Panel votes for chemical ban : Pressure mounts on govt to follow suit . A four-party committee has voted for a ban on the use of three toxic farming chemicals, heaping pressure on the National Hazardous Substances Committee (NHSC), which has resisted an outright ban, to follow suit. Bangkok Post
New stops set for Dec 5 : The skytrain will open more stations on its Mor Chit-Khu Khot northern route to Kasetsart University from Dec 5 in a move expected to almost triple passengers on the section. Bangkok Post
5G panel in the works : DES Ministry tasked to name members . Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has assigned the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry to work with related agencies to set up a national 5G committee to facilitate adoption. Bangkok Post
Govt tracks WiFi for ‘fake news’ : Coffee shops told to hand over logs . Digital Economy and Society Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta has told owners of coffee shops with WiFi to turn over their customers’ browsing histories for the last 90 days. Bangkok Post
3-airport rail link hits another bump : The signing of the 224-billion-baht contract between the State Railway of Thailand and Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) for the rail link between the three main international airports has run into another delay following the resignation of the entire SRT board. Bangkok Post
Ministry’s WiFi demand draws flak : Businesses say move will add to their costs . The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry’s demand that all cafes store data passing through their WiFi connections has drawn flak from shop owners, especially small-scale operators, who said the measure would impose a financial burden on them, including server expense. Bangkok Post
IMF, EIC predict growth of less than 3% : The IMF forecasts Thailand’s GDP growth to slow to 2.9% this year before improving marginally to 3% in 2020, while the Economic Intelligence Center (EIC) under Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) sees growth of 2.8% for this year and next. Bangkok Post
MPs spar over budget debate : Ministers under orders to front up . The government and the opposition are flexing their muscles ahead of the upcoming budget debate that may end up with the dissolution of the House if the bill is not passed. Bangkok Post
BoT prepares to restrain baht : The Bank of Thailand is set to step up efforts to rein in the baht in the next few months by easing capital flow regulations, managing gold trading flows and lowering the current account surplus, says its chief. Bangkok Post
Consumer confidence skid continues : Consumer confidence plunged to a 39-month low in September as the public fretted about the tepid economy, shrinking exports, low farm prices and global uncertainty stemming from trade wars and the Brexit impasse. Bangkok Post
