Author: News Desk

LONDON - Politicians and public health leaders have publicly committed to equitably sharing any coronavirus vaccine that works, but the top global initiative to make that happen may allow rich countries to reinforce their own stockpiles while making fewer doses available for poor ones. Activists warn that without stronger attempts to hold political, pharmaceutical and health leaders accountable, vaccines will be hoarded by rich countries in an unseemly race to inoculate their populations first. After the recent uproar over the United States purchasing a large amount of a new COVID-19 drug, some predict an even more disturbing scenario if a successful vaccine is developed. Dozens of vaccines are being researched, and some countries — including Britain, France, Germany and the U.S. — alrea

Boat crewman held for vicious murder NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: A Cambodian crewman is being held for the brutal murder of a compatriot on a fishing boat in the sea off this southern province on Sunday. Pol Lt Col Methi Pachuenjai, deputy chief of Tha Sala police, said the skipper of the fishing boat reported the death by a radio call. When the trawler arrived at Ban Dan Phasi boat pier in Tha Sala district about 11.30pm, alleged killer Long Nai, 41, was handed over to the police. The police said the stabbed and battered body of another man, Vichai Van, 48, was in the crew quarters. Pol Lt Col Methi said boh men were Cambodians and had a deep personal conflict. While at sea, the two had several fist fights. On Sunday afternoon, while the boat off Tha Sala district and Vichai was sleeping i...

Myanmar holds muted Martyrs' Day tribute to fallen heroes A man carries an image of General Aung San, father of Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, as he waits to enter the Martyrs' Mausoleum during a ceremony for Martyrs' Day in Yangon on Sunday. (AFP photo) Myanmar's public marked one of the Southeast Asian nation's darkest moments on Sunday with tributes to slain independence heroes, though the annual Martyrs' Day gatherings were muted by the coronavirus pandemic due to social distancing measures. Flanked by senior government and military officials, state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi laid a wreath at a mausoleum dedicated to Aung San, her father and the country's independence hero, who was assassinated alongside members of his cabinet on July 19, 1947. Crowds also laid flowe...

Locals unite to oppose bridge over historic canal Residents in Taling Chan district say the bridge brings more problems than benefits. Bridge projects are often welcomed by communities. Yet a bridge built across the historic Khlong Maha Sawat canal has won nothing but brickbats from residents in the two communities connected by the structure -- Taling Chan district in Bangkok and Bang Kruai district in Nonthaburi province. On June 12, scores of community residents from both sides of the canal lodged a petition with the Administrative Court asking for an order to demolish the bridge. Khlong Maha Sawat is a man-made waterway that was dug 160 years ago under the reign of King Rama IV and is listed under the Fine Arts Department as a national heritage item. Accompanying the residents was a...

It's time to help suffering migrants and refugees Covid-19 has become one of the most far-reaching crises of the past century, disrupting the lives of communities around the world, from small island villages to densely populated economic powerhouses. As it spreads around the region and the globe, it is clear that the virus discriminates, affecting some communities more than others, exposing existing inequalities in our societies. It takes a heavy toll on the poor, the homeless and those without access to adequate health services. On the frontline of exposure to Covid-19 are millions of migrant workers who have left their homes in search of employment to support their families, many now making the dangerous trek home after their jobs disappeared. There are millions more who have been for...

WASHINGTON - The United States said Wednesday that it has imposed visa restrictions on people in Guyana who were involved in “undermining democracy“ in the South American nation, which held a disputed election on March 2 and has yet to declare a winner. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who did not name the individuals affected, said Guyana’s leaders have refused to accept the result of a recount of votes that showed a victory for the opposition. He said immediate family members of those “responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy“ could also be subject to U.S. restrictions. “Guyana’s non-democratic trajectory is dangerous for its citizens and for the hemisphere as a whole,“ Pompeo said in a statement. “I hope that Guyana’s leaders understand what is at stake if they cont

The contemporary spiral-shaped glass pavilion complements the historic building, where Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet set up their workshop in 1875. (Photos courtesy of Audemars Piguet) The construction of The Spiral skyscraper on Hudson Boulevard will result in a new landmark in New York City. For Tishman Speyer Properties, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) designed the 317m-tall office tower, which will open for business in 2022, as a classic Manhattan step-back that tapers vertically with a swirl of green spaces from base to summit. On the other side of the Atlantic, BIG sketched another "spiral" for Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet. In 2014, the renowned architectural firm won a competition in expanding the manufacture's historical premises in the village of Le Brassus, in Sw...

Despite the doom and gloom associated with the COVID-19 pandemic when it concerns the live music scene, there is one thing that self-isolation has allowed musicians to do. Breathe. No longer slave to the hustle and bustle of racing to airports, intermittent sleep, adrenalin-driven late nights, criminally early mornings and forced time away from loved ones for weeks if not months, Canadian recording artists are finding time a commodity that is rich in discovery. And they’re loving it. “I’m hearing about a lot of people talking about this silver lining to this incredibly dark cloud,” says Barenaked Ladies co-founder Ed Robertson, who under normal circumstances would be in the midst of a 38-date tour with Gin Blossoms and Toad the Wet Sprocket. “For me it came at a perfect time in the li

MEXICO CITY - The number of missing and disappeared in Mexico has risen to 73,201, and the vast majority — 71,678 — have gone missing since drug gang violence began increasing in 2006. The government reported Monday that the other 1,523 disappeared during counterinsurgency and other actions between 1964 and 2005. The number was up by about 10,000 from the last report by the country’s National Search Commission in January. According to the commission’s figures, 27,871 people have disappeared since the current administration took office in December 2018. The commission said 2,332 people were reported missing in the first six months of 2020, down 36.6% from the 3,679 who went missing in the same period of 2019. Since the current administration took office in December 2018, one state — Jali

Common ticket vows fall flat Earlier this month, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha inaugurated a 4.3-kilometre extension of the BTS Skytrain from Kasetsart University to the Royal Forest Department. The event was marked with official fanfare but city residents had little reason to cheer. Over the past year, various extensions have sprung across the city connecting commuters from all corners to the mass transit system. However, transit operators have not been able to get one crucial thing right -- introducing a robust common ticketing system. Almost five years after it was first promised, an integrated ticketing system for public transport -- which will allow Bangkokians to travel on the BTS Skytrain, MRT, and Airport Link (ARL) using a single card -- remains out of reach. Despite ...