Embracing the Afro in revolt against Venezuela's 'bad hair' stereotype
Embracing the Afro in revolt against Venezuela's 'bad hair' stereotypeHair and race identity are closely intertwined in VenezuelaCARACAS - Two years ago, Victoria Mejias abandoned her slavish pursuit of sleek tresses -- a common obsession in Venezuela where hair and race identity are closely intertwined. Mejias said she long felt ashamed of her "pelo malo" (bad hair), as natural Black hair is called in Venezuela -- a symptom, some say, of deep-seated racism. Hair discrimination also has more practical, day-to-day implications. Under such indoctrination, she herself used long, straight hair extensions until four years ago, when she decided to switch to dreadlocks. The pair work at Afro Caracas, a salon specializing in black hair styles.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2021 02:03 UTC
US startup aims to transform pet food with lab-made chow
US startup aims to transform pet food with lab-made chowA US startup is growing nutritional pet food in a lab. BOULDER, US: Cloudy liquid bubbling in glass tubes is key to a US startup's hopes of remaking the pet food industry by growing nutritional chow in a lab. Most pet food includes animal protein, which requires the slaughter of animals and is ultimately a source of planet-warming gases. Kelleman was convinced by research that if a company could "crack the code" for lab-grown pet food there would be a market for it. But the company has many hurdles to cross in its quest to become the new normal in pet food.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2021 02:03 UTC
Langkawi readies for reopening with tourism bubble
People have a picnic on Cenang beach on Tuesday as Langkawi gets ready to open to domestic tourists from Thursday. Langkawi, a cluster of 99 islands in the Straits of Malacca, will reopen from Thursday to fully vaccinated travellers as part of a domestic tourism bubble, with strict protocols in place to thwart the spread of the coronavirus. The plan is similar to that introduced in Thailand, which started with the July reopening of Phuket, 220 kilomoetres north of Langkawi, to vaccinated foreign tourists. What is important is that we can control the tourists to ensure their compliance," said Tuan Nasaruddin Abdul Muttalib, head of the Langkawi development authority. Malaysia has recorded 2 million coronavirus cases overall among its 32 million population, one of Asia's highest per-capita infection rates, with more than 20,000 deaths.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2021 01:52 UTC
After first visit, family of Nicaraguan detainees describe abuse
After first visit, family of Nicaraguan detainees describe abuseSeveral high-profile opponents of President Daniel Ortega are being held in Nicaragua's notorious El Chipote prisonMANAGUA - Isolation, daily interrogations, threats and hunger: relatives fear for the welfare of dozens of opposition figures held in Nicaragua under conditions denounced by human rights observers. Ortega's government has been accused of political persecution for its rounding up of opposition figures, including seven aspiring presidential candidates. - Talking to spiders -Family members say the prisoners are being held without adequate food and no access to medical care. On Monday, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet urged the Nicaraguan government to "immediately and unconditionally" release detainees and stop its "persecution of the opposition, the press and civil society." The Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has also called on the Nicaraguan government "to end the harassment of opposition figures, including (human rights) defenders, as well as to immediately free those detained arbitrarily."
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2021 01:41 UTC
Obstacles mar TAT's Mideast drive
"Feedback from tourists about the Phuket sandbox is positive, but applying for the COE and expensive RT-PCR tests remain obstacles," said Chaiwat Tamthai, director of the TAT's Dubai office. Mr Chaiwat said if Thailand maintains the same travel conditions, the number of tourists from the Middle East should reach 20,000 in the final quarter. In 2019, Thailand logged 506,657 tourists from the Middle East, a reduction of 8% year-on-year, contributing 39.3 billion baht, a decrease of 7.2%. The top three markets in the Middle East are the UAE (130,158 tourists generating 9.7 billion baht), Oman (85,680 tourists generating 6.3 billion baht) and Kuwait (78,199 tourists generating 7.4 billion baht). He said tourists from the Middle East should reach 200,000 next year as they usually travel in a group comprising 5-6 family members.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2021 01:41 UTC
Middle East tourists face obstacles
Middle East tourists face obstaclesA man stands near health workers at the Phuket airport as the island reopens to vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine on July 1. Thailand’s attempt to attract more visitors from the Middle East is being undermined by a complicated certificate of entry (COE) application process and relatively costly Covid-19 tests, says the Dubai office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). "Feedback from tourists about the Phuket sandbox is positive, but applying for the COE and expensive RT-PCR tests remain obstacles," said Chaiwat Tamthai, director of the TAT's Dubai office. Mr Chaiwat said Phuket welcomed 5,000 tourists from the Middle East in the first month of the sandbox programme, before dropping to 2,000 in August due to stricter regulations and the start of a new school semester in the Middle East. Mr Chaiwat said if Thailand maintains the same travel conditions, the number of tourists from the Middle East should reach 20,000 in the final quarter.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2021 01:41 UTC
13,798 new Covid cases, 144 more deaths
13,798 new Covid cases, 144 more deathsA woman receives a Covid-19 vaccine at The Mall Bangkapi shopping centre in Bangkok on Tuesday. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)Thailand logged 13,798 new Covid-19 cases and 144 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, 14,133 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus. Since April 1, when the third wave of Covid-19 began, Thailand has treated 1,391,477 Covid-19 patients, 1,249,603 of whom have recovered to date. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,420,340 Covid-19 cases, with 1,277,029 complete recoveries so far.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2021 00:56 UTC
Dubious of Trump's sanity, US general secretly called China: book
Dubious of Trump's sanity, US general secretly called China: bookUS Army General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sought to reassure China over the potential threat from president Donald Trump, according to a new book, "Peril," by Washington Post journalists Robert Woodward and Bob Costa. "General Li, I want to assure you that the American government is stable and everything is going to be okay," Milley told Li in the October call, Woodward and Costa write. To reassure the Chinese, Milley went so far as to have the Pentagon's Indo-Pacific Command postpone military exercises that Beijing might have viewed as a possible threat. The system had "a lot of checks" to forestall extreme behavior by the president, Milley responded. "These actions by General Milley demonstrate a clear lack of sound judgement, and I urge you to dismiss him immediately," he said in a letter to Biden.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 15, 2021 00:00 UTC
Hidden potential
International animations which screen in Thailand can earn 100 million baht, but Thai animations earn only 40-50 million baht. If investors want to produce a Thai animation, they must be able to sell it abroad to cover their investment," said Rutt. Thai animations released in cinemas usually feature characters and storylines that relate to Thai literature, which can limit its reach to international viewers. Rutt commented that not all Thai animations have to include Thai identity. However, talented young animators like Pattama and Ramita already have jobs.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 14, 2021 23:52 UTC
WHA slashes investment spending
The budget will be allocated for logistics, new land purchases for industrial estate development, and infrastructure development projects in industrial estates, said Ms Jareeporn. The company plans to launch three new industrial estates in Thailand by the end of this year. Its joint venture with IRPC Plc, the petrochemical arm of PTT Group, to develop WHA Industrial Estate Rayong, is scheduled to start operations in the last quarter of 2022. WHA also plans to develop two new industrial estates -- WHA Smart Technology Industrial Zone and WHA Northern Industrial Zone in Thanh Hoa province in Vietnam -- covering a total area of over 7,500 rai. WHA currently has a total of 11 industrial estates in Thailand and one industrial estate in Vietnam.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 14, 2021 23:47 UTC
'Soft power' just a dream?
'Soft power' just a dream? The so-called creative economy will be the vehicle towards the dream. As long as the government is keen on censorship and does not allow youngsters to enjoy critical thinking, the creative economy will not grow. So-called Thai "soft power" will remain just a daydream. Young Thai talent will have to follow in Lisa's footsteps and try to make it in South Korea.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 14, 2021 23:39 UTC
Govt to entice rich expats
Benefits in the package include a 10-year Thai visa for not only approved special visitors but also their spouses and children, said government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, on Tuesday. The package also includes automatic work permits, the same rates of income tax as Thai citizens, tax exemption for income earned abroad, and ownership of properties and land, he said. The minimum health insurance package required for this group is also US$100,000 coverage per person, he said. Highly skilled professionals who would work as university lecturers teaching subjects related to industries of importance are also within this group, he said. The Board of Investment of Thailand has been assigned to set up a new centre to specifically serve this long-term visa programme, Mr Thanakorn added.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 14, 2021 23:15 UTC
Japan to donate more doses
Japan to donate more dosesTOKYO: Japan said yesterday it will donate an additional 1.3 million AstraZeneca Plc Covid-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan and its other Asian neighbours, including 300,000 doses to Thailand. To date, Japan has given out more than 23 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in Japan to countries in South Asia and the Pacific islands, he said. Additionally, Japan has pledged US$1 billion (32.9 billion baht) and 30 million doses to the Covax programme, overseen by the GAVI alliance and the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, the Thai cabinet yesterday approved a central budget of 946 million baht for the Thai Red Cross Society to buy one million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. These vaccine doses will be given to people in Thailand's target groups, said Traisuree Taisaranakul, deputy Government House spokesperson.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 14, 2021 23:03 UTC
Haiti PM sacks prosecutor who accused him of links to president's murder
Haiti PM sacks prosecutor who accused him of links to president's murderHaiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry (C), seen here attending the funeral of slain President Jovenel Moïse on July 23, 2021, in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, fired a prosecutor who accused him of links to the killingPORT-AU-PRINCE - The investigation into the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise descended into confusion Tuesday, as the Caribbean island's prime minister sacked a prosecutor who had accused him of links to the killing. Henry's move came hours after Claude asked the judge investigating Moise's murder to charge the prime minister with involvement in the case. Henry was named by Moise as prime minister days before the president's murder. A prime minister legally cannot be questioned unless the president authorizes it, but in the wake of Moise's slaying, Haiti does not have a president. Some in government circles had also called in recent days for the prime minister to resign over the allegations.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 14, 2021 22:30 UTC
WADA to review cannabis banned status
WADA to review cannabis banned statusSha'Carri Richardson was banned from the Olympics after testing positive for cannabis, prompting calls for a review of the drug's status as a banned substance. LOS ANGELES: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Tuesday it will review the status of cannabis on its banned substances list in the wake of the positive test that saw US sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson suspended from the Olympics. "Following receipt of requests from a number of stakeholders, the (executive committee) endorsed the decision of the List Expert Advisory Group to initiate in 2022 a scientific review of the status of cannabis," WADA said in a statement. Her case triggered debate about marijuana's continued inclusion on WADA's banned list, with celebrities and fellow athletes criticising the rule as outdated and unnecessary. World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe is among those who have backed calls for a cannabis review.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 14, 2021 22:07 UTC