Author: Desk Team

ANKARA (AFP) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov began a two-day visit to Turkey on Tuesday (June 7) for talks on unblocking grain exports from Ukraine, which have been stalled by Moscow's offensive. The plane carrying Lavrov landed at the airport in the Turkish capital Ankara, an AFP photographer saw. This is Lavrov's second trip to Turkey after meeting his Turkish and Ukrainian counterparts Mevlut Cavusoglu and Dmytro Kuleba in Antalya on March 10. Lavrov was forced to cancel a visit to Serbia on Monday after several of its neighbours prevented his plane from passing through their airspace. At the request of the United Nations, Turkey has offered its services to escort maritime convoys from Ukrainian ports, despite the presence of mines - some of which have been detected near th...

Prof Soraj Hongladarom of Chulalongkorn University. 'Many of the new generation do not believe in Buddhism because of some monks' inappropriate conduct." "I am an atheist. Can I change the religion on my identification card to be 'no religion'?" These discussions are seen widely across social media as more and more young people express doubt about religion, especially Buddhism, which is the largest faith in Thailand. Over the past months, reports of monks behaving badly have soured young people towards the faith. Many monastic members -- including well-known and high-ranking monks -- have drawn criticism after being caught engaging in sexual conduct, drinking alcohol and owning luxurious material possessions. Because of this, young people say they have lost faith in Buddhism, preferrin...

Thailand's PMI figure for May is in the same positive territory as Vietnam Mechanics inspect a car on a Honda assembly line in Prachin Buri. (Photo: Pattanapong Hirunard) Thai manufacturing grew for the fifth consecutive month in May despite a fall in demand, with safety stock building one of the key factors driving the expansion. The S&P Global Thailand Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) measured 51.9 in May, unchanged from April. The PMI figure represents manufacturing performance, and a number above 50 indicates expansion. The figure is calculated using Thai purchasing managers' responses to questions about their new orders, output, employment, suppliers' delivery times, and stocks of purchases. But the increase did not reflect an improvement in demand as overall new orders, including ...

Urgent UN appeal to Myanmar junta to halt executions Myanmar migrant workers demonstrate against the military coup and to demand the restoration of democracy in their country during a protest to mark May Day, in Bangkok, on May 1, 2022. (File photo: Reuters) The United Nations rights chief said Tuesday Myanmar's junta has likely committed crimes against humanity and urged authorities to stop planned executions, including of prominent democracy activists. Myanmar's military seized power on February 1 last year, ousting the civilian government and arresting its de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. The junta has since waged a bloody crackdown on dissent. The UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned that going ahead with the country's first judicial executions since 1...

Japan defence chief conveys concern to China over flight with Russia A Russian TU-95 bomber and Chinese H-6 bombers fly over the East China Sea in this handout picture taken by Japan Air Self-Defence Force and released by the Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan, May 24, 2022. (via Reuters photo) Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi conveyed to his Chinese counterpart on Sunday concern over a recent joint flight by Chinese and Russian bombers near Japan as a "show of force" against his nation. Kishi told reporters after a meeting with Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in Singapore that he called for China's "self-restraint" in the East China and South China seas, airing strong concern over Beijing's ongoing "unilateral attempts to alter the status quo by force." Meanwhile, the two min...

BEIJING (AP) — Allegations of human rights abuses in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region will dominate a visit by the United Nations’ top rights official that began Monday. Michelle Bachelet’s trip is the first to China by a U.N. high commissioner for human rights since 2005, and rights groups warn it threatens to whitewash abuses by the ruling Communist Party in Xinjiang. China locked up an estimated million or more members of Uyghur, Kazakh and other Muslim minorities in what critics describe as a campaign to obliterate their distinct cultural identities. China says it has nothing to hide and welcomes all those without political bias to visit Xinjiang and view what it describes as a successful campaign to restore order and ethnic cohesion. Bachelet began her six-day visit in the sout

Foreign tourists take snaps in Old Phuket Town. The island has seen positive signs of growth following the recent easing in travel restrictions. (Photo: Dusida Worrachaddejchai) The tourism industry is finally seeing positive signs in terms of arrivals following the relaxation of entry rules, sparking hopes of a recovery. Thailand welcomed 1.4 million tourists during the first five months of 2022, a significant increase on 427,869 arrivals recorded for the whole of last year, said Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn. The agency is planning to hold discussions with airlines to restore international connectivity by August at the earliest. Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, TAT deputy governor for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, said direct routes via...

British man convicted of infamous 'body in suitcase' murder Shane Kenneth Looker was photographed at immigration when he entered Thailand in late 2014. He was convicted of the 'body in a suitcase' murder on Tuesday. (Photo via Royal Thai Police) A court in Kanchanaburi on Tuesday convicted a British man of the 2014 murder of a woman whose dismembered body was found in a suitcase dumped in a river. Shane Kenneth Looker was given an eight-year prison sentence for killing 27-year-old sex worker Laxami Manochat in a hotel room and disposing of her body. Police said the 51-year-old had been photographed with Laxami -- nicknamed "Pook" -- leaving a Bangkok go-go bar on Nov 1, 2014, before the pair were seen entering a hotel together. Only Looker was seen leaving the premises, with a bellboy...

Anger, praise in China after Eileen Gu reveals US Olympic bid role Skiing star Eileen Gu was born in California to an American father and a Chinese mother, and chose to compete as a Chinese athlete. NEW YORK: China's US-born double gold medallist Eileen Gu said Tuesday that she will be an ambassador for Salt Lake City's Winter Olympics bid, sparking both anger and support on social media in China. Born in California to an American father and Chinese mother, the freestyle skier switched to represent China in 2019 and captured the hearts of the host nation at the Beijing Games in February. But the 18-year-old, who won two golds and a silver, also drew scrutiny over her nationality. She repeatedly dodged questions about whether she had relinquished her American passport for a Chinese one....

Muslims worldwide outraged by statements made by spokeswoman for ruling party in Delhi Muslims take part in a procession after Friday prayers in Dhaka, Bangladesh to protest against blasphemous comments made by a spokeswoman for India’s ruling party. (Reuters Photo) NEW DELHI: Indian police shot dead two protesters and arrested more than 130 others during street rallies sparked by a ruling party official’s remarks about the Prophet Mohammed, authorities said on Saturday. There have been widespread protests around the Muslim world since last week, when a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party commented on the relationship between the prophet and his youngest wife on a TV debate show. In India and neighbouring countries, Muslims took to the streets in huge numbers after Fri