EC 'ready' for local elections
EC 'ready' for local electionsThe Election Commission (EC) has fired a broadside at the Interior Ministry for claiming it was not ready to hold local elections. Mr Pakorn said the EC announced in April that it was fully equipped to take care of elections for local administrative organisation members and executives. He added that the document, which was sent to provincial governors, explained that some local election constituencies had not been designated in Nakhon Ratchasima, Ranong and Lop Buri. If, upon hearing from the ministry, the EC was unable to arrange the local polls this year, Mr Pakorn said he would accept responsibility. He said the designation of local election constituencies should be finished next week.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 11, 2020 13:18 UTC
Russia declares itself 'first' to develop coronavirus vaccine
Russia declares itself 'first' to develop coronavirus vaccineThe vaccine has been developed by the Gamaleya research institute in coordination with the Russian defence ministryMOSCOW - Russia on Tuesday declared itself the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine with President Vladimir Putin saying one of his daughters had been inoculated. Russia has been pushing hard to quickly develop a coronavirus vaccine and said earlier this month it hoped to launch mass production within weeks and turn out "several million" doses per month by next year. The WHO had last week urged Russia to follow established guidelines and go "through all the stages" necessary to develop a safe vaccine. The vaccine developed by Russia is a so-called viral vector vaccine, meaning it employs another virus to carry the DNA encoding of the needed immune response into cells. Gamaleya's vaccine is based on the adenovirus, a similar technology to the coronavirus vaccine prototype developed by China's CanSino.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 11, 2020 12:22 UTC
Putin says Russia is 'first' to develop vaccine
Putin says Russia is 'first' to develop vaccineThe vaccine has been developed by the Gamaleya research institute in coordination with the Russian defence ministry. He said one of his daughters had been inoculated with the vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya research institute in coordination with the Russian defence ministry. The World Health Organization last week urged Russia to follow established guidelines and go "through all the stages" necessary to develop a safe vaccine. The vaccine developed by Russia is a so-called viral vector vaccine, meaning it employs another virus to carry the DNA encoding of the needed immune response into cells. Gamaleya's vaccine is based on the adenovirus, a similar technology to the coronavirus vaccine prototype developed by China's CanSino.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 11, 2020 10:30 UTC
'I don't want to die': Blast traumatises Beirut children
'I don't want to die': Blast traumatises Beirut childrenA Lebanese protester carries a photo of three-year-old Alexandra, who was fatally injured in the port explosionBEIRUT - "I don't want to die." When the boy saw blood on his feet, "he started screaming: 'Mom, I don't want to die'," Hiba recalled. When the impact from the massive blast hits him, the same child also screams, in English: "Mom, I don't want to die." Loud bangs may trigger fears of another blast and some children could go temporarily mute or tend toward self-isolation, the psychologist explained. This is one tip Noura picked up online when she was looking for information on how to handle her two traumatised children, aged three and four.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 11, 2020 10:07 UTC
Defying China, Hong Kongers rush to buy pro-democracy newspaper
Defying China, Hong Kongers rush to buy pro-democracy newspaperJimmy Lai had long expected his pro-democracy views would see him arrested. HONG KONG: Hong Kongers rushed to buy copies of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily on Tuesday in a show of support for its owner, who was arrested a day earlier as police rounded up critics of China. "Since the government doesn't allow Apple Daily to survive, then we as Hong Kongers have to save it ourselves," the man, who gave his surname as Ng, told AFP. "Hong Kong is a place with press freedom, but the police now suppress press freedom in a high-profile way. Hong Kongers had on Monday immediately shown their support by buying shares in Lai's media company, sending its stock value soaring.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 11, 2020 04:52 UTC
Tour boat sinks, 1 dead, another missing
Tour boat sinks, 1 dead, another missingA nurse takes care of the six tourists, three of them children, rescued after a sightseeing boat capsized in the sea off Khanom district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, on Monday. (Photo: Nujaree Raekrun)NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: One tourist drowned and another, an elderly man, was missing after a sightseeing boat capsized during a rainstorm in Thong Nian Bay, off Khanom district of this southern province on Monday. Provincial governor Siripat Patkul said the boat was taking eight tourists out to see pink dolphins. The boat was hit by a storm and overturned about 3pm, dumping the driver and tourists into the sea. Mr Siripat said the search was continuing for the missing tourist.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 11, 2020 04:18 UTC
Apology for 'sensitive' topic aired at rally
Apology for 'sensitive' topic aired at rallyA few thousand people joined the rally at the Rangsit campus of Thammasat University in Pathum Thani province on Monday. (Photo: Apichit Jinakul)A senior executive of Thammasat University has apologised for the "sensitive" content aired during a demonstration at its campus in Pathum Thani province on Monday night. He asked organisers to ensure that expressions would comply with the law and avoid sensitive issues. The meeting agreed the rally would adhere to the three proposed topics and anyone who spoke of sensitive or illegal issues would be held responsible. "Later I learned that some speakers, especially those who are not students of Thammasat University, spoke in a problematic manner," Mr Prinya wrote.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 11, 2020 03:00 UTC
Vital footage 'of no use' in killer probe
Vital footage 'of no use' in killer probePolice investigators and forensic experts arrive to collect evidence at a gambling den where four people, including a police major, and there other people were killed in a shooting in Yannawa district of the capital on Aug 3. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)Police say CCTV footage of last week's deadly shootout at a gambling den in Bangkok is too damaged to be of any use but they are stepping up their efforts to hunt down the real owner of the building. Police say a man called "Ton" was involved in ripping out the CCTV cameras and they were doing all they can to locate him. Police were, however, investigating to see if Wasant knew "Hia Tee", the man believed to be the real tenant. He said investigators believed there were several gunmen and that at least seven people had been illegally gambling.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 10, 2020 23:37 UTC
SSO set to increase benefits for elderly
SSO set to increase benefits for elderlyThe Social Security Office (SSO) is pushing amendments to the social security legislation to maximise benefits for the elderly and increase the age for pension payout from 55 to 60, as the country is in a transition towards becoming an ageing society. Under the current system, senior citizens who choose to claim their pension will receive a lump-sum payment when they reach 55. However, their access to illness, disability and death benefits is terminated once they claim their pension. The law is also being amended to increase the age for pension payouts from 55 to 60, in order to allow senior citizens to increase their contribution to the Social Security Fund. Other benefits include increased compensation for disability from 50% to 70% of the daily wage, capped at 500 baht per day or 15,000 baht per month.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 10, 2020 23:26 UTC
Outbreak 'likely' if public drops guard
Outbreak 'likely' if public drops guardTanarak Plipat, deputy director-general of the Disease Control DepartmentThailand is likely to report new cases of local Covid-19 transmission as the global pandemic continues, but the likelihood of a large-scale outbreak in Thailand can be reduced if the public keeps up their guard, the Ministry of Public Health said on Monday. The warning was relayed at the ministry's daily press briefing about the country's Covid-19 infections tally by the chief of the Department of Disease Control chief Tanarak Plipat. We will find locally transmitted cases, but there might not be an [large-scale] outbreak if all stakeholders come together and help prevent a second wave," he said. Dr Tanarak said a large-scale outbreak can be prevented or brought under control if public health officials are quick to carry out comprehensive contact tracing and enforce strict quarantine regulations. Most importantly, he said that people should not panic if a locally transmitted case is discovered.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 10, 2020 23:03 UTC
Pickups collide head-on, driver killed
Pickups collide head-on, driver killedRescuers examine one of the two pickup trucks that collided head-on on Highway 11 in Phitsanulok on Monday morning. (Photo: Chinnawat Singha)PHITSANULOK: Two fully-loaded pickup trucks collided on Highway 11 in Phrom Phiram district on Monday morning. The driver of one pickup was killed and the other seriously injured, police said. The accident occurred about 3.40am at kilometre 256 on Highway 11 (Phitsanulok-Uttaradit) near moo 4 village in tambon Thap Yai Chiang, Pol Capt Rangsan Ondee, of Phrom Phiram, said. The driver of the other pickup, Won Surin, 50, from Bang Rakam district of Phitsanulok, was killed.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 10, 2020 04:41 UTC
Morikawa on 'cloud nine' after PGA victory
Morikawa on 'cloud nine' after PGA victoryAmerican Collin Morikawa celebrates with the Wanamaker Trophy after the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San FranciscoSAN FRANCISCO - Collin Morikawa put it all together on Sunday, winning a major in just his second appearance and becoming just the fourth player to win a PGA Championship before his 24th birthday. "I'm on cloud nine right now," said Morikawa. Morikawa wrote an epic conclusion to one of the strangest weeks in major championship golf history. Morikawa joins Rory McIlroy, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as players who have won a PGA before their 24th birthday. The Californian is more familiar with the TPC Harding Park than most after attending college at the nearby University of California-Berkeley.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 10, 2020 03:11 UTC
Delivery platforms dig in for war
As the food delivery services of Grab, Foodpanda, Get (Gojek) and Line Man have seen increased demand, K-Research estimates growth in the food delivery market at 19-21% this year. "The pandemic is accelerating the competition in the online food delivery segment," Anantaporn Lapsakkarn, a senior researcher at K-Research, told the Bangkok Post. Cloud kitchens are another area where food delivery apps are expanding, as these kitchens can keep delivery costs low while also accommodating various kinds of restaurants under the same roof. According to K-Research, the food delivery market this year is projected to grow 19-21% from 35 billion baht last year. "Consumers are accustomed to ordering food delivery via apps because of the lockdown."
Source:Bangkok Post
August 09, 2020 23:15 UTC
Sunday: 3 new Covid cases, no infections at packed concert | Bangkok Post: learning
Fans pack the Red Cross Fair concert in Cha-uat district of Nakhon Si Thammarat on July 25. (Photo from Janey Daimodthasodchuen via @littlehogweed Tweeter account)Three new cases were reported on Sunday, while the Public Health Ministry confirmed none of the concert-goers in Nakhon Si Thammarat were infected with the novel coronavirus. Health authorities tested 2,582 fans who packed the Red Cross Fair in Cha-aut district of Nakhon Si Thammarat on July 25, and results showed they were all virus-free, it said. Organisers of the concert came under public criticism after they allowed fans to pack the venue without wearing masks. The concert promoter was later charged with violating the emergency decree by failing to take social distancing measures.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 09, 2020 12:45 UTC
Police need a slap on the wrist
Police need a slap on the wristThe arrest of civil rights lawyer Arnon Nampa and a student leader on Friday on sedition charges for their roles in a series of rallies against the government is an ill-thought, excessive act by the police. Among those who face arrest was prominent student activist, Parit "Penguin" Cheewarak of Thammasat University. He posted on his Facebook on Friday night that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. Last week, the premier even stressed the need for unity that will enable the nation to move forward. Before that, the prime minister must give the police a slap on the wrist.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 09, 2020 00:33 UTC