Will the Mighty Baht Topple
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Community Anthrax Death Reported in Mukdahan Province
UPDATE New Anthrax Case Confirmed in Mukdahan as Health Officials Monitor 98 at Risk Picture courtesy of Matichon. Health authorities in Mukdahan Province have confirmed a new case of anthrax infection in Don Tan District, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to three, with one fatality. Two patients remain under medical care at Don Tan Hospital and Mukdahan Hospital. According to the Provincial Public Health Office of Mukdahan (PPHO), the newly reported case was confirmed on 4 May 2025. One additional patient is currently under investigation and awaiting laboratory test results at Don Tan Hospital. The outbreak, which began in late April, has prompted a significant public health response. A total of 636 individuals identified as having had contact with infected animals or patients have been placed under disease surveillance. As of 4 May, 538 of them have completed the required seven-day monitoring period for cutaneous and gastrointestinal anthrax exposure. The remaining 98 people continue to be closely monitored. Anthrax, a rare but serious bacterial infection, is typically contracted through contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products. The Don Tan district remains the centre of the outbreak, with authorities maintaining heightened surveillance and public health measures in the area. Local health officials are urging the public to remain vigilant and report any symptoms consistent with anthrax infection, such as skin lesions, fever, or gastrointestinal issues, to medical professionals immediately. Adapted by Asean Now from Matichon 2025-05-05. -
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Market Defies Gloom: Stocks Surge as Recession Fears Simmer
Market Defies Gloom: Stocks Surge as Recession Fears Simmer Despite persistent warnings from top economists about a looming recession, Wall Street continues its upward climb, with investors largely shrugging off tariff anxieties and placing faith in economic resilience. The S&P 500, after a sharp downturn spurred by the unveiling of new tariffs, has now regained significant ground, down just 3.3% for the year. Optimism around potential tariff rollbacks and a robust job market have fueled this rally, with the index recently completing a nine-day winning streak—its longest since 2004—gaining about 10% in that span. Still, the optimism seems at odds with forecasts from some of the market’s most respected voices. Goldman Sachs estimates a 45% chance of a recession within the next year. Apollo Global Management’s top economist raised that alarm even louder, pegging the likelihood at 90%. “There’s zero chance of an economic slowdown priced in,” said Bob Elliott, chief executive of Unlimited Funds, suggesting the market may be overconfident. Although President Trump has already scaled back some tariffs, the potential long-term effects of sustained trade levies—especially on Chinese imports—continue to concern economists. The knock-on impact could ripple across consumer spending, business investment, and employment. “With the amount of uncertainty still out there, the equity market rallying back here feels like they’re whistling past the graveyard,” warned Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at PGIM Fixed Income. Investors are looking ahead to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s upcoming remarks following the Fed’s May meeting for additional insight into the central bank’s economic outlook. Tariffs on Chinese goods pose a specific threat to the economy by potentially triggering stagflation—a toxic mix of rising prices and slowing growth. Although consumer confidence and small-business optimism have both slumped according to recent surveys, spending habits have yet to show a major shift. In fact, a recent report indicated inflation-adjusted household spending jumped 0.7% in March, possibly due to pre-tariff buying. Visa reported no signs of a pullback in card spending through April 21. “I’m watching that credit-card data like a hawk because that will be one of the early warning signals,” said Larry Adam, chief investment officer at Raymond James. “I think we’re past peak uncertainty with tariffs and now we’re at peak uncertainty with the economy.” Goldman Sachs economists recently projected that the effects of tariffs could take two to three months to manifest in inflation data, with a dip in consumer spending expected to follow. Reflecting growing concern, Vanguard has revised its forecast for U.S. economic growth this year down to below 1%, citing trade tensions and policy instability. It now anticipates 4% inflation by year’s end, up from an earlier projection of 2.7%. “The notion that we will just go back to where we were before without any disruption to the economy is certainly on the optimistic side,” said Kevin Khang, senior international economist at Vanguard. While major tech firms with strong earnings have helped lift the overall market, other sectors tell a more cautious story. Defensive sectors like utilities and consumer staples are outperforming, while more economically sensitive areas such as energy and discretionary consumer goods are lagging. Meanwhile, traders in interest-rate futures are betting on at least three rate cuts from the Federal Reserve this year, signaling expectations that monetary policy will need to support a slowing economy. On Kalshi, a prediction market, the probability of a recession this year has jumped to 63%, up from about 40% in March. Surprisingly, this stock rally has persisted even as the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield remains elevated—a benchmark that typically pressures equity valuations. Though the yield has dipped slightly since April, it remains relatively high compared to mid-March levels. The so-called “excess CAPE yield,” a measure of the reward investors receive for owning stocks instead of Treasurys, stood at just 1.8% at the end of April. That’s roughly half the 50-year average, barely higher than March’s 1.7%, and still below levels seen last September. Adpated by ASEAN Now from Wall Street Journal 2025-05-05 -
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Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Left Without Redress as UK Shelves Compensation Scheme
Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Left Without Redress as UK Shelves Compensation Scheme Survivors of child sexual abuse across England and Wales have been dealt a devastating blow after the UK government quietly abandoned plans to implement a national compensation scheme, citing financial constraints. The scheme, once promised by the previous Conservative administration, was one of the key recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). While similar redress programmes in Scotland and Northern Ireland have already distributed hundreds of millions of pounds to victims, the Home Office has now confirmed that it will not proceed with the proposal for the rest of the UK. In a recent report titled Tackling Child Sexual Abuse: Progress Update, the Home Office stated, “In the current fiscal environment, this recommendation is very difficult to take forward.” The report also acknowledged that the government “is not currently taking forward any further steps on the IICSA proposal for a separate, national financial redress scheme for all survivors of child sexual abuse.” For many survivors, the decision marks the end of a long and painful pursuit of justice. Among them is 71-year-old Marie, who endured alleged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at Greenfield House Convent in St Helens, Merseyside, between 1959 and 1962. She was just six years old when she arrived at the convent. “As soon as I arrived, my hair was cut off, my name was changed, and I experienced regular beatings from the nuns and students,” she recalled. Marie claims a nun orchestrated acts of violence, including a horrific incident where she was held down with her legs “spread-eagled” and sexually abused with a coat hanger. Although Merseyside Police investigated the allegations, the suspect died in 2016 before charges could be brought. Marie received an apology from the Catholic body that ran the home, but her civil claim for damages was dismissed for being filed too long after the abuse occurred. Under existing law, victims had to make civil claims before the age of 21 unless they could prove a fair trial was still possible despite the time delay. Campaigners long argued that this statute of limitations was unjust, given that survivors take an average of 26 years to come forward. In February, ministers announced changes to the 1980 Limitation Act, which could allow more survivors to seek justice through the courts. However, Peter Garsden, president of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, expressed concern about the practical impact of those changes. “It takes between three and five years for a civil case to get to trial,” he explained. “Claimants can end up losing if you go through that process. Whereas the Redress Scheme would be quicker, much more straightforward, and much more likely to give justice to the victims.” Jimbo, another survivor, spent 13 years pursuing legal action over the abuse he suffered at St Aidan’s children’s home in Cheshire. His case went to the High Court twice and the Court of Appeal three times. In the end, he received just £10 to cover his bus fare to court. A Lord Justice of Appeal even stated that he believed the abuse occurred, but Jimbo’s claim was denied due to the time limit. Neither Marie nor Jimbo is likely to benefit from the removal of the time restrictions for personal injury claims. For victims like them, the now-abandoned National Redress Scheme represented perhaps their final hope for justice. “The money is about justice and about all the other people who have had to suffer this abuse,” said Marie. Campaigners are continuing to urge the government to reverse its decision and honour the recommendations of the IICSA, warning that without a dedicated redress scheme, countless survivors will remain unheard and uncompensated. Adpated by ASEAN Now from Sky News 2025-05-05 -
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Transgender Swimmer Ana Caldas Sweeps Five Events at National Meet, Sparks Backlash
Transgender Swimmer Ana Caldas Sweeps Five Events at National Meet, Sparks Backlash Transgender swimmer Ana Caldas claimed five major victories at the U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championship held in San Antonio, Texas, last weekend, triggering a wave of controversy from women's sports advocates and activists. Caldas, who competed in the women’s 45-49 age group, won all five individual events she entered — doing so by margins that critics described as “unheard of” in competitive swimming. Dominating the field, Caldas finished the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke races with a staggering four-second lead over the next closest swimmers. In the 100-yard freestyle, she pulled ahead by three full seconds. Videos shared on social media showed Caldas well in front of her competitors, easily securing gold in multiple races. The footage quickly fueled online criticism. “He won them all,” tweeted Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimming champion and vocal women’s rights activist, pointedly refusing to acknowledge Caldas’ preferred pronouns. “Real-life South Park episode,” Gaines added, referencing the satirical cartoon that has previously mocked issues around gender in sports. Beth Bourne, another outspoken activist, called the results “insanity,” emphasizing just how rare such margins are in top-level sprint events. “Anyone who competes in swimming at the national level knows this is unheard of in a 50-yard race where wins are often measured in a tenth or a hundredth of a second,” Bourne posted on X. Further backlash came from the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, which questioned the legitimacy of Caldas’ participation in the women’s division. A spokesperson for the organization, speaking to Reduxx, expressed frustration and disbelief over the results. “He’s just laughing at these women,” the spokesperson stated, echoing a sentiment shared by many critics who argue that transgender women retain a biological advantage over female athletes. Ana Caldas’ wins have reignited the ongoing debate about fairness and inclusion in women’s sports. Supporters of transgender athletes argue for the importance of inclusivity and respect for gender identity, while opponents argue that allowing transgender women to compete in female categories undermines fairness and equal opportunity for cisgender women. The controversy mirrors a broader cultural divide that continues to shape discussions in athletics, education, and public policy. While U.S. Masters Swimming, the governing body of the event, has not commented publicly on the uproar surrounding Caldas’ victories, the incident has added fuel to an already heated national conversation. As debate continues, Caldas' success and the reaction it sparked underscore the unresolved tensions between inclusion and competitive equity — tensions that are increasingly playing out in swimming pools, track fields, and sports arenas across the country. Adpated by ASEAN Now from NYP 2025-05-05 -
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Deathbed Confession Links Hitler to Holocaust Orders in Unearthed Nazi Tapes
Deathbed Confession Links Hitler to Holocaust Orders in Unearthed Nazi Tapes A dying confession by one of Nazi Germany’s highest-ranking SS commanders has reignited the debate over Adolf Hitler’s direct role in the Holocaust. Bruno Streckenbach, a key architect of some of the regime’s worst atrocities, claimed in a series of audio recordings that Hitler personally issued the order to begin the mass extermination of Jews—an assertion long speculated by historians but rarely confirmed by those so close to the center of power. Though Streckenbach escaped post-war justice, avoiding prosecution despite his involvement in the killings of more than a million people, he offered his version of events in 1977 as he lay dying from heart disease and throat cancer. Over four hours of tape, recorded by journalist Gerd Heidemann, Streckenbach recounted his central role in organizing the SS Einsatzgruppen death squads and laid bare what he said was the origin of their orders. The tapes, made public for the first time by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, provide a rare firsthand account of Nazi decision-making and explicitly name Hitler as the instigator of the genocide. “Heydrich was very quiet, very matter-of-fact,” Streckenbach recalled of his conversation with his superior, Reinhard Heydrich. “He sat on this large conference table that he had, he sat on the edge, and said: ‘Be quiet now, Streckenbach. Now you listen to me very carefully. Keep your mouth shut. Don’t get involved. We can’t do anything about it. It’s the order from the Führer, for us of all people. He’s chosen the SS to carry out this order. Neither the Reichsführer nor I could do anything about it.’” The revelation came as Streckenbach remembered his friend, Erwin Schulz, a fellow SS officer, expressing horror over the mass executions. “[Schulz] was trembling, trembling like I am now, and he says: ‘What do we do?’ And I say: ‘We can’t do anything at all. I can’t leave. You know — it was an order.’” Historian Thomas Weber of the University of Aberdeen, who uncovered the tapes, said the claim has considerable historical weight. “While Streckenbach clearly wanted to present himself in a better light, he had no reason to lie about this specific point at the end of his life,” Weber said. “There was no prosecution threat. It was a moment of personal reckoning.” The recordings are part of a vast archive of Nazi-related material amassed by Heidemann, a controversial figure whose career ended in disgrace after he was implicated in promoting the forged “Hitler Diaries” in 1983. Though dogged by accusations of Nazi sympathy and espionage for East Germany’s Stasi, Weber argued that Heidemann was driven more by obsession and theatrical flair than ideology. The archive, now held by the Hoover Institution, contains more than 100,000 photographs, 7,300 files, and approximately 800 tapes featuring interviews with notorious Nazis, including Klaus Barbie, the “butcher of Lyon.” Streckenbach stands out not only for his seniority but for his deep involvement in the SS apparatus, having risen to be Heinrich Himmler’s de facto deputy in the Reich Security Main Office. In the tapes, Streckenbach offered chilling insight into the mindset of the SS leadership. At one point, he said: “You either have to do it systematically — all 15 or 16 million Jews — or not at all, but you can’t [just] do a few hundred thousand.” He later reflected directly on Hitler’s culpability: “This is something that interests every one of us: was Hitler the initiator, did he know, did he give the order? Personally, I have to tell you: I simply can’t imagine that any man apart from or below Hitler would have started these things on his own initiative.” After being captured by Soviet forces in Latvia during the war’s final stages, Streckenbach spent a decade in a Soviet prison camp. He returned to Hamburg in 1955 and avoided further legal consequences, even as former subordinates were prosecuted for war crimes. Streckenbach suggested that many defendants had coordinated their testimony to shift blame and portray themselves as mere functionaries. “This really speaks to a very longstanding discussion in scholarship,” Weber said. “But here we have a first-person account of these lies, that these lies were happening.” The release of the tapes coincides with new polling that suggests growing German fatigue over continued confrontation with the crimes of the Third Reich. For the first time, more respondents said they wanted to “draw a line” under the past than those who supported ongoing remembrance. Nearly half expressed resentment that the atrocities committed against Jews are “still held against the Germans,” while only 28 percent disagreed. As the Streckenbach tapes emerge into public view, they challenge not only historical assumptions but also a society still grappling with how to reconcile memory, justice, and responsibility. Related Topic: Eighty Years On: Honoring VE Day and Confronting the Rising Tide of Holocaust Denial Adpated by ASEAN Now from The Times 2025-05-05 -
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Labours Blame Game Commences with Reform Results Fallout
The local election results have sent shockwaves through the British political establishment, signalling a potential end to the traditional two-party dominance. Both Labour and the Conservatives have been left reeling, with the Reform Party making significant inroads into their respective voter bases. In Doncaster, Mayor Ros Jones should have been celebrating her fourth consecutive term in office. Instead, she used her narrow 698-vote victory over Reform as a platform to criticise Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Her frustration was clear as she denounced three controversial Labour policies: cuts to the winter fuel allowance, proposed welfare reforms, and the hike in the employers’ rate of national insurance. “I think national government needs to look and see what people are saying,” she said. “I think the results here tonight demonstrate that they need to be listening to the man, woman and businesses on the street and actually deliver for the people, with the people.” In stark contrast, Nigel Farage was jubilant in Runcorn & Helsby after Reform secured its first by-election win, narrowly beating Labour by just six votes. “Think about the swing, think about the change,” he proclaimed. “This is heartland Labour party, their vote has collapsed and much of it has come to us. That does away with the media narrative that somehow it’s us versus the Conservatives. We are smashing into the Labour vote in many parts of the north. It’s a phenomenal night.” The results underscore a dramatic shift in British politics. In Durham, once a Labour stronghold, Reform seized control of the county council. Reform also claimed the Hull mayoralty and made historic gains across the country, including in Staffordshire, where they rose from no representation to a clear majority. The Conservative Party’s performance was even more dismal. Having lost the Great Lincolnshire mayoralty to Reform and a host of local authorities, the Tories are watching their influence diminish rapidly. Former cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested that the Tories and Reform are ideologically aligned, saying, “In terms of policy, there’s very little difference between the Conservative Party and Reform. It’s basically a matter of personality. I think we need to work together.” Labour, meanwhile, is scrambling to maintain control of the narrative. Starmer has pledged to “go further and faster” with his change agenda. Measures in the pipeline include a new migration white paper aimed at restricting foreign students’ ability to stay in the UK without graduate employment, and tougher rules on companies hiring foreign workers. Plans are also advancing for return hubs to deport failed asylum seekers to countries in the western Balkans, with Starmer expected to discuss further agreements during an EU summit in Tirana, Albania. Additionally, a strategic defence review is set to be published in the coming weeks. “I get it,” Starmer wrote in The Times. “The lesson of these elections isn’t that the country needs more politicians’ promises or ideological zealotry. It isn’t that there is some easy solution, as promised by our opponents. It’s that now is the time to crank up the pace on giving people the country they are crying out for.” But dissent within Labour is growing. Dan Carden, chair of the Blue Labour group, said the party has a “long way to go to restore trust” following unpopular benefit cuts. MP Rachael Maskell added, “People are desperate to find hope in politics and if Labour fails to provide and protect then people will look in other places.” Another minister bluntly concluded, “The hope that was promised has evaporated.” The upcoming parliamentary vote on welfare reform, expected in June, is shaping up to be a decisive moment. As Labour chair Ellie Reeves urged the party to accelerate reforms, one MP quipped, “What — over the cliff?” With Reform on the rise, Labour is preparing to intensify its scrutiny of Nigel Farage’s party, now seen as the main opposition force. Whether that approach can reverse the erosion of public support remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Britain’s political landscape has shifted — perhaps permanently. Related Topics: Farage’s Political Earthquake Begins to Rattle Britain’s Foundations Adpated by ASEAN Now from The Times 2025-05-05
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