Snake on side of road On Nut

[Jonathan Fairfield]

New data reveals Japanese people still love flip phones

With today’s range of smartphones and phablets, the humble flip phone is but a distant memory for many us. However, in some parts world these old style flip phones are in big demand.

New data released by market research organisation MM Research Institute Ltd has revealed that in Japan, sales of flip phones have increased for the first time in seven years last year, whilst sales of smartphones are on the decline.

In 2014, 10.58 million flip phones were shipped in Japan, which represents a rise of some 5.7 percent, whilst shipments of smartphones fell by 5.3 per cent to just over 27 million devices during the same period, down for a second consecutive year.

Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/japanese-people-love-flip-phones/4900/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Did NSA plant spyware in computers shipped abroad?

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Did the National Security Agency plant spyware deep in the hard drives of thousands of computers used by foreign governments, banks and other targets under surveillance abroad?

A new report from Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab said its researchers identified malicious programs or worms that infected computers in multiple countries. Targets appeared to be specifically selected and included military, Islamic activists, energy companies and other businesses, as well as government personnel. Without naming the United States as the source of the malware, the report said one of the programs has elements in common with the so-called Stuxnet computer virus that the New York Times and Washington Post have said were developed by the U.S. and Israeli governments to disrupt Iranian nuclear facilities.

Read more; http://tech.thaivisa.com/nsa-plant-spyware-computers-shipped-abroad/4933/

[webfact]

Biden: Including immigrants key to stopping extremism in US
By JOSH LEDERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States must ensure that immigrants are fully included in the fabric of American society to prevent violent ideologies from taking root at home, Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday as he opened a White House summit on countering extremism and radicalization.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801368-biden-including-immigrants-key-to-stopping-extremism-in-us/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Microsoft Targets Asia, States It’s a Cybercrime and Malware Hub

Microsoft announces the opening of the company’s Cybercrime Satellite Center. The company’s newest center is located in Singapore. Currently, Microsoft maintains 3 of its 5 centers within the continent, with one in Tokyo and Beijing.

Cybercrime Satellite Centers aim to combat cybercrimes that target the company’s operating system and software. Malware and botnets are said to be the most vital targets by the company. All reports from the Asian centers are fed back to the main Cybercrime Center in Washington for further analysis.

Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/microsoft-targets-asia-states-cybercrime-malware-hub/4919/

[webfact]

Father: Attacking the dog wrong? What about my son got bitten by it?

Bangkok: –Din Daeng police have charged a father of six-year-old son for assault and mistreatment of a stray dog, known in the Din Daeng community as Boon Rod.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801358-father-attacking-the-dog-wrong-what-about-my-son-got-bitten-by-it/

[webfact]

Minor boyfriend forces underage girl to elope

Nakhon Si Thammarat: – A mother has filed a police complaint voicing suspicion that a 17-year-old boyfriend might have abducted her 13-year-old daughter.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801356-minor-boyfriend-forces-underage-girl-to-elope/

[webfact]

Online uproar over two cyclists hanging bikes on BTS skytrain

Bangkok:- Social networkers, most of them Bangkokians, have strongly criticized two unidentified cyclists for hanging their bikes on straps of a BTS skytrain.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801376-online-uproar-over-two-cyclists-hanging-bikes-on-bts-skytrain/

[webfact]

Greece planning to seek loan agreement extension
DEREK GATOPOULOS, Associated Press
ELENA BECATOROS, Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece is considering requesting an extension to its loan agreement, government officials said Tuesday, in an effort to reach a last-minute deal with the country's European creditors and avoid the danger of a euro exit.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801385-greece-planning-to-seek-loan-agreement-extension/

[webfact]

London Mayor Boris Johnson Hates the IRS, Too
The dual citizen says he's renouncing his birthright after getting a fat tax bill from Uncle Sam.
DAVID A. GRAHAM

What's more American than Boris Johnson? Brash, self-confident, charismatic, profane, ambitious and upwardly mobile but skeptical of authority, the mayor of London (who was born in New York City) seems like he'd fit right in on this side of the Atlantic.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801387-london-mayor-boris-johnson-hates-the-irs-too/

[webfact]

EXAT to expropriate 1,561 rai of land for building new Ayutthaya expressway

Ayutthaya: The Expressway Authority of Thailand has affirmed its plan to build a 42-kilometer-long elevated expressway from Bang Sai to Bang Pahan districts in Ayutthaya to facilitate travelling to the North and Northeast.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801390-exat-to-expropriate-1561-rai-of-land-for-building-new-ayutthaya-expressway/

[webfact]

Woman Dies Following Gun Attack In Tesco Lotus Mall
Published by Stickboy BKK

CHUMPON: -- On Tuesday evening at around 5pm, a gunman shot his ex-girlfriend and a man in her company at a busy shopping mall in Chumphon before fleeing the scene in a car.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801394-woman-dies-following-gun-attack-in-tesco-lotus-mall-in-thailand/

[webfact]

Thai stocks index opened Wed. at 1,595.51, up 7.76pts, 0.49% in line w/ most regional shares and gains on Wall St. /The Nation

[webfact]

Myanmar declares state of emergency, martial law in Kokang Region



BANGKOK: -- The Myanmar government on Tuesday announced a state of emergency and the martial law in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in northern Shan State after a series of clashes between government troops and armed Kokang rebels in the regional capital Laukkai, The Irrawaddy reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801418-myanmar-declares-state-of-emergency-martial-law-in-kokang-region/

[webfact]

Execution of 11 inmates, including two Australians, delayed



BANGKOK: -- The Attorney General's Office of Indonesia has decided to put off the executions of eleven inmates on death row, including two Australian drug traffickers but it is still not known when it will be rescheduled, according to The Jakarta Globe.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801420-indonesia-execution-of-11-inmates-including-two-australians-delayed/

[webfact]

Egypt's el-Sissi wants a UN-backed coalition on Libya
By HAMZA HENDAWI

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's president said in a radio interview aired on Tuesday that creating a U.N.-backed coalition was the best course of action to rid Libya of Islamic extremists.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801421-egypts-el-sissi-wants-a-un-backed-coalition-on-libya/

[webfact]

VietJet Air's Thai sister airline is due to start commercial service over Thai skies this Mar. 29, flying from Bangkok to Phuket. /The Nation

[webfact]

Phuket begins Chinese Lunar New Year observance today
Steven Layne


Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana leads the procession through Old Town in the Old Town Festival parade of a previous year.

PHUKET: -- Today, many Thais of Chinese heritage and ancestry are taking the day off from work and school in observance of this unofficial long weekend coinciding with the “Lunar New Year”.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801424-phuket-begins-chinese-lunar-new-year-observance-today/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

New funding could help value Snapchat at $19bn

It is being reported that Snapchat is aiming to seek new investment that could result in the company behind the popular instant messaging app of the same name being valued between $16 billion and $19 billion.

According to Bloomberg, the company is hoping to raise close to $500 million, with Snapchat executives said to be “in advanced discussion” with global investment fund managers.

If Snapchat is able to secure a new round of funding it would make the company one of three most valuable venture capitalist backed startups behind the taxi app Uber and Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi.

Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/new-funding-help-value-snapchat-19bn/4941/

[webfact]

Army Dismisses Socialite's Military-Themed Birthday Party
By Khaosod English


Photos from the military-themed birthday party of Singha heiress Chitpas Kridakorn ® in 2013.

BANGKOK — The Thai junta will not investigate the military-themed birthday party of a former Democrat Party spokesperson in 2013, as the attendees wore uniforms in the spirit of fun, a junta spokesperson said today.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801426-thai-army-dismisses-socialites-military-themed-birthday-party/

[webfact]

It's official: Thailand fails the most at monogamy
By Coconuts Bangkok

Like your grandparents always said, nothing’s true until it’s made into an infographic.

BANGKOK: -- In a statistical revelation unlikely to surprise anyone anywhere, Thailand was found to have the highest rate of unfaithfulness between lovers and partners than any other nation or at least copping to it.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801431-its-official-thailand-fails-the-most-at-monogamy/

[webfact]

FDA warns of buy-one-get-one fish and soybean sauce



BANGKOK: -- The Food and Drug Administration has issued an announcement warning the public to be wary of fake fish sauce and soybean sauce following arrests by police of vehicles peddling counterfeits of well known fish sauce and soybean sauce brands.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801432-fda-warns-of-buy-one-get-one-fish-and-soybean-sauce/

[webfact]

UN envoy: Syria willing to suspend Aleppo strikes 6 weeks
CARA ANNA, Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations envoy to Syria said Tuesday he has received a commitment from the Syrian government to suspend airstrikes and artillery shelling on the city of Aleppo for six weeks to allow a proposed U.N. plan to "freeze" hostilities in the country's largest city to be tested.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801436-un-envoy-syria-willing-to-suspend-aleppo-strikes-6-weeks/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

HTTP/2, which promises faster web browsing, is almost here

HTTP is set to get its biggest upgrade in more than 15 years, following the announcement that HTTP/2 has been officially finalised.

HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the protocol used by the World Wide Web that helps to define how information is formatted and tells web servers and browsers what actions to take when a user enters a URL in their web browser.

HTTP in its existing format has remained largely unchanged since 1999. However, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has been developing HTTP/2, a major upgrade that will bring a wide range of benefits that should improve user experience when browsing the Internet.

Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/http2-almost-here/4948/

[Lite Beer]

Crystal Meth Gang in Samui Arrested

KOH SAMUI: -- On February 16, Samui Governing District Chief Mr. Thammanoon Sookjarern, Samui Assistant Governing District Chief Mr. Poonsak Soponprathomrak and some governing officers and Roi Koh volunteer defense corps gave a statement on the arrest of a gang of 7 drug dealers selling crystal meth in Moo 3, Maret sub-district, Koh Samui district, Surat Thani province.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801453-crystal-meth-gang-in-samui-arrested/

[Lite Beer]

Chinese New Year celebration starts nationwide with security tightened in South

Security was tightened in the southern tourist town of Hat Yai as Thais of Chineseresidents today celebrated the Chinese New Year with travels to several Chinese shrines in and out of this town to worship their ancestors.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801459-chinese-new-year-celebration-starts-nationwide-with-security-tightened-in-south/

[Lite Beer]

SET up 10.79 to 1,598.54 at midday /Bangkok Post

[webfact]

Air Force chief confident no untoward incident on Thursday

BANGKOK: -- Air Force Commander-in-Chief ACM Trithot Sonjaeng Wednesday expressed confidence that no untoward incident will happen on Thursday when public prosecutors arrange former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in the rice-pledging case.

Trithot, a member of the National Council for Peace and Order, said he believes no demonstration would take place.

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Air-Force-chief-confident-no-untoward-incident-on--30254339.html

-- The Nation 2015-02-18

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Tiger Temple back in business after reversal by wildlife officials
By Coconuts Bangkok


Photo: Xiquinho Silva

BANGKOK: -- In a complete about-face from earlier this month, wildlife officials have said everything is wonderful at the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801460-tiger-temple-back-in-business-after-reversal-by-thai-wildlife-officials/

[webfact]

Chinese Fireworks Spark Fire At Sukhumvit 75/1
Published by Stickboy BKK



BANGKOK: -- Just before midday a huge blaze broke out in a building on Sukhumvit 75/1 with eyewitnesses suggesting it was caused by Chinese fireworks.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801465-chinese-fireworks-spark-fire-at-sukhumvit-751/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Microsoft releases Lumia 435 in Thailand for less than 3,000 baht

Microsoft has just launched some low-end Windows Phone smartphones in Thailand for the first time, in order to try and compete head on with the Chinese companies making inroads into the lucrative Thai market.

Chinese Android smartphones are especially popular in Thailand, due to their decent specifications and attractive prices, especially for anyone that wants the latest 3G and 4G devices.

Microsoft, which bought Nokia last year, is intending to increase its market share starting with the release of the latest Lumia device, the dual-SIM Lumia 435, prices at below 3,000 baht.

Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/microsoft-releases-lumia-435-thailand-less-3000-baht/4964/