Thailand

Stories 421 - 440 | << Prev   Next >>

Deposed Thai PM Pleads Not Guilty to Graft

Crowds welcome Thaksin back from exile

(Newser) - Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra pleaded not guilty to graft charges today in a Supreme Court packed with hundreds of his supporters, AFP reports. Thaksin will not have to attend every hearing in his trial; he has already obtained permission to return to Britain, where he owns a soccer team....

'Merchant of Death' Denies Arms Charges

Viktor Bout, nabbed in Thailand, says he was just on vacation

(Newser) - Viktor Bout, the international arms dealer caught last week in a US sting operation in Thailand, told police he was vacationing when authorities nabbed him for trying to sell weapons to Colombian rebels, Reuters reports. Bout, nicknamed the "Merchant of Death" for business dealings with groups like the Taliban,...

Deposed Thai PM Returns Home
Deposed Thai PM Returns Home

Deposed Thai PM Returns Home

Crowds and cops greet Thaksin as he flies home for first time since coup

(Newser) - Ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra flew home today after 17 months in exile to cheering supporters and police, who quickly escorted him to court to face corruption charges. Thaksin, the billionaire owner of the Manchester City soccer team who was forced from power by a military coup, knelt and...

Thailand Axes Anti-Monarchy Website

Critical postings, government shutdown may spark legal fight

(Newser) - A Thai ministry has shut down a website critical of the country's monarchy, the AP reports. Postings on Sameskybooks.com questioned news accounts that all citizens mourned the king's sister, who died Wednesday, and criticized officials. "I think we're one of the few sites posting remarks against the monarchy,...

Safari With That Liposuction?
Safari With That Liposuction?

Safari With That Liposuction?

Cosmetic surgeries can be cheaper abroad—and come with perks

(Newser) - Americans looking to get cosmetic surgery are eschewing expensive procedures at home and opting for "medical tourism," traveling abroad for cheaper procedures—that sometime come with exotic vacation perks. Countries including South Africa, Argentina, Thailand, Brazil and Singapore are marketing their health services to Americans with the promise...

Thais Will Bust Exiled PM if He Returns

Thaksin to face multiple corruption and fraud charges: AG's office

(Newser) - As his allies get set to wrest the reins of government from the military, Thailand's exiled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been warned that he will face arrest if he returns home. Arrest warrants for Thaksin and his wife on charges of fraud and corruption are still outstanding, according to...

Tsunami Survivors Look Ahead
Tsunami Survivors Look Ahead

Tsunami Survivors Look Ahead

Officials concerned about post-aid economy, beefing up warning systems

(Newser) - As candles are lit today in memory of the 230,000 victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Christian Science Monitor reports on the results of the $13.6 billion effort to help survivors. The aid has largely been used effectively, but now officials worry about the recovering economies...

2007: Asia's Banner Year
2007: Asia's Banner Year
OPINION

2007: Asia's Banner Year

Bloomberg praises those who fuel the region's return to economic power

(Newser) - Asia's economies are soaring so mightily that Bloomberg columnist William Pesek is passing out awards for Asia's big players in 2007. They range from a “Money Talks” prize, for Arab and Asian leaders who bailed out Wall Street banks, to the “Howard's End” trophy, for Australian PM Kevin...

Party of Exiled Thai PM Ready to Govern

Strikes deal with at least one other party; Thaksin to return in '08

(Newser) - Samak Sundaravej is set to become Thailand's next prime minister after his party announced today that it had recruited at least one other party to form a coalition government, the AP reports. The People's Power Party, the bloc allied with deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra, won yesterday's elections but fell short...

Party of Ousted Prime Minister Wins Thai Races

Polarizing figure booted in coup may return from exile

(Newser) - Deposed former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is poised to return from exile now that the party supporting him won the most seats in parliament in today's elections, according to exit polls. It was unclear, however, whether the pro-Thaksin People Power party gained an absolute majority. If not, opposition parties...

Thailand Gets Second Chance at Democracy

No clear frontrunner before Sunday's first vote since coup

(Newser) - Thailand goes to the polls on Sunday to vote in the first government since the coup d'état of September 2006. Two men are vying to become prime minister: Samak Sundaravej, 72, a political veteran and ally of the ousted leadership; and Abhisit Vejjajiva, nearly 30 years his junior, who...

In Thailand, Everyone Wants to Be in the Pink

The king goes pastel; a fashion craze is born

(Newser) - On the advice of royal astrologers, the ailing Thai king has added pink to his wardrobe, sparking a national fashion trend. The chromatic rush had one clothing chain selling 40,000 pink shirts this month, BBC reports. A woman camping out in a line to buy one said, “Wearing...

Pedophile Suspect Busted
Pedophile Suspect Busted

Pedophile Suspect Busted

Thai police arrest Canadian schoolteacher accused of sexually abusing young boys

(Newser) - The worldwide Interpol hunt for a Canadian schoolteacher accused of sexually abusing young boys in Asia has ended: Thai police this morning caught up with Christopher Paul Neil in northeastern Thailand. "Bingo! We've got him," said a local police chief after arresting Neil, 32, in his rented room,...

Interpol IDs Serial Pedophile in Scrambled Web Photos

Cops: Canadian teacher hiding out in Bangkok

(Newser) - Interpol has identified a suspected serial pedophile who posted altered photos of himself with as many as 12 boys he apparently molested in Vietnam and Cambodia, reports Reuters. Agents identified Christopher Paul Neil, a Canadian English teacher who has taught at Asian schools, after Interpol released digitally unscrambled photos from...

Go Where the $ Is Still Good
Go Where the $ Is Still Good

Go Where the $ Is Still Good

Planning to travel? Head to a country where flashing a few dead presidents still means something

(Newser) - It hurts when even a dollar-friendly country like Canada is giving your green the cold shoulder. Get your money's worth in these countries from foXnoMad:
  1. Morocco
  2. Thailand
  3. Mexico

Bank Gives Shy Thais Condoms
Bank Gives Shy Thais Condoms

Bank Gives Shy Thais Condoms

Thailand bank fights aids with free hand outs

(Newser) - Some unusual withdrawals will be taking place later this month as Thailand's Kasikorn Bank begins giving away free condoms, branded with the bank's logo, at its 600 branches.  Called "Condoms for Confidence," the campaign to combat the spread of AIDS  seeks to alleviate embarrassment felt by many...

'I Knew We Were Going to Crash'
'I Knew We Were Going to Crash'

'I Knew We Were Going to Crash'

Survivors tell of aborted landing as investigators probe for clues

(Newser) - Investigators have begun sifting through the smoldering wreckage of a Thai airliner which broke in two as it landed in a severe rainstorm  on the popular resort island of Phuket. "I saw the grass and knew we were going to crash," recalled one of 42 survivors of the...

Death Toll at 88 in Thai Air Crash
Death Toll at 88 in Thai Air Crash

Death Toll at 88 in Thai Air Crash

Survivor says plane tried to land too fast in torrential rain

(Newser) - The death toll has risen to 88 in the crash of a budget airliner on a Thai island resort today, Reuters reports. Officials said the plane broke up and burst into flames as it tried to land in torrential rain.The 42 survivors are being treated for a variety of...

66 Dead in Thai Jet Crash
66 Dead in Thai Jet Crash

66 Dead in Thai Jet Crash

(Newser) - As many as 100 people were feared dead yesterday as a Thai plane ripped in two and exploded in flames in heavy rain as it touched down in the popular tourist resort of Phuket island. Some 20 passengers appeared to scramble to safety as smoke engulfed the budget jetliner operated...

$100 Laptop Price Hits $188
$100 Laptop Price Hits $188

$100 Laptop Price Hits $188

3 million orders, fourth price increase for One Laptop Per Child

(Newser) - The famous but increasingly misnamed “$100 laptop” will actually cost $188—the fourth price increase for the innovative device designed for nonprofit group One Laptop Per Child, reports the AP. While still a bargain, the bump could scare off developing governments fixed on the “fanciful $100-per-child figure,”...

Stories 421 - 440 | << Prev   Next >>