ICONSIAM marks another milestone of success with an addition of Thonburi’s new landmark – the launch of ICS and Lotus’s Privé, to kick start 2023

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12 January 2023, 16:25

ICS Mixed-Use Lifestyle Town is partnering with its esteemed alliance, Lotus, in bringing Thailand the first-ever premium hypermarket, the new Lotus’s Privé. Commencing at the onset of 2023, the new landmark project on Thonburi is set to connect global experience with an array of top-tier shops and brands that caters to different lifestyle and needs. ICS opens in 11 January 2023.

The ICS Mixed-Use Lifestyle Town is a 29-storey tower on Charoen Nakhon Road, opposite ICONSIAM, on a 5-rai plot, connected conveniently to the BTS Golden Line’s Charoen Nakhon station. The 4,000-million-baht investment is a mixed-use lifestyle town with a total of 70,000 square meters of utility space, offering extensive range of retail and office space, as well as a hotel.

Opening its doors on 11 January this year, the ICS Mixed-Use Lifestyle Town aims to caters to different lifestyle and multi-dimensional needs that aligns with the expanding growth in Thonburi’s cityscape. The first phase now opens and features the brand-new premium hypermarket Lotus’s Privé to welcome 2023 in which increasing purchasing power and more invigorating spending are expected. The Lifestyle Town also serves as a beacon for Thailand’s recovery in economy and tourism.

Mr. Supoj Chaiwatsirikul, Managing Director of ICS Company Limited, said: “As of today, January 11, The ICS unveils the initial phase – an excellent location connected to ICONSIAM and a very convenient accessibility by BTS Golden Line to Charoen Nakhon Station and buses, rails, and boats, ensuring quick and easy access to the premise.” This area boasts remarkable potential for retail growth due to the immense purchasing power of its 2 million local inhabitants and a further 3-5 million people within a 5-kilometer radius. The projected relocation of the government center to the Khlong San area promises to bring even more vibrancy and dynamism, with no less than 50 high-rise residential projects as well as more than 25,000 units plus an additional 600-bed patient building for Taksin Hospital already underway.”

“The ICS was created to suit the requirements of a multitude of consumer groups, who have their own individual lifestyles. It is designed to draw in office workers, entrepreneurs, the public, and travelers alike as well as new customers. Furthermore, ICS is an integral ‘jigsaw’ piece in fulfilling ICONSIAM’s dream of establishing a vibrant new urban district on the Thonburi area. Consumers now have the access to multiple choices of top-notch products and services that address their day-to-day requirements,” said Mr. Supoj.

“The ICONSIAM’s key strategy is to establish a city by building on the success of ICONSIAM, which has become a popular attraction for tourists from across the world and has successfully attracted both international and Thai visitors on the Bangkok and Thonburi sides. ICS will complete the city with a mixed-use lifestyle town model that includes retail, hotel, and office space.” ICS will also enhance the frequency of visit among clients in both the Khlong San and Thonburi districts by providing products and services that fulfill their daily living requirements. Customers can thus utilize the service on a daily basis. In addition, another critical marketing approach is to form ‘alliances.’ In the retail industry, we have very strong partnerships. As a consequence, ICS has fantastic stores and well-known brands that cater to consumers’ multi-dimensional demands. For our alliances, they are confident that together we will bring shared value, success and growth through collaboration,” said Mr. Supoj.

Miss Caroline Murphy, President, Sales and Business Relations, Siam Piwat Company Limited, said, “Under the concept of Always A Good Day, ICS is set to provide experiences and happiness to clients every day. It is collaborating with over 200 major brands, including lifestyle items for home and living, IT products, financial services, fashion brands, leading cosmetics and aesthetics service businesses, stores that offer a variety of services that support everyday living and over 80 well-known restaurants and top international eateries. Rental office space is also available and now a home to IT solutions and technology firms which will encourage a large number of customers on weekdays.”

“Many partnering merchants will unveil their fresh new retail concepts that will make their debut at the ICS. One of the significant retail magnets is the partnership with Lotus’s, Thailand’s biggest retail firm, to develop the first Lotus’s Privé. The first branch of which debuted at the ICS on an area of around 2,900 square meters on the B1 floor to meet current, upmarket living requirements.”

“Furthermore, another key highlight of ICS is a range of food and beverages from prominent businesses and many recognized brands, making ICS an excellent ‘Food Destination’ that satisfies various lifestyles and offer exceptional experiences to visitors. The food zone, Daily Tasty, now opens as part of in the first phase on the G floor, with famous restaurants such as Mos Burger, a famous hamburger restaurant from Japan. Others include Get Fresh, a leading healthy food outlet; Omu Japanese Omurice & Cafe, a real Japanese style omelet in the midst of a stylish atmosphere; White Story, which serves bread, bakery, snacks, Thai desserts, Thai food, and international food; Neswell, a healthy dessert shop with a wide range of items; Cha Tra Mue, tea and coffee beverages with a wide range of recipes. Features also are O-li-no Crepe & Tea, which serves soft and delicious crepes, a stylish minimalist café Double Slash Coffee Space, Duca’tim, a low-fat ice cream business that caters to the health-conscious younger generation; Fuku Matcha a prominent Japanese milk tea establishment, MeeKhwamSook, a new type bottle bubble tea business with a particular character; Bake A Wish, a Japanese-style bakery with great attention to every detail; and Pang Siam, which provides delectable bread, cakes, and drinks from a range of recipes, are part of the food territory at ICS,” said Ms. Murphy.

“Many alliances join the first phase opening are BEAUTRIUM, Boots, Oriental Princes and Cute Press as well as beauty clinics such as Doctor Delight, Gangnam Clinic, The Ritz Clinic, and 24 Hours Minerals. Among the many collaborating merchants launch for business in the first phase also include Double Goose, HASGUARD, ICONACTIVE, Pierre Cardin, U.S. Polo Assn. and Cashmere Artisan. Skechers, Garmin and Time Deco, are among the clothing and accessory brands available. P Prom, 12 Victory, Synthetic Diamond, Exodia Era, Sevendays Optic and Top Charoen are some of the jewelry and eyewear brands here, in addition to aromatic brands like Immortal and Yugen (fragrance). A dance school, The Inner Studio, also join the initial phase of the ICS launch.”

She continued, “The ICS is also working with Siriraj Hospital to open Siriraj H Solutions, the first comprehensive healthcare facility outside of the hospital ground. It is the first of its kind in a shopping mall, with the notion of a conveniently accessible smart medical center that emphasizes preventive healthcare and provides personalized medical services. The medical center takes up the entire ICS’s fifth floor. Furthermore, the world-class hotel, Hilton Garden Inn Bangkok ICS Charoennakorn, is part of the site. Opening the first branch in Bangkok, it offers 241 rooms that will suit the demands of visitors and business travelers from all over the world. The hotel will be completely operating in the second phase of ICS which will be completed by 2023.”

Mr.Sompong Rungnirattisai, CEO of Lotus Thailand, said, “Lotus’s is dedicated to making our clients happy every day by providing high-quality products at reasonable prices, whether through branch services or online platforms. We have made significant investments in developing various shopping experiences and products to meet the needs of customers in each location and segment. We anticipate prospects from existing clients’ lifestyles, which require more premium quality products. It is the source of the idea development under the new brand, Lotus’s Privé, a premium hypermarket offered for the first time in the ICS project.”

“The ICS is surrounded by luxury residential properties along the Chao Phraya River, renowned hotels, and important commercial districts, in addition to linking with ICONSIAM, a world-class destination for both Thais and foreign visitors. Lotus, emerging with the concept of smart premium supermarket selling high-quality items, will meet the expectations of clients in this zone. Consumer items supplied here are selected from the most reliable and highly recognized sources across the world and in Thailand to satisfy the demands of clients, who are seeking more premium products and experiences that can be accessed daily. Lotus’ Privé at the ICS is a pilot branch that will serve as a model for the future development of other units based on the suitability of the location and the specific demands of clients in each area,” said Mr. Sompong.

Experience a wide range of products and services that caters to different lifestyle, including lifestyle products for home and living, IT products, financial services, fashion brands, leading beauty and cosmetic service companies, stores that provide a variety of services for everyday needs, as well as many well-known restaurants. Starting 11 January 2023, shoppers can now experience “Always a Good Day” at the ICS mixed-use lifestyle city. For more information, call 1338.

Use a Laundry Service in Chidlom While You Shop

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Contributor

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12 January 2023, 14:06

Use a Laundry Service in Chidlom

Reap all the benefits a laundry service in Chidlom can provide for your lifestyle and career while you spend the day shopping and dining with your friends and family.

Discovering Shortcuts to Make Your Life Easier

When you’re trying to balance the needs of your career with maintaining an active social and home life, you start looking for shortcuts and ways to maximise your leisure time while still attending to all the everyday chores of modern life.

Making sure that your business clothes are always clean and presentable is vital to your ability to advance in your career. However, doing your laundry may take up to several hours of a precious weekend. Dropping off dry cleaning, sorting, and washing your clothes, not to mention the folding and ironing chores that accompany it, can eat up precious leisure time you would much rather spend with friends and family.

But what if you could combine your laundry needs with the fun of shopping and dining with your friends and family?

Combine Leisure Time with Chores

Bangkok is a city known for the scope and variety of its shopping malls. The malls offer entertainment, shopping, dining, and convenience under one air-conditioned roof. They also provide the perfect opportunity to maximise the amount of leisure time you have by taking full advantage of the services they offer.

The Mercuryville Chidlom is a perfect example of the value that these malls offer by carefully curating the businesses and services offered within them. The Mercuryville Chidlom is located in the busy and vibrant Chidlom area of the city along Sukhumvit Road. Businesses, office buildings, and condominiums surround it. The condos are filled with career-minded people looking to reduce the amount of time they spend on chores to the bare minimum.

The area residents visiting the Mercuryville Chidlom know that their time will be well-spent at this mall. While they can have fun sampling the many restaurants at the facility, they can also take care of many chores. They can see to their banking needs, have their eyes checked and order prescription lenses, enrol in several educational test preparation courses, and handle all their dry cleaning and laundry needs at Kikuya Dry Cleaning and Laundry services.

Perfect Meeting Spot for Friends and Family

With the central Bangkok location of The Mercuryville Chidlom on Sukhumvit Road right by the BTS Chidlom Station, the mall is the perfect rendezvous point for friends and family to gather. It offers a day of shopping and eating and even a rooftop bar to celebrate the sunset and a successful day of leisure. Called the Rooftop@chidlom, it may just become the “finish line” for your day of shopping and leisure activities.

Combining your household chores with services offered by The Mercuryville Chidlom can reduce or even eliminate tedious tasks from your busy schedule. You can spend more time with your friends and family enjoying a meal and a day of exploring all the shopping opportunities this convenient mall offers.

Battle Rages in Ukraine Town; Russia Shakes up Its Military

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Associated Press

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12 January 2023, 12:30

Ukrainian soldiers watch as smoke billows during fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in Soledar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. Photo: Libkos / AP

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The fate of a devastated salt-mining town in eastern Ukraine hung in the balance Wednesday in one of the bloodiest battles of Russia’s invasion, while Ukraine’s unflagging resistance and other challenges prompted Moscow to shake up its military leadership again.

Russian forces used jets, mortars and rockets to bombard Soledar in an unrelenting assault.

Soledar’s fall, while unlikely a turning point in the nearly 11-month war, would be a prize for a Kremlin starved of good battlefield news in recent months. It would also offer Russian troops a springboard to conquer other areas of Donetsk province that remain under Ukrainian control, such as the nearby strategic city of Bakhmut.

Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk province, which together make up the Donbas region bordering Russia, were Moscow’s main stated territorial targets in invading Ukraine, but the fighting has settled mostly into a stalemate.

In an apparent recognition of battlefield setbacks, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the demotion of the head of Russian forces in Ukraine after only three months on the job. Russia’s top military officer — the chief of the military’s General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov — was named as the replacement for Gen. Sergei Surovikin, who was demoted to deputy.

During his short time overseeing the troops in Ukraine, Surovikin was credited with strengthening coordination, reinforcing control and introducing a campaign to knock out Ukraine’s public utilities as a pressure tactic. But he also announced a humiliating withdrawal in November from Kherson, the only regional center Russian forces had captured just weeks after the Kremlin illegally annexed the area. His demotion signaled that Russian President Vladimir Putin wasn’t fully satisfied with his performance.

Gerasimov, meanwhile, was seen as the top architect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and critics have blamed him for Moscow’s military setbacks.

Britain’s Defense Ministry said putting Gerasimov in charge is “an indicator of the increasing seriousness of the situation Russia is facing, and a clear acknowledgement that the campaign is falling short of Russia’s strategic goals.” It added in a tweet that Russian ultra-nationalists and military bloggers critical of Gerasimov are likely to greet the news with “extreme displeasure.”

The Russian Defense Ministry’s formal explanation was that expanded military tasks and the need for “closer interaction between branches of the military as well as increasing the quality of supplies and the efficiency of directing groups of forces” prompted the leadership changes.

On the battlefield, a Ukrainian officer, near Soledar, told The Associated Press the pattern is that first the Russians send one or two waves of soldiers, many from the private Russian military contractor Wagner Group, who take heavy casualties as they probe the Ukrainian defenses. When Ukrainian troops suffer casualties and are exhausted, the Russians send a fresh wave of highly-trained soldiers, paratroopers or special forces, said the Ukrainian officer, who insisted on anonymity for security reasons.

Ukrainian officials denied Russian claims that Soledar had fallen but the Wagner Group’s owner repeated the assertion of a breakthrough late Wednesday.

“Once again I want to confirm the complete liberation and cleansing of the territory of Soledar from units of the Ukrainian army,” Yevgeny Prigozhin wrote on his Russian social media platform. “Civilians were withdrawn. Ukrainian units that did not want to surrender were destroyed.” He claimed about 500 people were killed and that “the whole city is littered with the corpses of Ukrainian soldiers.”

Ukraine’s military said late Wednesday Russian forces had suffered “huge losses” in the Soledar fighting.

The AP was unable independently to verify either side’s claims.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stopped short of declaring the municipality’s capture, telling reporters Russian forces had achieved “positive dynamics in advancing” in Soledar. “Let’s not rush, and wait for official statements,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy weighed in Wednesday in his nightly video address: “Now the terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to pretend that some part of our city of Soledar – a city that was almost completely destroyed by the occupiers – is allegedly some kind of Russia’s achievement.” He said Ukrainian forces in the area are holding out against the Russians.

Soledar, known for salt mining and processing, has little intrinsic value but it lies at a strategic point 10 kilometers (six miles) north of the city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces want to surround.

Taking Bakhmut would disrupt Ukraine’s supply lines and open a route for the Russians to press toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, Ukrainian strongholds in Donetsk province.

Soledar’s fall would make “holding Bakhmut much more precarious for Ukraine,” Michael Kofman, the director of Russia Studies at the CAN nonprofit research group in Arlington, Virginia, noted.

The war of attrition, with heavy casualties, may make a Russian victory as deadly as a defeat.

“I don’t think the outcome at Bakhmut is that significant compared to what it costs Russia to achieve it,” Kofman said in a tweet.

The Wagner Group, which now reportedly includes a large contingent of convicts recruited in Russian prisons and constitutes up to a quarter of all Russian combatants in Ukraine, has spearheaded the attack on Soledar and Bakhmut.

Delivering victory in Soledar and Bakhmut after months of Russian frontline difficulties would help Prigozhin, who has criticized Gerasimov, increase his clout in what has emerged as somewhat of a rivalry with Russia’s military leadership.

Russian troops have struggled to gain control over Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and another Ukrainian province the Kremlin illegally annexed in September, after incorporating the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. When Russian forces withdrew from Kherson, the battle heated up around Bakhmut.

Putin identified the Donbas region as a focus from the war’s outset, and Moscow-backed separatists have fought there since 2014. Russia captured almost all of Luhansk during the summer. Donetsk escaped the same fate, and the Russian military subsequently poured manpower and resources around Bakhmut.

The Institute for the Study of War said Russian forces were up against “concerted Ukrainian resistance” around Bakhmut.

“The reality of block-by-block control of terrain in Soledar is obfuscated by the dynamic nature of urban combat … and Russian forces have largely struggled to make significant tactical gains in the Soledar area for months,” the Washington-based think tank said.

An exceptional feature of the fighting near Bakhmut is that some has taken place around entrances to disused salt mine tunnels, which run for some 200 kilometers (120 miles), according to Western intelligence reports.

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Story: Andrew Meldrum. Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland, and Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this story.

Japan, South Korea Protest China Visa Stoppage in COVID Spat

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Associated Press

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12 January 2023, 12:00

FILE - A passenger checks her phone as an Air China passenger jet taxi past at the Beijing Capital International airport in Beijing, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. Photo: Ng Han Guan / AP File

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and South Korea defended their public health restrictions on travelers from China on Wednesday, a day after China stopped issuing new visas in both countries in apparent retaliation.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said he finds it “significantly regrettable” that China stopped issuing short-term visas to South Koreans and called for China to align its pandemic steps with “scientific and objective facts.”

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno criticized China for “one-sidedly” restricting visa issuances to Japanese nationals “because of a reason that is not related to COVID-19 measures.”

China’s Foreign Ministry threatened countermeasures last week against countries that had announced new virus testing requirements for travelers from China following a surge in COVID-19 infections there. It remained unclear whether China would expand the visa suspensions to others that have imposed stricter virus testing on passengers from China.

South Korea has stopped issuing most short-term visas at its consulates in China through the end of January while also requiring all passengers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao to submit proofs of negative tests taken within 48 hours of their arrival in addition to COVID-19 tests at the airport.

According to South Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency, about 17% of the 2,550 short-term travelers from China from Jan. 2 to Tuesday have tested positive.

Japan demanded China scrap the measures, Matsuno said, and will “respond appropriately while closely watching China’s infection situation and how information disclosures are handled by the Chinese side.”

Japan had to take temporary measures to avoid a rapid inflow of infections because of China’s spreading outbreaks and lack of transparency about the situation, he said.

According to health ministry statistics, about 8% of 4,895 passengers of all nationalities tested positive upon arrival from Dec. 30 to Jan. 5, and most of the infected were Chinese or those who had recently been in China.

Some Japanese media recently showed Chinese tourists at pharmacies buying anti-fever medicine. The sudden spread of COVID-19 in China last month led to a run on medications and temporary shortages.

Japanese border measures are purely aimed at preventing infections and have aimed to limit effects on international travel, Matsuno said. “It is extremely regrettable that China has one-sidedly restricted visa issuances,” he said.

The Japanese Embassy in Beijing, in a tweet in Chinese on Wednesday, wrote that Japan is not restricting visa issuances and that “China’s approach is completely lacking in reciprocity.”

More than 10 governments in Europe, North America and Asia have announced new virus testing requirements for travelers from China, the latest being Cyprus on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Thailand sent three ministers to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to welcome the first planeload of Chinese tourists in years, in a bid to revive inbound tourism.

Japan reopened its borders for individual tourists in October. Most travelers can show proof of vaccination instead of testing at the airport, unless they show symptoms, but since Dec. 30 travelers from China must show pre-departure negative tests and take an additional test upon arrival. Those who test positive must quarantine at designated facilities for up to seven days.

China’s worsening COVID-19 situation and lack of information mean that South Korea may need to extend restrictions, senior Disease Control and Prevention Agency official Lim Sook-young said at a briefing. “Just because we haven’t seen the emergence of a new variant doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t see one later,” she said.

Park, the foreign minister, said he doesn’t believe that the friction over COVID-19 measures will seriously hurt bilateral relations, which he described as stable.

“The most important reason for our government’s measure is the lives and safety of our people,” he said. “We will monitor the COVID-19 situation in China before determining how long we will maintain our measures.”

The World Health Organization and several nations have accused China of withholding data on its outbreak.

Liang Wannian, the head of China’s COVID-19 expert panel, said that all strains of COVID-19 found in China have been reported to WHO. “We have not found any new variants that are worthy of attention and concern,” he said at a briefing Wednesday in Beijing.

Withholding visas from South Korean or Japanese businesspeople could delay a recovery in commercial activity and potential new investment.

South Korea’s Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Startups opened telephone lines for small businesses to report any disruption caused by China’s decision to halt short-term visas. While only a few calls had been received as of Wednesday afternoon, officials said the Chinese steps could hurt some companies exporting to China by forcing their employees to cancel visits and business meetings.

“We are closely monitoring how much disruption” the steps may cause, said ministry official Lee Gwon-jae.

The impact on Japan could be limited for now, as Japanese businesspeople are still largely watching developments. A major tour agency said none of its customers was currently seeking a China visa.

TBS television in Tokyo reported that applicants at the Chinese Embassy’s visa center were able to pick up visas due to be issued Wednesday, but that new applicants were turned away.

China is facing a surge in cases and hospitalizations after the country abruptly reversed its “zero-COVID” strategy of trying to contain the virus last month. The country is bracing for a further spread into less developed areas with the start of the Lunar New Year travel rush, set to accelerate in the coming days.

Liang said the peak of the first wave of infection has passed but China remains in a critical period. “It is a serious challenge to the entire medical and health system,” he said.

The worst appears to be over in Beijing, which was hit hard by the initial onslaught of infections, said Wang Guiqiang, head of the infectious disease department at Peking University First Hospital.

“We have borne the brunt in Beijing,” he said. “From the perspective of hospital and clinical treatment, the pressure is still huge.”

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Story: Mari Yamaguchi and Kim Tong-hyung. Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.

Blue Tree Phuket has launched the “I DID IT” series 2023

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Contributor

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11 January 2023, 16:00

To prepare kids for the “Pho3nix Kids Triathlon 2023”, which will be held on Saturday 18 November 2023 at Blue Tree Phuket.

Blue Tree Phuket has launched the “I DID IT” series 2023, a kids training triathlon series consisting of swimming, cycling, and running events with the first race happening on Saturday 28th January and with races happening throughout the year until November.

Blue Tree is passionate about health and sports and getting the younger generation active and giving them a good grounding to pursue their sporting dreams, and this is one of Blue Tree’s core values. With this in mind, the expert coaches and trainers at Blue Tree have developed the “I DID IT” triathlon series.

The “I DID IT” series, offers a fun, safe, and inclusive environment for kids as young as five to race and get those fundamental triathlon skills of swimming, biking, and running. For some of the kids, this will be their first triathlon racing experience, and the expert health and sports coaches at Blue Tree Phuket will help them evolve from total beginners into triathletes.

What’s more, the top ten participants of the “I DID IT” series 2023, with the highest cumulative scores for both male and female categories will be eligible to join the Pho3nix Kids Triathlon 2023 at no cost!

“Blue Tree Phuket is Phuket’s must visit destination, an entertainment hub with all thrill-and-chill activities.” Said Mr. Paolo Randall, Deputy Managing Director of Blue Tree Phuket, “and giving the importance to health and sports for the younger generation and our ongoing sponsorship for the Pho3nix Kids Triathlon, we have created the ‘I DID IT’ series 2023, which is a fantastic opportunity to lay a foundation of physical training for kids and to get them ready before entering the full Pho3nix Kids Triathlon in November.” Mr. Randall went on, “The ‘I DID IT’ series is divided into 5 races. Each time participants will compete in a different discipline, which will help them develop the skills needed for the full “Pho3nix Kids Triathlon 2023”, being held at Blue Tree in November.”

The “I DID IT SERIES 2023” activity is divided into 5 races:
– Sat 28 January 2023: Running Race
– Sat 10 June 2023: Mountain Bike Race
– Sat 19 August 2023: Duathlon (biking and running)
– Sat 16 September 2023: Swimming Race
– Sat 14 October 2023: Aquathlon (swimming and running)

Online application for I DID IT SERIES 2023 is available now at

https://bluetree.reserveyourvenue.com/event/01-28-2023/races-i-did-it-series-2023?fbclid=IwAR10zbUTbuNlzOugStoGRzux0D4Fya_iSh6_UY1wUFAMBCnyhT2ciWtGjjI

For more information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/BlueTreePhuket/posts/pfbid02ALRhBLSRPavGBgmf2LYQnnxjshVjPYDK6RaagjwzTh3Toajn2zfWnBHiKKM9MQJNl

Or call 096-6528090, 092-1352662 and 076-602435.

*Remarks
– All participants in “I DID IT SERIES 2023” will get “Finisher” t-shirt for each race.
– Winners of each race will get trophies.

#BlueTree #BlueTreePhuket
#Entertainmenthub #ThrillandChill #DayandNight
#IDIDITSERIES2023 #Pho3nixKidsTriathlon

ICONSIAM celebrates Children’s Day with “THE ICONIC CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUND 2023,” 11-15 January 2023

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Contributor

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10 January 2023, 16:58

ICONSIAM, the global landmark by the Chao Phraya River, and Playmobil, a world’s popular imaginative and educational toy from Germany celebrates Children’s Day with “THE ICONIC CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUND 2023,” from 11-15 January 2023 at ICONSIAM.

Discover the largest collection of over 50 giant Playmobil figures. Features also are Playmobil figure assembly contest and an opportunity to donate Playmobil figures value over 1.2 million baht to children in needs. Meet the new Playmobil collection ‘Wiltopia,’ the world’s first sustainable toy made from 80-percent recycled materials. Children can also enjoy Feature AR to learn more about Amazon wildlife.

In addition, Experience entertaining activities by the National Science Museum Thailand and have fun at “Kids Sanook Sook Siam”, the wonderland that encourages learning and stimulate imagination at Sook Siam, Plus an outdoor playground “Let’s Play Bouncing” right by the Chao Phraya River.

Playmobil, imagination and educational toys, invite children to join figure assembly contest at Charoennakorn Hall, M Floor, and share toys with underprivileged children

A highlight of the Children’s Day 2023 event is the opportunity for children to meet with the largest number of Playmobil Giant Figures and to participate in the challenging Playmobil figure assembly contest. Playmobil figures is the high-quality toys from Germany that promotes children development, unlimited imagination, logical thinking process, cognitive skills and social skills as well as small muscle and emotional development. Children will have fun learning more about different careers and inspired by more than 50 Giant Figures in different career outfits, such as policeman, firefighter, football player and figures from imagination like knights, princess and leading cartoon characters. Participating children and the general public can also participate in the Playmobil figure assembling contest that allow contestants to freely use their imagination to create new toys under “Your Own Figures” theme. This will be the first and the largest competition of its kind in Thailand with expected 6,400 participants and 12,800 figures with total and largest budget of 3,200,000 baht.

What’s special about this contest is the “sharing” concept. Each “contest” does incorporate “sharing”. The contest rule is that the winner will win two Playmobil figures that they assemble while the rest will have to donate one of the two Playmobil toys they make in the contest to the small children’s development centers in Khlong San and Thonburi districts, schools in the Khlong San district and children living in ICONSIAM neighbourhood. The total value of the toy donation is over 1,200,000 baht.

To participate in the Playmobil figure contest, interested persons are required to show a receipt of their goods or service purchase from participating shops within ICONSIAM, as well as Siam Takashimaya worth at least 200 baht per receipt (not including online payment) to win the right to the contest on the same day. Special for children joining the event, ICONSIAM has prepared Child Safety ID Card as a special gift for them to use in their daily life. To obtain the Child Safety ID Card, one has to present One Siam Super App and a receipt worth at least 200 baht.

In addition, ICONSIAM will unveil a special collection “Wiltopia”, the latest green figures made from post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR), which is as environmentally friendly as bioplastic. Playmobil has a clear goal and commitment towards Net-zero Carbon Emissions by 2027. As part of this vision, Playmobil aims to encourage children to learn more about sustainable environmental conservation through participation in various activities at the event. Children can also discover the amazing life of animals, nature and the environments through AR technology that display life-size 3D picture of such animal together with nice narration.

Having fun with creative science activities from National Science Museum Thailand

Children can also enjoy discovering the magic of science by the National Science Museum Thailand (NSM) at “Sense Science,” where they can learn, have fun and challenge themselves. Other fun filled activities such as making tube rocket, balloon rocket, paper airplane and gliders are available at ICONSIAM at Rassada Hall, 1 Floor.

Stimulate kid’s imagination and learning at The magic town “Kids Sanook Sook Siam,” at Sook Siam, G Floor

Sook Siam opens its door to welcome children on the National Children’s Day to “Kids Sanook Sook Siam” event from 10-15 January 2023, at Lan Muang 2, Sook Siam, G Floor, ICONSIAM. Themed “Small World,” a lot of activities that promote children’s learning and imagination include old-time toys and snacks from Pracharat Community Shops, many fun games and prizes, such as popcorn set,Kid Cinema movie tickets, and M Generation Kids membership cards from ICON Cineconic, and Horse-brand stationary from Nanmee. These games will be held at 12.30 hrs., 13.30 hrs., 15.30 hrs., 16.30 hrs., 17.30 hrs. and 18.30 Hrs. On 14-15 January 2023, four children musical plays by Taem Fun story telling group are featured on 14.00 and 17.00 hrs respectively. On 14 January are “Three Little Pigs” and the “Pinocchio”. On January 15 are “The Giant Turnip” and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Featured also are cartoon parade, magical show, bozo and the balloons, and many workshops, such as piggy bank painting, ocean-themed gel candle making, animal-shape clay making, key chain painting, woven fish making, and mini khon mask painting.

Let’s Play Bouncing! The open-air playground by the Chao Phraya River at River Park, G Floor

Children can enjoy playing in the outdoor inflatable playground at the “Let’s Play Bouncing” where they can fhave fun climbing up, sliding down and jumping freely and safely on the four giant inflatable bouncers. On offer also are bumper cars and paddle boats. Entrance fee is 250 baht for a child and 100 baht for an adult. The playground is open from 11-17 January 2023 and 25 January – 9 February 2023 at River Park, G Floor, ICONSIAM.

“THE ICONIC CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUND 2023” opening is set on 12 January 2023, with presence of Lydia Sarunrat – Mathew Dean and their children Dylan and Demi at 14.00 hrs.

Children are invited to dress up in their dream career outfit and join this fun-filled event and get a chance to receive special souvenirs from Playmobil (available in limited number). Also available at this event are booths from children skill and talent development schools and toy shops where parents can browse for the right course and toys for their little angels.

The National Children’s Day event will be held from 11-15 January 2023, at Charoennakorn Hall on M Floor, Rassada Hall on 1 Floor, Sook Siam and River Park on G Floor of ICONSIAM. For more information, call 1338 or ICONSIAM facebook page.

CP Foods successfully integrates “Blockchain” ensuring exceptional food safety

By

Contributor

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10 January 2023, 09:23

Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods) has successfully leveraged the blockchain technology into its digital food traceability system for fresh pork and chicken products. This year, the company will further leverage the technology to its shrimp business to ensure exceptional quality and hygienic foods for consumers and customers worldwide.

Ms. Oraparn Mungmisri, Assistant Vice President for Global Standard System Centre for CP Foods said that the quality and safety of food products is our top priority as illustrate in the company digitalization of its product traceability system in accordance with the CODEX international food standards as well as ISO system standards.

The technology enables the company to track back the entire value chain of a product, including the raw material source, manufacturing facility, and production processes. Since 2015, CP Foods has initially applied the CPF Digital Traceability system in ts value chain in Thailand.

Additionally, CP Foods partnered with AXONS, Thailand’s leading agri-tech firm, to accelerate the traceability system with Blockchain Traceability technology, which is widely accepted in numerous industries including banking, sourcing and procurement, and supply chain.

In an effort to increase consumer and customer confidence in the accessibility, transparency, and timeliness of all product information, the company has successfully implemented Block Chain technology for fresh chicken and hog meat and will do so for fresh shrimp and cooked foods this year. In the next step, the company intends to establish blockchain-based traceability for all products.

“Blockchain Technology facilitates consumers rapidly access product information by scanning a QR Code on the packaging. In addition to the origin of products, the consumers could also be informed on the certifications for quality and food safety standard and information related to sustainable products including GHG emission. This contributes to the company consistently delivering better product value,” Ms. Oraparn said.

In addition, CP Foods has implemented Blockchain Traceability throughout its whole supply chain, beginning with the procurement of raw ingredients for feed manufacturing and extending to farming, processing, and shipping. This increases customer confidence in the quality and safety of raw resources and goods, none of which must come from deforestation areas in a bid to pave the way for global food security.

Carabao Group joins SET’s 2022 THSI list for the Pursuit of Sustainability

By

Contributor

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10 January 2023, 09:13

October 10, 2022, the Stock Exchange of Thailand has announced the list of sustainable stocks or Thailand Sustainability Investment (THSI) for 2022, with more than 170 companies selected from a total of 8 industry groups, with Carabao Group listed in the Thailand Sustainability Investment (THSI) group for the first year in Agriculture and Food Industry (ARGO).

Selection of the list of sustainable stocks or Thailand Sustainability Investment (THSI) of the Stock Exchange of Thailand held annually by assessing each sustainability criteria of the listed companies according to the economic (including corporate governance), social and environmental dimensions through a prepared questionnaire and selecting companies that pass the criteria to be announced as a sustainable stock or Thailand Sustainability Investment (THSI). This reflects that the companies that have been selected recognize the importance of sustainability in their business operations. This is a mechanism that promotes and supports businesses operating in an environmentally friendly manner creating shared benefits for the community and society as well as shared value in the economy.

Mr. Sathien Sathientham, Chief Executive Officer of Carabao Group Public Company Limited, revealed that “The company is very pleased to be selected into the Stock Exchange of Thailand’s sustainable stock list. Currently, the concept of doing business not only considering the highest return to shareholders, but also showing social and environmental responsibility on the basis of sustainability. This is a guideline that has been accepted more and more continually to create long-term value by considering the needs of stakeholders and society.”

“Being selected as one of the sustainable stocks serves as another important milestone that helps build investors and stakeholders’ trust in investing in our company according to the concept of sustainable investment considering Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) factors as an investment decision-making criterion along with the analysis of the company’s financial information to generate continuous returns for the longer term,” said Mr. Sathien.

A list of all sustainable stocks selected this year was outcome from the companies participating in the sustainability assessment questionnaire consisting of 17 criteria of general questions from economic (including corporate governance), social and environmental dimensions as well as questions according to the nature of the business in each industry group in 12 categories, such as water-related risks, product stewardship, biodiversity, and etc.

Companies that have been selected to be in the list of sustainable stocks must have a passing score of 50% in each ESG dimension or being selected as a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) according to the year in which the sustainability assessment results are announced. The assessment is conducted by the Sustainable Investment Working Group to ensure transparency throughout the process. A list of sustainable stocks can be viewed at www.setsustainability.com

In addition to the mentioned achievements, Carabao Group has been certified as the Carbon Footprint for Organization 2021 from Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization. (Public Organization) with the certificate number TGO CFO FY22-152. The company has disclosed the environmental information and greenhouse gas reporting through publicly disclosed channels and the accuracy of the information has been verified by external accredited verifier demonstrating our transparency and commitment to operating business that creates the least impact on the environment.

Carabao Group also would like to announce that it has furthered its commitment to environmental transparency by disclosing its environmental impact through CDP, a global non-profit that runs the world’s leading environmental disclosure platform. The company has disclosed through CDP since 2022 for the first year and completed CDP’s Climate Change questionnaire.

Kishida Highlights Security Concerns on Trip to Europe, US

By

Associated Press

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9 January 2023, 10:30

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center, prepares to leave Haneda airport in Tokyo Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. Photo: Kota Endo / Kyodo News via AP

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida begins a weeklong trip Monday to strengthen military ties with Europe and Britain and bring into focus the Japan-U.S. alliance at a summit in Washington, as Japan breaks from its postwar restraint to take on more offensive roles with an eye toward China.

Kishida’s talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday will highlight his five-nation tour that also takes him to France, Italy, Britain and Canada — some of Group of Seven nations with which Japan has stepped up defense ties. His first stop is Paris on Monday.

Kishida said his summit with Biden will underscore the strength of the Japan-U.S. alliance and how the two countries can work more closely under Japan’s new security and defense strategies.

Japan in December adopted key security and defense reforms, including a counterstrike capability that makes a break from the country’s exclusively self-defense-only postwar principle. Japan says the current deployment of missile interceptors is insufficient to defend it from rapid weapons advancement in China and North Korea.

Kishida said he will explain to Biden the new strategy, under which Japan is also reinforcing defenses on its southwestern islands close to Taiwan, including Yonaguni and Ishigaki, where new bases are being constructed.

“Will will discuss further strengthening of the Japan-U.S. alliance, and how we work together to achieve a fee and open Indo-Pacific,” Kishida told a NHK national television talk show Sunday, referring to a vision of national and economic security cooperation the two countries promote to counter China’s growing military and economic influence.

Under the new strategies, Japan plans to start deploying in 2026 long-range cruise missiles that can reach potential targets in China, nearly double its defense budget within five years to a NATO standard of about 2% of GDP from the current 1%, and improve cyberspace and intelligence capabilities.

The idea is to do as much as possible in a short time as some experts see growing risks that Chinese President Xi Jingpin may take action against self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

Japan’s new strategy has been well received by the Biden administration and some members of the Congress. Experts say it would also widen cooperation with their main regional partners Australia and possibly South Korea.

“This is an opportunity to rethink and update the structure and the mechanisms of the alliance to reflect a much more capable partner that’s coming,” said Christopher Johnstone, senior adviser and Japan chair for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

He said, however, that Japan’s focus on the strike capability and budget is a welcome but “a daunting agenda” that will require a lot of cooperation with the United States.

Paving the way for the summit, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will fly to Washington to meet their American counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Antony Blinken, on Wednesday, followed by separate defense ministers’ talks Thursday.

The Biden administration, which also adopted its security strategy in October, expects Japan to assist in the supply and storage of fuel and munitions in case of a Taiwan emergency, experts say. Japan and the United States are also reportedly considering establishing a joint command.

During the talks at the White House, the two leaders are also expected to discuss China, North Korea’s nuclear and missile development as well as Russia’s war on Ukraine, Japanese officials said.

Cooperation in the area of supply chain and economic security will be also on the table. Last week, Japanese Economy and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo disussed in Washington the importance to work together to promote and protect critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors, and export controls to address competitiveness and security concerns.

During his trip, Kishida will seek to further strengthen bilateral military ties with four other countries, Japanese officials say.

Japan’s joint development and production of its F-X next generation fighter jet with Britain and Italy for a planned deployment in 2035 will be a top agenda item during his visits in Rome and London on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Japan and Britain have also been discussing a Reciprocal Access Agreement that would remove obstacles to holding joint military exercises in either country. Besides the Japan-U.S. security treaty that allows U.S. troops to station in Japan, Tokyo has a similar agreement only with Australia, and Britain would be second.

During his talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Kishida is expected to share concern over China’s growing activity in the South Pacific and confirm stepping up joint military exercise between the two sides.

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Story: Mari Yamaguchi.

Pro-Bolsonaro Rioters Storm Brazil’s Top Government Offices

By

Associated Press

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9 January 2023, 10:00

Protesters, supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro, storm the the National Congress building in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. Photo: Eraldo Peres / AP

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who refuse to accept his election defeat stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace Sunday, a week after the inauguration of his leftist rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Thousands of demonstrators bypassed security barricades, climbed on roofs, smashed windows and invaded all three buildings, which were believed to be largely vacant on the weekend. Some of the demonstrators called for a military intervention to either restore the far-right Bolsonaro to power or oust Lula from the presidency.

Hours went by before control of the buildings on Brasilia’s vast Three Powers Square was reestablished, with hundreds of the participants arrested.

In a news conference from Sao Paulo state, Lula accused Bolsonaro of encouraging the uprising by those he termed “fascist fanatics,” and he read a freshly signed decree for the federal government to take control of security in the federal district.

“There is no precedent for what they did and these people need to be punished,” Lula said.

TV channel Globo News showed protesters wearing the green and yellow colors of the national flag that also have come to symbolize the nation’s conservative movement and were adopted by Bolsonaro’s supporters.

The former president has repeatedly sparred with Supreme Court justices, and the room where they convene was trashed by the rioters. They sprayed fire hoses inside the Congress building and ransacked offices at the presidential palace. Windows were broken in all of the buildings.

Bolsonaro, who flew to Florida ahead of Lula’s inauguration, repudiated the president’s accusation late Sunday. He wrote on Twitter that peaceful protest is part of democracy but vandalism and invasion of public buildings are “exceptions to the rule.”

Police fired tear gas in their efforts to recover the buildings, and were shown on television in the late afternoon marching protesters down a ramp from the presidential palace with their hands secured behind their backs. By early evening, with authorities’ control of the buildings restored, Justice Minister Flavio Dino said in a news conference that roughly 200 people had been arrested and officers were firing more tear gas to drive away lingering protesters.

But with the damage already done, many in Brazil were questioning how the police had ignored abundant warnings, were unprepared or were somehow complicit.

Lula said at his news conference there was “incompetence or bad faith″ on the part of police, and that they had been likewise complacent when Bolsonaro supporters rioted in the capital weeks ago. He promised those officers would be punished and expelled from the corps.

The incident recalled the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Political analysts have warned for months that a similar storming was a possibility in Brazil, given that Bolsonaro has sown doubt about the reliability of the nation’s electronic voting system — without any evidence. The results were recognized as legitimate by politicians from across the spectrum, including some Bolsonaro allies, as well as dozens of foreign governments.

Unlike the 2021 attack in the U.S., few officials were likely to have been working in the Brazilian Congress and Supreme Court on a Sunday.

U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters that the riots in Brazil were “outrageous.” His national security adviser Jake Sullivan went a step further on Twitter and said the U.S. “condemns any effort to undermine democracy in Brazil.”

Biden later tweeted that he looked forward to continuing to work with Lula, calling the riots an “assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil.”

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted: “The violent attempts to undermine democracy in Brazil are unjustifiable. President @LulaOficial and the government of Brazil have the full support of the UK.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also said on Twitter that he condemned the assault on Brazil’s democratic institutions but he was confident “the will of the Brazilian people and the country’s institutions” would be respected.

Earlier videos on social media showed a limited presence of the capital’s military police; one showed officers standing by as people flooded into Congress, with one using his phone to record images. The capital’s security secretariat didn’t respond to a request from The Associated Press for comment about the relative absence of the police.

“Brazilian authorities had two years to learn the lessons from the Capitol invasion and to prepare themselves for something similar in Brazil,” said Maurício Santoro, political science professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. “Local security forces in Brasilia failed in a systematic way to prevent and to respond to extremist actions in the city. And the new federal authorities, such as the ministers of justice and of defense, were not able to act in a decisive way.”

Federal District Gov. Ibaneis Rocha confirmed on Twitter he had fired the capital city’s head of public security, Anderson Torres. Local media reported that Torres is currently in the U.S.

The office of Lula’s attorney general asked the Supreme Court to order Torres’ imprisonment.

Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting Lula’s electoral win since Oct. 30, blocking roads, setting vehicles on fire and gathering outside military buildings, urging the armed forces to intervene. The head of Brazil’s electoral authority rejected the request from Bolsonaro and his political party to nullify ballots cast on most electronic voting machines.

“Two years since Jan. 6, Trump’s legacy continues to poison our hemisphere,” U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who chairs the Senate’s foreign relations committee, tweeted, adding that he blamed Bolsonaro for inciting the acts. “Protecting democracy & holding malign actors to account is essential.”

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Story: Diane Jeantet and David Biller.

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