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Satellite images show full extent of inundation across more than 800,000 rai

New satellite images show widespread fooding across four central provinces in Thailand, affecting 813,817 rai (1,300 square kilometres) of land, mostly low-lying agricultural areas and riverside communities, according to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda).

The high-resolution images released on Thursday from the THEOS-1 satellite clearly show inundated areas in Ayutthaya and parts of Ang Thong, Suphan Buri and Nakhon Pathom provinces.

Authorities are attempting to manage heavier than expected flooding this year, while also mitigating the impact on Bangkok. Residents of Ayutthaya in particular have criticised the government’s water management efforts, saying they are paying a high price to keep the capital dry.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Wednesday acknowledged the problem during a visit to the area, and said farmers and landowners would receive monthly compensation payments until their land was fully dried out.

According to Gistda, Ayutthaya has been hardest hit, with 405,067 rai submerged in 12 districts — Sena, Phak Hai, Bang Sai, Bang Sai, Bang Ban, Lat Bua Luang, Bang Pa Han, Bang Pa-in, Nakhon Luang, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Ban Phraek and Wang Noi.

In Ang Thong, about 2,932 rai in Pa Mok district was flooded.

Suphan Buri recorded flooding on 323,144 rai in Bang Pla Ma, Song Phi Nong and Muang districts.

In Nakhon Pathom, flooding has ravaged Bang Len district, affecting 82,674 rai.

Most of the affected areas were agricultural zones and residential communities located along major and secondary riverbanks and parts of key transport routes.

THEOS-1 imagery can also distinguish different types of floodwater: brown-tinted areas indicate newly flooded areas with sediment, while darker tones show long-standing inundation.

Gistda said that satellite data helped confirm and clarify the actual extent of flood damage, showing that the impacts extend beyond riverside areas into many communities in the four provinces.

The agency, under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, said it was ready to provide space-based data and expertise to support flood and disaster management.

Gistda has also adjusted its satellite signal reception plans to monitor and analyse flood-prone areas continuously.

WASHINGTON – The United States issued new Myanmar-related sanctions on Wednesday, a notice on the Treasury Department website showed.

Some of the individuals targeted appear to be linked to Myanmar’s Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) militia, it showed.

WASHINGTON – The United States pressed its final circulating penny on Wednesday, in a move made to save money as the one-cent coin denomination became less relevant over time.

The last coin was struck in Philadelphia by US Treasurer Brandon Beach, officially ending the circulating penny’s 232-year production run.

“While general production concludes today, the penny’s legacy lives on,” said acting Mint director Kristie McNally in a statement.

For penny-pinchers — slang for frugal types — the coin will still remain legal tender, and there are around 300 billion pennies in circulation.

The end of production comes after President Donald Trump called on the Treasury in February to stop producing pennies, presenting it as an effort to slash government spending.

“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform at the time.

The penny was first authorised by the Coinage Act of 1792.

Early on pennies were made of pure copper, but today’s coins are smaller and made of copper-plated zinc, giving the so-called red cent its rosy hue.

In the past decade, the cost of making each coin rose from 1.42 cents to 3.69 cents, the Mint said on Wednesday.

Debates about the production cost of pennies are not new in the US, and several efforts to end its production failed in Congress previously.

Share subscription conditional on approval of JKN’s business rehabilitation

SET-listed Miss Grand International (MGI) is proceeding with its plan for a conditional subscription in the debt-ridden content provider JKN Global Group (JKN), though analysts warn of deeper structural risks.

MGI informed the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) that its board of directors had approved entering into a share subscription agreement with JKN. The agreement, signed on April 23, grants MGI the right to subscribe to newly issued JKN shares through a private placement.

Under the planned transaction, the beauty product marketer and pageant organiser MGI receives an allocation of 100 million new JKN shares for 0.50 baht apiece, representing an investment of 50 million baht, with completion targeted for the fourth quarter of this year.

The company said the investment is still subject to key conditions that must be satisfied before the subscription becomes legally binding. These conditions concern the approval of JKN’s ongoing business rehabilitation.

JKN made international headlines when it acquired the copyright to the Miss Universe pageant in 2022. But as financial obligations mounted, it later sold a 50% stake to Mexican investors.

A creditors’ meeting and the Central Bankruptcy Court must endorse the rehabilitation plan submitted by JKN, including any potential amendments proposed by creditors.

The court must also explicitly authorise the issuance and private placement of the new shares by the content and product distribution company.

“Only after these approvals are secured can JKN proceed with allocating the shares to MGI within the court-approved rehabilitation framework,” MGI said in the filing to the SET.

This conditional structure prompted some analysts to caution the situation may reflect deeper risks within JKN.

One analyst said that when a company hesitates or withdraws from an investment due to perceived internal problems at its counterpart, it often signals broader structural challenges.

In JKN’s case, these concerns could relate to slow business growth, weaknesses in internal management systems, or vulnerability in its capital structure.

Such issues, if confirmed, may weigh heavily on investor confidence, said an analyst who requested anonymity.

Another analyst who requested anonymity said the implications extend to both companies. Investors may interpret MGI’s guarded stance as a sign that it no longer sees clear strategic value in partnering with JKN, while JKN risks being viewed as increasingly fragile.

These perceptions are amplified by MGI’s earlier remarks highlighting “ongoing internal management problems” at JKN, which have raised questions about the company’s governance standards, said the source.

Concerns surrounding transparency and corporate oversight have also lingered, especially relating to JKN’s handling of high-profile assets such as the rights to the Miss Universe pageant and uncertainties surrounding recent business transfers.

Analysts warn that any gaps in disclosure or unresolved doubts over accounting practices and internal controls could attract closer scrutiny from regulators. Such developments may not only impact investor sentiment, but could also lead to legal or enforcement consequences if regulatory requirements were breached, they said.

Miss Universe events are currently under way in Bangkok and the pageant final is to be held on Nov 21 at Impact Challenger Hall in Nonthaburi.