Israel PM restores access after Latin Patriarch blocked from Holy Sepulchre
Israel PM restores access after Latin Patriarch blocked from Holy SepulchreLatin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was blocked by police from accessing the Church of the Holy SepulchreJERUSALEM - Israel said the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem would regain access to Christianity's holiest site after the decision to block him from entering the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday triggered international condemnation. After widespread backlash, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday the Latin Patriarch would get "full and immediate access". The Church of the Holy Sepulchre contains the sites where Christians believe Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected. Israeli police said all holy sites in Jerusalem have been closed since the start of the war. "Over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles," Netanyahu wrote on X.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 06:16 UTC
French masonic lodge at heart of murky murder trial
French masonic lodge at heart of murky murder trialThe defendants include four officers in France's DGSE foreign intelligence service, three police officers and six business executives. (Photo: AFP)PARIS — Twenty-two people are to stand trial in France from Monday on charges of murder and other serious crimes centred on a Masonic lodge accused of running hit squads. The 22 are accused of murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy on behalf of a mafia network inside the Athanor Masonic Lodge in the Paris suburb of Puteaux. Other defendants include four officers from France's DGSE foreign intelligence service, three police officers, six business executives, a security guard, a doctor and an engineer. Escalating crimesInvestigators discovered a link to Bagur, who is a business coach rival of Dini's as well as being the 69-year-old "venerable master" of the Athanor lodge.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 04:42 UTC
Huge mobile bandwidth increase needed as AI use surges
Huge mobile bandwidth increase needed as AI use surgesPhotos: 123RFThe two major mobile operators are likely to need at least 100 megahertz of additional bandwidth each to cater to a surge in uploads from consumers using artificial intelligence (AI) applications. "There is a clear surge in data uploads via AI apps, attributed to the variety of AI technologies available in the market," the source added. The NBTC telecom team monitored mobile usage patterns over the past year and found consistent month-on-month increases in data consumption. "The 3500MHz auction process has been planned by the NBTC for years, but awaits a resolution of the digital TV roadmap," the source said. The licence winners cannot immediately use the total band, as they must wait until the digital TV broadcasting licences expire in 2029.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 04:10 UTC
AI leadership in Southeast Asia: rethinking how we lead
Across Southeast Asia, I see leaders moving fast to adopt AI. Not “How do we use AI better?” But “What needs to change in how we lead because AI exists?”AI Leadership: When Speed Becomes a Risk (Part 1)AI is moving fast. Across Southeast Asia, companies are racing to embed AI into everything: customer experience, operations, decision-making. In Southeast Asia, behaviour is not always linear. Strong AI leadership is not about resisting technology.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 04:05 UTC
Wild elephant crosses Mekong River into Laos
Wild elephant crosses Mekong River into LaosThe wild elephant is seen crossing the Mekong River from Bueng Kan province into Laos on Sunday morning. (Photo: Phuwua Wildlife Sanctuary)BUENG KAN - Phuwua Wildlife Sanctuary rangers are waiting anxiously on the bank of the Mekong River for the return of a wild elephant that crossed the river into Laos on Sunday morning. Wisanu Kumpa, chief of the wildlife sanctuary, said the elephant had earlier fed off farmland at Ban Tha Dok Kham in Bueng Khong Long district. It then crossed Highway 212 and walked to the Mekong River near the estuary with Huai Na Khok stream. “Officials of Phuwua Wildlife Sanctuary are waiting at the bank of the Mekong River to ensure the safe return of this wild elephant to the Thai side,” Mr Wisanu said.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 04:04 UTC
Dubious AI detectors drive 'pay-to-humanize' scam
WASHINGTON - Feed an Iranian news dispatch or a literary classic into some text detectors, and they return the same verdict: AI-generated. AFP's fact-checkers identified three such text detectors that claim to estimate what percentage is AI-generated. One detector, JustDone AI, processed a human-written report about the US-Iran war and wrongly concluded it contained "88% AI content". "Your AI text is humanizing," the site claimed, leading to a page where "100% unique text" was locked behind a paywall charging up to US$9.99. All were wrongly flagged as having high AI content, including passages from an acclaimed 1916 Hungarian classic.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 04:04 UTC
Finn missing B700K watch after night with two women
Finn missing B700K watch after night with two womenThe Finnish tourist shows a picture of the Rolex watch he told police was missing when he woke up after a night drinking with two bar girls. (Photo: Amporn Sangkaew)CHON BURI - A Finnish man told Pattaya police he woke up after partying in his hotel room with two Thai women only to discover they had left, and cash and a Rolex watch worth about 700,000 baht were also missing. He told police that he met the two women while drinking in a bar and invited them back to his room for more drinks. Upon waking up, he realsed he was missing 5,000 baht in cash and a Rolex wristwatch worth about 700,000 baht. The police investigation was ongoing, starting with security camera footage for a lead to the two suspects.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 04:04 UTC
Australian police shoot dead fugitive wanted for killing officers
Australian police shoot dead fugitive wanted for killing officersFor the past seven months, hundreds of Australian police have pursued fugitive Desmond Freeman. (Photo: AFP)MELBOURNE - Australian police said on Monday they shot dead a fugitive gunman wanted for killing two officers, ending a seven-month manhunt for one of the country's most-wanted criminals. Desmond Freeman fled into dense bushland in August last year after shooting and killing two police officers on a rural property in Victoria state. For the past seven months, hundreds of police have pursued Freeman through the region's rugged terrain, pouring resources into one of Australia's largest-ever manhunts. While fighting a speeding penalty in a Melbourne court, Freeman referred to police as "frigging Nazis", "Gestapo" and "terrorist thugs", according to court documents.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 03:37 UTC
UK police question suspect after car hits pedestrians in English city
UK police question suspect after car hits pedestrians in English cityPolice in Derby, central England, on Sunday after a car was driven into pedestrians. "Officers were on scene just seconds after a car collided with pedestrians who were simply enjoying a night out in Derby," she said. Seven injuredThe suspect in the Derby incident was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, causing serious injury through dangerous driving, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and dangerous driving. Officers detained the suspect on the other side of central Derby seven minutes after the incident unfolded, thanks to eyewitnesses reporting the vehicle's movements in its aftermath, police said. Interior minister Shabana Mahmood was being kept updated on the incident, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 03:37 UTC
Iran claims aluminium plant attacks
Iran claims aluminium plant attacksTehran: Iran yesterday claimed attacks on two major aluminium plants in the Gulf, further raising the economic stakes of the Middle East war after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis joined the conflict. The war that began on Feb 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran has mushroomed throughout the region, sending world energy markets into a tailspin and threatening to torpedo the global economy. With the official status of talks between Washington and Tehran uncertain, daily salvoes of strikes across the region have continued unabated. In Iranian capital Tehran, two blasts shook northern areas of the city early yesterday, according to an AFP journalist, although it was not clear what was targeted. Emirates Global Aluminium said an Iranian attack wounded six and caused significant damage to its plant, while Bahraini state media said two Aluminium Bahrain employees were injured in a second Iranian attack.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 03:19 UTC
Stock selloff builds as Iran war widens, oil gains
Stock selloff builds as Iran war widens, oil gainsSigns are displayed on empty fuel dispensers at a Shell petrol station that ran out of fuel, in Sydney on Monday. Equities in Japan and South Korea slumped more than 4%, while the broader MSCI Asia Pacific Index dropped 2.4%, as investors cut exposure on concern that higher crude oil prices will weigh on economic growth. The moves came as additional US troops arrived in the Middle East, fanning fears of a risky ground attack on Iran. Some Wall Street bond-fund managers say markets are underestimating the risk that the US war in Iran will cause a sharp slowdown in an already sputtering economy. Oil may hit a record $200 a barrel if the Iran war drags on until June, with the Strait of Hormuz staying shut, Macquarie Group warned.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 03:05 UTC
PM apology a good start
PM apology a good startThe recent public apology by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul regarding the fuel management hiccups during the first half of March is a rare and welcome gesture of political accountability. However, an apology is only as good as the corrective measures that follow it. The prime minister also called for Thailand's 10 million households to reduce fuel consumption by one litre per day. While the prime minister has asked citizens to adjust their lifestyles, it is only fair the government adjusts its governance to match. With the apology accepted, the public now awaits a strategy that is as inclusive as it is innovative.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 03:01 UTC
False promises no solution to empty pockets
False promises no solution to empty pocketsThailand has returned to a painful reality under a new government still fresh from the political rhetoric bandied about during the election campaign. Its rivals, the Pheu Thai and Democrat parties, also rode on the same promises with different gimmicks during their campaigns. Yonsei University in Seoul was ranked 11th and National Taiwan University in Taipei was 23rd, according to the latest QS Rankings. South Korea also started with electronic appliances like Lucky Goldstar, and the country is now a leading maker of electronic devices and chips. And what made Taiwan and South Korea successfully end poverty and bring about prosperity shows Thailand that success won't come easily.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 03:01 UTC
City's green spaces losing ground
The news of the Dutch embassy land being put up for sale has sparked reactions in every direction. Bangkok has green space coverage of 32%, tree coverage of 19%, and just 7.8 square metres of green space per person -- just below the WHO's recommended minimum of 9 square metres. But grey space does not just replace green; it damages the ecological systems around it. This is what makes the green initiatives feel insufficient -- not because they are wrong, but because they are add-ons. The Dutch embassy land will most likely become another layer of grey expansion, because that is the path of least resistance.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 03:01 UTC
The silent engines of Asean realism
The silent engines of Asean realismFishermen perform maintenance on their boat while in dry dock because of high diesel fuel prices and shortages, in Samut Sakhon on March 16. It would fundamentally alter the geostrategic balance of the region, drawing Asean deeper into a continental economic order. The current crisis could serve as the ultimate catalyst for the long-delayed integration of the Asean Power Grid. First, Asean must treat electricity and fuel distribution as strategic infrastructure rather than mere commodities. The silent engines of Southeast Asia's factories are a reminder that peace is not just a diplomatic agreement; it is a mechanical requirement.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 30, 2026 03:01 UTC