Thailand

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Driver Arrested After 23 Killed in School Bus Fire

The bus filled with students was headed on a school trip in suburban Bangkok

(Newser) - Thai police have arrested the driver of a bus carrying young students and teachers that caught fire and killed 23 in suburban Bangkok, as families arrived in the capital Wednesday to help identify their loved ones, the AP reports. The head of the police forensic department said 23 bodies were...

Woman Contends With a Most Unwelcome Vissssssitor

Thai woman endured 2-hour ordeal in the clutches of a python

(Newser) - A 64-year-old woman was preparing to do her evening dishes at her home outside Bangkok when she felt a sharp pain in her thigh and looked down to see a huge python taking hold of her. "I was about to scoop some water and when I sat down it...

Moo Deng Might Be Too Popular for Her Own Good

Zoo says some visitors are behaving badly around pygmy hippo social media star

(Newser) - Pygmy hippo Moo Deng is the seventh baby born to parents Jona and Tony at a Thailand zoo—and she's getting a lot more attention than her siblings. Moo Deng, who was born on July 10, has become a star on social media and attracted a surge of visitors...

Thai MP Recorded Slapping Female Journalist

Prawit Wongsuwan, a former deputy prime minister, claimed he was only 'teasing'

(Newser) - A veteran politician in Thailand has found himself in hot water after he was recorded slapping a female journalist in the head. Prawit Wongsuwan, a former deputy prime minister who leads the Palang Pracharath Party, slapped Duangthip Yiamphop, a reporter for the Thai Public Broadcasting Service, during an encounter in...

A New Member of Thai Dynasty Takes Power

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 37, is youngest daughter of divisive former leader

(Newser) - Thailand's Parliament elected Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of the divisive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, as prime minister Friday. Paetongtarn becomes Thailand's third leader from the Shinawatra family, after her father, who was ousted by a coup and returned from exile last year, and her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra,...

Cyanide Found in Blood of 6 Found Dead in Bangkok Hotel
Suspected Culprit in Case of
6 Dead at Luxe Hotel: Cyanide
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Suspected Culprit in Case of 6 Dead at Luxe Hotel: Cyanide

Authorities believe one poisoned the others over a bad investment

(Newser) - Initial autopsy results showed traces of cyanide in the blood of six Vietnamese and American guests found dead Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok luxury hotel—and one of them is believed to have poisoned the others over a bad investment, Thai authorities said Wednesday. The six had last...

6 Found Dead in Locked Room at Luxury Hotel

Bangkok police suspect they were poisoned

(Newser) - Police in Bangkok are investigating the mysterious deaths of six Vietnamese nationals—including two who also held US citizenship—at a luxury hotel in the city. Investigators believe the six had been dead for around 24 hours by the time their bodies were found in a suite at the Grand...

Thailand Overwhelmingly OKs Same-Sex Marriage

Bill sailed through both houses in a first for Southeast Asia

(Newser) - Thailand's Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to approve a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, clearing the last legislative hurdle for the country to become the first in Southeast Asia to enact such a law. Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity but has struggled for decades to...

Elephant Twins Are Rare. This Set, Even Rarer

Brother-sister pair born in Thailand was almost a tragedy, but all is now well for mom and babies

(Newser) - Buddhist monks in Thailand on Friday blessed twin baby elephants, one male and the other female, a week after their rare birth came close to being a tragedy. Their mother, Chamchuri, gave birth to the pair on the night of June 7 at a camp in Thailand's ancient capital...

After Extreme Turbulence, Experts Say Get Ready for More

Climate change could lead to more incidents like one on Singapore Airlines flight that killed a man

(Newser) - More than three dozen people remain hospitalized after an incident of severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines plane on Tuesday, including a toddler, reports the BBC . The 2-year-old is receiving treatment in Bangkok for a concussion, per a doctor at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital. The oldest patient is said to be...

Nestle Allegedly Pumps Sugar Into Baby Products in Poor Nations

The food giant is being accused of a 'harmful double standard' that could lead to obesity

(Newser) - The Nestle brand may be associated with comfort food and drink, but its infant eats are getting an uncomfortable amount of scrutiny over sugar content. Per a new report from the nonprofit Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network, the Swiss food conglomerate adds more sugar to its...

In Thailand, a First for Same-Sex Marriage

Thai House of Representatives passes bill; it now moves on to Senate, king to be turned into law

(Newser) - The first big step to giving the legal green light to same-sex marriage in Thailand is complete. The New York Times reports that the nation's House of Representatives "overwhelmingly" passed a bill Wednesday that would legalize LGBTQ unions, with a vote of 400-10. Two members of the 415-member...

Taylor Swift, Singapore Cut Deal and Neighbors Aren't Happy

Enter the growing industry of event tourism

(Newser) - We know Taylor Swift concerts generate billions in consumer spending . And now we know countries are willing to pay big for the advantage, at the cost of their neighbors missing out. Earlier this week, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong confirmed the country's tourism board paid an undisclosed sum—...

Thaksin Is Free but Could Face New Charge

Former Thai PM is being investigated for allegedly defaming the monarchy years ago

(Newser) - Thai prosecutors said Monday that further investigation is needed to decide whether to bring former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to trial on charges of defaming the monarchy, just a day after he was freed from a prison sentence on other counts he was serving in a hospital. Thaksin was released...

Arrests Follow Joyride With Lion
Arrests Follow Joyride With Lion
VIDEO

Arrests Follow Joyride With Lion

Thai woman among those facing charges over illegal possession of cub

(Newser) - A woman claiming ownership of a lion cub is facing prison time in Thailand, where the animal was paraded around in an open-top Bentley. Police became aware of the scene through videos shared online , per Business Insider . Though the lion appeared calm for the joyride through the streets of Pattaya,...

At Least 23 Dead in Fireworks Factory Blast

Blast almost completely leveled site in central Thailand

(Newser) - An explosion at a fireworks factory in central Thailand killed more than 20 people on Wednesday, according to provincial officials, though the devastation at the scene has made the death toll uncertain. The country's public health ministry put the death toll at 23 Thursday morning, including 16 men and...

16 Major Pieces at Met Will Return to Rightful Owners

They're going back to Cambodia and Thailand

(Newser) - New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art announced Friday that it will return 16 major artworks connected to a trafficker to Cambodia and Thailand. The Cambodian government maintains that the Met has dozens of items that have been taken since the 1970s and has pressured the museum to return them,...

Most of Hamas' Foreign Hostages Are Thai Migrants

Most go to Israel to work in agriculture, sometimes in poor conditions

(Newser) - More than half of the 220 or so hostages Hamas took to Gaza after its Oct. 7 attack on Israel hold foreign passports. The largest subset of that group is from Thailand, Quartz reports, a product of Israel's reliance on migrant labor, consisting of 54 people. "We are...

Shooting Hits Posh Thai Mall
Teen Boy Arrested
in Mall Shooting

Teen Boy Arrested in Mall Shooting

At least one person is dead in posh Thai mall, though initial reports had said 3 were slain

(Newser) - A shooter opened fire inside a major shopping mall in the center of Thailand's capital Tuesday afternoon, killing at least one person before being apprehended, CNN reports, though initial reports had between two and three dead. Police said a suspect was taken into custody less than an hour after...

Chinese Defector: I'll Wait 'Months' in Airport If I Have to

Tiananmen Square critic Chen Siming says he feels safe in Taiwan, though he wants to go to US

(Newser) - A Chinese dissident known for his commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre is currently holed up in a Taiwan airport, pleading for asylum from the United States, or Canada if the US won't take him. Chen Siming has been hunkered down since Friday at Taoyuan International Airport near...

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