Foreign News
Thailand Reports New Daily Record of Nearly 10,000 COVID-19 Infections

Thailand hit a new daily record with the discovery of nearly 10,000 new coronavirus cases on Monday.
This is coming after massive infections were found in the prison system, official data showed.
The country reported 9,635 new cases, including 6,853 infected in the prison system, according to the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
The sharp increase in new infections was a result of massive active cases found in prisons across the country.
During the first two weeks of May, health authorities checked over 24,000 inmates in eight prison facilities, of which 10,748 were found to be infected.
Meanwhile, 2,200 were waiting for test results, Natapanu Nopakun, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at the CCSA daily news briefing.
Excluding the prison clusters, the tally of Monday’s new infections reached 2,782, with the capital Bangkok registering the largest count of 1,843 new cases.
The new infections brought the country’s total number of infections to 111,082 with more than 70 per cent of the infections having been confirmed since the beginning of April.
This was confirmed by the health authorities when the third wave began and quickly spread across the country.
The death toll climbed to 614, with 25 new fatalities reported on Monday, according to the CCSA.
A large number of new infections came when the country decided to relax some restrictions on dine-in services at restaurants from Monday.
Restaurants in the capital Bangkok and three other provinces can provide dine-in services with the limited serving capacity and operating hours.
Previously, they could only open for food delivery.
As of Monday, 43,268 patients were under treatment in hospitals, with 1,226 in critical conditions, Natapanu said.
Thailand was largely successful in bringing COVID-19 under control last year.
But the resurgence of infections from early this year hit the economy and threatened to undermine its plans to welcome back foreign travellers. (NAN)
Foreign News
Israel Vows to Build Jewish Settlements, Rejects Macron’s Call for Palestinian State

“Do not threaten Israel with sanctions” as it will continue to build a “Jewish state” on the ground,” Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, warned on Friday.He also rebuffed a call by French President Emmanuel Macron for establishing a Palestinian State.In open defiance of international law, Katz claimed that world powers may recognize a Palestinian state “on paper.
”Katz made the remarks during a visit to Sa-Nur, an illegal outpost in the northern West Bank that the Tel Aviv government recently decided to officially designate as a settlement for illegal Israeli settlers. In a direct message, Defense Minister Israel Katz targets French President Macron and European allies.He also dismissed the potential international consequences.He said: “They will recognise a Palestinian state on paper, while we will build the Jewish Israeli state on the ground.“Don’t threaten us with sanctions. You will not make us bow.“The State of Israel will not kneel before threats.”His comments came hours after President Macron stated that recognising the State of Palestine was a “moral duty”.Macron also reiterated that France may move toward official recognition during an upcoming international conference focused on the two-state solution.Earlier this week, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli Security Cabinet had secretly approved the establishment of 22 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.In response, the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now issued a statement Thursday, revealing that 12 of the newly approved settlements were previously unauthorised outposts and farming sites established in recent years.According to Peace Now, there are currently 156 illegal settlements and 224 outposts across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with over 736,000 illegal Israeli settlers living on occupied Palestinian land.The international community, including the UN, considers the Israeli settlements illegal under international law.The UN has repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution, a framework seen as key to resolving the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.(AA/NAN)Foreign News
Comedian Russell Brand Pleads not Guilty to Rape, Sexual Assault

British comedian and actor Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault.
The 49-year-old appeared in the dock at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Friday flanked by two officers, where he stood stock-still and looked straight ahead as he delivered his pleas.
He is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room while she attended a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, and grabbing a TV worker’s breasts and orally raping her after dragging her into a male toilet.
Brand is also alleged to have grabbed a radio station worker’s face, pushing her against a wall and kissing her before groping her breasts and buttocks.
The final charge alleges the actor indecently assaulted another woman after grabbing her forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet.
The allegations against Brand are said to have taken place against four women between 1999 and 2005.
The defendant, of Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, who faces one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, is due to stand trial on June 3 next year at the same court.
As Friday’s hearing finished, the comedian replaced his sunglasses before exiting the dock and calmly walked past reporters.
He was charged following an investigation by Channel 4 and the Sunday Times newspaper in which several women made allegations against him.
Brand previously told his 11.2 million followers on X that he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.(dpa/NAN)
Foreign News
Man Sentenced for Blackmailing German Priest With Nude Photos

A 50-year-old man was on Friday given a 20-month suspended sentence for blackmailing a German priest with nude photos.
During the trial at Augsburg District Court in the southern state of Bavaria, the defendant, who had no previous convictions, admitted to all charges.
According to the indictment, he sent nude photos downloaded from an internet platform hosting homosexual content, as well as a photo showing the priest, to the theologian at the end of 2022.
He threatened to give the photos to television stations and publish them in the priest’s parish, and demanded the priest send him 50,000 euros (56,600 U.S. dollars).
Later, the defendant also sent an email with the nude photos to the priest’s parish office.
The priest did not respond to either attempt or contact but reported the matter to the police.
The defendant was charged with attempted extortion and sentenced to one year and eight months in prison.
The sentence was suspended on probation.
The man must also pay 800 euros.
The verdict is not yet final. (dpa/NAN)