Afghan art activist defiant as Taliban erase Kabul muralsWithin weeks of capturing Kabul, the Taliban have started replacing many of the city's murals with propaganda slogansSEOUL - Afghan activist Omaid Sharifi's art collective spent seven years transforming stretches of Kabul's labyrinthine concrete blast walls with colourful murals -- then the Taliban marched in. - 'Everybody was running' -Sharifi co-founded ArtLords in 2014, using art to campaign for peace, social justice and accountability. The prolific group often shamed the powerful in Afghanistan with street art, including warlords and allegedly corrupt government officials. Their murals honoured Afghan heroes, called for dialogue instead of violence, and demanded rights for women. Sharifi told AFP he "vividly remembers" the public punishments at a football stadium in Kabul, including beheadings and amputations for various crimes.

Climate change fuelling surge in property insurance: Swiss ReActs of God? Climate change will drive demand for protection against rising seas and extreme weather events, says Swiss ReZURICH - Climate change will help propel a threefold surge in property insurance premiums over the coming two decades, according to a study published on Monday by Swiss Re. Swiss Re, which provides insurance for other insurance companies, set out to forecast the major trends driving the sector until 2040. Property premiums stood at around $450 billion in 2020. Motor insurance premiums are expected to double to around $1.4 trillion, from $766 billion in 2020.

Photos courtesy of Dhurakij Pundit UniversityIn today's digital age, young people learn on the internet and successfully build their careers online. Darika Lathapipat, president of Dhurakij Pundit University, said her 15-year-old son is also a self-learner who can edit videos after learning online. Of these, 34 were state universities, nine campuses of Rajamangala Universities of Technology, 38 of Rajabhat University, 40 private universities and 44 others. While state universities work on research because they have financial support, private universities concentrate on human development," said Darika. "Besides accepting international students, private universities should invest in new software and technology, so they will have more modern technology-related courses than state universities.

Funding needed to tackle life-shortening air pollution: reportThe UN cites air pollution as the world's most lethal environmental problem, blaming it for at least 7 million deaths every year. PARIS: Even as air pollution shaves years off life expectancy, fossil fuel projects get more funding than clean air initiatives, a global report said Tuesday. Deaths from air pollution in Africa meanwhile have risen 31% in 10 years. The UN blames air pollution for at least seven million deaths every year, and nine out of 10 people breathe air that WHO guidelines say is unhealthy. It estimates that improving air quality worldwide to meet WHO guidelines would extend average lifespans by 2.2 years.

Osotspa eyes consumer recovery as demand risesMs Chidapa said the company is looking for partners that would be a good strategic fit. According to Ms Chidapa, Osotspa has studied the potential of cannabis and hemp beverages and personal care products since 2019. This is because we have a strong brand, a local factory and a local team over there,'' Ms Chidapa said. In the first half of this year, the company's revenue from sales totalled 13.68 billion baht, an increase of 8.7% from the same period the previous year, with net profit up 5.4% to 1.82 billion baht. "Strong growth was driven by domestic beverages and the international market,'' Ms Chidapa said.

LPG prices spark optimism for SGPSET-listed Siamgas and Petrochemical (SGP), Thailand's second largest liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) trader by volume, expects its revenue to reach a new high this year despite lower sales than in 2019, thanks to high global LPG prices. Jintana Kingkaew, deputy managing director and chief financial officer of SGP, said the company based its forecast on the global prices of propane and butane, also known as Saudi Aramco reference prices. SGP maintains its target of sales growing by 15% to hit 3.73 million tonnes this year across Asian markets, up from 3.24 million tonnes last year. Before the pandemic, its sales stood at 3.83 million tonnes in 2019. SGP operates a 230-megawatt Mawlamyine gas-fired power plant and a 10MW diesel-fired power plant in Myanmar.

Britain's Raducanu makes US Open history, gets tips from WadeBritain's Emma Raducanu celebrates her victory Monday over American Shelby Rogers to reach the US Open quarter-finalsNEW YORK - British teen Emma Raducanu matched the deepest run by any qualifier in US Open history on Monday, rolling into the quarter-finals and mastering the nervy atmosphere of Arthur Ashe Stadium. "I'm feeling very confident and happy with how I'm performing out here in the States," Raducanu said. I'm really excited to see what I can do on Wednesday." "To be here in the US Open quarterfinals after not playing for 18 months is absolutely just incredible." Virginia Wade, the 1968 US Open champion and most recent British woman to capture the New York title, was cheering on Raducanu on Tuesday.

OIC acts to ensure timely Covid paymentAround 500 people gather in front of The One Insurance Plc on Monday to push for speedier claims reimbursement for Covid-19 insurance. ARNUN CHOLMAHATRAKOOLThe Office of the Insurance Commission (OIC) has issued measures to speed up the claims process for Covid-19 insurance after payment delays were reported. The meeting is scheduled for Sept 12 to collect opinions from relevant agencies and develop guidelines to ensure compliance from insurance companies. According to Mr Suthiphon, the OIC received 1,671 complaints about Covid-19 insurance from policyholders nationwide this year, an increase from 1,305 complaints in 2020. Viriyah Insurance said it received more than 1,000 insurance claims per day, causing the system to slow.

AGE revenue up as coal demand growsAsia Green Energy expects a revival in coal demand this year to bolster revenue. SET-listed coal trader Asia Green Energy (AGE) maintains its revenue target of 37% growth to 11 billion baht this year, up from 8 billion in 2020, thanks to rising demand for coal. Coal demand is resuming growth and likely to return to levels seen before the pandemic, he said. Last year logistics turned into a new source of revenue as it expanded the service to other companies. Truck transport expansion is part of AGE's 2021 capital spending worth 200 million baht.

Philippine Airlines to return 22 planes, reassures on survivalAircraft of Philippines Airlines park beside a hangar at a runway of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila March 14, 2016. (Reuters photo)MANILA: Philippine Airlines will return 22 aircraft, mostly Airbus and Boeing jets, to lessors as it pursues a financial restructuring programme to survive after the pandemic has decimated global travel, executives said on Monday. With the company not expecting a return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 to 2025, the carrier will return 22 aircraft to lessors, Philippine Airlines President Gilbert Santa Maria told a news conference. Philippine Airlines will end with 70 aircraft after cutting about a quarter of its fleet of 92 planes. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Philippine Airlines said on Friday it was pursuing a financial restructuring plan.

Marchers walk 7,000 steps for Canadian pair detained by ChinaSupporters of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor take part in a 5-kilometre walk in Ottawa, Ontario on Sept 5, 2021, to mark the pair's 1,000 days in Chinese custody after they were charged with espionage. OTTAWA: Hundreds of supporters of two Canadian men being held on what Ottawa says are specious charges marched 7,000 steps through the Canadian capital on Sunday to mark the pair's 1,000th day of "unjust" detention in China. Similar events in support of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were held elsewhere in Canada and across the world in cities including Brussels, New York, Washington, Seoul and Singapore. "We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada and the international community in calling for the PRC to release, immediately and unconditionally, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig," Blinken said in a statement, referring to the People's Republic of China. "He walks in circles, 7,000 steps, often holding a book, reading, reciting songs, prayers -- five kilometres of courage and contemplation.

Aug headline inflation dips for first time in 5 months on subsidiesPeople flock to the food court of the Seacon Square shopping centre in Bangkok's Srinakarin area on Wednesday after dine-in is allowed. Government subsidies have contributed to a surprise drop in headline inflation. Without the measures, the headline CPI would have risen more than 1%, ministry official Wichanun Niwatjinda told a briefing on Thursday. However, headline inflation might not reach 1% this year, versus a current forecast of 0.7% to 1.7%, Mr Wichanun said. In the January-August period, headline CPI rose 0.73% from a year earlier, with the core measure of CPI up 0.23%.

Hunters arrested with wildlife carcassesTwo of three hunters sit on the ground after they were arrested by park rangers in Thong Pha Phum district of Kanchanaburi on Sunday. (Photo: Piyarat Chongcharoen)KANCHANABURI: Three hunters were arrested with a number of wildlife carcasses on Sunday in Khao Laem National Park in Thong Pha Phum district of this western border province. Found in the fertiliser bags were carcasses of two black giant squirrels, two black hornbills, two Asiatic brush-tailed porcupines, one langur, one monkey, one soft-shelled turtle and one clouded monitor lizard. The three men were charged with violating the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act of 2019, the National Park Act of 2019 and the Firearm Act of 1947. They were taken to Thong Pha Phum police station for legal proceedings.

SilkAir's aircraft, the Boeing 737 Max 8, sits on the tarmac at Changi Airport. Singapore grounded the 737 MAX in March 2019 following two fatal crashes. China is the biggest market in the region that has yet to approve the return of the 737 MAX, though Boeing last month conducted test flights in the country. Singapore Airlines said on Monday it would continue to work closely with CAAS and other relevant regulators in the coming weeks to meet the requirements to return its 737 MAX planes to service. Further details on its 737 MAX operations will be announced at a later date, the airline added.

Binance removes Singapore products on main platform after regulator's warningBinance logo and stock graph are displayed in this illustration taken on June 28, 2021. (Reuters photo)HONG KONG: Embattled Binance, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, said it will restrict its services in Singapore days after the city state's central bank said it should stop offering payment services. The Monetary Authority of Singapore became the latest regulator to take aim at Binance, warning last week that its global platform, Binance.com, could be breaking the law by providing payment services to Singapore residents without an appropriate licence. Binance.com will stop offering Singapore dollar payment options and Singapore dollar trading pairs from Sept. 10 and the app will be removed from the Singapore iOs and Google Play stores, it said in a post on its website. The restrictions only apply to Binance's global platform and not its Singapore platform, which Changpeng Zhao, the company's chief executive has urged users to switch to.