One of these products is made of water hyacinth and the other is of dried banana midribs. The idea to use water hyacinth stalks as packaging filler came to her two years ago when she started selling handmade macrame products online. Each group had their own method but we wrapped our egg with many layers of dried hyacinth stalks. At present, Chva can produce up to 1,000kg of dried hyacinth box filler per month. DRY BANANA MIDRIBS FROM SUKHOTHAIThe northern province of Sukhothai features one of the largest banana plantations in the country.

If you are considering buying a Samsung phone, there is plenty of choice from the top line S21 Ultra to the Z Flip 3. So there is no need to worry that the phone will not run smoothly regardless of which app you throw at it. Don't game on this phone too much though because there is one sacrifice the phone has to make to be this compact and that is the battery. Moreover, Samsung has also released another foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G, which is geared towards people that need to multitask on-the-go, but that's for another review. For people who are looking for a colourful phone which folds in half and want to stand out from the crowd of rectangular slabs, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G will not disappoint.

LOS ANGELES: The North American box office got a big boost as Disney's new "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," featuring Marvel's first leading Asian superhero, scored an unexpectedly strong $75.4 million opening, industry observer Exhibitor Relations said Tuesday. "Shang-Chi" stars Canadian actor, stuntman and erstwhile Deloitte accountant Simu Liu as Marvel's newest superhero, a former assassin in the shadow of an evil father. In third place this weekend was "Free Guy" from 20th Century, at $8.9 million ($11.2 million for four days). Disney's family adventure film "Jungle Cruise" came in fourth, at $4 million ($5.1 million for four days). And in fifth was Paramount animation "PAW Patrol: The Movie," also with a take of $4 million ($5.3 million for four days).

IRPC signs ultra clean fuel dealsMr Chawalit (top left) at the virtual contract signing ceremony for Ultra Clean Fuel Project. IRPC Plc, the petrochemical arm of PTT Group, is gaining momentum in its 13-billion-baht Ultra Clean Fuel project (UCF) to produce oil that meets the Euro 5 emission standard, with technical support from Chinese and South Korean companies. IRPC also signed contracts with Wison Engineering Co and Wison Energy (Thailand) Co, China's engineering service providers, for engineering, procurement and construction of a hydrogen manufacturing unit. IRPC also signed an agreement with Foster Wheeler Co (Thailand) to be its project management consultant. The upgraded oil refinery facilities are scheduled to operate from January 2024, with production capacity of 75,000 barrels per day.

Don't break up social media, bifurcate itAfter being celebrated for playing a central role in the Arab Spring, social-media platforms are now blamed for any outcome that traditional media outlets dislike. Growing disenchantment with social media has led to growing demands for regulation. While the printing press broke a monopoly, social media infringed on a cosy oligopoly. Before social media, everybody was free to speak, but not everybody had the right to a megaphone. Elected representatives who are reliant on social media to win re-election are not going to bite the hand that feeds them.

Exports seen up 10-12% this year - shippersThailand's exports are expected to rise 10-12% this year as the global economy recovers, but the country's coronavirus outbreak remains a negative factor, the National Shippers' Council said on Tuesday. In the third quarter, exports, a rare bright spot in the economy, are forecast to increase 8-10% from a year earlier, the group told a briefing.

Vietnam jails man for five years for spreading CovidA Vietnamese man has been sentenced to five years in jail for spreading Covid-19 after he breached home quarantine rules. Le Van Tri was convicted of "spreading dangerous infectious diseases to other people" after he travelled to his home province Ca Mau from coronavirus hotspot Ho Chi Minh City in July, according to a report on the website of the provincial People's Court. "Tri's breach of the home medical quarantine regulation led to many people becoming infected with Covid-19 and one person died on 7 August 2021," according to the court report. The vast majority of infections and deaths have been reported since the end of April, and Vietnam's capital Hanoi and commercial hub Ho Chi Minh city have been in strict lockdown for most of the past few months. Several people have been sentenced for spreading Covid-19 to others in Vietnam.

Djokovic tries to put the "Hammer" down in Slam questSerbia's Novak Djokovic reached the US Open quarter-finals and needs only three more wins to complete the first men's singles calendar-year Grand Slam in 52 yearsNEW YORK - Novak Djokovic warns his Grand Slam quest faces a tough challenge from Italian sixth seed Marco Berrettini in the US Open quarter-finals as they meet in a third consecutive Slam. The 34-year-old Serbian advanced within three matches of completing the first calendar-year Grand Slam in 52 years on Monday by fending off 99th-ranked American Jenson Brooksby 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. "If he serves well, which is his biggest weapon, he's tough. "We're going to play the third Grand Slam in a row against each other," he said. I mean, it has been now 16 years since my first center court Grand Slam match.

S. Korea successfully launches homegrown SLBM: reportSouth Korea has joined only a handful of countries to have successfully developed a submarine-launched ballistic missile. SEOUL - South Korea has test-fired a homegrown submarine-launched ballistic missile, a report said Tuesday, as it seeks to build up its forces to defend itself from the nuclear-armed North. Pyongyang has long sought to develop submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology, and showed off four such devices at a military parade overseen by leader Kim Jong Un in January, with state media KCNA calling them "the world's most powerful weapon". But while North Korea has released pictures of underwater launches, most recently in 2019, analysts believe that was from a fixed platform or submersible barge, rather than a submarine. South Korea joins only a handful of countries to have successfully developed an SLBM.

Afghan art activist defiant as Taliban erase Kabul muralsWithin weeks of capturing Kabul, the Taliban have started replacing many of the city's murals with propaganda slogansSEOUL - Afghan activist Omaid Sharifi's art collective spent seven years transforming stretches of Kabul's labyrinthine concrete blast walls with colourful murals -- then the Taliban marched in. - 'Everybody was running' -Sharifi co-founded ArtLords in 2014, using art to campaign for peace, social justice and accountability. The prolific group often shamed the powerful in Afghanistan with street art, including warlords and allegedly corrupt government officials. Their murals honoured Afghan heroes, called for dialogue instead of violence, and demanded rights for women. Sharifi told AFP he "vividly remembers" the public punishments at a football stadium in Kabul, including beheadings and amputations for various crimes.

Climate change fuelling surge in property insurance: Swiss ReActs of God? Climate change will drive demand for protection against rising seas and extreme weather events, says Swiss ReZURICH - Climate change will help propel a threefold surge in property insurance premiums over the coming two decades, according to a study published on Monday by Swiss Re. Swiss Re, which provides insurance for other insurance companies, set out to forecast the major trends driving the sector until 2040. Property premiums stood at around $450 billion in 2020. Motor insurance premiums are expected to double to around $1.4 trillion, from $766 billion in 2020.

Photos courtesy of Dhurakij Pundit UniversityIn today's digital age, young people learn on the internet and successfully build their careers online. Darika Lathapipat, president of Dhurakij Pundit University, said her 15-year-old son is also a self-learner who can edit videos after learning online. Of these, 34 were state universities, nine campuses of Rajamangala Universities of Technology, 38 of Rajabhat University, 40 private universities and 44 others. While state universities work on research because they have financial support, private universities concentrate on human development," said Darika. "Besides accepting international students, private universities should invest in new software and technology, so they will have more modern technology-related courses than state universities.

Funding needed to tackle life-shortening air pollution: reportThe UN cites air pollution as the world's most lethal environmental problem, blaming it for at least 7 million deaths every year. PARIS: Even as air pollution shaves years off life expectancy, fossil fuel projects get more funding than clean air initiatives, a global report said Tuesday. Deaths from air pollution in Africa meanwhile have risen 31% in 10 years. The UN blames air pollution for at least seven million deaths every year, and nine out of 10 people breathe air that WHO guidelines say is unhealthy. It estimates that improving air quality worldwide to meet WHO guidelines would extend average lifespans by 2.2 years.

AGE revenue up as coal demand growsAsia Green Energy expects a revival in coal demand this year to bolster revenue. SET-listed coal trader Asia Green Energy (AGE) maintains its revenue target of 37% growth to 11 billion baht this year, up from 8 billion in 2020, thanks to rising demand for coal. Coal demand is resuming growth and likely to return to levels seen before the pandemic, he said. Last year logistics turned into a new source of revenue as it expanded the service to other companies. Truck transport expansion is part of AGE's 2021 capital spending worth 200 million baht.

LPG prices spark optimism for SGPSET-listed Siamgas and Petrochemical (SGP), Thailand's second largest liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) trader by volume, expects its revenue to reach a new high this year despite lower sales than in 2019, thanks to high global LPG prices. Jintana Kingkaew, deputy managing director and chief financial officer of SGP, said the company based its forecast on the global prices of propane and butane, also known as Saudi Aramco reference prices. SGP maintains its target of sales growing by 15% to hit 3.73 million tonnes this year across Asian markets, up from 3.24 million tonnes last year. Before the pandemic, its sales stood at 3.83 million tonnes in 2019. SGP operates a 230-megawatt Mawlamyine gas-fired power plant and a 10MW diesel-fired power plant in Myanmar.