Thai journalists dub Paetongtarn government ‘pampered by dad’

BANGKOK (The Nation Thailand/ANN): Journalists in Thailand have dubbed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s administration as “the government pampered by dad”. As part of a long-held annual tradition, reporters covering Government House convened on Dec 23 to evaluate how the government and specific Cabinet members were perceived by the public over the past year and to assign...

Cathay sorry as unruly traveller on Hong Kong-US flight causes 15-hour delay

HONG KONG (SCMP): Cathay Pacific Airways has apologised for diverting a US-bound flight to Tokyo because of an unruly passenger before returning to Hong Kong, causing a delay of about 15 hours for travellers on board. Hong Kong’s flag carrier on Sunday pointed to safety guidelines, handling constraints at Tokyo’s Haneda airport and statutory requirements on...

Chinese man can keep US$40,000 cheating ex gave him to say sorry, court rules

A Shanghai court ruled that a man was not obliged to return the 300,000 yuan (US$40,000) his ex-girlfriend gave him in an attempt to salvage their relationship after he discovered her affair with his nephew. The man, surnamed Li, and the woman, identified as Xu, met in 2018 and soon began dating. Two years later, Li...

Disgraced top China banker Liu Liange married son’s girlfriend, causing his chronic depression

At the time, he was the youngest chairman among the “Big Four” state-owned banks, which propelled him into the public spotlight. However, there have been persistent suspicions that Liu’s rapid rise was facilitated by his first wife, purportedly the daughter of a high official, whom he later divorced to marry his young mistress after achieving his...

Scientists struggle to explain record surge in global heat

The world has been getting hotter for decades but a sudden and extraordinary surge in heat has sent the climate deeper into uncharted territory -- and scientists are still trying to figure out why. Over the past two years, temperature records have been repeatedly shattered by a streak so persistent and puzzling it has tested the...

Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey? Everything We Know About the Cold Case

The 6-year-old was found dead during the winer holiday season of 1996, and her case has remained a mystery since.   The 1996 holiday season was completely uprooted after 6-year-old pageant star JonBenét Ramsey was found dead in the basement of her family’s home. To this day, her case has remained an unsolved murder, but her immediate family — Patsy, John and Burke...

US Congress scrambles to try to avert looming shutdown after Trump demand rejected

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress was scrambling to avert a partial government shutdown on Friday, hours after more than three dozen Republicans rejected a demand by President-elect Donald Trump to use the measure to lift the nation's debt ceiling. Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson was trying to plot a course that could pass...

China’s Xi swears in new Macau leader Sam Hou-fai

MACAU: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday (Dec 20) presided over the inauguration of new Macau leader Sam Hou-fai, capping off a three-day visit as the former Portuguese colony marks 25 years since being returned to China. Sam, who served as president of Macau's apex court since the 1999 handover, was the sole candidate in October's...

Pabuk storm heading to Thailand is fake news

BANGKOK: The Meteorological Department confirms no storm is heading towards Thailand and that the weather will be mostly fine and cool with occasional storms in the South Warnings on social media that tropical storm “Pabuk” would hit Thailand on Friday (Dec 20) are not true, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry’s Anti-Fake News Centre said on...

Malaysian ringleader, Thai wife arrested in 5 billion baht money laundering case

BANGKOK: (Bernama) Thai police believe they have cracked down on a major scam syndicate that laundered over 5 billion baht (US$145,754,000) through fraudulent transactions, following the arrests of a Malaysian ringleader and his Thai wife. The Commander of the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) under the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Pol. Maj. Gen. Puttidej Bunkrapue, said...