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"Siam Square: Bangkok's most expensive land price BANGKOK, Oct 25 - A real estate company estimating land prices in the Thai capital indicates that the most expensive plots of land in the country would reach Bt1.5 million/square wah (2 sq metres) in Bangkok's Siam Square, a prime shopping area, this year.   An agency for Real Estate Affairs recently conducted research on changes of land prices in Bangkok. The prime areas are at Siam Paragon department store, Siam Square, and areas near Chidlom and Ploenchit BTS stations. The company said already high prices would increase this year from currently Bt1.4 million per square wah. The second prime areas are land around Wireless Rd and Silom Rd at Bt1.1 million per square wah. prices of land along BTS skytrain stations have continously increased, particularly at Siam Square and Ploenchit stations, by 16.7 percent in the past year, while prices of land along MRT underground stations have increased by 14.4 percent. The company said price estimates will continue to rise over the next five years."

Freer Trade Could Fill the World's Rice Bowl TWITTER LINKEDIN SIGN IN TO E-MAIL OR SAVE THIS PRINT REPRINTS SHARE By TYLER COWEN Published: April 27, 2008 RISING food prices mean hunger for millions and also political unrest, as has already been seen in Haiti, Egypt and Ivory Coast. Yes, more expensive energy and bad weather are partly at fault, but the real question is why adjustment hasn't been easier. A big problem is that the world doesn't have enough trade in foodstuffs. Enlarge This Image Alanah Torralba/European Pressphoto Agency Filipino port workers unload sacks of rice imported from Vietnam to be distributed by the National Food Authority. Related Times Topics: Rice Blogrunner: Reactions From Around the Web Managing Globalization: Can rice Farming Be Laissez-Faire? The damage that trade restrictions cause is probably most evident in the case of rice. Although rice is the major foodstuff for about half of the world, it is highly protected and regulated. Only about 5 to 7 percent of the world's rice production is traded across borders; that's unusually low for an agricultural commodity. So when the price goes up - indeed, many varieties of rice have roughly doubled in price since 2007 - this highly segmented market means that the trade in rice doesn't flow to the places of highest demand. Poor rice yields are not the major problem. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that global rice production increased by 1 percent last year and says that it is expected to increase 1.8 percent this year. That's not impressive, but it shouldn't cause starvation. The more telling figure is that over the next year, international trade in rice is expected to decline more than 3 percent, when it should be expanding. The decline is attributable mainly to recent restrictions on rice exports in rice-producing countries like India, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Cambodia and Egypt. At first glance, this seems understandable, bec

"Over the past two years, global crude oil prices have been in free-fall, and no one seems to know when the bungee cord will catch. In June 2014, you had to shell out $110 to buy a barrel of Brent crude. By early 2015, that had plunged to $60. Today, it costs just $30 to buy a barrel of oil - a level not seen since 2004. It's a staggering decline."

"IT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU CANCEL YOUR RESERVATION A vacation is supposed to be your time away from the crazy. Remind me never to travel to any of the same vacation spots these people have booked. I'll take that upgrade and trade you a bus tour of "OH MY GOD THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS!" - THESE ARE ACTUAL COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY "THOMAS COOK VACATIONS FROM DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS" : 1. "I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local convenience store does not sell proper biscuits like custard creams or ginger nuts." 2. "It's lazy of the local shopkeepers in Puerto Vallarta to close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things during 'siesta' time - this should be banned." 3. "On my holiday to Goa in India , I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don't like spicy food." I'll book it but only if I can screen my fellow travelers first. 4. "We booked an excursion to a water park but no-one told us we had to bring our own swimsuits and towels. We assumed it would be included in the price" 5. "The beach was too sandy. We had to clean everything when we returned to our room." 6. "We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as white but it was more yellow." 7. "They should not allow topless sunbathing on the beach. It was very distracting for my husband who just wanted to relax." 8. "No-one told us there would be fish in the water. The children were scared." 9. "Although the brochure said that there was a fully equipped kitchen, there was no egg-slicer in the drawers." 10. "We went on holiday to Spain and had a problem with the taxi drivers as they were all Spanish." 11. "The roads were uneven and bumpy, so we could not read the local guide book during the bus ride to the resort. Because of this, we were unaware of many things that would have made our holiday more fun." 12. "It took us nine hours to fly home

"The planned commercial development of a plot in the Makkasan area owned by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) may push land prices nearby to outpace those on Silom Road, one of Bangkok's most expensive streets, said Naris Chaiyasoot, director-general of the Treasury Department."

"Farmers in many provinces say they are being driven off their land by the drought and are being forced to sell their holdings at cheap prices as they cannot grow crops and have no money to service their debts."