Royal clippers

BANGKOK: Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn swore in a new Cabinet on Wednesday (Aug 13), calling for "order and peace" but without mentioning recent anti-government student protests that have urged reforms of the powerful monarchy. The ceremony marked the king's first public appearance since the nearly unprecedented calls in two student-led protests for curbing the new powers King Vajiralongkorn has amassed since taking the throne after the death of his father in 2016. The king, as head of state, gave his blessing to the new Cabinet members, wishing "good health and wisdom to have the strength to perform your duties according to your oaths". READ: 'We must fight' - Thailand's youth take on the establishment READ: Thai PM 'concerned' as more students issue demands on monarchy He also expressed a desire "for the happiness of the people, happiness of the public and for order and peace". He did not publicly acknowledge the student protests, some of which defied "lese … [Read more...] about Thailand’s king swears in Cabinet, silent on demands for royal reform

BANGKOK: Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has stripped his newly appointed consort of her titles and military ranks for being "disloyal", the Royal Palace announced in the Royal Gazette late on Monday (Oct 21). A shock to the nation, the announcement came less than three months after Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, 34, was given the title Chao Khun Phra or royal noble consort by the king in July, the first such appointment in almost a century. Sineenat's appointment as consort followed the king's marriage to the deputy head of his personal bodyguard, Suthida Tidjai, 41. He named her his queen just days before his coronation in May. READ: Fall of a royal consort and the Thai king's assertive reign READ: Thai palace releases rare images of king's royal consort In a two-page statement, the palace said that Sineenat "showed her objection and exerted pressure in every way to stop Her Majesty the Queen’s installation and to get herself installed instead as she had wished". … [Read more...] about Thai king strips ‘disloyal’ royal consort of all titles: Palace

JOHOR BAHRU: Johor Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar has revived the "Chinese Major" title which was first introduced in the 19th century to forge ties between the Johor royal family and the Chinese community in the southern state. In a press statement on Tuesday (Sep 1), President of the Johor Council of Royal Court Abdul Rahim Ramli said that Sultan Ibrahim wishes to revive the title to ensure "continuity of modern Johor history". Dr Abdul Rahim added that the sultan has appointed Mr David Wong Khong Soon as "Chinese Major" effective from Tuesday. Mr Wong is the manager of Mado palm oil plantation, and is a descendant of Mr Wong Ah Fook, one of the founding fathers of the Chinese community in Johor who was an immigrant builder and entrepreneur. Mr Wong Ah Fook, who died in 1918, constructed iconic buildings such as the Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore and the Istana Besar in Johor. A main street in downtown Johor Bahru is named after him. The press statement also said: "Chinese … [Read more...] about Johor Sultan revives ‘Chinese Major’ title, new appointee to work with royal foundations on community initiatives

MIAMI: Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart each scored 21 points to lead the Boston Celtics over defending champion Toronto 112-94 in Sunday's (Aug 30) opening game of their second-round NBA playoff series. Kemba Walker added 18 points and 10 assists for the Celtics, who also had 17 points from Jaylen Brown plus 13 points and 15 rebounds from Daniel Theis. "Marcus today was unbelievable on both ends," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "All our guys played with great purpose, great enthusiasm. We just have to clean some stuff up." Game two of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series comes Tuesday in the spectator-free COVID-19 quarantine bubble at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. "We just need to follow the game plan and play with purpose and compete and that's what we did," Tatum said. "They are not going to give up. Every game is going to be a dogfight." Boston frustrated Toronto shooters, the Raptors going 31-of-84 from the floor and 10-of-40 from 3-point range -- the most … [Read more...] about Basketball: Celtics rout Raptors in NBA series opener, Clippers advance

In the days leading up to Prince George's birth, the world was completely struck by royal baby fever. Camera crews gave live footage from outside the Lindo Wing, where the Duchess of Cambridge was due to give birth to the future king. In a break from royal tradition, Prince William and Kate shared their happy news on Twitter and the traditional notice was put up outside Buckingham Palace, before stepping outside to pose for photos on the hospital steps. But Tim Rooke, one of the royal photographers who spent hours waiting outside the hospital, has shared details of the "chaos" on the day. He says things were so stressful that the Palace ended up coming up with a new system ahead of Princess Charlotte's birth two years later. Speaking to the Express , he said: "I’ve been at the birth of more than five British royal babies, as well as births of royal family members in Denmark and Spain. "My first time photographing a royal baby reveal outside of the hospital was the … [Read more...] about ‘Chaos’ surrounding Prince George’s birth resulted in emergency plan for Charlotte