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) Starwood launches second 'W' location
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc has announced the expansion of W Hotels worldwide with a plan to launch its second hotel, the W Bangkok in 2011.Starwood has entered into a management agreement with North Sathorn Hotel Company, a joint venture between Istithmar Hotels FZE and Golden Land Property Development Plc for the new hotel. The property would form a major part of Golden Land's Sathorn Square mixed-use development.
The 400-room W Bangkok would be located on the former Russian Embassy site on Sathon Road, that would also comprise Infinity Condominium and 70,000 square metres of grade A office space with luxury boutiques and shops.
''We are thrilled with the introduction of the W brand into Bangkok. Following the announcement of W Retreat & Residences, Koh Samui, the W Bangkok is a logical extension of W's dynamic growth in Thailand,'' said Miguel Ko, president of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific. More>>
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) Bangkok among 21 mega-cities threatened by rising seas
BANGKOK, Thailand - Coastal cities around the world are facing the danger of rising seas and other disasters related to climate change.Of the 33 cities predicted to have at least eight million people by 2015, at least 21 are coastal and highly vulnerable, says the Worldwatch Institute.
They include Dhaka in Bangladesh; Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro; Shanghai and Tianjin in China; Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt; Mumbai and Kolkata in India; Jakarta in Indonesia; Tokyo and Osaka-Kobe in Japan; Lagos in Nigeria; Karachi in Pakistan; Bangkok in Thailand, and New York and Los Angeles in the United States, according to studies by the United Nations and others.
More than one-tenth of the world's population, or 643 million people, live in low-lying coastal areas at risk from climate change, say U.S. More>>
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) Copperfield Magic Canceled by FBI Probe
David Copperfield has canceled upcoming shows in Southeast Asia following an FBI search of his Las Vegas warehouse and a casino theater where he regularly performs."His management sent an e-mail to organizers Sunday to inform that his shows will be postponed indefinitely," Kittiyong Achawaphong of RSi Dream Entertainment said Monday. The company organized the 51-year-old magician's shows in Thailand.Copperfield was also scheduled to perform in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in the coming weeks. The cancellations came after FBI agents conducted searches in Las Vegas last week following allegations that Copperfield "forced himself" on an unidentified woman.Copperfield's lawyer, David Chesnoff, has said the allegations "are false because David Copperfield has never forced himself on anyone." Neither Chesnoff nor law enforcement officials have provided details about the investigation.Promoters of some of the Asian shows are trying to negotiate with Copperfield's management to reschedule the performances or recoup some of their losses."We are told by Copperfield management that David's show had been canceled by the artist," said Peter Basuki, whose company was organizing the Jakarta show."They said they would like to find any other available time to perform in Jakarta," Basuki said. More>> - (
) Banyan Tree to operate first all villa resort in Dubai UAE
Singapore Main-Board listed Banyan Tree Holdings Limited a leading developer, designer and operator of top-tier hotels, resorts, spas and galleries worldwide, today that it has signed a management contract for its first Banyan Tree branded development in the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. . More>> - (
) Thais Arrest Canadian Child-Sex Suspect
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- A Canadian schoolteacher suspected of sexually abusing boys was arrested in rural Thailand and charged on Friday after an international manhunt that relied on digitally unscrambled photos and tips from the public.Police found 32-year-old Christopher Paul Neil after tracing the phone call of a Thai acquaintance who then led them to the house the two rented together, officials said at a news conference in Bangkok where Neil also was present.
"I think he knew we were coming," said police Col. Paisal Luesomboon, who was in the five-man team that made the arrest in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. "He knew that there was an arrest warrant issued and that his face was posted everywhere."
He said Neil acknowledged his name and nationality, but would not say whether he was the man pictured in more than 200 photographs having sex with boys as young as 6 in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. More>>