A PWO source said yesterday any rice millers failing to meet the deadline would no longer be allowed to participate in the programme. The measure is aimed at forcing mills to polish their rice and clear their stocks in preparation for the new crop, 80 per cent of which will enter the market from about the middle of next month through next February.

The government's pledging programme this year started on November 13, with a volume of 35,000 tonnes of paddy rice already reached.

As of last Friday, 343 rice mills were involved in the programme. - The Nation.

ESS 'loses out' on soccer   

UBC has reportedly secured broadcast rights for the English Premier League (EPL) in Thailand, after outgunning incumbent ESPN Star Sports (ESS).

The news comes as ESS confirmed it had retained the rights in 11 regional markets, including Malaysia, South Korea and the Philippines.

In Indonesia, ESS also added the terrestrial rights - previously held by TV7 - to its existing cable and satellite-rights deal. Hong Kong and Singapore have also seen EPL rights shift hands, to Now TV and StarHub, respectively. - The Nation.

New Panasonic unit

Panasonic Automotive Systems - a division of Matsushita Electric Industries - recently announced it would launch Panasonic Automotive Systems Asia-Pacific (Thailand) tomorrow in the Kingdom.

The new company will assume a sales role and cover fast-growing Asian markets like India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. With the establishment of a new Technology Development Department, the company will also formulate a product-development system aimed at meeting the needs of local consumers. - The Nation.