Top state farm agents in the nation

A vendor walks past Viharn Luang Pu Thuad in Wat Iam Woranuch. The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) on Friday came out to assure that the 237-year-old chapel and pagoda on the grounds of Wat Iam Woranuch in Bangkok's Phra Nakhon district will not be demolished by the Purple Line rail project. In a statement, the MRTA, the state agency overseeing the project, insisted the chapel and century-plus old pagoda would not be expropriated as feared, and promised only a limited impact from the construction on the temple premises. The assurance follows a social media uproar against the agency, when the Facebook page run by Wat Iam Woranuch posted that the temple land would be appropriated for the 125-billion-baht mass-transit system. The Facebook post also stated that 237-year-old chapel known as "Viharn Luang Pu Thuad" and the pagoda on the temple grounds would also be demolished in exchange for an MRTA Purple Line station. The temple is located on a two-rai plot in ... » Learn More about Chapel, pagoda won’t be razed for rail line

The country has been in turmoil since a February 1 putsch ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, triggering a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned to military rule. Security forces have escalated an increasingly brutal crackdown on demonstrators -- killing more than 50 people since the coup -- but protesters rallied again on Saturday. From the dusty roads of northern Lashio -- where young protesters stared down police behind homemade shields -- to central Loikaw city in view of Myanmar's eastern mountains, hundreds continued to march for democracy. "Our revolution must win," chanted protesters in Loikaw, who included civil servants like teachers in their green and white uniforms. The country's vital sectors have been crippled by an ongoing "Civil Disobedience Movement" -- a campaign urging civil servants to boycott working under a military regime. The impact has been felt on every level of the country, with shuttered hospitals, ... » Learn More about Anti-coup protests continue in Myanmar as UN urged to hear ‘pleas’

Microsoft said early this week that a state-sponsored hacking group operating out of China is exploiting previously unknown security flaws in its Exchange email services to steal data from business users SAN FRANCISCO - At least 30,000 US organizations including local governments have been hacked in recent days by an "unusually aggressive" Chinese cyber-espionage campaign, according to a computer security specialist. The campaign has exploited recently discovered flaws in Microsoft Exchange software, stealing email and infecting computer servers with tools that let attackers take control remotely, Brian Krebs said in a post at his cyber security news website. "This is an active threat," White House spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said when asked about the situation during a press briefing. "Everyone running these servers needs to act now to patch them. We are concerned that there are a large number of victims," she added. After Microsoft released patches for the vulnerabilities ... » Learn More about Chinese cyber-espionage unit on US hacking spree: report

Orders have started rolling in after the Indonesian government approved the distribution of a COVID-19 detector developed at a local university, the GeNose. “We have received many orders after we obtained the distribution permit. A large company in Singapore is among our buyers,” Dian K. Nurputra, one of the developers from Gadjah Mada University (UGM), stated on Monday according to tempo.co . Other government institutions, such as the Executive Office of the President (KSP) and the Research and Technology Ministry’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), are also reportedly among the first to place orders for the COVID-19 detecting tool. Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said he believed the GeNose could be used in several places, such as factories, schools, office buildings as well as other places that required health screening. He also asked the developers to introduce GeNose to the public as soon as possible so that the device could provide support ... » Learn More about UGM receives orders for GeNose COVID-19 detector

(Reuters) - Myanmar security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to break up a protest in Yangon on Saturday, just hours after a United Nations special envoy called on the Security Council to take action against the ruling junta for the killings of protesters. The Southeast Asian country has been plunged in turmoil since the military overthrew and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, with daily protests and strikes that have choked business and paralysed administration. Sporadic protests were staged across Myanmar on Saturday and local media reported that police fired tear gas shells and stun grenades to break up a protest in the Sanchaung district of Yangon, the country's biggest city. There were no reports of casualties. More than 50 protesters have been killed since the coup, according to the United Nations - at least 38 on Wednesday alone. Protesters demand the release of Suu Kyi and the respect of November's election, which her party won in landslide, ... » Learn More about Myanmar forces fire tear gas, stun grenades on protest as U.N. envoy calls for action

Protesters attempt to contain tear gas fired by police trying to disperse them during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on Sunday. (AFP photo) Myanmar security forces shot dead at least six protesters Sunday in the bloodiest action so far to smother opposition to the military coup four weeks ago. The junta is battling to contain a massive street movement demanding it yield power and release ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with top political allies at the start of the month. Police and soldiers had already fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon on demonstrations in recent weeks in an effort to bring the civil disobedience campaign to heel, with live rounds used in some isolated cases. Large numbers were again mobilised on Sunday morning to scatter crowds in several parts of the country, after online calls for protesters to once again flood the streets. Three men were killed and at least 20 others injured when security ... » Learn More about 6 dead as Myanmar junta intensifies crackdown on anti-coup protests

A helping hand: A Krungthai Bank staff member helps 70-year-old Jira Sukyan, a resident in tambon Bang Krachao, Samut Prakan’s Phra Pradaeng district, register for financial assistance under the Rao Chana (We Win) scheme during a visit organised by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul) Elderly people tend to take their own lives after they have lost self-respect, said Dr Sirinthorn Chansirikarn, a professor in geriatric medicine at Mahidol University's Ramathibodi Hospital. "Elderly people who commit suicide often succeed as they live long enough to be more resolute in their intentions," she said. "They will use methods such as drowning, hanging or a gun that will guarantee the intended outcome." According to data gathered by the National Research Council of Thailand in 2013, 23% of elderly patients admitted at four state hospitals, suffered from depression. A similar percentage was recorded at state-run nursing homes. ... » Learn More about Elderly depression ‘on rise’

Tear gas and fire extinguisher gas float around demonstrators during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, March 2, 2021. Picture taken from behind a window. REUTERS/Stringer The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advised the almost 1,300 Filipinos in Myanmar to avoid places of protest following reports that 38 people were killed as the military quelled protests in several towns and cities on Wednesday. “Filipinos in Myanmar are once more advised to avoid places of protest, monitor developments through reputable sources and check with the Philippine Embassy in Yangon for further advisories,” the DFA said in a statement. The DFA earlier said there were about 1,273 Filipinos in Myanmar as of June 2020. It also reiterated its call for a complete restoration of the status quo ante and allow State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi “to play her unifying role.” In a post on Twitter, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said all foreign ministers of the Association of ... » Learn More about DFA urges Pinoys in Myanmar to avoid protests

Dr. Reginald Christian Bernardo in a photo he captioned “Expelliarmus.” Image: courtesy of Dr. Reginald Christian Bernardo After earning the title of being the country’s first homegrown gravitational physicist, Dr. Reginald Christian Bernardo made headlines in recent months, and only rightfully so. Despite this newfound fame, the scientist wants to emphasize to fellow Filipinos that there have been several other Filipino gravitational physicists before him, albeit not being “homegrown.” He points out that the era of gravitational physics in the Philippines started way back in 1970 when Dr. Roger Posadas obtained his Ph.D. under the supervision of renowned theoretical physicist Ezra Newman from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States. Noting that while the 1970s is not only the era that is “darkest in Philippine history,” it is also the time when the most respectable physics programs in the country were “only at their infancy.” Following Posadas, it took around ... » Learn More about ‘Put scientists at decision-making front lines,’ urges PH’s 1st homegrown gravitational physicist Reginald Bernardo

The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) has warned health workers nationwide to remain cautious with regard to the surge in COVID-19 transmission in the nation, as the number of fatalities among medical staff kept increasing. As of Dec. 24 evening, the association recorded 223 doctors who have died of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Indonesian volunteer group LaporCOVID-19 reported 464 fatalities among health workers over the same period. IDI mitigation team leader Adib Khumaidi said the number of health workers who had died of COVID-19 was high due to the lack of protection for them while treating infected patients. Ironically, the situation was exacerbated by a lack of access for them to get a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. “We often find these problems in the field. We don’t want to lose more doctors and nurses in the future,” Adib said in a virtual event held by LaporCOVID-19 on Dec. 24. He also stated that all parties needed to collaborate with each other to fight ... » Learn More about Health workers must stay alert to avoid infection: Associations