- Lifestyle
No masks or PCR needed for World Cup in Qatar says organisers
Good news for football fans traveling to Qatar for the World Cup in just over two weeks’ time – you no longer need a negative PCR or rapid antigen test to enter the Arab country. The Qatar Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) published a statement announcing the relaxation of Covid-19 related measures which take effect from today. “Visitors are no…
- World News
North Korea warns US, South Korea over Vigilant Storm drills
The United States and South Korean militaries have been warned that North Korea will react with aggression if they continue their belligerent air drills. North Korea made known they will respond with “powerful follow-up measures” if the US and South Korea continue their air exercises, reported South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. A North Korea ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson regarded…
- World News
Qantas announces partnership with Bangkok Airways
Australia flag carrier Qantas Airways announced a new partnership with Bangkok Airways today which will allow its frequent flyers to book classic flight reward seats to more than 20 destinations across Thailand and South East Asia. Bangkok Airways climbs onboard the Qantas Frequent Flyer programme with another 45 partner airlines, which will allow members to use their points to travel…
- World News
VIDEO: Nine arrested in connection with pedestrian bridge tragedy in India
Police in India arrested nine people in connection with the collapse of a pedestrian bridge which killed about 140 people on Sunday. Senior police officer Ashok Kumar Yadav made a statement yesterday announcing the suspects arrested are all associated with Oreva, a Gujarat-based electrical appliances manufacturer that did repairs to the 230-meter-long bridge in the town of Morbi in India’s…
- 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…
- Tourism News
THAI needs to raise 10 billion baht as part of its restructuring plan
Thailand’s State Enterprise Policy Office (SEPO) announced Thai Airways (THAI) needs to raise 10 billion baht to ensure the company’s shareholding does not dip below 40%. The Finance Ministry, THAI’s biggest shareholder with a 47% stake, revealed plans are already underway to raise the finances and preserve its shareholding in the company. SEPO Director General Pantip Sripimol reported that the…
- 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…
- Health
Thailand ramps up airport checks for Ebola
The Thai government reported it has put its airports on red alert after a recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa. Deputy government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul acknowledged Thailand is aware of the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus discovered in Uganda last month and made known steps are being taken to monitor passengers passing through customs from Africa to…
- 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…
- World News
New staff make a splash at Singapore Airlines job fair
New staff made a splash at a recent recruitment drive by Singapore Airlines. Singapore’s flag carrier restarted cabin crew recruitment in Thailand, South Korea, and Taiwan, after a two-year freeze because of Covid-19 and the relaxation of travel restrictions. The airline needs more Asian staff to meet higher demand now that travel restrictions in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan are…
- 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…
- Politics News
Liz Truss quits as UK PM after only 44 days
Liz Truss has resigned as UK Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party after less than five weeks in charge. The 47 year old only yesterday said she “was a fighter and not a quitter” at Prime Minister’s Questions but she has resigned after only 44 days as the UK PM. Truss said she could not deliver the mandate…
- 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,…
- Politics News
Irish MEP slams EU & West hypocrisy over Russia
An Irish MEP yesterday let rip at fellow members of the European Union and the West over their hypocrisy regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Mick Wallace, in a passionate speech inside the European Parliament building in Brussels, highlighted the double standards of the EU, the West and its allies with its attitude toward Russian terrorism and the terrorism…
- 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…
- Northern Thailand News
Drug dealer killed in shootout after high-speed chase
A shootout between Royal Thai Police, army troops, and drug dealers led to one death, an arrest, and 4 million methamphetamine pills seized in a breath-taking, high-speed chase in Chiang Rai last night. Pha Muang Task Force narcotics suppression police and soldiers, tried to pull over a pickup truck with fake Chiang Rai licence plates at a road checkpoint at…
- 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…
