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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40003717

107th Mekong River joint patrol completed

The 107th joint Mekong River patrol by China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, concluded on Friday, with three Chinese law-enforcement vessels returning home to a port in southwest Chinas Yunnan Province.

Atotal of four vessels from China and Laos navigated over 600 km over four days and three nights, according to the Yunnan provincial public security department. Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand sent police to carry out land patrols.

The patrol had targeted illegal immigration in the Mekong River basin, said the department.

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During the operation, the law enforcement officers have constantly warned passing merchant ships of heavy rainfalls and risks of rising water level.

The Mekong River, known as the Lancang River in China, is a vital waterway for cross-border shipping.

China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have been carrying out joint patrols on the Mekong River since December 2011.

Published : July 24, 2021

By : xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40003704

Floods cause “destruction of historic proportions” to German rail infrastructure: DB

North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate could again experience heavy rain and thunderstorms over the weekend, the German weather service DWD said on Friday. In some areas, up to 40 liters of precipitation per square meter could be expected.

Last week’s devastating floods have caused “destruction of historic proportions” to Germany’s rail infrastructure, state rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) said here on Friday.

“Our infrastructure has never been destroyed in this dimension in one fell swoop,” said Volker Hentschel, member of the board of DB Netz, a subsidiary of the rail operator. “We are facing a tremendous challenge.”
 

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Last week, catastrophic floods caused by intense rainfall blocked roads and highways, cut off electricity and swept away houses in Germany. The federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate were hit particularly hard, with at least 170 people killed and many still missing.

Damage to Germany’s rail infrastructure totaled nearly 1.3 billion euros (1.5 billion U.S. dollars), as some 50 bridges, 40 signal boxes, 180 railroad crossings and more than 1,000 catenary and signal poles were damaged, according to DB.

The rail operator’s goal is to have “around 80 percent of the damaged infrastructure back in shape” by the end of the year, Hentschel said. However, because some routes in western Germany are still flooded or completely gone, reconstruction would take “months, if not years.”

North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate could again experience heavy rain and thunderstorms over the weekend, the German weather service DWD said on Friday. In some areas, up to 40 liters of precipitation per square meter could be expected.

People clear a road damaged in floods in Bad Muenstereifel, western Germany, on July 17, 2021

Published : July 24, 2021

By : xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40003702

WHO, ECDC call for enhanced efforts to prevent surge in COVID-19 Delta variant infections

The WHO recommends countries increase access to free testing, expand sequencing, incentivize quarantine for contacts and isolation for confirmed cases, strengthen contact tracing to break chains of transmission, and ensure that “those most at risk among our populations are vaccinated.”

Efforts must be reinforced to prevent the transmission of the Delta variant of coronavirus as it has become the most dominant strain across much of Europe, top health authorities in Europe warned on Friday.

The SARS-COV-2 Delta variant is moving fast across Europe based on surveillance data collected between June 28 and July 11, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office in Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a joint statement.

“Based on current trends, the Delta variant will be the globally dominant strain over the coming months and has already been identified in almost all European countries. It will continue to spread, displacing the circulation of other variants unless a new, more competitive virus emerges,” the statement said.

“We are seeing a significant rise in cases associated with the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant,” Hans Kluge, regional director of WHO Europe, said in the statement.

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He warned that despite tremendous efforts by states to vaccinate people, millions more remain unvaccinated and therefore at risk of ending up in hospital.

The WHO official reiterated that receiving a full vaccination series significantly reduces the risk of severe disease and death. “When called to do so, people should get vaccinated.”

Both organizations noted that intensive implementation of the current public health measures, including increased access to testing, will be required to control COVID-19 transmission, particularly while the progress of vaccination is still not sufficiently high in many countries.

“We need to remain vigilant and continue to use common sense to prevent the spread of the virus,” said Andrea Ammon, ECDC director, in the statement.

She called on people to get a full course of vaccination as soon as the opportunity arises, maintain physical distancing, wash hands, avoid crowded spaces and wear a mask when necessary.

New COVID-19 cases have been increasing for the past month in Europe, and notification rates have also increased across all age groups, most rapidly among 15 to 24-year-olds, where a fivefold increase in reported cases has been observed over the period, according to WHO Europe.

The WHO recommends countries increase access to free testing, expand sequencing, incentivize quarantine for contacts and isolation for confirmed cases, strengthen contact tracing to break chains of transmission, and ensure that “those most at risk among our populations are vaccinated.”

Published : July 24, 2021

By : xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40003701

Victim search ends in U.S. Florida building collapse killing at least 97

At least 97 people were killed in the June 24 collapse and at least one more person believed missing has yet to be identified.

Search for victims’ bodies has officially ended almost one month after a 12-story residential building partially collapsed in Surfside, a beachside town in southeastern U.S. state of Florida, authorities said on Friday.

At least 97 people were killed in the June 24 collapse and at least one more person believed missing has yet to be identified.

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Firefighters left the Champlain Towers South collapse site around noon and drove slowly to their headquarters, local media reported.

“Providing closure to families was the ultimate test of everybody here, and I think we did our best to do that,” Scott Dean, the leader of Florida Task Force 2, told local media outlets.

The walls of an underground parking garage remain at the site, around a hollowed-out foundation, according to local media reports, adding that Miami-Dade County is bringing in crews to help shore up the remaining underground walls for safety.

Victims and families who suffered losses due to the collapse would get a minimum of 150 million U.S. dollars in compensation initially, a judge said on Wednesday.

Published : July 24, 2021

By : xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40003700

U.S., Russia to hold arms control talks next week

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed at their first summit in Geneva in June to launch the dialogue to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures.

The United States and Russia will hold a Strategic Stability Dialogue on July 28 in Geneva, the State Department said on Friday.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will lead the U.S. delegation’s participation in the dialogue, joined by Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins, according to a State Department statement.

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President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed at their first summit in Geneva in June to launch the dialogue to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures.

Washington and Moscow this February extended the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) for five years to 2026. It is the last remaining nuclear arms control pact in force between the two nuclear superpowers.

Published : July 24, 2021

By : xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40003698

Nationals Stephen Strasburg suffers another setback in recovery from nerve irritation

BALTIMORE – Stephen Strasburg had an “uncomfortable” feeling in his neck after throwing a bullpen session Wednesday, according to Washington Nationals Manager Dave Martinez, marking another setback in his attempt to return from nerve irritation. Hes been on the injured list since June 2 and will be there a while longer.

“We backed him down again and now we’re going to have to figure something else out,” Martinez said Friday before the Nationals’ game against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. “I know they’re going to look at some different options, see if we can find another specialist for him to go see. But as of right now, this continues to happen to him, so we need to figure something else out. . . . It’s unfortunate. I know he’s trying really hard to get back on that mound.”

In the week before the all-star break, Strasburg was nearing a rehab assignment before he felt this same discomfort after throwing a bullpen in San Diego. This week, he threw 32 pitches on Monday, long-tossed on Tuesday and felt good enough to throw 28 more pitches off the mound Wednesday before the Nationals were forced to ease his workload. Each step backward raises the question of whether Strasburg will make another start this season.

He has logged 21 2/3 innings this season and just 26 2/3 innings since signing a seven-year, $245 million contract in December 2019. He has had two recent IL stints – the first for a strained right shoulder in April and May, the second still going – and carpal tunnel surgery last August.

“We got to figure out what really is causing this,” Martinez said. “He can go out in two days or three days and play long-toss, get himself ready to throw again. But what’s to say it doesn’t happen again to him? We’ve been through this process a few times already, and it just happens to keep coming back, it keeps getting irritated, so we need to figure out what’s next for him medically.”

Heading into their weekend series in Baltimore, and with a week until the trade deadline, the Nationals are without Strasburg, starter Joe Ross (right elbow inflammation), left fielder Kyle Schwarber (right hamstring strain), starting catcher Yan Gomes (left oblique strain), backup catcher Alex Avila (bilateral calf strains), and relievers Tanner Rainey (stress reaction in his right tibia), Kyle McGowin (right biceps tendinitis) and Will Harris (thoracic outlet syndrome).

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Friday’s pregame brought positive steps for a handful of the sidelined players. Ross threw a bullpen. Schwarber took batting practice on the field for the first time since his injury. Avila did, too. Gomes took 40 swings in the batting cage, felt good afterward and, if that continues, will go on a minor league rehab assignment to test his oblique in game action.

– – –

Starlin Castro’s administrative leave has been extended through July 29, according to Major League Baseball’s communications office. As initially reported by The Athletic, MLB is investigating a domestic violence allegation against Castro.

Both Martinez and Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said this week that they do not expect Castro to rejoin the Nationals.

Published : July 24, 2021

By : The Washington Post · Jesse Dougherty