International news with relevance to Thai and regional readers
Taiwan’s opposition parties registered separate tickets on Friday for January’s presidential election following the dramatic last-minute breakdown of a proposed alliance to topple the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. The lead-up to the self-ruled island’s January 13 poll is being closely watched — including by policymakers in Beijing and Washington — as it could determine the
Nearly two dozen Thai nationals believed held by Hamas in Gaza may be released on the sidelines of a hostage swap deal taking place between Israel and the terror group, according to Times of Iran online. Bangkok has been holding separate talks to repatriate some of its nationals believed kidnapped by Hamas during the terror
Palestinian Territories – Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Tuesday a truce agreement with Israel was in sight, raising hopes that dozens of people taken hostage in the October 7 attacks could be released. There was no immediate response from Israel on the status of negotiation efforts to secure the release of the estimated 240 hostages seized during Hamas’s horrific
It came as a surprise to many Thais when Miss Thailand Universe Anntonia Porsild mentioned the name of Malala Yousafzai during the top three rounds of the Miss Universe 2023 pageant held in El Salvador recently. “If you could live one year in another woman’s shoes, who would you choose and why?” Anntonia responded, “I
Taipei, Taiwan – Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s former envoy to the United States and self-described “cat warrior”, was named Monday as the running mate to presidential frontrunner Lai Ching-te for the island’s January elections. The January 13 vote comes at a time when Beijing has intensified military and diplomatic pressure on the administration of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen
Jerusalem – Israel’s military released security camera footage Sunday it said showed hostages being brought into Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 7 after being kidnapped during Hamas’s attacks on southern Israel. Al-Shifa hospital has become a focal point for Israel’s subsequent military operations in the Gaza Strip, with the army repeatedly saying Hamas uses it as a base, a claim the military has
Israel, the United States and Hamas have reached a tentative agreement to free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the deal. As part of the detailed, six-page agreement, all parties would freeze combat operations
San Francisco, United States – – US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping made rival bids to win over Asia-Pacific allies at a summit in San Francisco Thursday, just a day after the two leaders met in a bid to reduce tensions between the superpowers. “We’re not going anywhere,” Biden told business leaders attending
U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping emerged Wednesday from their first face-to-face meeting in a year vowing to stabilize their fraught relationship and showcasing modest agreements to combat illegal fentanyl and re-establish military communications. But there were still deep differences on economic competition and global security threats. The two leaders spent four hours
(Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping began his first visit to the United States in six years on Tuesday, after President Joe Biden said he aimed to restore normal communications with Beijing and his top diplomat stressed the need for freedoms that Washington says Beijing is undermining in the Asia-Pacific region. Xi is on his first visit to the U.S.
Tokyo, Japan – Handcuffs during pregnancy, separation from newborn babies, and insufficient care for elderly inmates are among the abuses suffered by women incarcerated in Japan, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. Female inmates are sometimes shackled during labour and immediately after birth, the international NGO alleged in a new report, based on interviews with nearly 60
(AFP) Israeli forces said on Wednesday that they were carrying out an operation in Gaza’s largest hospital, targeting a suspected Hamas command centre located below thousands of ailing and sheltering civilians. After warnings from the United States and others that the Al-Shifa hospital must be protected, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in the early
