Ex-Nazi camp guard, 93, gets two-year suspended sentence
Ex-Nazi camp guard, 93, gets two-year suspended sentenceThe judge said Dey, shown here hiding his face as the verdict was announced, had helped to "dehumanise human beings and turn them into numbers". Dey's defence lawyer Stefan Waterkamp had sought an acquittal or a suspended sentence. He added that as a tower guard, Dey would not have known the extent of the "sadism" and "inhumane conditions" of the camp. - 65,000 deaths -The Nazis set up the Stutthof camp in 1939, initially using it to detain Polish political prisoners. He came into prosecutors' sights after a landmark 2011 ruling against former Sobibor camp guard John Demjanjuk on the basis that he was part of the Nazi killing machine.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 23, 2020 10:07 UTC
Thursday: 8 new returnee cases | Bangkok Post: learning
(Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)The government on Thursday reported eight new cases of coronavirus disease among quarantined returnees, as global daily infections hit a new high. Panprapa Yongtrakul, of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said the four new cases had arrived earlier from Egypt. Two other cases arrived from Sudan - male and female students aged 20. They were quarantined in Bangkok and their infection was confirmed by their first test on Tuesday, four days after arrival. Meanwhile, 106 patients remained at hospitals, and all of them were quarantined returnees.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 23, 2020 05:48 UTC
Emergency decree extended | Bangkok Post: learning
(Photo by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Wednesday approved the extension of the emergency decree for another month until Aug 31. The emergency decree allows the government to restrict arrivals, follow up suspected cases of Covid-19 and impose disease control measures on all business and activities, Dr Taweesilp said. The emergency decree was the government's best tool for imposing a quarantine on infected people, said National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Gen Somsak Roongsita. This included 69,235 workers who already had work permits and visas and wanted to return to work in Thailand. Such quarantine facilities must, however, meet disease control standards and be able to prevent migrant workers from getting out during quarantine.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 23, 2020 04:18 UTC
Australian gymnasts reveal 'dark and horrible' abuse
'Culture of fear' - Australian gymnasts reveal 'dark and horrible' abuseAustralian gymnast Mary-Anne Monckton said abuse "needs to stop"SYDNEY - A host of former Australian gymnasts have gone public with accounts of physical, mental and emotional abuse in the sport, which left at least one young athlete contemplating suicide. While none of the Australian allegations involves sexual impropriety, they detail body-shaming, neglect and manipulation, prompting Gymnastics Australia to issue an open letter late Wednesday praising those who have gone public. She said she was speaking up "because behind those smiles on the podium, are dark and horrible things that happen in the gym behind closed doors". "The abuse (physical, mental and emotional) needs to stop, or at least be stamped out of our sport," she added. In a bid to encourage further dialogue, Gymnastics Australia said it would set up athlete-led "listening groups" to determine what more needed to be done.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 23, 2020 03:56 UTC
Zombie outbreak | Bangkok Post: learning
Photo courtesy of Sahamongkol Film InternationalTrain to Busan sequel opensFollowing Seoul Station and Train to Busan, Peninsula is the third movie in this zombie trilogy. When the zombie outbreak swept the entire nation, Jung-seok barely escaped South Korea alive. His mission is to find an abandoned truck in the middle of Seoul within a time limit and escape the peninsula silently. But everything goes wrong when a mysterious team of soldiers ambushes Jung-seok’s small team, as well as even more vicious gangs of zombies. In his most desperate moment, Min-jung’s family saves him and he plans one last chance to escape the peninsula once and for all.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 23, 2020 03:00 UTC
Flooding hits Pattaya | Bangkok Post: learning
Niyom Kongsan's flooded car in Nong Yai community of Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri, after torrential rain in Pattya and other areas on Wednesday. (Photo: Chaiyot Phupattanapong)An afternoon downpour flooded major roads in Pattaya on Wednesday afternoon, with one community particularly hard-hit. Torrential rain pounded the area for about two hours, causing flooding 30-50 centimetres deep on many roads in the city, including Beach Road. Traffic Police radio reported flooding on sections of the Bangkok-Pattaya motorway, but the water level was subsiding. The forecast is for a 60% chance of rain in most areas of Pattaya and other eastern provinces into Thursday.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 23, 2020 02:37 UTC
'Go ahead, make my day,' Clint Eastwood tells CBD retailers in lawsuits
'Go ahead, make my day,' Clint Eastwood tells CBD retailers in lawsuitsDirector and actor Clint Eastwood (pictured November 2019) said in one of the lawsuits that three CBD companies used fake news articles featuring photos of Eastwood and attributing quotes to him to promote and sell cannabidiol (CBD) productsLOS ANGELES - Movie legend Clint Eastwood filed two lawsuits on Wednesday seeking millions of dollars in damages from several CBD manufacturers and marketers that claimed or made it look like he endorsed their products. "In truth, Mr Eastwood has no connection of any kind whatsoever to any CBD products and never gave such an interview," states the lawsuit, which claims defamation. The three CBD companies accused of coming up with the phony articles that first surfaced last year were named as Sera Labs Inc, Greendios and For Our Vets LLC. The lawsuit also says that the three companies sent spam emails with the subject line "Clint Eastwood Exposes Shocking Secret Today." The "Dirty Harry" actor made clear in both lawsuits that he would not sit by and allow his name or image to be used to sell CBD products.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 23, 2020 00:45 UTC
Rice exports poised to drop in next decade
Thailand risks dropping to No.5 in rice exports over the next decade if the country remains complacent and does not develop a long-term rice strategy for seeds and competitiveness, warns the Thai Rice Exporters Association. He said alternating drought and flood disasters have affected Thailand's rice production and a lack of accurate data on rice has made it hard to devise effective marketing plans. "For long-term strategies, related authorities are being urged to speed up their consideration of the entire supply chain in the rice industry, be it seed development, rice millers, paddy rice traders, seed manufacturers and traders, packed rice producers, or rice exporters," said Mr Charoen. He said other rice producers such as China have spent a lot of money on R&D to raise their rice yield. For the period, Thailand was the world's third largest rice exporter, trailing India and Vietnam, which shipped 4.53 million tonnes and 4.04 million tonnes, respectively.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 23:15 UTC
Protests must be heeded
One of the demands of the "flash mob" is charter amendment. Nor can the PM claim that he and his colleagues can't intervene in parliament's business because a House panel has already begun studying the proposed amendment. The fact is, the House panel is dominated by coalition MPs and anyway, the government committed in its policy declaration to join the amendment bandwagon. Over the years, opposition parties, political activists, academics and students have demanded changes in those clauses that are unfair to state opponents, saying such unfairness is the root of political conflict. He should know that all efforts to rebuild the nation in the post-coronavirus era will fail, unless political games are reset under fair rules that can be achieved through charter amendment.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 22:52 UTC
Suu Kyi readies to win 'Covid election'
Suu Kyi readies to win 'Covid election'Myanmar's ruling party -- the National League for Democracy (NLD) -- is in the final stages of preparing for parliamentary polls scheduled for Nov 8. Now, the country's civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, appears destined to be returned to power, albeit with a reduced majority. With a little under four months before Myanmar goes to the polls, it already appears that this is less of an election and more of a "Covid election". "Covid has changed the landscape of the election," said Nyantha Maw Lin, an independent consultant based in Yangon. Moreover, even if the NLD is odds-on to win, its performance and the election process will be closely scrutinised.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 22:52 UTC
'Smart city' plan or is it the eve of destruction?
'Smart city' plan or is it the eve of destruction? What does the agency have in mind when it thinks of "smart city"? We have regularly heard of a plan to turn Bang Sue Station into the city's new public transport hub which is part of the "smart city" framework. Smart city sounds nice, while the city we are living in is simply the opposite. He said the Rattanakosin smart city development model which goes beyond physical improvements, like installing street gadgets or painting a bike lane.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 22:52 UTC
Thailand to be star player in Covid success story
Thailand to be star player in Covid success storyA film crew at the National Institute of Health. The institute director has announced the World Health Organisation is making a documentary about the success of Thailand and New Zealand in containing Covid-19. (Photo: Jackky Ball Facebook)The World Health Organization (WHO) has chosen Thailand and New Zealand for a film documentary on successful models for handling and curbing Covid-19. The National Institute of Health's Department of Medical Science director Ballang Uppapong shared the news on Facebook. A WHO official in Thailand confirmed to the Bangkok Post on Wednesday the documentary is in production.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 22:41 UTC
Infections soar in US, India, Australia: Virus world update
Infections soar in US, India, Australia: Virus world updateAustralia on Wednesday reported more than 500 infections in a day, posting a record high nearly four months after cases appeared to have peaked. WASHINGTON: The coronavirus death toll in the United States has spiked again with Donald Trump conceding the pandemic crisis will get worse, as record infections in Australia underscored second-wave dilemmas globally. Nearly 15 million cases have been confirmed and 615,000 lives lost since the virus was first detected in China late last year. With authorities reporting Tuesday the highest daily nationwide death toll in weeks of nearly 1,000, Trump adopted a newly serious tone. Australia on Wednesday reported more than 500 infections in a day, posting a record high nearly four months after cases appeared to have peaked.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 09:11 UTC
Wednesday: 6 returnees found infected | Bangkok Post: learning
Disease control officials greet returnees at Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan province on Tuesday, when the country logged six new Covid-19 cases. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)The government on Wednesday reported six new cases of novel coronavirus disease among quarantined returnees. She tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday while being asymptomatic. She tested positive on Monday while showing no symptoms. Global Covid-19 cases rose by 241,012 over the previous 24 hours to 15.09 million.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 06:11 UTC
Thailand, Taiwan risk entering US watchlist for currency manipulation: UBS
Thailand, Taiwan risk entering US watchlist for currency manipulation: UBSThailand and Taiwan may be added to the US watchlist for currency manipulation after meeting all of the criteria set out by the Treasury Department, according to UBS Group. Thailand and Taiwan may be added to the US watchlist for currency manipulation after meeting all of the criteria set out by the Treasury Department, according to UBS Group. Taiwan, which dropped off the US monitoring list in 2017, and Thailand now fulfill all three criteria, UBS’s analysis shows. “Thailand and Taiwan crossed the $20 billion trade surplus mark to make it to the list,” UBS strategists including Rohit Arora and Teck Quan Koh wrote in a July 21 report. About 75% of central banks have engaged in “persistent FX intervention,” the UBS report found.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 22, 2020 06:00 UTC