Friday, 29 Nov 2024

Asia

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Thai princess in extraordinary poll bid

The eldest sister of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has joined the race to be the country’s next prime minister. Princess Ubolratana Mahidol, 67, will stand for a party allied to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, according to registration papers. Traditionally the Thai royal family stays out of politics, so this is an unprecedented move. Thailand’s […]

SingPost warns against fake 'lucky draw' messages from scammers

SINGAPORE – SingPost has issued an alert warning people not to be taken in by text messages from scammers. The postal service provider uploaded a photo of one such fake message on its Facebook page on Thursday (Feb 7). The message claims that recipients have won a prize in SingPost’s “January Prize Draw”, and tells […]

KL minister in hot water over his 'fake degree'

KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia’s Deputy Foreign Minister was urged to resign yesterday following allegations that he lied about having a degree from Cambridge University, with an opposition lawmaker accusing him of “deceiving the people”. Datuk Marzuki Yahya’s educational background came under scrutiny after doubts were raised on social media that he had a distance-learning degree […]

The flood was extraordinary, but so was Australians' response

TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA (NYTIMES) – On the 12th day of rain, Ross and Kate Bennett were among the only residents on their street, where the water had risen so high that at one point, Mrs Bennett couldn’t walk into her yard, lest she be swept underwater. After the record-breaking rains subsided, they looked around: The furniture […]

The princess upending Thai politics

Thai politics has taken many bizarre turns in recent years. The submission of King Vajiralongkorn’s elder sister as a prime ministerial candidate is one of the strangest, and turns politics on its head. Former Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi is the candidate for the Raksa Chart party, which is closely linked to former Prime Minister […]

Malaysia deputy foreign minister Marzuki's alma mater has 'fashion model' faculty members, dead e-mail addresses

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Suspicions continue to be raised over the dubious US-based Cambridge International University from which Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Marzuki Yahya obtained his degree in business administration. Checks on the faculty members list on the website found one “associate professor” Dr Patricia Powell, whose profile picture bears the watermark […]

Delhi enjoys unusual hail spectacle

India’s capital Delhi was hit by a strong hailstorm on Thursday, turning the city white and leaving people stunned and delighted. Pictures and videos posted on social media show cherry-sized ice balls and streets covered in white. Many people compared the unusual sight to scenes from Chicago or London. Hailstorms “are not rare for Delhi, […]

Thailand launches Huawei 5G test bed, even as US urges allies to bar Chinese gear

BANGKOK (REUTERS) – Thailand on Friday (Feb 8) launched a Huawei Technologies 5G test bed, even as the United States urges its allies to bar the Chinese telecoms giant from building next-generation mobile networks. Huawei, the world’s top producer of telecoms equipment and second-biggest maker of smartphones, has been facing mounting international scrutiny amid fears […]