- World News
Secrets of Silicon Valley’s underground Mercedes
California cops are investigating why a person or person unknown buried a Mercedes stuffed full of unused bags of cement in the yard of a US$ 15 million (570 million baht) home in the 1990s. The car was discovered Thursday morning by gardeners in the affluent town of Atherton about 30 miles south of San Francisco, with unused bags of…
- World News
Malaysians plan ‘Cannaverse’ on Sukhumvit Road
Malaysian investors want to build a cannabis entertainment centre in Bangkok to open next year. “Cannaverse” will be a private, members-only club with a hotel, swimming pool, weed dispensary, spa, restaurant, and karaoke room on Soi Sukhumvit 33, according to Coconuts. Cannaverse director Aric Ng said that food and beverages will be sold, including both cannabis-infused and weed-free beer. Ng said……
- Entertainment
Legendary Carabao rocker begs forgiveness over Elephant Duel “misunderstanding”
Rock star Yuenyong Opakul must report to the police to answer a charge of insulting Natthapat Suwanprateep, governor of Suphan Buri province, during an offensive rant last week. Pol Maj Gen Uthai Kawindechathorn, deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 7, yesterday said the frontman of celebrated rock group Carabao must visit Song Phi Nong police station in the southernmost district…
- Politics News
Race to be UK’s next vegetable – ineligible lettuce paves way for Boris return
The surprises just keep on coming in British politics. Yesterday, the people of the United Kingdom were shocked when Liz Truss crossed the Rubicon, though not the one you might think. Around 1.35pm UK time, yesterday, the world’s worst-ever prime minister tottered up to the microphone outside No.10 Downing Street and offered her resignation. The announcement came just a few…
- Environment News
Dying of laughter – animals on the brink say ‘cheesy’
The Comedy Wildlife Photo awards have rolled around yet again, annual prizes for bad photography where technical flaws like unwanted foreshortening are revered and the welfare of subjects irrelevant. Presumably, a picture of an adolescent lion falling from a tree in the Serengeti is as funny as an adolescent human falling from a Bangkok balcony. The planet is dying and…
- World News
It’s in the jeans – Iconic pants mined from rich seam of racism
When a pair of filthy old Levi’s blue jeans dating back to the 1880s was found in an abandoned mine in the former Wild West by self-described “denim archaeologist” Michael Harris, he knew immediately they were something special. The vintage pants were sold at Durango Vintage Festivus, a four-day celebration of denim on the outskirts of Aztec, N.M. for $87,400…
- Hot News
Thai teen, 19, gets engaged to 56 year old woman
Wuthichai Chantaraj, now aged 19, met his fiancée 56 year old Janla Namuangrak, when he was only 10. According to The Mirror, Wuthichai was Janla’s neighbour in Sakhon Nakhon province of northeast Thailand. Janla had asked for Wuthichai’s help with cleaning her home and both got to know each other. The couple later got into a relationship, and have now…
- Covid-19 News
India issues licenses for nasal Covid-19 vaccine
With Covid-19 under control to some extent, preventing transmission is the aim of next-generation vaccines. Many believe those vaccines will be delivered through a nasal inhaler. The mode of delivery could stop transmission by creating immunity where the virus enters the body. India already has a nasal vaccine, though its effectiveness is unknown, and it was designed in the US.…
- World News
California ophthalmologist removes 23 contact lens from patient’s eye
A doctor in the United States has removed 23 contact lenses from the eye of a patient who “forgot to take them out” for almost a month. The woman kept putting new lenses in every morning without removing the set from the day before. Dr Katerina Kurteeva posted pictures of her teasing the lenses from underneath a woman’s eyelid. According…
- World News
My bitch’s slave – Are you in your pet’s power?
Japanese researchers have found that female dogs can recognise different types of humans and naturally seek out the more competent when they’re in trouble. According to scientists at Kyoto University, dogs make their views known through facial expressions and body language. Dog owners are said to let themselves go in front of their pets, according to the UK’s Mirror newspaper.…
- Thailand News
Brand Shinawatra – choice of a new generation?
In today’s Bangkok Post, former senator and member of the National Reform Council Prasarn Marukpitak looks forward to the forthcoming election with still more than six months to go. According to Prasarn, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, youngest daughter of Thaksin, is increasingly popular, far more so than ageing veterans such as Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Pheu Thai is now loudly protesting that…
- Food
If you can’t stand the heat, don’t ask for a refund
A Thai restaurant in England has been praised for a no-refund policy for customers who try to send back spicy dishes, but not everyone is convinced. Thai food is pretty hot. That is a fact. Chilis are a big deal. If you don’t like it, why not go to another restaurant (or country)? All too often customers like to boast…
- World News
Engaged – Japanese driver reverses into ancient privvy
The front page of Tuesday’s UK Guardian features the sad story of Japan’s oldest toilet. A member of the Kyoto Heritage Preservation Association mistakenly reversed his car into the building’s 500-year-old bog door. The man damaged the communal toilet inside the Tofukuji temple in Kyoto when he crashed through the doors in reverse, ending up several metres inside the inconvenient…
- Politics News
Not so smug now – expat life in the grip of Truss
If you are British, and an expat, one of the few things you used to feel smug about was the government “back home.” The nutters may occasionally take over the asylum, but it’s a good strong asylum, fit for purpose. Mother of parliaments. The United Kingdom doesn’t usually have generals taking charge, water cannons in the streets, movie-star presidents or…
- World News
Red flag – the profitable end of Hanoi’s car-crash F1 GP
With the possible exception of a Qatar World Cup, few sporting sagas could be more absurd and inappropriate than the story of the never-to-be Hanoi Grand Prix, as told by Australia’s Fox Sport. Vietnam has no tradition whatsoever in the sport of Formula 1, nor any motorsport for that matter. The moment plans for a Hanoi Grand Prix were announced,…
- World News
Border officials, tour operators carve up latest visa run bounty
Thai and Cambodian border police at Aranyaprathet and Pong Nam Ron detailed rules for those who wish to extend their stay in Thailand by 45 days. The new stamp can be extended for a further month at immigration offices for 1,900 baht (US$50). The scheme is popular with Brits, European Union citizens, Americans and Australians. Borey San, Cambodian clearance officer,…
- World News
Sweet smell of success – customs officers celebrate durian/heroin bust
Customs officials at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport snatched over 7 kilograms of heroin they say was bound for Taiwan. Thai customs have been working closely with international logistics agencies to lessen the flow of drugs through the country, greatly increasing with the massive increment in cross-border e-commerce and the billions of parcels now in transit from warehouses worldwide. The big bust…
- Entertainment
Tears in Hogwarts – Hagrid is dead
Robbie Coltrane, probably best known for his role as Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, has died aged 72. Born Anthony Robert McMillan in Glasgow, Coltrane went to Glasgow School of Art until he had second thoughts about talent, and switched to acting in and doing standup, taking his name from jazz musician John Coltrane. Coltrane started out with small…
- Environment News
Don’t just sit there – Bangkok gets tough on sofa dumpers
Bangkok is getting tough on people who dump bulky waste like old mattresses and other furniture into waterways. Large objects trapped in drains have been one of the main causes of floods in the city. Now, chucking your old sofa into the nearest storm drain will cost you a 10,000 baht fine. There are also rewards for citizen spies who…
- Northern Thailand News
Storm Sonca to hit today, if not already here
The Meteorological Department (TMD) issued a warning to people in the northeast, east and central regions of the country to brace themselves for heavy rain as Tropical Storm Sonca hits Thailand today. The storm will bring heavy rain and strong winds to several provinces in the Northeast including Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, and Ubon Ratchathani. The weather guys also warned…
- Visa Information
Are you a digital nomad, or on the run?
I guess it is an age thing. As someone who left the parental home as soon as he could and headed for “as far away as possible,” I have serious misgivings about digital nomads. Do they even know what a nomad is? Well, let me tell you… A nomad has no “home” to “go back” to, or even to come…
- Entertainment
Prepare to be spirited away by Ghilbi theme park
With only a few weeks left before the first Ghibli theme park opens on November 1, the world’s press has been allowed to take a look around. True to the Miyazaki vibe, the park in Nagakute has little of the razzamatazz or carnival atmosphere of Disney World. This is a much more quiet, low-key affair. Darker than Disney. There are…
- Tourism News
‘Until the pots are dry’ – where 10 baht dishes rule the menu
In Chiang Mai, a tiny eatery specialising in 10 baht dishes is attracting shuffling lines of rumbling stomachs in the Chang Pueak area. “And it’s delicious,” said a regular who seemed very happy to stand in a long queue of hungry patrons. Open for just a fortnight, Khao Gang Khun Yai on Photharam-Jet Yod Road, is cooking up quite a…
- World News
Hindu husbands’ day celebrated around the world
Every year married Hindu women observe Karwa Chauth. It is one of the most important festivals for these women, a celebration of marriage, for the welfare of their husbands. The festival falls on the fourth day of Kartik month, the Hindu calendar’s equivalent of Libra in Western astrology. The women observe a day-long fast for the long life and good…
- World News
Woe upon woe – Suu Kyi gets more jail time
A court in Myanmar has convicted ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi on two more corruption charges. Her two three-year sentences will be served concurrently, though added to previous sentences that now leave her facing a 26-year prison term. In February 2021, the military took over from Suu Kyi’s government. Her NLD party had won a landslide victory in elections,…
- Tourism News
Pockets jangling – 1,500-baht weekend in Bangkok
Is Bangkok ready for the descent of an aircraft filled with penny-pinching Japanese tourists intent on eating out of the 7-Eleven and sleeping under bridges? Perhaps. Japanese travel site Soranews today sets out how tourists can spend a weekend in Bangkok for a “mere” 50,000 yen (US$340, 12,900 baht), which, from the parsimonious point of view and salary grade of…
- Bangkok News
King Rama IX statue to be unveiled in Chalerm Phrakiat Park
Their Majesties the King and Queen are to oversee the unveiling of a statue of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great at the new Chalerm Phrakiat Park in Bangkok’s Dusit district. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha invited attendees at the ceremony to an audience with Their Majesties during the ceremony. Free shuttle buses will take participants for Covid-19 screenings and…
- Tourism News
Big fat fraud – bear-faced cheating in Alaskan wildlife poll
Katmai National Park and Preserve have announced that Bear 747 is the winner of its annual Fat Bear Week contest. It is the bear’s second win. Tipping the scales at an estimated 635 kilograms, Bear 747 won 68,105 votes, beating first-time contender Bear 901 with 56,876 votes. Fat Bear Week is an annual tournament celebrating the park’s bears’ success in…
- World News
No peace for Maddie as ‘prime suspect’ charged with historical sex offences
The latest of so many prime suspects in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been charged in Germany with unrelated sex offences. Convicted sex offender 45 year old Christian Brueckner is accused of five offences in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. The investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance is ongoing. Brueckner was identified as a suspect in the case in June 2020…
- Business News
BOT to mount rescue of crumbling baht
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) is attempting to steer the baht and the economy through some tricky times. As the government is apparently out of ideas to jump-start the economy due to high debt, the responsibility has fallen to the central bank. The central bank’s recent move to raise the key policy rate by 0.25 percentage points to 1% has, however,…
