Monthly Archives: January 2020

Okura Prestige offers romantic Valentine Day dinners #ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย

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Okura Prestige offers romantic Valentine Day dinners

Jan 14. 2020
By THE NATION

Romance abounds at The Okura Prestige Bangkok this Valentine’s Day with special dishes at its Michelin-starred Elements restaurant and a delightful international buffet at Up & Above restaurant.

At Elements, the romantic candlelit dinner begins with chilled champagne and a box of chocolates for your loved one.

The intimate feast takes off with a selection of amuse bouche, followed by such delights as langoustines and caviar with Sakura flower jelly, Hokkaido scallops, turbot in champagne sauce and tender Japanese wagyu beef.

Meanwhile, at Up & Above restaurant, couples can indulge in pan-fried foie gras on brioche, grilled seafood and seafood on ice, a selection of freshly made sushi and sashimi, oysters, butter baked Hotate scallops and a selection of hot Japanese specialties including ramen, gyoza and yakitori.

The Valentine’s Day dinner at Elements on February 14 from 6pm to 10.30pm is priced at Bt5,500 per person for a six-course spread including a glass of champagne and a chocolate gift box.

The Valentine’s Day buffet at Up & Above is priced from Bt2,500 per person, including a free flow of soft drinks, fruit juice and selected mocktails, the hotel said.

A top YouTube makeup artist revealed she’s transgender. She said she was blackmailed into it. #ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย

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A top YouTube makeup artist revealed she’s transgender. She said she was blackmailed into it.

Health & Beauty
Jan 15. 2020
By The Washington Post · Lateshia Beachum 
A top YouTube makeup artist revealed she’s transgender. She said she was blackmailed into it. Makeup-obsessed YouTube fans were rocked last night with a video from one of the most influential makeup artists on the platform – and it had nothing to do with the latest foundation launch.

Nikkie de Jager, 25, better known as NikkieTutorials to her 12 million-plus subscribers, revealed that she’s a transgender woman in a video that was trending on Twitter on Monday night and continues to be the most-watched video on YouTube on Tuesday afternoon, approaching 20 million views.

The Dutch makeup artist disclosed her gender identity after facing blackmail threats by people who wanted to take her story to the media for profit, she said. Announcing her transgender identity was a way for her to reclaim her power, she said.”It feels good to finally do it. It is time to let go and be truly free,” she said with her palms pressed together and glittery nails pointing toward the camera. “When I was younger, I was born in the wrong body – which means that I am transgender.”

Since uploading her first video nearly 12 years ago, de Jager has amassed a cultlike following of makeup enthusiasts and artists alike who watch her videos for tips about how to perfect winged eyeliner, reviews on new cosmetic releases and marvel at her makeup artistry. Her passion for makeup and knowledge of how products should perform for consumers has led to collaborations with top cosmetics brands such as Too Faced and Orfra to makeup-transforming videos with elite celebrity makeup artists on her channel.

Her accomplishments were all achieved without any questions surrounding her gender identity – an intentional choice, she told viewers.

“I always wanted to live in a world where I saw myself as me, as Nikkie, as a woman, as a girl, as a boss lady,” she said into the camera.

The YouTube star has been transitioning into the woman she is for years.

“Ever since I was born I always thought that I was a girl,” she said, explaining her affinity for toys and styles of dress associated with little girls. “All of me was girly.”

She was already dressing and styling herself as a girl by 7 or 8, she said.

De Jager was already taking hormone blockers and growth stoppers to help her transition by age 14 with support she received from her mother and schoolteachers, she said. By age 19, de Jager said she was “fully transitioned,” hinting that she possibly received gender affirmation surgery.

The Netherlands has been a global leader on LGBTQ rights and was the first country to allow transgender people to openly serve in its armed forces in 1974, CNN reported. It was also the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001.

The country made it legal for transgender citizens to change their gender designation on identity documents in July 2014, removing requirements for hormone therapy, gender affirmation surgery and sterilization.

Much of de Jager’s change was documented to an unsuspecting following.

“I transitioned while on YouTube,” she said. “I have literally grown up and transformed into me.”

She said she always wanted to reveal her transgender experience, but being blackmailed forced her own personal timeline.

“It was frightening to know there are people out there who are so evil that they can’t respect someone’s true identity,” she said of her extortionists before flipping them off with a middle finger that showed off a squared, sparkling acrylic nail.

Her revelation doesn’t change anything about her, she said, before briefly expressing concerns over how people would receive her news.

The response to de Jager’s announcement has received mostly praise from the beauty influencer community.

Makeup maven Nikita Dragun, who’s documented her makeup techniques and gender transition on her channel, tweeted that de Jager’s “coming out” moved her to tears.

Julie Vu, a Canadian YouTuber better known as PrincessJules who has also detailed her transition for her subscribers, made a reaction video expressing shock and pride in de Jager’s decision to share something personal.

Vu, a lifestyle vlogger and makeup devotee, said she could relate to being outed based on her own experience of being identified as transgender in dance clubs, and admonished de Jager’s alleged blackmailers.

“Transgender people get killed all the time for being themselves,” she said. “When you out somebody, you put their life in danger and that is not okay. Someone’s life is not a joke.”

At least 22 transgender or gender-nonconforming people were killed last year in the United States, according to a report from the Human Rights Campaign, which tweeted its support of de Jager.

De Jager said she hoped that her public acknowledgment of her gender identity would help younger children who might also feel out of place or not like who they truly are, she said.

“I don’t know if people are going to hate me or accept me,” she said toward the end of her video. “All I know is that I haven’t changed. You’re still seeing the same Nikkie now.”

Your guide to the superhero movies of 2020, from ‘Birds of Prey’ to ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ #ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย

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Your guide to the superhero movies of 2020, from ‘Birds of Prey’ to ‘Wonder Woman 1984’

Entertainment
Jan 15. 2020

“Bloodshot” stars Vin Diesel as an indestructible former soldier trying to piece together his past. MUST CREDIT: Graham Bartholomew/Sony
By The Washington Post · David Betancourt

This new year won’t give us another “Avengers” movie, but there will still be plenty of superhero action on the big screen.

Warner Bros. and DC Comics are releasing films featuring their two most popular big-screen characters of the moment (Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn), Valiant Comics is finally seeing one of its heroes hit the big screen (Bloodshot) and Venom hopes to best its previous movie’s $856 million worldwide haul in a sequel that looks to be a lot bloodier.

Marvel Studios is looking to provide a mild Avengers flashback (“Black Widow”) before they move on to bigger out-of-this-world aspirations (“Eternals”).

Here’s the upcoming superhero movie slate for 2020.

– “Birds of Prey” – Feb. 7

Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) gets a new movie and a new team all in one film in this post-Joker-breakup adventure (no Jared Leto in sight, but no worries, he appears later on this list). Helping Quinn in the fight are lethal archer the Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), ultrasonic-voiced Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), quick-handed Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) and veteran Gotham City cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), as they go up against a Batman villain not commonly known by the general public (Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask).

– “Bloodshot” – March 13

Vin Diesel gets a superhero role with a lot more lines than when he played Groot in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” series. He stars as an indestructible soldier looking to put together the mystery of a past he can’t remember. This is the first live-action film from the Valiant Comics universe, which features other heroes hoping to make it to the movies, such as X-O Manowar and Shadowman.

– “The New Mutants” – April 3

Can a classic Marvel Comics series make for a good horror movie without the involvement of Marvel Studios? There’s a scary thought. “The New Mutants” is Twentieth Century Fox’s last stand with the X-Men universe as this film wrapped before it merged with Disney. Whether it will link to whatever Disney has planned for the X-Men is unknown. What we do know is this film features young mutants from that universe, as they get in touch with their powers for the first time while in a very creepy, prisonlike institution of some kind. Magik’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) mystic sword looks cool, though. That’s a start.

– “Black Widow” – May 1

Scarlett Johansson finally gets a solo-starring turn as superhero/Russian spy Natasha Romanoff. This movie obviously takes place before her death in “Avengers: Endgame” and involves her connecting some dots about her past. David Harbour also stars as Russia’s version of Captain America, the Red Guardian.

– “Wonder Woman 1984″ – June 5

Is this DC’s most anticipated sequel ever? “Wonder Woman” was DC’s first undisputed hit of the Justice League era and this follow-up, set in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s, could be the biggest superhero hit of 2020. Going up against Gal Gadot’s Princess Diana is Pedro Pascal’s not-to-be-trusted Max Lord, and somehow Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor is back from the dead.

– “Morbius” – July 31

Jared Leto’s Joker didn’t work out over at DC so now he’s giving the role of Marvel’s second-most-popular vampire a try (we see you, Blade). Morbius the Living Vampire is a classic Marvel character, known more by die-hard fans than a general moviegoer, and is yet another example of Sony trying to milk its rights to Spider-Man and any character connected to him. A rumored appearance by J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson could go a long way here.

– “Venom 2″ – Oct. 2

Speaking of Spider-Man villain movies, Tom Hardy’s Venom is back. This time, he’ll likely be up against the villain everyone wanted to see in the first movie (Carnage, played by Woody Harrelson). Both Hardy and Harrelson should get some top-notch CGI movement instruction from “Venom 2” director Andy Serkis, who’s no stranger to such performances over his career.

Tom Hardy is back as Venom in a sequel arriving later this fall. MUST CREDIT: Sony

Tom Hardy is back as Venom in a sequel arriving later this fall. MUST CREDIT: Sony

– “Eternals” – Nov. 6

So far all we know about “Eternals” is that Kumail Nanjiani got super-swole for his role as Kingo, and that the film will also feature Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Brian Tyree Henry and a “Game of Thrones” reunion between Richard Madden and Kit Harington. The Eternals, created by the late comic-book legend Jack Kirby, are an advanced alien race with the power of apparently being Marvel Studios’ next big thing.

Spike Lee will be the first black president of the Cannes Film Festival jury #ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย

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Spike Lee will be the first black president of the Cannes Film Festival jury

Entertainment
Jan 15. 2020
By The Washington Post · Sonia Rao

The Cannes Film Festival announced Tuesday that Spike Lee would serve as president of the jury in May, making the American director the first black person to do so in the French festival’s 73-year history.

In a statement signed from “Da People’s Republic of Brooklyn, New York,” Lee detailed his history with the prestigious festival dating back to his 1986 debut feature, “She’s Gotta Have It,” which won the Prix de la Jeunesse, an award honoring young directors. Lee, 62, has since returned to Cannes six times. His most recently chosen film, 2018′s “BlacKkKlansman,” won the Grand Prix, or second place overall.

“In this life I have lived, my biggest blessings have been when they arrived unexpected, when they happened out of nowhere,” Lee wrote. “When I got the call that I was offered the opportunity to be President of Cannes Jury for 2020, I was shocked, happy, surprised and proud all at the same time.”

“BlacKkKlansman,” a thriller starring John David Washington as a black police officer who infiltrates a local Ku Klux Klan chapter in the late 1970s, marked Lee’s return to the Cannes competition after 22 years. The film received a lengthy standing ovation – “It doesn’t always have to be that way,” Lee told The Washington Post that year, as “people get booed at Cannes” – and went on to earn six Academy Award nominations, including his first best director nod. (He won best adapted screenplay.)

The reception to “BlacKkKlansman” represented a high point in Lee’s relationship with the festival, which hit a snag in 1989 when Steven Soderbegh’s “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” beat Lee’s acclaimed front-runner “Do the Right Thing” for the top prize, the Palme d’Or. Lee never held anything against Soderbergh but instead directed his frustration toward that year’s jury president, German filmmaker Wim Wenders, whom Lee heard found his now-iconic lead character, Mookie, to be “unheroic.” In the film, Mookie incites a riot after another character is choked to death by a police officer.

The situation has figured into conversations surrounding the myth that “black films don’t travel well,” which, as Lee once discussed with fellow director Jordan Peele, has less to do with cultural differences and more to do with a dearth of opportunities for black filmmakers.

Like many major film festivals, Cannes has attracted criticism over a perceived lack of diversity – in terms of gender, too – but has shown signs of improvement in recent years. Cannes president Pierre Lescure and artistic director Thierry Frémaux issued a joint statement Tuesday expressing their hope that Lee will help “shake things up.”

“Spike Lee’s perspective is more valuable than ever,” they wrote. “Cannes is a natural homeland and a global sounding board for those who (re) awaken minds and question our stances and fixed ideas.”

The warm feelings were mutual. In his statement, Lee added: “To me the Cannes Film Festival (besides being the most important film festival in the world – no disrespect to anybody) has had a great impact on my film career. You could easily say Cannes changed the trajectory of who I became in world cinema.”

Radical changes in team line-up pays off, as Thais battle into AFC quarters #ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย

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Radical changes in team line-up pays off, as Thais battle into AFC quarters

Jan 15. 2020
Jaroensak Wonggorn

Jaroensak Wonggorn
By THE NATION

Thailand reserved a historic quarter-final spot in the AFC Under-23 Championship when they held Iraq to a 1-1 draw to finish second in the Group A competition at the Rajamangala National Stadium on Tuesday.

A penalty kick by Jaroensak Wonggorn put the War Elephants in the driver’s seat in the sixth minute following a handball offence by Iraqi Najm Shwan and a subsequent VAR review.

Despite a fightback goal by Mohammed Nassif just four minutes into the second half, Thailand grabbed the much-needed point from the battle to propel them to the knock-out stage for the first time in the tournament’s history. The home team, with four points, joined group leaders Australia (five points) in the last eight.

“Both the players and the coaching staff have been working hard, which brought this result,” said national coach Akira Nishino of Japan. “At least we’ve gone a step further by reaching the quarter-finals,” added the former Japan World Cup team coach.

Impressive results from the group stage served as a welcome redemption for the Thai under-23 team after they were eliminated from December’s SEA Games in the early rounds.

“I didn’t get to know the players well in the SEA Games. I poorly managed the team as we had to play on artificial grass every other day. That’s why we had poor results in the Games.

Regarding Tuesday’s game, he said: “We made big changes in the first line-up [seven players] because several players were exhausted. So I decided to field reserve players who had done well in training. I just wanted to give them a chance,” Nishino said.

Thailand will play their next match against the Group B leaders on Saturday at the Thammasat Rangsit campus. The tournament’s winner, runner-up and third-place finisher will earn slots for the Olympics.

“We want to challenge the bigger teams more. We’ve gained experience with good teams in this tournament but our players still need to learn more.”

Akira Nishino

Whiz Kid Kim aims to bring ‘A’ game to SMBC Singapore Open #ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย

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Whiz Kid Kim aims to bring ‘A’ game to SMBC Singapore Open

Jan 15. 2020
Joohyung Kim of Korea

Joohyung Kim of Korea
By THE NATION

 Korean teen sensation Joohyung Kim is looking forward to making an impression with the local galleries when he tees off for the SMBC Singapore Open at the award-winning Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course next week.

 

The 17-year-old, who will be making his debut at the Singapore showpiece, announced his arrival on the world stage with his maiden Asian Tour win in India last year after showing similar heroics on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) where he won thrice then.

Kim will be up against some of the biggest names in world golf including Major winners Justin Rose of England and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, American Matt Kuchar, a multiple winner on the PGA Tour, as well as Asian Tour Order of Merit champion and defending champion Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand, all ranked inside top-50 on the Official World Golf Ranking.

“I’m very excited. There’s Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar and Henrik Stenson in the field. It’s going to be a tough field to beat and it’s going to be a week where you can get a chance to qualify for The Open if you play well.

“I’ve not played at the Serapong course before. I am looking forward to it. The players are telling me that it’s in spectacular condition, so I am really excited,” said Kim, who finished in 25th place on the 2019 Order of Merit, thanks to one win and two top-10s in only five starts.

Kim will feature in the elite 156-man field from 22 countries alongside 54 other Tour winners, which include five former winners of the prestigious Singapore Open. A total of four Order of Merit champions will also tee up in the event, which was voted by the Asian Tour players as the Tournament of the year in 2019.

The Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course also received the accolade of being the players’ choice Golf Course of the year at the 2019 Asian Tour Awards Gala held earlier in Hong Kong this week.

Sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation, the US$1 million SMBC Singapore Open will take place from January 16 to 19 next week and it will continue to be part of The Open Qualifying Series for the fourth consecutive year.

The leading four players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 12 and ties on the final leaderboard will earn coveted spots at the 149th Open at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Kent, England from July 16-19.

The qualifier of 18 holes stroke play will be played on Monday, January 13, at the New Tanjong Course at Sentosa Golf Club. Top 3 places will qualify directly into the SMBC Singapore Open. Ties for last qualifying places will be decided by hole-by-hole playoff.

Thai contingent hunting home victory at Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific #ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย

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Thai contingent hunting home victory at Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific

Jan 15. 2020

Jaravee Boonchant (right) and her teammates.

Jaravee Boonchant (right) and her teammates.
By THE NATION
World number 19 Jaravee Boonchant will lead the Thailand contingent when the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific championship (WAAP) comes to The Land of Smiles for the first time next month.

The third edition of the region’s premier women’s championship will be played at Siam Country Club in Pattaya from 12-15 February. The 2020 WAAP champion will earn starts in two women’s major championships – the AIG Women’s British Open and The Evian Championship – as well as invitations to the Honda LPGA Thailand, the Hana Financial Group Championship and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA).

The championship is expected to feature 83 players from 20 Asia-Pacific countries and as the host nation, Thailand will have the largest contingent with eight representatives in the field. Boonchant, will be joined in Pattaya by her fellow Thai golfers; World number 103 Chanikan Yongyuan, number 161 Kornkamol Sukaree, Suthavee Chanachai, Yosita Khawnuna, Chanettee Vannasaen, Natthakritta Vongtaveelap and Jumpita Chul-Ak-Sorn.

In front of their home fans, they will try to follow in the footsteps of Atthaya Thitikul, who created history at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club in 2018 by winning the inaugural championship after a four-way play-off.

Thitikul, who became the first non-Japanese Asian player to be ranked number 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) last year, also finished runner-up in the second edition in Japan.

The 20-year-old Boonchant, majoring in Statistical Science at Duke University, one of US college golf’s most prominent teams, said the success of Thitikul, as well as that of the Jutanugarn sisters – Ariya and Moriya – on the LPGA Tour, have been huge motivating factors.

“Seeing their successes motivated me to work harder and become better. Hopefully, one day my name will be next to theirs. I truly hope to play many tournaments alongside them in the future,” said Boonchant, who will be making her WAAP debut.

“I have always wanted to play WAAP since its inaugural edition but the timing never seemed to work with my academic and college golf schedule. This year, I finally have the opportunity to participate and I’m really looking forward to it.

“It has also been a very long time since I played a tournament in Thailand in front of my friends and family. That’s another reason to be so delighted and excited to play the WAAP this year.”

Boonchant is eager to get back on the golf course with a scorecard in her hand. She played just three collegiate events in the US in September, finishing inside the top six in the last two, after a three month break in June 2019 for an internship.

“I decided to dedicate my summer to extra-curricular activities to broaden my vision of the world and grow as a person. I was able to be one of the students in the ‘Duke Study Abroad in Japan’ programme for two months and then do an internship in Thailand later,” said Boonchant, winner of the 2018 ACC Championship.

“During that time, I got to play just one round of golf and maybe practised three or four times. I have to admit that it was nice to take a break from golf and explore other aspects of life. However, those three months also made me realise how much I missed playing golf and I really want to be back competing.

“Going into the off season, I was pretty happy with how I was playing. I am currently working on my swing with my coach, just making sure that all the pieces come together as I get closer to the WAAP.”

Boonchant is confident Thailand golf will benefit immensely by hosting a championship like the WAAP.

“The WAAP truly means a lot to me personally. It is a great event where top players in the world compete and showcase the great game of golf and its potential. I think it is important for Thailand to host such an event because these players will be able to inspire the next generation of young Thai golfers,” she added.

“The WAAP is such an amazing and fun event. The fans will surely enjoy themselves while supporting the growth of women’s golf.”

The WAAP, developed by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) to unearth developing talent and provide a pathway for Asia’s elite women amateurs to emerge on the international stage, will be supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “Thailand has a strong presence in golf and there have been a number of men and women players who have excelled at the highest level of the sport. We are delighted to bring the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship here and continuing to inspire other potential future champions in Thailand and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.”

The highest-ranked player in the field is Chinese Taipei’s No. 9 Yu-Chiang Hou, the younger of the two Hou sisters in the field. The field comprise 12 players ranked inside the top-100 of the WAGR, with Chinese Taipei accounting for three of them; Yu-Sang Hou, No. 39 and Chia Yen Wu, No. 47.

The youngest player in the field is the 14-year-old Maribel Ting from Malaysia, while the oldest is 27-year-old Rotana Howard from Cook Islands.

The par-72, 6,608-yard Waterside Course of Siam Country Club is sure to provide an exciting challenge for the field. The golf course hasreceived several awards in the past, with the most recent being the Best Golf Course in Thailand at the Asia Pacific Award last month. The Old Course at the club, the second oldest golf course in Thailand, was ranked 73rd in Golf Digest’s Top-100 Golf Courses in the World in 2018.

Entry to WAAP will be free of charge for fans.

The championship will be broadcast live on each of the four days. There will be nearly 600 hours of television coverage broadcast to more than 180 million households.

16 to compete in Leo Pre-Season Cup football tournament #ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย

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16 to compete in Leo Pre-Season Cup football tournament

Jan 15. 2020
By THE NATION

A total 16 teams will sharpen their skills in the Leo Pre-Season Cup football tournament which will take place in eight provinces nationwide between January 18 to February 1.

Twelve local teams led by Thai League 1 champions Chiangrai United and four foreign sides including four-time J-League winners Cerezo Ozaka will participate in the tournament which offers Bt3 million in prize money.

The competition will take place in eight provinces: Khao Plong Stadium in Chai Nat, SAT Udonthani Stadium in Udonthani, SCG Stadium in Nonthaburi, Singha Stadium in Chiang Rai, Leo Stadium in Pathum Thani, PAT Stadium in Bangkok, Sam Ao Stadium in Prachuab Khiri Khan, Khon Kaen and Provincial Stadium in Khon Kaen.

All 16 teams will compete in a knock-out format with the final round at Leo Stadium on February 1 at 6.30pm.

Apart from BG Pathum United, the champions of top-flight league, League 2 champions, FA Cup winners, Port and League Cup winners Prachuab, will also be in the fray.

Other local teams include Muangthong United, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chainat Hornbill, Chiangmai, Rayong, Udonthani, Khon Kaen and Nongbua Pitchaya.

The three foreign teams are Tampines Rovers from Singapore, Lao Toyota from Laos and Phnom Pehn Crown from Cambodia.

NSA found a Microsoft software flaw and alerted the firm – rather than weaponize it #ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย

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NSA found a Microsoft software flaw and alerted the firm – rather than weaponize it

Jan 15. 2020
By The Washington Post · Ellen Nakashima 

NSA found a Microsoft software flaw and alerted the firm – rather than weaponize it. The National Security Agency recently discovered a major flaw in Microsoft’s Windows operating system – one that could potentially expose computer users to significant breaches, surveillance or disruption – and alerted the firm of the problem rather than turn it into a hacking weapon, officials announced Tuesday.

The public disclosure represents a major shift in the NSA’s approach, choosing to put computer security ahead of building up its arsenal of hacking tools that allow the agency to spy on adversaries’ networks.

“This is . . . a change in approach . . . by NSA of working to share, working to lean forward, and then working to really share the data as part of building trust,” said Anne Neuberger, director of the NSA’s Cybersecurity Directorate, which was launched in October.

Cyber security professionals hailed the move.

“Big kudos to NSA for voluntarily disclosing to Microsoft,” said computer security expert Dmitri Alperovitch in a tweet Tuesday morning. “This is the type of [vulnerability] I am sure the [NSA hackers] would have loved to use for years to come.”

The bug – essentially a mistake in the computer code – affects the Windows 10 operating system, the most widely used in government and business today.

Microsoft issued a patch for the flaw on Tuesday. The company’s plan to issue a fix for the vulnerability was first reported Monday in the KrebsOnSecurity blog.

“A security update was released on January 14, 2020 and customers who have already applied the update, or have automatic updates enabled, are already protected. As always we encourage customers to install all security updates as soon as possible,” said Jeff Jones, senior director at Microsoft, in a statement.

The discovery has been likened to a slightly less severe version of the Microsoft flaw that the NSA once weaponized by creating a hacking tool dubbed EternalBlue, which one former agency hacker said was like “fishing with dynamite.”

The NSA used EternalBlue for more than five years, but when it learned that the tool had been obtained by others, it alerted Microsoft, which issued a patch in early 2017. About a month later, Shadow Brokers, a suspected Russian hacking group, released the NSA tool online.

Malicious hackers turned it to their own purposes, launching massive ransomware campaigns such as the one dubbed WannaCry, which created global havoc and costly damage to businesses and other organizations.

EternalBlue worked on all Windows systems, not just one, which made it so potent. The flaw the NSA uncovered would be useful to hackers seeking to break into some computers running Windows 10.

Companies like Microsoft and Adobe use digital signatures to stamp software as authentic. This helps to prevent malware infections that might try to disguise themselves as legitimate. The NSA discovered an error in the Microsoft code that verifies those signatures, potentially enabling a hacker to forge the signature and install spyware or ransomware on a computer.

“Code-signing is one of the most effective tools we have to keep malicious software off of computers,” said Matthew Green, a cryptographer and computer science professor at Johns Hopkins University.

If the flaw is patched quickly, it’s not that dangerous, he added. “If a lot of people don’t patch, it could be a disaster.”

Microsoft has reported that it has seen no active exploitation of the flaw.

The bug disclosure is the first major announcement to come from the new directorate, which reflects NSA Director Gen. Paul Nakasone’s desire to enhance the defensive mission of an agency known for its prowess at hacking foreign networks for intelligence.

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Google follows Apple in ending third-party ‘cookies’ in ad-tracking

Jan 15. 2020
By Syndication Washington Post, Bloomberg · Naomi Nix, Gerrit De Vynck 

Google is planning to “render obsolete” a key tool advertisers use to track people around the web, increasing user privacy but also disrupting the marketers and publishers who rely on the search giant’s ad products.

Over the next two years the Alphabet Inc. unit intends to stop supporting third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, Google said in a blog post Tuesday. Cookies are little bits of code that stick in peoples’ browsers and follow them around the web and are a core part of the online advertising landscape. They allow advertisers to target people with ads for websites they previously visited and make it easier to determine how effective certain ads were in getting internet surfers to buy something.

Apple Inc.’s Safari and Mozilla Corp.’s Firefox browsers already block third-party cookies, but Google has argued in the past those approaches are too heavy-handed and risk cutting into vital revenue for internet publishers. In the blog post, Chrome Engineering Director Justin Schuh said blocking third-party cookies could have “unintended consequences that can negatively impact both users and the web ecosystem.” The company is seeking input from advertisers, publishers and Chrome users as it works to find ways to help support advertising online while still preserving privacy.

“Users are demanding greater privacy — including transparency, choice and control over how their data is used — and it’s clear the web ecosystem needs to evolve to meet these increasing demands,” Schuh said.

Google has talked about this approach before. While Apple and Mozilla don’t derive much money from advertising, the vast majority of Google’s revenue comes from digital ads. It’s in the company’s interest to keep advertisers spending more money on its websites and ad products. Google’s empire was built on its ability to provide targeted advertising.

Google is navigating a thicket of threats to its business though, including a rising demand for greater privacy and government investigations into whether its business practices in the ad tech world are anti-competitive. If it shuts advertisers out from its system too much, they could increase their complaints that it’s being unfair. But if it ignores privacy advocates, some Chrome users could decamp for other browsers.