A Magic Christmas With TWG Tea

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29 November 2019, 05:13

Usher in the festive season with TWG Tea’s Christmas exclusive, Magic Christmas Tea

Bangkok, 20 November 2019 – TWG Tea’s highly anticipated Christmas tea of the year is the Magic Christmas Tea, a theine-free red tea that is a distillate of rare citrus fruits blended with hints of raw and dark chocolate, accompanied by a mélange of spices. The limited festive offerings also include Magic Christmas Tea infused Macarons and Festive Tea Time Set available at TWG Tea Salons from 1 December 2019 to 15 January 2020.

MAGIC CHRISTMAS TEA

Encased in a brilliant sea green gold-embossed gift box adorned with a mystical fairy, the loose leaf Magic Christmas Tea comes in a molten black hand-blown glass flask which prevents tea from being exposed to light, ensuring quality and consistency. The glass lid also doubles as a measuring cup for preparing tea.

The naturally theine-free red tea, or rooibos, is produced from a bush known as the Aspalathus linerais found in South Africa. It contains a high level of antioxidants and is very rich in vitamin C, mineral salts and protein, making it ideal for both adults and children.

Magic Christmas Tea is available at all TWG Tea Salons & Boutiques in Bangkok and is priced at 2,200 baht each.

MAGIC CHRISTMAS TEA GOURMET OFFERINGS

TWG Tea integrates a myriad of fine harvest teas and exclusive tea blends into our recipes as a most precious component, introducing a whole new world of sensations and flavours when dining or enjoying our gourmet offerings. Similarly, the seasonal theine-free Magic Christmas Tea releases a sweet flavour that subtly enhances the flavour of patisseries.

Magic Christmas Tea Macarons

In tantalising shades of Santa Claus’s red and white, TWG Tea has transformed its signature tea-infused macarons into delicious jewels of bite-sized confection. The limited-edition Magic Christmas Tea infused macaron showcases a smooth and crisp almond shell delicately filled with a velvety smooth Magic Christmas Tea infused white chocolate ganache. The macarons are available in gift boxes of 6, 12 or 24 and are priced at 354, 708 and 1,416 baht respectively.

Magic Christmas Tea Chocolate Bonbons

A pure indulgence for the most discerning gourmands, the limited-edition milk chocolate bonbons are filled with Magic Christmas Tea infused ganache and finished with a festive motif. The Chocolate Bonbons are available in a box of 6, 12 and 24 and is priced at 354 baht, 708 baht and 1,416 baht.

Festive Tea Time Set

The magic never ends – soak up the joyous atmosphere at TWG Tea salons and indulge in the delectable Festive Tea Time Set paired with your choice of hot or iced Festive Night Tea.

Begin the magical celebration with a selection of tea-infused savoury and sweet creations, beautifully presented on a whimsical chocolate Christmas tree infused with Choco Mint Truffle Tea, pecans and dried strawberries.

Tantalising savoury bites include Duck Confit Tartlet with dark chocolate mixed berries sauce infused with Christmas Jewel Tea, accompanied by parmesan mousse and fresh berries; and Tapenade Crostini infused with Red Christmas Tea.

Continue to entice your taste buds with divine patisseries of Dark Chocolate Mousse layered with milk chocolate feuilletine and Geisha Blossom Tea infused apricot jelly; Strawberry Tart with Almond Tea infused cream; a magical Red Christmas Tea infused White Chocolate; and buttery Pâte Feuilletée filled with Joy of Christmas Tea infused almond cream.

A delicately handcrafted Matcha Snow with layers of full-flavoured Matcha Nara creameux; Pavlova featuring a meringue and cream infused with 1837 Green Tea; sparkling silver Milk Chocolate Truffle with banana and chocolate ganache infused with Spice Route Tea; golden Dark Chocolate Truffle with strawberry puree, caramel and dark chocolate ganache infused with 1837 Black Tea; and jolly French Earl Grey Deer Shaped Cookie will certainly bring joy this festive holiday.

End the celebration with a limited-edition Magic Christmas Tea Macaron and Santa Mousse Cake, a vanilla mousseline cream layered with strawberry compote infused with Jade of Africa Tea. For a noteworthy tea pairing, complete this jubilant occasion with Festive Night Tea, a green tea temptingly blended with notes of cherry blossom that infuses into a dazzling cup with a sweet aroma of red fruits and the intense warmth of rose petals.

Available from 1 December 2019 to 15 January 2020 at TWG Tea Salons & Boutiques in Siam Paragon and The Emporium, the Festive Tea Time Set is priced at 750 baht.

Carabao shakes energy drink industry with “Carabao Green Apple” tasty and refreshing drink that appeals to the young generation with a monthly sale target of 12 million cans in 2020

By

Khaosod English

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29 November 2019, 05:09

Mr. Sathien Setthasit, Chief Executive Officer of Carabao Group Plc. (CBG,) said that Carabao’s vision “World Class Product, World Class Brand, makes Carabao committed to developing and improving product quality to meet international standards whether in term of production or product development in order to meet changing consumer behaviors. In addition, the company has also enhanced the brand image to look more modern to attract the new generation.

“Carabao has been recognized as a specialist in the production of energy drinks in Thailand with over 18 years of experience in the domestic market. Apart from that, Carabao has expanded its production and exported to more than 50 countries around the world. Last year (2019), Carabao has launched “Carabao Green Apple” with belief that the new product will revamp the country’s energy drinks industry because it would appeal to the new generation as a tasty drink that everyone could drink at any time, making Carabao the most popular brand in Thailand. We project the sale of 12 million cans per month in 2020,

Carabao Green Apple is the drink for new generation that could be consumed any time. It’s good for all sexes and ages especially the new generation as they love to try new and creative products and has active lifestyle. The strong selling point of the drink is that it is tasty, refreshing and nutritious as it contains vitamins. The drinks use Guarana which is natural substance. The packaging is also attractive – different from the energy drinks on the market, making it appealing to the new generation. The product has been successful in the UK market and the company hopes that it would also be popular in the domestic market too.

Mr. Sathien added that to achieve the sale target in 2020, the company would continue extensive marketing and activities throughout 2020. The company will use creative approach to reach the consumers under the concept “Carabao Clock” that conveys the message that Carabao Green Apple can be consumed around the clock, and for all age ranges and sexes. The marketing plan will include offline and online activities especially on social media via influencers. There will be activities such as games and music that attract new generations. In the past, CBG collaborated with
Tencent in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile, one of the world’s most popular esports games. It will help highlight Carabao’s way of youngster concept that underlines the company’s mission of creating good experience for new generation. By doing so, Carabao will be becoming a genuine brand for new generation.
Currently, Carabao Green Apple has sale distribution covering nationwide and the products can be found at leading convenience stores including CJ Express, 7-Eleven and Family Mart. The products are also available at other retail shops around the country, making it very accessible products any time and anywhere.

During the first 9 months of the year 2019, Carabao Group maintained its 2nd largest market share in the energy drink can format category in the midst of saturation of the energy drink market. On the other hand, the sale volume of other brands under the company has been increased by 28 percent due to the company’s good logistic with distribution covering 91 percent of the country. As a result, the company recorded 10.976 billion baht in turnover, an increase of 394 million baht or 3.7 percent from last year. Of that, 54 percent are the sale of energy drinks in other country and the remaining 46 percent coming from domestic market.

Gov’t Accused of ‘Double Standard’ in MP Encroachment Inquiry

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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28 November 2019, 18:52

Phalang Pracharath MP Parina Kraikupt, left, attends a meeting at the Parliament on Nov. 28, 2019.

BANGKOK — An activist on Thursday said the authorities are applying a double standard in the investigation against a coalition MP, who stands accused of building a poultry farm on protected forest area.

Although Phalang Pracharath MP Parina Kraikupt maintained innocence, saying her farm in Ratchaburi province did not violate any laws, transparency campaigner Atchariya Ruangrat-tanapong said evidence clearly shows the facility to sit on protected forest and government land plots reserved for landless farmers.

Atchariya said he’s disappointed by the Forest Department’s decision to start remeasuring Parina’s farm boundary per her request, even though the same agency just announced several days ago the farm indeed intruded on public lands.

Read: Phalang Pracharath’s Parina Denies Land Encroachment

“It shows that Ms. Parina has privilege over the [common people], that’s why she could request a remeasurement of her land,” Atchariya said after lodging his protest to forest officials.

He added, “If those who wield power in the government assists Ms. Parina, it would make the public lose confidence in the government and justice system. It would be a bad example in law enforcement.”

In a Facebook post, social scientist Chainarong Setthachua also lashed out at the government’s seemingly lax enforcement of land laws in Parina’s case.

“Would ordinary people have the same opportunity?” he wrote.

Chainarong, who teaches at Mahasarakham University, said farmers accused of land encroachment were subject to much harshers responses, such as torching of their homes, destruction of crops, and forced eviction by the authorities.

Parina refused to discuss the allegation with reporters when she showed up for work at the Parliament yesterday.

Forest officials seized Parina’s poultry farm earlier this week, following a report that the parts of the site sit on public lands. Officials also threatened to file formal criminal complaints against the MP, which carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail, but have since balked from doing so.

Forest Department director Attapon Charoenchansa said his agency has to proceed with caution because it involves legal matters.

“The Forest Department is not delaying the case, but we need clear evidence first,” Attapon said. “Otherwise we might be sued, or our case might be dismissed by the court.”

‘It’s Not All Sabai Sabai,’ Matchmaker of Thai Women and Danish Men Says

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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28 November 2019, 18:43

A still of Sommai Molbaek from “Heartbound.” Image: Magic Hour Films

BANGKOK — Kae shyly sits across from Kjels at his house in rural Denmark, communicating only via an Thai-Danish dictionary. Saeng, with a twinkle in her eye, sets her sights on the Finnish men at her Pattaya bar.

Watching over them all is matchmaker Sommai, bickering with her husband of thirty years, Niels.

Sommai Molbaek, 65, is the protagonist of the Danish documentary “Heartbound,” (2018), which will screen at three indie cinemas across the country in December. Filmed over a decade by a group of anthropologists, the 90-minute film follows Korat native Sommai, the first Thai wife in the Danish district of Thy, and the Isaan women she matches up with the local men.

On Wednesday night, Sommai stood in front of a Bangkokian audience who had just watched a press screening of “Heartbound” at the House Samyan theater, at Samyan Mitrtown mall, fielding curious questions about mixed marriages and her journey from being a Pattaya sex worker to a matchmaker in rural Denmark.

“I want to say that calling us mia farang, rental wives, or looking down on us for having worked as prostitutes in the past, these words really cut into our hearts,” Sommai said. “I want Thai people to know that when we go there, it’s not all sabai sabai. We work hard and struggle with unfamiliar things, like the language, culture, weather, and food.”

Sommai, left, during a Q&A session on Nov. 27, 2019 at House Samyan theater.

Sommai was the first Thai wife in Thy, a rural district in Denmark when she moved there three decades ago. Through matchmaking her extended family and neighbors from Yok Kham village in rural Khon Kaen by placing newspaper ads, Sommai brought over and matchmade for more than 40 Thai women, who in turn brought in 200 more.

As the film states, there are currently more than 900 Thai wives in Denmark.

“About 20 to 30 Danish men write in response to an ad. Sometimes they return a woman after a couple weeks, and then we have to go through the letters again, picking the okay-seeming ones,” she said.

She’s also claimed a 100 percent success rate for the women she personally matchmade: “All we brought over got husbands.”

Sommai had a policy of having the women promise her that they would be able to endure living in a foreign land, and tell their Danish partners whether they had been married before, and how many children they already had.

‘No one goes for love’

The documentary was directed by Janus Metz Pedersen and by anthropologist Sine Plambech. Recently, anthropologists have turned their focus to Isaan inter-racial marriages with farangs. Patcharin Lapanun postulated that these marriages changed how Isaan men viewed their own masculinity as well as the women’s motivations for seeking a more comfortable life.

However, Sommai pulled no punches when asked why the women went.

“To be honest, no one goes for love, no matter if they met online or in real life, or at Pattaya like I did. We go to help ourselves and our family, but as time goes on, some people love each other,” she said. “We don’t go because of love, or endure because of love.”

Romantic love wasn’t the most important factor in these marriages, Sommai said.

“Although love is needed in a marriage, it’s not needed for us and the women who go,” she said. “We don’t need them to love us as a person, but to love our family as well.”

When asked how Danish men are better than Thai counterparts during a Q&A session, Sommai said they are pretty much the same, except there is tougher law enforcement in Denmark which prevent husbands from beating their wives.

“Men are the same everywhere, Thailand or Denmark,” Sommai said. “It’s just that in Denmark, they have laws against beating women, and he could end up in jail.”

Read: ‘Love, Money, and Obligation’: Why (Some) Isaan Women Love Farangs

The film had been serialized as a TV series and screened as a film in Denmark. Sommai said it has helped Danish people understand mia farang more, “definitely at least 100 percent.”

“This film helps farangs to know that we aren’t going there to trick them, but to have better lives. We just ask for somewhere to stay,” Sommai said.

She said that the film explains these Thai women’s financial and social situations better, and to more people, then she ever could by herself.

“At first, Danes, especially older people, didn’t understand that in Thailand we basically have zero social security, bad education, and no healthcare,” she said.

On the other hand, she hopes its Thai screening will help Thais see things from mia farangs’ perspective as well – and show potential mia farang what going there is really like.

“If you, or your kid is planning to go, then watch the film so you can prepare yourself,” she said.

“Heartbound” will screen at House Samyan starting Dec. 5, Bangkok Screening Room starting Dec. 10, and Lido Connect starting Dec. 12. The film will also screen at Don I Lum Village in Prathai, Nakhon Ratchasima on Nov. 30.

Additional reporting Tappanai Boonbandit

Kae and her husband Kjels. Image: Magic Hour Films

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4 New BTS Stations to Reach Kasetsart University by New Year

By

Tappanai Boonbandit, Staff Reporter

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28 November 2019, 16:20

BANGKOK — Four new stations along the BTS northern extension will open as a “new year’s gift” for Bangkokians next month, Bangkok Governor said Thursday.

Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said four more stations along the BTS Green Line (Sukhumvit Line) from the current terminus at BTS Ha Yaek Lat Phrao will open to the public for free test rides beginning Dec. 4.

“I have postponed fare collection for the new stations as a new year’s gift for citizens,” Aswin said. “The test rides will not only save cost on transportation for citizens, but also reduce traffic congestion around the area.”

The new stations are Phahon Yothin 24, Ratchayothin, Sena Nikhom, and Kasetsart University.

Once completed, the northern extension will ultimately run about 19 kilometers from the current terminus at BTS Ha Yaek Lat Phrao and stop at 15 stations.

Aswin said the rest of the line is expected to be operational within the next year. The exact date is yet to be announced.

The test runs will be in service until Jan. 2, 2020, after which fares will be collected.

Meanwhile, the governor announced that the Gold Line monorail linking BTS Krung Thonburi to Khlong San is currently 40 percent completed. It is expected to become operational around Oct. 2020.

Earlier this month, the metro operator also announced that four more stations along the MRT Blue Line extension from the northern terminus at Tao Poon will open to the public for free test rides beginning early December.

The new stations for the MRT Blue Line extension include Bang Pho, Bang O, Bang Phlat, and Sirindhorn.

BTS Ha Yeak Lat Phrao Opens, Governor Caps Fare to 65 Baht

BTS Coming to Lat Phrao in 5 Months: City Hall

Review: Dusit Thani’s Luxury Spa Finds New Home at Samyan Mall

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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28 November 2019, 16:11

Naam Spa masseuse “O” in one of the rooms.

BANGKOK — A hotel spa relocated to a mall because the hotel is being demolished to make way for another mall may be the most Bangkokian location to treat yourself this holiday season.

Namm Spa, now on the second floor at Samyan Mitrtown, opened in September and are under the same operators as Dusit International’s Devarana Spa, which is reputed to be one of the most luxurious spas in the city.

The Dusit Thani Bangkok was closed in January, and its buildings are being torn down. Instead of its vintage 1970s facade, the hotel will be reopened as a mixed-use luxury hotel, condo, and mall.

“We were afraid to lose some fans of the spa,” Nutthaya Rotthanaphaisan, the spa’s marketing manager said. “We use similar massage techniques as the Devarana Spa, but the prices are a bit lower since it’s in a mall setting rather than a hotel.”

The 90-minute Namm Signature Massage, for example, costs 2,808 baht (service and VAT included), but the same massage would cost around 3,500 at Devarana.

If doing an oil massage, customers get to choose from three oils whose scents make up for the uncreative names: “Chill” is of lotus and rose, “Fresh” is a mixture of eucalyptus and omega-3 fatty acids, and “Energize” is a tropical blend of oranges, kaffir lime, and cypress.

We choose “Fresh” for our signature massage, and were greeted by our masseuse, O. We were led to our room to change and then O began to work her magic with the signature massage, which is a mix of Thai massage, Hawaiian lomi lomi, and Abhangya, an Ayuravedic oil massage.

What it really felt like was O working every single muscle meticulously, each oiled-up hand following the other, starting from our back, then legs and arms, before she finished off with a scalp massage.

“Is the pressure too much? Is the music too loud? Air con too cold?” she asked in a non-intrusive way, checking in often.

For hours afterward, our pores were smooth, scented, and moisturized to the brim.

The Samyan Mitrtown branch is the only Namm Spa branch in Thailand, with the rest in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bhutan, and the Philippines. Devarana Spas are in Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Manila, Nairobi, Guam, Conghua, and New Cairo.

Located on the second floor of the mall, the spa has six private rooms, one couples massage room with a bath, a Thai massage room, and a nail spa room. Unfortunately, the last room doesn’t shut out the mall.

Other treatments include the two-hour Samyan Market’s Charm (3,744 baht), which is similar to the signature massage but includes a brown sugar scrub (to evoke Thai desserts, apparently), body scrubs (1,755 baht), 700-baht baths, and 2,800-baht facials, and three-hour massages in the 5,000-baht range.

Manis and pedis, range from 300 to 1,200 baht, and hand and feet spas ranging from around 600 baht to 1,900 baht.

Namm Spa, open from 10am to 10pm every day, is located on the second floor of Samyan Mitrtown mall, reachable from MRT Sam Yan.

This review is unsponsored and based on a hosted visit.

Namm spa's mani-pedi area. — Namm spa’s mani-pedi area.

The spa's foot massage area. — The spa’s foot massage area.

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Finland’s Adventure-Themed ‘SuperPark’ To Open at Iconsiam

By

Tappanai Boonbandit, Staff Reporter

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28 November 2019, 14:07

BANGKOK — Taking children to a playground will no longer be boring for parents when the new indoor activity park opens this weekend.

Billed by the company as the “friendliest” activity park for everyone, SuperPark will open to the public on Nov. 30 on the sixth floor of the swanky Iconsiam. But don’t expect it to be a playground for the ultrarich; entry tickets start from 220 baht.

Children, friends, and adults are welcomed to roam around the 40,000sqm playhouse, where they can enjoy over 25 physical activities from the basic rock climbing to an immersive ski simulator.

Although some of them might be plain sailing or (unfortunately) too small for adults, most activities are interactive, so you will need a hand from your loved ones for extra fun.

The first SuperPark launched in Finland in 2012. Mark Kumarasinhe, Asia CEO of SuperPark, said the park’s key concepts are based on Finnish education system which emphasizes on learning through play and widely regarded to be one of the best in the world.

“The park is very Finnish at heart where children can learn through participation,” Mark said. “There’s no pressure for people to be good at something, all they need is willing to try out new things or things they haven’t been doing for a long time.”

SuperPark boasts three zones, starting from the Adventure Area where younger children can crawl away from their parents through tunnels and obstacles. Hop on a rubber ring and scream while sliding down the slope, or race with your crew in a pedal car around a circuit.

In the Game Arena, break some sweat in an interactive tennis court where your swings will be analyzed by radar. Hone your slam drunk at street basketball game, or try to challenge the technology against an AI-controlled goalie.

Tech-savvy kids may be excited with some games that rely on motion detection and augmented reality.

Put on ice skates and glide on a dry ice rink that feels like real ice at the Freestyle Hall. Bounce on a trampoline and defy gravity for a perfect somersault, or skateboarding on ramps, rails, and kickers, at a vast skatepark.

While some visitors may feel the activities more appealing to younger children, the CEO said everyone can play and have fun together. The park even offer packages for business professionals to build their team through physical activities.

Mark understood that Thai parents tend to focus more academic, but he said activities can be educational as well.

“We try to teach kids how to balance between life and school, Mark said. “Our activities mix physical education with skills such as problem-solving. For example, you can’t only work out the right answer, but you have to hit it as well.”

There are currently 16 SuperParks around the world and Thailand’s location is the third largest.

Prices for the all-day pass is 450 baht on weekdays and 650 baht on weekends and public holidays. Alternatively, passes for morning, afternoon, and evening sessions are also available starting 220 baht.

Teacher Slaps Students for Not Doing English Homework, Gets Off Scot-Free

By

Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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28 November 2019, 12:52

Left, Siriwan Butpetch slaps Matthayom 1 students. Right, Siriwan Butpetch talks to press Tuesday. Photo: one31 / YouTube

SAMUT SAKHON — No disciplinary action has been taken against a teacher who slapped students repeatedly for not doing their English homework, a school official said Thursday.

An administrator at Omnoisophonchanooprathum School said English teacher Siriwan Butpetch is currently on leave, and said more investigation is needed before coming up with any punishment. Siriwan, who is seen in a viral video slapping six Matthayom 1 students across the face, also told the media she did it out of love.

“We are in the process of setting up a committee for this,” the official said, refusing to give her name. “We will have to review all of the evidence and talk to witnesses first.”

The video appears to have been filmed by one of the pupils in the class. It was first posted to Facebook by someone who identified herself as a mother of a student, and quickly went viral on social media.

“Did you do it? Did you? Did you? Did you practice? Did you?” Siriwan says in the clip, slapping students’ faces between each phrase. “You’re over the line! Over the line! Over the line!”

After much condemnation on the internet, school director Pongsakorn Poolsombat gathered together Siriwan and some of the guardians, and had Siriwan apologize to them. Pongsakorn said the school would not allow further violent punishment of students

Speaking to reporters, Siriwan defended her actions, saying that her anger was borne from love and caring for students who did not do their English homework. Siriwan said she was also punishing them for playing on their phones during class.

“They only recorded the part where I punished them, not where I talked to them,” Siriwan said. “I am angry at these students, but I don’t hate them. I want them to succeed. I feel discouraged after being a teacher for 20 years.”

Orida Saenghan, a guardian of one of the assaulted students, said she would not pursue criminal charges against the teacher, though she urged the staff to rely only on non-violent punishments from now on.

“I talked to the teacher and I want her to use other methods,” Orida said. “I’m not ruling out any kind of disciplinary action, but please don’t use violence because this will put pressure on the students, and they might not want to come to school.”

Although violent punishment in schools is formally banned by several regulations, the practice remains a routine in many schools. Teachers who are caught resorting to violence or accused of other misconducts rarely faced any kind of legal repercussions other than being transferred to another school.

According to a 2019 survey of 999 Thai parents by YouGov, Thai parents are divided on physical punishment of their children. About 80 percent use it, and about a third of these discipline children by smacking them on the palms, with less popular methods being caning, pinching, and slapping.

School Director Transferred for School Lunch Allegedly Filled with Rotten Eggs

Thai Parents Divided on Physically Punishing Children

Officials: Iraq Protesters Burn Down Iran Consulate

By

Associated Press

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28 November 2019, 09:05

BAGHDAD (AP) — Anti-government protesters burned down an Iranian consulate building in southern Iraq on Wednesday, while six protesters were killed by security forces who fired live rounds amid ongoing violence in the country, Iraqi officials said Wednesday.

Protesters torched the consulate in the holy city of Najaf in the evening. One protester was killed and at least 35 people were wounded when police fired live ammunition to prevent them from entering the building, a police official said.

The demonstrators removed the Iranian flag from the building and replaced it with an Iraqi one. Iranian staff were not harmed and escaped the building from the back door and authorities imposed a curfew in Najaf. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The incident marked an escalation in the demonstrations that have raged in Baghdad and across the mostly Shiite southern Iraq since Oct. 1. The protesters accuse the Shiite-led government of being hopelessly corrupt and complain of poor public services and high unemployment. They are also decrying growing Iranian influence in Iraqi state affairs.

Protesters previously attacked the Iranian consulate in Karbala earlier this month, scaling concrete barriers running the building.

Security forces have fired bullets, tear gas and smoke bombs on a near daily basis since the unrest began. At least 350 people have been killed and thousands wounded in what has become the largest grassroots protest movement in Iraq’s modern history.

Two protesters were killed and 35 wounded when security forces fired live rounds to disperse them from Baghdad’s historic Rasheed Street, security and hospital officials said.

The street, which is adjacent to the strategic Ahrar Bridge, has been the focus of violence for a full week, with near daily incidents of deaths as a result of security forces using live ammunition and tear gas to keep demonstrators from advancing beyond a concrete barrier.

Protesters are occupying three key bridges in central Baghdad – Jumhuriya, Ahrar and Sinar – in a standoff with security forces. On Wednesday, they also burned tires on Ahrar Bridge to block security forces from accessing the area.

The burning of the Iranian consulate followed tense days in southern Iraq, where protesters have burned tires and cut access to main roads in several provinces.

In Karbala, four protesters were killed by live fire from security forces in the previous 24 hours.

Three of the anti-government protesters were killed when security forces fired live rounds to disperse crowds in the holy city of Karbala late Tuesday, security and medical officials said. One protester died of wounds suffered when a tear gas canister struck him in clashes earlier in the day.

Protesters have largely kept away from threatening Iraq’s economy, but in the southern city of Basra daily closures of the two main Gulf commodities port has caused disruptions to trade activity, a port official said.

Protesters continued to cut major roads to Umm Qasr and Khor al-Zubair ports on Wednesday, reducing trade activity by 50%, according to the port official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

Protesters also blocked roads leading to major oil fields in West Qurna and Rumaila. A senior oil ministry official said crude production was not impacted by the closures.

Three simultaneous explosions rocked Baghdad late Tuesday, killing five people and wounding more than a dozen, Iraqi officials said, in the first apparent coordinated attack since anti-government protests erupted. The bombings took place far from Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of weeks of anti-government protests that have posed the biggest security challenge to Iraq since the defeat of the Islamic State group.

Chinese Astronomers Discover ‘Surprisingly Large’ Black Hole

By

Xinhua News Agency

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28 November 2019, 09:05

An artist's rendition of a black hole. Image: NASA

BEIJING (Xinhua) — A Chinese-led research team has discovered a surprisingly huge stellar black hole about 14,000 light-years from Earth – our “backyard” of the universe – forcing scientists to re-examine how such black holes form.

The Milky Way galaxy is estimated to contain 100 million stellar black holes — cosmic bodies formed by the collapse of massive stars and so dense even light can’t escape. Until now, scientists had estimated the mass of an individual stellar black hole in our galaxy at no more than 20 times that of the Sun.

But the new discovery has toppled that assumption.

The team, headed by Liu Jifeng, of the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), spotted the black hole, which has a mass 70 times greater than the Sun. Researchers named the monster black hole LB-1.

The discovery is reported in the latest issue of the academic journal Nature.

‘No one goes for love’

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