World
Covid-19 projected to reduce Americans’ life expectancy – USC/Princeton study

With Covid-19 linked to more than 336,000 deaths in the United States, American’s life expectancy will decline, especially among black and latino people, according to researchers from the University of Southern California and Princeton University.
The study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that life expectancy at birth for Americans will shorten by 1.13 years to 77.48 years, while blacks and latinos life expectancy is expected to shorten by more.
For blacks, their life expectancy would shorten by 2.10 years to 72.78 years, and for Latinos, by 3.05 years to 78.77 years. This is said to be the lowest life expectancy estimated since 2003. The disproportionate impact on the 3 groups of populations is believed to relate to social and economic advantages.
The study author Theresa Andrasfay, a postdoctoral fellow at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, says that why the study analyses the number of deaths and how it affects the life expectancy at birth, it also shows the consequences for marginalized groups.
“The Covid-19 pandemic’s disproportionate effect on the life expectancy of Black and Latino Americans likely has to do with their greater exposure through their workplace or extended family contacts, in addition to receiving poorer health care, leading to more infections and worse outcomes.”
The researchers say life expectancy is an important indicator of a population’s health and a tool for examining the impact of COVID-19 on survival.
SOURCE: USA Today | University of South California
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Politics
Japan may stop assistance projects to Myanmar in response to coup

Japan may stop assistance projects to Myanmar in response to the military coup, which has received major international backlash. As a major donor to Myanmar, Japan joins other advanced nations in condemning the coup which has seen security forces using violence against peaceful protesters.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi was quoted as saying in a phone call that “Japan will strongly urge the Myanmar military to release Suu Kyi and other detained individuals, and to swiftly restore democratic government.”
But it may not impose sanctions like the rest of the other developed countries as its longtime ties with the armed forces, ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy and investment promoting policy in the country may serve as a barrier in doing so. Britan and the United States have imposed sanctions in recent days which include the US freezing military funds.
A Japanese Foreign Ministry official says stopping its support of building projects would give China a chance to move in, increasing its clout in Myanmar. Around 450 Japanese companies operate in Myanmar with Japan being the 5th largest investor in the Southeast nation. Singapore has the most companies, followed by China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
The Foreign Ministry says Japan spent about US $1.8 billion in official development assistance in the fiscal year of 2019, making it the largest among the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. But it is unknown what China has poured into it as it has refused to disclose its expenditures.
The Japanese government plans to continue coronavirus emergency assistance to Myanmar through international organisations and non-governmental organisations. The World Bank, however, has stopped payments to projects in the nation indefinitely, after the coup on February 1, which disrupted the democratic elections last November and saw the arrest of top leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party, the National League for Democracy, won the elections in a landslide victory.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Law
Australia sets worldwide precedent by passing pay‐to‐play legislation for social media giants

In a landmark decision, Australia is now requiring global digital giants, such as Facebook and Google, to pay for using local news content on their websites. The move sets a precedent that many global companies have been anticipating.
The law passed yesterday after Facebook and Google reached an agreement to pay local Australian news organisations for using their stories on their websites. 1 week ago, Australians woke up to a blackout after Facebook temporarily banned local news, which included emergency notifications. The blackout was in response to the legislation being put forth for approval, with Facebook spokespeople saying it seemed to be their only choice at the time.
Companies like Google and Facebook pushed back against the legislation, saying such a law could threaten their companies’ business models, with Google saying it could make their search engine website “unworkable.”
But local news organisations have rebuked the reasoning, citing that social media giants claim a large percentage of online advertisin, leaving local news companies out of the revenue game. Citing that news is gathered by reporting and fieldwork, the companies say it is unfair for social media companies to profit largely off of the work of local, smaller companies.
The law, called the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code, aims to protect such local companies and to sustain public interest journalism. Thousands of journalists have lost their jobs over the past decade as local media outlets have seen the bulk of their advertising revenues flow to digital companies’ sites after using their content.
Australia’s competition watchdog says that for every $100 invested by Australian advertisers, $49 is sent to Google and $24 to Facebook. Now, both online businesses say they will each invest around US $1 billion in local news content globally in the next 3 years. Facebook and Google now have 2 more months to reach solid agreements before being subjected to binding arbritations.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
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World
Lady Gaga offers US $500,000 reward for stolen bulldogs

Who knew that finding 2 french bulldogs would earn US $500,000? That is the case for the lucky person that finds Lady Gaga’s equally lucky stolen dogs. The dogs, Koji and Gustav, were stolen in Los Angeles, California while out on a walk with their dog walker.
But that’s not all. The employee in charge of keeping the dogs healthy was shot and wounded by a gunman who left the scene in a car, but not before allegedly shooting another man in this 30s. That man was hospitalised according to LA police.
Asia, Gaga’s 3rd dog was luckily found by police at the scene and was taken home by the singer’s staff. It isn’t clear if the frenchies were targeted due to their owner’s famous status or if they were taken simply because they were an expensive pedigree breed that can be sold for thousands of dollars.
Gaga, however, has offered the hefty reward for their return with “no questions asked.”
SOURCE: CNN
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Brian
Friday, January 15, 2021 at 7:57 pm
Unfalsifiable fear propaganda.
Slugger
Friday, January 15, 2021 at 8:13 pm
Oh well. Every cloud………
Ben
Friday, January 15, 2021 at 11:16 pm
They’re old, useless and don’t have much life left to live anyway. Right Brian, Buttaxe, Phil, etc?
Brian
Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 10:27 am
I get the impression you find it much easier to debate with people when you make up their side of the conversation and put your words in their mouths as if they said them.
Mister Stretch
Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 10:57 am
Actually, Brian, I would be happy to debate you.
Your contentions that it’s okay to let the virus run rampant because the people it kills are “old and useless” is so much posturing BS.
You seem to only look at the death, not at the economic costs of caring for those that have fallen ill…regardless of age. In many parts of the world, health care systems are straining to the breaking point, if not already broken, in attempting to care for those that have the virus and conditions significant enough to warrent hospitalization.
Earlier, in response to one of you idiots who only count dead bodies, I mentioned that it would be different if it was your mother, or your long-ill father, your asthmatic sister, or your child who developed Type 1 diabetes when young. It would be different if it were your wife, your boss whose job puts a roof over your head and food in your mouth, allowing you to care for your family.
It’s easy to sit behind your keyboard and piss on the world as being “scared” when you think the numbers – when compared to anything else – are insignificant. But they aren’t, for the reasons I stated and of which, obviously, are oblivious.
Spare us your holier-than-thou viewpoint that the deaths of those that are afflicted with this disease aren’t worthy of your consideration.
Spare us your narrow-minded, self-centered, self-serving bile of an opinion.
It’s not fear-mongering. It’s fear. A righteous fear of a virus that has claimed nearly 2 million lives in a year, perhaps many more.
Spare us.
Issan John
Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 11:16 am
Mr S, I couldn’t have said it any better.
Brian
Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 12:47 pm
You and he are both delusional. Like I clearly said, you seem to enjoy putting words in other people’s mouths. You both seem to be expert mind-readers. There’s really no need for me to say anything, since you’ll ignore it and make up your own dialogue.
Ben
Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 4:43 am
Nice attempt to try to turn it around and make it about me.
Answer the question: Do you agree that they’re old, useless and don’t have much life left to live anyway? Do you agree or disagree?
Do you agree they’re expendable? And their deaths are insignificant in order for you, as a productive individual, to be able to get on with your life and be less convenienced? That putting on a mask is to much trouble for you to save them?
I didn’t make up these lines of thought to put them in your mouth. I read them here from those that think similar to you. These thoughts aren’t natural to me and would never have occurred to me.
Jake Pattaya
Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 1:49 pm
Ben you will also die so why do you want to have few more years anyway? My economy doesn’t need you. Are you just an idiot Ben or you are a devil?
It’s like during Adolf Hitler time in Germany when nazis were killing their own people because they were not perfect. I knew people who would be able to live next 20 years with diabetes, but they dead now, so please spare us your BS
Issan John
Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 11:19 am
That would put them on a par with Thailand, and “blacks” in the US way behind Thais.
That’s more than a little genuinely sad.
dispensed
Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 1:39 pm
That explains why Thais and other people around the world are just clamouring to get into the USA and not the other way around.
So tired of USA bashing, not because the USA doesn’t deserve to be bashed for certain aspects of its society, but because people like you have turned it into a completely mindless exercise in group think.
dispensed
Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 1:37 pm
This is a case of what’s known as displaced mortality and will be offset by falling mortality in the years to come.
But it WILL shorten lives, the lives of the young and poor people due to the dumb response which makes everyone poorer, dumber, and less healthy. They won’t even live long enough to have to worry about covid.
Thank you very much, fake journos, for shortening billions of lives with your mass hysteria.
Doctors should go back into their hospitals and stay there.
Issan John
Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 8:20 pm
So the “doctors” are to blame and have it wrong too?
I see ……….
dispensed
Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 2:26 pm
Yes, they are to blame for pushing an irrational response which makes everyone poorer, dumber, and less healthy. Duh.
They should stay in their hospitals.
Ben
Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 4:34 am
To people like Brian, Buttaxe and Phil, I don’t expect to convince you to understand and accept my position and visa versa. We’re never going to agree.
There’s a certain group of people that care about:
1. Money and business first versus people second
2. Individual liberties first versus the public good second
3. Making America Great Again (code for Anglos dominating and in-charge again) first versus those that are most qualified regardless of race second
And there are people on the other side.
I’m American and love my country. If I say something negative, it’s because I don’t agree with how it’s been run lately. Instead of making it great again I think it’s a mess. The Capitol riot is the result of some people coming out on the losing side of a democratic election and not liking it so they tried to hijack it. I don’t always like election results but it doesn’t mean I’m going to attack our democratic institutions. That’s treason. Now that many of these people are being arrested – they’re now very sorry and remorseful? WTF? If they were true patriots and revolutionaries, like Buttaxe they’d take it like a man. Accept they were treasonous to our democratic society and take your punishment without complaint. Instead they’re just a bunch of pussies now that they’ve been caught.
Some here criticize Thailand’s COVID approach and some support it. The one thing we can all agree on is we want to go to Thailand without quarantine and other frictions. It’s ok for us to disagree. Thailand is going to do what they are going to do regardless of what we think. I guess I’m a bit sensitive when I see minimization of death and suffering, accusations of fear mongering, utilization of statistics that are fake and lack of empathy for people that are more vulnerable. It reminds me of tactics used in my country and how it has handled this disease the past year with disastrous consequences. It saddens me we couldn’t come together to do what was best for our nation and for ourselves.
Keep commenting because I’m curious about what you think even though I might not agree with it. We’re all anonymous here so it’s safe.