He said the ban was different from the government's scrapping of leaded petrol some years ago. On that occasion, all auto-makers had confirmed the compatibility of all models with unleaded petrol. But with the proposed ban on sales of octane-95, not all auto-makers had confirmed that their vehicles would run on gasohol.

Piyasvasti said his other urgent priorities included revising laws, drafting laws to govern the energy sector, and preparing for the court hearing on PTT Plc's privatisation.

Student loans

Kasikornbank is offering collateral-free education loans to students pursuing bachelor to doctoral degrees, with a maximum repayment period of seven years. The maximum loan is Bt750,000.

Under the bank's "K-education loan" programme, borrowers will be charged the bank's minimum retail rate plus 2 per cent if studying in state universities except Rajabhat institutes, Assumption University and Rangsit University. For students at other institutions, the rate will be the minimum retail rate plus 4 per cent.

Fly to 101 cities

Austrian Airlines has launched what it calls its "Austrian impression package", targeting honeymooners who want to visit 101 European cities with special fares, starting from Bt39,700.

The package will be available until December 31.

The airline is also offering two more services from Vienna to Phuket each week to attract European tourists to Phuket during the high season. The airline says the flights are 70 per cent booked.

Top banks

Kasikornbank and Siam Commercial Bank have jointly been named "Bank of the Year 2006", marking the first tie for top honours, according to Money and Banking Magazine.

The magazine's October issue reveals the result of rankings according to banks' performance in the period from July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006. It uses the figures to calculate and compare the management efficiency of 11 commercial banks.