fail, the reactor and the spent fuel could rapidly overheat, he said.

Experts say the reactors at Zaporizhzhia are designed to withstand natural disasters and even plane crashes, but the unpredictable fighting has repeatedly threatened the cooling systems. Ukraine in 1986 was the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident, the explosion at Chernobyl.

Ukrainian intelligence reported that residents of Enerhodar were fleeing the city out of fear. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russia should organize safe corridors for women and children living nearby.

“People en masse are reaching out to us for help. They are trying to leave the dangerous territory, but there are no corridors,” Vereshchuk told Ukrainian TV.

Meanwhile, gunfire and explosions were heard Tuesday afternoon in the Russian-occupied city of Berdyansk in southastern Ukraine, with Russia’s state-run media reporting that the car of the Kremlin-installed “city commandant” had been blown up. The RIA Novosti news agency said that the official, Artem Bardin, was in serious condition and that a shootout followed the assassination attempt.

The agency quoted Russian-backed local officials as saying they had launched a manhunt for the “Ukrainian saboteurs” responsible.

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Story: Hanna Arhirova. Associated Press writers Frank Jordans in Berlin and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

What are the Advantages of Jojoba Oil?

By

Contributor

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6 September 2022, 15:41

What are the Advantages of Jojoba Oil?

Jojoba seed oil comes from the jojoba plant. The jojoba plant is a vigorous and long-lasting plant that grows in North America which thrives in the desert climate. This plant produces a nut which has many healing properties. The nut of a jojoba plant can be made into an oil, and this oil can be used as part of your skin care routine. There is a myriad of evidence regarding the use of jojoba oil to treat acne, dry skin, and other skin conditions. The following are a few of the advantages of Jojoba Oil.

Moisturizing

Jojoba oil is a humectant ingredient. This means that it attracts water to the top layer of skin, allowing your skin to be hydrated. Hydrating and moisturizing the skin can help prevent certain conditions such as bacterial infections, acne, and dandruff.

Antibacterial

Another advantage of jojoba oil is that it contains antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Jojoba oil does not necessarily kill all bacteria and fungus species, but it does kill certain bacteria and fungi that cause salmonella, E. coli, and candida.

Antioxidant

Jojoba oil contains natural forms of vitamin E. Vitamin E is helpful in working with your skin as an antioxidant. Jojoba oil can help your skin fight oxidative stress which is caused by exposure to pollutants and toxins.

Noncomedogenic

Jojoba oil is a botanical substance, however it is similar to the oil (sebum) which your body naturally produces. This makes it so your skin cannot feel the difference, and makes it less likely to build up in skin or clog the pores, reducing the chance of breakouts and acne.

Controls sebum production

Jojoba oil regulates sebum production since it’s very similar to the sebum from your own body. Putting jojoba oil on your skin allows it to be smooth and moisturized, sending a signal to your hair and sweat follicles that additional sebum is not needed. This prevents skin from looking oily, and prevents acne caused by clogged pores.

Collagen synthesis

Antioxidants contained in jojoba oil may help your body produce collagen. Collagen is a protein found in your skin and joints as well as cartilage. As you get older, Collagen levels begin to decrease, which is the reason your facial structure changes as you age. Antioxidants applied to the skin leads to improved collagen synthesis.

Wound Healing

Jojoba oil can encourage your skin cells to bind together after they’ve been separated by a scratch or cut. This may be the reason for its ability to treat acne and acne scarring. The oil’s wound-healing properties could be connected to jojoba oil containing vitamin E.

Earthquake Kills 65, Triggers Landslides in Southwest China

By

Associated Press

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6 September 2022, 11:30

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers transfer survivors across a river following an earthquake in Moxi Town of Luding County, southwest China's Sichuan Province Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. Photo: Cheng Xueli / Xinhua via AP

BEIJING (AP) — The powerful earthquake that set off landslides and shook buildings in southwestern China killed at least 65 people and injured hundreds, state media said Tuesday.

At least 16 other people are missing a day after the 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck a mountainous area in Luding county in Sichuan province, which sits on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau where tectonic plates meet and is hit regularly by quakes. The temblor shook buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu, whose 21 million residents are already under a COVID-19 lockdown.

Power was knocked out and buildings damaged in the historic town of Moxi in the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Garze, where 37 people were killed. Tents were erected for more than 50,000 people being moved from homes made unsafe by the quake, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

State broadcaster CCTV showed rescue crews pulling a woman who appeared uninjured from a collapsed home in Moxi, where many of the buildings are constructed from a mix of wood and brick. Around 150 people were reported with varying degrees of injuries.

Another 28 people were killed in neighboring Shimian county on the outskirts of the city of Ya’an. Another 248 people were reported as injured, mainly in Moxi, and another 12 people were reported missing.

Three of the dead were workers at the Hailuogou Scenic Area, a glacier and forest nature reserve.

Along with the deaths, authorities reported stones and soil falling from mountainsides, causing damage to homes and power interruptions, CCTV said. One landslide blocked a rural highway, leaving it strewn with rocks, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

Buildings shook in Chengdu, 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the epicenter.

The earthquake and lockdown follow a heat wave and drought that led to water shortages and power cuts due to Sichuan’s reliance on hydropower. That comes on top of the latest major lockdown under China’s strict “zero-COVID” policy.

China’s deadliest earthquake in recent years was a 7.9 magnitude quake in 2008 that killed nearly 90,000 people in Sichuan. The temblor devastated towns, schools and rural communities outside Chengdu, leading to a years-long effort to rebuild with more resistant materials.

Liz Truss Set To Become New UK Conservative Prime Minister

By

Associated Press

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6 September 2022, 11:00

Liz Truss arrives at Conservative Central Office in Westminster after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest in London, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP

LONDON (AP) — Liz Truss has been elected as the Conservative Party’s new leader, the party announced Monday, and she will take office Tuesday as Britain’s new prime minister to steer the country through an acute cost-of-living crisis.

The 47-year-old Truss, who is currently foreign secretary, beat former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak after a leadership contest in which only about 170,000 dues-paying members of the Conservative Party were allowed to vote. Truss received 81,326 votes, compared with Sunak’s 60,399.

She faces immediate pressure to deliver on her promises to tackle the cost-of-living crisis walloping the U.K. and an economy heading into a potentially lengthy recession.

Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled to formally appoint Truss as Britain’s prime minister on Tuesday. The ceremony will take place at the queen’s Balmoral estate in Scotland, where the monarch is spending her summer, rather than Buckingham Palace in London.

The two-month leadership contest left Britain with a power vacuum at a time of growing discontent amid spiraling energy and food costs. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made no major policy decisions since he announced he was stepping down on July 7, and officials insisted that measures to address the energy cost crisis would be deferred until his successor is in place.

Meanwhile tens of thousands of workers have gone on strike to demand better pay to keep up with relentlessly rising costs. Inflation is above 10% for the first time since the 1980s, and the Bank of England has forecast that will reach a 42-year high of 13.3% in October. That’s largely driven by soaring energy bills, which will jump 80% for the average household starting next month.

“I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy. I will deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people’s energy bills, but also dealing with the long term issues we have on energy supply,” Truss told party members after she was elected.

“I know that our beliefs resonate with the British people: Our beliefs in freedom, in the ability to control your own life, in low taxes, in personal responsibility,” she added. “I know that’s why people voted for us in such numbers in 2019 and as your party leader I intend to deliver what we promised those voters right across our great country.”

Truss has won the support of many Conservatives with her zeal in rolling back state intervention and slashing taxes. Both she and her rival Sunak have spoken of their admiration for Margaret Thatcher, who was prime minister from 1979 to 1990, and her free-market, small-government economics.

But it’s not clear how Truss’s right-wing brand of conservatism, which played so well with party members — who represent far less than 1% of the U.K.’s adult population — will go down with the wider British public, especially those most in need of government relief to afford essentials like heating their homes this winter.

Truss has promised to act “immediately” to tackle soaring energy bills, but declined to give any details so far.

“The Conservative Party members wanted that message of tax cutting. The country, I would guess, less so,” said Bronwen Maddox, director of London’s Chatham House think tank.

“At the moment you’ve got people deeply rattled, many very, very afraid going into a year where all they can see are rising costs,” Maddox added. “Until she’s got an answer on that, she doesn’t have a claim to the popularity of the country, I think.”

While the economy is certain to dominate the first months of the new premier’s term, Truss will also have to steer the U.K. on the international stage in the face of Russia’s war in Ukraine, an increasingly assertive China and ongoing tensions with the European Union over the aftermath of Brexit — especially in Northern Ireland.

Australia, New Zealand and Japan issued congratulations to Truss early Tuesday and looked forward to strengthening their ties with the U.K. under her government. “She has been a staunch supporter of the UK’s ‘tilt’ to the Indo-Pacific and played a central role in advancing our historic Free Trade Agreement,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

Truss will be the U.K.’s fourth Conservative prime minister in six years, entering Downing Street following Johnson, Theresa May and David Cameron.

Johnson was forced to resign after a series of ethics scandals that peaked in July, when dozens of cabinet ministers and lower-level officials quit in protest over his handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by a senior member of his government.

Both Truss and Sunak were key players within Johnson’s Cabinet, though Sunak resigned in the last days of Johnson’s time in office.

A Truss government may not sit well with many because it reminds voters too much of Johnson’s misdeeds, said Steven Fielding, a professor of political history at Nottingham University.

“She’s basically been elected as Boris Johnson 2.0 by Conservative members — she’s made it very clear that she is a loyal Boris Johnson supporter,” he said. “I think she’s going to find it very difficult to disentangle herself from the whole Johnson shadow.”

Truss and Sunak were the final two candidates whittled from an initial field of 11 leadership hopefuls.

Under Britain’s parliamentary system of government, the center-right Conservative Party was allowed to hold an internal election to select a new party leader and prime minister without going to the wider electorate. A new general election isn’t required until December 2024.

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Story: Sylvia Hui and Danica Kirka.

Frühlingsklänge & Opernparaphrasen

By

Khaosod English

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6 September 2022, 06:00

Frühlingsklänge & Opernparaphrasen or “The Harmony of Spring”, the opening concert of our first masterclass with our Professors.

International acclaimed artists Prof. Wally Hase, Flute Professor at University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna and Vanda Albota Collaborative Pianist from Folkwang University of Arts, Essen, will bring you a colorful music from Bach’s until Contemporary music, including a piece written by Tilmann Dehnhard, Yorishiro, which the composer dedicated this piece to Prof. Wally Hase himself.

The program also includes music from Bach, Mozart, Prokofiev and more.

Come join us in “The Harmony of Spring” on 11th of September, 18.00 at Goethe Saal, Goethe Institut Thailand (MRT Lumpini).

Ticket: 500 Thai baht/ Student 300 Thai baht.

Seats are limited. Get your now at LINE Official Account: https://lin.ee/cx7AqzU or Google Form: https://forms.gle/B1b4djpUwBLPmu1Y8

Carrier joined forces with B.Grimm holding a seminar on ‘Healthy Building design’ and announced the launch of new chiller air-conditioner

By

Contributor

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5 September 2022, 17:17

Carrier (Thailand) Company Limited and B.Grimm held a seminar on “Sustainable Solutions & Healthy Living for 21st Century Building” to provide knowledge on sustainable standards and solutions for healthy buildings to the property developers, designers, and construction consultants, together with the launch of its latest chiller. The event was held at Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok.

COVID-19 pandemic, PM2.5, and climate emergency have underscored the importance of a healthy living and driven the world to find innovative solutions to enhance a living environment and reduce carbon emissions. In a pursuit of a “Sustainable Healthy Building”, Carrier and B.Grimm initiated Energy-efficient and Healthy Living solution for a sustainable future.

Mr. Adisak Rammanee, Managing Director of Carrier (Thailand) Company Limited revealed “It is an honor to have Mr.Prapoot Ponglaohapan, Vice President Academic Committee, Air Conditioning Engineering Association of Thailand, specializing in LEED green building standard and WELL building standard, to provide knowledge on a healthy and sustainable building design. The trend towards green buildings is accelerating following the growing needs of the tenants to save energy bills and to improve the indoor environment. In addition, as many MNCs have corporate policy to lease only sustainable projects, the green building is forecast to rise at a constant pace.

In response to the trend, Carrier, in collaboration with B.Grimm organized the seminar to provide insights into healthy building design to business partners and introduced ‘Carrier AquaEdge® 19MV Centrifugal Chiller’, its newest highly-efficient chiller with constant chilled water temperature and energy-saving technology via Back-to-back compressor. With the integrated chlorine-free refrigerant R-134A, the machine is ozone safe and environmentally friendly.”

The afternoon session featured a panel discussion on “Design for Healthy Living” by experts from Carrier (Thailand) Company Limited – a specialist in air-conditioning system and air quality control, B.Grimm who provides lighting solutions, energy-efficient and thermally-broken facades, and the touchless security system for building, together with Mr. Bovonson Navaraj, Associate Director (Building Service Engineering) of SCG Building & Living Care Consulting Company Limited to share knowledge on healthy building design.

This solution serves both building owners and occupants in saving electricity fees whilst providing a comfortable, secure, and hygienic indoor environment. As healthy and sustainable living grows increasingly crucial to our daily lives, B.Grimm and Carrier’s corporate philosophy “Doing Business with Compassion for the Development of Civilisation in Harmony with Nature” stands out as a beacon of progress towards consumer health and sustainability.

Key takeaways from the Seminar:

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) provides a framework for healthy, efficient, carbon and cost-saving green buildings, such as choosing energy-efficient building materials and indoor equipment and managing indoor air quality and indoor environment.
WELL Building Standard focuses on improving health and wellbeing of the occupants by promoting healthy features of the built environment such as construction materials, air quality, ventilation system, water, light, and others.
Both LEED and WELL are widely accepted building standards in the world. Carrier and B.Grimm offer a suite of innovative solutions that meet their requirements. Our energy-efficient & healthy living solutions range from air quality management, lighting solution, energy-efficient facade, to touchless safety and security system, and much more.

For more information, please visit our websites:

https://www.carrier.co.th/

https://bgrimmgroup.com/

https://bgrimmtrading.com/

https://www.mbmfacades.com/

https://www.scgbuildingmaterials.com/

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