Latest from Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Bangkok Post
Amazon tycoon Bezos, Sanchez to say 'I do' in Venice
VENICE - Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are expected to tie the knot Friday at a sumptuous, secluded ceremony attended by celebrity friends on an island in Venice's lagoon. The tech magnate, 61, and his fiancee, 55, kicked off a three-day wedding celebration Thursday with guests including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom. Venice, home to the oldest film festival in the world, is used to VIPs whizzing around in speed boats, and happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014. But Bezos -- one of the world's richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers -- is different. And the festivities have sparked protests from environmentalists and locals who accuse authorities of pandering to the super rich while the city drowns under tourists. Bezos and former news anchor and entertainment reporter Sanchez are staying at the Aman hotel, a luxury 16th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal with a view of the Rialto bridge. They will exchange vows at a black-tie ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, according to Italian media reports. The wedding itself is expected to take place in a vast open-air amphitheatre on the island, which sits across from St Mark's Square. The newlyweds will then be serenaded by Matteo Bocelli, the son of famed opera singer Andrea Bocelli, the reports said. Sanchez is alleged to have prepared 27 outfits to wear during the festivities. Italian designer Domenico Dolce -- half of the duo Dolce & Gabbana -- was seen leaving the Aman hotel on Thursday, possibly following a fitting. - 'Enchanted' - Wedding guests snapped by paparazzi as they hopped into boats included Jordan's Queen Rania, US football player Tom Brady, American fashion designer Spencer Antle, singer Usher, and Ivanka Trump -- the daughter of US President Donald Trump. The guests reportedly lunched together on Thursday in the gardens of Villa Baslini, on the islet of San Giovanni Evangelista. The celebrations are set to end on Saturday with a party likely at the Arsenale, a vast shipyard complex dating back to when the city was a naval powerhouse. Bezos and Sanchez are donating three million euros ($3.5 million) to the city, according to Veneto's regional president Luca Zaia, and are employing historic Venetian artisans. Venice's oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century "fishermen's biscuits" for party bags which will also contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass. Trump and her family visited a glass-blowing workshop on the small island of Murano on Wednesday, according to the owner. "They were amazed and enchanted by the magic of glass," Massimiliano Schiavon told the Corriere della Sera, adding that the family had had a go at blowing their own. Some locals say the A-list guests and their entourages bring good business but critics have accused billionaire Bezos of using the Unesco site as his personal playground. And environmental activists have also pointed to the carbon footprint of the mega yachts and dozens of private jets bringing the rich and famous to the canal city. At least 95 private planes requested permission to land at Venice's Marco Polo airport for the wedding, the Corriere della Sera said.
Bangkok Post
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Bangkok Post
Hong Kong's dragnet widens 5 years after national security law
HONG KONG - Jailed pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong shrugged and shook his head after a Hong Kong court this month announced a fresh charge of breaching the city's national security law. The 28-year-old protest icon has spent more than four years behind bars and hoped to be let out in early 2027. Now, there is no end in sight. Monday marks five years since Beijing imposed a national security law after widespread and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the finance hub, which Chinese officials saw as a challenge to their rule. China sees former protest leaders such as Wong as "incorrigible troublemakers", said John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong. "We have a daily drumbeat of national security on TV, in the media," Burns told AFP. The new charge against Wong, who was jailed for subversion and unlawful assembly, underscores how Hong Kong authorities are still widening the dragnet. The national security law criminalised for the first time secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion, with offenders facing up to life imprisonment. Since the law was introduced, 165 people have been convicted of various national security crimes, including under follow-up legislation in 2024 and colonial-era sedition laws. The most severely punished was legal academic Benny Tai, who was sentenced in November to 10 years in prison as part of a sprawling subversion case involving 47 opposition figures. A lawyer, who requested anonymity in order to discuss sensitive cases, said five years spent defending security law clients had laid bare the limits of his role. Of all those charged with national security crimes, only two have been acquitted. "Our hands are tied," he told AFP. "Practically the only thing (lawyers) can do is argue for a lighter penalty." - 'Information gap' - Authorities have also warned against "soft resistance", a vague term introduced in 2021 and recently highlighted by Xia Baolong, China's top official overseeing Hong Kong. Regina Ip, convenor of the Hong Kong government's cabinet, told AFP: "I don't think the government is being paranoid. "Because of the increasingly complex and volatile international environment, we all need to be alert," she added. Beijing security officials in Hong Kong also took part in "interviews" this month with collusion suspects for the first time, authorities said. Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said the city was adapting approaches from mainland China such as "invitation to tea" -- a practice associated with state security agents. Such informal methods "to regulate and to stabilise society" were favoured because they are "less visible", Lai said. Another local lawyer with experience in security cases also noted a worsening "information gap" that has kept the public in the dark. "There are fewer prosecutions now but more arrests, 'interviews' and operations where (people) are not brought to court," said the lawyer, who requested anonymity. High-profile legal battles have not ended: the case of media tycoon Jimmy Lai continues, while a trial involving organisers of Hong Kong's once-annual vigil marking Beijing's deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown has not yet begun. - Wave of departures - Scores of pro-democracy and civil society groups, including trade unions and media outlets, have closed since 2020 and the ouster of opposition lawmakers has had "massive consequences for accountability", said Burns. Hong Kong's Democratic Party has begun a process that will lead to its dissolution, while local media reported on Wednesday that the League of Social Democrats, the other remaining opposition party, could fold within days. The security law has prompted a wave of departures. Hong Kong independence advocate Tony Chung said he felt unsafe after finishing a prison sentence for secession and fled to the United Kingdom in 2023. Chung is among 19 people Hong Kong authorities deem to be national security fugitives. The 24-year-old has at times struggled to adapt while he waits in Britain for political asylum but insists on promoting his separatist views. "Many friends told me that I can start a new life here and leave politics behind," he told AFP. "I see the sun, good weather, a grassy field... But I force myself to remember why I came here."
Bangkok Post
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Bangkok Post
Mexican lawmakers vote to ban dolphin shows
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's Congress on Thursday approved a ban on entertainment shows involving dolphins and other marine mammals, the lower house announced, delighting animal rights campaigners. The reform, which won unanimous support, has already been passed by the upper house and now goes to the president to be signed into law. It means that dolphinariums will be phased out in Mexico, which is home to eight percent of the world's captive dolphins, according to figures published by Congress. Marine mammals will only be allowed to be caught in the wild or bred in captivity for conservation purposes. The NGO Humane World for Animals Mexico hailed the vote as "a decisive move toward ending the exploitation of whales, dolphins and other marine mammals for entertainment." The ban marked "a major stride forward in animal welfare and conservation efforts in Mexico," it added.
Bangkok Post
3 hours ago
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Syria's wheat war: drought fuels food crisis for 16 million
DAMASCUS - Rival Syrian and Kurdish producers are scrambling for shrinking wheat harvests as the worst drought in decades follows a devastating war, pushing more than 16 million people toward food insecurity. "The country has not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years," said Haya Abu Assaf, assistant to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) representative in Syria. Syria's water levels have seen "a very significant drop compared to previous years, which is very worrying", Abu Assaf told Agence France-Presse (AFP), as a relatively short winter rainy season and decreased rainfall take their toll. "A gap of between 2.5 to 2.7 million tonnes in the wheat crop is expected, meaning that the wheat quantity will not be sufficient to meet local needs," Abu Assaf said, putting "around 16.3 million people at risk of food insecurity in Syria this year". Before the civil war erupted in 2011, Syria was self-sufficient in wheat, producing an average of 4.1 million tonnes annually. Nearly 14 years of conflict have since crippled production and devastated the economy. The FAO estimates that harsh weather has impacted nearly 2.5 million hectares of wheat-growing land. "Around 75% of the cultivated areas" have been affected, as well as "natural pastures for livestock production", said Abu Assaf. Imports, competition To bridge the wheat gap, imports would be essential in a country where around 90% of the population lives in poverty. Before his ouster in an Islamist-led offensive in December, Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad used to rely on ally Russia for wheat. In April, new authorities reported the first wheat shipment since his removal arrived in Latakia port, with more Russian shipments following. Iraq also donated more than 220,000 tonnes of wheat to Syria. During the war, Damascus competed with the semi-autonomous Kurdish administration in the northeast to buy wheat from farmers across fertile lands. Last year, Assad's government priced wheat at US$350 per tonne, and the Kurds at $310. After Assad's ouster, Damascus and the Kurds agreed in March to integrate Kurdish-led institutions into the new Syrian state, with negotiations ongoing on implementation. Damascus set wheat prices this month at between $290 and $320 per tonne, depending on the quality, plus a $130 bonus. The Kurdish-led administration offered $420 per tonne including a $70 bonus. 'Poverty and hunger' Damascus' agriculture ministry expects a harvest of 300,000 to 350,000 tonnes in government-controlled areas this year. Hassan Othman, director of the Syrian Grain Establishment, acknowledged Syria was not self-sufficient, in comments on state television. But he said authorities were working "to ensure food security by importing wheat from abroad and milling it in our mills". In northeast Syria's Amuda, farmer Jamshid Hassu, 65, inspected the tiny wheat grains from his fields, which cover around 200 hectares (around 500 acres). Despite heavy irrigation efforts to offset scarce rainfall, he said, production has halved. The FAO's Abu Assaf said indicators showed that "about 95% of rain-fed wheat has been damaged and affected", while irrigated wheat yields were down 30 to 40%. Hassu, who has been farming for four decades, said he had to pump water from depths of more than 160 metres (525 feet) to sustain his crops as groundwater levels plunge. Agriculture remains a vital income source in rural Syria, but without urgent support, farmers face ruin. "Without support, we will not be able to continue," Hassu warned. "People will suffer from poverty and hunger."
Bangkok Post
3 hours ago
- Health
- Bangkok Post
Medical charity decries US-backed Gaza aid
GENEVA - The medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) called on Friday for a controversial Israel- and US-backed relief effort in Gaza to be halted, branding it 'slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid'. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began operating last month, 'is degrading Palestinians by design, forcing them to choose between starvation or risking their lives for minimal supplies', MSF said in a statement. It said more than 500 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip while seeking food in recent weeks. Starting in March, Israel blocked deliveries of food and other crucial supplies into Gaza for more than two months, leading to warnings of that the entire population of the occupied Palestinian territory is at risk of famine. The United Nations sas Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is illegal under international law. The densely populated Gaza Strip has been largely flattened by Israeli bombing since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas. Israel began allowing food supplies to trickle in at the end of May, using GHF — backed by armed US contractors, with Israeli troops on the perimeter — to run operations. The latter have been marred by chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Israeli forces firing on people desperate to get food. There are also concerns about the neutrality of GHF, officially a private group with opaque funding. The UN and major aid groups have refused to work with it, citing concerns it serves Israeli military goals and that it violates basic humanitarian principles. The Gaza health ministry says that since late May, nearly 550 people have been killed near aid centres while seeking scarce food supplies. 'With over 500 people killed and nearly 4,000 wounded while seeking food, this scheme is slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid and must be immediately dismantled,' MSF said. Surge in gunshot wounds GHF has denied that fatal shootings have occurred in the immediate vicinity of its aid points. On Tuesday, the United Nations condemned what it said was Israel's 'weaponisation of food' in Gaza and called it a war crime. MSF said the way GHF distributes food aid supplies 'forces thousands of Palestinians, who have been starved by an over 100 day-long Israeli siege, to walk long distances to reach the four distribution sites and fight for scraps of food supplies'. 'These sites hinder women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities from accessing aid, and people are killed and wounded in the chaotic process,' it said. Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF's emergency coordinator in Gaza, said the four sites were all under the full control of Israeli forces, surrounded by watch points and barbed wire. 'If people arrive early and approach the checkpoints, they get shot. If they arrive on time but there is an overflow and they jump over the mounds and the wires, they get shot,' he said in the statement. 'If they arrive late, they shouldn't be there because it is an 'evacuated zone' — they get shot.' MSF said that its teams in Gaza were seeing patients every day who had been killed or wounded trying to get food at one of the sites. It pointed to 'a stark increase in the number of patients with gunshot wounds'. MSF urged 'the Israeli authorities and their allies to lift the siege on food, fuel, medical and humanitarian supplies and to revert to the pre-existing principled humanitarian system coordinated by the UN'.
