This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. FRIDAY, MAY 02, 2025 PlayLoading... The deceased's family has raised concerns that a possible blood transfusion error at the first hospital he was admitted to may have worsened his condition, leading to his deathThe Samut Sakhon Provincial Public Health Office is investigating whether a hospital administered the wrong blood type to a critically injured man who was crushed by falling concrete on Rama II Road, amid concerns from his family that this may have contributed to his death. Amnat Thongkham, 46, sustained severe injuries after a slab of concrete fell on his car on Tuesday morning and later died in hospital. His family has raised concerns that a possible blood transfusion error at the first hospital he was admitted to may have worsened his condition, contributing to his death in addition to the serious injuries he suffered, including a torn liver and internal bleeding. Dr Prakij Sarathep, chief of the Samut Sakhon Provincial Public Health Office, revealed on Thursday that he and his team have visited the hospital in question to begin a fact-finding investigation. The inquiry will follow the standards set by the Hospital Act and will include a review of services, treatment procedures, and all related aspects. Prakij requested time to collect and verify all relevant information before providing a definitive conclusion. Meanwhile, Samut Sakhon Governor Naris Niramaiwong, along with officials from the Highways Department, inspected the site where the incident occurred on Thursday. The damaged section of the bridge, where the concrete fell, was identified as part of the curve leading down from the overpass on the Krathum Baen–Mahachai route. Officials stated that the concrete damage was likely caused by several factors, including the bridge’s age—nearly 40 years old—heavy traffic volume, the loads carried by vehicles, and continuous vibrations. Repair teams have since carried out temporary fixes at the site to ensure basic safety. The Department of Highways’ Bridge Construction and Rehabilitation Center, using high-precision instruments and expert engineers, will now conduct a thorough structural inspection of the overpass, as ordered by the Minister of Transport. The ministry has mandated a nationwide review of bridge maintenance systems and instructed that all 17,500 bridges under its jurisdiction undergo strict safety checks and ongoing maintenance. For Rama II Road (Highway No. 35), which contains 209 bridges, inspections have been ordered for all structures. Any bridge found to be unsafe or not up to standard must be repaired immediately to prevent future incidents, Naris said. Thai Schools Gear Up for Term Start with Safety Checks and Tablet Rollout Tawee visits Narathiwat, pledges to tighten security for Buddhist communities Trump orders 100% tariff on foreign-made movies to save 'dying' Hollywood Ratchada Night Market Shuts Doors Suddenly, Leaving Businesses in the Lurch Chadchart confident search for 14 missing workers will be completed in four days This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page 2025) –Casino Rama Resort is offering hundreds of show tickets on May 18th to Hydro One and local EMS workers and first responders who have spent countless hours getting the power back cleaning up debris and tending to those that were hit the hardest during the ice storm this spring A first of its kind musical featuring Canadian hits is brought to you by Canada’s veteran musical producer who produced Disney’s “Beauty & the Beast” light-hearted Canadian tale featuring country’s most iconic and memorable musical hits from artists like Shania Twain Tickets are on sale to the public now at www.ticketmaster.ca MY CLUB REWARDS members can visit MyClubrewards.ca or call 1-800-832-7529 to book tickets than pitching in to help when your neighbours need help That’s why we are inviting them in to enjoy “Canadiana – The Musical” as a token of appreciation It is our pleasure to invite them to enjoy and we welcome all to come “The City of Orillia experienced a once-in-a-generation ice storm that challenged the resilience of our community like never before We are profoundly grateful to our local volunteers and the many partners who stepped forward to assist in our time of need From restoring power and clearing debris to providing vital support to those most impacted your dedication and collaboration have been nothing short of remarkable Your efforts reflect the true spirit of service and community that defines Orillia.” “The damage caused by the recent ice storm tested the resilience of our communities and showed that when we come together Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response “I want to express my sincere gratitude to Casino Rama for their generosity to our emergency responders who were on the ground helping impacted communities.” “The recent ice storm brought significant challenges to our region The coordinated response from first responders and countless volunteers was truly commendable I would like to say miigwech to Casino Rama Resort for recognizing their efforts and offering this well-deserved gesture of thanks.” Ticketmaster is the only authorized seller of Casino Rama Resort concert tickets  Ticket prices are inclusive of taxes and exclude any 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sparked off on social media this decision was made without any real evidence that the conflict between young people had originated on the Chinese social media network and was immediately described as dictatorial by its opponents You have 81.21% of this article left to read Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur En cliquant sur « Continuer à lire ici » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter Le Monde avec ce compte Que se passera-t-il si vous continuez à lire ici Ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte Vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez mais en les utilisant à des moments différents Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe Votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article merci de contacter notre service commercial The European Union’s relations with Albania are often viewed as overwhelmingly positive This is especially true when compared to the bloc’s rather troubled links with other states in the Western Balkans overlooking the autocratic practices present in Tirana could cause problems in the future Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama speaking with Albanians in Greece Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has overseen the shrinking and deterioration of Albania’s civic space and its slow transition into an electoral autocracy Unlike other leaders in the Western Balkans such as Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić and Republika Srpska’s Milorad Dodik who are usually treated as the region’s textbook autocrats Rama’s openly unambiguous pro-European attitude and eccentric charisma have diverted attention at the international level away from his illiberal wrongdoings at home While Albania officially launched EU accession negotiations a few weeks ago cosmetically reaffirming the country’s unconditional European path its leader engages in similar patterns of democratic coercion and institutional capture to Vučić and Dodik the EU’s vested interests in preserving this alliance with Tirana allows these actions to go unnoticed at best This is not only a trend that is clear among the EU’s institutions and the member states but also among many observers Albania is gradually falling down the authoritarian spiral as key democratic indicators continue to describe it as a “partly free” country Courts are subject to political pressure and influence; media independence is limited; corruption is pervasive; citizen distrust in democratic institutions is high; and the opposition – both at the state and local levels – is weak and disorganized This is true to the extent that some consider Albania a de facto one-party state The perception for years was that Albania was bearing the brunt of Bulgaria’s veto over North Macedonia with whom the European Commission (EC) had coupled Tirana Albania and North Macedonia would walk the EU road together regardless of Sofia’s whims – a decision that could make sense narratively this outlook was reversed eventually considering the stubbornness of the Bulgarian impasse Albania was released from this burden in September 2024 as its bid was decoupled from that of Skopje. In October it was even able to launch official accession negotiations with the opening of the chapter cluster on fundamentals Everything seemed to convey that Tirana was delivering its pledges and that the Macedonian ball was an affordable one to drop for Albania’s sake Tirana’s perceived progress could be used to create the illusion that EU enlargement was back on track EU institutions and member states alike share a history of pragmatism over values when it comes to prioritizing bilateral or multilateral relations with non-EU states Azerbaijan and Tunisia are examples of governments with which the EU has entered into diverse agreements involving energy or migration – never mind the countries’ track records on human rights and democratic standards Brussels struggles to come to terms with a similarly autocratic leadership like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán who is failing to abide by EU values and can thus be politically ostracized when not punished No oil supplies or anti-refugee mechanism can buy the EC and member states’ acceptance of an illiberal EU government unless this government openly supports the sovereignty and legitimacy of the EU Edi Rama has for a long time followed Meloni’s model this has been true even before Meloni herself reached power the Albanian prime minister offers a double advantage He offers the simplicity of a Western Balkan “stabilocrat” as he governs a country that essentially lacks an opposition while he is also a fervent supporter of the EU as a political project and of Albania’s unconditional future therein This is in stark contrast to Aleksandar Vučić who does deliver on stability matters but is ambiguous at best about Serbia’s EU intentions and does not align with EU foreign policy to be the best Western Balkan student in the EU’s enlargement classroom Rama has successfully captured the EU’s imagination as a charismatic and able leader Republika Srpska’s Milorad Dodik and the former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski Through his pro-western attitudes; unwavering support for Albania’s NATO and EU integration processes; ability to fend off regional bilateral disputes; and his “stabilitocratic” security the EU feels comfortable about relying on him as a close ally whose democratic deficits it can afford to ignore The chance of a political alternative emerging in Albania as of now is rather poor This could see things turn out worse for the EU’s desperate quest for regional stability he does not draw from Hungary’s dangerous illiberal influence he pragmatically serves the interests of other less worrisome and more acceptable illiberal leaders the EU’s determination for nurturing Albania’s stabilitocratic and semi-authoritarian system could have severe consequences Allowing Rama and his clique to go about their business uncontrolled; setting no clear boundaries to democratic backsliding and to the erosion of the rule of law; and turning a blind eye to clear human rights violations at home – all for the sake of geopolitics – could see his leadership evolve into a dangerous problem for the Union under the right conditions The Albanian premier is certainly not the kind of avid nationalist that overly plays with fearmongering among the population unlike the narrative practices that are definitely more frequent in Vučić But his good relationship with the Serbian president reveals that their common denominator is not their ideology – if they have any at all – but their underlying desire to preserve power at all costs This is not only a warning to the EC or the member states but also fail to include Rama on the list of regional autocrats they seem to whitewash the policies of a showman that is undermining daily the core values of the EU Alejandro Esteso Pérez is a political scientist and researcher specializing in EU enlargement and Western Balkan politics He is a 2023 Fellow at the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and an external lecturer on contemporary Western Balkan politics at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) He is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Graz in Austria and is a Visiting Fellow at the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in Prague Please support New Eastern Europe's crowdfunding campaign The consequences of Russia’s invasion are visible not only in Ukraine The Kremlin has set off or exploited a series of crises that face most European countries New thinking is needed in policies towards Russia in whatever form it will take after the war Ukraine’s suffering goes well beyond the front line With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine we now see our western values under siege whether we consciously recognise it or not The invasion by Russian forces of Ukraine from the north south and east – with the initial aim to take the capital Kyiv – has changed our region The situation with Russian threats towards Ukraine once again illustrates the high level of instability in our region Only a year ago we witnessed the second Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan It took at least 5,000 lives and significantly shifted the geopolitics in the South Caucuses This special issue aims to honour the plight of Belarusians whose democratic choice made in August 2020 was shamelessly snubbed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka a lot of work still remains for this country And this is why Ukraine’s story is incomplete 30 years after the fall of the Soviet Union Our societies are more polarised than ever before which makes them more susceptible to disinformation The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed limitations and weaknesses in nearly all countries around the world volatility and the relationship between Russia and the West The Black Sea region is quickly becoming a geopolitical battleground which is gaining the interest of major powers regional players and smaller countries – and the stakes are only getting higher This issue is dedicated to the 10 year anniversary of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership as well as the 30 years since the 1989 revolutions in Central Europe The consequences of the emerging multipolar world This issue takes a special look at the role and responsibility of the public intellectual in Central and Eastern Europe today In the eastern parts of the European continent 1918 is remembered not only as the end of the First World War but also saw the emergence of newly-independent states and the rise of geopolitical struggles which are felt until this day that Belarus remains isolated from the West and very static in its transformation The Summer 2018 issue of New Eastern Europe tackles the complexity of para-states in the post-Soviet space Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.