International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
CACERES, Spain, Aug 18 (Reuters) – A brutal summer has caused havoc for many in rural Spain, but one unexpected side-effect of the country’s worst drought in decades has delighted archaeologists – the emergence of a prehistoric stone circle in a dam whose waterline has receded. Officially known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal but dubbed
LONDON (AP) — A law has taken effect in Scotland to ensure period products are available free of charge to anyone who needs them. The Scottish government said it became the first in the world to legally protect the right to access free period products when its Period Products Act came into force Monday. Under
BEIJING, Aug 18 (Reuters) – It is “reasonable to conclude” that forced labour of members of minority groups has taken place in China’s western Xinjiang region, the UN’s top expert on slavery said in a report released this week, prompting a fierce response from Beijing. The findings were “based on an independent assessment of available
AFP – California cops rushed to a zoo after a 911 call — only to find it had been placed by a mischievous monkey. Dispatchers sent officers to investigate a possible emergency after receiving a call Saturday night that had disconnected. Sheriff’s deputies in San Luis Obispo County traced the call to the offices of
KYIV, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Russia blamed sabotage for explosions at one of its military bases in Moscow-annexed Crimea while Kyiv hinted it was responsible as Ukrainian officials said their strategy was to destroy supply lines supporting Russia’s invasion. The blasts on Tuesday engulfed an ammunition depot at a military base in the north of
NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials are warning people who are infected with monkeypox to stay away from household pets, since the animals could be at risk of catching the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for months has had the advice in place as monkeypox spreads in the U.S. But it gained new attention
AFP – A Myanmar junta court jailed Aung San Suu Kyi for six years for corruption on Monday, a source close to the case said, taking the ousted leader’s prison time to 17 years. Suu Kyi, 77, has been detained since the generals toppled her government in a coup on February 1 of last year,
BEIJING/TAIPEI, Aug 16 (Reuters) – China on Tuesday imposed sanctions including an entry ban on seven Taiwanese officials and lawmakers it accused of being “independence diehards”, drawing condemnation from the democratically governed island. The sanctions come after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan this month, a trip that China said had sent a wrong signal to what it views as pro-independence forces. China considers Taiwan its own territory
BEIJING/TAIPEI, Aug 15 (Reuters) – China’s military said it carried out more exercises near Taiwan on Monday as a group of U.S. lawmakers visited the Chinese-claimed island and met President Tsai Ing-wen, who said her government was committed to maintaining stability. The five U.S. lawmakers, led by Senator Ed Markey, arrived in Taipei on an
KABUL (Reuters) – The Taliban and their supporters waved the group’s black and white flag on the streets of Afghanistan on Monday to celebrate a year since they marched into the capital and took power after a stunning series of battlefield victories. In the 12 months since the United States’ chaotic withdrawal, some Afghans have welcomed improved security but struggled with poverty, drought, malnutrition and the fading hope among
CAIRO, Aug 14 (Reuters) – An electrical fire swept through an Egyptian Coptic Christian church during Mass on Sunday, causing a stampede and killing at least 41 people, most of them children and many suffering from smoke inhalation. The blaze started just before 9 a.m. in the Abu Sifin church in the city of Giza
Aug 14 (Reuters) – Salman Rushdie, the acclaimed author who was stabbed repeatedly at a public appearance in New York state on Friday, 33 years after Iran’s then-supreme leader called for him to be killed, is off a ventilator and his health is improving, his agent and a son said on Sunday. “He’s off the
