Police should learn from torture saga
Police should learn from torture sagaWarrants issued by the Royal Thai Police for police at the station accused of suffocating a drug suspect. Five were detained in Nakhon Sawan while the other two, including Pol Col Thitisan, first escaped but then turned themselves in on Thursday. In the grisly nine-minute torture video, six subordinates docilely followed Pol Col Thitisan' directives without objection. "If you are there, there is nothing much you can do but follow orders," Pol LCpl Pawikorn was quoted as saying. I don't mean to defend the six officers under Pol Col Thitisan.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 02:26 UTC
New Covid cases drop below 16,000
New Covid cases drop below 16,000A monk wearing a protective outfit sits on a vehicle sent by Wat Siripong Thammaninit in Bang Khen district, Bangkok, to give free food to people affected by Covid-19. The number of Covid cases in Thailand is currently 176,137, down from a peak of 214,786 on Aug 8, according to epidemic-stats.com. Since April 1, around when the third wave of Covid-19 began, there have been 1,161,200 Covid-19 patients, with 974,418 recoveries to date. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,190,063 Covid-19 cases, 1,002,746 of whom have so far recovered. The high of daily Covid-19 cases was at 23,418 reported on Aug 13 and the record high of new daily fatalities was at 312 reported on Aug 18.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 02:24 UTC
Philippine 'circumcision season' underway after virus delays
Philippine 'circumcision season' underway after virus delaysThe Philippines has one of the highest rates of circumcision in the world, with many seeing the practice as key to entering manhood. Even as circumcision comes under increasing scrutiny elsewhere, with some critics branding it "child abuse", it is rarely questioned in the Philippines and boys face tremendous pressure to undergo the procedure. But last year, the "circumcision season" was cancelled for the first time in living memory due to the virus outbreak, delaying the milestone for many boys like Gruta. - 'Demarcating line' -Circumcision has been practised in the Philippines for centuries, enduring wars and colonisations by Spain and the United States. Many areas have yet to restart the free service as they battle Covid-19.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 02:15 UTC
Defending champion Osaka in spotlight as US Open begins
Defending champion Osaka in spotlight as US Open beginsJapan's Naomi Osaka speaks during a interview ahead of the 2021 US OpenNEW YORK - Naomi Osaka launches her bid for a third US Open title in four years on Monday, aiming to put turmoil behind her as she chases her second Grand Slam title of 2021. Osaka, who rocketed to fame when she beat superstar Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final, appeared set for a sparkling 2021 campaign after she beat American Jen Brady in the Australian Open final in February to capture her fourth major crown. But she has played sparingly since, pulling out of the French Open after she was fined for failing to meet mandatory media requirements. "Seeing everything that's going on in the world I feel like if I wake up in the morning that's a win," Osaka wrote. "Not the easiest draw out there," Murray, whose 2012 US Open triumph was the first of his three Grand Slam victories, said.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 02:15 UTC
PROMOTING MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS
PROMOTING MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONSUnder its development target of becoming an international healthcare and medical hub by 2036, Thailand is currently aiming to reach the next level of medical and wellness services by promoting precision medicine for the treatment of more complex illnesses, such as cancer and genetic-related diseases. The Excellence Center for Genomics and Precision Medicine at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital has provided assurances that it could support and strengthen the whole genome sequencing project. With a focus on healthtech, state-owned Mahidol University has introduced Salaya Startup Town which houses a comprehensive ecosystem of lab and R&D space for engineering, biotechnology and healthcare technology. In the capital city of Bangkok, around 20 medical academic institutions and research houses have signed an agreement to strengthen their collaboration on research and human clinical trials under the “Multicenter Medical Innovation Clinical Trial” project. The institutions which have formed a network called “the Yothi Medical Innovation District” have worked together on the development of medical devices such as a portable chest x-ray and its application for patients with non-communicable diseases.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 02:15 UTC
'Desert': drying Euphrates threatens disaster in Syria
Aid groups and engineers are warning of a looming humanitarian disaster in northeast Syria, where waning river flow is compounding woes after a decade of war. - 'Alarming' -Reputed to have once flown through the biblical Garden of Eden, the Euphrates runs for almost 2,800 kilometres (1,700 miles) across Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Across northeast Syria, already power generation has fallen by 70 percent since last year, the head of the energy authority Welat Darwish says. -Almost 90% of the Euphrates flow comes from Turkey, the United Nations says. - 'Drought is coming' -But Syria analyst Fabrice Balanche said the drought did serve Ankara's long-term goal of "asphyxiating northeast Syria economically".
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 02:03 UTC
US and China spar on Asean stage
US and China spar on Asean stageWhile all eyes were on Kamala Harris when she visited Southeast Asia last week, China loomed large over the event, partly because the US vice president several times mentioned China in public comments. In Singapore on Tuesday, Ms Harris charged China with bullying its Southeast Asian neighbours. Chinese state media said Ms Harris was seeking to drive a wedge between China and its Asean neighbours. President Xi Jinping, meanwhile, captured some of the spotlight with a vow to try to hit key economic and social development targets this year, even n the face of aggressive efforts to containing Covid-19. For Washington, it is essential to engage Southeast Asia as a regional collective with Asean having a key role, rather than appearing to write off some states as beholden to China.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 01:52 UTC
North Korea appears to have restarted nuclear reactor: UN
The development on the 5-megawatt reactor in Yongbyon -- North Korea's main nuclear complex -- comes with nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington at a standstill. North Korea is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, which have seen rapid progress under Kim. IAEA inspectors were kicked out of North Korea in 2009, and the agency has since monitored it from outside. About 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Pyongyang, Yongbyon is home to the country's first nuclear reactor, and is the only known source of plutonium for North Korea's weapons programme. North Korea suspended nuclear and missile testing during a diplomatic process in 2018 but said it was abandoning its self-declared moratorium in January 2020.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 01:30 UTC
Lee 'Scratch' Perry, reggae and dub wizard, dies at 85
Lee "Scratch" Perry's layering techniques were the stuff of legend; he used stones, water, kitchen utensils to create surreal, often haunting, sonic densityNEW YORK: Lee "Scratch" Perry, the wildly influential Jamaican singer and producer who pushed the boundaries of reggae and shepherded dub, died Sunday. "Lee 'Scratch' Perry was truly one of the most important and creative figures to have come out of Jamaica." Born March 20, 1936 in the rural Jamaican town of Kendal, Rainford Hugh "Lee" Perry left school at age 15, moving to Kingston in the 1960s. - 'Salvador Dali of music' -Perry's layering techniques were the stuff of legend; he used stones, water and kitchen utensils to create surreal, often haunting, sonic density. "You could never put your finger on Lee Perry -- he's the Salvador Dali of music," Keith Richards told Rolling Stone in 2010.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 01:30 UTC
In US, an effort to commemorate thousands of lynching victims
Now, an effort is underway to memorialize the brutal lynching. But as the United States undergoes a broader national reckoning over racial justice, the effort is facing a backlash in some communities. In 2018, it opened the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, where more than 800 weathered steel columns etched with the names of lynching victims hang from the ceiling. The lynching led to a rampage, in which Black businesses were burnt to the ground. And as we saw with George Floyd, systematic racism and violence against (Black people) is still present," Viswanathan said.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 01:30 UTC
North Korea appears to have restarted nuclear reactor: UN agency
SEOUL: Nuclear-armed North Korea appears to have restarted its plutonium-producing reprocessing reactor in a "deeply troubling" development, the UN atomic agency has said, a possible sign Pyongyang is expanding its banned weapons programme. The development on the 5-megawatt reactor in Yongbyon -- North Korea's main nuclear complex -- comes with nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington at a standstill. IAEA inspectors were kicked out of North Korea in 2009, and the agency has since monitored it from outside. About 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Pyongyang, Yongbyon is home to the country's first nuclear reactor, and is the only known source of plutonium for North Korea's weapons programme. North Korea suspended nuclear and missile testing during a diplomatic process in 2018 but said it was abandoning its self-declared moratorium in January 2020.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 01:30 UTC
Celebrate independence with Mayan culture
A scene from Cosmic Twins. photos courtesy of Embassy of MexicoTo mark the bicentennial of their independence, the embassies of Guatemala and Mexico present the global release of Cosmic Twins, an animated short film inspired by Asian traditional shadow theatre, today at 3pm. It also recreates aspects of Mayan culture, which is part of the history, and living cultures and languages of the Mesoamerican region. It also recounts the story of the brothers Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué and the migration and settlement of the Quiché people. This online launch is a collaboration with the Jorge Marín Foundation, Museum Siam: Discovery Museum, the University of El Claustro de Sor Juana and the Popol Vuh Museum.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 01:18 UTC
Mexico puts firearm flows high on agenda with US
Mexico puts firearm flows high on agenda with USSeized weapons are seen at a Mexican military base in the border city of Tijuana before being destroyedMEXICO CITY - Long under pressure to curb drug smuggling, Mexico is seeking to hold the United States partly responsibile for rampant cartel-related violence by suing US-based gunmakers over illegal firearms trafficking. "In the same way that the United States is saying, 'I need you to do something about illegal drug trafficking,' Mexico is saying, 'I need you to do something about guns,'" she said. Between 70 and 90 percent of all weapons recovered from crime scenes in Mexico were smuggled in from the United States, Mexico's foreign ministry says. Many weapons reach Mexico from the United States through small-scale shipments known as "ant trafficking." - 'Affront to sovereignty' -Mexico has seen increased inflows of partially assembled firearms known as "80 percent" guns that are finished in Mexico, according to a person involved in arms trafficking for two decades.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 01:18 UTC
Visions of death
If we die and always come back to life, we may find a way to heal our fear of death. It is how I face my fear of death," explained Preyawit. SAC GalleryDue to his fear of death, Preyawit created three art collections. Among the three collections with the theme of death, 'I'll Be Back' is the easiest to understand," said Preyawit. People feel alive when they are happy and I am happy to work on art," Preyawit said.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 01:13 UTC
Meet dynamic creators in this virtual festival
Running until Sept 17, the virtual festival is hosted on an independent platform to unite a young, dynamic group of creators from the region. The festival also puts Asian female artists on the map and empowers other female artists with similar ambitions in the industry. Both are founders of Green Is The New Black, Asia's first-ever conscious festival and platform. Also, learn more about those behind Wonderfruit, the popular music, art and lifestyle festival in Thailand, in Art In A field: A Look Behind The Art Curation At Wonderfruit. The film explores the curation and collaboration with various artists to design a festival that is rooted in sustainability.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 30, 2021 01:07 UTC