Biden becomes 46th president | Bangkok Post: learning
US President Joe Biden delivers his Inauguration speech after being sworn in as the 46th US President on Wednesday. (AFP photo)Joe Biden on Wednesday took office as the 46th president of the United States with a call for unity. On a cold but sunny day at the Capitol building that was assaulted on Jan 6, Biden was sworn in moments after Kamala Harris became America's first woman vice president, ending Donald Trump's four years. Biden -- vice president for eight years under Barack Obama -- appealed to supporters of Trump. At 78, Biden is the oldest-ever US president, a job he first sought in 1987.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 21, 2021 03:01 UTC
Some provinces ease restrictions | Bangkok Post: learning
Nakhon Ratchasima governor Wichian Chantaranothai, centre, discusses disease control with provincial authorities at the Nakhon Ratchasima provincial hall on Wednesday. (Photo: Prasit Tangprasert)Several provinces have started to ease measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 after signs of an improved situation following the outbreak. Chiang Mai's governor signed an order to allow the reopening of boxing stadiums, but still prohibits boxing and boxing-related activities at schools. In Nakhon Si Thammarat, the provincial governor ordered all 927 schools to prepare for reopening under strict disease control measures. The Centre for the Covid-19 Situation Administration on Wednesday reported 59 new cases with one death, taking the country's tally to 12,653.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 21, 2021 01:07 UTC
Benyapa is Thailand's lodestar
Above Thailand's Benyapa Aimsaard plays against Russia's Evgeniya Kosetskaya in the first round of the Toyota Thaialnd Open at Muang Thong Thani on Wednesday. World No.129 Benyapa defeated Kosetskaya, who is ranked 104 places above the Thai at No.25, in 52 minutes at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani. In the second round, the 18-year-old will face compatriot Pornpawee Chochuwong, who breezed past Egypt's Hadia Hosny 21-6, 21-7 in just 19 minutes. Last week, Benyapa gave top-ranked Tai Tzu-ying a scare before losing 21-18, 26-24 to the Taiwanese in the first round. Second seed Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan comfortably defeated Thailand's Suppanyu Avihingsanon 21-16, 21-4.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 21, 2021 00:56 UTC
Amid chaos, world music still rocks
Star Feminine Band. John ClewleyRiding high at the top of this month's Transglobal World Music Chart is the Isreali-Persian singer, songwriter and social activist Liraz Charhi. It's a terrific album that also not only has words set to McCalla's music but also snatches of Haitian music and Kreyol (creole) -- simply and beautifully presented. Transglobal World Music Chart:January 20211. Star Feminine Band · Star Feminine Band · Born Bad (17)9.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 18, 2021 23:37 UTC
Keep virus guard up, and don't expect govt help
Keep virus guard up, and don't expect govt helpWhy are department stores allowed to stay open, but schools and universities aren't? The government and Covid-19 authorities often repeat the mantra that each and every one of us must cooperate and follow the instructions if we are to curb the disease. "Never let your guard down," the authorities keep reciting as they announce the number of new cases each day. What is the use of studying the timeline of confirmed cases when some visits were allegedly withheld to protect certain businesses? As the virus has spread to more than 60 provinces, there will be no safe place eventually.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 18, 2021 23:15 UTC
Karen woes unresolved
This is not the first time resettled ethnic Karen have decided to return to their ancestral land, which was designated as Kaeng Krachan National Park in 1981. Village head Niran Pongtep told Transborder News that the Karen could not live in the resettlement village out of fear they would starve to death. There are many other tragic stories from the park, the birthplace of Karen spiritual leader Ko-ee Mimee, grandfather of activist "Billy" Porlajee. Houses and rice barns were torched, and the Karen spiritual leader whisked away to the new location by helicopter. The park office may find the villagers' return to their ancestral land a challenge to its authority.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 18, 2021 22:52 UTC
Thailand sold itself as a paradise Covid retreat. No one came
Thailand sold itself as a paradise Covid retreat. That’s well below the government’s target of about 1,200 and a tiny fraction of the more than 3 million who came before the pandemic. After two weeks, Thailand would be theirs to roam for as long as nine months. “It’s really challenging to balance the demands of the tourism industry and locals,” said Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, president of the Phuket Tourist Association. Thailand has seen Covid-19 infections more than double to more than 12,000 in less than a month.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 18, 2021 03:56 UTC
Happiness gap in the Land of Smiles
Happiness gap in the Land of SmilesIn this 2010 file photo, visitors view an exhibition, 'Siam, Land of Smiles' presenting various expressions of smiles at a Bangkok department store. The report also shows Thais' life satisfaction is increasingly lagging behind other countries in the region. The World Happiness Report stems from the premise that although material development and income are significant for physical well-being, they alone cannot make people feel happy. Germany started happiness and life satisfaction surveys in 1984; the United Kingdom started in 1991 and Australia in 2001. About 36% of the baby boomers rated their life satisfaction highly at between 9 and 10.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 12, 2021 23:37 UTC
Tuesday: 287 new Covid cases | Bangkok Post: learning
(AFP photo)Thailand on Tuesday reported 287 new coronavirus cases, 278 of them local transmissions, bringing the total to 10,834. Taweesilp Visanuyothin of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said 278 new cases were local transmissions, and nine were quarantined arrivals. They included 51 cases in Samut Sakhon province, 31 in Bangkok, six in Ang Thong and nine in Samut Prakan. Since Dec 18, 10 provinces have logged more than 50 Covid-19 cases each. They are Samut Sakhon, Chon Buri, Rayong, Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Chanthaburi, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Ang Thong and Pathum Thani.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 12, 2021 05:16 UTC
'Powdered milk' drug cocktail kills six | Bangkok Post: learning
Photo by Arnun ChonmahatrakoolPolice will crack down on a "new" type of drug known as "powdered milk ketamine", following the deaths of six people in Bangkok on the same day. Police could not yet confirm whether the substance, which looks like powdered milk, was a combination of ketamine and sleeping pills as speculated, as the results of the autopsies had not yet been released. All of them were believed to have died after taking the drug as the white powdery drug was found at the scenes. According to a police spokesman, the drug is a combination of heroin, ketamine, methamphetamine and a type of sleeping pill. The father of one of the people who died on Sunday said his daughter left home around 8pm.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 12, 2021 02:48 UTC
City curbs may be relaxed | Bangkok Post: learning
Photo by WICHAN CHAROENKIATPAKULThe Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on Monday hinted it would soon consider lifting Covid-19 restrictions. This is despite cases in the capital rising on Monday by 37 and bringing its tally to 1,989. The two clusters consisted of 135 cases in total, he said, adding that some people from Bangkok had brought the virus home with them from Si Racha during the New Year. Bangkok's governor said the capital's new patients had visited or worked in entertainment places, restaurants and massage parlours. Health authorities were now trying to find other people who had been to these places, he said, adding public health authorities have already tested 15,908 at-risk people who visited markets across Bangkok.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 12, 2021 02:37 UTC
Videos reveal violence of assault on US Congress
Videos reveal violence of assault on US CongressSupporters of President Donald Trump violently attacked police during the siege of the US Capitol. WASHINGTON: Five days after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol, new videos are revealing the level of violence that left lawmakers cowering inside and police howling for backup. - Scarier than Iraq -Early videos showed a boisterous crowd press their way, without particular coordination, past police to barge into the Capitol. The buildings were ordered to lock down, and as the vice president was whisked to secret, secure premises inside the Congress complex, outside, a video shows, the crowd chanted, "Hang Mike Pence." Inside, video shows men decked out in combat gear carrying many plastic zip-tie handcuffs, suggesting they hoped to seize elected officials.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 12, 2021 01:46 UTC
Not ready for online classes
Not ready for online classesNot only has the resurgence of the novel coronavirus hit the country's public health sector -- and subsequently, its economy -- hard, but it has also exposed the disparities in the nation's education system. As a result, as more schools move their classes to Zoom, an increasing number of children and parents are becoming frustrated by the situation. Well-respected academic Sompong Jitradub said online learning and teaching are only effective if students have consistent access to the internet and computers, and if teachers have received targeted training and support for online instruction. The shift to online learning has shed even more light on the widening gap between children in rural and urban areas, with the expert saying that rural students in Thailand are about three years behind their urban counterparts. It must do what it can to narrow the education gap between rich children in urban areas and poor children in rural areas, with or without the threat of Covid-19.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 11, 2021 23:03 UTC
Application of logic needed in Covid battle
Application of logic needed in Covid battleIt's not easy being a national Covid-19 taskforce in a country ruled by an ultra-conservative government driven by cumbersome bureaucracy and a daily dose of hypocrisy. For a start, which contact-tracing application should we use: the Thai Chana app recommended for checking in and out of public places earlier or the Mor Chana app that has been suggested recently as a better track-and-trace tool? The name Mor Chana -- or Doctors Win -- is once that would not click easily with users looking for a track-and-trace application. The government's assumption might be that if more people download it, that will help doctors win the battle against the virus. Mor Chana is Doctors Win.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 11, 2021 23:03 UTC
Govt logs 249 new Covid cases Monday, warns officials
Govt logs 249 new Covid cases Monday, warns officialsPeople dine separated by dividing screens at a street food corner in Bangkok's Chinatown on Sunday after authorities imposed restrictions on restaurants due to the recent Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. (AFP photo)Thailand on Monday recorded 249 new coronavirus cases, 224 of them local transmissions, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to date to 10,547. Of the 224 local cases, 78 were found through active testing, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said. Eleven of the 249 new cases were people who recently flew into the country and were in state quarantine -- six Thais and five foreigners. Warning for Interior Ministry officialsPermanent secretary for interior Chatchai Promlert on Monday issued a stern warning to any Interior Ministry officials still turning a blind eye to gambling and illegal entry from neighbouring countries in their jurisdictions.
Source:Bangkok Post
January 11, 2021 04:51 UTC