Tech
5.7 million personal computers in Thailand at risk
More than 5.7 million personal computers in Thailand are still at risk with just six months left before Microsoft ends support for Windows XP, according to the head of Microsoft Thailand’s Windows Client Business Group.
More than 5.7 million personal computers in Thailand are still at risk with just six months left before Microsoft ends support for Windows XP, according to the head of Microsoft Thailand’s Windows Client Business Group.
Microsoft reminds business users and consumers with PCs still running Windows XP that it will officially retire service and support for the operating system next April 8, said Rachod Isarankura Na Ayuthaya.
With half a year left to this crucial milestone, there are more than 5.7 million PCs in Thailand – or nearly three in every 10 computers – that are still running on Windows XP, an 11-year-old operating system no longer capable of handling sophisticated cyber-attacks and demands for more data privacy and productivity, he said.
StatCounter figures for last month show that the Kingdom has one of the highest Windows XP installed bases in the Asia-Pacific region, at about 28 per cent of all PCs in the country. That is equivalent to an “alarming” figure of 5.7 million computers, which is higher than the population of Singapore, he said.
via Millions of Thai PCs ‘still at risk’ by running Windows XP, Microsoft warns – The Nation.
Myanmar
Digital Revolution and Repression in Myanmar and Thailand
Activists have also proactively published social media content in multiple languages using the hashtags #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar and #WhatsHappeningInThailand to boost coverage of events on the ground.
By Karen Lee
Following the February 1 coup, Myanmar’s netizens became the latest to join the #MilkTeaAlliance, an online collective of pro-democracy youth across Asia.
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– After falling significantly in 2020, oil prices have returned to pre-pandemic levels
– The rise has been driven by OPEC+ production cuts and an improving economic climate
– Higher prices are likely to support a rebound in oil-producing emerging markets
– Further virus outbreaks or increased production would pose challenges to price stability
A combination of continued production cuts and an increase in economic activity has prompted oil prices to return to pre-pandemic levels – a factor that will be crucial to the recovery of major oil-producing countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Brent crude prices rose above $60 a barrel in early February, the first time they had exceeded pre-Covid-19 values. They have since continued to rise, going above $66 a barrel on February 24.
The ongoing increase in oil prices, which have soared by 75% since November and around 26% since the beginning of the year, marks a dramatic change from last year.
Following the closure of many national borders and the implementation of travel-related restrictions to stop the spread of the virus, demand for oil slumped globally.
In the wake of the Saudi-Russia price war in early 2020, Brent crude prices fell from around $60 a barrel in February that year to two-decade lows of $20 a barrel in late April, as supply increased and demand plummeted. The value of WTI crude – the main benchmark for oil in the US – fell to record lows of around $40 a barrel last year on the back of a lack of storage space.
While global demand for oil remains low, one factor credited with reversing the trend is the decision to make significant cuts to oil production, which subsequently tightened global supplies.
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