
Opal Chuangsri makes history and headlines as Thailand's first Miss World
According to Bangkok Post, Opal, a political science student, was recognised for her long-running 'Opal for Her' campaign, which supports women with breast cancer. She was selected from a field of 108 contestants.
'This moment is not just a personal victory; it is a shared dream of every young girl who wants to be seen, heard and to create change,' she was quoted as saying in her first address as Miss World 2025.
The first runner-up was Ethiopia's Hasset Dereje, followed by Poland's Maja Klajda and Martinique's Aurélie Joachim. Last year's winner, Krystyna Pyszková, handed over the crown.
Pageant chair Julia Morley described Opal as 'a woman of purpose, with a voice the world is ready to hear.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Malay Mail
38 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Azalina: Malaysia must upgrade legal system to tackle AI evidence issues
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 — The government will examine the need for specific laws on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in light of emerging legal challenges. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the current legal system needs to be upgraded, as AI-related laws require different approaches, including burden of proof, authenticity and document integrity. 'Right now, whatever you say, every document is online, and because it's online you can fabricate any content,' she told a press conference after launching the Malaysia National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAPBHR) 2025-2030 at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) here today. She said courts must be confident in accepting AI-based evidence, as the technology can produce visuals or audio resembling individuals, but do not exist in reality, adding that the matter requires serious consideration to protect the public from fraud or manipulation. Commenting on the progress of the Political Funding Bill, she said it is still in process and subject to the agreement of political parties. 'We have three Parliament sessions in a year… it (Bill) is still in process,' she said. On the issue of employers retaining workers' passports, Azalina stressed that such action is prohibited under Malaysian law. 'You have to be fair to your workers and return the passport,' she said, emphasising that Malaysia respects the human rights of all workers, including foreign workers from Asean countries, and must not act aggressively or unlawfully against them. Earlier in her keynote address, Azalina said the launch of the NAPBHR 2025-2030 marked Malaysia's first national framework to integrate human rights into business and corporate governance. She said the plan reflected Malaysia's commitment to the United Nations Guiding Principles as the country assumes the Asean Chairmanship. 'The success of this plan demands more than government effort; it requires shared ownership,' she said. The NAPBHR focuses on labour, environment and governance, and was developed through consultations since 2019 with ministries, agencies, civil society, business leaders, Indigenous communities, unions and academics. — Bernama


Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Officials adopt stricter safety rules after deaths of Japanese boxers
Dehydration caused by cutting weight rapidly is regarded as a factor in making boxers' brains more susceptible to bleeding. (AFP pic) TOKYO : Japanese boxing officials said today they would introduce urine tests, stricter rules on weight loss to prevent dehydration and improve medical cover at bouts following the deaths of two fighters. The new measures were adopted during an emergency meeting of the Japan Pro Boxing Association (JPBA), the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) and gym owners today. It was convened after super featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari and lightweight Hiromasa Urakawa, both 28, died days after brain surgery on injuries they sustained in separate bouts at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall on Aug 2. The exact cause of the boxers' deaths is to be determined, but dehydration caused by cutting weight rapidly is regarded as a factor in making the brain more susceptible to bleeding, according to the World Boxing Association. The deaths were 'really regrettable', said JPBA president Shoji Kobayashi. 'We gathered today to establish a plan towards zero accidents.' New measures to be implemented as soon as possible include urine tests for measuring dehydration and stricter rules on boxers' rapid weight loss, said Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, secretary-general of the JBC. Ambulances will also be required on site, even for non-world championship bouts. They will partner with hospitals that are equipped to perform emergency surgery for head and other injuries. There will also be new rules on how long before a fight sparring must be stopped during training, he said. Officials decided 'to take all measures possible so we do not let the deaths of the two be in vain', Yasukochi added. Kotari collapsed and later died after going 12 rounds in an Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) title fight. The JBC had already announced all future OPBF title bouts would be reduced to 10 rounds. 'That such an incident occurred involving top-level boxers means we may face arguments that boxing should be halted,' admitted Toshiharu Kayama, former Japan welterweight champion and president of the boxing gym Ebisu K's Box. 'We, the association and gyms, want to think and change' the way the sport is contested, Kayama said. An accident investigation committee will work to find out the cause of the boxers' deaths later this month and guidance on prevention measures will be updated, Yasukochi said. The JBC and JPBA will also hold a safety meeting later this month, which will include the organisations' doctors as well as the amateur boxing federation, he added.


Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
China urges local firms not to use Nvidia's H20 chips
The Trump administration green-lighted exports of the H20 AI chip to China last month. (EPA Images pic) BEIJING : Chinese authorities have urged local companies to avoid using Nvidia's H20 processors, particularly for government-related purposes, Bloomberg News reported today, citing people familiar with the matter. 'Authorities have sent notices to a range of firms discouraging the use of the less-advanced semiconductors, with the guidance taking a particularly strong stance against the use of Nvidia's H20s for any government or national security-related work by state enterprises or private companies,' the report said. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours. Nvidia said in July that its products have no 'backdoors' that would allow remote access or control after China raised concerns over potential security risks in the chipmaker's H20 artificial intelligence (AI) chip. US President Donald Trump suggested yesterday that he might allow Nvidia to sell a scaled-down version of its next-generation advanced GPU chip, Blackwell, in China, despite deep-seated fears in Washington that China could harness US AI capabilities to supercharge its military. The most advanced chip Nvidia is currently allowed to sell to China is the H20, which is based off the company's older Hopper architecture platform. The Trump administration green-lighted exports of the H20 AI to China last month. The Trump administration last week also confirmed an unprecedented deal with Nvidia and AMD to give the US government 15% of revenue from sales of some advanced chips in China. China's renewed guidance on avoiding chips also impacts AI accelerators from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), the Bloomberg report said, adding that it was unclear whether any notices from Chinese authorities specifically mentioned AMD's MI308 chip. AMD did not respond to a request for comment outside regular business.