Thailand school dormitory fire kills 17 schoolgirls.Drive Hot News

At least 17 girls have been killed by a fire which swept through their school dormitory in northern Thailand.

The fire broke out on Sunday evening when many of the girls, aged between five and 13, were asleep, said police.

One official told Drive Hot News that 38 students had been in the dorm at Pithakkiart Witthaya school in Chiang Rai, which takes children from the region's poor hill tribes.

Two girls are still missing and another five were injured, two seriously.

Police Col Prayad Singsin said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Local media showed images of the two-storey building consumed by flames, with firefighters tackling the fire.

Beware of those well-concealed charges as you choose a bank.Drive Hot News

As banks declare super normal profits for a year that saw the whole economy struggle, consumers are becoming more aware that this performance may be driven by hidden charges and high interest rates.

And with an average middle aged Kenyan operating more than one bank account, a Savings and Credit Co-operative (Sacco) account and a mobile money account, mobility has become much easier.

The 2016 household survey conducted by Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) estimates that with 18 per cent of the population using new mobile banking services such as M-Shwari and KCB M-Pesa, the proportion of bank account users has now risen to 38 per cent,   a 10 per cent  increase since 2013.

For a long time, banks have been fleecing borrowers with little or no information on how expensive the money they are borrowing is.
Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge has been urging Kenyans not to feel “trapped” by their banking institutions and should use the information provided by the regulator to make wise choices when selecting bank products.

“Our view is still the same, commercial banks need to lower their rates in a proportionate way. This is where people need to vote with their feet, I mean why do you feel trapped? If you think it is a high rate why not move to another bank, vote with your wallet,” he said during a press conference at the end of last year.

The CBK boss added that customers should also exit banks that offer poor services instead of complaining all the time.

South Korea confirms first Zika case.Drive Hot News

South Korea has confirmed its first case of the Zika virus, in a man who had recently returned from Brazil.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said the 43-year-old was diagnosed on Tuesday and was being treated in Gwangju city.

Zika, a mosquito-borne virus, has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization.

It has spread rapidly in Brazil and the Americas, and is suspected of causing birth defects.

But WHO experts caution the link between the virus and microcephaly - in which babies are born with underdeveloped heads - is not yet proven.

Isolated Zika infections have been reported in a handful of countries in Asia.

South Korea said the infected man had been quarantined and his movements tracked since returning home, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Taiwan earthquake: Man rescued but scores are missing.Drive Hot News

Rescuers pulled 20-year-old Huang Kuang-wei out alive after more than a day

The 17 storeys of the Weiguan Jinlong (Golden Dragon) apartment complex, home to at least 256 people, crumpled down on each other as the quake took hold just before 04:00 (20:00 GMT on Friday).

More than 200 people were rescued, but a baby, young girl and two adult men were among 12 in the complex who did not survive, officials said. Elsewhere in the city, at least two other victims were killed by falling debris.

Hundreds of soldiers have joined in the rescue effort, with the help of hi-tech equipment and rescue dogs, and shelters are due to be set up for those who have lost their homes in the city of two million people.

More than 24 hours after the earthquake, fire fighters, police, soldiers and volunteers were picking through the ruins, some using their hands.

A woman surnamed Chang said she was waiting to hear from her daughter, who lived on the fifth floor of the fallen apartment block.

"She's not answering my phone calls. I am trying to hold my emotions and stay strong. I'll do that until I find her," she said.

"I know they will find her, but I have also prepared for the worst," she added.

A man in his 60s, whose son escaped and whose daughter-in-law was in serious condition, was trying to help rescuers pinpoint his 11- and 12-year-old grandsons.

Interior Minister Chen Wei-jen said investigators would examine whether the building's construction met requirements.

Music legend David Bowie dies.Drive Hot News

 

Singer David Bowie has died at the age of 69 following a battle with cancer.

His son confirmed the news and a statement was released on his official social media accounts.
"David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer," it said.
"While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family's privacy during their time of grief."
The singer only released his latest album Blackstar on his birthday on Friday.
There had been rumours about Bowie's health for years.
His last live performance was at a New York charity concert in 2006.
Blackstar, which includes just seven songs, has been well received by critics.
Bowie's breakthrough came with 1972's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.
His hits include Let's Dance, Space Oddity, Heroes, Under Pressure, Rebel, Rebel, Life on Mars and Suffragette City.

Beyonce Not Connected To Freak Show Movie.Drive Hot News

A report emerged over the weekend (02-03Jan16) claiming the Halo star was planning to write the project and portray Saartjie Baartman, a South African who was made to exhibit her oversized bottom at shows in London under the stage name Hottentot Venus.

However, the singer's rep has now denied the rumour, telling Gossipcop.com, "Beyonce is not connected to this project, but this is a very important story to be told."

The former Destiny's Child star has previously appeared in movies including Austin Powers in Goldmember, Dreamgirls, and Cadillac Records.

Cairo restaurant firebomb attack kills 16.Brought to u by Prince Media Uganda,Ugandan based documentary comapny

Sixteen people have been killed in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, after firebombs were thrown into a restaurant, officials say.

The attack happened in the Agouza area, in the city centre.

Egypt's interior ministry said it appeared to have followed a row between workers and others at the venue, which also housed a nightclub.

Media reports say three masked men threw the devices into the venue before fleeing.

Reuters news agency said the restaurant was in the basement of the building, making it harder for people to escape.

Video from the scene showed thick, grey smoke billowing out of a doorway at street-level as passers-by tried to get close. Flames could be seen inside the entrance, as one man used a fire-extinguisher to try to tackle the blaze.

The victims died from burns or the effects of inhaling smoke, it said. At least five other people were injured.

Cairo has previously been rocked by a series of attacks on security forces and civilians carried out by suspected Islamist militants.

An Islamist insurgency intensified in the wake of the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.