Hong Kong opposition trade union group to disband
Hong Kong opposition trade union group to disbandHONG KONG: A Hong Kong opposition trade union coalition, the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, said on Sunday it would disband, adding to several civil society organisations that have ceased operating in the financial hub this year. The organisation passed a motion last week to disband, HKCTU Co-President Joe Wong told a news conference. "We want to apologise to the people of Hong Kong that we cannot continue," Wong said tearfully, adding that some members had recently received messages threatening their safety. HKCTU co-founder Lee Cheuk-yan is in jail over his role in the protests, while its chief executive, Mung Siu Tat, announced on Facebook that he had left Hong Kong. Hong Kong's largest teachers' union, also an HKCTU affiliate, last month announced it would disband after the city's Education Bureau severed ties and accused the group of helping to infiltrate schools with politics.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 08:03 UTC
Putin's party set to retain parliament majority after polls
Putin's party set to retain parliament majority after pollsThe elections were also marred by claims of censorship and rampant ballot stuffingMOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin's party was set Sunday to retain a majority in parliament on the last day of three-day elections in which most Kremlin critics were barred from running. People in effect have no choice," 43-year-old businessman Vladimir Zakharov told AFP in Russia's second city Saint Petersburg. Going into the lower house State Duma vote, Putin's United Russia party was polling at historical lows. But the ruling party is widely expected to retain its two-thirds majority in the lower house, allowing it to push through legislative changes without resistance. "In our battle between David and Goliath, we definitely still have the opportunity to launch the stone," he wrote on Telegram.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 07:41 UTC
Prison sealed off after more Covid cases found
Prison sealed off after more Covid cases foundWardens stand outside the closed Correctional Institution for Young Offenders in Muang district of Nakhon Si Thammarat on Sunday. (Photo: Nujaree Rakrun)NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: The Correctional Institute for Young Offenders in Muang district of this southern province has been sealed off after 130 more Covid-19 infections were found among detainees, provincial governor Kraisorn Wisitwong said on Sunday. The new cases increased the number of Covid-19 infections in the prison from 1,195 to 1325, or over 50% of its population of 2,315. The 61 personnel who work inside the prison had so far not been infected, but all were to be regularly tested for the virus. The prison for young offenders would not take new inmates during this time, he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 07:30 UTC
Myanmar military convoy hit by roadside bomb near Yangon: junta
Myanmar military convoy hit by roadside bomb near Yangon: juntaPeople attempt to extinguish a fire as houses burn in Namg Kar village in Magwe region's Gangaw township on Saturday, as fighting continues between the Myanmar military and protesters against the military coup. (AFP PHOTO / ANONYMOUS SOURCE)Myanmar anti-junta dissidents have carried out a bomb attack on security forces near Yangon, with several killed in an ensuing firefight, the military and media said. The remains of burnt houses are seen in Namg Kar village in Magwe region's Gangaw township on Saturday, as fighting continues between the Myanmar military and protesters against the military coup. (AFP PHOTO / ANONYMOUS SOURCE)"The military has been crushing our region because of the local resistance forces," a 25-year-old woman from Magway's Gangaw township told AFP. Images obtained by AFP showed Namg Kar villagers carrying buckets of water as smoke rose in the distance, while remains of burnt foundations smouldered.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 07:20 UTC
Former Malaysia PM Najib may seek re-election as MP despite conviction
Former Malaysia PM Najib may seek re-election as MP despite convictionMalaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak reacts during an interview with Reuters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday. (Reuters photo)KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has not ruled out seeking re-election to parliament within the next two years, he told Reuters in an interview, undeterred by a corruption conviction that would block him from running. Opponents had expressed fears that party leaders facing charges could secure leniency once back in control. But speaking to Reuters on Saturday, Najib challenged his disqualification saying: "It is subject to interpretation." "It depends on interpretation in terms of the law, the constitution and whatever happens in court proceedings," Najib said.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 05:37 UTC
Fire hits Hat Yai motorcycle showroom
Fire hits Hat Yai motorcycle showroomFirefighters rescue a man from an apartment above N.A. Minibike Company after a fire broke out on Sunday. (Photo: Assawin Pakkawan)SONGKHLA: A fire broke out at a motorcycle showroom belonging to N.A. Minibike Company in Hat Yai district on Sunday morning. The Nakhon Hat Yai Municipality dispatched seven fire engines to the showroom, a two-storey shophouse with two fronts, on Supasan Rangsan road in front of the Kim Yong market.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 05:27 UTC
Living with Alzheimer's: China's health time bomb
Doctors diagnosed Chen with Alzheimer's Disease, the most common form of dementia, where people suffer impaired cognitive function including memory loss, eventually needing full-time care. The United States has 6.2 million Alzheimer's patients and 73,000 beds in specialist treatment centres, while China has double the cases but fewer than 200 beds. "No healthcare problem looms larger in China than Alzheimer's Disease," said Wei Shouchao, a neurologist from Guangdong medical university. "Even Beijing has only one care home with staff trained to handle Alzheimer's patients." The team says it has helped find about 300 missing Alzheimer's patients since 2016.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 05:15 UTC
Majority not keen to see Prayut take over PPRP leadership: poll
Majority not keen to see Prayut take over PPRP leadership: pollPrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gestures to supporters during a visit to a Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) factory at the Laem Chabang deep-sea port in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri on Friday. The poll was conducted through telephone interviews on Sept 13-16 on 1,317 people aged 18 and over of various levels of education and occupations throughout the country. As a consequence of the alleged attempt to unseat him, Gen Prayut removed Capt Thamanat as deputy agriculture and cooperatives minister and Narumol Pinyosinwat as deputy labour minister. Asked whether they thought Gen Prayut should set up a political party of his own for the next general election, a majority -- 66.06% -- disagreed. Of them, 58.24% said Gen Prayut had failed in his administration, lacked leadership, and was unable to solve the country's problems, and it was time for him to step down.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 03:26 UTC
McNealy rallies late to grab share of the lead at Fortinet Championship
McNealy rallies late to grab share of the lead at Fortinet ChampionshipAmerican Maverick McNealy roared to the finish with three straight birdies to close out his third round and maintain a share of the lead at the Fortinet Championship in CaliforniaSAN FRANCISCO - Jim Knous and Maverick McNealy both birdied their final holes of the round to top a crowded leaderboard at The Fortinet Championship, the first PGA Tour event of the new season. The 25-year-old McNealy made birdie on the final three holes including the par-five 16th and the par-five 18th. Chile's Mito Pereira and American Scott Stallings lead a pack of five golfers tied for third at 12 under 204. After a one-week break, the PGA Tour is kicking off the 2021-22 season with The Fortinet Championship in Napa, California. - Five straight birdies -"The best I can do is just hit every shot the best I can, and things will work out as they should," he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 03:11 UTC
Switzerland imposes tougher Covid rules
Switzerland imposes tougher Covid rulesSwitzerland has announced stricter Covid-19 rules for people vaccinated with non-EU approved vaccines to access events and facilities. Switzerland has announced stricter Covid-19 rules for people vaccinated with non-EU approved vaccines to access events and facilities. The embassy suggested those who want to travel to Switzerland and have mixed vaccines to request a certificate once the online system is in place. However, the decision will not be made by the embassy but by individual cantons in Switzerland. They need to have a World Health Organisation International Certificate of Vaccine, known as the yellow booklet to access events or facilities.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 01:41 UTC
In-person Emmys return as Netflix eyes TV's top prize with 'The Crown'
In-person Emmys return as Netflix eyes TV's top prize with 'The Crown'Leading streamer Netflix has never won best drama at the Emmys -- nor best comedy, nor best limited series. LOS ANGELES: Television's top stars will gather in person for the first time in two years at Sunday's Emmys, where Netflix is tipped to finally win the small screen's biggest prize for "The Crown." Leading streamer Netflix has utterly transformed the TV landscape since creating its first original show in 2012, but surprisingly has never won a top series prize at television's equivalent of the Oscars -- best drama, best comedy, or best limited series. An outside bet for best drama is "Pose" -- Billy Porter's LGBTQ-focused show exploring New York's 1980s underground ballroom culture has mounted a dazzling Emmys campaign for its final season. In limited series competition, quirky sitcom-inspired Marvel superhero show "WandaVision" on Disney+ has exceeded all critical expectations.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 01:41 UTC
Ex-inmates decry worsening state of New York's 'hellhole' jail
"It's described as a gladiator school for a reason," the 49-year-old told AFP, listing another of Rikers' monikers: "torture island." A horror house of abuse and neglect," said New York State assemblywoman Emily Gallagher, who visited this week. The DOC has been struggling with staffing for months; posts have been unattended with inmates left to fend for themselves. Prison officers unions say guards are overworked from triple shifts while others are recovering from the effects of Covid-19 and injuries inflicted by inmates. The number of inmates at Rikers has fallen from around 20,000 in the 1990s to almost 6,000 today.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 01:30 UTC
Fed expected to stay cautious as economy sends mixed signals
The FOMC "likes to prepare markets for any major change," said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US. The Fed took several emergency measures starting in March 2020, acting quickly as the pandemic caused the world's largest economy to collapse. -The FOMC will convene as the economy sends mixed signals about two of the central bank's top priorities: employment and prices. "If they're looking for 3.5 (percent unemployment) then they'll start raising rates again in 230 years," economist Joel Naroff quipped. "If they're looking for 4.5 (percent unemployment) and still declining then I think the end of next year is reasonable."
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 01:30 UTC
13,576 new Covid cases, 117 more deaths
13,576 new Covid cases, 117 more deathsA monk at Wat Kohsuwannaram in Sai Mai district of Bangkok on Saturday leads a merit-making ceremony for people who died of Covid-19. (Photo: Apichit Jinakul)Thailand logged 13,576 new Covid-19 cases and 117 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Sunday morning. On Saturday, 12,492 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus. Since April 1, when the third wave of Covid-19 began, Thailand has treated 1,447,614 Covid-19 patients, 1,302,593 of whom have recovered to date. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,476,477 Covid-19 cases, with 1,330,238 complete recoveries so far.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 01:18 UTC
Branagh's 'Belfast' boosts Oscars hopes with Toronto prize
Branagh's 'Belfast' boosts Oscars hopes with Toronto prizeKenneth Branagh's deeply personal dramedy "Belfast" captures the late-1960s outbreak of Northern Ireland's violent "Troubles" from the perspective of Buddy, a nine-year-old boyOTTAWA: "Belfast," Kenneth Branagh's black-and-white homage to the hometown he fled as a child, raised its profile as an early Oscar frontrunner by winning the Toronto film festival's coveted top prize Saturday. "Our first showing of 'Belfast' at TIFF was one of the most memorable experiences of my entire career," Branagh told the Toronto International Film Festival ceremony via video message. Branagh's latest, deeply personal dramedy "Belfast" -- which hits theaters in November -- captures the late-1960s outbreak of Northern Ireland's violent "Troubles" from the perspective of Buddy, a nine-year-old boy. "12 Years a Slave" (2013), "The King's Speech" (2010) and "Slumdog Millionaire" (2008) all began their journeys to Oscar glory with the Toronto prize. A handful of other films that played at Toronto and are seen as awards contenders were not eligible for Saturday's prize, including the Princess Diana biopic "Spencer" starring Kristen Stewart, and Villeneuve's sci-fi epic "Dune."
Source:Bangkok Post
September 19, 2021 00:56 UTC