World

Pushkar Sinha The US government has rejected the visas of over 500 Chinese students by enforcing a policy set up by the Donald Trump administration. This is another solid action taken by USA against China. The policy has been put in place to prevent Chinese students from stealing American technology and giving it to the Chinese military. Chinese spying had become rampant in the US in the past few years. Even those students, who were already enrolled in US universities, have found their visas have been taken away. Many Chinese students were hoping to go back to universities in America after attending classes at home in China. Students from various disciplines have been targeted out, especially STEM fields where Chinese spying is extensive. Hence, even those students who were enrol...

Donations from LGBT 'too risky' The National Blood Centre said on Tuesday that it empathises with an appeal by the LGBT community regarding their right to donate blood but Thailand is not yet ready to relax the strict criteria for blood donors from this higher-risk group. The centre, which operates under the Thai Red Cross Society, issued a statement after Nikorn Chimkong, who serves as chairman of both the HIV Foundation Asia and Bangkok Rainbow Organisation, urged the society to broaden its scope to be more inclusive of these oft-marginalised groups, especially at a time when donated blood is in short supply. "The Thai Red Cross Society is committed to its mission and resolution to take care of people with compassion in line with the fundamental principles of the International Red Cro...

Dual task: Save Asean, save Myanmar Never before in the 54-year history of Asean had its members encountered such a bitter debate about the situation in Myanmar as they did last Monday when they unknowingly nearly tore down the founding fathers’ commitment to keep the Asean roof over all countries in Southeast Asia. Indonesia, deemed the most powerful member of Asean, viewed Myanmar’s growing intransigence as unacceptable and threatened Myanmar with expulsion. On the other hand, Malaysia, which recently appointed a new cabinet, wanted the Asean chair to bar Myanmar from attending the upcoming Asean-related summits due to the junta’s non-cooperative attitude. Their foreign ministers told the whole world about the unyielding nature of Nay Pyi Taw but have not offered better ideas or ways o

11,140 new Covid cases, 116 deaths A man receives his second dose of Covid-19 vaccine at Central Plaza in Lat Phrao on Tuesday. (Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool) There were 11,140 new Covid-19 cases and 116 more fatalities recorded during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Friday morning. There were 11,068 cases in the general population and 72 among prison inmates. On Thursday, 9,933 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus. This compared with 11,200 new cases and 113 fatalities reported on Thursday morning, and 9,866 cases and 102 deaths announced on Wednesday. Since April 1, when the third wave of Covid-19 began, Thailand has treated 1,660,574 Covid-19 patients, 1,534,364 of whom have recovered to date. Since t...

First all-civilian crew launched into Earth orbit aboard SpaceX Dragon The Inspiration 4 civilian crew aboard a Crew Dragon capsule and SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.(Photo: Reuters) CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: A SpaceX rocket ship blasted off from Florida on Wednesday carrying a billionaire e-commerce executive and three less-wealthy private citizens he chose to join him in the first all-civilian crew ever launched into Earth orbit. The quartet of amateur astronauts, led by the American founder and chief executive of financial services firm Shift4 Payments Inc, Jared Isaacman, lifted off just before sunset from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, and the spacecraft roared into the darkened skies. A SpaceX webca...

OTTAWA—Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau began the 2021 federal election by calling it the most consequential moment for Canada since 1945. That year, the world was poised to begin rebuilding itself after the Second World War forced a reckoning of the global economic, social and political order. Whether the COVID-19 pandemic will trigger a similar shift is impossible to know — because it isn’t over. But the federal election nearly is, and the outcome is also all but certain. Polls put Liberals and Conservatives in a dead heat, the New Democrats and Bloc Québécois gaining strength in their respective orbits, the Green Party teetering and a wild card: the People’s Party of Canada, whose right-wing libertarian ideology is finding new purchase among voters furious at what they see as massive g

SET-listed Ratch Group is on its way to hitting a target of 10,000 megawatts in total electricity generation capacity, as it expects to have additional capacity of 1,000MW from three domestic and overseas power plant projects worth 31 billion baht by the end of this year. Its current capacity stands at 8,292MW from power plants in Thailand and countries overseas, including Laos, Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam. The move was announced yesterday by Ratch chief executive Kijja Sripatthangkura. One of the three projects is a coal-fired thermal power plant from PT Paiton Energy in Indonesia. The facility, with capacity of up to 900MW, has an investment value of 25.4 billion baht. Ratch is preparing to ask for approval of this project at a meeting of its shareholders. The other two initiat...

Myanmar crisis shows Asean's limits An anti-coup protester holds a placard criticising the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in Mandalay, Myanmar, on June 5. (Photo: Reuters) It is often said that Asean's brand of regionalism is uniquely its own. In any discussion about the Asean way, the principles of non-interference and consensus are constantly invoked, though unfortunately, not always for the right reasons. Rather, the Asean way should be viewed for what it has achieved. And the notion of Asean centrality is certainly not a mere slogan but neither is it a given. It has always rested on Asean's capacity to resolve problems and manage the affairs of the region. The fact that Asean has been able to demonstrate that it remains central and relevant on matters of regional peace and...

5 Indian soldiers among 7 killed in Kashmir gun battles A security officer checks the bag of a pedestrian along a street in Srinagar on Monday, as suspected militants shot dead five soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir. (AFP photo) SRINAGAR: At least five Indian soldiers and two militants were killed on Monday in a series of gun battles in Indian Kashmir, where security forces have stepped up operations after several civilian killings last week, officials said. In the deadliest incident for the country's security forces in the Himalayan region this year, a military official said five soldiers died after a shootout with suspected militants near the border with Pakistan. "They were moved to a nearby medical facility but succumbed to their injuries," spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Davind...

2006 coup a success, claims mastermind Sonthi The Sept 19, 2006 coup against the Thaksin Shinawatra government was a success, former army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin claimed in an interview with the Bangkok Post to mark its 15th anniversary. His assessment is based on gestures of support for his military intervention reflected by the bouquets of flowers presented to the coup-makers and troops. However, the 2006 coup was deemed overshadowed by the May 22, 2014 takeover led by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha who has managed to stay on for five years and returned to power in the 2019 general election with support from his brothers in arms, Gen Prawit Wongsuwon and Gen Anupong Paojinda. During their time in power, the three brothers (Prayut, Prawit, and Anupong) and their teams have put in place ...