Gold edges closer to 9-year high
An employee shows gold bullion at Degussa shop in Singapore in 2017. The precious metal has rallied 17% this year as governments and central banks implemented stimulus measures to aid economies battered by the pandemic. "Gold is benefiting from the growing concern that the Covid-19 has been badly underestimated," said Gavin Wendt, senior resource analyst at MineLife Pty. It’s a double-whammy that’s enormously supportive for gold prices that will likely push them to record highs." Gold futures rose as much as 0.6% to $1,790.40 an ounce on the Comex, and traded at $1,787.20 at 7.10am in London.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 06:54 UTC
Gunmen attack Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi: police
Gunmen attack Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi: policePolicemen secure an area around a body outside the Pakistan Stock Exchange building after a group of gunmen attacked the building in Karachi. KARACHI: Gunmen attacked the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi Monday, with four of the assailants killed, police said. Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said the attackers pulled up in a car outside the trading floor and hurled a grenade at the building before opening fire. Karachi was once a hotspot for crime and political and ethnic violence, with heavily armed groups tied to politicians frequently gunning down opponents and launching attacks on residential areas. However, the situation has largely stabilised in recent years following operations by security agencies against armed political outfits.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 06:33 UTC
Stinging jellyfish at Songkhla beaches
Stinging jellyfish at Songkhla beachesA blue bottle jellyfish washed up on the sand at Samila beach in Songkhla province on Monday. (Photo supplied via Assawin Pakkawan)SONGKHLA: Blue bottle jellyfish have invaded Samila and Chalathat beaches on the southern coast of the Gulf of Thailand, with many swimmers having been stung. It resembles a small, floating blue balloon and children should be warned not to play with it. Pornthip Lohitchat, 55, a somtam vendor at Samila beach, said many people who went into the sea off the beach recently had been stung. Before, there were signs at the beach warning swimmers to beware of jellyfish.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 06:22 UTC
Boeing 737 Max could take off Monday for commercial survival
Boeing 737 Max could take off Monday for commercial survivalThe Boeing 737 MAX has been grounded globally since March 2019 following two major crashes that together killed 346 people. NEW YORK: Boeing's 737 MAX plane could take its first test flight from Monday, a crucial step for the survival of the company's star model that has been grounded for 14 months. "We continue to work diligently on safely returning the 737 Max to service. We defer to the FAA and global regulators on the process," a Boeing spokesperson told AFP. Boeing urgently needs to get the 737 Max back in the air in order to pull itself out of a historic crisis.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 06:00 UTC
Govt logs 7 new Covid cases, extends emergency
Govt logs 7 new Covid cases, extends emergencyPeople arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport following a repatriation flight from the United Kingdom on June 14. (Bangkok Post file photo)The government reported seven new coronavirus cases and no new deaths on Monday, taking the total number of infections in Thailand to 3,169 with 58 deaths since January. All the new cases were Thai nationals in quarantine after recently returning from India and the US. The Centre for Covid-a9 Situation Administration also extended the emergency decree for another month to the end of July after it is due to expire on Tuesday. The decision was reached in the full member meeting of the centre chaired by Prime Minster Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 05:19 UTC
Half of Tokyo residents oppose Olympics in 2021: Poll
Half of Tokyo residents oppose Olympics in 2021: PollTokyo 2020 became the first Olympics postponed in peacetime earlier this year as the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Among those opposed to a 2021 Games, 27.7% said they want them cancelled altogether, while 24.0% would prefer a second postponement. The telephone poll, conducted by Kyodo News and Tokyo MX television between June 26-28, received 1,030 replies. The Games are now scheduled to begin on July 23, 2021, although they will still be known as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The poll, conducted ahead of the Tokyo gubernatorial election on July 5, also found incumbent Yuriko Koike leading her opponents "by a large margin".
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 03:49 UTC
Reopened stores bright spot for UK's stretched charity sector
Reopened stores bright spot for UK's stretched charity sectorShops must follow various government guidelines, including ensuring customers stay at least one metre apartLONDON - Bargain hunters have returned to Britain's beloved charity shops since they began reopening following lockdown but busy tills alone will struggle to repair the damage done by the coronavirus pandemic. Popular stores selling various second-hand items from clothes to crockery were allowed to restart operating earlier this month alongside other so-called non-essential retailers. Some of Britain's roughly 9,000 charity shops immediately resumed trading in mid-June when the lockdown rules were eased. - 'Shops will survive' -A lack of volunteers has also affected charity shops' ability to get back to normal. "They really need to understand how much the charity sector does for the community," he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 03:45 UTC
Nephew kills married aunty's monk lover
Nephew kills married aunty's monk loverPlainclothes police with suspect Sanguan Damthong during the crime reenactment at a house in Muang district of Buri Ram on Sunday. After several hours of grilling they said Sanguan was killed by their nephew, Sithisak Suraram, 44, who lived next door. He allegedly confessed to killing Sanguan, telling police the former monk had been having an affair with his aunt. He grabbed a knife, broke into the bathroom and slashed and stabbed Sanguan to death. Police on Sunday took Mr Sithisak to the house for a re-enactment of the crime.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 03:45 UTC
Vietnam’s economy unexpectedly expands amid pandemic
Vietnam’s economy unexpectedly expands amid pandemicA man works at an assembly line of Vinfast Auto factory in Hai Phong city, Vietnam, June 14, 2019. (Reuters file photo)Vietnam’s economy unexpectedly grew in the second quarter, though at the slowest pace in at least a decade, as exports slumped because of the coronavirus pandemic. Gross domestic product rose 0.36% from a year earlier, compared with a revised 3.68% in the first quarter, the General Statistics Office said Monday in Hanoi. Vietnam’s export-reliant economy is taking a knock as the virus disrupts global supply chains and hurts demand, but is still likely to be one of the better performers in Southeast Asia this year. Vietnam posted a trade surplus of $500 million in June, compared with a $900 million deficit the previous month.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 03:45 UTC
May factory output down 23%
May factory output down 23%The manufacturing production index (MPI) for May dropped 23.19% from a year earlier, led by lower production of cars, petroleum and air conditioners due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the industry ministry reported on Monday. That compared with a forecast for a drop of 21.0% in a Reuters poll, and against April's revised MPI decline of 18.22%. Capacity utilisation in May was 52.84%, compared with April's revised 51.27%.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 03:33 UTC
The Government call for domestic support to wear Thai textiles
The Government call for domestic support to wear Thai textilesto conserving national heritage, creating employment and grassroots driving economy across nationwide communities. On 9th June 2020, the cabinet, led by the Prime Minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, agreed on the national campaign, proposed by the Community Development Department (CDD), in collaboration with National Council of Women of Thailand, to promote Thai textiles among domestic markets. The campaign encourages Thais to use or wear the cultural fabrics as daily outfits at least twice a week. The campaign aims at promoting the national heritage conservation and uniqueness of Thai textiles which are inherited from the previous generations. Eat Thai food, use Thai products, travel in Thailand and wear Thai fabrics to strengthen Thai economy.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 03:11 UTC
China's LGBT couples 'wed' online as gay marriage push stalls
China's LGBT couples 'wed' online as gay marriage push stallsDespite a shake-up of China's marriage law last month -- and a groundswell of support for same-sex unions in the socially conservative country -- demands to make gay marriage legal have not been met. Despite a shake-up of China's marriage law last month -- and a groundswell of support for same-sex unions in the socially conservative country -- demands to make gay marriage legal have not been met. Legalising gay marriage was among top suggestions made by the public last year when lawmakers sought opinions on the country's first-ever civil code. Messages also came from professionals who had hidden relationships from employers, and from same-sex couples looking to become parents. Activists are also conducting a nationwide survey of LGBT couples to create a "gay rights resource with Chinese characteristics".
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 02:26 UTC
Hamilton eyes Schumacher record as F1 steps into brave new world
Hamilton eyes Schumacher record as F1 steps into brave new worldSeven heaven? Lewis Hamilton, powered by the all-conquering Mercedes, goes in search of a seventh drivers' title to equal the record of Michael Schumacher. "It has been unbearable – I have missed the racing and the competition so much, so it will be great to be back," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "It will be a chance to review strategy just seven days afterwards so that's a first and let's see how we tackle that challenge." "It's a really weird time in the world and the biggest challenge in my mind is not about the championship necessarily," he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 29, 2020 01:30 UTC
Fighting Transphobia
On the occasion of Pride Month, a review of the latest happenings regarding LGBTI inclusivityProtesters at a demonstration against LGBTI discrimination in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw. This announcement was considered the first time a government agency formally acknowledged LGBTI rights. In his statement, he said "transgender women are women" and that any contradiction to this "erases the identity and dignity of transgender people". The shop also sported a big rainbow pride flag along its sales counter. Egyptian LGBTI rights activist Sarah Hegazy took her own life while in exile in Canada.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 28, 2020 23:37 UTC
Justice imperilled by oversight void
Justice imperilled by oversight voidIn this 2012 file photo, police officers inspect the luxury car involved in the notorious hit-and-run case involving Vorayuth 'Boss' Yoovidhya. Boss is still safe and sound and lives a good life abroad beyond the reach of the law in Thailand. Critics have argued that illegally earned money should mean money earned from illegal activities such as prostitution, money laundering or illegal gambling. Because the acquittal verdict was not unanimous, it would have been sensible for the prosecutors to appeal to the higher court. No explanation was given to the public by the OAG because, in the realm of public prosecutors, their discretion is beyond scrutiny.
Source:Bangkok Post
June 28, 2020 23:26 UTC