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Thai woman accused of murdering 12 friends in cyanide poisonings

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Thai police say they have arrested a woman suspected of killing 12 of her friends and acquaintances by poisoning them with cyanide.

Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn was arrested in Bangkok on Tuesday following recent inquiries into a friend’s death.

The victim’s family had raised suspicions after she died on a trip with Sararat earlier this month.

Following inquiries, police this week said they believed Sararat had killed 11 others, including an ex-boyfriend.

Police allege she killed for financial reasons. Sararat has denied all the charges. Thai authorities have denied her bail.

Two weeks ago, she had travelled with her friend to Ratchaburi province, west of Bangkok, where they had taken part in a Buddhist protection ritual at a river, police said.

Shortly after, her friend Siriporn Khanwong collapsed and died on the riverbank.

Traces of cyanide were found in her body during the autopsy, police said. Her phone, money and bags were also missing when she was found.

Authorities said the other alleged victims had died in a similar way, but did not disclose further information. The murders began in 2020, they said.

They also didn’t identify all of the victims, but named Sararat’s former partner, as well as two female police officers, among the dead.

Thai police have also questioned Sararat’s partner- a senior police officer in Ratchaburi province, where her friend died. The pair have recently split, Thai media reported.

Police said Sararat knew all of the victims and she may have been motivated by financial reasons.

One friend, who police believe was targeted, had loaned her 250,000 baht (£5,900; $7,300) police said. The woman had vomited and fainted after having lunch with Sararat but survived.

Relatives of victims had also reported missing jewellery and cash, police said.

But the families had not suspected foul play at the time, officers said, indicating that evidence gathering could be a challenge. Some bodies had also been cremated, police said.

Cyanide can be detected in corpses several months after death, if a lethal amount was used.

The poison starves the body’s cells of oxygen, which can induce heart attacks. Early symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, and vomiting.

Its use in Thailand is heavily regulated and those found to have unauthorised access face up two years in jail.

(BBC News)

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Delta plane crashes at Toronto Airport, Injuring 18; Two runways closed 

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A Delta Airlines plane crashed while attempting to land at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday, flipping upside down on the snowy ground. 

The incident, which occurred around 2:15 p.m. ET, involved Delta Connection flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, carrying 76 passengers and four crew members. 

Eighteen passengers were injured, with no fatalities reported, according to Delta.

Toronto Pearson CEO Deborah Flint confirmed that two runways will remain closed for investigation “for the rest of tonight and into the next several days.” Arrivals and departures on the airport’s three other runways, initially halted, resumed by 5 p.m. local time.ච
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed gratitude to first responders and assured that the airline is prioritizing care for those affected. Passengers’ families can contact Delta’s Passenger Inquiry Center for updates. The flight originated from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Further details are expected as the investigation progresses.

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Singapore opp. leader guilty of lying to parliament

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Singapore’s opposition leader Pritam Singh has been found guilty of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee.The charges against Singh relate to his handling of Raeesah Khan, a former lawmaker from his party, who lied to parliament in a separate case.

The verdict in this high-profile trial comes as Singapore is gearing up for its next general election, which must be held by November. Singh’s Workers’ Party holds nine out of 87 elected seats in parliament.

In Singapore, any MP can lose their seat or be barred from running for office for five years if they are fined at least S$10,000 ($7,440; £5,925) or jailed for more than a year.

The verdict on Monday, which lasted more than two hours, was delivered to a packed courtroom. Members of the press who could not fit into the courtroom, including the BBC, viewed a livestream of the verdict from a separate room.

District Judge Luke Tan, who delivered the verdict, said several pieces of evidence showed that Singh “never wanted Ms Khan to clarify [her] lie” and had “direct and intimate involvement” in guiding Khan to continue her narrative.

Prosecutors are seeking the maximum fine of S$7,000 ($5,200; £4,200) for each of Singh’s two charges, while the defence are asking for S$4,000 ($3,000; £2,400).

Singh, 48, maintained his innocence throughout the trial, arguing that he had wanted to give Khan time to deal with what was a sensitive issue.

Singh’s case has gripped the city-state, where a usually uneventful political scene – dominated by the ruling People’s Action Party – has in recent years seen a rare string of scandals.

The saga started in August 2021 when Khan claimed in parliament that she had witnessed the police misbehave towards a sexual assault victim. She later admitted that her anecdote was not true.

Khan was fined S$35,000 ($26,000; £21,000) for lying and abusing her parliamentary privilege. She has since resigned from the party and parliament.

During a parliamentary committee investigation into the incident later that year, Khan testified that the party’s leaders, including Singh, had told her to “continue with the narrative” despite finding out that it was not true. This was prior to her eventual admission.

Singh denied this, but also said that he had given Khan “too much time to settle herself before closing this issue with her”.

The parliamentary committee concluded that Singh was not being truthful and referred the case to the public prosecutor.

Judge Tan said on Monday that Singh’s actions after learning of Khan’s lie were “strongly indicative that the accused did not want Ms Khan to clarify the untruth at some point”.

Singh’s Workers’ Party is the opposition party with the largest presence in parliament.

The party made significant gains during the 2020 election, increasing their number of seats from six to 10 – the biggest victory for the opposition since Singapore gained independence in 1965. Singh was named the opposition leader after the polls.

One of those seats has since been vacated by Khan.

(BBC News)

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18 killed in Delhi Railway Station crowd crush

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At least 18 people, including ten women and three children, were killed in a tragic crowd crush at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night. 

The incident occurred around 8 PM local time as thousands of Hindu pilgrims gathered to board trains heading to Prayagraj city for the annual Mahakumbh Mela religious festival, located 624 kilometers southeast of the capital.

The crush took place on two platforms as massive crowds surged to catch trains to the festival. 

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