War games
Soldiers perform a drill to evacuate people from a conflict zone at the annual Cobra Gold military exercise at U-tapao Airport in Chon Buri on February 17.
New flights
Cabinet approves new schedules
The cabinet has given the green light to increase flights between Thailand and Russia. Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the cabinet on February 16 approved in principle the increase in flights under a Thai-Russian memorandum of understanding on aviation, signed in July last year, proposed by the Transport Ministry.
Flights between Moscow and Phuket will be increased to 70 a week, up from 42 flights now, while flights between Saint Petersburg and Phuket will increase to 28 flights per week from 14 flights. The route between Irkutsk and Chiang Mai will be changed to Novosibirsk and Krabi.
Sansern said the increase in flights will result in growth for the tourism industry.
Education idea
Ministry proposes plan
The Education Ministry has floated the idea of citing students' community engagement and volunteering records as criteria for university entrance in some faculties, replacing scores from the Ordinary National Education Test (O-NET), officials said on February 16.
Education official Kamchorn Tatiyakawee said the plan aims to reshape the university entrance system, which mainly focuses on testing what knowledge students have acquired rather than considering their volunteering spirit.
Kamchorn said the idea also aims to reduce inequality in the Thai education system as evidence shows there is a wide gap in examination scores between students who use tutorial services and those who cannot afford them.
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
Pollution problem
Air in north becomes dangerous
The air quality in four Northern provinces was unsafe. Authorities reported the news on February 16. Haze in Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun and Prae reached harmful levels. People in those areas were advised to wear masks.
Vocabulary
- green light (n): permission for a project, etc. to start or continue
memorandum (n): a record of a legal agreement which has not yet been formally prepared and signed
float (v): to suggest an idea or a plan for other people to consider
