M23 rebels massacred at least 131 civilians — including 12 children — and committed more than two dozen rapes on Nov 29-30 in two villages in Rutshuru territory, including Kishishe, the United Nations says. But in the Mungote camp, Eric Nesehose said he could not forget seeing his nephews Jacques and Musayi gunned down before his eyes. Fleeing for their lives, Eric and other villagers walked 40 to 60 kilometres (25 to 37 miles) across the hills to the Mungote camp in Kitshanga district. The UN's Monusco peacekeeping mission has said it was not able to reach Kishishe and neighbouring Bambo to investigate last month's killings, but gathered evidence from witnesses and other sources. Four children missingIn Mungote, 30-year-old Twisenge Manirakiz said most of her family had gone missing in the massacre.

Croatia oust favourites Brazil 4-2 on penalties to reach semi-finalCroatia players celebrate qualifying for the semifinals after winning the penalty shootout on Friday. (Reuters photo)AL RAYYAN: Croatia stunned favourites Brazil 4-2 on penalties on Friday to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the second time in a row after battling back from a goal down in extra time, in one of the biggest knockout-phase upsets in the tournament's history. Apart from a weak Vinicius Jr. shot, Brazil had little to offer in terms of attack with Neymar off the pace and shut out by a hard-working backline. Neymar came even closer in the 55th when he was sent through by Richarlison but keeper and man-of-the-match Dominik Livakovic blocked it. The Brazilians, who have now lost four of their last five World Cup quarter-finals, all to European opposition, missed another chance in the 66th when Lucas Paqueta was denied by Livakovic.

The new airline will further cement AirAsia’s brand in Cambodia and Indochina, providing AirAsia with greater access to its domestic market and most importantly connecting it to the international markets across Asean, North Asia and beyond. AirAsia Cambodia aims to further stimulate the Cambodian aviation and tourism industries, launch exciting new destinations, create jobs and bring a truly low-cost operation to the country. Tony Fernandes said: “Capital A continues to focus on Asean where we know best and our brand is the strongest. Cambodia is the fifth Asean country where we are continuing our march of being the region’s number one mover of people and cargo, and providing a linchpin of economic growth for Asean countries. The value of AirAsia’s network is an insurmountable asset; it will be another flag of extensive connectivity in Cambodia and into the region, namely China, India and North Asia."

On Friday, NBTC board chairman Sorana Boonbaichaipreug said the SAT had 15 days to return the money, with interest of 5% in case of late payment. Sorana said the SAT had violated the “must-have” rule that all people should have free access to World Cup broadcasts, as other internet TV operators could not screen matches. Sorana said the NBTC had handed over the 600 million baht after the SAT pleaded that it did not have budget, but the SAT had then breached the “must have” rule by handing True Corp exclusive rights to internet broadcasts. He said he didn’t know how the SAT would find the money for repayment if it genuinely had no budget left.

Prayut to welcome 10 millionth arrival of 2022Suvarnabhumi airport is filled with travellers amid a resurgence of international arrivals buoyed by a steady recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will be present at Suvarnabhumi airport on Saturday to welcome this year's 10 millionth visitor and mark a milestone in fulfilling the tourism target, according to a government source. Gen Prayut is due to extend his personal welcome to the 10 millionth visitor arriving on a flight from Saudi Arabia at the airport's Gate 10, according to the source. The recovery in the tourism sector has been picking up pace in the past several months after the country reopened its borders earlier this year. He said this is a testament to the country's achievements in restoring its tourism sector -- one of the kingdom's most important industries.

Public Health Minister and Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday denied attempting to turn the tables on fellow coalition member Democrat Party over matters related to the control of cannabis. Bhumjaithai's cannabis control bill is currently being reviewed in parliament. The issue of cannabis control predates the bill. On Thursday, Mr Anutin maintained that by saying the DTTAM is under Mr Sathit's supervision, he did not intend to put his deputy on the spot. "This isn't an attempt to pass a political hot potato to the Democrat Party," he said.

As a first step, it is holding the “Travel Now, Free Now” travel fair at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre from December 15-18. Visitors will get to explore more than 300 stalls set up by hotels, resorts, restaurants and tourist attractions, some offering discounts of up to 70%, TAT deputy governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said on Thursday. Some highlights are:• One day trip to Ko He in Phuket, four islands in Krabi or Ko Lipe in Satun starting at 99 baht• A night in a standard double room at The Chic Lipe, Satun for just 999 baht ++ from the original price of 2,500 baht ++• A night at Keeree Warin Chiewlarn Resort, Surat Thani, for just 999 baht ++ from the original price of 4,000 baht ++Every 5,000 baht spent at the fair can also earn visitors an 800-baht voucher (limited to 200 per day and one per person) that can be used at participating hotels, resorts and attractions. There will also be a golden hour every day from 1pm to 2pm and 4pm to 5pm when people can buy a plane ticket, rent a car, book a room or buy a petrol voucher and get another for free (only at participating stalls). The event also features concerts and stage performances.

Sales in the first half of the expo (November 30 to December 6) totalled 13,521 four-wheel vehicles and 2,650 motorcycles, said Kwanchai Paphatphong. The annual motor show in Impact Muang Thong Thani’s Challenger Hall ends on Monday (December 12). Kwanchai said 748,021 people had visited the event since last Wednesday, with another 98,347 attending online. The improving Covid-19 situation has boosted the number of people visiting the expo in person to witness the latest automotive technology, organisers added. The big hits of this year's expo are sports utility vehicles and e-vehicles, Kwanchai said.

Set up in the southern city of Hyderabad, the gold ATM is the brainchild of GoldSikka and dispenses gold coins that weigh anywhere between 0.5 and 100 grammes. Two-thirds of the country’s gold demand usually comes from rural areas, where jewellery is a traditional store of wealth. The gold ATM, which began operations on Saturday, can store up to 5 kilogrammes of the precious metal. On a recent evening, several customers lined up to buy gold coins, inserting their credit cards into the machine and then choosing the weight of coin. So, whoever goes in for investment, I think this is the best way to take gold,” one customer said.

She said the Cabinet also acknowledged the progress of framework and action plan on Thailand's digital verification service development between 2022 and 2024, covering eight strategies:1. The Digital ID must support people, juristic persons and foreigners on verification, such as electronic signature, authorisation and consent. Juristic persons can perform transaction via Digital ID once authorisation is received. The Department of Business Development is responsible for providing transparent information on juristic persons to support their transactions via Digital ID. People can access government service via digital verification without having to register again in line with international standards.

The source said the telecom watchdog commissioners agreed that the SAT had violated the conditions regarding broadcast of the World Cup being held in Qatar since November. Under the NBTC’s ‘must-have’ rule, several key sporting events, including the Fifa World Cup finals, must be made available on free television. Thailand’s plan to acquire the World Cup broadcasting rights had a troubled start, as the NBTC’s contribution was not enough to purchase the broadcast rights, which was priced at 1.4 billion baht. This forced the SAT, an agency responsible for purchasing the broadcast rights of sporting events, to enter into a deal with telecom company True Corporation for funding support. Under the contract, True contributed 300 million baht to the SAT in exchange for exclusive rights to broadcast 32 matches on its ITPV and online platform, while leaving terrestrial TV broadcasting free for other channels.

Piti Tantakasem, chief executive officer of TTB, said his bank had to raise the interest rate after the policy rate was increased for the third time this year. On November 30, the Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to raise the policy interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.25% to control inflation. Piti said TTB raised its MRR (minimum retail rate) for retail customers by 0.20 percentage point to 6.68% per annum while the MLR (minimum loan rate) for big clients was raised by 0.25 percentage point to 6.625% per annum.

Ring in the Holiday Season on Bangkok’s “River of Kings” with an Exclusive Festive Dishes and Heritage Countdown Party at SirimahannopThe end of the year is fast approaching, so make sure you celebrate in style! Sirimahannop, the reimagined Thai tall ship and refined dining destination, is inviting guests and local residents to ring in the holiday season with a festive feast and with a heritage New Year dinner and party on the Chao Phraya, Thailand’s iconic “River of Kings”. Then on December 31, 2022, gather your family and friends and step onboard Sirimahannop, which is docked at Asiatique The Riverfront. Sail Into New Year Package for up to six guests at The Bridge & Hidden Rum Bar is available for THB 120,000 net, including food, soft drinks, free-flow beer, white wine, red wine, sparkling wine, premium spirits and two bottles of Champagne. Package for up to 20 guests at the Stern is available for THB 280,000 net, including food, soft drinks, free-flow beer, white wine, red wine, sparkling wine, premium spirits, four bottles of Champagne and personalised service.

Aside from transcriptions, a model of classifying and decoding emotions from voices in at-risk groups is also needed. Gowajee and AI technology can be used in many other areas such as …• A dental assistant takes notes while the dentist is doing dental work on the patient and needs to record some notes. Your data is safe with Gowajee“Data safety” is what puts Gowajee above other speech-recognition AIs. As Ekapol tells us “Normally other transcription programs store their data on the cloud or compile them on users’ computer. With Gowajee, all the data is stored on the user’s database ensuring its safety.

ANN news highlights: Wed, Dec 7, 2022Bringing Asia CloserSociety Indonesia INew Criminal Code which among others criminizes nonmarital sex is a set back for civil liberties - Jakarta PostIndonesia updated its Criminal Code (KUHP) on Tuesday, when the House of Representatives passed a newly revised version that has ushered the country into a new era in which illiberalism and religious conservatism prevail. Society Indonesia IIEditorial: Conservative turn - Jakarta PostFor decades, Indonesia has maintained its status as a country that is “neither religious nor secular” — a philosophical compromise, or conundrum, that reflects the longstanding ideological tensions between conservative and liberal forces in the country. Environment MalaysiaOil palm plantation picked as The Earthshot Prize finalist | The StarA pioneering partnership between a non-governmental organisation and an oil palm plantation in Malaysia was selected as one of the 15 finalists for The Earthshot Prize 2022, the world’s most prestigious environmental prize led by Prince William and the Royal Foundation. Unlock ChinaMore COVID curbs eased in Beijing, other cities - China DailyAuthorities in several Chinese regions eased COVID-19 restrictions to varying degrees on Tuesday, slowly and steadily adopting a new approach to deal with the virus and making life less regimented for the people.