Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods) offers Sinopharm vaccines on-site to both Thai and Migrant workers at its plants to boost the safety of workers and food production.
Voravit Janthanakul, executive vice-president of CP Foods, says health and safety of people who work in the production line is the top priority for the company and thus CP Foods has purchased the Covid-19 vaccine, Sinopharms, from the Chulabhorn Royal Academy for employees nationwide including migrant workers. Additionally, the company’s employees were given the vaccination shot under the Labour Ministry’s programme providing the Covid-19 vaccinations for insured persons under Section 33 of the Social Security Act.
The effort aims to build immunity for employees which is responsible for supplying safe food for consumers, ensuring food safety and food security in Thailand.
Amid the outbreak of COVID-19, CP Foods has placed utmost important in worker’s safety. Multiple preventive measures in line with guidelines of the Ministry of Public Health have been put into place under a supervision of the company’s special team in the CP Foods’ COVID-19 Monitoring and Management Center.
To further enhance safety at work, CP Foods encourages its employees to join the vaccination program. The company has initiated the online class on COVID-19 and vaccination for its staffs nationwide.
So far, the company has provided the alternative vaccinations for workers, including migrant groups who work for CP Foods, in multiple areas across the country such as Minburi plant, Saraburi plant, Nongjok processing plant, and the Nakhon Ratchasima chicken processing plant.
Beside its employees, CP Foods has joined forces with CP Group to made a donation of food supplies and essential goods worth 200 million baht to support medical staffs and people amid the outbreak. The group also provides surgical masks for medical staffs across Thailand.
The relief project is implemented in line with the policy of Mr. Dhanin Chearavanont, senior chairman of CP Group, who wants all companies in the group to support society amid the COVID-19 crisis.
July 6 2021, Bangkok: Kazakhstan celebrates a glorious spectrum of achievements as anniversaries of remarkable milestones and remembrance are recognized in 2021. The Capital Day on July 6 celebrates the settlement of Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan’s capital city, as it marks the 23rd Anniversary on this day, which heralded a new dawn of prosperity and unity in the following decades.
Additionally, July 6, 2021 is the 29th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kingdom of Thailand. Having shared similar geopolitical characteristics as natural transit hubs of their continent, the two countries have maintained excellent diplomatic relations through 29 years and are looking forward to expediting mutual interests, especially in commerce and tourism, in the years to come.
The 2021 is a significant year to highlight the 30th anniversary of Independence of Kazakhstan – the country with unity and the 9th largest territory in the world with a higher GDP than other Central Asian countries. From transformations, growth, reforms, advancement to international outreach, Kazakhstan has strongly convinced the world its strength today and a brighter future ahead.
H.E. Ms. Raushan Yesbulatova, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Thailand, disclosed that “The 2021 is a special year. With several past achievements and lucrative future trends, Kazakhstan has so much to celebrate, while heading to the next challenging phase.”
Not only a transcontinental country with unrivalled interethnic relations achieving by its unique ethnopolitics, Kazakhstan has also recognized global responsibility to the world and initiated by the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev abandoned its nuclear arsenal. The 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of Ban of Semipalatinsk Nuclear Tests, proving Kazakhstan’s vision to promote global peace and environmental responsibility.
“The stronger than death” monument in Kazakhstan. Photo by qazaqstan3d.kz
Respecting to mark the termination of nuclear tests, the Republic of Kazakhstan together with a large number of sponsors and co-sponsors had initiated a commemoration on the closure of Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test site by declaring the International Day against Nuclear Tests on 29 August 1991, according to the Resolution A/RES/64/35 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2009. Built in Semey, “The stronger than death” monument is one of significant landmarks in Kazakhstan to signify peace.
The 2021 is also the year to celebrate the milestone of aerospace technology, as the first Kazakh flight was successfully launched from Baikonur into space in 1991 by Toktar Aubakirov and his crews. Toktar Aubakirov was the first Kazakh cosmonaut who joined the Soyuz TM-13 spacecraft. The journey duration in space took 7 days 22 hours 13 minutes. With this historic glory, the world has also flagged Baikonur as a focal point of global cosmonautics. Triumphantly, the 2021 is an extraordinary year to mark the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan in Aerospace.
Kazakh cosmonaut Toktar Aubakirov and the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev
Literally, “Kazakh” means Free and “Stan” means Land. Kazakhstan translates into a Land of Free People, which has been reflected in Kazakhstan’s unending endeavor to treasure social, economic and political stability above all. In 2021, Kazakhstan marks the remembrance of Kazakh composers, poets and wrestlers, including the 175th Anniversary of Zhambyl Zhabayuly (composer), 150th Anniversary of Kazhimukan Munaitpasov (wrestler) and 90th Anniversary of Mukagali Makatayev (poet).
Before Kazakhstan declared its sovereignty and has grown with glory today, the country had struggled through difficult times on its journey toward independence. Underpinned by solidarity through ethnic diversity, Kazakhstan has continued to progress with the wisdom of distinguished leaders. The 2021 commemorates the birthday anniversary of Kazakhstan’s important figures, such as Alikhan Bokeikhan (155 years), (145 years), etc.
“Kazakhstan is steering toward a new era through consistent reforms, be it social, economic, political or domestic. Armed with the readiness and investment potential, the country welcomes every possible opportunity. Moreover, Kazakhstan is rising as an aviation hub in the west of country in Europe-Asia direction. Therefore, plenty opportunities are available for foreign investors and global companies.”
In order to achieve the remarkable reform scheme, which embraces social protections, healthcare reforms and education reforms, President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has a far-flung vision to accentuate the concept of “Listening State” in the framework of his reform implementation. Underpinned by the intention to correctly listening and responding to the citizen, Kazakhstan expects to become a fair state that protects the interests of people through appropriate law enforcement and judicial systems. Beyond the protection of citizen’s rights, President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is looking forward to achieving socio-economic development, which is an essential element that strengthens the position of Kazakhstan on an international level.
As a recognized locomotive of regional integration in Eurasia, the government of Kazakhstan has established certain centers to serve foreign investor’s community with assistance in various aspects, such as networking, information, financial support, permits, etc. Investment opportunities are open in several segments, spanning mineral resources, healthcare, exports, education, technology, transportation and logistics, agribusiness, tourism and many more.
To Kazakhstan, the 2021 is hence a special year to mark. Upon the celebration of meaningful milestones, the country is undergoing a series of essential transformations to prepare for a brighter future – with abundant resources, solid stability, endless efforts and diverse opportunities that the country offers to the world.
BANGKOK — A Bangkok-based foundation set up last year to alleviate COVID-19 economic sufferings of the needy declared that they are now fighting a two-pronged war.
The first is to provide free food and basic necessities to affected people including migrant workers in Bangkok now affected by the lockdown of construction worker campsites. The second is to help infected people from poor communities self-isolate by giving them tents.
“I live and breathe Thai. I am a big believer of this country,” said Greg Lange, 63, a co-founder of Bangkok Community Help Foundation which was founded last April.
Lange, originally from Florida has been in Thailand for 20 years and his background as owner of Sunrise Taco chain of Mexican food helps when it comes to handing out food.
Everyday, 2,000 hot meals are distributed to 39 poor communities as well as some survival bags given.
Ton, 35, a Burmese construction worker is one of the recipients of the “survival bag”.
Speaking in Thai on the phone Thursday Ton, who has spent a decade working in the kingdom, said the foundation showed up on Wednesday at the lockdown workers’ camp on Sukhumvit Soi 22. This occurred after a kind Western expat who has been helping them before contacted the foundation.
Workers at a construction camp receive relief bags on July 14, 2021 at at Sukhumvit Soi 22.
“The relief bag contains 5 kilograms of rice, a bottle of one-litre cooking oil, fish sauce, soaps, cleansing alcohol, six packets of instant noodles, four canned fish and bottled water,” said Ton, adding that the Thai boss told them they would be not working due to the lockdown until the end of the month. “I heard we should be getting half our salaries but we haven’t received a single baht. I hope we can return to work soon.”
Ton lives with his wife, and 40 other workers, mostly Burmese, at the camp. His two children back in Myanmar are in need of money to be sent back and the COVID-19 situation in Myanmar is also getting out of control, Ton said.
Friso Poldervaart, the other co-founder of the Foundation is a 29-year-old Dutchman who has spent a decade in Bangkok and is an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry. He seems preoccupied with helping slum dwellers now, particularly in Klong Toey, where some need to self-isolate after becoming infected but unable to secure a hospital bed.
“There’s no hospital beds now so we’re trying to get it up as soon as we can,” he said, referring to not just handing out 60 tents so far.
The Klong Toey District Office is reluctant to have tent colonies emerging, citing concerns about dangerous waste water from infected people.
“We will make it happen, but can’t say when we’ll get the greenlight. People in Klong Toey are stuck in their homes, no hospitals to take them, some also require oxygen which is also hard to come by. We found one man gasping for air, having been having heavy symptoms for four days,” Friso said.
There are around 280 volunteers, including some Thais. Poldervaart says it’s a multinational lot: Dutch, American, British, German, French, Myanmar, as well as some expats from Hong Kong and Russia.
Some are business owners but there are also airline pilots, bankers, lawyers and more. “We’re very fortunate, a lot of people help from all over the world. Generally speaking, of course we need more,” said Poldervaart, adding that both volunteers or donations are welcomed.
Donated tents for infected residents at Klong Toey slum in Bangkok.
Lange said the fast-deteriorating situation means they “have no idea that they would be buying tents so people can self-isolate,” Lange said, adding that it’s on top of the 150,000 hot meals distributed over the past 74 days. “And 500,000 eggs so the people don’t have to go out of the communities,” Lange explained. “We go where we have to go. There are some dark days ahead. People really need to take it seriously now,” he said.
Those interested in volunteering or can contact the Bangkok Community Help Foundationat 083-589-5414, or donate to the Community Help Foundation account at Bangkok Bank, account number 105-5-06287-9.
People wearing face masks wait while caskets with bodies are queued outside a crematorium at the Yay Way cemetery in Yangon, Myanmar, Wednesday July 14, 2021. Photo: AP
BANGKOK (AP) — Charity groups in Myanmar said Wednesday that the number of people dying in the country’s cities, which are facing a coronavirus surge and a shortage of oxygen to treat patients, has been climbing so quickly that they are struggling to keep up with funeral arrangements.
Crematoriums in Yangon, the country’s biggest city, are working from morning to night, funeral workers said. A staff member from Yay Way Cemetery, the city’s busiest, said its three crematoriums are in nonstop operation from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Like most workers involved with funeral arrangements, he asked not to be named because of the government’s sensitivity about its handling of the COVID-19 crisis. The military-installed government that seized power in February routinely arrests critics for statements it considers either fake news or disturbing public order.
The exact number of cremations and burials held each day has not been announced by city officials, but charity officials and unofficial estimates on social media say more than 100 bodies have been brought every day to Yay Way Cemetery recently, with more than 200 on Wednesday. The city’s other cemeteries also report higher than the usual numbers.
The figures are higher than had been seen before the latest virus surge, and could suggest that the official death toll for COVID-19 cases is an undercount.
The coronavirus crisis had not gotten much attention in the aftermath of February’s seizure of power by the military, which set off a wave of protests and violent political conflict that devastated the public health system.
Only in recent weeks, as testing and reporting of COVID-19 cases has started recovering, has it become clear that a third wave of the virus beginning in mid-May was pushing case and death numbers rapidly higher.
Even finding enough ambulances to carry the dead to Yangon’s cemeteries has has become difficult, said several charity workers, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Even bodies from yesterday could not be delivered by ambulance until this afternoon. Finding an ambulance is also very difficult. The death toll is rising by about 10 a day,” said Ba Shwe, a veteran charity worker who was willing to be quoted by name. He has worked with the groups that arrange funerals and also helps supervise a quarantine center.
A worker for a charity organization that works in Yangon’s North Okkalapa neighborhood said that with seven ambulance drivers they were able to carry 50 bodies each day. In some cases, when they have not been able to transport all the bodies they have, they have had to hand them over for another charity group to handle, said the worker, who asked that neither he nor his organization be named.
The privately funded charity organizations do not handle the bodies of people certified as having died from COVID-19, because that is restricted to workers for the city government.
But they say many of the dead they handle were people whose oxygen supplies had run out. In many cases, people have been taking oxygen because they exhibited COVID-19 symptoms. For the past week, there have been queues in cities in town for oxygen and equipment such as canisters, both of which are in short supply.
The Health Ministry on Wednesday announced 7,083 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 208,357 since the pandemic began, and 145 new deaths, making a total of 4,181.
The U.N. Special Rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said Wednesday that the situation posed a threat of “a significant loss of life” unless the international community provided emergency assistance.
“An explosion of COVID cases, including the delta variant, the collapse of Myanmar’s health care system, and the deep mistrust of the people of Myanmar of anything connected to the military junta, are a perfect storm” for such a disaster, Andrews said in a statement released by the U.N. office in Geneva.
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Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
For most people. The only exposure they’ve had to safety boxes for rent is in the movies. They often appear as places where spies keep a number of passports, or where the rich keep their hoard of jewels and jewelry.
But for anyone who has a document or item that isn’t easily replaced or priceless, like a deed to a home, a birth certificate or a cherished heirloom, renting a safety box makes perfect sense.
Problems with Home Storage
While home storage like wall and floor safes have their uses, they also have their drawbacks. Because they are easily accessible, homeowners often access them often and store their less valuable items in them as well as the items they’re designed for.
The more you access a safe, the more likely that you’ll accidently leave it open, or that someone will be able learn the access code. The safe provides less security because it’s in your home instead of in of a commercial facility that specializes in security.
Plus, the more people who know the location of your home safe, the less it offers the security that it was bought to provide. Unless your safe is well hidden, it becomes a target for any stranger that has access to your home at any time. People like construction workers, repair and service technicians, and delivery people may enter your home regularly. Doing without the temptation of a wall safe may help keep you and your family safe as well.
Psychology of Renting a Safety Box
Going through the motions of looking for safety boxes for rent, renting a box, and physically depositing your valuables in it also offers a psychological feeling of safety.
The facility may have more than one barrier to access that you’ll be able to have the codes to pass through. This will offer an extra feeling of safety and security.
From a potential thief’s point of view, safety boxes for rent also take your valuables out of target range. It’s one thing to break into a person’s home and rob their home safe. It’s quite another thing to deal with the almost certain failure of breaking into a secure facility with different levels of security.
Once you’ve found a safety box for rent, any thieves who would be after your property will look elsewhere for an easier target.
Other Damage Factors
If the articles you’re storing are delicate, looking for a safety box for rent also protects them from fire, heat, and humidity. Most home safes only protect your valuables from low levels of all three of these factors. To buy a home safe that protects from extreme damage due to the elements, you’d have to pay much more than for the rent of a safety box.
Keep your valuables safe and secure and avoid the proposition of having to expensively install a home safe in your house or apartment. By booking a safety box for rent, you’ll sleep better and feel that your valuables are well taken care of.
In this image taken from a video footage run by China's CCTV via AP Video, Guo Gangtang at right embraces his long lost son Guo Xinzhen during a reunion after 24 years in Liaocheng in Central China's Shandong province on Sunday, July 11, 2021. Photo: CCTV via AP Video
BANGKOK (AP) — After 24 years of heartache and searching, a Chinese couple were reunited with their son who was abducted as a toddler outside their front gate.
Guo Gangtang and his wife, Zhang Wenge, hugged their 26-year-old son with tears in their eyes Sunday at a reunion organized by police in their hometown of Liaocheng in the eastern province of Shandong, according to a video recording released by police.
The story of their reunion after Guo crisscrossed China by motorcycle searching for his son and became an activist who helped police return other missing children to their parents prompted an outpouring of public sympathy and condemnation of abductions.
Guo Xinzhen, then age 2 1/2, was grabbed by a woman and her boyfriend who took him northwest to Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, the Chinese capital, according to police. From there, he was sold to a couple in central China.
Abductions of children for sale are reported regularly in China, though how often it happens is unclear.
The problem is aggravated by restrictions that until 2015 allowed most urban couples only one child. Boys are sold to couples who want a son to look after them in old age. Girls go to parents who want a servant or a bride for an only son.
In this image taken from a video run by China’s CCTV via AP Video, undated photos of Guo Gangtang and his son Guo Xinzhen are seen. Photo: CCTV via AP Video
Police experts found Guo Xinzhen in June by searching databases for images of people who looked like he might as an adult, according to a police ministry statement. His identity was confirmed by a DNA test.
The woman and her boyfriend, identified only by the surnames Tang and Hu, were caught and confessed to trafficking three boys, according to the ministry. They have yet to stand trial, but potential penalties range up to death.
Blood samples from Guo Xinzhen’s parents were added to an “anti-abduction DNA system,” but no matches were found with boys who were believed to have been abducted, the police ministry said.
Kidnappers target children who are too young to know their names or hometowns and sometimes even that they were abducted.
“So happy for Mr. Guo,” said a post signed Ding Dalong on the Zhihu social media platform. “He found his long-lost son and can move on with his own life.”
Others called for buyers of trafficked children to be punished. There was no word on whether the couple who bought Guo Xinzhen would face penalties.
In this image taken from an undated video footage run by China’s CCTV via AP Video, Guo Gangtang is seen on his bike during his search for his son Guo Xinzhen in China. Photo: CCTV via AP Video
Guo Xinzhen grew up in Henan province, according to police, but no other details of his life have been reported. It isn’t clear whether he knew he was abducted.
His mother, Zhang, described her despair in a 2015 television interview.
“What use is it for me to live?” she said. “It was me who lost the child.”
Guo Gangtang, now 51, started his search carrying a flag with his son’s photo and details, including “a scar on his left little toe.”
Guo wrote on his social media account that he wore out 10 motorcycles riding through 30 of China’s 34 provinces and regions.
According to news reports, he operates a shop in Beijing that sells artwork. He received financial help from his father, who kept working into his 70s, and other relatives.
Guo started a website in 2012 and a charity in 2014 to help other parents of abducted children, according to news reports.
“Thank you for participating in anti-trafficking activities for 24 years and helping more than 100 children return home,” the police ministry said on its social media account.
In this image taken from an undated video footage run by China’s CCTV via AP Video, Guo Gangtang eats a meal during his search for his son Guo Xinzhen in China. Photo: CCTV via AP Video
Guo’s search inspired the 2015 movie “Lost and Love,” written by Sanyuan Peng and starring Hong Kong heartthrob Andy Lau.
“Only when I am on the road do I feel like a father,” the character based on Guo was quoted as saying in the movie’s advertising.
The couple had two more sons, but reporters said Guo wanted them to think Xinzhen was an only child. That would add to the emotional impact of his search.
In a video on his social media account, Guo said he was worn out from public attention and wanted to give no more interviews.
In the 2015 TV interview, Guo said he nearly fell over a cliff when he was blown off his motorcycle in a rainstorm.
Guo Xinzhen said he will stay in Henan but plans to visit his biological parents regularly, according to news reports.
“He is a great father,” Guo Xinzhen was quoted as saying to reporters. “I am proud of him.”
A health worker administers a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to a woman at Central Vaccination Center in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, July 14, 2021. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP
BANGKOK (AP) — Health authorities in Thailand said Wednesday they will seek to impose limits on exports of locally produced AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine because the country doesn’t have enough for its own needs.
The proposal comes as new cases and deaths are rapidly increasing along with the spread of the more contagious delta variant of the virus, straining hospital facilities and threatening to set back a recovery of the country’s battered economy.
Limiting exports will pose a problem for Southeast Asian countries that have signed contracts to buy Thai-produced vaccines, though some may be able to obtain supplies elsewhere.
Dr. Nakorn Premsri, director of the National Vaccine Institute, said its vaccine committee agreed in principle to issue an order temporarily limiting exports, but did not give any details. The order would be issued by designating it a matter of national security.
A company owned by Thailand’s king, Siam BioScience, was supposed to supply the country with 10 million doses of AstraZeneva vaccine a month, but acknowledged earlier this month that it can provide only 5 million to 6 million doses.
A health worker administer doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Central Vaccination Center in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, July 14, 2021. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP
Siam BioScience was awarded a license by AstraZeneca to be a regional production hub supplying eight other countries despite having no experience in manufacturing vaccines.
Several countries have reported being told by Siam BioScience that they would not receive the contracted vaccines on time, lending weight to speculation that the Thai factory was having production problems. Nakorn said Wednesday that AstraZeneca is supposed to deliver at least one-third of its monthly production at the Thai facility to Thailand’s government.
Thailand launched a mass vaccination campaign only in early June, and critics accuse the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha of failing to secure adequate and timely supplies of vaccines. Its plan at the beginning of the year would have allowed only about half the 69 million population to be vaccinated this year, and most of them in the second half of the year.
Thailand has so far administered 13.23 million vaccine doses. Around 9.88 million people, or about 14.3% of its 69 million population, have received at least one dose.
The government is now targeting 100 million doses by the end of the year, enough to vaccinate 50 million people, just over 70% of the population.
Thailand has been negotiating with other producers to make up for the vaccine shortfall. So far, it has only used vaccines from AstraZeneca and China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm, although the government says it has agreements to also buy from Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
Health officials announced Monday that medical workers who received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine will be given booster shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine. They made the decision after a nurse who received two doses of Sinovac in May died Saturday after contracting COVID-19.
A health worker administers a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Central Vaccination Center in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, July 14, 2021. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP
The head of the Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Diseases Health Science Center, Dr. Thiravat Hemachudha, said last week that a study he helped conduct found that Sinovac was less effective at fighting the delta variant, and that a booster dose of AstraZeneca would increase its efficacy.
Other Thais who have received only one dose of Sinovac will be able to get AstraZeneca for their second dose, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said.
A nighttime curfew and other new coronavirus restrictions came into effect Monday in Bangkok and nearby provinces and in the country’s four southernmost provinces, which have been the most severely affected by the current virus surge.
The sharp rise in cases has caused a severe shortage of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients, prompting the authorities to allow patients to isolate at home and in community centers, and giving them access to antigen test kits that were previously limited to the medical community.
India also imposed limits on vaccine exports when it was hit by a devastating coronavirus outbreak earlier this year.
Members of the Republican Guard march in formation on the Champs Elysees prior to the Bastille Day parade in Paris, Wednesday July 14, 2021. Photo: Lewis Joly / AP
PARIS (AP) — Bastille Day is back, sort of.
France is celebrating its national holiday Wednesday with thousands of troops marching in a Paris parade and traditional parties around the country, after last year’s events were scaled back because of virus fears.
This year those fears are still lurking, but the government decided to go ahead with the parade on the Champs-Elysees as part of a broader effort to return to pre-pandemic activity.
The number of spectators is limited, and they are being restricted to a small section of the parade. In addition, each spectator must show a special pass proving they have been fully vaccinated, recently recovered from the virus or a negative virus test. Similar restrictions will be in place for those gathering to watch an elaborate fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday evening.
Security work on a rooftop at the Place de la Concorde prior to the Bastille Day parade in Paris, Wednesday July 14, 2021. Photo: Lewis Joly / AP
Leading the parade will be members of a French-led international force fighting extremists in Mali and the surrounding Sahel region. President Emmanuel Macron announced last week that France is slashing the number of troops in the region because of evolving threats.
Among others honored at the parade will be military medics who have shuttled vaccines to France’s overseas territories, treated virus patients or otherwise helped fight the pandemic.
A total of 73 warplanes, medical helicopters and other aircraft will traverse the skies over the Paris region.
Two military personnel speak with each other at the Place de la Concorde prior to the Bastille Day parade in Paris, Wednesday July 14, 2021. Photo: Lewis Joly / AP
Last year’s Bastille day parade was canceled and replaced by a static ceremony honoring health care workers who died fighting COVID-19.
France has lost more than 111,000 lives to the pandemic, and the government is pushing hard to get more people vaccinated to fight resurgent infections driven by the delta variant.
Bastille Day marks the storming of the Bastille prison in eastern Paris on July 14, 1789, commemorated as the birth of the French Revolution.
People stand in lines to get COVID-19 tests in Samut Sakhon, South of Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. Photo: Jerry Harmer / AP
BANGKOK — Migrant workers rights activists slammed a decision by the Ministry of Labour Wednesday to end a project to carry out active COVID-19 testing on 30,000 high-risk migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia in Metropolitan Bangkok.
The decision, which appeared in a letter dated July 5, cited scarce resources and medical personnel due to the latest coronavirus outbreak.
“This is a failed policy and the government’s inability to prioritize. No one will be safe as a result if one group of people is not safe,” Koreeyor Manuchae, coordinator of Migrant Working Group said. The group is a consortium of 30 NGOs nationwide working for the rights and betterment of migrant workers in Thailand.
Koreeyor said that those at highest risk should have access to tests and medical care first. “It’s a failure and naivety on part of the state and will put everyone at risk. We should not be indifferent simply because they’re not Thai,” she said, adding that some migrant workers who have become infected are unable to secure hospital beds.
The government announcement, first obtained by some Thai employers of migrant workers and signed by the Employment Department Director General Pairoj Chotikasathien, was titled “Announcement Cancelling Public Health Assistance to Aliens.”
It partly states: “At present hospitals are facing public health problems such as shortage of medical personnel, hospital beds, ventilators and medical equipment…so they are unable to carry out specific tasks set by the Employment Department. The Labour Minister thus decided to end the project.”
Sompong Srakaew, director of the Labour Protection Network said he’s currently trying to persuade the ministry otherwise.
“I’m in discussion with the Minister of Labour,” said Sompong on the phone Wednesday, a week after the letter was issued.
Sompong described the move as a “license to kill migrant workers facing COVID-19 crisis in Thailand”.
“They are letting these people die a slow death,” he said.
The director of the Department of Employment was unreachable as of press time Wednesday.
This image released by Disney+ shows Pedro Pascal in a scene from "The Mandalorian." Image: Disney+ via AP
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The Crown” tied with “The Mandalorian” for the most Emmy nominations Tuesday with 24 apiece, but the Marvel universe also got bragging rights with runner-up “WandaVision.”
The bounty reinforced the rapid rise of streaming, with most of the top-nominated scripted shows on services that emerged in the past two years. In the top three categories — drama, comedy and limited series — broadcast networks scored only two nominations, for the NBC drama “This Is Us” and the ABC comedy “black-ish.”
During an oppressive pandemic in which housebound Americans relied more than ever on television for distraction, TV academy voters recognized a varied mix of storytelling and a diverse group of actors and creators.
“The moment my name was announced, I just screamed and I broke,” Rodriguez said. “My mom grabbed me. She kind of flung me around. … I remember falling into my boyfriend’s arms and just crying tears of joy, tears of happiness. I felt so seen.”
This image released by Netflix shows Emma Corrin in a scene from “The Crown.” Photo: Des Willie / Netflix via AP
Of the 96 acting nods for drama, comedy and miniseries, nearly 44% — a total of 42 nominations — went to people of color. That included 34 nods for Black actors, one fewer than last year.
O’Connor and Corrin received lead drama acting nods, as did the series’ Olivia Colman for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, with a supporting bid to Gillian Anderson for her role as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Oprah Winfrey’s headline-making interviewwith Harry — Charles and the late Diana’s son — and his wife Meghan earned a nomination for best hosted nonfiction series or special.
This image released by Disney+ shows Elizabeth Olsen in “WandaVision.” Image: Disney+ via AP
“The Boys,” Amazon’s comedy-tinged take on superheroes, earned a best drama nod.
“I would never have thought in a million years that playing a witch in a Marvel show would lead to this. It’s like a dream,” said “WandaVision” co-star Kathryn Hahn. She received a supporting actress bid, but found the show’s total of 23 nominations especially sweet.
“I’m so moved that the whole of it has been recognized,” Hahn said. “It was incredibly difficult. It was a hard, hard shoot. But … the experience of making this meant so much to me and it was so unexpectedly deep.”
The nominations haul by Disney+, which launched in late 2019, was impressive, but the triumph of streaming was predictable, said Eric Deggans, TV critic for National Public Radio.
This image released by Disney+ shows Elizabeth Olsen, left and Paul Bettany in a scene from “WandaVision.” Image: Disney+ via AP
“Disney+ came out of nowhere and got the third-most nominations of any platform at 71. … We’re at a point now where this is this is increasingly becoming a streamers’ game and the Emmy nominations reflect it,” Deggans said.
HBO and newcomer streaming service HBO Max edged into the lead with 130 total nominations, with Netflix close on its heels with 129.
The frontrunner on the comedy side is the good-hearted “Ted Lasso,” about a middling American football coach imported to England to handle a soccer team. The Apple TV+ series received 20 nominations, including for top comedy, star Jason Sudeikis and six cast members.
“Hacks,” starring Jean Smart as a stand-up comedian who resists getting aged out of Las Vegas and life, was next with 15 nods, including a lead actor award for Smart and a supporting bid for Hannah Einbinder.
Smart, who some have said is enjoying a career “Jeanaissance,” earned a second nomination for her supporting role in “Mare of Easttown.” The limited series received 16 nods, including star Kate Winslet.
Among the others who doubled down on nominations: “Saturday Night Live” stars Kenan Thompson and Aidy Bryant, who received supporting acting bids for the variety show as well as lead comedy series acting nods for, respectively, “”Kenan” and “Shrill.”
Other top nominees include previous best drama series winner “The Handmaid’s Tale,” with 21 nods, tied with “Saturday Night Live”; “The Queen’s Gambit,” 18; the period-drama romp “Bridgerton” and “Hamilton,” with 12 each.
“Lovecraft Country,” a horror-infused drama set in 1950s segregated America, earned an impressive 18 nominations — but was canceled by HBO after one season.
“The Flight Attendant” earned nine nominations, including a best comedy actress nod for Kaley Cuoco and a supporting actress bid for Rosie Perez — who becomes the third Latina nominated in the category, after Sofia Vergara for “Modern Family” and Liz Torres for “The John Larroquette Show.”
This image released by Netflix shows Anya Taylor-Joy in a scene from “The Queen’s Gambit.” Image: Phil Bray / Netflix via AP
There were surprises, as usual. Nicole Kidman failed to receive a nomination for limited series “The Undoing,” while co-star Hugh Grant was recognized. But the critically acclaimed miniseries “I May Destroy You” and its star and creator, Michaela Coel, grabbed nine Emmy nods after being snubbed by the Golden Globes.
One blast from the past getting new respect: “Cobra Kai,” set 30 years after the events of the “Karate Kid” film, earned a best comedy nod and four nominations in all.
The other nominees for best drama series are “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Lovecraft Country.”
Other comedy series nominees are “Emily in Paris”; “The Flight Attendant”; “The Kominsky Method” and “PEN15.”
The nominees for best miniseries are: “The Queen’s Gambit”; “I May Destroy You”; “Mare of Easttown”; “The Underground Railroad”; “WandaVision.”
Father-and-daughter actors Ron Cephas Jones (“This Is Us”) and Jasmine Cephas Jones (“Blindspotting”) and TV Academy head Frank Scherma announced the nominees. There were awkward moments when some nominees’ names were mispronounced, including a reference to Anya Taylor-Joy as “Anna.”
The Sept. 19 ceremony, which last year was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will air live on CBS from a theater and include a limited in-person audience of nominees and guests. Cedric the Entertainer is the host.
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Story: Lynn Elber. AP Entertainment Writers Ryan Pearson, Alicia Rancilio and Jocelyn Noveck contributed to this report.
