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Korat readies fragrant field of mums for annual festival

By THE NATION

 

 

The head of Wang Nam Khiao district in Nakhon Ratchasima unveiled a 40-rai chrysanthemum garden on Friday (February 7), ready for the 18th Chrysanthemum in the Mist Fair from February 13-23.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147257-korat-readies-fragrant-field-of-mums-for-annual-festival/

 

Korat readies fragrant field of mums for annual festival

By THE NATION

 

 

The head of Wang Nam Khiao district in Nakhon Ratchasima unveiled a 40-rai chrysanthemum garden on Friday (February 7), ready for the 18th Chrysanthemum in the Mist Fair from February 13-23.

 

Joining Pornthep Watchakeekul as he took a deep breath of the glorious earthy aroma were the mayor of the Thai Samakkhi sub-district administrative organisation and the president of the Wang Nam Khieo Tourism Promotion Association.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/travel/30381778

 

Dolittle: How Robert Downey Jr was inspired by a Welshman

By Stephen Fairclough

 

William Price is still remembered in Llantrisant, where there is a statue of him

 

Dr Dolittle talks to the animals - and now he does so in a Welsh accent.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147245-dolittle-how-robert-downey-jr-was-inspired-by-a-welshman/

 

Dolittle: How Robert Downey Jr was inspired by a Welshman

By Stephen Fairclough

 

William Price is still remembered in Llantrisant, where there is a statue of him

 

Dr Dolittle talks to the animals - and now he does so in a Welsh accent.

 

Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr says he based his portrayal of the character in a new adaptation on a 19th Century Welsh doctor who lived in Llantrisant.

 

He told the Graham Norton Show that as soon as he had discovered William Price's story, he knew he had found his inspiration for the character of Dr Dolittle.

 

"I wanted to do something different... and I read about this guy named William Price who was this nutty, kind of neo-druidic doctor in the 19th Century," he said.

 

Full Story: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-51399936

 

Harley Quinn is officially coming to Fortnite

By Austen Goslin

 

Image: Epic Games

 

After weeks of teases, Epic Games has finally announced that a Harley Quinn skin is coming to Fortnite.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147244-harley-quinn-is-officially-coming-to-fortnite/

 

Harley Quinn is officially coming to Fortnite

By Austen Goslin

 

Image: Epic Games

 

After weeks of teases, Epic Games has finally announced that a Harley Quinn skin is coming to Fortnite.

 

The skin will debut in the item shop Thursday at around 7 p.m. ET and will stay there until Feb. 17.

 

Harley’s arriving in Fortnite just in time for the character’s new movie Birds of Prey, which is set to debut in theaters on Friday.

 

The skin will feature two different versions of Harley Quinn’s outfits. 

 

Full Story: https://www.polygon.com/fortnite/2020/2/6/21126183/harley-quinn-fortnite-skins-birds-of-prey-challenges

You Can Now Turn Off Autoplay on Netflix. Here’s How.

By MATT SINGER

 

 

If you watch a lot of Netflix, you have definitely noticed that when you’re browsing the streaming service’s home page, and you scroll through the various options, if you stop for more than a second on a specific title, it will begin autoplaying a preview of the movie or show.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147242-you-can-now-turn-off-autoplay-on-netflix-here’s-how/

 

You Can Now Turn Off Autoplay on Netflix. Here’s How.

By MATT SINGER

 

 

If you watch a lot of Netflix, you have definitely noticed that when you’re browsing the streaming service’s home page, and you scroll through the various options, if you stop for more than a second on a specific title, it will begin autoplaying a preview of the movie or show.

 

Occasionally, that might be useful, but more often than not it’s just loud, distracting, and frustrating. And for a long time you couldn’t turn it off.

 

Thankfully, Netflix has now made autoplay previews optional for users. If you would like to turn off autoplay previews on your own account, here are the steps you need to follow:

 

1. Sign In to Netflix from a web browser.
2. Select Manage Profiles from the menu.
3. Select the profile you’d like to update.
4. Check or uncheck the option to Autoplay previews while browsing on all devices.

 

Full Story: https://screencrush.com/how-to-turn-off-autoplay-on-netflix/

Face mask, hand gel, medical alcohol on sales at government venues 

By The Nation

 

 

People lined up to receive queue card for buying medical items to ward off coronavirus infection at Government House and the government’s complaint centre on Friday morning (February 7). 

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147241-face-mask-hand-gel-medical-alcohol-on-sales-at-government-venues/

 

Face mask, hand gel, medical alcohol on sales at government venues 

By The Nation

 

 

People lined up to receive queue card for buying medical items to ward off coronavirus infection at Government House and the government’s complaint centre on Friday morning (February 7). 

 

Face masks are on sales at Bt25 per pack of ten pieces, while a 400-gramme handwashing gel bottle costs Bt65. Purchases are limited to one item of each product on sales per person.

 

A tube containg 50-gramme handwashing gel is priced at Bt24, while a 60 millilitre of 70 per cent alcohol bottle costs Bt14. Purchases of these two items are limited to two each per person.

 

People can purchase a set of all items at Bt141.

 

The face masks on sales were procured by the Ministry of Commerce, handwashing gel and alcohol by the Ministry of Public Health.

 

This project will run for 15 days, from Friday (February 7), at Gate 6 of Government House near Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge on Ratchadamnoen Nok Road and the government’s complaint centre, Office of the Permanent Secretary, opposite Government House on Phitsanulok Road, Bangkok. 

 

About 20,000 pieces were sold within 20 minutes at the two venues.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30381777

 

Amid hydropower boom, Laos streams ahead on latest Mekong dam

By Kay Johnson and Panu Wongcha-um

 

An artistic rendering of the proposed 1400 MW Luang Prabang hydropower dam on the Mekong River in Laos is seen in this undated handout obtained by Reuters, February 5, 2020. Mekong River Commission and Government of Laos/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. MANDATORY CREDIT

 

LUANG PRABANG, Laos (Reuters) - On a wide bank of the Mekong River, yellow markers and visits by surveyors show preparations underway to build Laos' third and largest dam on Southeast Asia's most vital waterway.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147240-amid-hydropower-boom-laos-streams-ahead-on-latest-mekong-dam/

 

Exclusive: 'Shock and awe' has failed in Philippines drug war, enforcement chief says

By Tom Allard, Karen Lema

 

Drug rehab patients gather for a head count at the Mega Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, in Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila, Philippines December 9, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

 

MANILA (Reuters) - Colonel Romeo Caramat oversaw the bloodiest day in the blood-soaked war on drugs in the Philippines – 32 people killed in 24 hours in the province north of Manila where he was police chief in 2017.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147238-exclusive-shock-and-awe-has-failed-in-philippines-drug-war-enforcement-chief-says/

 

Australia celebrates as heavy rains dampen huge bushfires

By Byron Kaye, Renju Jose

 

Reuters

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Much of Australia’s wildfire-ravaged east coast was drenched on Friday by the biggest rainfall in almost 20 years, dousing some of the most dangerous blazes and providing welcome relief to farmers battling an extended drought.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147236-australia-celebrates-as-heavy-rains-dampen-huge-bushfires/

 

Australia celebrates as heavy rains dampen huge bushfires

By Byron Kaye, Renju Jose

 

Reuters

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Much of Australia’s wildfire-ravaged east coast was drenched on Friday by the biggest rainfall in almost 20 years, dousing some of the most dangerous blazes and providing welcome relief to farmers battling an extended drought.

 

The downpour came with its own risks - officials warned of flash floods and landslides across New South Wales (NSW), Australia’s most populous state - but was generally greeted jubilantly after months of devastating bushfires.

 

“There’s lots of smiles around the place,” NSW Rural Fire Services (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, who has been more accustomed in recent weeks to delivering fire evacuation orders, told reporters in Sydney.

 

“It is breaking the back of this fire season, no doubt,” Fitzsimmons said. “The rain is good for business and farms as well as being really good for quenching some of these fires we’ve been dealing with for many, many months.”

 

The deluge had the effect of calming the number of active fires in NSW by 20 in a single day, a success rate that NSW RFS said it was “over the moon” about.

 

By afternoon, there were 40 active fires in NSW, less than half the number of blazes at the peak of the crisis, with all burning at the lowest level danger warning of “advice” only. Neighbouring Victoria state had 21 active fires, also at the lowest level.

 

Around 11.7 million hectares of Australian wilderness have been razed by a series of huge wildfires since September that have also killed 33 people and more than a billion animals and destroyed thousands of homes. The horrific extended bushfire season has followed a three-year drought across the country.

 

The heavy rainfall across NSW and Victoria state on Friday was something of a welcome surprise after the Bureau of Meteorology’s three-month forecast issued in January forecast continued high temperatures and little rainfall.

 

Sydney alone was expected to receive as much as 130 millimetres of rain in the 24 hours to Saturday morning, the biggest one-day rainfall since Feb. 5, 2002, data on the bureau’s website showed on Friday.

 

“What we are broadly expecting over the next couple of days is this coastal trough to hang around, to keep delivering this widespread, prolonged, steady rainfall,” BOM forecaster Jane Golding said.

 

Fitzsimmons said he was optimistic the continued rainfall over the coming days would help firefighters in NSW get the 17 blazes that are still categorised as “uncontained” under control.

 

“We expect rainfall to continue to fall across a lot of these firegrounds and that will result in a number of those being declared contained and hopefully we will be confident we won’t see new ignitions from anywhere in those firegrounds,” he said.

 

CYCLONE DAMIEN

 

Some 3,500 kilometres (2174.8 miles) to the northwest, a tropical cyclone was barrelling toward the coast of Western Australia where it is expected to make landfall near Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore port, on Saturday.

 

Destructive wind gusts of up to 150 kilometres per hour could develop overnight Friday night as the cyclone approaches the coast, and very destructive gusts of up to 230 kilometres per hour were expected when Cyclone Damien hits on Saturday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

 

Authorities said Port Hedland would be cleared ahead of the cylone and the Dampier Port also closed.

 

Miners Rio Tinto (RIO.L) (RIO.AX) and BHP Group (BHP.AX) (BHPB.L) said they were monitoring the situation and making preparations.

 

The wet weather prompted some light-hearted remarks at a visit by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to the Sydney office of pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca PLC (AZN.L).

 

“We are all very, very happy that you are here today, but also importantly that you’re bringing this fine British rain with you,” AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot told guests.

 

“We really have brought the rain,” replied Raab.

 

China scientists identify pangolin as possible coronavirus host

 

FILE PHOTO: A man holds a pangolin at a wild animal rescue center in Cuc Phuong, outside Hanoi, Vietnam September 12, 2016. REUTERS/Kham

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - The deadly coronavirus outbreak in China could have spread from bats to humans through the illegal traffic of pangolins, the world’s only scaly mammals, which are prized in Asia for food and medicine, Chinese researchers said.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147235-china-scientists-identify-pangolin-as-possible-coronavirus-host/

 

China scientists identify pangolin as possible coronavirus host

 

FILE PHOTO: A man holds a pangolin at a wild animal rescue center in Cuc Phuong, outside Hanoi, Vietnam September 12, 2016. REUTERS/Kham

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - The deadly coronavirus outbreak in China could have spread from bats to humans through the illegal traffic of pangolins, the world’s only scaly mammals, which are prized in Asia for food and medicine, Chinese researchers said.

 

The pangolin is one of Asia’s most trafficked mammals, although protected by international law, because its meat is considered a delicacy in countries such as China and its scales are used in traditional medicine, the World Wildlife Fund says.

 

“This latest discovery will be of great significance for the prevention and control of the origin (of the virus),” South China Agricultural University, which led the research, said in a statement on its website.

 

The outbreak, which has killed 636 people in mainland China, is believed to have started in a market in the city of Wuhan, in central Hubei province that also sold live wild animals.

 

Health experts think it may have originated in bats and then passed to humans, possibly via another species.

 

The genome sequence of the novel coronavirus strain separated from pangolins in the study was 99% identical to that from infected people, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported, adding that the research found that pangolins to be “the most likely intermediate host.”

 

But Dirk Pfeiffer, professor of veterinary medicine at Hong Kong’s City University, cautioned that the study was still a long way from proving pangolins had transmitted the virus.

 

“You can only draw more definitive conclusions if you compare prevalence (of the coronavirus) between different species based on representative samples, which these almost certainly are not,” he said.

 

Even then, a link to humans via food markets still needs to be established, Pfeiffer added.

 

Turkish tourist acquitted as Patong ladyboy death ruled ‘accidental’

By Khunanya Wanchanwet

 

Aphinyo Kaewkhaw fell to his death from the seventh-floor of a Patong hotel on Jan 7. His death was ruled as accidental by police and the suspect linked to the case, a Turkish man, has been cleared of any charges. Photo: Aphinyo Kaewkhaw Facebook.

 

PHUKET:-- The Turkish tourist that was being held as a suspect in the death of a Phuket ladyboy who fell from a seventh-floor hotel balcony in Patong has been cleared of any charges.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147234-turkish-tourist-acquitted-as-patong-ladyboy-death-ruled-‘accidental’/

 

Turkish tourist acquitted as Patong ladyboy death ruled ‘accidental’

By Khunanya Wanchanwet

 

Aphinyo Kaewkhaw fell to his death from the seventh-floor of a Patong hotel on Jan 7. His death was ruled as accidental by police and the suspect linked to the case, a Turkish man, has been cleared of any charges. Photo: Aphinyo Kaewkhaw Facebook.

 

PHUKET:-- The Turkish tourist that was being held as a suspect in the death of a Phuket ladyboy who fell from a seventh-floor hotel balcony in Patong has been cleared of any charges.

 

Police confirmed yesterday (Feb 6) that the cause of death was by accidental fall and no blame could be apportioned to the tourist. They added that evidence proved the suspect could not have been directly involved when the incident occurred.

 

“The Turkish man was not involved with this death,” stated Patong Police Deputy Chief Lt Col Jetsada Seangsuree.

 

Full Story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/turkish-tourist-acquitted-as-patong-ladyboy-death-ruled-accidental-74743.php

 

See rare ruffed lemurs at Songkhla Zoo

By THE NATION

 

 

Songkhla Zoo will have a pair of black and white ruffed lemurs on public view starting on Saturday (February 8), its director Chalermwut Kasetsomboon says.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147232-see-rare-ruffed-lemurs-at-songkhla-zoo/

 

See rare ruffed lemurs at Songkhla Zoo

By THE NATION

 

 

Songkhla Zoo will have a pair of black and white ruffed lemurs on public view starting on Saturday (February 8), its director Chalermwut Kasetsomboon says.

 

“We adopted them from Ubon Ratchathani Zoo but they came from different groups, so we’ve had to give them time to get familiar with one another,” he said on Friday.

 

The ruffed – so called because of the white ruff of fur around its head – is the largest of lemur species and, as with all others, originates from Madagascar. 

 

The black and white ruffed lemur is critically endangered and facing extinction in its nature habitat in an eastern rainforest that’s being ravaged by lumber companies.

 

A second species, the red ruffed lemur, is deemed endangered.

 

The lemur’s cry can be heard from a long distance. They live for 15-20 years in the wild, reaching maturity at around age two, and live on fruit, leaves, nectar, flowers and seeds.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30381776

 

‘Save the sea’ message wins Thais a third snow-sculpture triumph

By The Nation

 

Photo credit - Hokkaidofanclub Facebook page

 

A carved and chiselled sculpture of a pair of a human hand holding turtles has won a three-man Thai team the grand prize at the Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan – its third straight championship there and ninth award overall.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147230-‘save-the-sea’-message-wins-thais-a-third-snow-sculpture-triumph/

 

‘Save the sea’ message wins Thais a third snow-sculpture triumph

By The Nation

 

Photo credit - Hokkaidofanclub Facebook page

 

A carved and chiselled sculpture of a pair of a human hand holding turtles has won a three-man Thai team the grand prize at the Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan – its third straight championship there and ninth award overall.

 

Amnoaysak Srisuk, Kusol Bunkobsongserm and Kitsana Wongtes were victorious over teams from, among other nations, icy Finland, at the annual festival held from Monday to Thursday (February 3-6) at Odori Park in the city of Sapporo.

 

Their “Future in our Hands” sculpture was meant to raise awareness about climate change, with the turtles symbolising precarious nature. 

 

The team sought to send a message to the world to take care of the environment – including not letting plastic litter flow into the sea, where it strangles turtles and clogs the stomachs of other marine animals, leading to their starvation.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30381775

 

Thailand praised for progress in fishery reform

By THE NATION

 

 

Fifteen supermarkets and buyers in the US, UK and EU have sent a letter to Chalermchai Sreeon, Minister of Agricultural and Cooperatives, as well as the Royal Thai embassies abroad, praising Thailand for its progress in reforming the fishery industry and rectifying key pieces of legislation which have resulted in positive developments in its fishing practices.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1147226-thailand-praised-for-progress-in-fishery-reform/

 

Thailand praised for progress in fishery reform

By THE NATION

 

 

Fifteen supermarkets and buyers in the US, UK and EU have sent a letter to Chalermchai Sreeon, Minister of Agricultural and Cooperatives, as well as the Royal Thai embassies abroad, praising Thailand for its progress in reforming the fishery industry and rectifying key pieces of legislation which have resulted in positive developments in its fishing practices.

 

The fifteen supermarkets and buyers are Albertsons Companies, Aldi Nord, Aldi South, Cargill, EDEKA, Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), Kroger, Lidl International, Morrisons, REWE Group, Sainsbury’s, SEA Alliance, Tesco, Waitrose, and Whole Foods.

 

The letter said: “we, the undersigned businesses, congratulate the Royal Thai government on its significant efforts to reform and rectify key pieces of legislation which have resulted in positive developments in Thailand's fishing practices”.

 

In addition, the foreign companies said:“ They would continue to monitor and support collaboration between the government, seafood suppliers and civil society organisations to ensure that these crucial reforms continue to progress and be implemented effectively”.

 

The supermarkets and buyers urged the Thai government to continue its reform efforts and work constructively with national actors to achieve a transition towards a legal, ethical and sustainable fishing sector.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30381774

 

Why is a co-curricular programme so important in a school?

by Mr. Thomas Banyard

 

 

I went to a school with one football team, one basketball team and one rugby team for around 800 students. I was never involved in drama or music and the art teaching I received gave me the clear message that I was no good and should not be allowed within ten metres of a paintbrush. I had some excellent teachers who inspired me to academic excellence, but I had to find other opportunities to develop myself away from school. This made me feel that my education was about exam results and nothing else. For me, school was simply a means to get to university, something we all had to do whether we liked it or not. I loved school, but if it wasn’t for the support of my family who drove me around to endless clubs and matches, I would have been a very bored and unhappy young person.

 

It was only once I started working in some of the UK’s best private schools that I realised what a true education involved. Having world-class facilities and outstanding teachers who taught both inside and outside their classrooms meant that so much more was possible. School musicals and plays, house events, choir practices, art and sport that focussed on participation and not just the elite sportspeople. My eyes were opened to the fact that everyone could enjoy school whether they were academic or not. A large part of this is a commitment to a co-curricular programme which works alongside the academic curriculum to help the students enjoy their time at school.

 

There are two reasons why the co-curricular programme is so important: it gives every student a large number of opportunities to achieve success and it gives them a variety of experiences that open their eyes and engage them in new interests.

 

Full Story: https://expatlifeinthailand.com/education/why-is-a-co-curricular-programme-so-important-in-a-school/