Latest news with #Houdini
India Today
a day ago
- India Today
80,000 sex videos, Rs 100-crore extortion: Scandal rocks Thailand's monks
It started with the sudden disappearance of a senior monk from a Bangkok temple in June. The Houdini act prompted an investigation, which uncovered a saga of blackmail, sex, extortion, rocking Thailand's much-revered Buddhist institution, The Guardian investigation into the disappearance of senior monk Phra Thep Wachirapamok led police to the residence of a woman named "Ms Golf", who has been identified as Wilawan searches, the police stumbled upon mobile phones containing tens of thousands (around 80,000) of intimate photos and videos of Emsawat with Wachirapamok and several other monks. The incident came as a bolt out of the blue for Thailand, whose monks are known as world renouncers and strictly follow their vow of IS MS GOLF, AKA WILAWAN EMSAWAT? Emsawat, 30, was arrested and charged with extortion and money laundering. Her modus operandi involved seducing monks, recording intimate moments with them, and extorting huge sums of money by threatening to leak the far, police have found that Emsawat had relations with at least nine monks, who have now been defrocked, The Guardian reported. She received around 385 million baht (over Rs 102 crore) over the past three years from the the missing monk is yet to be traced. Police said Emsawat had a relationship with the monk in May 2024. She claimed to have given birth to his baby and demanded child support of more than seven million baht (1.90 crore).A probe into her bank accounts revealed that other monks had also transferred large amounts of money. She also received private gifts from monks as well as lavish items like a Mercedes-Benz SLK200. Police found that most funds were spent on online Emsawat, speaking to local media before her arrest, claimed she was involved in only one relationship, and she gave money to that ROCKS THAILANDWith the scandal garnering global headlines, Thai police have opened a hotline for people to tip off on "misbehaving monks".The case has also drawn police attention to the large sums of money donated to Buddhist temples. The money is controlled by senior monks, known as scandal has prompted Thailand's acting Prime Minister to order a review of laws governing monk behaviour and temple finances. The Sangha Supreme Council, the governing body for Buddhism in Thailand, has also formed a special committee to review regulations.- EndsTune InTrending Reel
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Unite boss slams Labour's handling of Grangemouth after removing Rayner's membership
Sharon Graham said the way the party had handled industrial issues had left members considering their relationship with Labour. The boss of one of the UK's largest unions has said Labour's handling of Grangemouth has added to members feeling disenfranchised with the party. Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union, was defending the decision to remove Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner as a member over the lack of progress on the Birmingham bin worker dispute. Scottish delegates were among more than 800 members who voted to remove Rayner's membership and to reconsider its affiliation with Labour. Graham said: 'I have real difficulty with what they're doing about Grangemouth and the Lindsey oil refinery, and about oil and gas workers. 'Unite members are a microcosm of society and if you have people in Wales, in Scotland, all of our sectors effectively turning away from Labour, if I were Labour I wouldn't be trying to put up paltry defences to that, I'd be saying, 'What are we getting wrong?'.' The union leader said the process of disaffiliating with Labour had already started after members called for a review of the relationship, which saw their subs contribute more than £500,000 to the party last year. Seven Scottish Labour MPs have benefitted from Unite cash, receiving a total of £37,500 last year to help with their general election push. They are Glenrothes's Richard Baker, Glasgow North East MP Maureen Burke, Irene Campbell, MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, Edinburgh North MP Tracy Gilbert, Grangemouth MP Brian Leishman, Frank McNally of Coatbridge and Bellshill and Martin Rhodes, MP for Glasgow North. On BBC Radio 4's Today Graham said: 'This was a vote of members at the parliament of our union that were saying, 'We don't believe Labour defends workers in the way that we thought they would, we believe they are making the wrong decisions.' I would be concerned about that. "The disaffiliation part, the beginning, has started because the policy conference has said they want an examination of our relationship. Our members reflect society, what everyday people are saying. At a rules conference if our members vote to disaffiliate then yes [we will]. I'm under pressure to have an emergency rules conference which would mean we would disaffiliate.' In response to sources briefing that Rayner gave up membership in April, Graham said: 'If I was Angela Rayner I wouldn't be trying to do a Houdini act on whether technically she was or wasn't at this juncture [a member]. She's been a member for years.' A Scottish Labour spokeswoman said 'For over a decade Scotland's SNP and Tory governments ignored the mounting challenges at Grangemouth, but Labour stepped up and took action within a matter of months. 'This Labour Government has pledged £200 million to secure an industrial future for Grangemouth and ensure it is home to the jobs of the future.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Arab Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
10-year-old ballad tops all Taylor Swift tracks in streams
LOS ANGELES, July 13: A decade-old indie ballad by Los Angeles band Lord Huron has quietly become one of the most-streamed songs in the world, surpassing even the biggest recent releases by global superstars like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Dua Lipa. Originally released in 2015 as the closing track on Lord Huron's second album Strange Trails, the melancholic "The Night We Met" remained largely under the radar for years. But in 2024, it claimed the 35th spot on Billboard's global end-of-year singles chart — higher than Dua Lipa's Houdini (No. 37) and Beyoncé's Texas Hold 'Em (No. 41). In the UK, it ranked 60th for the year, outpacing Charli XCX's biggest single. Even more impressively, the track recently crossed the 3-billion-stream mark on Spotify — a feat unmatched by any Taylor Swift song — and has amassed an additional 3 billion views on TikTok, according to music data tracker Chartmetric. Lord Huron frontman Ben Schneider, speaking about the song's success, called it 'unbelievable.' 'It wasn't a hit at first. Years passed and nothing much happened. But then things just started to take off,' Schneider said. That turning point came in 2017, when 'The Night We Met' featured in the Netflix teen drama 13 Reasons Why. Schneider was initially hesitant, but his wife encouraged him to say yes. While the song experienced a brief spike in popularity after airing, it didn't fade — instead, its popularity steadily grew. 'I figured it'd fade quickly,' he recalled. 'But it just kept building. It's had this weird, unheard-of long tail.' A duet version with Phoebe Bridgers followed in 2018, but it was TikTok that truly fueled the song's resurgence. In 2024 alone, it garnered nearly 1 billion Spotify streams — a 57% increase over the previous year. Its emotionally raw lyrics — 'I had all and then most of you / Some and now none of you' — have made it a go-to track for emotional TikToks and mood playlists. Yet its resonance goes beyond heartbreak. Influencer Molly-Mae Hague, for instance, used the song in her pregnancy reveal video in 2022. 'It's a vessel that fits a lot of people's personal stories,' Schneider explained. 'That's maybe why it's had such a lasting, slow-burning effect.' Importantly for the band, the song's viral success didn't trap them in one-hit-wonder status. By the time it exploded, Lord Huron had already cultivated a strong fanbase. 'Even though it far outstrips our other songs, we have enough going on not to be defined by just that moment,' he said. Now, the band is preparing to release their fifth album, The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1, which continues Schneider's fascination with storytelling and parallel lives. The record is built around a fictional 1950s-style jukebox that can transport people to alternate realities. 'Not with regret,' Schneider said, 'but with wonder at how different life could be if small choices had gone another way.' Featuring a cameo from actress Kristen Stewart, the album introduces several characters who spin through this unpredictable 'magic jukebox' — an idea born out of Schneider's own reflections on chance, fate, and creative randomness. Lord Huron began as Schneider's solo project in 2010 but evolved into a full band known for blending Americana and indie-folk with haunting, cinematic storytelling. Looking back, Schneider now sees the 13 Reasons Why placement as a sliding doors moment in his career. 'I want to keep making new things, and hopefully something we create will resonate as deeply as that song,' he said. For now, The Night We Met remains a slow-burning miracle — a once-overlooked ballad that found a second life and struck a chord with a generation.
Western Telegraph
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
Unite could move to disaffiliate from Labour in future, union boss warns
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham criticised the Deputy Prime Minister after her union voted to suspend Ms Rayner's membership on Friday. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday, Ms Graham said: 'Angela Rayner refuses to get involved, and she is directly aiding and abetting the fire and rehire of these bin workers, it is totally and utterly abhorrent.' At their conference in Brighton, Unite members also voted to 're-examine' their relationship with Labour. Unite is one of a number of unions which are affiliated with the Labour Party, and pay hundreds of thousands of pounds towards it each year, as well as making donations to individual Labour MPs. Ms Graham told the BBC that re-examining the union's relationship with Labour could mean disaffiliation, potentially leaving the party without a major donor it has previously relied upon. Unite members have to see that the fee to affiliate with Labour is 'worth something', she said. Ms Graham added: 'At this present moment in time, it is hard to justify it, if I'm being honest. 'Would that money be better spent on frontline services for my members? 'But the decision will be a serious decision. 'It's not a rash decision.' Such a decision would go to a rules conference of the union, she said, adding that she was 'having pressure to have an emergency rules conference, which would mean we would disaffiliate'. Ms Graham said: 'If it was me and I had a major backer like Unite, that has everyday people in it, remember, this was a vote of members at the parliament of our union, that were saying that we don't believe that Labour defends workers in the way that we thought they would, we believe that they're making the wrong decisions, I would be concerned about that.' After Unite announced it had suspended the Deputy Prime Minister's membership, a source close to Ms Rayner said she had already resigned her membership of the union in April. File photo dated 3/7/2025 of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner who has been suspended from membership of Unite over the Government's handling of the Birmingham bin strikes, the union said following a vote of its membership (Peter Byrne/PA) The union boss suggested Ms Rayner may have attempted to do a 'Houdini act' in recent months by leaving Unite. Membership is counted in quarters of the year, Ms Graham said, and the Deputy PM was a member as of the March records. She added: 'Now, if she has over the last couple of weeks, because she's seen the mood music, because this isn't the first time that we've discussed that we're not happy with what's going on, then she may well have done that.' Unite also voted on Friday to suspend the union membership of John Cotton, the Labour leader of Birmingham City Council, and other union members on the authority. The strikes have resulted in unsanitary conditions throughout the city, with large piles of rubbish in the streets. Downing Street insisted on Friday that the Government's priority throughout the dispute had 'always' been Birmingham's residents.
Powys County Times
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Unite could move to disaffiliate from Labour in future, union boss warns
The leader of a major Labour-backing union has warned it could cut ties with the party, after claiming Angela Rayner's behaviour during the Birmingham bin strikes has been 'totally and utterly abhorrent'. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham criticised the Deputy Prime Minister after her union voted to suspend Ms Rayner's membership on Friday. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday, Ms Graham said: 'Angela Rayner refuses to get involved, and she is directly aiding and abetting the fire and rehire of these bin workers, it is totally and utterly abhorrent.' At their conference in Brighton, Unite members also voted to 're-examine' their relationship with Labour. Unite is one of a number of unions which are affiliated with the Labour Party, and pay hundreds of thousands of pounds towards it each year, as well as making donations to individual Labour MPs. Ms Graham told the BBC that re-examining the union's relationship with Labour could mean disaffiliation, potentially leaving the party without a major donor it has previously relied upon. Unite members have to see that the fee to affiliate with Labour is 'worth something', she said. Ms Graham added: 'At this present moment in time, it is hard to justify it, if I'm being honest. 'Would that money be better spent on frontline services for my members? 'But the decision will be a serious decision. 'It's not a rash decision.' Such a decision would go to a rules conference of the union, she said, adding that she was 'having pressure to have an emergency rules conference, which would mean we would disaffiliate'. Ms Graham said: 'If it was me and I had a major backer like Unite, that has everyday people in it, remember, this was a vote of members at the parliament of our union, that were saying that we don't believe that Labour defends workers in the way that we thought they would, we believe that they're making the wrong decisions, I would be concerned about that.' After Unite announced it had suspended the Deputy Prime Minister's membership, a source close to Ms Rayner said she had already resigned her membership of the union in April. The union boss suggested Ms Rayner may have attempted to do a 'Houdini act' in recent months by leaving Unite. Membership is counted in quarters of the year, Ms Graham said, and the Deputy PM was a member as of the March records. She added: 'Now, if she has over the last couple of weeks, because she's seen the mood music, because this isn't the first time that we've discussed that we're not happy with what's going on, then she may well have done that.' Unite also voted on Friday to suspend the union membership of John Cotton, the Labour leader of Birmingham City Council, and other union members on the authority. The strikes have resulted in unsanitary conditions throughout the city, with large piles of rubbish in the streets.
