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Senior Thai politician who slapped reporter to be investigated
Thai parliament to investigate Prawit Wongsuwon after he repeatedly hit a journalist as she tried to ask him questions
Thailand’s parliament has said it will investigate a senior politician and former army chief after he was filmed slapping a reporter as she tried to ask him questions.
Prawit Wongsuwon lashed out at a journalist from the public broadcaster ThaiPBS on Friday as she asked him about the appointment of Paetongtarn Shinawatra as the kingdom’s new prime minister.
Prawit, 79, was filmed hitting Duangthip Yiamphop several times around the head as he left a building, demanding: “What are you asking? What? What?”
Prawit, who was Thailand’s army chief in the early 2000s, was one of the architects of the 2014 coup that ousted Paetongtarn’s aunt and the then prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra.
He went on to serve as deputy prime minister under the military-backed government that ruled until last year.
The Thai parliament said in a statement that it would investigate the slapping after ThaiPBS made a formal complaint. Prawit could face suspension as an MP or a lifetime ban if he is found guilty of a serious ethical violation.
The Thai Journalists Association condemned Prawit for using “violence against a journalist”. It said it “considers his actions to be threatening and harassing toward the rights and freedom of the press”.
Noppadol Srihatai, the executive editor of ThaiPBS, told reporters that Prawit’s actions “threaten journalism”. “He was seen hurting a reporter and we cannot accept it. As a public organisation, we must protect journalists’ rights so that media work won’t be affected in the future,” Noppadol said.
Prawit has apologised to Duangthip, saying he “did not have any bad intention”.
He has been one of Thailand’s most influential dealmakers over the past two decades of turbulence and a key figure in the conservative, pro-military, pro-royalist establishment.
He was subject to a graft investigation in 2018 over his collection of luxury watches after online sleuths found old photos of him wearing at least 22 different timepieces, including 11 Rolexes, but the National Anti-Corruption Commission dropped the case.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/22/senior-thai-politician-who-slapped-reporter-to-be-investigated
@jesusredeemedme2425 Well, some aspects of foreign countries aren't too difficult from our own... 😏
Man arrested at airport after opening plane door and walking on wing
MELBOURNE, Australia — A passenger was arrested at an airport in Australia after he left a stationary airliner through an emergency exit, walked along a wing, and then climbed down a jet engine to the tarmac on Thursday, officials said.
Jetstar Flight JQ507 had arrived at Melbourne Airport from Sydney and had parked at a terminal gate when the man left the plane by the right-side exit, officials said.
Opening the exit automatically deployed a slide from the back of the wing at the fuselage to the ground, a Jetstar statement said. But the man instead walked along the wing and climbed down one of the Airbus A320’s two engines, an official said.
Passenger Audrey Varghese said passengers screamed and shrieked as the man began “erratic” behavior shortly before he opened the hatch.
“The man was exhibiting some quite strange behavior,” Varghese told Melbourne Radio 3AW.
“As soon as the plane started coming to a stop, he immediately got up and charged to where the emergency exit row is,” Varghese added.
Australian Federal Police officers had been alerted by Jetstar staff and arrested the man for “alleged aggressive behavior and breaching aircraft safety protocols,” a police statement said.
He was assessed by paramedics and taken to a hospital where he remains for further assessment, the police statement said.
Police were continuing to investigate and charges were likely to be laid at a later date, they said.
Melbourne Airport said the man was detained by aircrew and ground staff before police arrested him.
“Melbourne Airport is proud of the exceptional response from ground crew, which meant there was no immediate danger to other passengers or airport staff,” an airport statement said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/man-arrested-airport-opening-plane-door-walking-wing-rcna167706
Mali declares state of national disaster over flooding
Taliban codify morality laws requiring Afghan women to cover faces, men to grow beards
Icelandic volcano eruption slows down, spa resort evacuated
Trigger-warning-
@jesusredeemedme2425 I just heard that people are protesting against birds are not real😕 that they are goverment drones to help them sex traffic more easily😕
Um..!??? What this isn't, um!???
@Tinywhisper11 It's a running joke online...the whole "birds aren't real" thing. It's meant to make fun of people who believe in conspiracy theories. Or at least that's how it started. If some people actually take it seriously now, I wouldn't be surprised a bit.
@slowdecline48 ohh ok ❤ thankyou ❤ I thought it must be some sort of joke
@Tinywhisper11
Honestly, there are people who will believe ANYTHING... If someone said the sky is actually hot pink, someone would believe it. lol
@jesusredeemedme2425. Yeah. But they confuse my poor little tiny brain.
@Tinywhisper11
I didn't mean you hehe. I meant like the people who believe the earth is flat. Those kinda people. lol
@jesusredeemedme2425 yeah I know what you meant ❤ just conspiracy theories are cool, but confusing😂😂
Alligators are the reason for global warming. They fart too much.
@jesusredeemedme2425 Not quite. The main sources of methane are cows & morbidly obese Americans...admittedly, it isn't always easy to distinguish one from the other.
@slowdecline48
*raises hand* I am a big contributor. hehe
Analysis: Central bank pivots signal more turbulence
JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (Reuters) - Growing signs of lackluster growth and risks emerging to the job market overshadowed a gathering of global policymakers at the U.S. Federal Reserve's annual Jackson Hole conference, highlighting the changing trajectory of monetary policy as U.S. and European central banks eye cutting interest rates.
Even as the focus of U.S. and European central bankers shifts from high inflation to softening job markets, the Bank of Japan reaffirmed its resolve to wean its economy off decades of monetary support amid growing signs of sustained price growth.
The divergence in policy direction, coupled with lingering weakness in China, the world's second-largest economy, point to turbulent times for the global economy and financial markets.
The policymakers who met at the annual economic symposium already had a taste of what may come when weak U.S. jobs data earlier this month stoked recession fears and triggered a market rout aggravated by the BOJ's surprise rate hike in July.
[text color emphases mine]
Huge 2,492-carat diamond, believed to be world’s second-largest, unearthed in Botswana
A massive 2,492-carat rough diamond, believed to be the second biggest ever found, has been unearthed in Botswana, according to a mining company.
The huge stone is thought to be the biggest found since the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905.
Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. announced Thursday that the “exceptional” gem was found intact in its Karowe mine.
Calling it a “remarkable” find, the company celebrated it as “one of the largest rough diamonds ever unearthed.”
It was detected, unearthed and recovered thanks to the company’s Mega Diamond Recovery (MDR) X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology, which is designed to “identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds,” the company said in a press release.
William Lamb, president and CEO of Lucara, said in the release: “We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492 carat diamond.”
Rough diamonds are usually classified as being gem-quality, near-gem or industrial-quality, depending on their color, clarity, size and shape.
Prior to the latest announcement, the second largest discovery was thought to be the Lesedi La Rona, a 1,109-carat stone also found by Lucara at the Karowe mine in 2015. The diamond was sold to luxury jeweler Graff for $53 million two years later.
Lucara’s spokeswoman said the company had found found six of the top 10 diamonds ever discovered.
The stone will be properly evaluated over the coming weeks, the spokeswoman added.
The diamond is due to be presented to Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Last month, Botswana, the world’s biggest diamond producer by value, proposed a law to request that, once they are granted licenses, mining companies sell a 24% stake in mines to local investors unless the government exercises its option to acquire the shareholding, according to Reuters.
The record-breaking 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond was found in 1905 at the Premier mine in Transvaal, now South Africa. It was subsequently cut into smaller stones, some of which form part of the British royal family’s crown jewels.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/22/style/diamond-botswana-scli-intl/index.html
@jesusredeemedme2425 Soon as I find out where they're keeping it & when it's time to ship it to some high-security facility, I'm putting a crew together. Do you want in? 😷
@jesusredeemedme2425
On Hawaii’s Big Island, Hurricane Hone Brings Heavy Rain but No Major Damage
More than 20,000 customers were without power by Sunday afternoon, but neither the winds nor the flooding from the storm were dramatic.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/25/us/hurricane-hone-hawaii-damage.html?smid=url-share
USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in Middle East
Thursday, 08/22/24
The aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its strike group are now operating in the Middle Eastern waters of U.S. Central Command as the Pentagon aims to strengthen its presence amid heightened tensions in the region.
Escalations stem from the recent k*11ings of top leaders of Iran-backed militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah in suspected Israeli strikes, while U.S. forces experience continued attacks in Iraq and Syria that U.S. leaders attribute to militias supported by Iran.
As a result, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Aug. 11 instructed the Abraham Lincoln, then operating in the Indo-Pacific en route to the Middle East, to expedite its arrival to the region.
- from the Army Times