'Fierce' wildfire near Saint-Tropez forces evacuations in France
'Fierce' wildfire near Saint-Tropez forces evacuations in FranceBy Tuesday morning, the fire had already covered more than 3,500 hectares of forest and scrubland. LE LUC, France: Thousands of people, including tourists in campsites, have been evacuated to escape a wildfire raging near the plush tourist resort of Saint-Tropez in southern France, the fire service said Tuesday. "This is the area covered but it is too early to estimate the area burned," the spokeswoman said. - 'Difficult battle' -Evacuations have mainly taken place around Saint-Tropez and the villages of Le Mole and Grimaud, Vienco said. "During the night we managed to prevent the fire from reaching Garde-Freinet," a village about 20 kilometres from Saint-Tropez.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 07:18 UTC
Police deny using live ammunition against demonstrators
Outside Din Daeng police station on Tuesday morning, after police and anti-government protesters clashed there on Monday night. (Photos by Nutthawat Wicheanbut)Police have denied firing live ammunition at protesters of the Thalu Fah group during chaotic scenes in front of Din Daeng police station on Monday night, saying only rubber bullets were used to prevent them causing much damage. Pol Col Rathachai Sriwichai, the Din Daeng police chief, on Tuesday denied his men used live rounds against the protesters. He was responding to a video clip posted on the social media with a voice-over alleging that about 8.45pm Din Daeng police opened fire at the protesters with live ammunition and some protesters were hit. According to the announcement, the young man was not breathing on arrival at the hospital.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 06:56 UTC
Tonga coach and ex-Wallaby Kefu 'recovering well' after stabbing
Tonga coach and ex-Wallaby Kefu 'recovering well' after stabbingTonga coach Toutai Kefu is 'recovering well' after surgeryBRISBANE (AUSTRALIA) - Tonga coach and former Wallabies star Toutai Kefu has undergone surgery and was "recovering well" Tuesday after being stabbed during an attempted burglary at his Brisbane home, his family said. Another of Kefu's daughters, Olivia, posted an update on social media after a 15-year-old boy was charged with attempted murder. Kefu was a powerful No.8 who played 60 times for Australia over a seven-year international career, helping them win the World Cup in 1999. He was appointed head coach of the Tongan national side in 2016 and steered them to the 2019 World Cup in Japan. A second 15-year-old was arrested after attending a Brisbane hospital with injuries, while a third person remains on the run.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 06:45 UTC
'Shocking': With grief and dismay, US veterans watch Afghanistan fall
WASHINGTON: A decade after returning from Afghanistan, Marc Silvestri was convinced it was time for his comrades to come home too. "It's been a tough couple days," the 43-year-old head of veterans services in Revere, Massachusetts told AFP. "I was in favour of the withdrawal, I thought it was time. - 'Leaving them in the lurch' -The fate of women is a painful point of the Taliban takeover for Fross and others. For many veterans, the idea of leaving Afghans who worked side by side with them to contend with the "very real" fear of Taliban revenge is unconscionable.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 05:48 UTC
Japan's 'father of Sudoku' dead at 69
Japan's 'father of Sudoku' dead at 69Maki Kaji popularised the number puzzle and came up with the name SudokuTOKYO - The man dubbed the "father of Sudoku" for his role in popularising the numerical brainteaser loved by millions, has died of cancer at 69, his Japanese publisher has announced. "Mr Kaji was known as the father of Sudoku and was loved by puzzle fans all around the world," the publisher said in a statement on its website. Sudoku, a sort of numerical crossword, was invented by Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in the 18th century. The modern version is sometimes said to have been formulated in the United States, but Kaji is credited with having popularised the puzzle. Nikoli spotted a version in an American magazine in the 1980s and brought it to Japan, where Sudoku was born.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 04:30 UTC
Phuket restricts workers' movements
Phuket restricts workers' movementsPhuket governor Narong Woonciew at Tuesday's press conference on the latest Covid-19 prevention measures. Governor Narong Woonciew said on Tuesday the order was approved by the committee on Monday, effective from Aug 17 until futher notice. Under the order, workers must remain at one job site and not move to another. Employers are to test workers for Covid-19, using antigen test kits, once a week. Those who test negative can continue to work but are still subject to regular Covid-19 testing.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 03:56 UTC
Murray returns with win over Gasquet in Cincinnati Masters
Murray returns with win over Gasquet in Cincinnati MastersGreat Britain's Andy Murray returns a shot to Richard Gasquet of France during the ATP Cincinnati Masters tournament in OhioCINCINNATI - Andy Murray returned to the ATP Tour on Monday after last competing at Wimbledon, reaching the second round of the Cincinnati Masters with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Wild card Murray and Gasquet, a longtime rival whose 53rd ranking meant he had to qualify, first played 15 years ago. Murray hammered 14 aces and broke three times in the win lasting just under two hours. Gasquet was broken in the final game of the match after saving a match point before Murray prevailed. Fognini joined the party with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia in a first-time meeting.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 03:45 UTC
Japan to expand virus emergency to battle surge
Japan to expand virus emergency to battle surgeJapan's government will extend and expand a coronavirus state of emergency to battle a surge in infections. TOKYO: Japan's government said Tuesday it will expand a coronavirus state of emergency to seven new regions as it battles a record wave of infections a week before the Paralympic Games. Paralympic participants face virus restrictions including regular testing and limits on their movement. Some experts argue that the massive international event undermined the government's virus restrictions, encouraging people to go out and businesses to remain open. Local media reports have estimated up to 40% of bars and restaurants in some parts of Tokyo are flouting the virus rules.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 02:48 UTC
Lockdown extended
Lockdown extendedPeople alight from a boat at the Nonthaburi pier, rushing to get home before the curfew is enforced at 9pm. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)The lockdown of 29 provinces hardest-hit by the latest wave of Covid-19 has been extended until the end of this month. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Monday confirmed the lockdown will remain until at least Aug 31 in the dark-red zoned provinces due to the continuing surge in Covid infections. However, bank branches and financial offices in shopping centres will be allowed to reopen from Wednesday. Their proposal that other shops be allowed to reopen would be discussed at future meetings.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 02:31 UTC
Biden defends US pullout from Afghanistan despite panic in Kabul
Biden defends US pullout from Afghanistan despite panic in KabulA US soldier (centre) points his gun towards an Afghan passenger at the airport in Kabul, where chaotic scenes unfolded after the Taliban took over the country. KABUL: President Joe Biden on Monday defended the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan after the Taliban's stunning military takeover that triggered panic in Kabul with thousands mobbing the airport in a desperate attempt to flee. But in the capital, panic gripped many residents who feared a repeat of the Taliban's brutal Islamist rule from 1996 to 2001. But Washington has insisted that its two decades of war in Afghanistan was a success, defined by quashing the Al-Qaeda threat. The UN Security Council said Monday the international community must ensure Afghanistan does not become a breeding ground for terrorism.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 02:26 UTC
Parishioners killed in quake-damaged historic Haiti church
Parishioners killed in quake-damaged historic Haiti church"It was a beautiful church with very beautiful architecture," said Wilson Exantus Andre, the parish priest at the Immaculee Conception church in Les Anglais, in southwestern HaitiLES ANGLAIS (HAITI) - Its bell tower and yellow walls a sharp contrast with Haiti's blue tropical sky, the historic Immaculee Conception church was the pride of Les Anglais, until it was destroyed by an earthquake Saturday, burying several faithful inside. The massive quake killed more than 1,400 people across Haiti, according to a preliminary official toll reported on Monday. - Just seconds -"It was a beautiful church with very beautiful architecture," said the priest. "It was part of the national heritage, it was the pride of the people of Les Anglais, who never missed an opportunity to talk about it." Stunned residents of the coastal hamlet exchanged stories of what they lost in the quake outside the church ruins on Monday.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 02:26 UTC
Record 239 Covid deaths, +20,128 cases
Record 239 Covid deaths, +20,128 casesA medical worker prepares Covid-19 vaccine jabs at Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang in Samut Prakan province on Sunday. (Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool)There were record 239 new Covid-19 deaths and 20,128 new cases over the past 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Tuesday morning. Since April 1, around when the third wave of Covid-19 began, there have been 919,579 Covid-19 patients, 703,011 of whom have recovered. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 948,442 Covid-19 cases, 730,437 of whom recovered. The death toll was at 7,879 the third wave and 7,973 from the beginning of the pandemic early last year.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 02:25 UTC
Three in four say climate 'tipping points' close
Three in four say climate 'tipping points' closeThe survey, conducted before the release of a bombshell UN climate report last week, showed more than half of respondents in G20 nations feel very or extremely concerned about the state of the planet. PARIS: Some 73% of people now believe that Earth's climate is approaching abrupt and irreversible "tipping points" due to human activity, according to a global opinion poll released Tuesday. It said that "low likelihood, high impact" tipping points, such as the Amazon degrading from a carbon sink to source, "cannot be ruled out". Tuesday's survey showed that people in developing nations were more likely to be willing to protect nature and the climate than those in richer countries. Gaffney said the survey showed "people really want to do something to protect nature, but report that they lack information and face financial constraints to what they can do."
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 01:49 UTC
US criticises Iran nuclear work amid talks break
US criticises Iran nuclear work amid talks breakIranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who has called for an end to US sanctions, chairs a cabinet meeting on Aug 8, 2021. WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday voiced alarm over Iranian production of uranium metal reported by the UN nuclear watchdog as it urged the clerical state to return to talks. The State Department said the United States has seen the latest report to members by the International Atomic Energy Agency and believed that Iran "has no credible need to produce uranium metal." "We have made clear that continued nuclear escalations beyond JCPOA limits are unconstructive and inconsistent with a return to mutual compliance," State Department spokesman Ned Price said. "Iran should cease its nuclear escalations and return to negotiations toward full implementation of the JCPOA in good faith."
Source:Bangkok Post
August 17, 2021 00:00 UTC
Tetra Pak shares its insights of the changing consumer
photos courtesy of Tetra PakLockdown restrictions preventing dine-in has many people cooking at home or using food delivery apps. Changes in consumer behaviour and purchasing patterns were identified by Tetra Pak in its Trendipedia 2021 report. The Trendipedia 2021 identified eight trends: Health First, Responsible Consumption, Convenience In-Home, e-Food Experience, Social Reconnect, Heritage and Provenance, Intentional Indulgence' and Personal Data. Consumers are also more focused on maintaining physical and mental health according to the Health First trend. The third trend, Convenience In-Home, acknowledges how people working from home may cook and shop online for a well-stocked fridge and pantry.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 16, 2021 23:37 UTC