Indonesia Imposes Moratorium on New Palm Oil Plantations

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21 September 2018, 11:53

In this Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012 photo, a man pushes his motorbike at a palm oil plantation in Nagan Raya, Aceh province, Indonesia. Photo: Dita Alangkara / Associated Press

JAKARTA — Indonesia’s president has signed a moratorium on new palm oil development and ordered a review of existing plantations, an official said Thursday, in a blow to an industry blamed for environmental destruction and worker exploitation.

Prabianto Mukti Wibowo, a deputy minister at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, said the moratorium, first announced by president Joko Widodo after devastating fires in 2015, will last three years.

He told The Associated Press it’s needed because many planned plantations are inside natural forests and also to clarify the legal rights of villagers and smallholders.

Palm oil, mainly produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, is used in a vast number of products globally from cosmetics to snacks and is a big export earner for both countries, though most of the profits go to a few conglomerates.

“In this presidential instruction, all central and provincial governments, including governors, mayors and district chiefs were ordered to re-evaluate permits,” Wibowo said. “It also instructs (them) to delay the opening of new palm oil plantations to reduce conflict.”

The palm oil industry is the target of a worldwide campaign by conservationists and human rights groups, who are pressuring consumer brands to drop producers involved in deforestation and rights abuses.

Clearance of rainforest for palm oil and pulp wood plantations is also behind a slide in the population of critically endangered orangutans, a great ape found only in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Amid a backlash against palm oil producers, the European Union has been considering a ban on the use of palm oil in biofuels.

But the influential International Union for Conservation of Nature earlier this year said bans are not a solution because other sources of plant oil require as much as nine times more land.

It said a ban would likely only displace forest and species destruction to other areas. Concerted action is needed to make the palm oil a responsible and sustainable industry, it said.

Hua Hin Beach Gets 1st Shark Net in Thailand

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Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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21 September 2018, 11:50

HUA HIN — Tourists can now swim without being paranoid about unexpected marine carnivores.

Five months after a shark bit a man at a usually quiet stretch of sand in Hua Hin, the installation of buoys to keep the creatures away was completed Thursday on Sai Noi Beach.

Read: Shark Attack! Hua Hin Beach Closed to Swimmers

The polyethylene mesh was installed at a depth of 8 meters to 10 meters, stretching 200 meters along the shore and roughly 80 meters into the sea.

Each opening of the mesh is 2.5 inches wide to prevent the passage of sharks and jellyfish but allowing small fish through, according to Sophon Tongdee, deputy chief of the marine department.

Sophon said the beach is the first to have the net installed nationwide.

In April, a small bull shark bit a Norwegian man’s left ankle. He received 19 stitches. The incident urged authorities to ban swimming in the area and install buoys to prevent encounters between humans and shark, according to Pallop Singhaseni, Prachuap Khiri Khan province governor.

Canada Declares Myanmar Treatment of Rohingya to Be Genocide

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Associated Press

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21 September 2018, 11:22

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland in 2017 in Ukraine. Photo: Урядовий портал / Wikimedia Commons

OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s Parliament has unanimously adopted a motion declaring crimes committed against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar to be genocide.

The motion Thursday also endorsed the findings of a United Nations mission that outlined how crimes against humanity have been committed by the Myanmar military against Rohingya and other minorities.

In Washington, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland praised members of Parliament for passing the motion to recognize “this atrocity.”

Human rights observers called the declaration as a significant milestone.

Some 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh after a brutal counter-insurgency campaign by Myanmar security forces. The U.N. report alleged widespread rights violations, including rape, murder, torture and the burning of Rohingya homes and villages.

Myanmar denies any organized abuses.

Miss Universe Thailand Will Be a White Elephant

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Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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21 September 2018, 11:18

ชุดประจำชาติ2018_๑๘๐๙๒๐_0010 — Sophida ‘Ning’ Kanchanarin, Miss Universe Thailand 2018, with Theer Phasuk on Thursday.

BANGKOK — When the the Miss Universe pageant comes to Thailand this year, the elephant in the room will be the kingdom’s own representative.

The Miss Universe Thailand pageant on Thursday chose “Chang the Icon of Siam” as the winning national costume to be worn by Sophida “Ning” Kanchanarin in the competition. The costume includes an elephant hood and trunk built into a bejeweled white-and-gold gown.

“She can stand still and give a powerful gaze. Then the elephant hood comes up while she poses,” winning designer Theer Phasuk, 34, who works as a stylist, said as the dress was presented.

The white mermaid-cut gown has peaked shoulders and golden Thai-patterned embellishments and – most noticeably – a collapsible hood resembling an elephant’s head and trunk.

ชุดประจำชาติ2018 ๑๘๐๙๒๐ 0027 — Theer Phasuk presents his “Chang the Icon of Siam” costume.

In his presentation, Theer included a diagram of a hands-free umbrella he used as the basis for the mechanism.

“Elephants are a symbol of our nation and have been with us for a long time. Elephants are what foreigners recognize about Thailand,” Theer said.

Other icons of Thai national identity were shown off by the other finalists including a floating market, temple carnival and Songkran.

The Miss Universe will be held Dec. 17 at the Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok.

42204012 1768686353244163 2029148532966948864 o — Sophida ‘Ning’ Kanchanarin, Miss Universe Thailand 2018. Photo: Miss Universe Thailand / Facebook

‘Damnoen Saduak Amazing Thailand’ by Siwaru Saensook, 29, was inspired by the floating market in Ratchaburi province.

‘Siam Carnival’ by Nattapol Thongfoo, 26.

There were a couple Songkran-themed submissions: “Songkran 4.0” by Amphon Akemahachai, 24, and “Songkran Festival” by Kanthida Prathumnan, 23.

Suriya Sukkhai, 25, had two submissions: “Beauty Inside of Thailand” and “Giant at Siam.”

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UN Chief Urges Pardon for 2 Journalists Jailed in Myanmar

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Associated Press

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21 September 2018, 11:09

The United Nations Secretary-General designate Antonio Guterres speaks during his swearing-in ceremony in 2016 at U.N. headquarters. Photo: Seth Wenig / Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he hopes Myanmar’s government will pardon “as quickly as possible” two Reuters journalists jailed on charges of possessing state secrets in connection with their reporting about massacres of Rohingya Muslims.

Guterres said Thursday that “it is not acceptable to have the journalists of Reuters being in jail for what they were doing.”

Journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were given a seven-year prison sentence Sept. 3 for possessing state secrets. They had reported on the army’s brutal counter-insurgency campaign that drove 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.

Guterres noted that the International Criminal Court announced Sept. 18 that it is launching a preliminary investigation into Myanmar’s deportations of Rohingya to Bangladesh. Bangladesh is an ICC member. Myanmar is not.

Stocks at Records; Dow Beats All-Time High From January

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Associated Press

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21 September 2018, 11:04

Trader Frank O'Connell works in May on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Photo: Richard Drew / Associated Press

Wall Street delivered another set of milestones Thursday as a wave of buying sent U.S. stocks solidly higher, driving the Dow Jones Industrial Average above the all-time high it closed at in January.

The S&P 500, the benchmark for many index funds, also hit a new high, eclipsing the peak it reached last month.

Technology stocks, banks and health care companies accounted for much of the broad rally. Energy companies declined along with crude oil prices.

A weaker dollar, which helps U.S. exporters, and a mix of mostly encouraging economic reports helped put investors in a buying mood, a turnaround from earlier in the week when the U.S. and China each announced a new round of tariffs on each other’s goods, triggering a sell-off.

“Some of the economic data that came out today continued to show strength,” said Lindsey Bell, an investment strategist with CFRA. “Given the strength in the economy, backed by the stimulus from tax reform as well as just fiscal stimulus in general, that should be able to offset some of the impact that we’re going to get from tariffs as we go into the end of the year.”

The S&P 500 index rose 22.80 points, or 0.8 percent, to 2,930.75. The Dow gained 251.22 points, or 1 percent, to 26,656.98. The Nasdaq composite climbed 78.19 points, or 1 percent, to 8,028.23. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies picked up 17.25 points, or 1 percent, to 1,720.18.

The road to the latest records was hardly smooth. Shortly after the Dow’s all-time high in January, the market plunged in February and again in March, at one point bringing the index down 11.6 percent from its January peak. Investors worried about rising interest rates and the potential impact of the U.S.-China trade dispute on the big industrial companies that are part of the Dow.

With the Federal Reserve having clearly signaled its policy – gradual rate increases, including two more this year – and the U.S. economy gaining strength, the market has recently taken the trade tremors in stride and pushed the Dow and S&P 500 to new highs.

The Dow is now up 7.8 percent for the year, while the S&P 500 is up 9.6 percent. The gains have helped boost investors’ stock holdings.

The Federal Reserve said Thursday that the value of Americans’ stock and mutual fund portfolios rose USD$800 billion last quarter, helping to boost U.S. household wealth to a record $106.9 billion in the April-June quarter. At the same time, stock market wealth has been flowing disproportionately – and increasingly – to the most affluent households. The richest one-tenth of Americans own about 84 percent of the value of stocks.

The Dow and S&P 500 were on course to set record highs from the get-go Thursday as investors pored through a batch of economic data.

The Labor Department’s weekly tally of applications for unemployment aid was lower than expected, with claims slipping last week to 201,000. That’s the lowest level since November 1969.

An economic index from the Federal Reserve’s bank in Philadelphia also topped forecasts, and the Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators, designed to anticipate economic conditions three to six months out, rose 0.4 percent last month. While that came in slightly below forecasts, it still suggests the economy is on sure footing, said Tracie McMillion, global head of asset allocation for Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

“With a (reading) that high it’s very unlikely that there’s a recession on the horizon,” McMillion said. “The U.S. market is responding to this foundation of economic strength. Pair that with a dollar that has started to depreciate a little bit and that’s good news for U.S. companies that trade abroad.”

A weaker dollar is particularly favorable for large-cap companies that do business overseas, because it makes their products more competitive.

The dollar rose to 112.48 yen from 112.27 yen on Wednesday. In other currency trading, the euro strengthened to $1.1776 from $1.1674. The British pound climbed to $1.3268 from $1.3145.

Mixed data on U.S. home sales and mortgage rates weighed on homebuilding stocks.

The National Association of Realtors said sales of previously occupied homes were flat in August after declining the previous four months. Separately, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said the average rate on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages jumped to 4.65 percent this week, the highest level since May.

William Lyon Homes tumbled 7.8 percent to $17.20.

Starting Monday, the U.S. will place a 10 percent tariff on another $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. The tariffs will rise to 25 percent on Jan 1. Beijing has said it would take “counter measures,” which includes hitting $60 billion worth of U.S. imports, including coffee, honey and industrial chemicals, with retaliatory taxes.

“Part of why you’re seeing such significant upside today is the amount of the tariffs was less than expected,” Bell said. “The market is still optimistic that we will resolve this issue, perhaps not before the midterm (elections), but hopefully before the end of the year.”

Some of the biggest gains Thursday went to technology companies. Apple gained 0.8 percent to $220.03, while Microsoft climbed 1.7 percent to $113.57.

Health care companies also posted solid gains. Cardinal Health rose 2.3 percent to $55.17.

Canadian marijuana producer Tilray slumped 17.6 percent to $176.35 a day after the stock soared 38 percent.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 3.06 percent from 3.08 percent late Wednesday.

Gold rose 0.2 percent to $1,211.30 an ounce. Silver gained 0.2 percent to $14.31 an ounce. Copper added $0.4 percent to $2.74 a pound.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell 0.4 percent to settle at $70.80 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, dropped 0.9 percent to close at $78.70.

In other energy trading, heating oil gave up 0.8 percent to $2.23 a gallon, wholesale gasoline lost 0.4 percent to $2 a gallon and natural surged 2.3 percent to $2.98 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Major indexes in Europe also notched solid gains Thursday. Germany’s DAX rose 0.9 percent, while France’s CAC 40 climbed 1.1 percent. Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.5 percent.

Markets in Asia were mixed. Japan’s Nikkei 225 finished flat. The Kospi in South Korea added 0.7 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.3 percent. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.3 percent. Shares fell in Taiwan but rose in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

Story: Alex Veiga

FIFA to Upgrade Flights, Raise Prize Money for Women’s World Cup

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Associated Press

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21 September 2018, 10:58

FIFA-Women's WCup Soccer — FILE - In this, July 5, 2015 file photo, the United States Women's National Team celebrates with the trophy after they beat Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women's World Cup soccer final in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. FIFA is making a concession to women's football and will start funding business-class flights for some 2019 Women's World Cup teams' travel to France. FIFA official Emily Shaw also tells a women's sports law conference total prize money will "significantly increase" from $15 million shared among 24 teams at the 2015 edition. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — In a concession to women’s soccer, FIFA will start funding business-class flights for some of the Women’s World Cup teams traveling to France for next year’s tournament.

Total prize money will also “significantly increase” from the USD$15 million shared among 24 teams at the 2015 tournament, FIFA official Emily Shaw said Thursday at the Women In Sports Law conference.

The total sum will be confirmed by the FIFA Council, which meets Oct. 25-26 in Rwanda, she said.

FIFA has been urged to close the gap between women’s and men’s World Cups in a new four-year cycle of tournaments and commercial deals that begins next year. In the current cycle, World Cup champion France earned $38 million from FIFA, while the United States got $2 million for winning the 2015 Women’s World Cup.

FIFA has pledged to share $440 million in prize money among the 32 men’s teams playing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

At the 2018 World Cup, FIFA offered “business-class return flights for 50 people” to all men’s team delegations going to Russia. The new FIFA pledge to women does not cover all teams going to France.

Flight upgrades to business class will be paid except for team flights under four hours, said Shaw, FIFA’s head of women’s football governance. Teams already qualified to play in France include Australia, Brazil, Chile, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.

“It is definitely progress and, for those teams that travel enormous distances, it is going to come as a huge relief,” former FIFA Council member Moya Dodd told The Associated Press at the conference.

FIFA should increase the women’s prize fund by at least the same $40 million raise in men’s total prize money from 2018 to 2022, she said.

“Leaders in sport should not be content to sit back and let the gender pay gap get wider in absolute terms on their watch,” said Dodd, a former Australia national team player.

FIFA will also raise standards for the 2019 Women’s World Cup by ensuring opposing teams do not have to stay at the same hotel. Hotel sharing is prohibited in men’s World Cup rules.

Shaw announced that change Thursday, and said FIFA also wanted to pay preparation costs for Women’s World Cup teams. Teams at the 2018 World Cup got $1.5 million from FIFA in addition to prize money of at least $8 million each.

FIFA also wants to compensate women’s clubs for releasing players to national team duty for the World Cup. FIFA shared $209 million among men’s clubs whose players took part in World Cup games.

Story: Graham Dunbar

Update: 86 Dead as Tanzanian Ferry Capsizes in Lake Victoria

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Associated Press

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21 September 2018, 10:17

KAMPALA, Uganda — A regional official in Tanzania says the death toll has risen to 86 after a ferry sank on Lake Victoria.

John Mongella, commissioner for the Mwanza region, says the toll is likely to rise as search and rescue operations resume Friday morning.

The government says the passenger ferry MV Nyerere was traveling between Ukara and Bugolora on Thursday when it sank.

Such ferries often carry hundreds of people and are overcrowded.

Accidents are often reported on the large freshwater lake surrounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

Some of the deadliest have occurred in Tanzania, where passenger boats are often said to be old and in poor condition.

1 Dead, 4 Wounded in Roadside Ambush in Pattani

By

Associated Press

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20 September 2018, 18:54

Rescue workers respond to the scene of a car bomb attack at Big C in Pattani province on May 9, 2017.

PATTANI — Suspected insurgents killed one person and wounded four others in a roadside ambush in southern Thailand, a region where a Muslim separatist rebellion has been active for more than a decade, police said Thursday.

Also on Thursday, a court convicted two men of involvement in the May 2017 car bombing of a busy shopping center in Pattani province in which 61 people were hurt when the building was partly blown apart.

The men, charged with attempted premeditated murder and use of bombs, were given the death penalty, but the penalty was commuted to life in prison because they confessed.

Police Capt. Sanguansak Kaewmoon said an unknown number of gunmen used assault rifles to open fire Wednesday on a pickup truck carrying seven people returning from a hunting trip in Yala province. The ambush left the truck riddled with bullet holes.

Police suspect the assault was carried out by Muslim separatists who have been conducting a low-level but deadly insurgency in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. Their campaign has led to the deaths of almost 7,000 people since the rebellion flared in 2004.

Government efforts to curb the violence have had minimal results.

There have been on-again, off-again talks between officials and a variety of Muslim insurgent groups, but they have failed to make headway, and it remains unclear if the groups participating even have control over the people carrying out the attacks.

Two Men Jailed for Life For Mall Bombing

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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20 September 2018, 18:27

Scene of destruction at Pattani Big C shopping center on May 7, 2017.

PATTANI — A southern court sentenced two men to life in prison Thursday for engineering a car bomb attack that injured more than 50 people.

Suhaimee Samae and Samae Mama were found guilty of the explosion which struck a Big C shopping center in downtown Pattani in May 2017. The blast wounded 56 people.

The two men were initially given death penalties, but their sentences were commuted to life because they confessed their guilt. Their lawyer said they will appeal the verdict.

According to prosecutors, Suhaimee and Samae, the latter of whom was an imam, lured a pickup truck driver to a mosque on the pretense of a job before murdering him and stealing his truck. The vehicle was later used to carry out the attack, prosecutors said.

At a Thursday news conference, the military said 10 other people connected to the bombing are still on the run.

The southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have been rocked by waves of secessionist violence since early 2004, a conflict that has claimed more than 6,500 lives, including those of many civilians.

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