- World News
UKRAINE UPDATES: Ultimatums ‘not feasible’; Russian offensive stalls; Putin’s ‘back is against the wall’
As Russia’s invasion continues, here’s the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine… • In a televised address, President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine could not submit to ultimatums from Russia. The only way to do that would be to “destroy us all” he said. The remarks come after Ukraine rejected a Russian ultimatum for Mariupol authorities to surrender the city…
- World News
UPDATE: Boeing 737 carrying 132 passengers crashes into mountains in China
A Boeing 737 passenger jet carrying 132 people has crashed in China, according to a Chinese state media broadcast earlier today. Reports say the Chinese Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 went missing earlier in the day as it was headed from Kunming to Guangzhou. The plane was carrying 123 passengers and 9 crew. The China Eastern Airlines aircraft plummeted rapidly then…
- Thailand News
Man caught with endangered tortoise faces charges for hunting in Thailand wildlife sanctuary
Thai authorities caught a man with an endangered tortoise he reportedly caught in a wildlife sanctuary and planned to cook up and eat. The man was found in the southern province of Prachuap Khiri Khan province with firearms and a yellow elongated tortoise which he claimed he was cooking. The man faces charges relating to illegally entering a wildlife sanctuary, hunting…
- World News
US says Rohingya violence was ‘genocide’ as Asean envoy meets Myanmar junta leaders
US President Joe Biden has determined that the violence against the Rohingya minority committed by Myanmar’s military in 2017 amounted to genocide and crimes against humanity, a US official told Reuters on Sunday. The move comes as a special Asean envoy begins three days of visits with junta officials in Myanmar, aiming to begin a peace process. The US Secretary…
- Thailand News
Flash flood warning in Phuket, southern Thailand
Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket and Krabi are expected to face flash flooding following heavy rainfall today and tomorrow, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. A low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is expected to move northward resulting in a cyclone on the southern west coast of Thailand. Increased rainfall and heavy winds are also expected in…
- Transport News
Nok Air asks for time to promote routes to new Betong airport after cancelling flights
Yala’s new Betong International Airport is open for business, but you might be hard-pressed to book a flight there. Nok Air has suspended its route from Bangkok to Betong, saying it needs an additional two to three months to promote the airport among domestic and foreign tourists before it can reopen the route. Last week, Nok Air cancelled its flights…
- Thailand News
200 crocodiles on sale in Trang, southern Thailand
A crocodile farmer in Trang has slashed his prices after accumulating 450 crocodiles which he has found hard to shift since the coronavirus pandemic began. Around 200 of the crocodiles are currently for sale for the cheap price of 3,500 baht to 6,000 baht each, depending on the size. Before the pandemic began, Sommart Srisuk sold the crocodiles for 8,000…
- Visa Information
Phuket proposes visa and work permit scheme for digital nomads in Thailand
Phuket officials are pushing for a visa scheme for so-called “digital nomads” who want to live or stay in Thailand while working remotely. Under the proposed Phuket X Community for Digital NOMADs Visa, eligible foreigners would be offered a work permit and a stay on the island province for six months to a year. The visa scheme would also allow…
- World News
Blood and organ harvesting claims by Thai woman in Cambodia were fake
“A Thai woman alleges organ harvesters in Cambodia drew her blood and were about to cut her open when she was rescued.” Except it didn’t happen. The woman fabricated the entire story. Thairath.co.th yesterday reported that the Thai woman, who had claimed to have been the victim of ‘organ harvesting’ in Sihanoukville, Cambodia had confessed to inventing the whole incident. She…
- Crime News
Tangmo: Fresh autopsy of Thai actress dispels suspicions (preliminary findings)
A second autopsy of the body of Thai actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharavirapong was conducted Thursday afternoon by the Central Institute of Forensic Science at Thammasat University Hospital in Bangkok. The actress’ mother, Panida Sirayootyotin, requested the re-examination to confirm her daughter’s cause of death and to dispel any skepticism surrounding the high-profile investigation. READ: Tangmo: Panel to verify 2nd autopsy…
- Covid-19 News
Unpacking the long and winding road to ‘endemic’ in Thailand – latest changes to Covid restrictions
Strap in for the tortuous journey towards Thailand’s opening up without the Covid red tape – a four month trip where the country’s long list of confusing and sometimes conflicting restrictions will slowly be binned. But even when we get to July, if all goes to plan (it rarely does), we will still face a number of lingering questions about…
- Thailand News
PM Prayut and Ministry of Energy’s guide to saving fuel and energy this summer
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is inviting those in Thailand to join forces and save energy to combat the global energy crisis together. He suggests setting your air conditioner at 27 degrees Celsius and using a fan in tandem to save energy. Prayut and the Ministry of Energy have some tips on how to keep your fuel costs and energy bills from…
- Thailand News
Swedish woman who hid child in Thailand sentenced to prison
A Swedish woman who was arrested by Thai police in January has been sentenced to one year and three months in prison in Sweden for hiding her child in Thailand for over a year. The woman lost her custody battle with the child’s father but disappeared with the child in December 2019 before the court’s decision was enforced. The woman…
- World News
UKRAINE UPDATES: Russian offensive stalled, attacks civilians; Putin warns ‘traitors’; Turkey plays mediator
As Russia’s faltering military campaign enters its fourth week, here’s the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine… • More than a thousand people were sheltering in the bombed Mariupol theater. Civilians are said to be emerging alive from the ruins of the theatre, according to Ukrainian authorities. Between 1,000 and 1,200 people may have been inside, the city’s deputy…
- Koh Samui News
Koh Samui villa owner cuts rates in half for Ukrainian couple stuck in Thailand
A kind villa owner on the southern island of Koh Samui has reduced the rates of his villa by 50% for a Ukrainian couple who can’t return to their country due to the ongoing violence caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There are no commercial airlines are flying to Ukraine as the country closed its airspace to civilian flights following…
- Songkran News
CCSA to discuss Songkran splashing rules today
To splash or not the splash? That’s one of the questions Thai government officials will be mulling today as they consider how to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 infections during next month’s Songkran festivities. This year Thailand will take a 5-day break from April 13 to 1 in celebration of Songkran, or the Thai New Year, for the first time…
- Thailand News
Spicy som tam vendor in Thailand brings in 10,000 baht a day after posing in lingerie
It’s all about the som tam. One spicy som tam vendor in Buriram is bringing in 10,000 per day in sales… but how? Her unique marketing campaign. She posts photos of herself wearing a bikini top and lingerie while making the spicy papaya salad and posing by her shop. Her sign for her shop is even a cartoon of a curvy…
- Business News
Burger chain closes its doors in Thailand, for good
Carl’s Jr. is planning to close all 6 of their locations in Thailand by the end of March. The local owners of the burger chain, R&R Restaurant Group, says they are no longer able to carry the losses and costs of operating the fast food chain. The chain first opened in Thailand in 2012 with its first store in Pattaya in…
- Thailand News
3 teenagers missing in Kanchanaburi’s Kwai Noi river
Three teenagers are missing after they went swimming in a river in the western province Kanchanaburi and were dragged out by the strong current. The teenagers along with a seven year old child were swimming in the Kwai Noi River when they were swept out far from the shore. A woman jumped into the water and managed to save the…
- World News
UKRAINE UPDATES: Biden approves military aid after Zenelsky speech; Russia strikes Mariupol theatre with children
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a speech to the US Congress on Wednesday. In a virtual address, Zelenksy repeated his plea for a no-fly zone and called for more sanctions on Russia, as Russian forces inch toward Kyiv, with intensified fighting around the capital. After Zelensky challenged him to be “the leader of peace“, US President Joe Biden pledged an additional $800…
- World News
Vietnam reopens borders to international tourism TODAY (a day late)
The Ides of March came and went without so much as a word on Vietnam’s much anticipated border reopening on March 15. But the news comes today, with the Ministry of Health officially announcing that foreign nationals entering Vietnam now only need to provide a negative Covid-19 test certificate to enter the country and will no longer be required to…
- Crime News
7 students at Thailand university face charges for allegedly beating a student to death
Since 19 year old student Padyos “Prem” Chonpakdi was beaten to death, allegedly by university students in a violent initiation ceremony on Sunday in Nakhon Ratchasima, seven upper-level students have confessed to using excessive violence against Prem which lead to his death. Prem was forced to undress, drink excessive amounts of alcohol, sing and was punched in the stomach and…
- World News
UKRAINE UPDATES: 3 EU PMs visit Kyiv; Peace talks ‘realistic’; 400 trapped in Mariupol hospital; US labels Putin ‘war criminal’; TV editor released
As Russia’s invasion marks three weeks, here’s the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine… • Three EU Prime Ministers visited the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Tuesday in a display of European support. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Slovenia’s Prime Minister Janez Jansa traveling by train to…
- Koh Samui News
Thailand marine officials look into building cruise ship terminal on Koh Samui
Marine officials in Thailand are looking into building a cruise ship terminal on Koh Samui, a popular Gulf of Thailand island off the Surat Thani coast. A terminal is considered to be more convenient and safe for travellers as, at the moment, cruise ships must anchor by the island and smaller boats transfer travellers to the island and back to…
- Crime News
25 kilograms of ketamine in tea bags wash up on eastern Thailand beach
A package containing more than 25 kilograms of ketamine washed up on a beach in Trat province on Thailand’s eastern coast yesterday. A 65 year old woman was out collecting rubbish on the beach when she found what appeared to be 25 bags of Chinese tea tied together washed up on the shore. Upon closer inspection, the bags were filled…
- Thailand News
Bangkok football player sacked after elbow strike to opponent
A Bangkok Football Club player was sacked after he left his opponent needing 24 stitches after an elbow strike to the face, knocking him to the ground during a Thai League 3 match on Sunday afternoon. The referee sent Aitesaret Noichaiboon off immediately and the club proceeded to terminate his contract. Bangkok FC were losing 3-0 against North Bangkok University…
- World News
NFL great Tom Brady ends 40 day retirement, inspired by Ronaldo hat trick
He’s back! (But he never really left.) The legendary American football player Tom Brady has announced his return to the NFL after a brief 40-day retirement. Brady, 44, is considered the greatest quarterback of all time with a record seven Super Bowl titles. He announced his (un) surprising U-turn on Twitter, saying… “These past two months I’ve realized my place…
- World News
UKRAINE UPDATES: Peace talks hopeful; Convoy escapes Mariupol; Missiles kill civilians; Chernobyl power outage; Russians protest war
As the Russian invasion enters its 20th day, here’s the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine… • Russian and Ukrainian ambassadors will resume negotiations by video call on Tuesday, after a fourth round of in-person talks ended without breakthrough on Monday in Turkey, despite optimism from the Ukrainians at the weekend. • In a video address posted on Facebook,…
- Crime News
Officers search forest for ranger who allegedly shot and killed ex-wife’s son
A senior forest ranger allegedly shot and killed his estranged wife’s 20 year old son in the Isaan province Buriram yesterday. A team of 50 police officers and wildlife officials have been searching for the ranger who is suspected to be hiding at the Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary. The suspect, who is head of the forestry team at Dong Yai…
- World News
UKRAINE UPDATES: Peace talks hopeful; Russia entreats China; Kherson residents protest; Lviv base attacked; US reporter killed
As the Russian invasion enters its 19th day, here’s the latest headlines from the conflict in Ukraine… • Russian and Ukrainian ambassadors are holding a fourth round of peace talks, after Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said weekend negotiations were “constructive,” signaling hopes of diplomatic progress… “Russia is already beginning to talk constructively. I think that we will achieve some results…
