Toxic tea will not stamp out critics
Undoubtedly, Mr Navalny's tireless activism has been a constant thorn in Mr Putin's side. While Mr Putin has shown no hesitation in striking foes at home and abroad, he had largely tolerated Mr Navalny's campaign against him. Moreover, Mr Putin is not the only enemy Mr Navalny had to fear. However, it is still not too late for Mr Putin and by extension the Kremlin to prove their innocence and critics wrong. Remember, the likes of Litvinenko and Mr Skripal were spies but Mr Navalny is a vocal government critic who holds cards Mr Putin might not want to be revealed.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 22, 2020 23:37 UTC
Things are warming up in Death Valley
Switching on the TV, I was greeted by a story concerning Death Valley in California, which last week recorded the highest-ever temperature on Earth, 54.4ºC. Death Valley is in the north of the Mojave Desert and gets its name from the 1849 California gold rush when many pioneers perished on the wagon trains in the uninviting valley as they hunted gold. Considering that as a kid I once suffered heatstroke on the beach at Bournemouth, it is unlikely I'll be making any excursions to Death Valley. The acting is wooden, but the fearsome Death Valley landscape is worth a look. One London newspaper carried a front page of a snowbound town in southern Michigan which happened to be called Hell.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 22, 2020 23:37 UTC
Ailing Putin critic 'stable' on arrival in Berlin
A police officer stands guard outside Charite Hospital Complex in Berlin, where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is expected to be treated. "Navalny’s condition is stable,” said Jaka Bizilj, the head of Cinema for Peace after the flight touched down at Tegel airport in Berlin. The arrival of the air ambulance followed a day-long standoff over Navalny’s medical evacuation. Russian doctors had said he was in a coma and breathing through a ventilator in a grave state. The air ambulance arrived in Omsk on Friday morning but Russian doctors initially said Navalny was too “unstable” to be moved.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 22, 2020 08:37 UTC
Spectrum recall to hit digital TV in September
Spectrum recall to hit digital TV in SeptemberDigital TV viewing is expected to be disrupted in some areas from September as the 700-megahertz spectrum range is recalled for the 5G telecom network. Viewers will need to self-tune their set-top boxes to get a signal, said the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). A certain portion of the range is now used to broadcast digital TV. Afterwards, the signal for digital TV will return. According to the NBTC, the country has 38 digital TV channels: 19 for the national level, four for regions and the rest for educational purposes.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 22, 2020 00:44 UTC
Virus axes noble deeds
Facing the axe are the passenger vans that carry the elderly and disabled, enabling these vulnerable groups to get around the city. The passenger van project was the brainchild of former governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra. The BMA spends about 30 million baht a year in subsidies for this noble project. With the van project, these vulnerable groups depend less on their children, most of whom are busy at work. Each day, these 30 vans serve 50 passengers, or about 1,600 passengers per month.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 22, 2020 00:33 UTC
Flash-mob sparks that lit the firestorm
Flash-mob sparks that lit the firestormA pro-democracy rally on Aug 16 draws a huge gathering despite state threats and intimidation. The little sparks set by flash-mob protests earlier in the year before Covid-19 put a temporary halt to it have now coalesced into a major firestorm. Anti-government protesters have been buoyed by the public's response, which is not limited to high school and university students any more. As some observers have said, behind many of the protesting students stand their parents and other members of their families. They cannot understand why high school students want to engage in political activities.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 22, 2020 00:33 UTC
Jasmine holds out hope on tough day for Thai players
Jasmine holds out hope on tough day for Thai playersTroon: Jasmine Suwannapura was the best Thai scorer in the first round of the Women's British Open on Thursday, shooting an even-par 71. The two-time LPGA Tour winner, whose Thai name is Thidapa, stayed joint fourth, four strokes behind leader Amy Olson in the first women's major of the year. Jasmine's compatriot Ariya Jutanugarn, who won the tournament in 2016, carded a 73. Kia Classic cancelledThe Kia Classic, scheduled for Sept 24-27 in Carlsbad, California, has been cancelled, the LPGA Tour said on Thursday. The tournament was originally scheduled for March, but pushed to September as the LPGA Tour calendar was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 22, 2020 00:33 UTC
US 'Golden State Killer' jailed for life
US 'Golden State Killer' jailed for lifeJoseph James DeAngelo, pictured in court on August 20, 2020, confessed to 13 murders and dozens of rapesSACRAMENTO - A US former policeman dubbed the "Golden State Killer" apologized to his victims Friday as he was jailed for life without the possibility of parole for a brutal decade-long crime spree that terrorized California. Judge Michael Bowman then handed down the "absolute maximum sentence the court is able to impose under the law." DeAngelo, who has three adult daughters and grandchildren, was not arrested until 2018, three decades after the "Golden State Killer" had last struck. DeAngelo's known attacks began in 1975, initially in the Sacramento area of central California, before spreading out across the state. Prosecutor Todd Spitzer told the court he wished DeAngelo had received the death penalty.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 21, 2020 18:11 UTC
TEST YOURSELF: Time to smile | Bangkok Post: learning
Read the following story by Tatat Bunnag from the Bangkok Post. Now in self-isolation, the megastar is gearing up for the release of her new album, Smile, as well as the birth of her first child. Perry spoke with Bangkok Post recently via Zoom about the ups and downs in her life. This record is called Smile because I walked through hell basically to get my 'smile' back when I had lost it in the last two years. Do you normally find it easier to write music about difficult periods when you are in them?
Source:Bangkok Post
August 21, 2020 07:30 UTC
Aides denounce 'threat to life' as Navalny refused evacuation
Aides denounce 'threat to life' as Navalny refused evacuationNavalny has made many enemies with his anti-corruption investigationsOMSK (RUSSIA) - Aides to Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny accused doctors of risking his life on Friday by refusing to allow him to be moved from a Siberian hospital after his suspected poisoning. Aides say they believe he was poisoned and that something was put in his tea at an airport cafe. "The chief doctor stated that Navalny is not transportable" because his condition was "unstable", Yarmysh said on Twitter, calling the decision "a direct threat to his life". He wished Navalny a "speedy recovery" after pledging Kremlin help to secure him treatment abroad if needed. Russia refused to extradite chief suspect Andrei Lugovoi, who became a nationalist MP after the 2006 attack.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 21, 2020 07:07 UTC
Friday: 1 more Covid case | Bangkok Post: learning
A teacher helps fit a mask to a pupil's face at Intarumphun Anusorn School in Muang district of Samut Prakan, part of the school's anti-Covid-19 measures. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)One new coronavirus case was reported on Friday, a man who returned from Singapore. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said the 56-year-old Thai arrived from Singapore on Aug 7 and was in quarantine. The new case took the tally to 3,390. The spokesman confirmed that the CCSA will recommend that cabinet extend the state of emergency for another month after the present period ends on Aug 31.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 21, 2020 06:45 UTC
Pocket power
Foxx: A pill with pure power can be dangerous especially with the wrong people, people who don't want to use the power for good, so that's a little bit of a metaphor. The people that are at the top of the power chain, what are they going to use the power for? When it comes to me, if I'm given the power, I turn it into love, man. If you could have a power for five minutes, what would you choose and who would you use it on? So I'm gonna give a huge dose to them and I'm gonna tell you right now, I'm not pu**yfooting around when it comes to the love, man.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 21, 2020 05:37 UTC
BoT: Fiscal policy should play bigger role in helping economy recover
BoT: Fiscal policy should play bigger role in helping economy recoverFiscal policy should play a greater role to helping the economy recover from the impact of the coronavirous pandemic, the governor of the Bank of Thailand said on Friday. The benchmark interest rate, a major tool in monetary policy, is already at a record low. The central bank will focus on assisting with debt restructuring, BoT governor Veerathai Santiprabhob told reporters after the launch of a debt restructuring programme for businesses. Earlier this month, the central bank left its key rate unchanged at 0.50% after three cuts this year so that policy room could be used at the most effective time.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 21, 2020 05:15 UTC
Shortage mutes computer discounts at Commart
Shortage mutes computer discounts at CommartIT retailer JIB's booth at Commart, a computer show and sales event that kicked off yesterday. (Photo by Suchit Leesa-nguansuk)The shortage of computers and interest in promotional campaigns are expected to spur sales at computer fair Commart, which kicked off yesterday. In the future only dealers and retail chains with strong financial backing and cash flow will participate in computer exhibitions, said Mr Pornchai. Mr Pornchai said Commart will hold an online platform for computer exhibitions along with the physical event in November. Online sales make up 18% of the company's total revenue, compared with 12% last year, he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 21, 2020 00:33 UTC
PDMO: Cabinet-endorsed credit line for potential public debt
PDMO: Cabinet-endorsed credit line for potential public debtThe cabinet's recent endorsement to approve an additional loan of 214 billion baht to compensate for the budget deficit is intended as a credit line in case public expenses exceed revenue, says the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO). For fiscal 2021, the ratio of public debt to GDP is expected to rise to 57.8%, depending on Thailand's GDP growth. The PDMO has taken out a sum of 338 billion baht under the 1-trillion-baht emergency loan decree. The bonds will be offered in two tranches: 5 billion baht in four-year bonds with a coupon of 1.7% and 45 billion of seven-year bonds with a 2.22% coupon. The offering follows the sale of 50 billion baht in government savings bonds in May to help mitigate fallout from the coronavirus outbreak under a 1-trillion-baht borrowing plan.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 21, 2020 00:00 UTC