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👋 Haaahe!* Welcome to Friday, where Vladimir Putin warns Western troops deployed to Ukraine would be “legitimate targets,” Afghanistan is struck by third quake as death roll tops 2,200, and today’s quiz question is about David Bowie’s secret final project. Meanwhile, Bogotá-based daily El Espectador examines the debate over banning former Colombian soldiers from fighting […]
👋 Yokwe!* Welcome to Thursday, where Israel receives a new “workable” ceasefire proposal from Hamas, the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia escalates following deadly military clashes and our daily quiz question is about a fake ambassador. Meanwhile, Rina Nikolaeva for independent Russian media Vazhnyye Istorii looks at why the Kremlin has been systematically shutting off […]
👋 Goeie!* Welcome to Tuesday, where dozens of NGOs and charities call for the controversial Israeli and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to be shut down, Thailand’s prime minister is suspended over a leaked phone call and our daily quiz question involves an emotional rollercoaster for Norwegians. Meanwhile, Rabea Weihser for German weekly Die Zeit explores […]
👋 Сайн уу* Welcome to Tuesday, where Israel orders new strikes on Iran as it says Tehran violated a ceasefire announced by Trump, NATO leaders meet Tuesday in The Hague, and today’s quiz question comes from under the sea. Meanwhile, Gazeta Wyborcza’s Anna S. Dębowska tells the story of the Polish influencer suing Netflix for […]
In the TV show’s new season, Thailand is portrayed as a playground for white debauchery, where anything goes. Despite its obvious criticism of a certain kind of tourism, the show still reduces the country to a digestible set of iconic images for the audience, just like many Hollywood movies.
Among the images, are photos from Thailand, Gaza, Turkey, Japan — among other places.
Updated July 2, 2024 at 11:30 p.m. On this day in 2018, rescue divers found 12 boys along with their soccer coach trapped in Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex in Thailand. How did the rescue divers locate the boys and their coach in the cave? The rescue divers used a combination of methods to […]
Canada has become the most recent country to impose restrictions on non-residents buying real estate, arguing that wealthy investors from other countries are pricing out would-be local homeowners. But is singling out foreigners the best way to face a troubled housing market?
Thai voters spoke in favor of Pita Limjaroenrat’s Move Forward party, bringing hopes of in-depth reform of the country’s institutions. But that doesn’t guarantee Thailand’s opposition forces will be able to form a government, or that the military will ultimately give way.
? Kaixo!* Welcome to Monday, where the Omicron variant prompts new restrictions and border closures, talks on Iran’s nuclear deal resume in Vienna and Thailand’s monkey festival is back. We also take you on an international journey into the wonderfully weird world of microstates. [*Kie-sho, Basque] SIGN UP This is our daily newsletter Worldcrunch […]
? Здравейте!* Welcome to Monday, where an apparent coup is underway in Sudan, Colombia’s most-wanted drug lord gets caught, and Michael Jordan’s rookie sneakers score an auction record. We also focus on a report that the Thai government is abusing the country’s centuries-old law to protect the monarchy from criticism (lèse-majesté) to target pro-democracy activists […]
Once meant to protect the royal family, the century-old law has become a tool for the military-led government in Bangkok to stamp out all dissent. A new report outlines the abuses.
For the first time in 20 years, Myanmar regime fighter jets dropped bombs on territory partly controlled by the KNU, an armed group that has been fighting the central government for seven decades and bears the name of a large ethnic minority, the Karen.
East Asia is home to 30% of the world’s population but has recorded only 2.4% of the COVID-19 global death toll. Scientists are looking at possible immunity from past epidemics or even genetics.
In two very different parts of the world, seemingly impenetrable authoritarian regimes suddenly appear under siege by popular democratic uprisings. But as protesters take to the streets in Belarus and Thailand — and garner widespread international support — it still remains unclear if they’ll be able to turn their mass demonstrations into tangible change. Flawed […]
In the rush to vilify ‘irresponsible’ young people, we too often overlook the efforts they’re making every day to help us through the pandemic and make the world a better place.
Welcome to Monday, where Myanmar’s death toll keeps rising, more countries suspend AstraZeneca vaccine and Beyoncé makes Grammy history. Le Monde takes us to northern Morocco where the closure of the border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta has led to the collapse of an entire ecosystem. • Myanmar’s deadliest day: Myanmar’s junta imposed martial […]
In the Thai capital, I remember being treated to a lavish meal involving a variety of authentic Thai dishes, all the while watching a traditional dance performance. Here, the famous — not to mention peculiar — “fingernail dance.”
A Czech entrepreneur is ready to mass-produce insects and turn them into a marketable, protein-rich food staple. Now he just needs buyers.
BANGKOK — Luzviminda Siapo is telling me about the day her 19-year-old son was killed — that was just seven months ago. He was dragged from his home by 14 masked men and shot in the head twice. Witnesses say he was ordered to run for his life before being shot. “He just couldn’t run, he had club feet,” Luzviminda told me. I met Luzviminda along with The Philippines Human Rights Commissioner, Leah Tanodra-Armamento. The pair were visiting Thailand last month, sharing stories of Filipinos killed in the country’s so-called ‘war on drugs.” It’s been 16 months since Rodrigo Duterte […]
Refugees in the border town of Mae Sod are uniting across ethnic lines to defend their rights against unscrupulous employers and Thai authorities keen to send them back.
Nirvana comes at a price — and a weight: 5.5 tons of gold, to be more precise, in the case of the Golden Buddha, in Bangkok’s Wat Traimit temple.
BANGKOK — Three years ago, on May 22, 2014, members of parliament gathered to find a solution to Thailand’s political crisis. But the politicians were swiftly captured by the army, and sent to military camps. The country’s democratically elected government was overthrown in a military coup, and the coup’s leader, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, declared that military rule was necessary to put a lid on escalating political turmoil before it boiled over. He said it would be brief, just enough to ensure stability and order. “We will return to you your happiness,” the general said, and citizens would be able to […]
Behold this mighty Kinnari statue, half-human and half-bird, keeping an eye on Bangkok“s holy Wat Phra Kaew temple. See more slides from My Grand-Père’s World here.
Navigating the khlong canals of Bangkok is quite a different experience from being on a Venetian gondola. No rowing oars here, but the famous longtail engine – basically a car engine attached to a propeller. See more slides from My Grand-Père’s World.
These wooden statues of Thai gods and warriors, in a carving workshop in southeastern Thailand“s Sanctuary of Truth, conjure up memories of other immutable soldiers: China’s famous Terracotta Army. See more slides from My Grand-Père’s World.
Flowers and clothes drying are regular features of backyards bordering the khlong canals of Bangkok. This picture, taken from a boat, also shows what is probably a Buddhist shrine of sorts — but definitely looked like a fancy birdhouse to me.
“The King is dead,” writes the Post Today on its black-and-white front page Friday, a day after Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej died in Bangkok at age 88. Having spent 70 years as head of state, King Bhumidol was the world’s longest-reigning monarch, as well as the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha […]
Meet Thotsakan, a demon from the Hindu epic Ramakien guarding one of the entrances to Bangkok’s Wat Arun Buddhist temple.
The current deadly war on drugs in the Philippines echoes what happened in Thailand in the early 2000s — massive arrests and a wave of extrajudicial killings. Officials in Bangkok now admit the crackdown didn’t work, th
SPOTLIGHT: EXPLOSIONS IN THAILAND, QUESTIONS OF LABEL Thailand was hit by a series of coordinated blasts across the country last night and early this morning, leaving four people dead and 34 injured. The Bangkok Post reports that the heaviest damage was in the resort town of Hua Hin, where explosions killed two and injured dozens, […]
While other tourists were busy buying “traditional” crafts, I took many pictures of members, young and old, of the Hmong people of Chiang Rai, in northern Thailand.
There was a documentary on French TV a couple of days ago about the khlong canals that crisscross Bangkok. Not much seems to have changed since I went there 23 years ago, except for one thing: Running water has made its way to the nearby houses, so people no longer drink directly from the turbid […]
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A campaign to see Buddhism become the country’s official religion has exposed an ugly rift that could have serious consequences for the Muslim minority.
If you want to catch a glimpse of the Emerald Buddha inside Bangkok“s Wat Phra Kaew, the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand, you first have to make it past the two imposing demon statues.
Every single piece of furniture handcarved in the Chiang Mai area is unique, featuring detailed scenes from Buddhist scriptures in beautiful teak or rose wood. I would have brought one of these chests back home, but I feared they were too delicate to be shipped by plane.
One of the few wonders of this world that my wife and I did not get to see is Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple. Still, in Thailand we visited one of the finest examples of Khmer architecture: the Prasat Hin Phimai temple, which used to be connected with Angkor by the Ancient Khmer Highway.