Former Japanese princess Mako, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, and her husband Kei Komuro front the press at a Tokyo hotel on Oct. 26, 2021, following their marriage earlier in the day. She became Mako Komuro under a family registry with Komuro. (Kyodo)
NEW YORK (Kyodo) – Kei Komuro, the husband of Japanese former princess Mako Komuro, has been registered as a lawyer in the U.S. state of New York, a local judicial website showed.
Komuro’s registration, dated Monday according to the New York State Unified Court System, came after he passed the state’s bar examination on his third attempt last July.
His title in a legal firm in New York he has been working for has been changed from law clerk to associate.
Komuro, 31, graduated from New York City’s Fordham University School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree in May 2021. He and Emperor Naruhito’s 31-year-old niece have been living in the city since late 2021.
They tied the knot in October that year amid public unease over the marriage due to a financial dispute involving Komuro’s mother and her former fiance.
The 1947 Imperial House Law, which limits heirs to the imperial throne to males with an emperor in the paternal line, requires female royals to give up their status when they marry commoners.
Matichon Public Company Limited’s operation reported to the Stock Exchange of Thailand ending December 31, 2022 generated (excluding additional revenue) 710.40 million baht (20.5 million U.S. dollars) in revenue. It was an increase of 17.02 million baht, or a 2.45 percent increase, from the same period in 2021 which registered a total revenue (excluding other income sources) of 693.38 million baht.
Parnbua Boonparn, Managing Director, noted that the increased consolidated revenue is the result of the company initiating new businesses and well rounded which led to new dynamics in media business. This operation offers quality content packaged in platforms and activities while forging a wide network for alliances.
The transformation toward online media led to an increasing online-based advertisement which currently amounts to 72.6 percent of total advertising revenue.
Parnbua Boonparn, Managing Director of the Matichon PCL
“We are a leader in the industry with Khaosod Facebook platform, is the most followed mass media Facebook page in the country, including the level of interaction from followers as well as the total number of view achieved by its video clips in also the highest among mass media companies in the country.” Boonparn said.
As for Khaosod and Matichon news websites, they’re also popular and ranked at Number 2 and 4 respectively, according to True Hits ranking.
Furthermore, the YouTube channels of Matichon and Khaosod TVs saw new and diverse programmes being introduced. Short video clips such as those from the TikTok app are also being produced and are becoming increasingly popular among the new generation.
Khaosod’s TikTok has been ranked as Number 1 among mass media producers in the Asia Pacific region. All these constitute the potentials and abilities of the “company” to generate income.
As for the print media business, the income from selling pocketbooks and subscriptions have increased 43.93 percent. This led to the “company” to raise the prices of its magazines and increase the quality of content.
The “company” not only succeeded in maintaining its readership base but in fact continually expanded the number of subscribers. It participates in book fairs that have made a comeback and become popular again both at regional and national levels.
The “company” also organized “Matichon Awards 2022” to inject excitement and buzz among those in the circle of writers and poets. It fosters new readers among the younger generation.
The income generated from printing books and texts to order from its printing house increased by 32.72 percent. This stems from its marketing and the demand for quality printed materials on special occasions.
The “company” has also seriously embarked on a marketing offensive that has been emulated by other media firms. For 2022, the revenue from seminar and other related activities rose by 47.65 percent – a result of expansion in diverse events organized reaching new target groups.
What’s more, the “company” also expanded its collaboration to various alliances in the field of tourism, arts, culture, communities, both within Thailand and abroad. Retail alliance are also being forged with convenient stores to sell our books at 200 purchasing spots nationwide.
As for our financial strength as of 31 December, 2022, the company is in possession of cash and items equivalent to cash as well as current assets totaling 1.32 billion baht. This sum is equal to 69.04 percent of the total assets of the “company” and an increase of 2.32 percent compared to 2021.
As a result of diverse and well-rounded new business strategy initiatives which met the target led to the growth of revenue and the strengthening of the “company” financial strength. This was coupled by an effective control of expenditure. It led the “company” to register 69.75 million baht (2 million U.S. dollars) of net profit in 2022.
Paralyzed polar bear Dikson crawls on snow in Moscow Zoo in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Meng Jing)
MOSCOW, March 1, 2023 (Xinhua) – To meet Dikson, a three-year-old male polar bear, it is better to go as soon as Moscow Zoo opens at nine o’clock. February mornings in Moscow are still freezing, but lively Dikson seems to enjoy playing in the snow, a scene totally different from that six months ago.
Dikson is named after an island in Krasnoyarsk Krai of Russia, where it was found in September last year.
At that time, the paralyzed bear dehydrated severely and all it could move was its head and front paws, as it was reportedly shot by a villager for self-protection.
RECOVERING IN ZOOA
few days after it was found, the young bear was sent to Moscow Zoo for a better cure. Also in here, Dikson had a damaged tooth removed. After more than five months into his rehabilitation, the bear is now recovering well, having grown from merely 60 kg to 160 kg.
Ivan Pazhetnov, head of the department of carnivores at Moscow Zoo, said the bear did not show any aggression upon its arrival. Some days later, it could recognize its caretakers’ voices.
The zoo arranged internal enclosures for Dikson, with glass walls covered from outside and a few small observation windows left. Within its living quarters, there is a swimming pool, where it can be trained to move and catch fish.
When Dikson’s caretakers released fish into the water, the tender creature suddenly showed interest and began to approach the pool.
After pointing its nose close to the water surface for a while, the bear turned around and lunged into the icy pool backward, where it looked rather accustomed. After a short while, it made its way back ashore. For every step forward, Dikson had to lean forward, and bow its head with full strength to counter the weight of its lower body, half a step at a time.
Dikson will stay in Moscow Zoo for a while as it still needs continuous medical care, the zoo said.
Paralyzed polar bear Dikson is seen in Moscow Zoo in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Meng Jing)
VULNERABLE POLAR BEAR
Polar Bear is a Red Book animal in Russia, and scientists believe the bears are now in decline in some areas due to various reasons. The work Moscow Zoo has been conducting is pioneering, as it is the first time in Russia that a polar bear in such a grave condition was transported to a zoo and rescued.Dikson’s caretakers recently have accustomed it to a vibratory massager, aimed at stimulating muscle contraction through an electrical impulse to prevent lactic acid stagnation.
Veterinarians have observed positive dynamics in the bear’s condition, as Dikson occasionally puts his hind left paw from “lying” to “sitting” position, moves its ankle more often and responds to touch.
“The goals and objectives of rehabilitation are to achieve some kind of partial regression of the cut, so that we have a bear that eventually stands on its hind legs,” said Pazhetnov.
On International Polar Bear Day, which fell on Monday, Svetlana Akulova, head of Moscow Zoo, called on everyone to raise awareness of protecting polar bears, saying the animals are powerful, but also vulnerable.
Global warming and man-made climate change have been making life tough for these impressive predators, with around 22,000 polar bears left in the wild, the World Wide Fund for Nature said on its website.Dikson is fortunate to be cured, while its brothers and sisters are still facing a serious challenge.
AEG Presents Asia and Live Nation Tero Entertainment announced Wednesday afternoon the delayed JUSTIN BIEBER JUSTICE WORLD TOUR BANGKOK, as well as concerts in the United States, Ireland, France, Poland, Australia, Denmark, and the Czech Republic, has been cancelled.
“Customers who have purchased tickets can receive refunds through ThaiTicketMajor’s 11 main outlets. Please contact ThaiTicketMajor call centre on 0 2262 3838 or email [email protected] if you have any questions.
Refunds will be available from March 6, 2023 until April 30, 2023,” the firms said on its FB page.
“AEG Presents Asia and Live Nation Tero Entertainment deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused…”
According to CNN, the artist and his representatives haven’t commented on the cancellations or given a reason.
Fans in London, where Bieber was originally scheduled to perform in February, received an email from events company AXS on Tuesday stating: “We regret to inform you that the Justin Bieber shows planned to take place at The O2 arena have been cancelled.”
Bieber first announced that he would be taking a break from performing in June, one month after his tour began, due to having Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, which left his face partially paralyzed.
However, after going to Europe and performing six live shows, “it took a real toll” on him, the singer announced in a statement posted on Twitter in September.
He added that he needs to make his health “the priority” right now: “I’m going to be ok, but I need time to rest and get better.”
The appointment of real estate tycoon Srettha Thavisin as chief economic advisor for the main opposition Pheu Thai Party on Wednesday elicited many reactions from political figures.
Sretta is widely expected to be another PM candidate for the party, along with Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin. The law allows for three PM candidates from each party.
Srettha Thavisin arrives at Pheu Thai Party
Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha was moody again on Wednesday when reporters ask him about Srettha as chief economic advisor. Sretta is also a potential PM candidate.
“Mark my words. The term “country’s economy” does not refer to the economy or business of a family. Don’t you understand? It belongs to the entire nation… don’t bother asking me!.” Gen. Prayut said
Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha
Deputy PM Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, who’s also leader of the ruling Phalang Pracharath Party, said: “It’s doesn’t matter who’s [being appointed]. We have our own people.”
Bhumjai Thai Party leader Anutin Charnveerakul meanwhile congratulates the party as said Srettha is an able, experienced, knowledgeable person as well as a successful businessman. Anutin added he known Srettha for over a decade and the political competition will make people more confident in elections and democracy.
Gen. Prawit WongsuwanAnutin Charnveerakul
Srettha meanwhile said he has been a member of the Pheu Thai Party for a while and had offered advice senior party executives thus the appointment is an auspicious occasion. He added It’s time to return the power to the people.
Srettha said the party’s PM candidate Paetongtarn is now seven month pregnant so he’ll be assisting the party in campaigning the way he’s good at. Asked if this is the first step to become a PM candidate, Srettha said let’s not jump to conclusions yet.
FILE – Srettha Thavisin and Paetongtarn Shinawatra
Paetongtarn meanwhile declined to react to Prayut’s verbal attack on Srettha today but pointed out that Prayut is a senior political figure while she’s more junior so she won’t be commenting on the matter.
Chartthaipattana Party on Wednesday asks voters to choose them so they can make measuring and selling of carbon credits a reality in Thailand.
Party leader Varawut Silpa-archa said at a press conference on March 1, 2023 that there’s a need to push for the tokenization of carbon credit and this is not an alternative but a necessity for both Thailand’s future economic growth and the environment.
“We have to realized it no more than five years from now,” said Varawut, who’s also the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment.
photo by Khaosod
The party leader said an investment for installing flux towers nationwide is needed at will costs around seven to 10 billion baht in order to have around 850 to 1,000 flux towers to track the level of CO2 exchange between forests, farms and the atmosphere. When that’s achieved, farmers nationwide can earn carbon credit, trade it and monetized into income through tokenization process.
Currently Thailand has not a single flux tower but Varawut vows to turn Thailand into a center for carbon credit in Asia Pacific region if elected back anew. The party currently has 12 MPs but eyes for 25 in the upcoming general election so they could meet a quorum to nominate Varawut as a PM candidate.
“When farmers benefit from such scheme, they can earn money from not burning leftover of harvest crops and protect” the environment Varawut said.
photo by Khaosod
He added that city dwellers will also enjoy cleaner air and less PM2.5 microdust particles and cleaner water. “We move Thailand together. We don’t leave anyone behind.”
Kanok Wongtrangan, secretary of the party’s policy and strategy committee, said the policy is important for Thailand.
“It’s an important issue and if we don’t push for it now, it will cause damage but we will benefit if we act,” Varawut said, referring CO2-emission related trade barriers that’s expanding.
photo by Khaosod
Santi Kiranand, member of policy and strategy committee of the party, added if and when the carbon credit system is fully functioning, people like himself who planted 27 trees at his garden could also tokenize carbon credit and earn extra cash through selling the tokens online.
Varawut, whose party called the policy WOW (Wealth, Opportunity and Welfare for all) said a rice farmer could earn 500 baht per year per one plot of rice field if they do not burn organic leftover from the field but organically seek to improve the soil condition after the harvest. “That’s 30 billion baht for farmers nationwide [per annum],” he said.
Firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)
TEMPE, Greece (AP) — A passenger train carrying hundreds of people, including many university students returning home from holiday, collided at high speed with an oncoming freight train in a fiery wreck in northern Greece, killing at least 36 people and injuring some 85, officials said Wednesday.
Multiple cars derailed and at least three burst into flames after the collision just before midnight Tuesday near the town of Tempe as the passenger train was emerging from a highway underpass.
Smoke rises from trains as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision near Larissa city, Greece, early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)
Rescue crews illuminated the scene with floodlights before dawn on Wednesday as they searched frantically through the twisted, smoking wreckage for survivors.
After sunrise, they turned to heavy machinery that had been brought in to start moving large pieces of the trains. What appeared to be the passenger train’s third carriage lay atop the crumpled remains of the first two, where emergency crews were directing their focus.
Officials said many of the passengers on board the Athens to Thessaloniki train had been university students returning home after celebrating Carnival over the long weekend.
“This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend,” said Deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga. “I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.”
A crane, firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. A train carrying hundreds of passengers has collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing and injuring dozens passengers. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was to visit the scene later in the day.
Survivors said several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. They said others fought to free themselves after the passenger train buckled, slamming into a field near a gorge, about 380 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens.
“There were many big pieces of steel,” said Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene. “The trains were completely destroyed, both passenger and freight trains.”
Firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. A train carrying hundreds of passengers has collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing and injuring dozens passengers. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)
He said dazed and disoriented people were escaping out of the train’s rear cars as he arrived.
“People, naturally, were scared — very scared,” he said. “They were looking around, searching; they didn’t know where they were.”
Eight rail employees were among those killed in the crash, including the two drivers of the freight train and the two drivers of the passenger train, according to Greek Railroad Workers Union President Yannis Nitsas.
The trains crashed just before the Vale of Tempe, a gorge that separates the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. Costas Agorastos, the regional governor of the Thessaly area, told Greece’s Skai Television the two trains collided head on at high speed.
“Carriage one and two no longer exist, and the third has derailed,” he said.
Firefighters operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece early Wednesday, March 1, 2023. A train carrying hundreds of passengers has collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing and injuring dozens passengers. (George Kidonas/InTime News via AP)
Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the cars to search for trapped people. Others scoured the field with flashlights and checked underneath the wreckage. Several of the dead are believed to have been found in the restaurant car near the front of the passenger train.
Greece’s firefighting service said some 66 people were hospitalized, including six in intensive care.
“The evacuation process is ongoing and is being carried out under very difficult conditions due to the severity of the collision between the two trains,” said fire service spokesperson Vassilis Varthakoyiannis.
The possible cause of the collision was not immediately clear. Two rail officials were being questioned by police but had not been detained.
Passengers who received minor injuries or were unharmed were transported by bus to Thessaloniki, 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the north. Police took their names as they arrived, in an effort to track anyone who may be missing.
A teenage survivor who did not give his name to reporters said that just before the crash he felt a strong braking and saw sparks — then there was a sudden stop.
“Our carriage didn’t derail, but the ones in front did and were smashed,” he said, visibly shaken.
He added that the first car caught fire and that he used a bag to break the window of his car, the fourth, and escape.
Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train to Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, had about 350 passengers on board.
Agorastos described the collision on state television as “very powerful” and said it was “a terrible night.”
“The front section of the train was smashed. … We’re getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. There’s debris flung all around the crash site.”
Officials said the army had been contacted to assist.
Hellenic Train, which has added high-speed services in recent years, is operated by Italy’s FS Group, which runs rail services in several European countries.
___
Patrick Quinn and David Rising contributed to this story from Bangkok. Gatopoulos reported from Athens.
The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (Pattaya) and the Thai Tourist Police were in discussion to prepare for the incoming Chinese tourists, both as a family and as a tour group.
They noted that the majority of tourists have Pattaya as their main destination.
Thitiphan Petchtrakul, the Deputy Mayor of Pattaya, Pol. Maj. Gen. Apichart Siriboonya, deputy commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau, Lt. Col. Pitchaya Kiewplung, inspector of the Tourist Police Division, and representatives of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (Pattaya) jointly welcomed officials from the Consulate General of the P.R.C. in Thailand after China allow people to travel in a group and to travel to Thailand as a special case.
According to the survey, people are looking forward to travelling to Pattaya. In addition, from March 1, 2023, the Chinese authority will exempt people from testing COVID-19 using the RT-PCR method, which is costly and takes a lot of time. The authority will allow Chinese people to use the ATK method to enter Thailand. All authorities will now discuss how to prepare to welcome tourists.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Apichart said the Tourism Bureau is pleased that many Chinese tourists want to travel to Thailand, especially Pattaya. The bureau is willing to allow tourists to enter the city without using the RT-PCT method and will cooperate with the ATK method for leaving or entering Thailand from March 1.
He said this would reduce the cost and burden. He hopes more tourists will come to the city as Pattaya is a beautiful place and offers many water activities.
All local authorities in Pattaya attach great importance to tourists and set up a special unit to take care of them. They are opening a hotline 1155 for tourist police and will work with Pattaya City to take care of water transport and general activities. They will work closely with the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China to provide news and take care of the tourists as hosts.
FILE - The moon rises beyond a sign in the outfield during the fifth inning of a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. With more lunar missions than ever on the horizon, the European Space Agency wants to give the moon its own time zone. In February 2023, the agency said space organizations around the world are considering how best to keep time on the moon. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — With more lunar missions than ever on the horizon, the European Space Agency wants to give the moon its own time zone.
This week, the agency said space organizations around the world are considering how best to keep time on the moon. The idea came up during a meeting in the Netherlands late last year, with participants agreeing on the urgent need to establish “a common lunar reference time,” said the space agency’s Pietro Giordano, a navigation system engineer.
“A joint international effort is now being launched towards achieving this,” Giordano said in a statement.
For now, a moon mission runs on the time of the country that is operating the spacecraft. European space officials said an internationally accepted lunar time zone would make it easier for everyone, especially as more countries and even private companies aim for the moon and NASA gets set to send astronauts there.
NASA had to grapple with the time question while designing and building the International Space Station, fast approaching the 25th anniversary of the launch of its first piece.
Tourists watch the full moon at the Mingsha Mountain scenic area in Dunhuang, northwest China’s Gansu Province, Sept. 10, 2022. The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Sept. 10 this year. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoliang/Xinhua)
While the space station doesn’t have its own time zone, it runs on Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, which is meticulously based on atomic clocks. That helps to split the time difference between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, and the other partnering space programs in Russia, Japan and Europe.
The international team looking into lunar time is debating whether a single organization should set and maintain time on the moon, according to the European Space Agency.
There are also technical issues to consider. Clocks run faster on the moon than on Earth, gaining about 56 microseconds each day, the space agency said. Further complicating matters, ticking occurs differently on the lunar surface than in lunar orbit.
Perhaps most importantly, lunar time will have to be practical for astronauts there, noted the space agency’s Bernhard Hufenbach. NASA is shooting for its first flight to the moon with astronauts in more than a half-century in 2024, with a lunar landing as early as 2025.
“This will be quite a challenge” with each day lasting as long as 29.5 Earth days, Hufenbach said in a statement. “But having established a working time system for the moon, we can go on to do the same for other planetary destinations.”
Mars Standard Time, anyone?
___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Facebook has been at the forefront of the social media race since the very beginning. This makes it extremely important for any business if they want to get ahead in their industry. That’s why you need the best Facebook ads agency to help get you ahead of the competition when setting up a new company or launching a new product. And with Facebook having over 2.8 billion monthly active users, it’s hard to ignore a potential market that vast.
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Look for a Specialised Agency
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Check for Experience
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