ClubSocial

North Korea state media says denuclearization includes 'eliminating US nuclear threat'

SEOUL - North Korea's commitment to the "denuclearization of the Korean peninsula" also includes "completely eliminating the US nuclear threat to Korea," North Korean state media said on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a joint statement after their historic meeting in Singapore in June that reaffirmed the North's commitment to "work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" and gave US guarantees of security to North Korea.

from Asia
Read More

Angry South Korean taxi drivers rally against carpooling service

SEOUL - Tens of thousands of South Korean taxi drivers walked off the job and held a rally on Thursday (Dec 20) to protest against a carpooling service that they say would destroy their jobs and threaten their livelihoods.

The demonstration came days after the suicide of a taxi driver who set himself on a fire to protest against plans to introduce car-pooling service Kakao Mobility, a unit of mobile messenger operator Kakao Corp.

from Asia
Read More

Maya Bay boundary installed to block tourist access

Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park head Woraphot Lomlim on Wednesday said officials installed tiny boundary buoys and red flags to warn tourists not to swim into Maya Bay, which has been closed indefinitely to allow a full recovery of the coral reef,

The move was because it was reported that some tour boats suggested tourists swim in Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi.

The tour boats could not come into the bay as boundary buoys had been installed to block them, Woraphot said.

from Asia
Read More

'I thought it was an earthquake': Giant sinkhole opens on busy Surabaya road

SURABAYA - A giant sinkhole has appeared in the middle of a busy road in Surabaya, East Java, on Tuesday night, swallowing part of the four-lane Jl. Raya Gubeng and measuring roughly 30 meters wide and 15 meters deep.

The police have cordoned off the area and arranged a traffic detour.

Thousands of vehicles pass the road every day. It usually takes five minutes to travel the entire length of Jl. Gubeng, but now takes roughly one hour.

from Asia
Read More

Korean Air worker awarded $24,000 compensation over 'nut rage' incident

SEOUL - Korean Air on Wednesday (Dec 19) was ordered to pay 20 million won (S$24,300) to a flight attendant who was kicked off an airplane by the firm's heiress in 2014 in a now infamous "nut rage" episode.

The incident, where heiress Cho Hyun-ah angrily ejected the chief of the cabin crew from a taxiing airplane after being served macadamia nuts in a bag instead of a bowl, made global headlines.

from Asia
Read More

Thai Youtuber faces legal woes after Miss Universe dress comments

BANGKOK - A Thai YouTube personality is facing defamation charges after making comments about dresses worn by Thailand's Miss Universe candidate, one of which was designed by a daughter of the country's king.

The monarchy is considered sacred in Thai society and few dare to criticise the institution for fear of running afoul of strict royal insult laws, which are supposed to only cover the king, queen, heir apparent and regent.

But criticism of other members of the royal family is still considered off-limits for members of the Thai public.

from Asia
Read More

George H. W. Bush secretly sponsored Filipino boy, letters reveal

CHICAGO - To the boy in the Philippines, his American benefactor and source of kind letters and gifts was known simply as "G. Walker". To the Christian charity helping to keep the man's benevolence secret from the world, he was George Herbert Walker Bush - the 41st president of the United States.

Compassion International, which helps poor children around the world through a network of local churches, revealed for the first time this week that the late president, who died last month, had quietly sponsored a Filipino boy named Timothy for 10 years.

from Asia
Read More

Female muay thai champ found hanged in boarding house

A world muay thai champion was found hanged in her room at a boarding house near her university in Ratchaburi's Mueang district yesterday morning, police said on Tuesday.

Police were alerted after Nitiyaporn Srisalai, 22, was found hanging from a nylon rope attached to the door frame at the back of the room, in Moo 5 village in Tambon Don Tako. Police did not find any trace of foul play, but there was a half-finished bottle of whisky in the room.

from Asia
Read More

Thai man arrested for refusing to return tourist's lost smartphone

A Thai man was arrested on Wednesday for refusing to return a smartphone to a Russian tourist who dropped it on a South Pattaya road three days ago.

Pattaya police chief Pol Colonel Apichai Krobphet said Niyom Sukcharoen, 64, faced a theft charge for refusing to report finding the Xiaomi Mi8 smartphone.

from Asia
Read More

S. Korean grain silo transforms into world's largest mural

A dreary grain silo that was transformed into an enormous colourful artwork in South Korea has been named by Guinness World Records as the largest outdoor mural in the world.

The painting which depicts a young boy's journey into adulthood covers the outside of giant storage containers in the port city of Incheon, west of Seoul, taking up 23,688 square meters.

from Asia
Read More

Doctor in Thailand shocked as addict father gives 6-year-old son meth

BANGKOK - The drug problem in Khon Kaen province has escalated to the point where a six-year-old boy recently needed psychiatric care at a local hospital after being allegedly fed with methamphetamine pills diluted in water for a drugs run by his addict father.

The boy's grandmother had taken him to hospital to get treated after catching him threatening to set fire to their house, the unnamed doctor at Somdej Phra Yupparaj Kra Nuan Hospital said.

from Asia
Read More

Elderly man lived with wife's corpse for a year in Japan

AN elderly man in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan, lived with the body of his wife for over a year but it was only recently that he found out that she did not have any identity documents, China Press reported.

The corpse was discovered after Okuda Yoshihisa, 74, left it behind when their house was scheduled for demolishment.

Contractors found the highly decomposed corpse when they checked on the unit and alerted police.

from Asia
Read More

Thailand's first 'test-tube boy' fathers natural-born child

A healthy baby was born to Thailand's first "test tube" man on Sunday, helping confirm the safety of the widely used, assisted reproductive technique.

Thirty-one years ago, Pavornvit "Mung Ming" Srisahaburi, was conceived outside his mother's womb in a lab in Chulalongkorn Hospital. Today, he is an engineer and a father.

"My wife and my son are perfectly healthy," he told reporters at a press conference at Chulalongkorn University yesterday. Pavornvit's son "Delta" was conceived naturally and delivered naturally on Sunday.

from Asia
Read More

Miss Vietnam's rise 'from nothing' continues to inspire fans after Miss Universe stint

Miss Vietnam H'hen Nie made history for her country as the first contestant to reach the top five in Miss Universe.

Besides bringing pride to her country, she gained global admiration for her success story and how she carried herself throughout the competition.

Nie, 26, was a standout from the start with her fierce pixie cut and glowing brown skin. She even dared to wear trousers at the event known for long shimmering gowns - and pulled off her own show-stopping walk with the flowing train of her yellow gown.

from Asia
Read More

Japan to get first post-WWII aircraft carriers

Japan will get its first aircraft carriers since World War II and buy dozens of fighter jets under a new defence plan approved Tuesday that is intended to counter China's growing military power.

The new five-year defence plan calls for the upgrade of two existing helicopter carriers so that they can launch fighters, and is the latest in a series of steps under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to boost Japan's military.

from Asia
Read More

Bangladesh's most celebrated swimmer hangs up trunks at 67

After nearly half a century navigating Bangladesh's thousands of miles of rivers, the country's most celebrated swimmer has hung up his trunks -- but not before one final, arduous paddle upstream.

Kshitindra Baisya, 67, plans to spend his retirement on dry land inspiring younger generations to embrace the water in a country criss-crossed by huge rivers but where few swim.

"I didn't have much idea about the beauty of this country until I swam dozens of its rivers," Baisya told AFP.

from Asia
Read More

North Korean media warns of 'unhealthy ideas' spread by mobile phones

SEOUL - North Korea's main state newspaper warned on Tuesday (Dec 18) of the "negative impact" from mobile phone use around the world, as both legal and illicit communications devices proliferate in the isolated country.

Rodong Sinmun published an article citing a ban on phones in classrooms in France and reports of technology-enabled cheating in India and argued that mobile devices were spreading "decadent and reactionary ideological culture".

from Asia
Read More

Deadly pesticide in temple food that killed 15 in India

NEW DELHI - A toxic pesticide that a UN agency wanted India to ban a decade ago contaminated food that killed at least 15 people at a temple last week, police said on Tuesday (Dec 18).

More than 100 also had to go to hospital after devotees consumed portions of tomato rice blessed at the Hindu temple in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

A senior police officer told Reuters laboratory tests showed the presence of monocrotophos - a pesticide which attacks the nerves - in food and vomit samples.

from Asia
Read More

Korean Air to raise refund fees after K-pop fans get the picture, then get off the flight

SEOUL - Korean Air Lines Co Ltd said on Tuesday (Dec 18) it will raise refund penalties after K-pop fans got on a plane only to take pictures of a boy band on the flight, then demanded to get off before it departed and got refunds on their tickets.

The three fans of K-pop band Wanna One boarded the Seoul-bound Korean Air flight in Hong Kong on Saturday (Dec 15), ignored flight attendants' requests to be seated and instead took pictures of the 11-member band.

from Asia
Read More

Thai police asked to investigate photos of sexy model in Old Phuket Town

PHUKET - Local officials are being asked to investigate "inappropriate photos" of a "sexy model" taken in Old Phuket Town and posted on an Instagram account.

The Phuket Times newspaper has reported that the issue broke in a LINE group "TAT Phuket & Media", which was established by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office to co-operate with media.

Photos that show pictures of a "sexy model" on Thalang Road in Old Phuket Town have been captured from an Instagram account "phuketproduction".

from Asia
Read More

Pages

Total Pageviews

Highlights Today !

Most viewed post