News
Bangkok Yellow Line Monorail Faces First Technical Issue After Successful 20-Day Trial Run
(CTN News) – Bangkok’s Yellow Line, a monorail system, encountered its first technical issue since its full opening on June 19. This incident led to a temporary closure of five stops along the route, causing inconvenience to commuters.
In response to the increasing number of passengers, the Department of Rail Transport (DRT) has requested the Eastern Bangkok Monorail (EBM) to enhance train frequency, particularly during peak hours.
Furthermore, efforts are underway to improve station display signs, enabling commuters on the Yellow Line to easily switch to other lines within Bangkok’s transit network.
On June 22, at 7 AM, the Yellow Line experienced its first technical issue, resulting in the temporary closure of five stops between Lat Phrao 101 and Hua Mak for approximately one and a half hours. This incident disrupted commuters’ journeys. However, the issue was promptly addressed, and service resumed after the repairs.
To accommodate the growing number of passengers, the DRT has urged the EBM to enhance train frequency during rush hour.
Currently operating every 10 minutes, the DRT plans to reduce the interval to every five minutes during peak hours, specifically from 7 AM to 9 AM and 5 PM to 8 PM.
This adjustment is expected to be implemented by next week, providing commuters with shorter waiting times and smoother travel experiences.
Recognizing the importance of seamless transfers between different transit lines, the DRT and other related agencies are actively working to improve station display signs along the Yellow Line.
These enhancements aim to assist commuters in identifying and accessing connections to other lines conveniently. Notably, the Yellow Line is interconnected with the Green Line at Samrong Station, the Airport Rail Link at Hua Mak Station, and the Blue Line at Lat Phrao Station.
Enhancing station signage allows passengers to navigate Bangkok’s transit network more efficiently, enabling seamless transfers and optimizing their travel experience.
ORIGINAL STORY: Pattaya Introducing Four Monorail Lines to Alleviate Traffic Congestion
Similar to the lingering ghosts in Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol,” the Pattaya monorail project continues to haunt the city’s transportation plans, serving as a reminder of the need for improved infrastructure.
Recent discussions, chaired by Pattaya’s deputy mayor, Manote Nongyai, unveiled yet another detailed plan to connect the Pattaya rail station to Bali Hai pier.
This proposed linkage aims to facilitate the seamless transfer of train tourists once the new high-speed train from Bangkok to U-Tapao airport is completed, although the timeline for this accomplishment remains uncertain.
The Cost and Funding Challenges of the Pattaya Monorail Project
Over the past decade, various endeavors have emerged to enhance Pattaya’s transportation system, as the main roads have become more congested, particularly on weekends.
Two years ago, a Swiss company proposed a cable car project along Beach Road; however, it failed to gain support from Public and Private Partnership (PPP) funders.
Concerns were raised during a public meeting regarding the comfort and practicality of transporting passengers in small boxes suspended in the air.
Alternative suggestions, such as trams and railways, have also been proposed, but their implementation would present numerous challenges in an overcrowded city. The introduction of tracks could lead to legal disputes due to the necessary demolition of wide stretches of land through unpopular compulsory purchase orders.
In contrast, a monorail system, requiring minimal vertical and horizontal space, offers a potential solution to bypass these obstacles (though land appropriation would still be necessary at station locations).
The Interdependence of the Pattaya Railway Station and Bangkok-U-tapao Hi-Speed Railway Projects
However, the initial construction costs are anticipated to be high, with a City Hall assessment estimating the project at 26 billion baht, likely an underestimate.
Clearing the path for the monorail project involves navigating a mountain of details. Approval from the new Thai Cabinet and an environmental impact assessment are required.
Substantial funding would need to be secured from international macro-funders of the Eastern Economic Corridor, who have previously financed several local projects, including motorways, beach replenishments, and pier reconstruction.
Whether propulsion or magnetic-based, decisions regarding the technology to be used are yet to be determined. Furthermore, City Hall announced three additional monorail projects connecting central areas with outlying districts, scheduled for completion in the 2030s.
The urgency to address Pattaya’s traffic congestion is evident; however, the successful coordination of the Pattaya railway station and Bangkok-U-tapas high-speed railway projects remains a formidable challenge, far from being resolved.

News
Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding, But Still Accounting 48% Search Revenue

Google is so closely associated with its key product that its name is a verb that signifies “search.” However, Google’s dominance in that sector is dwindling.
According to eMarketer, Google will lose control of the US search industry for the first time in decades next year.
Google will remain the dominant search player, accounting for 48% of American search advertising revenue. And, remarkably, Google is still increasing its sales in the field, despite being the dominating player in search since the early days of the George W. Bush administration. However, Amazon is growing at a quicker rate.
Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding
Amazon will hold over a quarter of US search ad dollars next year, rising to 27% by 2026, while Google will fall even more, according to eMarketer.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the forecast.
Lest you think you’ll have to switch to Bing or Yahoo, this isn’t the end of Google or anything really near.
Google is the fourth-most valued public firm in the world. Its market worth is $2.1 trillion, trailing just Apple, Microsoft, and the AI chip darling Nvidia. It also maintains its dominance in other industries, such as display advertisements, where it dominates alongside Facebook’s parent firm Meta, and video ads on YouTube.
To put those “other” firms in context, each is worth more than Delta Air Lines’ total market value. So, yeah, Google is not going anywhere.
Nonetheless, Google faces numerous dangers to its operations, particularly from antitrust regulators.
On Monday, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Google must open up its Google Play Store to competitors, dealing a significant blow to the firm in its long-running battle with Fortnite creator Epic Games. Google announced that it would appeal the verdict.
In August, a federal judge ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly on search. That verdict could lead to the dissolution of the company’s search operation. Another antitrust lawsuit filed last month accuses Google of abusing its dominance in the online advertising business.
Meanwhile, European regulators have compelled Google to follow tough new standards, which have resulted in multiple $1 billion-plus fines.

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Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding
On top of that, the marketplace is becoming more difficult on its own.
TikTok, the fastest-growing social network, is expanding into the search market. And Amazon has accomplished something few other digital titans have done to date: it has established a habit.
When you want to buy anything, you usually go to Amazon, not Google. Amazon then buys adverts to push companies’ products to the top of your search results, increasing sales and earning Amazon a greater portion of the revenue. According to eMarketer, it is expected to generate $27.8 billion in search revenue in the United States next year, trailing only Google’s $62.9 billion total.
And then there’s AI, the technology that (supposedly) will change everything.
Why search in stilted language for “kendall jenner why bad bunny breakup” or “police moving violation driver rights no stop sign” when you can just ask OpenAI’s ChatGPT, “What’s going on with Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny?” in “I need help fighting a moving violation involving a stop sign that wasn’t visible.” Google is working on exactly this technology with its Gemini product, but its success is far from guaranteed, especially with Apple collaborating with OpenAI and other businesses rapidly joining the market.
A Google spokeswoman referred to a blog post from last week in which the company unveiled ads in its AI overviews (the AI-generated text that appears at the top of search results). It’s Google’s way of expressing its ability to profit on a changing marketplace while retaining its business, even as its consumers steadily transition to ask-and-answer AI and away from search.
Google has long used a single catchphrase to defend itself against opponents who claim it is a monopoly abusing its power: competition is only a click away. Until recently, that seemed comically obtuse. Really? We are going to switch to Bing? Or Duck Duck Go? Give me a break.
But today, it feels more like reality.
Google is in no danger of disappearing. However, every highly dominating company faces some type of reckoning over time. GE, a Dow mainstay for more than a century, was broken up last year and is now a shell of its previous dominance. Sears declared bankruptcy in 2022 and is virtually out of business. US Steel, long the foundation of American manufacturing, is attempting to sell itself to a Japanese corporation.
SOURCE | CNN
News
The Supreme Court Turns Down Biden’s Government Appeal in a Texas Emergency Abortion Matter.

(VOR News) – A ruling that prohibits emergency abortions that contravene the Supreme Court law in the state of Texas, which has one of the most stringent abortion restrictions in the country, has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. The United States Supreme Court upheld this decision.
The justices did not provide any specifics regarding the underlying reasons for their decision to uphold an order from a lower court that declared hospitals cannot be legally obligated to administer abortions if doing so would violate the law in the state of Texas.
Institutions are not required to perform abortions, as stipulated in the decree. The common populace did not investigate any opposing viewpoints. The decision was made just weeks before a presidential election that brought abortion to the forefront of the political agenda.
This decision follows the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that ended abortion nationwide.
In response to a request from the administration of Vice President Joe Biden to overturn the lower court’s decision, the justices expressed their disapproval.
The government contends that hospitals are obligated to perform abortions in compliance with federal legislation when the health or life of an expectant patient is in an exceedingly precarious condition.
This is the case in regions where the procedure is prohibited. The difficulty hospitals in Texas and other states are experiencing in determining whether or not routine care could be in violation of stringent state laws that prohibit abortion has resulted in an increase in the number of complaints concerning pregnant women who are experiencing medical distress being turned away from emergency rooms.
The administration cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in a case that bore a striking resemblance to the one that was presented to it in Idaho at the beginning of the year. The justices took a limited decision in that case to allow the continuation of emergency abortions without interruption while a lawsuit was still being heard.
In contrast, Texas has been a vocal proponent of the injunction’s continued enforcement. Texas has argued that its circumstances are distinct from those of Idaho, as the state does have an exemption for situations that pose a significant hazard to the health of an expectant patient.
According to the state, the discrepancy is the result of this exemption. The state of Idaho had a provision that safeguarded a woman’s life when the issue was first broached; however, it did not include protection for her health.
Certified medical practitioners are not obligated to wait until a woman’s life is in imminent peril before they are legally permitted to perform an abortion, as determined by the state supreme court.
The state of Texas highlighted this to the Supreme Court.
Nevertheless, medical professionals have criticized the Texas statute as being perilously ambiguous, and a medical board has declined to provide a list of all the disorders that are eligible for an exception. Furthermore, the statute has been criticized for its hazardous ambiguity.
For an extended period, termination of pregnancies has been a standard procedure in medical treatment for individuals who have been experiencing significant issues. It is implemented in this manner to prevent catastrophic outcomes, such as sepsis, organ failure, and other severe scenarios.
Nevertheless, medical professionals and hospitals in Texas and other states with strict abortion laws have noted that it is uncertain whether or not these terminations could be in violation of abortion prohibitions that include the possibility of a prison sentence. This is the case in regions where abortion prohibitions are exceedingly restrictive.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which resulted in restrictions on the rights of women to have abortions in several Republican-ruled states, the Texas case was revisited in 2022.
As per the orders that were disclosed by the administration of Vice President Joe Biden, hospitals are still required to provide abortions in cases that are classified as dire emergency.
As stipulated in a piece of health care legislation, the majority of hospitals are obligated to provide medical assistance to patients who are experiencing medical distress. This is in accordance with the law.
The state of Texas maintained that hospitals should not be obligated to provide abortions throughout the litigation, as doing so would violate the state’s constitutional prohibition on abortions. In its January judgment, the 5th United States Circuit Court of Appeals concurred with the state and acknowledged that the administration had exceeded its authority.
SOURCE: AP
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Could Last-Minute Surprises Derail Kamala Harris’ Campaign? “Nostradamus” Explains the US Poll.
News
Supreme Court Rejects Appeal From ‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli, To repay $6.4 Million

Washington — The Supreme Court rejected Martin Shkreli’s appeal on Monday, after he was branded “Pharma Bro” for raising the price of a lifesaving prescription.
Martin appealed a decision to repay $64.6 million in profits he and his former company earned after monopolizing the pharmaceutical market and dramatically raising its price. His lawyers claimed the money went to his company rather than him personally.
The justices did not explain their reasoning, as is customary, and there were no notable dissents.
Prosecutors, conversely, claimed that the firm had promised to pay $40 million in a settlement and that because Martin orchestrated the plan, he should be held accountable for returning profits.
Supreme Court Rejects Appeal From ‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli
Martin was also forced to forfeit the Wu-Tang Clan’s unreleased album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” which has been dubbed the world’s rarest musical album. The multiplatinum hip-hop group auctioned off a single copy of the record in 2015, stipulating that it not be used commercially.
Shkreli was convicted of lying to investors and defrauding them of millions of dollars in two unsuccessful hedge funds he managed. Shkreli was the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals (later Vyera), which hiked the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per pill after acquiring exclusive rights to the decades-old medicine in 2015. It cures a rare parasite condition that affects pregnant women, cancer patients, and HIV patients.
He defended the choice as an example of capitalism in action, claiming that insurance and other programs ensured that those in need of Daraprim would eventually receive it. However, the move prompted criticism, from the medical community to Congress.
Supreme Court Rejects Appeal From ‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli
Attorney Thomas Huff said the Supreme Court’s Monday ruling was upsetting, but the high court could still overturn a lower court judgment that allowed the $64 million penalty order even though Shkreli had not personally received the money.
“If and when the Supreme Court does so, Mr. Shkreli will have a strong argument for modifying the order accordingly,” he told reporters.
Shkreli was freed from prison in 2022 after serving most of his seven-year sentence.
SOURCE | AP
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