- World News
Death toll up to 98 in Philippines, more storms predicted
The death toll in the Philippines has risen to almost 100 after Tropical Storm Nalgae hit the island nation over the weekend. Reports say 98 people have died as a result of the storm sweeping across the Southeast Asian country. The Philippines disaster agency reported that about half the deaths were recorded in the southern autonomous region of Bangsamoro because…
- World News
VIDEO: 130 dead in pedestrian bridge tragedy in India
The death toll is rising after a century-old pedestrian bridge collapsed in India yesterday with over 130 people reported dead. Officials reported it collapsed because of overcrowding. The pedestrian bridge in Morbi in the western Indian state of Gujarat collapsed at about 6.40pm with hundreds of people gathered on it as they celebrated the Diwali festival. The 230 metre bridge…
- Crime News
Anti-graft agency to seize Joe Ferrari estate
Former chief of police Thitisan “Joe Ferrari” Utthanaphon will have his assets seized after he was charged by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for having riches beyond his pay grade. The NACC found Ferrari guilty of “being unusually rich” and proposed his estate worth 1 billion baht would be confiscated, reported Bangkok Post. The NACC will forward its finding to…
- Thailand News
Thais in top 5 most anxious, stressed nations in the world, says Gallup book
A new book published by Gallup reveals confidence is falling and stress and anxiety are rising among the people of Thailand. The book, Blind Spot, highlighted the percentage of Thai people who said they were worried for much of the previous day doubled between 2012 (18%) and 2019 (36%). It then surged again after the COVID-19 pandemic, to 50% in 2020…
- World News
Thailand eager to take tourist overspill from Laos-China railway
Thailand believes it will take advantage of the spillover from the Laos-China high-speed railway once the mainland fully opens its borders next year. The Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) reckons about 3 million Chinese travelers will take advantage of the almost 423 kilometres electrified railway that runs between the Lao capital of Vientiane and Boten town in northern Laos…
- World News
You dance with the devil if you watch porn says Pope Francis
Head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis declared that watching porn would be like dancing with the “devil.” The 85 year old sovereign of the Vatican City State warned Catholic Church members of the dangers of watching online pornography at a meeting with seminarians in Rome on Monday, reported Aljazeera. He said watching porn would allow the “devil” to enter your…
- Politics News
Thaksin libel case to touch on Krue Se, Tak Bai massacres
President of the National Assembly of Thailand Chuan Leekpai has acknowledged a libel charge he made about former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Chuan, who also serves as Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives, gave a lecture to members of the Democrat Party on October 28, 2012, blaming Thaksin for making “mistakes” regarding the Krue Se, and Tak Bai…
- Entertainment
Jack White strikes a chord in Bangkok for the first time
Former White Stripes frontman Jack White plans to strike a chord in the capital early next month with rock and roll enthusiasts. The US indie rock star is in Bangkok for the first time on the Pacific Rim Leg of The Supply Chain Issues Tour. White also visits Manila, Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. The 47…
- Environment News
Greenpeace study reveals most plastic cannot be recycled
A new study by Greenpeace reveals most of the plastic generated in the world today cannot be recycled. The report, Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, released yesterday, says that while paper, cardboard, and metals are all recycled at a high percentage rate, plastic fails on a massive scale. The Greenpeace study reported that households in the United States generated about 51…
- Crime News
PE teacher faces prison for alleged rape of teen student
A school teacher accused of raping a teenage student handed himself in to police today in northeast Thailand. If found guilty, the 45 year old physical education teacher faces up to 20 years in prison. Wachira Phanomkaen, a PE teacher at a school in the Kuchinarai district, is accused of raping a 13 year old girl. The 45 year old…
- Politics News
Rishi Sunak becomes first Asian UK PM
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will be the UK’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest. His nearest rival Penny Mordaunt dropped out of the race in the final minutes before nominations closed. The 42 year old will become the UK’s first British Asian PM. Nearly 200 Conservative MPs backed the former chancellor ahead of…
- China News
The Coming War on China
As President Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader yesterday The Coming War on China draws ever closer, predicts award-winning journalist John Pilger. In Pilger’s thought-provoking documentary, The Coming War on China, he notes the United States, backed by Western mainstream media (MSM), has been “beating the drums of war and the world has…
- Thailand News
Tragedy as parents drown saving their two children
The parents of two young children died in a drowning tragedy yesterday afternoon while trying to save their kids from a similar fate in southern Thailand. Witnesses revealed the family of five, 38 year old father Teerawut Phaosen, his 38 year old wife Piyanut, her 10 year daughter Kewarin, 8 year old son Phumpat, and Piyanut’s 40 year old sister…
- China News
Academics in Thailand welcome President Xi’s third term
Academics in Thailand welcomed news yesterday that Chinese leader President Xi Jinping secured an historic third five-year term as general secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. President Xi’s third term will be viewed as undemocratic and autocratic by the Western powers but Thailand’s top boffins believe continuation is the key which will benefit the kingdom and ASEAN countries. Thai…
- Economy News
Govt set up complaints hotline about pricey veggies
Noticed an increase in the price of vegetables? So has the government and that is why a complaints hotline has been set up for consumers to log their gripes. The Commerce Ministry’s Department of Internal Trade (DIT) yesterday made known it will monitor increases in the nation’s vegetable prices and promises to come up with measures to control prices. DIT…
- Politics News
Irish MEP accuses West of state sponsored terrorism
In yet another robust day of geopolitical debate in the European Parliament, another Irish MEP called out the hypocrisy of the West, this time for its state-sponsored terrorism. Following in the footsteps of her MEP colleague Mick Wallace, who on Wednesday slammed the double standards of the West, Clare Daly gave a refreshing account of geopolitics far from the usual…
- Thailand News
Court clears THAI for takeoff, as it doubles Aussie flights
Thai Airways (THAI) received a much-needed boost today when the Central Bankruptcy Court approved the airline’s request to overhaul its recovery plan. The news comes on the back of a THAI announcement that passengers increased by 80% this month and plans to double flights to Melbourne, Australia, in December. Thailand’s national flag carrier was told by the court to carry…
- Crime News
Trump answers questions over alleged rape of journalist
Former US President Donald Trump yesterday answered questions under oath about the alleged rape of a journalist in the mid-1990s. The US journalist, author, and columnist, Elizabeth Jean Carroll, alleges she was raped in the Bergdorf Goodman luxury department store in New York in the mid-1990s. Carroll discusses the reported assault in her book, What Do We Need Men For?:…
- Crime News
Builders uncover corrupt Thai Army practices
Construction workers say they fear for their lives after stumbling over corrupt Royal Thai Army practices while building army premises. The builders employed the help of a lawyer after they discovered shady dealings while working on army housing loan projects, reported Bangkok Post. They are frightened they will be linked to these corrupt practices. The builders lodged a complaint, via…
- Politics News
Attack on master complainer was wrong says Deputy PM
The violent attack on Thailand’s master complainer, Srisuwan Janya, by another activist was denounced yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon. The well-known publicity-seeking Srisuwan was attacked at a press conference he organised outside the Central Investigation Bureau announcing he was going to file a complaint with the police against comedian Udom “Nose” Taepanich. Srisuwan believes Nose Udom’s remarks,…
- China News
China Southern Airlines ready for Bangkok takeoff
News breaking yesterday that China Southern Airlines is planning to resume flights to Bangkok signals more good news for the Thailand tourism industry aiming to attract another 12 million foreign travellers before the end of the year. In 2019 more than 12 million Chinese tourists travelled to Thailand, making up one-quarter of the kingdom’s foreign arrivals. There had been a…
- World News
King Charles III’s favourite uncle accused of raping a boy
News broke yesterday of yet another historic sex case that will rock the House of Windsor only weeks after Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died – King Charles III‘s favourite uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, has been accused of raping a young boy in the 1970s . Legal proceedings have been entered in Northern Ireland against Lord Mountbatten alleging he sexually…
- World News
Lift restrictions, South Korea told, or lose Thai tourists
South Korea must lift travel restrictions if it wants to lure Thai tourists back to the country says Thailand’s tourism industry. South Korea lifted some travel restrictions since the Covid-19 pandemic started to ease on April 1 this year but it has not gone far enough, the Thai tourist board insist, adding they must go further otherwise those travellers will…
- China News
Xi tells world to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs
President Xi Jinping sprung no surprises in his opening speech at China’s 20th Party Congress in Beijing yesterday. The Chinese leader emphasized his commitment to the mainland’s zero-Covid-19 policy, safeguarding national security, attracting talent, and a pledge toward the one country, two systems principle of socialism with Chinese characteristics in Hong Kong, Macau, and the eventual reunification of Taiwan. In…
- Environment News
PM Prayut avoids being pelted with rotten fish & faeces
A group of activists armed with rotten fish and faeces were ready to pelt Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as he visited flood-hit areas of Thailand yesterday. Fortunately, the PM’s entourage was tipped off about the planned attack and he avoided the activists lying in wait at a temple in Muang district PM Prayut was scheduled to visit Wat Khemaphirataram before…
- World News
Thailand’s LTR visa needs reworking to attract foreigners
Thailand is still confident its updated Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa will attract affluent foreigners despite more attractive LTR visa options in other countries. On September 1, Thailand launched a revised LTR visa, joining other nations such as Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines, targeting rich foreigners. The Thai government cut the cost of the 10-year LTR visa in half, from…
- Thailand News
More students from Thailand enter China
Chinese ambassador Han Zhiqiang is making good on his promise that students from Thailand would be one of the first groups allowed to return to China when the country reopened. This week more students returned to class in China for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic closed classrooms all over the world. Han said in August his education counsellors…
- Tourism News
Philippine Airlines takes off to Bangkok
Philippine Airlines (PAL) today announced it will reintroduce direct flights between Cebu City and Thailand’s capital city Bangkok in December. The Philippine flag carrier made public it is to introduce a twice-weekly service, operating on Monday and Friday, which will depart from Cebu in the morning of December 9 and depart from Bangkok in the early afternoon. PAL previously operated…
- Politics News
Thailand refuses to condemn Russia at UN Assembly
Thailand refused to condemn Russia’s decision to annex parts of Ukraine at the United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday. In September, Russia proclaimed its annexation of four partially occupied regions in Ukraine – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia – after staging what it called referendums. Ukraine, the UN General Assembly, and their allies refused to recognise the referendums,…
- Crime News
Mother of the daycare massacre killer says sorry
Thailand’s Department of Health released a video of the mother of the daycare centre massacre killer issuing a heartfelt apology for the tragedy while more details emerge about the lack of urgency by the police to the killing spree. The mother of the former police officer who murdered 37 people, including 24 children, in Nong Bua Lamphu province, northeast Thailand, delivered her…
