Up to 20,000 spectators to attend French Open each day
Up to 20,000 spectators to attend French Open each dayThis year's French Open will be played in front of spectatorsPARIS - The French Open will allow up to 20,000 people to attend each day of this year's tournament despite the coronavirus pandemic, organisers announced on Thursday. The French Open was pushed back from its traditional slot in the calendar in late May and early June after France entered a near two-month lockdown on March 17. - Wearing masks obligatory -Spectators will have to adhere to social-distancing rules at the French Open and wearing a mask while on the Roland Garros site will be obligatory. "General public" tickets will be accessible to spectators around the world, without "purchase discrimination", said FFT president Bernard Giudicelli. Unlike the US Open, Roland Garros will maintain its qualifying event in the week before the main draw.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 14:48 UTC
Trump cheers US economy after June jobs surge despite virus
Trump cheers US economy after June jobs surge despite virusHiring rose in June as US states lifted lockdowns but a resurgence of the coronavirus could undo thatWASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed new data showing huge jobs gains in June, but continued to downplay surging COVID-19 cases that could reverse the tentative recovery. The new data together with the 2.7 million jobs won back in May means the economy has regained 7.5 million of the more than 22 million jobs lost since mid-March amid the coronavirus pandemic as businesses were closed nationwide to prevent the spread of infections. "Today's announcement proves that our economy is roaring back," Trump said. Leisure and hospitality added 2.1 million positions and retail grew by 740,000 jobs, while manufacturing and construction also rehired in large numbers. Beneath the appealing look, the labor market is still facing a net loss of 14.7 million jobs from the global coronavirus recession," he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 14:48 UTC
Botswana reports mysterious deaths of hundreds of elephants
Botswana reports mysterious deaths of hundreds of elephantsBotswana is home to some 130,000 elephants. GABORONE (BOTSWANA) - Hundreds of elephants have died mysteriously in Botswana's famed Okavango Delta, the wildlife department said Thursday, ruling out poaching as the tusks were found intact. "It seems they were dying very suddenly in some cases," conservation biologist, Keith Lindsay told AFP, adding that the deaths were sudden. Botswana has an overpopulation of elephants which President Mokgweetsi Masisi has flagged as the source for much of the human-animal conflict in the country. In February the southern African country held its first major auction for trophy elephant hunting quotas since controversially scrapping a hunting ban last year.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 13:52 UTC
Banyin’s son denies links to prison break plan
Banyin’s son denies links to prison break planWoraphat Tangpakorn, son of Banyin, is at the Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Bangkok on Thursday. He was placed in solitary confinement last month at Bang Kwang Central Prison in Nonthaburi after reports of an escape plan allegedly involving multiple people surfaced. Natthapol was detained at the prison at the same time as Banyin before the alleged prison escape plan came to light. Police suspect Mr Woraphat and Natthapol were involved in the escape plan because the two communicated before the plan was revealed. Police earlier questioned prison officials and three inmates, who indicated Banyin had arranged the plan, Pol Col Anake said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 13:30 UTC
Thailand unlikely to join CPTPP pact this year
Thailand unlikely to join CPTPP pact this yearContainers are moved at Laem Chabang port, Chon Buri province, in September 2019. A parliamentary committee will study the costs and benefits of the CPTPP by mid-July. The study committee has said it will be open to public opinions on CPTPP membership. The CPTPP was originally known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which fell apart when the United States — its main architect — withdrew in early 2017. Member countries, including Japan and Canada, signed the CPTPP deal in 2018 without the United States.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 13:07 UTC
Project turns fishing nets into protection gear
Project turns fishing nets into protection gearA worker prepares old fishing nets before a recycling process to create, among new products, protective gear against the coronavirus disease at the Saint Louis Plas Mold factory amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Ayutthaya province on Tuesday. "If no one bought my fishing nets, they would just pile up like a mountain," says Anan, who goes through about 36 nets every quarter, fishing in the east coast province of Rayong. About 640,000 tonnes of fishing nets end up in the ocean globally every year, becoming "ghost gear," the United Nations says. Thai design company Qualy is buying most of the fishing nets being collected by EJF. "We've sold over 100,000 push sticks already during the coronavirus pandemic," said marketing director Thosaphol Suppametheekulwat.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 12:22 UTC
Palestinian rivals Fatah, Hamas pledge unity against Israeli annexations
Palestinian rivals Fatah, Hamas pledge unity against Israeli annexationsSenior Fatah official Jibril Rajub, holds a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah, joined via video link by deputy Hamas chief Saleh al-Arouri (unseen) to jointly oppose annexation plansRAMALLAH (PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES) - Palestinian rivals Fatah and Hamas pledged unity against Israel's West Bank annexation plans in a rare joint conference Thursday, as signs emerged of a rift between Israel and Washington over the project. The relationship between Fatah, which controls the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, and Islamist group Hamas -- in control of the Gaza strip -- has been plagued by divisions for more than a decade. "We will put in place all necessary measures to ensure national unity" in efforts against annexation, senior Fatah official Jibril Rajub said in Ramallah at the press conference, also addressed by Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri by video-link from Beirut. But for former PA official and Palestinian analyst Ghassan Khatib, Thursday's show of unity was unlikely to spark wider co-operation between the two Palestinian groups. -Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's centre-right coalition government had set July 1 as the date it could begin implementing Trump's annexation proposals.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 11:15 UTC
Kremlin hails 'triumph' in vote extending Putin's rule
Kremlin hails 'triumph' in vote extending Putin's ruleTurnout was almost 68 percent in the Russian referendum on constitutional changes. (AFP photo)MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Thursday hailed as a "triumph" overwhelming backing in a national vote on constitutional reforms to extend President Vladimir Putin's rule. The Central Elections Commission announced that 77.92% of voters had backed the reforms with a turnout of 67.97% after all votes had been counted. The Kremlin "definitely considers this as a triumph," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, describing the vote as a "referendum on trust" in the Russian president. Election commission chief Ella Pamfilova rebuffed criticisms, saying in televised comments that "there is no doubt that the vote is valid and legitimate".
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 11:03 UTC
5,600 racers caught in 11 days
5,600 racers caught in 11 daysDozens of motorcycles seized from illegal street racers are on display at the Provincial Police Region 1 in Chatuchak district of Bangkok on Thursday. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)Police arrested more than 5,600 street racers and seized over 17,700 bikes in 11 days after the night curfew was lifted. The police ramped up efforts to crack down on illegal street racers, known locally as Vanz boys, from June 20 to 30. Police also put 668 parents of the illegal racers on probation, Pol Lt Gen Damrongsak said. During the suppression, complaints on illegal street races dropped from over 600 to less than 300 a month, he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 10:18 UTC
Domestic flights soar at Chiang Mai airport
Domestic flights soar at Chiang Mai airportPassengers arrive at Chiang Mai airport on Thursday, where the number of domestic flights has almost doubled. (Photo: Phanumet Tanraksa)CHIANG MAI: The number of domestic flights at Chiang Mai airport has risen more than 50% since Covid-19 restrictions began to be eased. Chiang Mai airport director Amornrak Xumsai Na Ayudhaya said on Thursday that the number of daily flights so far this month has reached 68, up from a daily average of 40 in June. The number of passengers is also expected to be at least 50% higher than the previous month, which saw 4,000-5,000 passengers per day, the airport director said. Airlines have mostly begun flying major domestic routes such as Chiang Mai - Bangkok, but the northern capital also has connections to U-Tapao, Hat Yai, Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 10:12 UTC
Dot Property Black Friday Sale generates significant sales as Thailand property market picks up
Dot Property Black Friday Sale generates significant sales as Thailand property market picks upThere is still demand for Thailand property, it’s just a matter of knowing where and how to locate active buyers. This was the key takeaway from the Dot Property Black Friday Sale where a significant number of real estate transactions occurred, and a record number of people visited the Dot Property Thailand website. The Dot Property Black Friday Sale took place on June 19 with 20 of the Kingdom’s leading property developers offering their largest discounts of the entire year for 12-hours only. “We are delighted with the Dot Property Black Friday Sale. Billed as Thailand’s biggest online property sales event, the Dot Property Black Friday Sale proved to be hit with property seekers and developers.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 10:07 UTC
Planks seized from temple, abbot disappears
Planks seized from temple, abbot disappearsMany illegally processed wood planks are found in the compound of Wat Nong Phla Sew in Sai Yok district, Kanchanaburi during a search on Thursday. (Photo: The Royal Forestry Department)KANCHANABURI: More than 500 illegally processed wood planks were seized from a temple in Sai Yok district while the abbot disappeared during a search on Thursday. The team inspected another building in the western side of the temple and found 328 more processed planks of prohibited tree species. All 549 wood planks were seized and taken to the forestry protection unit in Sai Yok district. A total of 549 wood planks are seized from Nong Phla Sew temple in Kanchanaburi province while the abbot disappears.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 08:48 UTC
Hong Kong businesses back new security law despite fears
Hong Kong businesses back new security law despite fearsAnalysts and members of the business community have said the law could add to the risk and complexity of doing business in Hong Kong, but it is unlikely to spark a mass exodus of foreign firms. HONG KONG: China's new security law has sent fear coursing through many Hong Kong residents, but the city's commercial community has largely embraced it as a way to get back to doing business. The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce described the passing of the law earlier this week as "instrumental in helping to restore stability and certainty to Hong Kong, which has been severely impacted by the social unrest since last year". By the end of 2019, mainland companies made up 73%, or $3.4 trillion, of the market capitalisation in Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. "I do feel this will add to the complexity of working in Hong Kong or operating out of Hong Kong," Jun Bei Liu of Tribeca Investment Partners told Bloomberg.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 08:47 UTC
Museum or mosque? Top Turkey court to rule on Hagia Sophia
Top Turkey court to rule on Hagia SophiaHagia Sophia has been a church and a mosque and is currently a museumISTANBUL - Turkey's top court convened Thursday to consider whether Istanbul's emblematic landmark and former church Hagia Sophia can be redesignated as a mosque, a ruling which could inflame tensions with the West. "Erdogan could not find a more high-profile and potent symbol than Hagia Sophia to achieve all these goals at once," he told AFP. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday urged Turkey to keep Hagia Sophia as a museum, and to ensure it remains accessible to all. Istanbul shoemaker Mahmut Karagoz, 55, said he dreams he can one day pray under the dome of Hagia Sophia. However economics student Sena Yildiz said she believes Hagia Sophia should stay as a museum.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 08:15 UTC
Widened spur for domestic tourism ahead: Somkid
Widened spur for domestic tourism ahead: SomkidDeputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak on Wednesday (Bangkok Post photo)The government is considering introducing new economic measures to boost consumption and help businesses and debtors cope with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said on Thursday. The government plans to expand a recently announced package to spur domestic tourism, and to help more companies get financial support, he told a briefing. The finance ministry will also consider support for borrowers after a delayed debt repayment period ends in September, said Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana. "We must look at the long term because Covid-19 is not over yet. The cabinet will consider on Wednesday a 50 billion baht fund to aid small firms, and projects worth about 80 billion baht to help revive the economy, officials say.
Source:Bangkok Post
July 02, 2020 08:10 UTC