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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017169

International agencies are impressed with Thailand’s achievement in ocean management

The 2022 UN Ocean Conference is officially scheduled to be held from June 27 – July 1, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. For Thailand, H.E. Mr Varawut Silpa-Archa, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment as the head of the Thai delegation delivered Thailand’s statement which expressing the role and strong position of Thailand. He highlighted the progress in conservation and management of marine and coastal resources in Thailand including enhancing the efficiency of the implementation in all dimensions. His statement has drawn admiration from other countries for Thailand’s effectiveness in managing marine and coastal resources, which represents the implementation objectives of Sustainable Development Goal 14 in a tangible way.

H.E. Mr Varawut Silpa-Archa, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment said after delivering the statement on the 2022 UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, that he, as the head of the Thai delegation, had the opportunity to express Thai attitudes towards conservation and restoration of the sea, and reiterated the advanced progress in Implementation of Thailand to all UN Member States. Although the ocean action is now flourishing around the world, but the progress made reveals that we still far from the achievement of SDG14. We still need more effort-much more, especially on the massive intensification of science-policy interface, including financial support, knowledge exchange and technology transfer.

Thailand pledged in integrated the concept of nature-based solutions to the sustainable management of marine and coastal resources plans and policies in order to reduce threats while strengthen the ecological resilience of marine and coastal ecosystems. The management focused on combating marine debris, marine plastic pollution and IUU fishing which were recognition in the international arena, both at the global and regional levels.

One of the most significant is that Thailand has recently been a located of the Decade Coordination Office for the Western Pacific, the first Regional DCO of IOC-UNESCO. This is to reaffirm other countries confidence in Thailand’s readiness to lead and coordinate the implementation of the UN Ocean Decade from 2021 – 2030. He ended his statement with a fact that oceans without human are living oceans, but human without oceans is dead human. He also emphasized that the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 must be linked and supported the implementation of other SDGs and leave no one behind. We will take concerted action to accelerate implementation to achieve Goal as soon as possible.

Additionally, the Political Declaration, which is the outcome of the Conference, will also be adopted by all UN Member States in order to accelerate the Implementation of Sustainable Development, and to take urgently concerted action in protection the ocean as it currently exists for healthy ocean and the healthy planet to our children and theirs. 
 

In response to Thailand’s statement of its strong position, and on the advice of H.E. Mr Varawut and Mr Jatuporn Buruspat, Permanent Secretary, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will enhance its implementation of SDG14, in order to create mechanisms for collaboration with other agencies. To cover all aspects of sustainable development, its collaboration will be extended to the private sector and international organizations. H.E. Mr Varawut said.

Furthermore, Mr Sopon Thongdee, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources said that Thailand has continuously accelerated the implementation to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 14. At the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, Thailand has shown a strong position in its implementation and gained admiration from many countries.

In this regard, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources has prepared for the upcoming stage, which will work closely with the relevant agencies, and will present to the Ministry’s executives. The Department has conducted regular and inclusive reviews of SDG14 progress in preparation for the voluntary national reviews (VNRs), which will take place in July 2022 at UN Headquarters in New York, USA., Mr Sopon said.
 

Published : June 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

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Nato ally Turkey lifted its veto over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join the Western alliance on Tuesday, after the three nations agreed to protect each other’s security, ending a weeks-long drama that tested allied unity against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The alliance’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said the agreement addressed “Turkey’s concerns including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism.”

“Finland and Sweden commit to fully support Turkiye (Turkey) against threats to its national security. This includes further amending their domestic legislation, cracking down on PKK activities and entering into an agreement with Turkiye on extradition,” he said after talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Niinisto.

The breakthrough came after four hours of talks just before a Nato summit began in Madrid, averting an embarrassing impasse at the gathering of 30 leaders that aims to show resolve against Russia, now seen by the U.S.-led alliance as a direct security threat rather than a possible adversary.

It means Helsinki and Stockholm can proceed with their application to join the nuclear-armed alliance, cementing what is set to be the biggest shift in European security in decades, as the two, long neutral Nordic countries seek Nato protection.

Stoltenberg said Nato’s 30 leaders would now invite Finland, which shares a 1,300 km (810-mile) border with Russia, and Sweden to join Nato and that they would become official “invitees”.

Published : June 29, 2022

By : Reuters

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Offering cheap instant noodles, sandwiches and meal boxes for under $5, convenience stores in South Korea are gaining in popularity as salaried workers seek ways to cut costs.

An employee in a Seoul convenience store restocks an empty shelf with ready-to-eat meal boxes, working quickly before the lunchtime rush of hungry office workers.

One such customer is Park Mi-won, 62, an office worker who had never bought her lunch from a convenience store, until her favourite lunch buffet recently raised prices by more than 10% to 9,000 won ($7) spurred by inflation which has soared to a 14-year high.

“After prices went up, I started going to convenience stores instead, where I think the prices are more reasonable while the food also tastes good,” said Park over her convenience store rice roll lunch.

“So now I come here often, about two to three times a week,” she said.

Global food prices surged 23% last month from a year before, according to an agricultural arm of the United Nations. The war in Ukraine has impacted supplies of grains from there and Russia and caused energy and fertiliser prices to soar.

South Korean convenience shop chain GS25 posted more than 30% increases in sales of instant meals in January-May versus a year ago. Seeing increasing demand, GS25 has also launched a new meal subscription service for office workers, which comes with price discounts and deliveries directly to offices.

Fellow competitors including CU and 7-Eleven have seen similar surges in demand, while Emart24 saw a 50% jump in lunch-box sales in areas with many office blocks.

The gains came as the prices of restaurant dishes in South Korea rose 7.4% last month compared with a year earlier, the fastest pace in 24 years, according to government statistics.

Dubbed “lunch-flation”, the price of beloved dishes such as “galbitang” or beef soup with rice, jumped 12.2%, according to Korea Consumer Agency data.

Lee Sang-jae, who runs a galbitang restaurant in Seoul’s central district has already raised prices twice this year, and now a bowl costs 12,000 won ($9.35) instead of 10,000 ($7.79).

“I am giving up some of my profit margins, as I also have to consider office workers’ tight budgets these days, so I only raised the prices a little in sharing the pain with them,” he said.

Lunch is considered a social activity for office workers. They go to restaurants with friends and colleagues for longer than the allotted hour to socialise. But with rising prices, relying on convenience stores for meals and eating these meals alone for lunch is becoming a common sight.

While many small restaurants are still benefiting from a bounce-back in evening dining after months of COVID-induced social distancing rules, economists warn prolonged pressure on consumer prices will weigh on consumption. Real purchasing power is bowing to fierce inflationary pressure, they say, and people will continue to find ways to reallocate their resources.

Published : June 29, 2022

By : Reuters

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Temperatures in San Antonio climbed to 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 degrees centigrade) on Monday, while the heat in a packed trailer was likely way higher than that, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.

The death toll of migrants found on Monday inside a “cloned” and abandoned 18-wheeler in San Antonio, a major city in south central U.S. state Texas, has risen to 50, authorities said on Tuesday.   The tragedy appeared to be one of the deadliest migrant-smuggling operations in recent U.S. history, local media reported.

Forty-six people were found dead at the scene and four others were later pronounced dead at area hospitals, Texas Public Radio reported, citing Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.

Ebrard said 22 were Mexican nationals, seven were from Guatemala, two were from Honduras, and the remaining 19 dead have not yet been identified.

At least 16 others, including four children, were taken to area hospitals due to heat exhaustion and dehydration, local officials said at a news conference. Nearly 100 people were reportedly packed inside the trailer of the 18-wheeler.

The San Antonio Express-News reported that someone “cloned” the truck carrying the migrants with the same color and identifying numbers from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Texas DOT as a truck owned by a South Texas trucking company, in an apparent move to evade authorities.

Three people are in police custody, but it’s unclear if they are involved in the tragedy, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told a briefing Monday night.

People gather at the scene of an alleged human smuggling mass casualty event in San Antonio, Texas, the United States, on June 27, 2022. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)

Police received a call on Monday evening from a person working nearby, who heard a cry for help from the 18-wheeler in the southwest of the city, approached and saw bodies inside the trailer with its doors partially open, said McManus.

Those who were found alive were hot to the touch and suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion, and there was no sign of water in the refrigerated tractor-trailer and no visible working air conditioning unit, according to San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood.

Police officers guard the scene of an alleged human smuggling mass casualty event in San Antonio, Texas, the United States, on June 28, 2022. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)

Temperatures in San Antonio climbed to 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 degrees centigrade) on Monday, while the heat in a packed trailer was likely way higher than that, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.

“Migrants seeking asylum should always be treated as a humanitarian crisis, but this evening we’re facing a horrific human tragedy,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg tweeted on Monday.

Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who is seeking a second term, on Monday night slammed U.S. President Joe Biden for the tragedy, tweeting: “These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies.”

In July 2017, 10 migrants died in a packed truck carrying 39 people in San Antonio.

A police officer stands guard around the perimeter of the scene of an alleged human smuggling mass casualty event in San Antonio, Texas, the United States, on June 27, 2022. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)

Published : June 29, 2022

By : Xinhua

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“Authorities in both the U.S. and Mexico must investigate and bring to justice all those who had a role in the chain of events that resulted in this tragedy,” the UN press office said.

“We were deeply saddened” to learn that dozens of migrants died in the trailer of an abandoned truck in San Antonio in the U.S. state of Texas, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ press office said Tuesday.
 

“Authorities in both the U.S. and Mexico must investigate and bring to justice all those who had a role in the chain of events that resulted in this tragedy,” the press office said in a note to correspondents.

“This horror once again highlights the need for comprehensive strategies for safe, orderly and regular migration in the region,” said the note.
 

Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows road signs near the scene of an alleged human smuggling mass casualty event in San Antonio, Texas, the United States. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)

In response to questions on the news at a daily press briefing Tuesday, Stephane Dujarric, the UN secretary-general’s spokesman, stressed the need for all parties to work cooperatively to take concrete action to help prevent such needless deaths among people on the move.

The death toll of migrants found in San Antonio rose to 50, local authorities said on Tuesday. 

Published : June 29, 2022

By : Xinhua

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French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ), told him two top Opec oil producers, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, can barely increase oil production.

“Ihad a call with MbZ,” Macron was heard telling U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

“He told me two things. I’m at a maximum, maximum (production capacity). Second, he told me…the Saudis can increase a little bit, 150 (thousands barrels per day) or a little bit more. They don’t have huge capacities at this stage,” Macron said.

Brent oil prices jumped by over $2 per barrel to above $115 per barrel on the news amid tight global supplies and rising demand.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been perceived as the only two countries in producer group the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the world which still have some spare capacity and could help increase global deliveries.

The West is seeking ways to reduce Russian oil imports to punish Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia is currently producing 10.5 million bpd and has a nameplate capacity of 12.0 million-12.5 million bpd, which in theory shall allow it to raise production by 2 million.

The UAE is producing some 3 million bpd, has capacity of 3.4 million and has been working on raising it to 4 million bpd.

The news – as presented by Macron – would be bullish for oil markets if both OPEC heavyweights can barely raise output.

Europe is looking for ways to replace as much as 2 million bpd of Russian crude and some 2 million bpd of refined products it had been importing from Moscow before the Ukraine invasion.

Published : June 28, 2022

By : Reuters