Transpacific cable is cut, for now
Transpacific cable is cut, for nowIn light of the problems between the USA and China, and that those in power in Beijing want to grab data from US networks, Google and Facebook have dropped plans to build an undersea cable between the US and Hong Kong. The HK section of the cable is built but will not now be activated due to a national security agreement between the US and Google and Facebook. Also, in another update, Sony offered me more discount on a new pair. I still visit websites that use Flash so those will need to update their code -- unlikely -- or I'll need to use another browser. Australia sits at 62 with Korea surprisingly way down at 100, and with China way, way down at 200.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 22:41 UTC
Self-esteem 'key' to preventing repeat offences
Self-esteem 'key' to preventing repeat offencesRebuilding self-esteem and faith in oneself is the key to preventing a person from becoming a repeated drug offender, a seminar organised by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) was told. Niyom Termsrisuk, ONCB secretary-general, said in the ONCB Talk 2020 seminar yesterday that over 300,000 people are sent to prison on drug charges every year, many of whom are repeat offenders. Because of the high numbers, many people believe repeat offenders should be given tougher penalties, such as the death sentence or life imprisonment, which does nothing to solve the country's drug problems. Mr Niyom also provided an update on the 813-kg crystal methamphetamine haul packed in coconut milk cans found by Australian Federal Police in Sydney last month. Mr Niyom said their investigation established that the coconut milk cans were purchased in Bangkok.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 22:41 UTC
Oracle 'very close' to deal on TikTok: Trump
Oracle 'very close' to deal on TikTok: TrumpThe popular video app TikTok was scrambling to structure a partnership deal to avert a shutdown in the United States, where President Donald Trump has called the service a national security threat. WASHINGTON: Silicon Valley tech giant Oracle is "very close" to sealing a deal to become the US partner to Chinese-owned video app TikTok to avert a ban in the United States, President Donald Trump said Tuesday. "I heard they're very close to a deal," Trump told reporters, adding that "we're going to make a decision pretty soon" on whether to approve the tie-up, which would make Oracle a "trusted technology provider" for TikTok. If the transaction happens, it would avoid an outright sale of TikTok while giving a stake in the popular app to Oracle, whose founder Larry Ellison is a prominent Trump supporter. Other analysts said the deal appears dubious because it would give a popular social platform to a Trump ally.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 21:33 UTC
Apple bundles TV, music, news and more in services push
Apple bundles TV, music, news and more in services pushApple CEO Tim Cook announced updated versions of the Apple Watch and iPad at a livestreamed event, but the new iPhones are expected to be unveiled next month following pandemic-related delays. SAN FRANCISCO: Apple said Tuesday it is putting TV, music, news and more in a subscription bundle as it increases its push into services tied to its iPhone "ecosystem." An Apple One bundle to be available later this year will start at $15 monthly and include a freshly launched fitness service tied to Apple Watch. The $15 Apple One bundle includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, the Apple Arcade game service and iCloud storage. Apple Watch also serves as an anchor to the tech giant's mobile software, since it syncs with the iPhone.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 21:11 UTC
Long-term tourist visas approved | Bangkok Post: learning
(Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool)The government on Tuesday agreed to allow in foreign tourists who agree to 14-day quarantine and stay for at least 90 days, to help the economy. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said after the cabinet meeting that the government would issue special tourist visas for long-stay visitors. The 90-day special tourist visa could be extended twice, for 90 days each time. Twenty Chinese provinces were free of Covid-19 and had a combined population of around 800 million. If only one percent of them, about 8 million people, visited Thailand they could support the tourism sector, he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 17:26 UTC
Navalny says 'amazing' to breathe unaided, eyes Russia return
Navalny says 'amazing' to breathe unaided, eyes Russia returnNavalny was taken to a Berlin hospital after his alleged poisoningMOSCOW - Opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Tuesday he was able to breathe unaided in his first public comments after his suspected poisoning in Siberia, while his aide said he planned to return to Russia once recovered. "Hello, this is Navalny," he wrote in a post on Instagram, appearing with his wife and two children in the Berlin hospital where he was flown for treatment after falling ill. Germany said Monday that French and Swedish labs had independently confirmed findings by doctors in Berlin that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok. - Plans to return-Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said separately that the opposition leader planned to return to Russia. The director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, on Tuesday reiterated that Russian doctors had found no evidence that Navalny was poisoned.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 12:33 UTC
Culture war: Inner Mongolia seethes as China presses Mandarin at school
Culture war: Inner Mongolia seethes as China presses Mandarin at schoolStudents arrive at the Tongliao Mongolian Middle School in Tongliao, China's northern Inner Mongolia region, following recent protests over a new bilingual education policy by the Chinese government. "The spirit (of resistance) is still there, but we are scared," said the man, requesting anonymity as he watched other students lugging their suitcases back into Tongliao Mongolian Middle School after a week-long boycott. The interference in the curriculum aligns with remarks by Xi that Mandarin language ability leads to greater prosperity and social mobility for ethnic minorities across China. The Inner Mongolia Education Bureau did not respond to a faxed request for comment. The curriculum change shows that China is determined to "wipe out Mongolian language, culture and identity," says Enghebatu Togochog, Director of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center, based in New York City.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 06:33 UTC
Cabinet considers another long holiday | Bangkok Post: learning
Holidaymakers return to Bangkok on Sept 7 at the end of the long weekend. (Photo: Bangkok Post)The cabinet is thinking about declaring another long holiday to allow people to travel and boost local economies. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Tuesday that the idea was floated by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. He agreed it should be a four-day holiday, including Saturday and Sunday. The long weekend from Sept 4-7 saw many people heading for tourist attractions, injecting tens of millions of baht into local business economies.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 04:52 UTC
Kudun & Partners appointed to represent the largest group of creditors with total debenture debt of THB 46 billion in Thai Airways’ rehabilitation proceeding
Kudun & Partners appointed to represent the largest group of creditors with total debenture debt of THB 46 billion in Thai Airways’ rehabilitation proceedingKudun and Partners has been officially appointed to represent a total of 87 savings co-operatives in their capacity as creditors of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited in Thailand’s largest-ever business rehabilitation proceeding to date. THAI is carrying a total debt burden of approximately THB 350 billion, in which the debenture debt consists of approximately THB 74 billion (21% of the total debt). Together, the 87 savings co-operatives sum up to a total debenture debt of approximately THB 46 billion (62% of whole debenture debt), making it the largest group of creditors of Thai Airways’ rehabilitation, which could potentially give them the power to set the guidelines for Thai Airways’ rehabilitation. The saving co-operatives consist of state-owned enterprises, universities, corporations and hospitals, including EGAT Saving and Credit Cooperative Limited, Kasetsart University Savings and Credit Cooperative Limited, Provincial Electricity Authority’s Employees Savings and Credit Cooperative Limited, Thammasat University Savings and Credit Cooperative Limited, Chulalongkorn University Savings Cooperative Limited and many more. For more information Kudun and Partners, please visit http://www.kudunandpartners.com or email contact@kap.co.th.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 03:56 UTC
Trump hosts Israel, Bahrain, UAE peace ceremony
Trump hosts Israel, Bahrain, UAE peace ceremonyThe US, United Arab Emirates, Israel and Bahrain will make history at the White House. WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will host a ceremony Tuesday where Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates normalise relations with Israel, redrawing the Middle East's diplomatic map -- and boosting the Republican's reelection hopes. Feeling increasingly abandoned, Palestinian leaders on Sunday urged demonstrations in the occupied territories and outside embassies of the United States, Israel, Bahrain and the UAE to protest what they called "shameful agreements." The White House official said that there would be one common document and then separate bilateral agreements between Israel and the two Arab countries. Another important element left unclear on the eve of the signing was whether the large crowd expected at the White House would respect anti-coronavirus protocols.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 03:45 UTC
Govt sets 'Boss' case deadline | Bangkok Post: learning
Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, with Bangkok police after his hit-and-run crash on Sept 3, 2012. The government has set a seven-day deadline for state agencies whose officials are alleged to have been involved in the mishandling of the "Boss" case to provide updates on their investigations. These findings were presented to the prime minister and sent to other agencies on Aug 31. The Institute for Justice Reform on Monday issued its second statement on the case, in which it urged the prime minister to heed its four recommendations to restore public trust in the judicial system. Instruct the national police chief to conclude its investigation into the accused officers within 30 days and report on its progress every seven days.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 02:26 UTC
Trash to Give
Trash to GiveUniventures REIT Management Co., Ltd. joins Golden Land Property Development PLC to launch “Trash to Give,” a garbage sorting campaign to reduce the amount of waste which impacts the environment. Of this amount, two million tonnes were plastic waste and only 500,000 tonnes of it was recycled. “We had roadshows to educate tenants and occupiers at the two buildings about environment and waste sorting. They comprise those for organic and fluid waste, general waste, PET or plastic bottles, glass bottles and aluminium cans. In early September it launched phase two of the activity under the “Trash to Give” campaign, according to Piyawara Bhongse-tong, Senior Vice President, asset development at Golden Land Property Development PLC which manages the two office buildings.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2020 00:56 UTC
Push for rail concessions
Push for rail concessionsThe Transport Ministry's proposal to grant the private sector concessions to operate and improve the country's rail system has been well-received by the public. Attempts by previous governments to give the private sector a bigger role in the sector were long put off by strong resistance from the SRT's workers union. Several countries, including Russia, Czech Republic, South Korea and the US, had expressed interest in investing in Thailand's rail system through their diplomats, said the minister. Currently, the Department of Rail Transport (DRT) is gathering opinions from private companies and inviting them to co-invest in Thailand's rail system. The rail system is part of a mass transit network, so SRT should put public interests over revenues.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 14, 2020 22:52 UTC
Crackdown on student protest is a wasted effort
Crackdown on student protest is a wasted effortTension is rising as the anti-government protest scheduled for Saturday draws nearer. Recently, the university's administrators issued a statement barring students from holding a rally at the campus. They said the students' request to use the campus' grounds did not meet the university's criteria. However, student activist Panasaya Sitthijirawattanakul urged the university to reconsider, saying protesters would be more at risk if they are forced to take to the streets. But the effort could be futile, just like the government's attempt to force Facebook to close down the controversial "Royalist Marketplace" group.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 14, 2020 22:52 UTC
Spotting a silent killer
After Chadwick Boseman's death from colon cancer, the medical community is raising awareness about the illness which is often diagnosed too lateChadwick Boseman died late last month after a battle with colon cancer. Almost 5% to 10% of all colon cancer cases are reported to be the result of hereditary causes. "Besides being a silent killer, colon cancer at times has no warning signs. In fact, stats show that one in seven patients receiving treatment for colon cancer is, in fact, younger than 50.'' However, there are cases when the symptoms of colon cancer may be identifiable but are indistinguishable from symptoms caused by other diseases.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 14, 2020 22:52 UTC