International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
A string of blasts ripped through high-end hotels and churches holding Easter services in Sri Lanka on Sunday, killing at least 156 people, including 35 foreigners. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe condemned the attacks as “cowardly” and said the government was working to “contain the situation”. Images circulating on social media and local news stations showed extensive damage at
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — At least 207 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in eight bomb blasts that rocked churches and luxury hotels in or near Sri Lanka’s capital on Easter Sunday — the deadliest violence the South Asian island country has seen since a bloody civil war ended a decade ago. Defense
A major fire broke out at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on Monday afternoon, sending flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the sky, the fire service said. The flames and smoke plumed from the spire and roof of the gothic cathedral, visited by millions of people a year, where renovations are currently
LONDON (Reuters) – British police dragged Julian Assange from the Ecuadorean embassy last Thursday after his asylum was revoked, ending his seven-year stay there and opening the way for his extradition to the United States. Assange’s supporters, who cast him as a dissident facing the wrath of a superpower, fear the 47-year-old will end up
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s nearly seven-year hideout in Ecuador’s London embassy abruptly ended Thursday when police entered the building and arrested him ahead of possible extradition to the United States. Footage shot by the Russian video news agency Ruptly showed a frantic-looking Assange — his worn face framed by a large white beard and shock
The state-run Transport Company will increase its bus and passenger van services by 3,000 to 9,000 trips per day from April 10-13 to accommodate the sharp rise in the number of passengers expected to travel out of Bangkok ahead of the Songkran holiday. The Transport Company’s managing director, Mr. Jirasak Yaowatsakul, said the increase in services
The state-run Transport Company will increase its bus and passenger van services by 3,000 to 9,000 trips per day from April 10-13 to accommodate the sharp rise in the number of passengers expected to travel out of Bangkok ahead of the Songkran holiday. The Transport Company’s managing director, Mr. Jirasak Yaowatsakul, said the increase in services
TOKYO (AP) — The era of Japan’s next emperor, Naruhito, will use the name “Reiwa” to connote pursuing harmony, the government said Monday, selecting the culturally significant phrase from ancient Japanese poetry as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushes to promote national pride. The “Heisei” era ends with Emperor Akihito’s abdication on April 30 and the
Adultery and gay sex in Brunei will be subject to death by stoning from next week, authorities said, under a strict Sharia law that has been on hold for four years amid heavy criticism. Rights groups reacted in horror Wednesday to the latest hardline move from the resource-rich nation on Borneo, which practises a stricter brand of
WELLINGTON/CHRISTCHURCH (Reuters) – A gunman shot dead 49 people and wounded more than 40 at two New Zealand mosques, some as they were kneeling at prayer, livestreaming online some of the killings that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned as terrorism. The gunman broadcast footage of the attack on one mosque in the city of Christchurch
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — A white supremacist suspected in shootings at two mosques that killed 49 people during midday Friday prayers posted an anti-immigrant manifesto online and apparently used a helmet-mounted camera to broadcast live video of the slaughter on Facebook. Brenton Harrison Tarrant appeared in court this morning amid strict security and showed
Thai ambassador to the United States Mr. Veerachai Plasai died today in Washington DC after being admitted to Johns Hopkins hospital for medical treatment. He was 58 years old. While the cause of death is not yet confirmed, it has been reported that he died of myelodysplastic syndromes, a type of cancer where abnormal blood cells form in the bone marrow. Mr. Veerachai was well known as head of the Thai legal
