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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40005694

Tencent to rival Apples iCloud business

WeChat, a dominating instant message platform of Chinese tech company Tencent Holdings, is set to offer paid cloud storage services in China that directly rivals iCloud business of United States tech giant Apple Inc, sources told China Daily.

The new business will enable WeChat users to back up their chat records, be it words, photos and videos, on the cloud so that they can recover data whenever they want.

WeChat now only supports personal data storage on equipment like smartphones and computers, meaning that if users lose their equipment, they cannot get their data back.

One source told China Daily that WeChat is prepared to charge users on a yearly basis for such services. The price is likely to be around 180 yuan (US$27.86) per year for iOS system users and 130 yuan for Android system users.

It will be a sizeable source of revenue for Tencent even if only 10 percent of WeChat users pay for such services, the source said. WeChat now boasts an astonishing 1.25 billion monthly active users worldwide, according to Tencent’s second quarter fiscal report. 

Market consultancy iiMedia found that the country saw rising personal cloud storage demand over the past years, and the number of users is estimated to exceed 400 million by the end of last year. 

Another source who is familiar with the matter confirmed that Tencent has been aggressively pushing forward the new project and has “entered into the final stage” to launch it. “But the company still has to deal with Apple as the function has to be renewed on the iOS system,” the person said.

Tencent’s latest move will directly rival iCloud services of Apple Inc. Apple’s services, which include paid iCloud storage, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, Apple Music and AppleCare, reported the segment grew by 33 percent to a new record high worldwide in the third fiscal quarter of 2021.

Apple currently offers Chinese users 5 GB, or gigabytes, of free cloud storage. Users from China have to pay 6 yuan and 21 yuan for an extra storage of 50 GB and 200 GB, and 68 yuan for a maximum storage of 2 terabytes. 

Published : September 04, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40005693

Suga bows out of LDP leadership race

Japans Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced Friday that he will not seek reelection as president of the Liberal Democratic Party.

During an extraordinary meeting of LDP executives, Suga, who currently serves as the ruling party’s president, expressed his intention not to run in the Sept. 29 party leadership election, for which official campaigning will kick off on Sept. 17. With Suga’s decision, his Cabinet is set to end a little over a year after it was launched on Sept. 16 last year.

Suga had repeatedly said he would seek reelection for the LDP presidency. However, he apparently came to think it would be difficult to win the election after his government’s handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic and his abrupt plan to reshuffle LDP executives sparked criticism among party members.

With Suga’s exit, the upcoming LDP election will now be held in a different political landscape.

“Once the official campaigning for the presidential election starts, enormous energy will be needed when I consider measures against the coronavirus and election activities. Both matters can’t be handled at the same time,” Suga told reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday afternoon. “I should choose one, and I want to commit myself to fulfilling [my duty as the prime minister] to prevent the spread of the virus.”

Suga plans to hold a press conference next week to explain his reasons for not running in the election. He will not carry out a reshuffle of LDP executives, which had been planned for Monday.

Fumio Kishida, a former chairperson of the LDP’s Policy Research Council, has announced his plan to run in the LDP presidential election, which will be held as Suga’s term as party president is set to expire at the end of September. Kishida has called for LDP reform, garnering support from party members. As Suga was increasingly viewed as unlikely to win, he came up with a plan to replace LDP executives, including Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai.

However, such an unusual reshuffle just before the presidential election was met with criticism from LDP members, with some saying that Suga’s move was intended merely to “prolong his life” as prime minister and LDP president.

Regarding the next House of Representatives election, Suga had remained undecided on whether to dissolve the lower house or hold the election when the term for the chamber’s members expires, an option that does not involve Diet dissolution. Such circumstances appear to be behind Suga’s decision to step down as prime minister when his term for the LDP presidency expires.

In September last year, Suga overwhelmingly defeated Kishida and Shigeru Ishiba, a former LDP secretary general, in a presidential race to choose the successor to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who stepped down from the post due to the worsening of his chronic disease. Suga’s Cabinet initially saw high approval ratings, but its response to the pandemic drew criticism, dragging the ratings down.

The LDP then suffered a series of losses in major national and local elections. In August, Hachiro Okonogi, a former chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission who was backed by Suga, lost to a candidate supported by opposition parties in the Yokohama mayoral election. LDP members were increasingly concerned that the party would not be able to win the lower house election under the leadership of Suga.

The LDP presidential election will be held as currently scheduled. In addition to Kishida, former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi has also expressed her desire to seek the party presidency.

“I will state my intentions again after confirming the current situation, but my intention regarding the presidential election has remained unchanged,” Kishida said.

On Friday morning, the LDP held a meeting of its Party Presidential Election Administration Committee, which is chaired by Takeshi Noda, a former internal affairs minister, at the party’s headquarters. The committee decided to not allow election candidates to canvass in regional areas in an official party capacity.

A newly elected LDP president will decide the schedule for the lower house election. As the new leader needs to be nominated as prime minister in the Diet and form a cabinet after the LDP presidential race, the lower house election is expected to be held after the term of the chamber’s members expires on Oct. 21.

Published : September 04, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40005692

[South Korea] Gathering rules are slightly eased from Monday: PM

Slightly eased social distancing rules will take effect starting Monday to alleviate the difficulties of small-business owners and the self-employed hit hard by the prolonged pandemic.

On Friday, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said that business hours of restaurants and cafes in the Seoul metropolitan area will be extended by one hour to 10 p.m., starting next week and to last four weeks.

The current social distancing rules — Level 4 in Greater Seoul and Level 3 in most other areas — will be extended until Oct. 3. But exceptions will be made for those who are fully vaccinated.

“The restriction on the number of people gathering in restaurants and cafes (in Greater Seoul) is extended to six,” Kim said.

“But it is limited to cases where at least two people during the day and four people after 6 p.m. are fully inoculated.”

In areas outside Greater Seoul where Level 3 social distancing rules are implemented, up to eight people, including four fully vaccinated people, are allowed at all multiuse facilities.

In the cases of a wedding venue, up to 99 people are to be allowed if no meals are provided. Under the current toughest curbs, only 49 people are permitted.

Regarding the quarantine measures for the Chuseok holiday this month, Kim said, “We have decided to allow family gatherings of up to eight people, including four fully vaccinated people, for a one-week period (from Sept. 17 to 23).”

He still urged people to refrain from visiting their hometowns and, if they should go, to visit after receiving vaccines or diagnostic tests.

“Before the Chuseok holiday, enough vaccines will be introduced to achieve the goal that more than 70 percent of the public will receive first doses of vaccines.”

He said 32.7 percent of the public had been fully vaccinated as of Thursday, and for the portion of the population over the age of 18, that number marked 38 percent.

The government said 905,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine were to arrive at the Incheon Airport on Friday, out of the 7.01 million doses that Moderna promised to supply by this week.

Of the promised doses, 1.01 million arrived Aug. 23, 1.02 million came Thursday and the remaining vaccines are set to arrive in batches through Sunday.
 

Published : September 04, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40005691

Thailand censured for releasing dam water, flooding border area

Flash floods inundated communes in Battambang province’s Phnom Proek district and Banteay Meanchey province’s Malai district, where more than 100 homes were overwhelmed by floodwaters from Thailand.

Malai district governor Svay Chea told The Post that 50 houses were flooded in Boeung Beng commune and another 60 houses in Malai commune.

“The rain was not too heavy, but the Thai side opened water gates to let water flow to our side as they were afraid their dams would break. That is why some residents’ houses in the two communes were flooded,” he said.

Chea said Malai district authorities were evacuating people in the affected areas to safer places, providing first aid and assisting with daily needs.

Chea blamed the Thai side for repeatedly not following the spirit of a memorandum of understanding, which states that the Thais must provide advance information about when the gates are opened so that Cambodia can prepare.

He reiterated his call for the Thai side to provide information to Cambodia before deciding to open the dam’s gate.

In Battambang province, Phnom Proek district police chief Song Sopheak said at present, three communes there – Baraing Thleak, Phnom Proek and Buor – are gradually being flooded by downpours.

Sopheak said that at this time, some houses in Buor commune, located at the lower part of the stream, are gradually being flooded while the rain continues to fall moderately to heavy.

“It has been raining heavily for two days in a row, and about 60 houses in the three communes have been flooded with water up to people’s knees. We are worried about whether the rain will continue to fall as the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology has predicted,” he said.

According to the recent weather forecast from the water resources ministry, there will continue to be scattered rainfalls nationwide with moderate to heavy downpours, which could cause flash floods in the lowlands, especially the central lowlands, and rainfall catchment areas on the ridge of the Dangrek Mountains and the northeastern plateau.

National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) spokesman Khun Sokha told The Post that at this time, NCDM’s municipal and provincial branches are ready to assist people in vulnerable and flooded areas.

“Currently, each working group has prepared all means, forces and equipment to intervene,” he said.

By Khouth Sophak Chakrya, The Phnom Penh Post

Published : September 04, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40005690

Asia opens travel bubbles with low-risk nations

PETALING JAYA: Several countries in Asia have been working towards opening up their tourism sector by opening travel bubbles between low-risk countries.

In Singapore, the government has allowed for a fully vaccinated travel lane with Germany and Brunei that will begin on Sept 8.

Under this travel arrangement, the special lanes will be open for leisure, business or family visits for fully vaccinated travellers.

The travellers, too, will be able to enter Singapore without the need for home quarantine.

But its government noted that travellers will still be required to undergo the Covid-19 RT-PCR test 48 hours before departing for Singapore and will be subjected to an on-arrival test upon landing in the country.

They will also be subjected to a post-arrival test on days three and seven at a Singapore-designated clinic.

In Thailand, the country has implemented a “tourist sandbox scheme” in Phuket and Samui that kicked off on July 1 and July 15 respectively.

Under the scheme, fully vaccinated travellers from 70 countries and territories are allowed to travel to the two islands without quarantine.

These travellers are subjected to RT-PCR testing before arrival.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, the country also launched a quarantine-free travel bubble with Saipan that started on July 24.

Taiwan also implemented a travel bubble with Palau in April.

Published : September 04, 2021