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Early in the morning on June 18, a message from an unknown account slipped into the TikTok inbox of a flight attendant in Bangkok with a series of questions: ‘Are you flying to Australia? Do you do carry-for-hire? What is your rate?’The 30-year-old, who flies for a regional budget carrier, ignored the message and forgot about it — until Tuesday, when a Thai Airways flight attendant was charged with importing more than one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of heroin into Australia hidden in several tote bags.The rare detention of a national airline cabin staff has triggered alarm in Thailand, raising questions about security measures at airports and concern that international trafficking networks are targeting air crew in their attempts to get illicit drugs to lucrative markets beyond the Southeast Asian nation.’According to reports, in the first half of this year, there have already been at least six cases of people travelling from Thailand who were charged with commercial drug trafficking,’ Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said at a meeting on Friday of the top national anti-drug committee.’This is considered a high number… and it damages the country's image,’ he said.Thailand's main airport operator will improve baggage screening and inspections, including those of crew members, and airlines will take serious disciplinary actions against staff carrying or accepting items on behalf of others, a government spokesperson said.’I don't reply to strangers like this,’ the Bangkok flight attendant told Reuters, referring to the account that messaged her. She asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. ‘We've been constantly warned about this, no carry-for-hire. It's a well-known rule.’The unknown account — named ‘Powder is Powder’ in Thai — was linked to drug trafficking networks that create fake social media accounts to find people to move illicit substances across borders, said Areepak Ngernbamroong, a spokesperson for Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board.’The account has now been shut down,’ Areepak said. ‘The ONCB is investigating, and preliminary findings indicate that the account used many different names.’In a statement following the detention, Thai Airways said it had strict rules governing the conduct of all employees and would cooperate with the relevant authorities.CROSS-BORDER MOVEMENTAfter procuring drugs from neighbouring countries with large production facilities, trafficking networks move the substances through Thailand concealed in items such as clothing, coffee packets, and vases, according to Thai authorities. The cultivation of opium poppies for the production of heroin in neighbouring Myanmar surged to its highest level in a decade in 2025, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported in December.War-torn Myanmar is the world's main known source of illicit opium, amid declining production in Afghanistan, as conflict and economic hardship push more farmers into the illicit trade.In Thailand, trafficking networks target specific groups of travellers, including flight attendants, to help transport the drugs overseas, said Police Major Suriya Singhakamol, Secretary-General of the ONCB.In the case of the Thai Airways flight attendant arrested in Australia, she had initially posted in a social media group where people offer to carry items overseas for a fee, he said.The flight attendant then began communicating with a Facebook user named ‘Rose Rose’, according to Suriya.’They later agreed on a fee of 8,800 baht ($265.46),’ he told reporters.The heroin concealed within the lining of the bags carried by the attendant had an estimated street value of A$500,000 ($347,150), according to the Australian Federal Police.Using similar methods, drug smuggling networks had prepared to send five more packages from the Thai capital Bangkok to Australia and Taiwan between June 30 and July 1, said Suriya.’But authorities seized 24.38 kilograms of heroin, concealed in traditional goods, silk clothing, coffee sachets, and winter jackets,’ he said, adding that Thai agencies were coordinating with Australian and Taiwanese authorities.So far, Thai authorities have taken into custody two people, a Thai man and his Laotian wife, suspected of sending drug parcels from a border province to Bangkok. Source link
The new US ambassador to New Zealand and several Pacific island nations said on Friday that securing Cook Islands seabed minerals was a top priority, and that China's push for influence in the Pacific carried risks for small island states.Jared Novelly, US ambassador to New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue and Samoa, said in a press conference that critical minerals had moved rapidly up his agenda over the last year.’When I was getting briefings in October, November last year, the critical minerals thing was kind of a lesser item,’ Novelly said. ‘Fast forward to February, March of this year, critical minerals, and particularly in the Cooks, is either 1A or 1B of my priorities.’ Washington has made securing critical minerals a strategic priority as it seeks to reduce its reliance on China-dominated supply chains and support defence and clean-energy industries. The Cook Islands' waters contain deposits of polymetallic nodules, sought for batteries and other technologies, and the government has allowed exploration, but not commercial extraction. In February, the Cook Islands and the US signed a non-binding framework on critical minerals research and supply-chain security, including deep-sea minerals in Cook Islands waters. It has also signed an exploration and research agreement with China.Novelly, a Missouri businessman and sports team owner who is the inaugural US ambassador to the Cook Islands, said he planned to spend time in the country and would look to introduce US companies that could help with the minerals' extraction. The Cook Islands government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.He said he also believed he needed to warn Pacific countries to be cautious in dealings with Beijing.’China has made no bones about they want a base in the Pacific, they want an expanded presence there,’ he said, adding that island nations needed to understand ‘what a debt trap is’ and that ‘there can be strings attached’. China in recent years has become a major player in the region, in development finance, ports, airports and telecommunications, and has sought a greater role in the military, policing, digital connectivity and media. Beijing says its relationships in the region are based on mutual respect and delivering benefits to the Pacific people.Novelly said he was also exploring ways to support Pacific economies beyond aid, including by reducing the cost of remittances.US FACES MORE SCEPTICAL KIWISNovelly arrived in New Zealand earlier this week and presented his credentials to the governor general on Wednesday before hosting the embassy's annual July 4 party.Novelly said Washington respected New Zealand's role in the South Pacific, including defence cooperation, but said partners needed to spend more on security. ‘It's important that you care as much about your defence as we care about your defence,’ he said, echoing US policy towards partners and allies around the globe. Novelly arrives as New Zealanders' views of the US have fallen. A June survey by the Asia New Zealand Foundation found that, for the first time in a decade, they viewed Washington as more of a threat than China.But Novelly said it was not something he had experienced on his visits to the country and ‘there seems to be a very friendly camaraderie that occurs between folks from the US and Kiwis.’On New Zealand's nuclear-free policy, which restricts visits by nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed vessels, Novelly said any change was a decision for Wellington but that he would like to see a US aircraft carrier visit in Auckland harbour.’I would really like the opportunity to work with New Zealand on that,’ he said. Source link
Scott Brash produced a masterclass performance to clinch the CSI5* 1.60m Grand Prix at Tour 2 of the HH The Father Amir’s Prix at Al Shaqab yesterday. Nine horse-and-rider combinations progressed to the jump-off, where Brash guided the BWP gelding Hello Jefferson to victory. The British rider stopped the clock at 42.66 seconds to seal the title and collect €97,500. Brash finished just ahead of France’s Megane Moissonnier, who clocked 42.78 seconds aboard the 14-year-old stallion Crooner Tame to claim second place and €65,000. American rider Eve Jobs completed the podium, piloting the 15-year-old Canto Bruno to third in 43.41 seconds, earning €48,750. All five riders in the top group delivered faultless rounds in the jump-off. Thailand’s Janakabhorn Karunayadhaj narrowly missed out on a podium finish in fourth aboard Maxwin Kinmar Bespoke, while Monaco’s Anastasia Nielsen rounded out the top five with ESI Rocky. “Hello Jefferson is an incredible horse,” Brash said. “He’s 17 now, but he still feels like a young horse. He loves his job, and he’s always jumped well here in Doha in the main arena.”Brash had earlier enjoyed success in the CSI3* 1.50m Grand Prix, guiding Hello Chadora Lady to victory following a seven-horse jump-off. He edged out Belgium’s Abdel Said on Wathnan Calvaro to take home €31,800. Germany’s Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann finished third with Iron Dames High Level.Meanwhile, Britain’s Harry Charles claimed the CSI5* 1.50m Special Two-Phase class aboard Bandit. The pair produced a faultless round and stopped the clock at 35.10 seconds to secure top honours. Fellow Briton Millie Allen followed closely in second place on Quick Diamant HR with another double-clear effort in 35.41, while Italy’s Roberto Previtali completed the podium on I’M Special Mess PS in 36.16.Charles said: “Bandit is back at five-star level after nearly a year away, so starting with a win is fantastic. He has plenty more in the tank, and as the tour progresses, I hope to build him up to the bigger classes here in Doha.” At the end of Tour 2, Brash has moved into the overall lead in the CSI4* and CSI5* provisional rankings with 89 points. Karunayadhaj sits second on 66 points, while Jobs has climbed to third on 62. Harry Charles and Anastasia Nielsen are tied on 59, with Moissonnier close behind on 55. Qatari riders dominated the CSI1* Grand Prix 1.30m jump-off, with Hussain Said Haidan clinching top honours after producing a double-clear round aboard D Saucedo in 35.79 seconds. He finished ahead of compatriot Saad Ahmed al-Saad, who stopped the clock at 37.10 seconds on Fashion des Douits, while Nasser al-Ghazali completed an all-Qatari podium with a faultless round on Dexter in 37.11. Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano claimed victory in the CSI3* 1.40m accumulator, guiding Diarouge Blue PS to a winning score of 65 in 46.13 seconds. Turkiye’s Hasan Senturk settled for second on Elzas, also finishing on 65 but in a slightly slower time of 46.79 seconds, while Saudi Arabia’s Khalid al-Hadi placed third aboard Capoen in 48.34. Gaudiano praised his mount’s consistency in the arena. “Diarouge Blue PS jumped very well today. She has already won three classes here, so I’m happy with how she’s feeling in this arena,” he said. France’s Jean Francois Rondoux topped the CSI3* 1.30m faults and time class after steering Inter-Larus to a clear round in 69.13 seconds. Qatari rider Ghanim Nasser al-Qadi finished second on Mukaynis in 70.71, narrowly edging Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Alasaker, who was third aboard Tinto de Nuit Z in 70.72. In the CSI1* 1.15m accumulator, Qatar swept the podium, led by Ali Omar al-Ansari and Nikita Eindeken Z with a winning score of 65 in 43.13 seconds. Abdulla Ahmed al-Khulaifi followed on Quenta van de Corsendonksehoeve, while Abdulla Tamim al-Thani took third aboard Cassandra 352. The CSIY-B and CSIY 1.30m jump-off Group VII series qualifier saw another Qatari success, as Ibrahim Yousuf al-Mahmoud emerged victorious on Vito Blue PS with a double-clear effort in 36.42 seconds. Saudi Arabia’s Meshal al-Qahtani placed second on Menke, while Yaqoub Nasser al-Mass finished third for Qatar aboard Hammond J. In the national CSN 1.00m special two-phase class, Iraq’s Mariam Abdulkarim Sabri claimed the top spot on Baina after posting a double-clear round in 35.63 seconds. She was closely followed by Afraa Abdulrahman al-Sulaiti on Molga, with Salman Faisal al-Marri rounding out the podium aboard Goteborg Handyman.In the overall CSI1* standings, Haidan extendd his lead to 40 points after topping both Tour 1 and Tour 2. Saad Ahmed al-Saad is second on 34 points, while Jordan’s Bisher Kayali is third on 19. Source link
HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Chairman of Al Shaqab, presents the trophy to Britain’s Scott Brash, who won the CSI5* 1.60m Grand Prix in Tour 2 of HH The Father Amir’s Prix at Al Shaqab yesterday. France’s Megane Moissonnier finished second, while American Eve Jobs claimed third place. Source link
Macclesfield players celebrate after their win over Crystal Palace in Macclesfield, Britain. (Reuters) Holders Crystal Palace succumbed to the biggest shock in FA Cup history with a 2-1 defeat at sixth-tier Macclesfield as Antoine Semenyo started his Manchester City career by scoring in a 10-1 rout of Exeter. Tottenham boss Thomas Frank’s future was plunged into doubt after a 2-1 home loss to Aston Villa, while Newcastle beat Bournemouth on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw. In their last FA Cup outing at Wembley in May, Palace made history by beating City to win the club’s first ever major trophy. They entered the record books for the wrong reasons this time at Moss Rose as captain Paul Dawson and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts scored either side of half-time for the side managed by John Rooney, the younger brother of former England captain Wayne Rooney. The 117 places that separate Premier League outfit Palace from Macclesfield of the National League North in the English football pyramid is the most overcome by an underdog in FA Cup history. “I can’t believe it, we never thought we would be in this position,” said Rooney. “I didn’t think it was possible but there is that little bit of hope that anything can happen on the day.” Palace boss Oliver Glasner was furious at what he described as a lack of “pride” and “slapstick” defending by the Eagles, who are now winless in nine games. “I have no explanation for what I have seen today,” said the Austrian, who has been linked with the vacant managerial role at Manchester United. Tottenham have won just three times in their last 14 games as their wait to lift the FA Cup for the first time since 1991 goes on. Villa struck twice in a dominant first half through Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers. Wilson Odobert pulled a goal back early in the second half, but Spurs could not find an equaliser to force extra-time and Frank was roundly booed at the full-time whistle.Just a day after securing his £65mn move from Bournemouth, Semenyo was among the scorers as City crushed League One Exeter at the Etihad. Erling Haaland started but was remarkably not among the goals and was withdrawn at half-time. Rico Lewis scored twice, while Max Alleyne, Rodri, Rico Lewis, Tijjani Reijnders, Nico O’Riley and Ryan McAidoo were also on target for City and Exeter netted two own goals. Newcastle scored a 95th minute equaliser through Anthony Gordon’s penalty to make it 2-2 at St. James Park after 90 minutes. Both sides scored in extra-time as this time Bournemouth struck in stoppage time through Marcus Tavernier to force penalties. Aaron Ramsdale saved three spot-kicks as the Magpies prevailed 7-6 in a marathon shootout. Sunderland also needed penalties to beat Everton after a 1-1 draw. Robin Roefs saved all three of the Toffees spot-kicks in the shootout to send the Black Cats into round four. Premier League strugglers Wolves are now unbeaten in four games after thrashing Shrewsbury 6-1 thanks to a Jorgen Strand Larsen hat-trick. Fulham needed three goals in the final half hour to beat Middlesbrough 3-1 at Craven Cottage, but Burnley found Championship opposition an easier proposition in thrashing Millwall 5-1. Brentford cruised to a 2-0 win at financially stricken Sheffield on Wednesday. Related Story Source link
When UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric briefed correspondents in New York on Thursday following the release of the White House…
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