Officials in Surat Thani province are still searching for a 24-year-old British tourist on the second day after Mr. Gowribalan Shanghaman fell from a kayak into the Ratchaprapha Reservoir.
SURAT THANI – Officials in Surat Thani province are still searching for Mr. Gowribalan Shanghaman, a 24-year-old British tourist who fell from a kayak into the Ratchaprapha Reservoir (Cheow Lan) in Khao Phang Subdistrict, Ban Ta Khun District, on the morning of February 11, 2024. They are using sonar to search the underwater area.
At this stage, officials believe he is unlikely to have survived.
Mr. Shanghaman’s foreign friends said he was not wearing a life jacket when he set off from Khao Soi Pier in a kayak. He paddled out without permission from the Khao Sok National Park rangers. A friend who kayaked with him said Mr Shanghaman fell into the water in the Klong Wang area, about 500 meters from the pier.
After searching the surface of the water all day Sunday, four divers from the Ban Chiew Lan community rescue team and rangers from Khao Sok National Park were unable to find Mr. Shanghaman.
The underwater search was hampered by the cold water temperature and murky water below the surface, making it impossible to see anything. Officials used sonar equipment from the Mangkorn Chonburi Rescue Team, which specializes in underwater search and rescue.
Officials held a meeting to discuss the search operation for the British tourist at the Missing Persons Search Center in the meeting room of Khao Sok National Park Tourist Service Center, Ban Chiew Lan Municipality Pier. The meeting was attended by Ban Ta Khun district chief, Khao Sok National Park chief, Tourist Assistance Center, Ban Ta Khun police station, tourist police, Khao Phang sub-district chief and rescue units.
At the meeting, a target was set for the search for Mr. Shanghaman, at the location with coordinates WGS 84 Zone 47P 0458220E 1003875N, about 500 meters from Khao Soi Pier. The water depth is about 42 meters. The search will be conducted during the hours of brightest sunlight to maximize visibility.
Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at a hospital morgue in Rafah, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces rescued two hostages early Monday, storming a heavily guarded apartment in the Gaza Strip and extracting the captives under fire in a dramatic raid that was a small but symbolically significant success for Israel. Heavy airstrikes that provided cover for the operation killed at least 67 Palestinians, according to health officials in the beleaguered territory.
The plight of the hostages has profoundly shaken Israelis, and the rescue in densely populated Rafah briefly lifted the spirits of a nation still reeling from Hamas’ cross-border raid last year that started the war. Israel has described Rafah — a city on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip where 1.4 million Palestinians have fled fighting elsewhere — as the last remaining Hamas stronghold in the territory and signaled that its ground offensive may soon target the city.
In Gaza, the operation unleashed another tragedy in a war that has killed 28,340 Palestinians in the territory, displaced over 80% of the population and set off a massive humanitarian crisis.
More than 12,300 Palestinian minors — children and young teens — have been killed in the conflict, the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday. About 8,400 women were also among those killed. That means minors make up about 43% of the dead and women and minors together they make up 73% of the dead.
Palestinians sit by the destruction from the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)
The ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, provided the breakdown at the request of The Associated Press. Israel claims to have killed about 10,000 Hamas fighters.
In Hamas’ cross-border raid on Oct. 7, an estimated 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, and militants took 250 people captive, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel says about 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity after dozens were freed during a cease-fire in November. Hamas also holds the remains of roughly 30 others who were either killed on Oct. 7 or died in captivity.
The government has made freeing the over 100 remaining hostages a top aim of its war, along with destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities. But as the fighting drags on, now in its fifth month, their freedom remains elusive and rifts have emerged in Israel over the best approach to end their ordeal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted persistent military pressure will bring about the captives’ freedom — a position he repeated on Monday — even as other top officials have opposed this, saying a deal is the only way to secure their release.
A DRAMATIC RAID
Israeli military spokesman Read Adm. Daniel Hagari said special forces broke into a second-floor apartment in Rafah under fire at 1:49 a.m. Monday, accompanied a minute later by airstrikes on surrounding areas. He said the hostages were being guarded by armed Hamas militants and that members of the rescue team shielded the hostages with their bodies as a heavy battle erupted in several places at once with Hamas gunmen.
The army identified those rescued as Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, abducted by Hamas militants from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on Oct. 7. Netanyahu’s office said they also hold Argentinian citizenship.
The hostages were airlifted to Sheba Medical Center in central Israel, and their condition was reported to be good. They are just the second and third hostages to be rescued safely; a female soldier was rescued in November.
Hostage Luis Har, left, is hugged by relatives after being rescued from captivity in the Gaza Strip, at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. (Israeli Army via AP)
The rescue, which Hagari said was based on precise intelligence and planned for some time, is a morale booster for Israelis but a small step toward winning the release of the remaining hostages, who are believed to be spread out and hidden in tunnels, likely in poor condition.
Har’s son-in-law, Idan Begerano, who saw the released captives at the hospital, said the two men were thin and pale, but communicating well and aware of their surroundings.
Begerano said Har told him immediately upon seeing him: “You have a birthday today, mazal tov.” The men, wearing sweatsuits, held long, tearful embraces with their relatives at hospital, according to video released by Netanyahu’s office.
DOZENS KILLED IN STRIKES
The airstrikes that backed up the Israeli forces hit jam-packed Rafah in the middle of the night and dozens of explosions could be heard around 2 a.m. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Health Ministry, said at least 67 people, including women and children, were killed in the strikes.
Al-Qidra said rescuers were still searching the rubble; an Associated Press journalist counted at least 50 bodies at the Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah.
Mohamed Zoghroub, a Palestinian living in Rafah, said he saw a black jeep speeding near the Shaboura refugee camp in the town followed by clashes and heavy airstrikes.
“We found ourselves running with our children, from the airstrikes, in every direction,” he said, speaking from an area flattened by the heavy strikes overnight.
Palestinians mourn a child killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at a hospital morgue in Rafah, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)
Footage circulating on social media from Rafah’s Kuwaiti hospital showed dead or wounded children. The footage could not immediately be verified but was consistent with AP reporting.
A young man can be seen carrying the body of an infant who he said was killed in the attacks. He said the girl, the daughter of his neighbor, was born and killed during the war.
“Let Netanyahu come and see: Is this (infant) one of your designated targets?” he said.
CONCERNS ABOUT RAFAH
Netanyahu has said sending ground troops into Rafah is essential to meeting Israel’s war goals. On Sunday, the White House said President Joe Biden had warned Netanyahu that Israel should not conduct a military operation against Hamas in Rafah without a “credible and executable” plan to protect civilians.
More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is now crammed into Rafah, where hundreds of thousands live in sprawling tent camps and overcrowded U.N. shelters.
Hostage Fernando Simon Marman, right, hugs a relative after being rescued from captivity in the Gaza Strip, at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. (Israeli Army via AP)
Discussion of the potential for a cease-fire agreement took up much of the call, a senior U.S. administration official said, and after weeks of diplomacy, a “framework” is now “pretty much” in place for a deal that could see the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a halt to fighting.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations, acknowledged that “gaps remain,” but declined to give details. The official said military pressure on Hamas in the southern city of Khan Younis in recent weeks helped bring the group closer to accepting a deal.
Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the call. Hamas’ Al-Aqsa television station earlier quoted an unnamed Hamas official as saying any invasion of Rafah would “blow up” the talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
Biden and Netanyahu spoke after two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat said Egypt threatened to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if troops are sent into Rafah.
BANGKOK – Great Wall Motor (GWM) has been present in the Thai market for 3 years, anticipates 70% growth in EV cars, unveils a strategy for introducing 15 new models by 2025, and aims to secure its position among the top 3 xEV manufacturers by 2026.
As it enters its fourth year, the company is poised to expand its product lineup with new models.
Mr. Clyde Cheng, Chairman of Great Wall Motor, along with Mr. Wutthikorn Suriyachanthanon, Vice President of Marketing for the ASEAN Region, and Mr. Narong Sitalayon, Managing Director of Great Wall Motor (Thailand), unveiled the company’s strategic direction for 2024 at the ICONSIAM Cineconic movie theater.
GWM anticipates that the Thai car market will reach approximately 820,000 total sales, marking a 6% increase from the previous year. The xEV segment is expected to grow by about 40%, constituting 33% of the total market with approximately 270,000 units sold.
Mr. Clyde Cheng (centre), Chairman of Great Wall Motor, along with Mr. Wutthikorn Suriyachanthanon, Vice President of Marketing for the ASEAN Region, and Mr. Narong Sitalayon, Managing Director of Great Wall Motor (Thailand), unveiled the company’s strategic direction for 2024
Notably, the market for 100% electric cars is projected to expand, driven by government incentives and the introduction of new brands. Thailand is forecasted to see electric car sales of around 130,000 vehicles in 2024, representing 16% of the total market—a 70% increase from 2023.
Mr. Clyde highlighted Great Wall Motors global success in 2023, with a total of 1,230,704 vehicles sold worldwide, marking a 15.29% increase from the previous year. Of these, 316,018 units were sold in overseas markets, reflecting an 82.48% surge. Impressively, the company recorded sales of 262,000 new energy vehicles, a 98% increase, solidifying its position as the first Chinese car manufacturer to expand successfully across nine ASEAN countries.
Mr. Narong emphasized Great Wall Motor’s pivotal role in shaping Thailand’s electric vehicle landscape over the past three years. The company introduced innovative business models like New Retail Business and One Price Policy, setting new standards in the automotive industry.
Great Wall Motor also actively participated in government initiatives supporting EV 3.0 and EV 3.5, contributing to ORA Good Cat’s status as the most registered electric car in Thailand in 2022. Successfully achieving Mission 9 in 3, the company launched nine complete car models within three years.
Entering the 4th year of GWM, projections suggest that the Thai car market will witness a total estimated sales figure of 820,000 vehicles, marking a roughly 6% increase compared to the previous year. Specifically, the electric vehicle (xEV) segment is expected to experience substantial growth, constituting around 40% of the market or approximately 270,000 units.
This growth is attributed to various factors including governmental support policies for EV 3.5 and the introduction of new brands. Forecasts indicate that Thailand will see sales of electric cars reach approximately 130,000 units in 2024, comprising about 16% of the total market—a remarkable surge of almost 70% from the preceding year, 2023.
Looking ahead to 2025, Great Wall Motor plans to expand its electric vehicle lineup in Thailand by introducing 15 new models of electric vehicles or xEVs. In 2024, the company aims to launch at least three additional models of new energy vehicles in Thailand, with a specific focus on marketing 100% electric SUVs.
Mr. Narong reiterated the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality cars with advanced technology and value for Thai customers. He emphasized GWM’s role in positioning Thailand as a regional and global hub for electric car production and distribution.
Taylor Swift kisses Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Chiefs won 25-22. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Moments earlier, Swift smiled with her eyes looking misty from tears as she stood next to Kelce’s mother while he held aloft the Lombardi Trophy, shouting “Chiefs nation!” and bellowing a chorus of “Viva Las Vegas.”
Minutes before that, she was smothered by celebrity suite mates, who at various points included Blake Lively, Ice Spice and Lana Del Rey, when the Chiefs scored the winning touchdown in overtime, set up by a key reception by Kelce for a first down.
Taylor Swift kisses Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Chiefs won 25-22 against the 49ers. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
It was the second straight Super Bowl win for the Chiefs, but the first since Swift became fan-in-chief. She and Kelce began dating shortly before the season started.
“Well, you know the goal has always been to get three,” Kelce screamed on stage after sharing a kiss with Swift. “But we couldn’t get here without getting that two, and having that target on our back all year. … How about that. We get a chance to do it three times in a row.”
Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, and Andy Reid have made the Kansas City Chiefs a dynasty.
They’re already thinking three-peat.
First, they had to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions in 19 years.
Mahomes made sure of it, leading another super comeback on the NFL’s biggest stage in America’s showcase capital.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Kansas City Chiefs won 25-22 against the San Francisco 49ers. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Mahomes threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman in overtime, and the Chiefs rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 on Sunday, becoming the NFL’s ninth repeat Super Bowl champs.
The NFL’s first Super Bowl in Las Vegas was a sloppy, mistake-filled affair that was mostly boring until the back-and-forth fourth quarter and OT. It was the second of 58 Super Bowls to be tied after regulation, and the first played under new overtime rules that ensured both teams got the ball.
The Chiefs (15-6) trailed 22-19 after Jake Moody kicked a 27-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime, but Mahomes rallied the Chiefs, completing another impressive comeback in a rematch of the Super Bowl four years ago.
Mahomes ran 8 yards on fourth-and-1 to keep the Chiefs’ chances alive and then scrambled 19 yards to set up the winning score, which came 14:57 into the extra period — just before what would have been the second OT.
The Kansas City Chiefs celebrate after their victory over the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
“With all the adversity we’ve been through this season to come through tonight. … I’m proud of the guys,” said Mahomes, who earned his third Super Bowl MVP award. “This is awesome. Legendary.”
After he connected with a wide-open Hardman, the Chiefs ran on the field as red-and-yellow confetti fell onto the turf.
Mahomes and Reid are now halfway to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, who won six championships in 20 years together with the New England Patriots and were the most recent team to go back-to-back following the 2003-04 seasons.
The 28-year-old Mahomes becomes the fourth starting QB to win three Super Bowls — joining Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman — and second-youngest.
“I am going to celebrate tonight, celebrate at the parade and then work my way to get back in this game next year,” Mahomes said. “I am going to do whatever I can to be back in this game next year. Three-peat.”
The most excitement in the first half came when a frustrated Kelce bumped Reid on the sideline, knocking the Chiefs’ 65-year-old coach a few steps back after teammate Isiah Pacheco fumbled inside the red zone during the second quarter.
“You guys saw that?” Kelce said. “I’m going to keep it between us unless my ‘mic’d up’ tells the world. I was just telling him how much I loved him.”
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Kansas City Chiefs won 25-22 against the San Francisco 49ers. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The action picked up after a crucial blunder by San Francisco’s special teams set up Mahomes’ 16-yard TD pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 13-10 lead.
Brock Purdy and the 49ers (14-6) answered but they couldn’t make enough plays, denying Mr. Irrelevant an opportunity to go from last pick in the 2022 NFL draft to Super Bowl champion.
“We have the offense to score touchdowns and I failed to put the team in position to do that,” Purdy said.
Niners wide receiver Jauan Jennings threw a TD pass and caught one, joining Eagles quarterback Nick Foles six years ago as the only players to do both in the Super Bowl.
After Moody’s 53-yard field goal gave the Niners a 19-16 lead with 1:53 remaining, Mahomes and Kelce went to work. Mahomes connected with Kelce for a 22-yard gain to set up Harrison Butker’s tying kick, a 29-yarder with 3 seconds left.
A holding call on Kansas City’s Trent McDuffie extended San Francisco’s opening drive of overtime and Purdy made key throws to drive the 49ers to the Chiefs 9. But San Francisco settled for a field goal.
Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the Niners jumped ahead 10-0, but that’s no big deal for Mahomes and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. They’ve trailed by 10 points in all three of their victories, including last year’s 38-35 win over Philadelphia.
Mahomes wasn’t at his best early and threw an interception. But with the game on the line, he was a magician once again. He finished 34 of 46 for 333 yards and two TDs.
The Chiefs were hardly dominant during the regular season and entered the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 3 seed. They won at Buffalo and at Baltimore in the postseason — the first road playoff games of Mahomes’ career — and entered the Super Bowl as 2 1/2-point underdogs, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
“The Kansas City Chiefs are never underdogs. Just know that,” Mahomes said.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) scrambles against the San Francisco 49ers during overtime in the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
They became the first team to win consecutive Super Bowls as underdogs; the Philadelphia Eagles were slight favorites a year ago.
The game turned when San Francisco’s Ray-Ray McCloud couldn’t scoop a punt that hit teammate Darrell Luter Jr.’s leg and the Chiefs recovered at the 49ers 16, leading to Mahomes’ go-ahead TD pass to Valdes-Scantling.
The Niners answered on the next possession with Purdy tossing a 10-yard TD pass to Jennings for a 16-13 lead. Moody’s extra point was blocked.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan gambled on fourth-and-3 from the Chiefs 15, passing up a chance for a tying field goal. Purdy hit George Kittle for a 4-yard gain and then found Jennings for the score.
Shanahan resorted to trickery for the only touchdown of the first half.
Jennings, a wide receiver who had never thrown a pass in an NFL game, tossed a 21-yard TD to McCaffrey. He was hit as he threw a wobbly pass across the field, but McCaffrey snagged it and sprinted to the end zone.
Shanahan fell to 0-2 as a head coach in Super Bowls and 0-3 overall, including a loss when he was offensive coordinator for Atlanta. That was the game in which Brady and the Patriots rallied from a 28-3 deficit to win in OT.
“When you go against guys like Tom Brady and Pat Mahomes, you never feel comfortable with a lead. Those guys are two of the best to ever play the game,” Shanahan said.
Kansas City Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Kansas City Chiefs won 25-22 against the San Francisco 49ers. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
There were plenty of stars in the building as the NFL brought its biggest game to this gambling mecca — once a taboo idea. Jay-Z, LeBron James and Paul McCartney were among the celebrities in the crowd.
Post Malone sang “America the Beautiful,” Reba McEntire performed the national anthem and Usher electrified the crowd at halftime. He brought out a number of guests, including Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon and Ludacris.
Attendance was announced at 61,629 at the relatively compact Allegiant Stadium, the smallest crowd in Super Bowl history except for the pandemic game in Tampa, Florida, three years ago.
It didn’t start out well, but thanks to Mahomes, those fans ended up seeing one of the best Super Bowl finishes.
Mr. Daniel, a 24-year-old British national, expresses gratitude to the police officer who was able to apprehend the thief and immediately recover all of his belongings.
NONTHABURI – A British male tourist commended the Thai police for catching the person who stole his belongings and swiftly retrieving them.
According to Pol. Col. Ronnapat Thapthimthongchai, superintendent of Bang Yai Police Station, on February 10, Mr. Daniel, a 24-year-old British national, reported that many valuable items, totaling around 200,000 baht, were stolen from his room in a condominium in Bang Yai District, Nonthaburi Province, on the late Friday night, February 9.
On that night, his British friend went to Khao San Road in Bangkok, but he did not. His companion got to know the suspect and invited her back to the condo room for a drink. The next morning, at 9:00 a.m., Daniel discovered his assets gone, including $1,500 and £100 in cash, two Acer laptops, an iPhone XR mobile phone, two British credit cards, a Canon camera, and a lens.
A 40-year-old transgender suspect from Bangkok was admitted to all charges at Bangyai Police Station in Nonthaburi on February 11, 2024.
The investigating officers reviewed the CCTV footage and conducted an inquiry until they identified the offender. They later requested an arrest warrant from the Nonthaburi Provincial Court.
On February 11, around 8:00 p.m., police arrested Yanpat, or Khao Sunthornchot, a 40-year-old transgender woman from Bangkok, in front of Phibun Condo Ville on Soi Sa Ruam in Wong Sawang Subdistrict, Bang Sue District, Bangkok, with many pieces of evidence.
She was taken to Bang Yai Police Station in Nonthaburi Province and charged with stealing from a residence as well as unauthorised use of another person’s credit cards. She admitted to all charges.
LAMPANG – Pang Dummy (Miss Dummy), a 23-year-old popular elephant, has begun her new life at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre Lampang, in northern Thailand, after spending many years in the south.
She became famous after a photo of her sitting and admiring the sea in Phuket Province, and she also produces a talking sound. Her habit of making sounds like she is talking comes from the way she was raised by her mahout, Kanya Panthuwiset, or Brother Rae, who did not use chains or hooks but rather communication.
Miss Dummy’s fans have seen her as charming and adorable.
Pang Dummy arrived at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang on February 7 after travelling over 1,400 kilometres in 38 hours from Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province.
They bought Pang Dummy from her previous owner and hired a truck to transport her from Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province, over 1,400 kilometres in 38 hours to the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre Lampang as the 125th elephant member.
Brother Rae also travelled with Pang Dummy and stayed to care for her at this location. To avoid epidemics, she must be confined for at least 14 days under procedures for adopting new elephants. The Thai Elephant Conservation Centre Lampang’s Facebook page now posts updated photos of Pang Dummy for admirers to appreciate.
On the night of February 7, “Phrakhru Aod,” or Phrakhru Sangkharak Wirawat Weerawatthano, a lecturer at Mahamakut Rajavidyalaya University Lanna Campus, Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai Province, arrived at the Elephant Conservation Centre to greet the elephant. He was the leader of a group of elephant lovers who led a fundraising campaign to purchase Pang Dummy.
Phrakru Aod stated that he renamed Pang Dummy “Pang Saen Roo” in praise of her intelligence, and that she is the 16th elephant whose name begins with the word “Saen” for which he has launched a fundraising drive since 2021.
Phrakhru Aod welcomes Pang Dummy at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang on February 7, 2024.
This time, they raised 2.1 million baht, with one million coming from Ms. Kanchana Silpa-Archa, a politician who loves elephants. Ms. Kanchana also came to feed the elephant as the truck drove through Supanburi Province. Last year, she assisted in the return of the famed elephant Plai Sak Surin from Sri Lanka to Thailand.
“This conservation centre covers around 2,500 rai of forests. It is a suitable location for elephants. There’s no reason to let elephants wander. Pang Saen Roo will have a permanent home. Phrakhru Aod said, “There is a place to eat, food security, and health stability.”
Ms. Kanchana Silpa-Archa, an elephant lover, came to feed Pang Dummy as the truck drove through Supanburi Province on February 6, 2024.
However, Suratchai Inwiset, director of the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, is concerned about elephant care at this location because elephant food, particularly grass, reduces during the dry season. Normally, the institution purchases 60–70 tonnes of grass every day from local peasants and community entrepreneurs groups.
“Those who love elephants can help to care for and raise them. You can pay 500 baht per person per month and 6,000 baht per year, which is coordinated with the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre Lampang on workday,” Phrakhru Aod said, asking people to participate in the fundraising effort.
PATTAYA – Pattaya Police officials, working with the Chonburi Forensics Division police and the Pattaya Rescue Unit, examined a case in which a foreigner fell from a building and died at a condominium on Pattaya Sai 2 Road in Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province.
Officials spotted the body of a Chinese man, surnamed Lai, 35, in a garden close to a 31-story condominium, with his Chinese wife and children sitting and crying nearby.
Lai’s relatives told the police that he and his family had travelled from Guangdong to Pattaya during Chinese New Year vacation. They lived on the 18th floor of the condominium.
According to eyewitnesses, Lai and his wife argued before he leaped out of a window and died.
The police sent Lai’s body to the Institute of Forensic Medicine police hospital for a complete examination, and they coordinated with the Chinese embassy to return the body to his family.
FILE - Roses are displayed before being shipped to the U.S. ahead of Valentine's Day, in Chia, north of Bogota, Colombia, on Jan. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Elise Plessis hasn’t been in a long-term relationship for 26 years. It’s by choice, yet she still suffers FOMO when Valentine’s Day rolls around.
Elise Plessis appears in Manitoba, Canada on Jan. 29, 2024. (Elise Plessis via AP)
“I’m the singleton of the family and the friend group,” said the 53-year-old Plessis, who lives in Manitoba, Canada. “Valentine’s Day makes me feel hopeless, like a loser who can’t find anyone who wants me.”
But she won’t be sitting at home cursing her fate, self-imposed after she tired of “toxic” hookup culture. Instead, Plessis plans to do what loneliness researchers and psychologists advise: She’ll be helping others as a way to get out of her own head.
In her case, she’ll be helping others find love. She became a certified matchmaker last year and has organized a speed-dating event ahead of Valentine’s Day.
“I figure if I can’t find love, it’s the least I can do,” Plessis said.
Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that haters call “forced,” commercialized and downright expensive to pull off if expectations are to be met. This year, the day of romance that has grown into a celebration of all-around love and friendship is the first since the U.S. surgeon general issued a public health advisory last spring declaring loneliness and isolation an “epidemic” with dire consequences.
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the country’s top public health watchdog, warned that widespread loneliness poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. It costs the health industry billions of dollars a year, he said.
About half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, he said. The problem has been stewing since well before the pandemic, worsening in recent years.
“It’s like hunger or thirst. It’s a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing,” Murthy told The Associated Press at the time. “Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that’s not right.”
Like Valentine’s Day, loneliness has become big business, complete with an outpouring of books offering up self help and data. The season is a windfall for dating apps and websites cashing in on users looking to make it over the hump emotionally intact.
FILE – A Mexican Mariachi band surrounded by heart-shaped balloons awaits the arrival of a couple’s wedding proposal ceremony at the Lake Hollywood Park in Los Angeles, on Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
TRY A SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE
David Sbarra, a psychology professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson, studies loneliness and social isolation. He’s among data crunchers who consider the idea of loneliness as a deadly epidemic a tad overblown. But he’s confident about where Valentine’s Day can take the chronically lonely.
“You can make a very clear argument that it exacerbates the experience of psychological distress among people who are already lonely,” he said.
“So a simple way of saying it would be that people are looking at and monitoring themselves being socially isolated instead of shifting their perception toward opportunities to reengage, and then pursuing that. Who can I go out with? What can I do? How can I serve others? Who can I text, call? That’s very important,” Sbarra said.
Those are the things 27-year-old Tori Mattei in New York has discovered on her own over the last four years of singlehood. She’s been dating since two back-to-back, long-term relationships ended.
Tori Mattei appears in New York on Dec. 10, 2023. Mattei, 27, has been single for four years and says Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be lonely with a little planning. (Tori Mattei via AP)
“Because I’ve been single for a while, I feel like I kind of set a goal for myself to go on a certain amount of dates just so I still feel like I can do it and don’t feel awkward or nervous,” she said. “I’ve gone on a lot of first dates in the past couple of years. Not a lot of second dates.”
Valentine’s Day was a big deal in her relationships. Sometimes it was a cozy night in. There were usually gifts of flowers, perfume or jewelry.
“I definitely felt appreciated,” Mattei said.
She lives alone in Manhattan, as opposed to lots of friends who have roommates. Many of her friends are in relationships.
“At certain times, I enjoy being alone and having my peace and quiet. But on days like Valentine’s Day or even things like the Super Bowl, I have to make a little bit extra effort to not feel lonely,” Mattei said. “I have to make sure I make plans for myself. It just takes one sad day that you feel lonely to make it seem like you’re always lonely.”
SEEK REAL-LIFE CONNECTION
Mattei doesn’t consider herself a Valentine’s Day hater.
“I just dislike the pressure of making it romantic when really, if somebody handed me a rose on the street, that would make my day. Like, that’s all it takes,” she said.
Her best advice for making it through Valentine’s Day is as sweet as those candy conversation hearts that circulate this time of year.
“Show love to somebody. I love giving other people a gift, putting a smile on their face. And if you can’t think of someone that you want to show love to, then show love to yourself. Buy yourself candy. I buy myself flowers very frequently. I love the way they look. I don’t care that I bought them for myself,” Mattei said.
“I think the science is quite clear that loneliness does increase risk of early mortality,” said Nobel, who teaches a course for medical students at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health to help them better recognize loneliness in patients.
A young couple visit a gift shop on Valentine’s Day in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, on Feb. 14, 2023.
“Loneliness is subjective,” Nobel said — it’s the gap between the social connections you want to have and the ones you do have. “Valentine’s Day, it’s the time to celebrate love and connection, which is fantastic unless you don’t have that connection.”
Psychotherapist Kelli Miller in Los Angeles works with couples and individuals and wrote “Love Hacks: Simple Solutions to the Most Common Relationship Issues.” Valentine’s Day is a common trigger among her clients. If you don’t have the love you want, turn inward in search of joy, she urges.
“Take yourself to the theater. Take yourself to dinner. I know a lot of people don’t want to dine alone but sometimes just being around other human beings can help.”
Monarchy reform activist Tawan Tuatulanond speaks to reporters after she files a complaint at Pathum Wan Police Station over the clash with a group of ultra-royalists at BTS Siam Station earlier the day on Feb. 10, 2024.
Barely a week has passed since the Constitutional Court’s January-31 ruling that the Move Forward Party’s pledge to amend the controversial royal defamation law was unconstitutional when the issue of monarchy reform is back on the media front pages.
This time the debate was led by monarchy-reformist Tawan Tuatulanond of the Thalu Wang Group (Going Beyond the Palace Group). Tawan posted a video clip a few days after the ruling, showing her raging at a police officer while being inside her motionless car waiting for the royal motorcade of HRH Princess Sirindhorn to pass first.
In the video, Tawan was visibly in rage, and kept asking the police officer why she and other motorists had to stop when other people had urgent things to do as well. The video clip enraged ultra-royalists. Fast forward to yesterday’s afternoon, while Tawan and a few other activists gathered at BTS Siam Station, they were confronted by an ultra-royalist group and a brawl followed as the ultra-royalists shouted at the reformists.
While honking at a royal motorcade is not my cup of tea, the environment is such that the debate about monarchy reform through formal channels, particularly the parliament, has been shut. This leaves young activists like Tawan more enraged and desperate, and we are now dealing with the consequence of that. Shock tactics are now probably the only means to reopen the debate about the issue. Without that video clip of Tawan in rage, Thai society would probably not be debating about the issue today.
This is how unfortunate and desperate the situation has become. It is not just the anachronistic lese majete law that some Thais, particularly young Thais, want to debate in hope of amending it to be more in line with truly democratic countries, but issues like the royal motorcade as well.
Other questions include: should the blocking of traffic be done for senior royal members only when on duty, how long should it be done in advance, and how many lanes should it be shut? Another is whether the practice of crawling on the floor in the presence of senior royals should end, when in fact it was originally abolished by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) over a century ago, only to be reintroduced during the previous reign of King Rama IX?
Yet another topic close to the hearts of some young Thais is the practice of having senior royals handing diplomas to new graduates of many universities.
As it is, even the opposition Move Forward Party is now distancing themselves from Tawan and her fellow activists with both former leader Pita Limjaroenrat and the party deputy spokesman saying yesterday they do not condone the act of honking at Princess Sirindhorn motorcade by Tawan.
Meanwhile, after the brawl, Tawan is now facing online threats. One social media user wrote that Tawan should be thrown off a skywalk and things will be over. The truth is, things will unlikely be over even if Tawan is gone or silenced as many young Thais have become fixated by the issue of monarchy reform.
Perhaps it is more like the beginning of a new chapter of conflicts where the parliament is no longer a viable venue for such debate and discussion and the specter of more violent clashes on the streets is real.
Team Qatar poses with the winning trophy at the end of the Asian Cup final soccer match between Qatar and Jordan at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Akram Afif scored a hat trick of penalties to secure back-to-back Asian Cup titles for Qatar in a 3-1 win against Jordan on Saturday.
The forward struck in the first half of the final and then twice after the break at Lusail Stadium to finish as the tournament’s leading scorer with eight goals.
Yazan Al Naimat had leveled the game in the second half, but Qatar was awarded two penalties on video review and Afif showed no nerves to convert on both occasions.
Most Valuable Player Qatar’s Akram Afif, left, and Best Goalkeeper Qatar’s Meshaal Barsham stand with their awards after their team won the Asian Cup final soccer match between Qatar and Jordan at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe had lit up this spectacular stadium at the World Cup, and now it was Afif’s turn, with his goals in front of more than 86,000 fans crowning his outstanding tournament.
Qatar became the first back-to-back winner since Japan in 2000 and 2004. It is the fifth nation to successfully defend the title, though Iran won it three times in a row from 1968 to 1976.
But despite being defending champion, this represented an unexpected triumph for a nation that endured a miserable World Cup on home soil in 2022 when exiting the tournament after three straight defeats in the group stage.
Spanish coach Márquez López had only been hired in December and Qatar was beaten 2-1 by Jordan in a friendly in January.
Qatar’s Akram Afif, centre right, celebrates after scoring his side’s opening goal from a penalty during the Asian Cup final soccer match between Qatar and Jordan at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Preparations were hardly ideal, but it didn’t take long for Qatar to show its credentials as potential champions again after reeling off a 100% winning record in the group stages, with standout performances from Afif.
Afif won and converted a penalty in the 22nd minute Saturday, but Jordan — playing in its first Asian Cup final — was back on level terms when Al Naimat rifled home from inside the box in the 67th.
At that point, Jordan had been on top.
Qatar’s Meshaal Barsham fails to stop a goal by Jordan’s Yazan Alnaimat during the Asian Cup final soccer match between Qatar and Jordan at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
It was behind again, however, when Ismaeel Mohammad was brought down by Mahmoud Al Mardi.
It took a video review before referee Ma Ning pointed to the spot — but when he did, again Afif delivered by firing into the left hand corner.
In the fifth minute of stoppage time Afif completed his hat trick after he was fouled by Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila.
Again it took a video review to award the spot kick. Again Afif converted.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, right, stands holding the hand of FIFA President Gianni Infantino the Asian Cup final soccer match between Qatar and Jordan at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)Qatar’s Akram Afif celebrates after scoring his side’s opening goal during the Asian Cup final soccer match between Qatar and Jordan at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)Qatar’s players throw Akram Afif in the air as they celebrate Afif’s three goals and their victory over Jordan in the Asian Cup final soccer match at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
