Month: October 2021

Posted on

S&P Global retains Thailand’s credit rating at BBB+ with stable outlook

S&P Global Ratings (S&P) has retained Thailand’s sovereign credit rating for 2021 at BBB+, with a stable outlook, as it was last year, according to Government Spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana.

Regarding finance, although Thailand is maintaining a budget deficit this and next year, due to increased government spending to support various schemes to help people and businesses affected by COVID-19 pandemic and to aid economic recovery, S&P estimates Thailand’s GDP growth at 1.1% for the whole year and 3.6% annually for 2022-24, thanks to export increases and improvement in the tourism sector.

The global rating agency also forecast that Thailand’s economy will return to the pre-COVID level in the next two years, due to the government’s continuing support of investment under the 20-year national strategy and national reform plan, including the EEC mega projects and infrastructure development as well as the public-private partnership (PPP) projects.

S&P agreed that Thailand’s external finances remain strong, with a surplus current account, high foreign reserves and liquidity, as well as external liquidity, a moderate level of net general government debt and a record of credit-supportive monetary and fiscal policies.

Thanakorn said that S&P’s retention of Thailand’s credit rating and stable outlook reflects the government’s performance and management of all the measures are heading in the right direction, which will help in economic recovery and enhance confidence among both Thai and foreign entrepreneurs and investors.

Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service

Posted on

Zero net emissions by 2050: a huge challenge for airline industry

How can passengers take 10 billion flights a year without contributing to global warming? The question of “greening” the international aviation sector by 2050 constitutes a colossal task whose stakes — and sheer numbers — can make the head spin, according to the airlines themselves.

At its general assembly in Boston Monday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said it is now aiming for “net zero carbon emissions” by the middle of the century, a bold but necessary goal in the face of global warming, according to its CEO Willie Walsh.

But by signing up to the goals of the Paris climate accord, and those of the European Union, IATA, which represents the airlines, does not envisage that a massive reduction in emissions will also involve a massive reduction in its operations. Quite the opposite.

“For us the main target is to continue growing, because it’s not the traffic that is the enemy, it’s the emissions,” said Sebastian Mikosz, IATA vice president in charge of environmental affairs and sustainable development.

Even though air transport has suffered a huge downturn due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with a drop from 4.5 billion travelers in 2019 to 1.8 billion in 2020, IATA estimates that by 2050 more than 10 billion trips per year will be made by plane.

As it stands, the aviation sector produces 900 million tons of CO2 per year, according to IATA. By 2050, if nothing is done to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint, that will rise to 1.8 billion tons.

That would mean that over 30 years, 21.2 billion tons of CO2 would be released into the atmosphere. Reducing this level to gradually achieve net zero emissions in 2050 poses an enormous technological challenge that the IATA estimates will cost companies around $1.55 trillion between 2020 and 2050.

– 10,000% increase in production –

IATA says that the main solution lies in the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which would allow the industry to get 65 percent of the way toward its goal.

These fuels — made from biomass, waste oils and could even be made from carbon capture in the future — have the advantage that they can be used directly in existing aircraft, which are designed to run on 50-percent blends of kerosene. And such fuel sources can reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent compared to kerosene over their entire life cycle, according to IATA.

Airbus and Boeing have pledged that their fleets will be able to fly 100 percent on SAF by 2030, but SAF accounts for less than 0.1 percent of aviation fuel currently used.

Encouraged by governments, the infrastructure to produce SAFs is being set up in the United States and Europe, but is still embryonic — and the cheapest fuel that comes out costs four times more than kerosene, a fossil fuel.

“The problem is the capacity and the supply,” said Mikosz, who said the goal was “basically to grow to 450 billion liters of SAF compared to 100 million liters.”

“We need to multiply our supply by 10,000 percent,” he said.

Still, IATA believes that the technological advances promised by the aerospace industry, in particular new electric or hydrogen planes such as those that Airbus is preparing for 2035, are not yet a sure enough bet for the sector to rely on in order to “decarbonize” beyond 13 percent by 2050.

“If those technologies do not deliver what we need by 2050… we can compensate it through SAF,” said Mikosz.

The European aviation sector, in publishing its own roadmap towards carbon neutrality for 2050 last February, said it was counting on technological advances to cut 37 percent of its emissions by 2050 and on SAF to cut 34 percent.

IATA’s strategy, like that of the European aviation sector, also relies on a system of carbon capture and emissions trading to start the transition, amounting to 19 percent of the total reduction.

But environmental NGOs have criticized the use of carbon capture and offsetting mechanisms, asking that they be used only after all other mitigation options have been implemented.

Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service

Posted on

Canadian firm’s interactive mirror technology sets retail and hospitality sectors buzzing

CALGARY, Alberta, Oct. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A customer steps up to a new and very cool interactive mirror installed in her favorite apparel store. With a few screen taps, she creates an avatar of herself, allowing her to quickly and virtually “try on” a variety of different styles and colors.

No lengthy fitting-room sessions with piles of discarded clothes. The mirror can even recommend outfits and tell buyers what’s in stock. Customers at Brands for Less in Dubai and Puma in the U.S. are already enjoying the experience.

What is this new innovation? It’s the iMirror, a creation of Calgary-based technology firm, NOBAL, which reports that their product is having real bottom-line impacts for retailers. NOBAL CEO, Bill Roberts, reports, “Our retail clients have seen increases in ‘customer basket size’ of 15 to 20% by using iMirror. Even better is that they’re discovering their ROI on the product is less than one week.”

According to NOBAL, in one retail store’s experience with the iMirror, compared to a regular fitting room, they saw a doubling of both items purchased and sales volume.

The above is just one of the retail applications for the revolutionary iMirror. In the Fifth Avenue New York flagship store of Puma (a longtime NOBAL client), customers can use the iMirror’s built-in selfie camera and keyboard to send photos to friends. Says Roberts, “It’s been a great promotional tool for the brand.”

The iMirrors interactivity shows up in the hospitality realm as well. In the Four Seasons Resort in Whistler, B.C., guests use iMirrors to check weather, maps and ski conditions, and access additional hotel information.

NOBAL recently inked an agreement with Caesars Entertainment, to install and display two iMirrors at Black Fire Innovation Center. The center is a partnership between the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) and Caesars Entertainment (part of the U.S. hotel chain).

In the center, visitors can envision an in-room experience with iMirrors, which allow guests to order room service, shop, and purchase event tickets. iMirrors in the hotel’s lobby experience enable guests to check in and out, book events, view amenities, make spa reservations, tap-to-pay, and book rides. They also provide maps and kid-focused applications, while providing advertising opportunities for on-site restaurants, which can provide additional hotel revenue.

Says Roberts, “Not only does the iMirror enhance a hotel guest’s experience, but by putting other retail and hospitality services in front of those guests, it can boost the property’s bottom line.”

In today’s age where data is king, the iMirror can enable retailers to collect data and keep track of shoppers’ buying habits—time, average sizes, colours and specific fashions. Moreover, the iMirror’s tracking capability is providing a proven way to reduce the estimated $3 billion annual cost (North America) of shoplifting and property damage.

NOBAL, founded 10 years ago, is now managed by CEO Roberts, who was previously the founder and president of two companies—Real Storage Management and Calgary Archives Corporation. He expanded both beyond their initial Calgary bases to span all of Canada, before selling them.

Says Roberts, “The ease with which customers interact with technology these days is so different than even five to ten years ago. Products like the iMirror are helping traditional industries like retail and hospitality catch up to those buyers, and make them more likely to want to do business with them.”

NOBAL is just one of many high-tech companies based in Calgary, which is rapidly becoming a mini Silicon Valley in its own right. Alberta plans a $20 billion investment in industrial digital transformation, and Calgary companies like NOBAL are leading the charge.

NOBAL is poised for its own dynamic growth in the coming years, if their recent high-profile hires are any indication. The company recently added Sean McManus (VP, Technology), Daniel Maher (Director of Technology), and Lindsay Panchyshyn (Director of Marketing).

For more information on NOBAL’s leading-edge iMirror products, visit www.NOBAL.ca

CONTACT:
Ms. Lindsay Panchyshyn, Director of Marketing
NOBAL Technologies Inc.
403-589-3322 | www.nobal.ca | lpanchyshyn@nobal.ca

Posted on

New Study From Potential Project Reveals That Resiliency is the Key to Boosting Employee Retention

The study found that employees with high resiliency have 21% higher job satisfaction and 31% lower turnover

Featured Image for Potential Project

Featured Image for Potential Project

NEW YORK, Oct. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The stress of the COVID-19 pandemic — from working from home to caregiving challenges — has triggered widespread feelings of burnout among employees, leading to retention and productivity challenges for companies. According to The Mind at Work study by Potential Project, resiliency is key to changing the workplace experience and helping employees remain happy and engaged with their jobs.

The Mind at Work is revolutionary in its approach to assessing the employee experience. Data is captured via Mindgrow, Potential Project’s proprietary digital diagnostic tool, which gathers respondents’ feedback real-time within the flow of a workday. Mindgrow was developed with academic research partners from Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, Rotman School of Management, and University of California Berkeley Haas.

The research found:

  • Employees are faced with stress triggers — something that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain — more than 36% of the time spent at work.
  • Among employees who have a high level of resilience — measured by the time it takes for a person to return to a baseline after experiencing stress — burnout is 27% lower and turnover is 31% lower.
  • Among employees who have a high level of resilience, job satisfaction increases by 21% and job engagement increases by 26%.
  • The employees most at risk for burnout are those who report high levels of job engagement but low levels of resilience. These employees experience stress levels almost 4 times the stress levels of their more resilient colleagues.

As remote and hybrid work remain the reality, leaders are hungry for new ways to keep their new teams engaged. This research points to employee resiliency as a critical priority. “Companies need to arm their employees with the tools needed to manage inevitable workplace stressors. Resilience is a muscle, and by helping our employees strengthen it, we can build happier, more stress-resistant teams,” said Rasmus Hougaard, CEO of Potential Project.

Rasmus is the co-author of an upcoming book titled Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way, co-authored with Potential Project’s North American Director Jacqueline Carter, which shows leaders how to practice wise compassion to boost their companies’ productivity and morale. The book, published by the Harvard Business Review, is now available for pre-order ahead of its launch on January 18th, 2022.

For more information on Potential Project, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Potential Project

Potential Project is a global research, leadership development and consulting firm that partners with organizations to uncover the power of the mind – how it is wired and how to rewire it for new behaviors and different outcomes. Potential Project is present in 28 countries with a network of 200 consultants and facilitators, and serves hundreds of forward-thinking companies like Accenture, IKEA, Unilever, Cisco, LEGO and Microsoft.

Contact: Paula Kelley, Global Marketing Director: paula.kelley@potentialproject.com

Related Images

Image 1

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment


Copyright © 2021 GlobeNewswire, Inc.

Posted on

Webtel.Mobi is Reintroducing a 100% Gold-Backed Currency Worldwide – Stability of 100% Gold-Secured Currency Returns After Half a Century

WM’s Impending reintroduction of a 100% gold-backed “Secured TUV” Digital Currency for all World Reserve Currencies is the first reintroduction of a 100% gold-secured currency worldwide since the post-Bretton Woods Default in 1971

Secured TUV – USD 1 000 000 or 24Kg AU 24K

Secured TUV – USD 1 000 000 or 24Kg AU 24K

ST PETER PORT, Guernsey and NEW YORK, Oct. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global Telephony Provider Webtel.mobi (“WM”) has already introduced the world’s first fully functional and global-use Digital Currency that functions from a regulated environment.

That is WM’s “Standard TUV”, a globally accessible, globally transferable, globally refundable, multicurrency Digital Currency; that is 1:1 secured with funds in a regulated bank account. It has the properties of being a globally acceptable medium of exchange, unit of account, store of value and standard of deferred payment in all World Reserve Currencies and multiple other currencies.

As “advanced” as WM’s Standard TUV is compared to attempts by other entities to attain this ideal, it is not advanced insofar as the capacities of WM’s International Clearing System – powered by its Artificial Intelligence Complex Adaptive System – are concerned. WM has within its System far more advanced facilities that are already fully functional.

One of these is WM’s “Secured TUV” Digital Currency.

The Secured TUV is a TUV with all the characteristics of WM’s Standard TUV; but also 100% secured by physical gold to the full value of the TUV.

WM’s Standard TUV is already a 100% hedge against inflation and currency depreciation due to it being convertible to any other World Reserve Currency – and many other currencies – instantly on-demand, and being 100% secured by 1:1 funds in its currency in a regulated bank account.

WM’s Secured TUV takes this process one-step further – specifically to cater for WM Members who prefer to have the Fiat Currencies that secure their TUVs backed by physical gold.

The Gold-Backed Secured TUV is not a planned or hoped-for product. It is already – as are all products and Facilities on the WM Platform – a fully functional and operational-reality.

The only reason for WM not already releasing its Secured TUV at this time, is due to it being in the process of finalizing the entity from which the physical gold to guarantee and back the Secured TUVs will be sourced.

This is because there are various prerequisites from WM regarding selection of the final supplier – including location, adherence to regulatory best practices, secure storage and monitoring, ongoing quality-control, capacity to rapidly increase stock, capacity for secure and insured delivery to Members in the event of refunds and some other requirements.

The supplier is anticipated to have been appointed by the end of 2021, and WM has scheduled the general release of the Secured TUV for Q2 2022.

WM’s Secured TUVs will function in exactly the same way as WM’s Standard TUVs, being:

  1. Standard TUVs are free and instant to acquire. Stored Credit (“funds”) used to acquire the TUV remain in a regulated bank account for the life of the TUV – providing the 1:1 funds backing of the Digital Currency.
  2. Standard TUVs can be acquired in any currency used on the WM Platform – including all the World Reserve Currencies. They can similarly be converted into any other of the World Reserve Currencies – or other currencies available on the WM Platform – instantly and on-demand.
  3. Standard TUVs can be used for every transaction type that exists – having the same utility as both cash and digital payments.
  4. Standard TUVs are globally transferable in 1/100th of a second, with the highest levels of security, reliability, reporting – and zero costs or fees – and can be used for any offline or online payments, transfers, conversions or other transactions – at zero cost, and with zero specialized equipment required.
  5. Standard TUVs can be refunded to the certified and reverified regulated bank account of any WM member on demand – in any currency that the TUV has been converted to.

The only differences between Standard TUVs and the Gold-Backed Secured TUVs are:

  1. Although the acquisition of a Secured TUV is elective, there is absolutely no difference between the acquisition of a Standard TUV or a Secured TUV. The cost of the acquisition of both TUVs from WM is the same – zero. Both are absolutely free to acquire. The funds used for acquiring both types of TUV go into a regulated bank account for the life of the TUV, and both TUVs are therefore fully backed by the funds for which they are valued – which can be refunded at any time on demand. The only difference is that the Standard TUV is backed 100% and 1:1 by funds in its value (which can be converted to other Currencies on demand), and the Secured TUV is backed by 100% and 1:1 by funds to its value, and also backed 100% by physical gold to its total value.
  2. Besides Secured TUVs being backed 1:1 in the currency in which they have been acquired or converted to – they are also backed by physical gold to the full value of the currency in which the TUV was acquired at the time of acquisition. That is – if a Secured TUV is acquired for USD 100 – it is backed by USD 100 in a regulated bank account and also by USD 100’s worth of physical gold. The same applies whether it is for USD 100 or USD 100 million.
  3. The value of the Secured TUV fluctuates directly with the fluctuation of the value of gold in that currency. If the value of gold goes up in that currency, the value of the Secured TUV increases. The value of the Secured TUV is directly linked to the value of gold in its currency.
  4. The currency of the Secured TUV can be converted on-demand by its owner to a different World Reserve Currency or other currency in use on the WM Platform. If this is done, the value of the Secured TUV will be reflected according to that currency’s value in gold (as in point 3 above).
  5. The Secured TUV can be refunded on demand either with funds – which are transferred directly to the owner’s certified and reverified bank account – or with physical gold. If the refund is in physical gold, the Secured TUV owner can either:
    1. Fetch the physical gold himself / herself at the secure storage location (security personnel arranged by the Secured TUV owner may do the transportation of the gold thereafter, but the certified and registered owner must present himself / herself directly to have the physical gold released).
    2. Have the physical gold securely delivered to him / her personally at his / her certified and reverified physical address (arranged via his / her WM account – but at his / her own cost for secured delivery).

WM provides these services from – and functions within – a regulatorily compliant and supervised situation. Moreover, WM has already been providing services for over a decade to limited user groups, and in that time has undergone over 30 robust due diligences worldwide. This includes due diligence by multiple firms of attorneys, specialist global research organizations, Investment banks and banks and top-tier Regulatory Agencies. Members therefore have the security of working through a reliable, due-diligenced, and confirmed blue-chip global company.

It has often been stated over the course of the last half a Century that a return to the Gold Standard was not possible – and indeed, via the legacy systems in operation worldwide, it was not.

However, due to the capacities of WM’s Global Clearing System – powered by its Artificial Intelligence Complex Adaptive System – many aspects of global economics and finance that were previously unattainable ideals are, for WM, not just very easily, practically and rapidly attainable – they already exist.

The 100% Gold-Backed Secured TUV Digital Currency is just one of the many facilities, products, services and processes that are unattainable by legacy systems, but which already exist as fully-operational realities within WM’s Global Clearing System.

A return to the Gold Standard represents – over and above the already-existing capacity to instantly convert TUVs’ currencies between all World Reserve Currencies – not just a safe haven against inflation and depreciation of specific Fiat currencies, but rather a safe haven against potential instability and depreciation of all Fiat currencies worldwide.

Resources:

Media Contact:
Nick Lambert: wm@thoburns.com

Information on WM’s “Secured TUV” Digital Currency:
https://webtel.mobi/info/my-secured-tuvs/

Information on WM’s “Standard TUV” Digital Currency:
https://webtel.mobi/info/tuv-characteristics/

Video on the Capacities of the WM System:
https://youtu.be/XYBrCikUhn8

Video on WM’s Regulatory Compliance:
https://youtu.be/u522lVsGIJI

Research Reports on the Capacities of the WM System:
https://tinyurl.com/TUVresearch

Overview Information on the Gold Standard:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_standard

WM’s urls:
https://webtel.mobi/pc (Tablets / Laptops / Desktops)
https://webtel.mobi (Smart Phones)
https://webtel.mobi/wap (Pre-Smart Mobile Phones)

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4f0d3054-2c25-41a8-9440-06dac05250ad
The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.

Posted on

Sweegen Expands Sugar Reduction Portfolio With High-Intensity Sweetener Brazzein

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., Oct. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sweegen is expanding its extensive sweetener portfolio in early 2022 with the zero-calorie, high-intensity sweetener brazzein.  The product was developed in collaboration with long-term innovation partner Conagen, which has scaled it to commercial production. Brazzein is a small, heat-stable protein, 500 to 2,000 times sweeter than regular sugar, making it very attractive to food and beverage manufacturers seeking excellent value in a sweetener.

As a sweetener, brazzein promises little to no bitter aftertaste and helps to reduce sweet linger, reducing taste modulation challenges in the natural sweetener space. Brazzein is stable in a wide range of pH and retains its qualities after pasteurization.  It is also readily soluble, making it ideal for sugar reduction across a spectrum of food and beverage applications.

“Introducing a high-purity brazzein to Sweegen’s portfolio of natural sweeteners is one more creative solution for helping brands make low-calorie better-for-you products,” said Sweegen’s SVP, Head of Global Innovation, Shari Mahon. “Brands can look forward to exploring the synergistic benefits of combining brazzein and stevia for reducing sugar in food and beverages in a cost-effective way.”

As a sweet protein, brazzein has great promise to fit into consumer diets, such as Keto, diabetes, or low-to-no carbohydrate lifestyles. Health-conscious consumers are also turning away from artificial sweeteners and accepting nature-based sweeteners, such as stevia and allulose.

Brazzein’s extraordinary qualities stand out among high-intensity sweeteners, but the quest to scale and commercialize it has proven difficult until now. Found sparingly in nature, brazzein derives from the West African climbing plant’s fruit, oubli. To scale brazzein sustainably, Conagen produces it by a proprietary precision fermentation process, a technology producing clean, nature-based ingredients.

“Brazzein is the first product generated from our new peptide platform, which fits well into our existing world-scale, precision fermentation infrastructure,” said Conagen’s Vice President of Innovation, Casey Lippmeier, Ph.D. “Peptides and small proteins like brazzein can be very difficult to make economically.  However, now that we have successfully scaled this peptide, we expect more sustainable, novel peptide ingredients will rapidly follow.”

About Sweegen

Sweegen provides sweet taste solutions for food and beverage manufacturers around the world.

We are on a mission to reduce the sugar and artificial sweeteners in our global diet.  Partnering with customers, we create delicious zero-sugar products that consumers love.  With the best next-generation stevia sweeteners in our portfolio, such as Signature Bestevia® Rebs B, D, E, I, M, and N, along with our deep knowledge of flavor modulators and texturants, Sweegen delivers market-leading solutions that customers want, and consumers prefer. Be well. Choose well.

For more information, please contact info@sweegen.com and visit Sweegen’s website, www.sweegen.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, among other statements, statements regarding the future prospects for Reb M stevia leaf sweetener. These statements are based on current expectations but are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond the control of Sweegen, Inc.

Relevant risks and uncertainties include those referenced in the historic filings of Sweegen, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements, and therefore should be carefully considered. Sweegen, Inc. assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements due to new information or future events or developments.

Attachments

Ana Arakelian
Sweegen
+1.949.709.0583
ana.arakelian@sweegen.com
Posted on

Meet the six incredible animals you didn’t know were in Qatar

Qatar Tourism / Azzam Al Mannai

Qatar Tourism / Azzam Al Mannai

DOHA, Qatar, Oct. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

  • Qatar is giving great attention and effort to preserving wildlife in the region
  • On World Animal Day, Qatar Tourism highlights six animals you didn’t know were in Qatar:
    1. Arabian Oryx – the national animal
    2. Whale shark – world’s largest fish
    3. Dugong – only vegetarian marine mammal
    4. Hawksbill turtle – critically endangered
    5. Flamingo – a colourful migration
    6. Honey Badger – the world’s bravest animal

To celebrate World Animal Day, Qatar Tourism highlights six unexpected animals for visitors to see in the country.

Despite its small size, Qatar is home to an abundance of interesting land and aquatic creatures that make up the country’s diverse ecosystem. Home to many nature reserves, the peninsula puts great emphasis on preserving and developing local wildlife to protect it from extinction.

Chief Operating Officer of Qatar Tourism, Berthold Trenkel, said: “Visitors will be amazed by just how many interesting and unique animals there are here. Qatar is home to dolphins, falcons, sand cats, and the red fox, among many more. We are home to a plethora of amazing animals, birds, and fantastic fauna, many of which are indigenous – visitors just have to know where to look for them.”

Here is a list of the six most unexpected animals in Qatar and where to find them:

Arabian Oryx

With long spear-like horns, the Arabian Oryx is one of four species of antelope that lives in Qatar’s desert and is native to the Arabian Peninsula. It is also the national animal of Qatar.

This majestic creature used to be on the verge of extinction, but after immense conservation measures taken through Operation Oryx, the animals were reintroduced into the wilderness in 1982.

Visitors can visit the Arabian Oryx at the Al-Maha sanctuary, also called the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary. They can also be seen at Al Sheehaniya Reserve — located 45 km to the west of Doha — and Al Mashabiya Reserve in south-west Qatar, at country’s the oldest natural reserves.

Azzam Al Mannai, a Qatar-based wildlife photographer, says: “No picture can do the Arabian Oryx justice. I have been photographing them for the last three years and they always continue to amaze. They can be found in many natural reserves around Qatar and are known as ‘Al Wudhaihi’ due to their pure white colour. A truly beautiful creature.”

Whale shark

These grand aquatic creatures, often referred to as ‘gentle giants’ have been endangered since 2002. As the largest fish in the world, they can grow up to 20 metres long, and often migrate around the globe in search of tropical waters.

Qatar hosts one of the largest gatherings of whale sharks on the planet, appearing from April to September off the northeast coast of the Al Shaheen restricted marine zone.

Brigadier General Mohamed Al Jaidah, the lead whale shark research scientist in Qatar, says: “As an endangered species, conservation and protection of the whale sharks is our number one priority. We have been studying them extensively for the past 11 years in Qatar trying to understand more about them and their habitat.”

“Every year hundreds of majestic whale sharks congregate in Qatari waters to fine-dine on tuna eggs, essentially a caviar. I have seen up to 360 whale sharks at once. You see the fins, the tails, they’ll be under the boat, swimming, next to you, in all sorts of different locations.”

Dugong

Known as the ‘sea cow’, these vulnerable species are in decline and are classified as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Home to the second-largest population of dugongs globally, Qatar’s continued efforts to study and protect marine mammals resulted in a rare sighting of a group of 840 dugongs in 2020. Often seen to gather north of the peninsula’s shores between January and early March, these sea mammals can be found in large herds, which is not common behaviour for this sea mammal.

Mehsin Al-Ansi Al-Yafei, Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences and dugong researcher, says: “What’s amazing about the dugongs of Qatar is we’ve seen gatherings of over 800 in one day over my past two years of research. Something that hasn’t been seen anywhere else in the world. They feed on the seagrass and have been swimming around the Arabian Gulf for more than 7,000 years. I have been studying marine life in Qatar since 2002 and am always amazed by the different creatures that call this country home.”

Hawksbill turtle

The 560 km coastline of Qatar is home to one of the largest and most important nesting habitats for the hawksbill sea turtle in the region. Critically endangered, they are considered by many to be the most beautiful of sea turtles for their colourful shells.

As the hawksbill turtles are popularly known to visit Fuwairit beach during their nesting season, the beach undergoes a cleaning campaign as part of the turtle protection project, before the area is closed off to the public for the nesting season. Last year was also the first time the public were allowed to witness the miracle of life during the hatching season, under the umbrella of Qatar Museums, in collaboration with the Wildlife and Protection Department of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.

Flamingos

Hundreds of flamingos make the northern Qatari wetlands their home for up to six months as they migrate from Europe in search of warmer climates. They may be spotted from the air during a flying tour of the Al Thakira Mangroves. BirdLife International, which aims to protect the habitats of migratory birds, works actively in Qatar to ensure it is a hospitable environment for these annual colourful visitors.

Honey Badger

Don’t be swayed by its size, the honey badger is one of the world’s toughest animals. It doesn’t start fights it can’t finish, and it makes an impressive foe. It has also been known to take on hyenas, leopards, lions, and pythons. Its scientific name is ‘ratel’, but it is commonly-called the honey badger since it is known for taking on a full hive of bees to taste its favourite snack. The animal can also turn around in its own loose skin to easily break free from predators, for a quick surprise attack.

Sightings in Qatar have been reported from Zuwair, Ilham, and Al Haym southwest Al Shammal.

To find out more information about animals in Qatar please visit http://www.visitqatar.qa or download the app via the App Store or Google Play.

-Ends-

For media-related inquiries, please contact Qatar Tourism’s Press Office on:

+974 7774 7863 | pressoffice@visitqatar.qa

About Qatar:

Qatar is a peninsula surrounded by the Arabian Gulf in the heart of the Middle East, with 80% of the earth’s population within a six-hour flight. Ranked the safest country in the world in 2020 by Numbeo, Qatar welcomes all travellers, and guests from over 85 countries can enter visa-free. Qatar has an incredible variety of easily accessible tourist attractions, a plethora of fauna and flora including Whale Sharks and the majestic national animal the Arabian Oryx, and most experiences are a unique combination of cultural authenticity and modernity. From iconic museums to high-rise restaurants, from thrilling desert adventures to world-famous events including none other than the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, there is something for all types of travellers and budgets.

About Qatar Tourism:

Qatar Tourism is the official government body responsible for the development and promotion of tourism in Qatar, facilitating the sector’s exponential growth. Qatar is a destination where people of the world come together to experience unique offerings in arts, culture, sports, and adventure, catering to family and business visitors, rooted in Service Excellence. Qatar Tourism seeks to boost the entire tourism value chain, grow local and international visitor demand, attract inward investment, and drive a multiplier effect across the domestic economy. The Qatar Tourism Strategy 2030 sets an ambitious target to attract over six million international visitors a year by 2030, making Qatar the fastest growing destination in the Middle East.

Web: www.visitqatar.qa

Twitter: @VisitQatar

Instagram: @VisitQatar

Related Images

Image 1: Qatar Tourism / Azzam Al Mannai

Image 2: Qatar Tourism / Mehsin Al-Ansi Al-Yafei

Image 3: Qatar Tourism

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment

Posted on

Thai government advised to prepare for financial fallout from China’s ‘Evergrande’ crisis

Thailand’s former finance minister and Kla Party Leader Korn Chatikavanij has strongly advised the Thai government to take precautionary steps to protect against any fallout from China’s Evergrande crisis.

In his Facebook post today, he said that, for the past several weeks, the government has been busy dealing with the floods, while foreign media and economists have been closely monitoring Evergrande.

The Chinese property giant is the most indebted developer in the world at present, reportedly in the hole by as much as US$305 billion due to its heavy investment in real estate projects in China and a wide range of other industries, including electric cars, health care services, consumer products and even a theme park.

Its share price has plunged nearly 80% this year and trading of its bonds have been repeatedly halted by Chinese stock exchanges. It has defaulted on payments to several creditors and is on the brink of collapse.

Korn recalled that, during the subprime mortgage crisis in the US, which contributed to the global financial crisis from 2007 to 2010, when he was the finance minister, he and his economic team had closely monitored the situation and had taken precautionary steps to cushion the impacts on the Thai economy, resulting in the country having recovered from the crisis faster than many others.

“My question is, is Thailand prepared to cope with the Evergrande crisis?” he asked.

The Kla party leader said the Chinese property development giant’s insatiable appetite for debt has led the company to the brink, with its inevitable impacts on the Chinese banking system and the political establishment.

Although the Chinese government has defined three “redline” benchmarks for Evergrande, to cushion the impacts on the real estate business in China, Korn said that the company has failed to meet all the three, adding that he does not think that the Chinese government will help the company’s shareholders.

Although the company’s financial crisis is yet to affect Thailand, Korn warned that, because of Thailand’s partial economic dependency on the Chinese market, more so than on the US, “when we were struck by the crisis, we must have a plan in place to cushion the impacts and must not be complacent because it is far away.”

Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service

Posted on

Pandora Papers expose world leaders’ offshore entities, Thai tycoon families among listed

More than a dozen heads of state and government, from Jordan to Azerbaijan, Kenya and the Czech Republic, have used offshore tax havens to hide assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a far-reaching new investigation by the ICIJ media consortium.

The so-called “Pandora Papers” investigation, involving some 600 journalists from media including The Washington Post, the BBC, The Guardian, Radio France and the Indian Express, is based on the leak of some 11.9 million documents from 14 financial services companies around the world.

THAILAND

Among those listed with offshore entities are Thailand’s six families, with the Chiaravanont clan, Thailand’s richest family, according to Forbes, who is behind Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, and the Sirivadhanabhakdi clan, the country’s third richest, which is behind the Thai Beverage and TCC Group, found to have owned several offshore entities.

Others include the Bhirombhakdis, of the Boon Rawd Brewery, the Yoovidhyas, who founded Red Bull, the Chirathivats, who control the Central Group, the Ratanavadis of Gulf Energy Development and the Osathanugrahs of the 130-year-old Osotspa.

JORDAN’S KING ABDULLAH

More than a dozen heads of state and government, from Jordan to Azerbaijan, Kenya and the Czech Republic, have used offshore tax havens to hide assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a far-reaching new investigation by the ICIJ media consortium.

The so-called “Pandora Papers” investigation, involving some 600 journalists from media including The Washington Post, the BBC, The Guardian, Radio France and the Indian Express, is based on the leak of some 11.9 million documents from 14 financial services companies around the world.

THAILAND

Among those listed with offshore entities are Thailand’s six families, with the Chiaravanont clan, Thailand’s richest family, according to Forbes, who is behind Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, and the Sirivadhanabhakdi clan, the country’s third richest, which is behind the Thai Beverage and TCC Group, found to have owned several offshore entities.

Others include the Bhirombhakdis, of the Boon Rawd Brewery, the Yoovidhyas, who founded Red Bull, the Chirathivats, who control the Central Group, the Ratanavadis of Gulf Energy Development and the Osathanugrahs of the 130-year-old Osotspa.

JORDAN’S KING ABDULLAH

The Pandora papers news reports claim Babis moved US$22 million through offshore companies to buy an estate on the French Riviera in 2009, while keeping his ownership secret. The report did not say the transactions broke the law.

Babis, speaking on Sunday in a TV debate ahead of Oct. 8-9 elections, denied any wrongdoing and said “the money left a Czech bank, was taxed, it was my money and returned to a Czech bank”.

Babis, founder of the Agrofert farming, food, chemical and media empire, entered politics in 2011 on an anti-corruption agenda.

PAKISTAN

The ICIJ said the leaked documents showed members of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s inner circle, including cabinet ministers, have secretly owned companies and trusts holding millions of dollars of hidden wealth. The documents also showed the personal wealth of Pakistani military leaders, it added.

The consortium said the documents contained no suggestion that Khan himself owns offshore companies.

It said Finance Minister Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin and members of his family own four offshore firms. According to Tariq Fawad Malik, a financial consultant who handled the paperwork on the companies, they were set up as part of the Tarin family’s intended investment in a bank with a Saudi business, the ICIJ said. The deal did not proceed.

The ICIJ quoted Tarin as saying in a statement that “the off-shore companies mentioned were incorporated as part of the fund raising process for my bank.”

SOUTH DAKOTA, USA

The Guardian said the files provided evidence that the US state of South Dakota now rivalled opaque jurisdictions in Europe and the Caribbean for financial secrecy.

The documents reveal almost $360 billion in customer assets are sitting in trusts in South Dakota, some of it tied to offshore-based people and companies accused of human rights abuses and other wrongdoings, it said. State officials declined to comment.

AZERBAIJAN

The investigation found Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his family have secretly been involved in British property deals worth more than 400 million pounds (US$542 million), according to the BBC.

The files show how the family bought 17 properties, including a 33 million pound office block in London for the president’s 11-year-old son.

The research also reveals how another office block, owned by the family nearby, was sold to the Crown Estate for 66 million pounds in 2018. The Crown Estate said it carried out the checks required by law at the time of purchase but is now looking into the matter. The Aliyevs declined to comment to the BBC.

KENYA

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and six members of his family have been linked to 13 offshore companies, according to the documents.

The Kenyattas’ offshore investments included a company with stocks and bonds worth $30 million, the BBC reported. The Kenyattas had not yet responded to requests for comment, it added.

Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service

Posted on

Three Thai men arrested after one threw explosive at police

Three Thai men were arrested by police shortly after they threw a home-made explosive device at traffic police officer directing traffic at Ratchaprasong intersection in Bangkok this morning (Monday), according to Pol Maj-Gen Jirasant Kaewsang-ek, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

Four men, riding motorcycles, passed through the Ratchaprasong intersection and one lobbed the home-made device. The officer was unharmed.

Immediately following the incident, a manhunt was launched. Three of the suspects were apprehended shortly afterward. The fourth evaded capture. The three nabbed are 18, 26, and 30 years old, with the youngest being the one who threw the explosive.

During questioning by police, the three reportedly claimed that they had made the bomb themselves, using gravel as shrapnel.

Pol Maj-Gen Jirasant said, however, that the police suspect that the three youths in custody may be linked to the “Talugas” protesters, who have been protesting at Din Daeng intersection for over a month now. He also said that police will try to identify their supporters and financiers, if there are any.

Altogether 13 protesters were arrested by police yesterday evening, following the protest at Din Daeng intersection by hard core “Talugas” protesters.

Three protest groups, including “Talugas”, are scheduled to hold protests at three different locations in Bangkok this evening.

Pol Maj-Gen Jirasant warned protesters, who have previously been arrested by police and released on bail, that they will be denied bail if they join the protests again and are rearrested.

Regarding the recent arrest of a 14-year-old protester, he said police went to the boy’s house in Wang Thong Lang district in Bangkok to search for illicit drugs, after one of the occupants was found to have links to the drug trade.

Police found a gun and some drug-related paraphernalia in the house, he added.

Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service