Sole in one! Players get a kick out of 'footgolf'
Thousands of players are now kicking balls on footgolf courses in about 36 countries, and the sport has been governed by an international federation since 2012. - Boost for courses -In Malaysia, people started playing footgolf in 2018 at the Bukit Jelutong course outside the capital Kuala Lumpur, which had been abandoned but was given a makeover by Footgolf Malaysia. But footgolf is giving them some much-needed revenue -- in the US, for instance, the sport is now played on more than 500 courses, according to the American Footgolf Federation. Danny Chia, a Malaysian professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour, also said footgolf might help courses. "There are a still a lot of golf courses out there that are not doing very well," he told AFP.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 04:52 UTC
Resurgent 'techlash' overshadows Silicon Valley earnings
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Big Tech has offered a lifeline to consumers to stay connected and get needed goods and services. Tech firms "have built up some goodwill and people are thankful for these services," said Bob O'Donnell of Technalysis Research. - Focus on Congress -The spotlight is likely to be on an unprecedented antitrust hearing Monday in Congress featuring the top executives of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google. O'Donnell said recent events have shown the power and influence of the Big Tech firms and that "there's clearly going to be more scrutiny, and deservedly so." "Without that shift in regulatory approach, all that's likely to happen are a series of large fines, rather than a breakup of Big Tech," he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 04:07 UTC
Tourism Council warns of operators leaving sector | Bangkok Post: learning
The Tourism Council of Thailand predicts a further deterioration after six months of the coronavirus crisis. More than 30% of tourism-related businesses have exited the market, with many set to follow, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT). The Tourism Department said 1,111 tour operators in the January-June period gave up their licences. At present, most operators have delayed making any decision as they are waiting for further details on travel bubble agreements with other countries. "The domestic market has become a priority market for tour operators who want to maintain business while waiting for borders to reopen," Mr Thanapol said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 04:07 UTC
Poll: Majority worried there could be resurgence of pandemic
Poll: Majority worried there could be resurgence of pandemicA majority are worried there could be a resurgence of Covid-19 because some people fail to take appropriate measures to protect themselves from the virus and there are still infected people arriving from overseas, according to a Nida poll released on Wednesday. National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) pollsters surveyed 1,269 people aged 18 or more on July 17-18 to gauge opinions on the possibility of a second wave of the pandemic in Thailand. A majority, a combined 66.61%, said they worried about this possibility - with 35.46% saying they worried very much because some people had ignored advice to protect themselves and 31.05% were fairly worried, saying there were still infections and preventive measures were being eased, allowing foreigners to enter the country. The final question was directed to those who were certain there would be a second wave and those who were uncertain, with the respondents allowed to give more than one answer. Asked what, if there is a second round, would be the major cause of it, 70.01% pointed to foreigners being allowed to enter the country in disregard of conditions; 44.93% the government dropping its guard; 42.53% illegal entry of foreigners; 18.24% people dropping their guard; and, 0.46% no answer/not interested.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 03:45 UTC
Group calls for easy education visa access | Bangkok Post: learning
The global pandemic of the new coronavirus has severely disrupted the education sector, which is facing a shortage of foreign teachers, Thongchai Pradubchananurat, president of the association, said. Many teachers with a proper work permit left Thailand and cannot return to work due to the pandemic. The new school term has already begun, and some classes are missing their foreign teachers who have not been able to return, Mr Thongchai said. Foreign teachers with expired work permits should be given an additional 30 days by the Immigration Bureau to renew their visa, Mr Thongchai said. The teachers need a visa extension so they can stay while applying for a new permit, he noted.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 03:33 UTC
Don't let it happen again, pleads witness in SS guard's trial
Don't let it happen again, pleads witness in SS guard's trialA Cyclon-B gas canister on display at the former Nazi Death Camp Stutthof. During the trial, Dey has claimed that he had no direct involvement in mistreating prisoners because he was standing guard in a watchtower the whole time. Germany has since been racing to put on trial surviving SS personnel on those grounds rather than atrocities directly linked to them. Dunin-Wasowicz remembers being pleasantly surprised when he arrived for the first time after a journey on a freight train with some 900 other men. "We concentration camp prisoners don't want hands lifted in some kind of salute because hands are for handshakes... We don't want shouts because we remember the Gestapo shouting and the SS men in the concentration camps.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 03:00 UTC
How to Sarah Cooper: The US comedian lip-synching Trump into a punchline
How to Sarah Cooper: The US comedian lip-synching Trump into a punchlineSarah Cooper parodies President Donald Trump in clips with titles such as "How to Obamagate" and "How to strong death totals"WASHINGTON - She is quickly becoming the internet's favorite Donald Trump impersonator but Sarah Cooper does it without saying a word -- preferring to let the president she calls her "head writer" do the talking for her. Each of the Jamaican-born comedian's homemade sketches riffs on a recent Trump soliloquy that has gained notoriety for being unintentionally amusing or perplexing. "I'll keep on doing them as long as my head writer gives me material," Cooper told The Los Angeles Times. Until now, Trump impersonations have been famously dominated by actor Alec Baldwin, who portrays the president on "Saturday Night Live." The Hollywood celebrity "has always said he hates playing Trump... it's hard to play someone you can't empathize with," Cooper told an online audience at a June Q&A.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 01:30 UTC
Prayut orders coalition unity
The July 20 meeting was brought to an abrupt end when a quorum count was proposed and the committee members from the coalition parties and the opposition camp left the room, leaving only 19 Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MPs. Bhumjaithai MP for Uthai Thani Chada Thaiseth proposed a quorum count after the coalition partners were said to be upset with the committee members from the ruling PPRP who appeared to lack decision-making power. Gen Prayut emphasised that the panel members must patch things up and make sure that the deliberation process is completed by the deadline. "Concerned parties must iron out their problems and if they can't, the budget making process will be affected. "We need to establish clear guidelines for budget scrutiny this year especially as the country faces the Covid-19 pandemic," he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 00:00 UTC
Hands off!
(Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb)Before the Covid-19 lockdown, Dino Detective used to be the most popular play zone at Bangkok's Children Discovery Museum. We closed down this dark room because of the risk involved with many hands touching the objects. There are many science exhibitions that require touching for learning in Building 2, but the building is closed for renovation," said Ditsaphon. Most visitors at SCE and CDM express concern about the pandemic, but wear masks and carry their own hand sanitiser. "I make sure my daughter wears a mask and keeps her hands clean.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 21, 2020 23:32 UTC
SCB, KTB announce H1 profit declines
First-half operating results for two SET-listed financial institutions saw lower net profit and higher bad-loan ratios, in line with most commercial banks' disappointing results as the pandemic took a bite out of their fortunes. Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) and its subsidiaries reported consolidated net profit for the second quarter of 8.36 billion baht, down 24% year-on-year, mainly from higher loan-loss provisions. For the first half of 2020, net profit stood at 17.61 billion baht, down 13% year-on-year, while pre-provision operating profit grew by 15% year-on-year. Krungthai Bank (KTB) and its subsidiaries announced a net profit of 3.82 billion baht for the second quarter, down 53.1% year-on-year. First-half net profit was 10.29 billion baht, down 33.5% year-on-year.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 21, 2020 23:15 UTC
Unlicensed hotels in line for stimulus
The cabinet on Tuesday approved three categories of unlicensed hotels to participate in the We Travel Together tourism stimulus campaign. (Photo by Dusida Worrachaddejchai)The cabinet on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for unlicensed hotels to join the We Travel Together tourism stimulus campaign and for expanded subsidies on services or goods bought by travellers during four working days (Monday-Thursday). According to data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, 6,000 registered hotels joined the scheme. The number of hotels in Thailand is much larger, with at least 800,000 rooms operating legally and 1 million illegally. Gen Prayut threatened on Tuesday to blacklist hotels that cash in on the state tourism stimulus scheme to unfairly raise their room rates.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 21, 2020 23:14 UTC
Win-win solution for forests, people
Win-win solution for forests, peopleA community leader points at a vast forest area villagers have preserved against the expansion of corn plantations in Mae Chaem district of Chiang Mai. Why then is this win-win solution only applied to some local areas, and not yet scaled up to a wider scale? It is urgent to turn to chemical-free agroforestry practices, which are widely recognised as a sustainable farming method, to restore degraded forests from monoculture. According to our SROI calculations, the Mae Chaem project is worth almost 177 million baht with the project investment at about 21 million baht. In other words, the Mae Chaem project generates around eight baht for every single baht invested to restore the forests through sustainable farming.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 21, 2020 23:03 UTC
'Sean' breaks silence over wildfire fund
'Sean' breaks silence over wildfire fundMr Sean says he had not answered the first summons because he was gathering evidence, including bank statements and records of financial transactions, ahead of giving a statement to the police. (Photo from Sean Buranahiran Instagram)Embattled social media influencer and life coach Sean Buranahiran reported to police on Tuesday and denied accusations made against him over alleged mismanagement of donated funds. Sean, accompanied by his lawyer, showed up at Pak Kret police station in Nonthaburi after police had issued him a second summons. On June 30, lawyer Ronnarong Kaewphet lodged a complaint against Sean with Pak Kret police. Pak Kret police chief, Pol Col Pongchak Preechakarunpong, said that Sean had denied all the allegations.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 21, 2020 22:41 UTC
PM finalises his reshuffle
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha speaks following the weekly cabinet meeting at Government House on Tuesday. Speaking after Tuesday's cabinet meeting, the PM said that following the resignations of six ministers he would announce the cabinet line-up as soon as possible. Everybody has the right to speak out but it is I who make the decision, based on mutual understanding," Gen Prayut said. Former deputy transport minister Pailin Chuchottaworn is also said to be touted for the sought-after role of energy minister. This would mean Mr Suriya's hope of securing the energy portfolio in the cabinet reshuffle has been dashed again, the source said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 21, 2020 22:30 UTC
US Open 'not impacted' by cancellation of Washington event
US Open 'not impacted' by cancellation of Washington eventDaniil Medvedev reached the final in Washington last year and also finished runner-up at the 2019 US OpenWASHINGTON - US Open organisers said Tuesday the cancellation of next month's tournament in Washington DC "in no way impacts" the behind-closed-doors Grand Slam scheduled for the end of August. The Citi Open tournament was due to mark the resumption of the men's tennis season after the coronavirus lockdown but has been called off because of "continued uncertainties" amid the pandemic. "This decision in no way impacts the US Open or the Western & Southern Open," the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said in a statement. "It's disappointing that due to these unprecedented times, the Citi Open will not be able to go ahead this year," said ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi. We look forward to the Citi Open returning as one of our signature American events in 2021."
Source:Bangkok Post
July 21, 2020 20:37 UTC