As sanctions bite, where next for Trump's Iran strategy | Bangkok Post: news
WASHINGTON - A wave of US sanctions kicks in against Iran on Tuesday, cementing Washington's hard line against Tehran after President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear pact. The US walked out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May and is bringing back "maximum pressure" sanctions for most sectors on August 6, and the energy sector on November 4. -After months of fierce rhetoric, Trump surprised observers last week when he offered to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani "any time" -- and without preconditions. Dubowitz, who noted that Iran has tested fewer missiles of late, said Trump's rhetoric and position on Iran actually lowers the risk of escalation toward conflict. Sanctions and diplomatic pressure could pile enough pressure on the regime that it comes to the negotiating table -- something Trump has advocated for.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 06, 2018 00:11 UTC
Agritech evangelist | Bangkok Post: lifestyle
Growing up in a small village in Ireland with 300 people, Mr Hunt did not quite fit in with his immediate surroundings. In 1997, When Mr Hunt entered a school competition seeking ways to make information about his school more accessible to parents. If he quit something after six months, his father said, he would never stop quitting in life, so Mr Hunt decided to give the profession a shot. But even while he continued to pursue his banking job, Mr Hunt never completely abandoned his agricultural roots. AGRITECH ENTREPRENEURAnother major turning point for Mr Hunt came in 2013.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 06, 2018 00:00 UTC
NESDB to map out region-level strategy | Bangkok Post: business
The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has been told to map out development plans for each region in a bid to improve growth potential and competitiveness. "As a matter of fact, each region already has its own development plan, but the plans are designed just to serve their own demand," Mr Tosaporn said. "The NESDB will help improve regional development to become more efficient, more practical and compatible with the national strategy and the changing global environment." The Southern Economic Corridor will be the first regional development plan handled by the NESDB. Mr Tosaporn said the northeastern development plan will be the next one drafted.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 05, 2018 23:15 UTC
Defined by taste | Bangkok Post: lifestyle
"I think that's the way humans should be … naturally. We began to make something risqué, like they all did, and abandoned the core of Asava women. We began to win back our old customers and by our sixth year, we started to have a clear direction as to who the Asava women really are." The aforementioned Asava women may be made up of the country's most beautiful and famous females, but Polpat's perception of beauty is never skin-deep. He's happy to dress women of all ages and colours with a genuine, empowering belief that true beauty comes from being comfortable in your own skin.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 05, 2018 22:45 UTC
Indonesia quake kills 82, leaves hundreds wounded | Bangkok Post: news
Nugroho said an initial tsunami warning which was later cancelled had sparked terror as residents scrambled to reach safer ground. "People were panicking... especially because of the early tsunami warning," he said. Despite the tsunami warning being cancelled, seawater poured into two villages, senior disaster agency official Dwikorita Karnawati told local television. The tremor came a week after a shallow 6.4-magnitude quake hit Lombok, killing 17 people and damaging hundreds of buildings. In 2004 a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in western Indonesia killed 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean, including 168,000 in Indonesia.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 05, 2018 22:41 UTC
Chatumongol to head pro-govt ACT | Bangkok Post: news
The Action Coalition for Thailand (ACT) Party was the brainstorm of co-founder Suthep 'Kamnan' Thaungsuban, seen giving a thumbs up. The party will be led into an election by MR Chatumongol Sonakul (inset), former governor of the Bank of Thailand. MR Chatumongol won 331 votes during the party's first official meeting, attended by more than 339 founding members from all provinces nationwide in Bangkok. MR Chatumongol, he said, is a former senior civil servant who demonstrated strength of character. "I'm not sure when the time comes there will still be a Pheu Thai because many of its former MPs have moved to other parties," MR Chatumongol said.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 05, 2018 22:18 UTC
'Phoenix' owner faces civil suit | Bangkok Post: news
(Main photo Post Today)The Marine Department will lodge a civil lawsuit against the owner of the Phoenix for failing to salvage the ship, which sank off the coast of Phuket last month, killing 47 Chinese tourists. As the deadline has passed, added Mr Jirut, the department has taken over efforts to recover the wreckage. The sunken ship was found at a depth of 45 metres deep underwater, which meant that only highly-skilled divers can be assigned for the salvage effort. "The owner had claimed that the Phoenix had sunk so deep that it will not disrupt the navigation of other ships in the area," said Mr Jirut. Mr Jirut said it is difficult to check the seaworthiness of boats in Phuket, as more than 40 piers are located all around the island.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 05, 2018 22:18 UTC
Safeguarding against the race for data | Bangkok Post: tech
Despite the data leak, the bank has not needed to allocate more funds to the cybersecurity budget, he said. The idea is to attack the bank's cybersecurity system to test its impregnability. Hackers will pose as customers and embed a computer virus into the cybersecurity system in an attempt to steal genuine customers' data. Moreover, the lack of cybersecurity and data protection laws means that when service providers experience data breaches they remain unaccountable in Thailand. "In Europe and the US, consumers sue service providers or operators who leak their data, but nothing has been done for the many data leaks in Thailand," Mr Nakrop said.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 05, 2018 22:18 UTC
Phetchaburi braces for dam spillover | Bangkok Post: news
Officials of the Royal Irrigation Depatment are rushing more pumps and equipment to the Kaeng Krachan Dam to try to pump catchment water into fields. "It could take more than 12 hours before the spillover reaches Phetchaburi Dam, and it would take another 20 hours for the dam's surplus to reach Muang district," Mr Thongplew said. (Post Today photo)Mr Thongplew said the dam spillover at the rate of 10 cu m per second would raise the Phetchaburi River by 10-15cm, which would swamp low-lying areas. In Ban Mai Bon of tambon Bang Krok, volunteers reinforce the earth embankment along Phetchaburi River in a bid to prevent the overflow. As of Sunday, Vajiralongkorn Dam contained 7,403 million cu m of water, or 84% of its capacity, and Srinagarind Dam held 15,300 cu m of water, or 86% of its total capacity.
Source:Bangkok Post
August 05, 2018 22:18 UTC
South Korea women hold record mass rally against 'spycam porn'
The primary cause of the protests are so-called spycam videos in a tech-savvy country where news of men caught secretly filming women in schools, offices, trains, or even toilets have made headlines on a daily basis. "Women's toilets in this country are infested with spycams! Please please crack down on the crimes," the women chanted in unison at the city's Gwanghwamun Plaza which routinely hosts mass rallies. Some waved banners with slogans such as: "We can't live like this anymore" and "South Korea: the nation of spycams." Some South Koreans who have previously joined protests in support of women's rights have faced online bullying and harassment.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
August 04, 2018 18:00 UTC
Asian countries denounce 'real threat' of global trade war
The prospect of a trade war is a "real threat" to Asian countries, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah told reporters Saturday on the sidelines of the summit. "Rising anti-globalisation and trade protectionism among major countries is fuelling tensions and threatening our aspirations for sustained economic growth," said South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha. 'Protectionism on the rise'But it would not include the United States, which had been leading another regional trade pact -- the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) -- until US President Donald Trump abruptly abandoned it last year. The US imposed 25 percent tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese goods in early July, sparking retaliatory measures from China. Days later, Washington unveiled a list of another $200 billion in Chinese goods from electrical machinery to seafood that would be hit with 10 percent import duties.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
August 04, 2018 18:00 UTC
Russian helicopter crash in northern Siberia kills 18: ministry
The Russian Transport Ministry said the Mi-8 helicopter carrying three crew members and 15 passengers crashed when it collided with machinery carried by another helicopter soon after take-off. It added that the second helicopter landed safely and that the accident took place in "normal" weather conditions. "According to preliminary information, the Mi-8 carrying passengers for reasons unknown collided with the external suspension of the second helicopter after take-off. Russia's transport ministry said it created a commission to investigate the crash and that the vice director of the Federal Air Transport Agency was on his way to the site. In 2016, 19 people died when a Mi-8 helicopter carrying oil and gas field workers crashed in a remote area of Siberia.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
August 04, 2018 13:18 UTC
North Korea hits out at US ‘pressure’ tactics
North Korea warned that “there will be no case whereby [it] will move forward first unilaterally” if the US does not show in practice its strong will to remove its concerns. “The DPRK-US Joint Statement should not be permitted to fall prey to American internal politics, inviting an adverse wind at odds with the intentions of the leaders,” the statement said. Pompeo also targeted Russia, citing a report on a Russian joint venture with a North Korean firm and the granting of new work permits to North Korean gas workers. “We expect Russia and all countries to abide by the UNSC resolutions and enforce sanctions on North Korea. “The Korean nuclear issue has been brought back on track to seek a peaceful settlement through dialogue and consultation.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
August 04, 2018 12:00 UTC
US hands Trump letter for Kim to North Korea FM: State Department
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters travelling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the US delegation delivered the letter to the North's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho at a security forum in Singapore.
Source:The Nation Bangkok
August 04, 2018 10:52 UTC
Japan ruling party under fire after MP calls LGBT 'unproductive'
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politician Mio Sugita, an ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, sparked protests over an article she wrote in July questioning spending taxpayers' money on LGBT couples. But the party stopped short of reprimanding her despite growing calls for her resignation. "If she does not apologise or withdraw the remarks, she should resign as a lawmaker," Akira Koike of the Japan Communist Party told reporters. Taiga Ishikawa, the first openly gay politician to win a local election in Japan, tweeted: "There is no self-cleaning function in the LDP. The LDP is not qualified to speak about promoting understanding of LGBT."
Source:The Nation Bangkok
August 04, 2018 08:48 UTC