83 Bangkok pubs shuttered over safety concerns
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt has ordered all 50 districts in the city to carry out safety checks at entertainment venues, following the fatal nightclub fire in Chon Buri and another recent fire incident in the Silom area.Continue Reading
Record Bangladesh fuel hike triggers huge queues
DHAKA: Thousands of Bangladeshis besieged fuel stations across the country after the government raised prices by as much as 52 per cent, the largest jump on record, on the back of higher oil prices. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has seen global energy prices soar, though oil has fallen back inContinue Reading
Pair arrested with B18m in fake US bills
Police have arrested two men with 18 million baht worth of counterfeit US currency, which they suspect might have been printed on a press that went missing after a counterfeiting bust last year.Continue Reading
Lack of trust, political will shackling Myanmar peace process, ASEAN envoy says
PHNOM PENH: A lack of trust and political will is stifling Myanmar’s peace process and the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN will keep shunning its ruling generals, unless they engage opponents and make concrete progress, a special regional envoy said on Saturday (Aug 6). Prak Sokhonn, Cambodia’s deputy prime minister andContinue Reading
Japan PM to reshuffle cabinet amid Taiwan, Unification Church issues
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday (Aug 6) he will reshuffle his cabinet next week to address mounting issues including Taiwan tensions, COVID-19 and economic stimulus measures to counter inflation. “We need to set off a new formation as soon as possible considering the various issues,” heContinue Reading
Blinken chides China’s ‘irresponsible’ cut in US communication channels
MANILA: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of “irresponsible steps” on Saturday (Aug 6) by halting key communication channels with Washington, and said its Taiwan actions showed a move from prioritising peaceful resolution towards the use of force. His comments came as Chinese aircraft and warships practised onContinue Reading
Vivian Balakrishnan tests positive for COVID-19 after returning from ASEAN meetings in Cambodia
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said on Saturday (Aug 6) that he has tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from the ASEAN meetings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. “It’s been a good run despite all the travels, but COVID-19 has finally caught up with me,” Dr Balakrishnan saidContinue Reading
Five senior police transferred over pub inferno
CHON BURI: Five senior officers including the chief of the Phlu Ta Luang police station in Sattahip district have been transferred pending an investigation into the Mountain B pub inferno that left 15 people dead and 37 injured.Continue Reading
Iron Dome passes another Gaza war missile test
If there is one thing clear as war breaks out in southern Israel and the Gaza strip, it is that Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system works and works in spectacular fashion. Faced with the launch of over 70 missiles, many of them simultaneously, the Iron Dome interceptors picked them off quickly, one by one. Iron Dome […]
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Snickers owner apologises after referring to Taiwan as a country
BEIJING: American candy giant Mars Wrigley has insisted it “respects China’s national sovereignty” and apologised after an advert for its Snickers bar referred to Taiwan as a country, sparking outrage on the mainland. Screenshots of marketing for the nutty confectionery featuring the South Korean boyband BTS were swiftly picked upContinue Reading