CharlieH

The village headman has stopped locals putting rice on the road. This is not a traffic law and I suggest is more intended as a local community safety action. It would be applicable to anyone living in that locality; there wouldnt be any need to post notices for outsiders, etc as they are highly unlikely to be putting rice on the road, and if they did the locals would soon put them straight.

Agreed, and that particular branch always seemed to be busy with an average wait of around 20 minutes if you needed counter service. The loss of the ATM there also means there is now just ONE ATM (kreung Thai)in that Big C.

Scientists urge people to not panic as thousands of children complain of pneumonia-like symptoms in China China’s hospitals have been flooded with cases of respiratory illnesses and sick children complaining of pneumonia-like symptoms, leading to increased scrutiny from the World Health Organisation (WHO). A Beijing children’s hospital earlier told state media CCTV that at least 7,000 patients were being admitted daily to the institution, far exceeding its capacity. Last week, the largest paediatric hospital in nearby Tianjin reportedly received more than 13,000 children at its outpatient and emergency departments. Liaoning province, about 690km northeast of the capital, is also grappling with high case numbers. The Chinese health ministry has asked local authorities to increase the number of fever clinics. FULL STORY

Former President Trump’s four criminal cases have dominated headlines since April, when he became the first president — current or former — to be indicted. But behind the scenes, a handful of state attorneys general are still investigating whether additional charges over efforts to keep him in power after losing the 2020 election could be brought. At least four 2020 swing states’ prosecutorial arms are still probing the slates of so-called fake electors who attempted to falsely certify that Trump had won the presidential election that year. The swing states’ investigations could prove consequential to Trump and his allies, spelling even more legal trouble for the former president, especially as his federal and Georgia cases over his efforts to subvert the 2020 election results progress. The alternate electors scheme, spearheaded by Trump lawyer John Eastman and bolstered by other lawyers, relied on former Vice President Mike Pence to certify slates of Trump-supporting “fake” electors in battleground states instead of the true electoral votes cast for Biden. On Jan. 6, 2021 — the day of the election certification — Pence declined to go along with the plan, writing in a letter that his “oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not.” A pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol later that day in protest of the election results and Pence’s refusal to overturn them. Fake electors allegedly convened in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Nevada and Wisconsin, claiming without basis that they were “duly elected” electors from their states. FULL STORY

A23a split from the Antarctic’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986, but it became stuck to the ocean floor and had remained for many years in the Weddell Sea One of the world’s largest icebergs is drifting beyond Antarctic waters, after being grounded for more than three decades, according to the British Antarctic Survey. The iceberg, known as A23a, split from the Antarctic’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986. But it became stuck to the ocean floor and had remained for many years in the Weddell Sea. Not any more. Recent satellite images reveal that the iceberg, weighing nearly a trillion metric tonnes, is now drifting quickly past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, aided by strong winds and currents. The iceberg is about three times the size of New York City and more than twice the size of Greater London, measuring about 4,000 sq km (1,500 square miles). It’s rare to see an iceberg of this size on the move, said British Antarctic Survey glaciologist Oliver Marsh, so scientists will be watching its trajectory closely. As it gains steam, the colossal iceberg will probably be launched into the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This will funnel it toward the Southern Ocean on a path known as “iceberg alley” where others of its kind can be found bobbing in dark waters. It is not clear why it is making a run for it now. “Over time it’s probably just thinned slightly and got that little bit of extra buoyancy that’s allowed it to lift off the ocean floor and get pushed by ocean currents,” said Marsh. A23a is also among the world’s oldest icebergs. FULL STORY

Oleksandr Kamyshin, the man tasked with reviving Ukraine’s domestic arms industry, has a dream for his country’s future. Even when the war with Russia is over, he believes, Ukraine should focus on arms production, turning itself into the “arsenal of the free world” and providing weapons for export. “For the next decades, defence should be the major industry in Ukraine. After the war it should be our core export product,” said Kamyshin, in a recent interview at his office in an unmarked building in central Kyiv. Kamyshin started the war as the head of Ukraine’s state railway network, and won plaudits for the way his team managed efforts to transport millions of refugees to the western borders in the first days of the war. In March, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, appointed him minister of strategic industries. The title is a misnomer, said Kamyshin – for now, there should be only one strategic industry in the country. His job is to liaise with the army and defence ministry, as well as with Ukraine’s 70 state-run defence enterprises, to try to make sure the army gets what it needs. Generals have complained that even with western arms deliveries they are facing a chronic shortage of the weapons and ammunition they would need to push back Russians further. Before the full-scale invasion last February, Ukraine’s arms industry was a murky sector of scandals and dubious deals, and despite the years of low-grade conflict in Donbas, weapons stocks were fairly limited when the full-scale invasion came last year. FULL STORY

Israel frees more prisoners in exchange but insists its military campaign in Gaza is far from over Israel-Hamas war – live updates The third exchange of hostages and prisoners between Hamas and Israel has taken place as the US expressed hope that a fragile four-day truce in Gaza would be extended beyond Monday, while Israel indicated its campaign was far from over. Israel said 17 hostages were released by Hamas, including a Russian national and three Thai nationals. The Israelis were all women or children. Thirty-nine Palestinian prisoners, also women and children, were freed from Israeli jails, authorities said. The day brought several powerfully emotional moments, with the release from Gaza of a girl orphaned in Hamas’s attack in Israel last month and aid finally reaching the north of Gaza, which has been devastated by Israeli bombardment. Joe Biden welcomed the release of four-year-old Abigail Edan, a US-Israeli dual national, and said he would like to “see the pause go on as long as prisoners are getting released”. The US president added that his administration would “continue to remain personally engaged to see that this deal is fully implemented and work to extend the deal as well”. FULL STORY

Venables started successful playing career at Chelsea As manager he got England to Euro 96 semi-final Terry Venables (1943-2023): a life in pictures The former England, Barcelona and Tottenham manager Terry Venables has died at the age of 80. Venables, who had a distinguished career as a player that brought two international caps, was in charge of England when they reached the semi-finals of Euro 96. “We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness,” read a statement from Venables’ family. “We would ask that privacy be given at this incredibly sad time to allow us to mourn the loss of this lovely man who we were so lucky to have had in our lives.” FULL ARTICLE

CLOSED DISCUSS/COMMENT HERE:

Typical and predictable troll bs removed.

I was surprised today, to see a tray of eggs in Makro is now 174 bt ! Not so long ago they were 120 bt that's quite a jump. Also dairy products like soft margarine spread are hit n miss is supply the last few months. Of course this may vary by region.

This is a continuation of the previous topic.

Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners Friday as part of the first round of exchanges with Hamas, which had earlier freed hostages from Israel, Thailand and the Philippines. The Foreign Ministry of Qatar, which mediated the negotiations on the deal to release detainees, has confirmed the 39 Palestinian prisoners were released Friday. The Palestinians were sent home at around the same time as the 24 hostages held by Hamas crossed into Egypt and then into Israel on Friday. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which is transferring both Israeli and Palestinian prisoners and hostages, said so far 33 Palestinian detainees from the Israeli-run Ofer Prison have arrived in Ramallah, the de facto capitol of the West Bank. The exchange Friday is the first part of what is expected to be the release of a total of 50 hostages held by Hamas and 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jail over four days. Over that period, there will also be a temporary pause in the fighting and the flow of more humanitarian aid into besieged Gaza. The Palestinian prisoners freed Friday were women and children, which Hamas had asked to be released in the first batch. Videos circulating on social media have shown some of the prisoners being greeted by family, friends and supporters. Hamas in turn has released 13 Israeli citizens, 10 Thai and one Filipino, according to Qatar and Israeli authorities. FULL STORY

We have and are going through some major issues.We are back, but it will take a little more time to tweak various settings and peripheral "Bell n whistles" of a lower priority. Your patience and understanding is appreciated whilst we progress this.

CLOSED Please continue here.......

Sheryl, is unable to access the forum at present and has asked for this to be posted for you. “This sort of problem cannot be managed at a clinic. Only at a tertiary level hospital. As she is living in Pattaya first stop should be Chonburi Regional Hospital in Chonburi town, taking all records with her including whatever diagnosed the heart valve problem. Alternatively if she wants to be treated in Pitsanoluk should go to the government regional hospital in Pitsanoluk town or Naruesan University Hospital. In both cases they may have to refer her onward but at least this way it might be covered under the “30 baht” system — assuming that is what she is enrolled in and that one of these places is the hospital for the district where she is registered in a tabian ban. If she is registered elsewhere she will need a letter of referral from her primary hospital but suggest first going on her own then getting them to issue a letter back to the primary hospital, saves time. If on the other hand she is under Social Security (through her work) then have to start at whatever is her nominated SS hospital. Failure to go through the proper system of referral means that treatment would cost her not less than 200-300,000 baht , maybe more, even at a government hospital (as opposed to free/nearly free). Should not delay, this can be serious. “

The Colorado Supreme Court agreed late Tuesday to take up a case weighing whether to bar former President Trump from the 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment. A lower court last week found that the former president engaged in insurrection by inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot but determined the constitutional prohibition on holding office after engaging in “insurrection or rebellion” did not apply to the presidency. Trump in his appeal to the Colorado Supreme Court said he agreed with the latter part of the ruling keeping him on the state’s ballot but is appealing on other issues. “But the district court nonetheless made legal and factual findings wholly unsupported in the law, and these errors demand review – especially if the Petitioners in this matter also seek review of the sole dispositive issue upon which President Trump prevailed,” Trump’s attorneys wrote. Left-leaning group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which filed the lawsuit on behalf of four Republicans and two independent Colorado voters, asked the state’s top court to rule that the amendment does indeed apply to the presidency. FULL STORY

A temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas will begin Friday at 7 a.m. local time, Qatar said. Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, made the announcement in a news conference Thursday morning and said humanitarian aid will be delivered to civilians in Gaza “as soon as possible.” According to al-Ansari, the first batch of captive civilians, including 13 women and children, will be delivered around 4 p.m. Israel and the militant group Hamas reached an agreement earlier this week to pause fighting for four days to exchange hostages and allow aid to be delivered to the Gaza Strip. The agreement, which was expected to take effect Thursday, was delayed after hitting a last-minute snag, Israeli officials said. It was announced Tuesday that Hamas agreed to release 50 women and children held hostage. Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, took 240 people hostage during a surprise attack on Israel that left at least 1,200 people dead in early October. Israel has agreed to release 150 Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement. According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, more than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes. After the four-day pause, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war against Hamas. FULL STORY

A flash mob has ransacked a Nike store in Los Angeles, stealing $12,000 (about £9,500) worth of goods. Footage released by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Commercial Crimes Division shows a group of young people ripping clothing off the racks and carrying bags full of merchandise. Police say the group, which consisted of 17 suspects between the ages of 15 and 20, fled the premises in five different vehicles. Detectives are seeking assistance from the public in identifying the suspects.

The unexpectedly meaty win for controversial, hard-right politician Geert Wilders in Wednesday's general election in the Netherlands set international headlines on fire. Right-wing nationalists across Europe rushed to congratulate the populist politician, sometimes dubbed the Dutch Trump - partly for his dyed, bouffant-like hairdo, and partly for his famously firebrand rhetoric. Geert Wilders' publicly expressed views - including linking Muslim immigration with terrorism and calling for a ban on mosques and the Quran - are so provocative that he has been under tight police protection since 2004. Wilders was convicted of inciting discrimination, although later acquitted, and he was refused entry to the UK back in 2009. But Europe's far right believes their views have now become more mainstream. Anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders wins Dutch election Who is Geert Wilders and what does he want? "The winds of change are here!" proclaimed Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, after seeing the Dutch election results. He, like Geert Wilders, is big on anti-immigration themes, as well as Brussels-bashing Euroscepticism. Far-right Flemish independence leader Tom Van Grieken, who hopes for a similar election breakthrough in Belgium to Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, was quick to conclude: "Parties like ours are on their way in the whole of Europe." FULL STORY

Thousands of rats - dead and alive - have swept up on beaches in Queensland Australia, overwhelming residents. The state has been battling a rat and mouse plague for months now. A surge in the native rodent population has forced the rats to move coastwards in their search for more food, but many do not survive the trip, according to experts quoted in local media. "Mate, there's rats everywhere," Derek Lord, a resident from the town of Normanton, told AFP news agency. "We have hire vehicles and they literally destroyed a car overnight, taking all of the wiring out of the engine bay," said Mr Lord, 49. He added that his pet ducks had been "going mad" as rats broke into their cages. The rats have also infested the neighbouring town of Karumba in the past few weeks and some residents worry they will have an adverse effect on tourism in the area, Australian media reported. Karumba is well-known as a fishing and birdwatching paradise. Warning: Some readers may find the following image and details disturbing. One video posted on social media shows heaps of dead rats piled up by the water, while flies and other insects swarm around them. Another clip shows a large number of them floating in the river. FULL STORY

The photographs released by Chinese police showed their officers holding a man and a woman in handcuffs in front of a border gate. They had just been handed over from Myanmar, the latest in scores of arrests of those accused of running scam centres in a town on the north-eastern border with China. The two were Ming Guoping and Ming Zhenzhen, son and granddaughter of one of the powerful warlords who have run the town of Laukkaing for the past 14 years. A sudden escalation of the conflict in Myanmar has spelled the end of the Chinese mafia - the Godfather-esque "four families" - in this notoriously lawless border town. At around the same time as the Chinese police released the photos of the handcuffed pair last Thursday, the official Myanmar military news published a photo of an apparent autopsy being conducted in the back of a van on the body of a 69 year-old man. It was the warlord himself - Ming Xuechang - who, the military said, had taken his own life after being captured, an explanation greeted with scepticism by many. It was an ignominious end to an extraordinary story that began in the days of war and revolution, but turned into one of drugs, gambling, greed and Machiavellian rivalry. The four families Ming Xuechang was a henchman of Bai Suocheng, who heads one of the families. Under them the remote, impoverished backwater of Laukkaing was transformed into a rowdy casino hub of gaudy high-rise towers and seedy red-light districts. Although powerful, the Mings were not a part of this coveted list of four - the other three families were headed by Wei Chaoren, Liu Guoxi and Liu Zhengxiang. Initially developed to take advantage of Chinese demand for gambling, which is illegal in China and many other neighbouring countries, Laukkaing's casinos evolved into a lucrative front for money laundering, trafficking and in particular for dozens of scam centres. A turning point in Myanmar as army suffers big losses Young Burmese confront dashed dreams in exile FULL STORY