10,000 migrants, many Haitian, packed under Texas bridge
10,000 migrants, many Haitian, packed under Texas bridgeHaitian and Central American migrants march to the Siglo XXI Migratory Station in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico, aiming to travel to the United States. HOUSTON - More than 10,000 undocumented migrants, many of them Haitians, were being held under a bridge in Texas on Friday, US officials said, posing a new challenge to President Joe Biden's immigration policy. Bruno Lozano, the mayor of Del Rio on the US-Mexico border, said that the migrants were crowded in an area controlled by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) beneath the Del Rio International Bridge. "The border patrol right now is so overwhelmed with the influx of migrants in the Del Rio sector," Lozano said. "To prevent injuries from heat-related illness, the shaded area underneath Del Rio International Bridge is serving as a temporary staging site while migrants wait to be taken into Border Patrol custody," it said.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 15:56 UTC
Allegations of favoring China could erode confidence in IMF chief
Romer was World Bank chief economist at the time, and criticized Georgieva for engineering a "whitewash" of separate concerns he raised about the institution's flagship Doing Business report. The push came while bank leadership was engaged in sensitive negotiations with Beijing over the bank's lending capital. The IMF has its own a series of reports on national economies, which could be called into question following the allegations against Georgieva. He said Georgieva's leadership of the IMF calls into question other dealings with Beijing and "has implications for China's influence at the Fund. She is also expected at the IMF and World bank annual meetings in early October.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 15:33 UTC
World on 'catastrophic' path to 2.7C warming: UN chief
World on 'catastrophic' path to 2.7C warming: UN chiefA bombshell "code red" for humanity warned Earth's average temperature will reach 1.5C a decade earlier than projected only three years agoPARIS - A failure to slash global emissions is setting the world on a "catastrophic" path to 2.7 degrees Celsius heating, UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Friday just weeks before crunch climate talks. This shows "the world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7-degrees of heating," Guterres said in a statement. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that emissions should be around 45 percent lower by 2030 compared with 2010 levels to meet the 1.5C goal. It warned that the target for 2020, which saw the world shaken by the Covid-19 pandemic, would be missed. "The fight against climate change will only succeed if everyone comes together to promote more ambition, more cooperation and more credibility," said Guterres.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 14:48 UTC
Nong Khai plans for rail link with China
Thailand hopes a rail link with China will offer faster delivery of goods to southern Chinese provinces. An 80-rai site at the Nong Khai railway station would be developed as a depot to handle international trade, said Kittiphan Panchan, the department’s director-general. Trains between Nong Khai station and the Thanaleng border station in Laos now share the bridge with motor vehicles crossing between the two countries. The department did not give a timeline for the projects, but there is new urgency since the 471-kilometre Laos-China rail line is nearly completed. Thailand now expects to be able to connect with Laos and China in 2028 when the first high-speed train line from Bangkok to Nong Khai is completed.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 13:52 UTC
Austria hears first lawsuit over ski resort Covid outbreak
Austria hears first lawsuit over ski resort Covid outbreakThe case is the first of 15 lawsuits filed by plaintiffs from Austria and GermanyVIENNA - The first civil lawsuit began in a court in Vienna on Friday over a notorious outbreak of coronavirus at a popular ski resort last year, where thousands of people from 45 countries claim to have become infected. It is being brought on behalf of Sieglinde Schopf and Ulrich, the widow and son of 72-year-old Hannes Schopf, who died after contracting the virus in Ischgl. Sieglinde was not present in Vienna's Palace of Justice on Friday but her son Ulrich sat alongside the legal team bringing their case, with a swarm of media filming and photographing the participants before the hearing got under way. During a break in proceedings, Ulrich told reporters the most important thing in the trial was getting "justice" for victims and their families. The Schopf family is suing the Republic of Austria for 100,000 euros ($120,000).
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 12:45 UTC
Cambodia vaccinating children as young as 6
(AFP Photo)PHNOM PENH: Cambodia on Friday began vaccinating children as young as six against the coronavirus, even though the World Health Organisation has yet to approve a vaccine for the under-12s. “It is necessary for us to do this because we have to step ahead,” Hun Sen said. Cambodia plans to give two shots of the Chinese-made vaccine to children aged six to 12, with a third booster dose later. But health experts are not yet sure about the advisability of vaccinating younger children. But Hun Sen, the strongman who has ruled Cambodia for over three decades, dismissed safety concerns.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 11:25 UTC
Launch of MobilSM Fleet Care program in Thailand
Launch of MobilSM Fleet Care program in ThailandThe all-new MobilSM Fleet Care has upped its ante with fleet telematics system, enabling a holistic fleet management solutionEsso (Thailand) Public Company Limited launched its MobilSM Fleet Care (MFC) program for its lubricant customers on 15 September 2021. MobilSM Fleet Care is a fleet management solution that provides fleet owners and operators with a holistic view of their fleet’s operational performance. The insights MobilSM Fleet Care provides will help ensure fleet safety and contribute to overall productivity and efficiency. Furthermore, MobilSM Fleet Care program will enhance the fleet business operations in Thailand by connecting and directing the performance report via the LINE application, allowing operators to conveniently manage their fleets from anywhere and anytime.”MobilSM Fleet Care program rollout begins in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, and is expected to further expand regionally where customers will have an option to choose from various packages to suit their business needs. For more information on MobilSM Fleet Care program, and to find out more about ongoing promotions, solutions and packages please reach out to local distributors at mobil.com/fleet-care-asean.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 10:52 UTC
Singapore, Hong Kong threaten to retaliate over EU's tougher airport slot rules
Singapore, Hong Kong threaten to retaliate over EU's tougher airport slot rulesSingapore Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at Changi Airport in Singapore on Dec 8, 2020. Cathay Pacific last month warned publicly that the slower recovery in Hong Kong meant it risked losing prized overseas airport slots and harming the city's hub status. Taiwan's China Airlines and Korean Air Lines expressed concern about the EU rules in statements to Reuters, while Singapore Airlines declined to comment. Air France and KLM said their decisions to fly were not based on airport slots. "When the demand is not there it is unreasonable to expect people to operate," IATA Head of Worldwide Airport Slots Lara Maughan said.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 10:30 UTC
Taiwan warns off Chinese aircraft
President Tsai Ing-wen attends a Taiwanese Air Force fighter jet take-off and landing drill, as part of the annual Han Kuang exercises, in Pingtung, Taiwan on Wednesday. (Taiwan Military News Agency photo via Reuters)TAIPEI: Taiwan’s air force scrambled on Friday to warn away 10 Chinese aircraft that entered its air defence zone, Taiwan’s defence ministry said, the day after the island announced a US$9-billion boost to military spending to counter the threat from China. The latest Chinese mission involved 6 J-16 and 2 J-11 fighters plus one anti-submarine and one reconnaissance aircraft, the Taiwan ministry said. Taiwan sent combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them, the ministry said. Taiwan’s defence spending “is based on safeguarding national sovereignty, national security, and national security.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 10:07 UTC
Safety first: health measures key to reopening
Safety first: health measures key to reopeningA vendor waits for customers at a shop on empty Khaosan Road, formerly a mecca for backpackers visiting Bangkok. Assistant spokeswoman Apisamai Srirangson said the CCSA needs to be convinced that preparations made by the Public Health Ministry are adequate. This follows the trial reopening of Phuket, known as the Phuket sandbox, that started in July. Dr Apisamai said the success of the Phuket sandbox was due to the mobilisation of health resources, some from Bangkok, to support the programme. Health authorities and academics are worried about another virus surge after the country opens up more places to vaccinated tourists.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 09:56 UTC
Woman hit by bullet fired by road-rage gunman
Woman hit by bullet fired by road-rage gunmanThe house where Lonlada Thanitsawong was earlier hit by a stray bullet while eating in Khong district, Nakhon Ratchasima, on Thursday night. (Photo supplied/ Prasit Tangprasert)A woman was hit by a bullet in front of her house as two men fired shots at her son-in-law's pickup truck, which had cut in front of them, in Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday night. Lonlada Thanitsawong, 58, was hit in the leg and rushed to a hospital. He saw one of the men take something from under the seat and point it in his direction, then heard a gunshot. His mother-in-law was hit in the right leg by the bullet, he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 07:41 UTC
US to charge ex-Boeing pilot over 737 MAX crashes: report
US to charge ex-Boeing pilot over 737 MAX crashes: reportBoeing's 737 MAX was grounded for 20 months following two deadly crashes that killed hundredsNEW YORK - Federal prosecutors are preparing to indict a former Boeing test pilot suspected of misleading aviation regulators over the safety issues blamed for two fatal 737 MAX crashes, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The 737 MAX was formally certified in March 2017, but was grounded worldwide for 20 months following two crashes in October 2018 and March 2019 that killed 346 people. The MAX was allowed to fly again at the end of 2020, once the MCAS software was modified. Boeing has acknowledged its responsibility in misleading regulators and agreed to pay more than $2.5 billion dollars to settle certain lawsuits. The Wall Street Journal said it was not clear what charges Forkner would face.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 06:47 UTC
Sunsets and squalor: Inside Afghanistan's largest prison
Sunsets and squalor: Inside Afghanistan's largest prisonWallpaper depicting tropical sunsets adorned the concrete walls of several cellsKABUL - Thousands of prisoners were crammed into a squalid prison to the east of Kabul last month until the Taliban set them free as they closed in on the capital. Taliban prisoners were also among those detained at the Pul-e-Charkhi -- as well as even more hardcore militants from the Islamic State group. Construction of Afghanistan's largest prison began in the 1970s, and in the decades since it has been criticised by human rights groups for its squalid and cramped conditions. A visiting area is riddled with bullet holes, where a last stand took place before the guards took flight. Mawlawi Abdulhaq Madani, a 33-year-old Taliban fighter now guarding the prison, is happy to see it empty.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 05:48 UTC
Blackpink's Lisa boosts meatball business
Blackpink's Lisa boosts meatball businessGrilled meatball stalls at the front of Buri Ram railway station, a favourite snack of K-pop singer "Lisa". Vendors in front of Buri Ram railway station said orders were pouring in from out of town since the singer said it was her favourite snack. Lisa said in an interview that she missed her parents' home-cooked meals as she had now been away from Buri Ram for almost two years. The singer also said she wanted to return to the stalls near the railway station and eat their meatballs again. "The highlight is the sauce found only in Buri Ram."
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 05:48 UTC
Indonesia reinstates temporary tax break for small-car sales
Indonesia reinstates temporary tax break for small-car salesA worker is seen assembling a Mitsubishi Pajero at the Mitsubishi car factory in Bekasi, West Java province, Indonesia, on April 25, 2017. (Reuters file photo)JAKARTA: Indonesia has reinstated a temporary luxury-tax break on sales of smaller cars as the concession helped boost demand for vehicles, the Finance Ministry said on Friday. The tax break, which had expired in August, will now be available till the end of the year, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry did not provide an estimate of revenue loss from the tax break. Monthly domestic sales have also recovered, with more than 83,000 units sold in August, close to pre-pandemic levels.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 17, 2021 04:41 UTC