Nicole Kidman Files for Divorce from Keith Urban After 19 Years of Marriage

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1 October 2025, 07:29

People Nicole Kidman Keith Urban — FILE - Keith Urban, left, and Nicole Kidman arrive at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 8, 2025, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nicole Kidman has filed for divorce from Keith Urban after 19 years of marriage, bringing a surprising end to a long and seemingly successful union that brought together two superstars from the worlds of movies and music.

The 58-year-old Oscar-winning actor petitioned on Tuesday to end her marriage to the 57-year-old Grammy winning country singer in a Nashville court. The documents state the couple has undergone “marital difficulties and irreconcilable differences.”

Kidman and Urban, two of the biggest stars to come out of Australia in recent decades, have been red carpet fixtures throughout their two-decade relationship, with Urban joining his wife at the Oscars and Kidman attending music events like the Academy of Country Music Awards.

The filings include a marriage dissolution and childcare plan agreed on by the couple and submitted for a judge’s approval.

“The mother and father will behave with each other and each child so as to provide a loving, stable, consistent and nurturing relationship with the child even though they are divorced,” says the permanent parenting plan, using language common in the state’s divorces. “They will not speak badly of each other or the members of the family of the other parent. They will encourage each child to continue to love the other parent and be comfortable in both families.”

The plan asks that Kidman be the primary residential parent to the couple’s two daughters, ages 17 and 14, having them for 306 days per year with Urban taking them for the other 59.

The girls have lived in Nashville all their lives, and the documents give no indication that will change.

The filing states that each parent earns more than $100,000 per month and neither will need childcare or spousal support.

The marriage dissolution plan lays out a roughly equal division of joint assets, with each keeping all the assets that are in their own name, including the copyrights and royalties for their artistic work.

The detailed agreements suggests that the divorce had been in the works for well over a month at the least. Urban signed the parenting plan on Aug. 29, Kidman on Sept. 6.

It will take at least 90 days for the divorce to become final under Tennessee law.

Representatives for Kidman and Urban did not respond to emailed requests for comment on Tuesday.

Both raised in Australia, Kidman and Urban met in 2005 at a Los Angeles event honoring Australians and were married in Sydney the following year.

The marriage was the first for Urban and the second for Kidman, who was married to Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001. Kidman also has two older children with Cruise.

The couple had publicly but lovingly described some marital difficulties, but there were still few if any signs they were headed for divorce. Media reports of their separation came just a day before the divorce filing.

Last year at the premiere of the Netflix series “The Perfect Couple,” Kidman told The Associated Press the term didn’t apply to her and Urban.

AP25273460427564 — FILE – Nicole Kidman, left, and Keith Urban arrive at the American Music Awards on Nov. 19, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

“You’re heading for trouble if you consider yourselves the perfect couple,” she said. “I’m not a believer in perfect.”

A few months earlier, Urban paid tribute to Kidman, and brought her to tears, when she received the AFI Life Achievement Award.

Urban said she showed him “what love in action really looks like” when his substance abuse problems emerged almost immediately after they wed in 2006.

“Four months into our marriage, I’m in rehab for three months,” Urban said. “Nic pushed through every negative voice, I’m sure even some of her own, and she chose love. And here we are 18 years later.”

Kidman’s film roles have included “Days of Thunder,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Moulin Rouge” and “The Hours,” for which she won an Academy Award for playing author Virginia Woolf. She has more recently worked in television, including the series “Nine Perfect Strangers” and “Big Little Lies,” for which she won Emmys as both actor and producer.

Urban has been a major country star since the 1990s, with hits including “Somebody Like You” and “Blue Ain’t Your Color.” He has won four Grammy Awards and more than a dozen ACM Awards.

Their split was first reported by TMZ.

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British Man Caught with 9kg of Crystal Meth in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Hotel

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Khaosod English

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30 September 2025, 22:38

british bkk drugs1 — Police arrest British man Wilson (seated) at a Bangkok hotel after finding 9 kilos of crystal meth in his Sukhumvit hotel room on September 30, 2025.

BANGKOK — Police from Metropolitan Police Division 5 received a tip from an informant that a foreign man was transporting crystal methamphetamine in a large pink rolling suitcase and staying at a hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 11, Sukhumvit Road, Watthana District, while waiting to deliver the drugs to customers on September 30.

The arrest team, working with Lumpini Police Station officers, proceeded to investigate the target location. Hotel staff confirmed that a foreign man matching the informant’s description had indeed checked into the room. Police then reviewed CCTV footage and identified the suspect’s room.

Under the authority of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), police requested to search the foreign man’s hotel room due to reasonable suspicion of drug-related offenses. Hotel staff accompanied officers during the search.

british bkk drug2 — Police interrogate a 23-year-old British national after seizing 9,152.3 grams of crystal methamphetamine packed in tea bags at a hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 11, Bangkok on September 30, 2025.

The search uncovered Mr. Wilson, a 23-year-old British national, along with a suitcase on his bed containing 9,152.3 grams of crystal methamphetamine packaged in 10 tea bags. Police seized all evidence.

Wilson admitted he received the crystal meth from a British man named “Snoopy,” whose real surname he did not know. He was paid 20,000 baht ($615) to store the drugs and deliver them to customers.

The arrest team charged him with “distributing Category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine or crystal meth) by possessing them for sale in violation of the law, an act done for commercial purposes that causes distribution among the public.” Lumpini Police Station investigators will proceed with the case.

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Thailand Appeals Court Upholds Royal Defamation Prison Sentence for Progressive Lawmaker

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Associated Press

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30 September 2025, 21:54

Thailand Royal Defamation — People's Party's Chonthicha Jangrew arrives outside the Thanyaburi Provincial Court in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

BANGKOK (AP) — An appeals court in Thailand on Tuesday upheld a two-year prison sentence for a lawmaker from the progressive People’s Party for defaming the monarchy in a speech she made four years ago.

The court in Bangkok granted Chonthicha Jangrew’s request for bail, which was set at 150,000 baht ($4,600). Chonthicha said she would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. If she had been denied bail, she would have been immediately removed from her position as an elected Member of Parliament.

The court’s action, though expected, underlines that Thailand’s machinery of state remains deeply conservative, despite a recent change of government and the opposition People’s Party’s standing as the biggest party in Parliament. Thailand’s political establishment is sensitive about any perceived threats to the status of the country’s monarchy.

Other recent appeals involving political activists have seen rulings that reversed the acquittal of lower courts or handed down longer prison sentences.

Chonthicha’s case is related to a speech she gave during a 2021 political rally in which she demanded the release of all political prisoners. She was found guilty for parts of the speech alleging that the then-government, led by Prayuth Chan-ocha, changed a law to give more power to King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Chonthicha, popularly known by her nickname Lookkate, was formally sentenced last year to three years in prison but that was reduced to two years because of her cooperation with the court.

Criticism of Thailand’s monarchy remains taboo and insulting or defaming key royal family members is punishable by up to 15 years in prison under the law commonly known as Article 112.

Ahead of the ruling, Chonthicha told journalists that her case was important because it highlighted to Thais and the world that the law suppresses freedom of opinion.

Tuesday’s ruling is the second recent legal setback for the 32-year-old lawmaker. Earlier this month, she was convicted in a separate case by the Bangkok Criminal Court and sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for an online post in 2020 that also concerned royal privileges.

Before being elected to Parliament in 2023, Chonthicha was a high-profile activist in the youth-dominated pro-democracy movement, which demanded democratic reform of several powerful institutions, including the monarchy.

She won her seat as a member of the progressive Move Forward Party, which topped the 2023 polls. However, the party failed to form a government and was later disbanded after being found to have violated the constitution by proposing to amend the lese majeste law. The party subsequently regrouped as the People’s Party.

Student-led pro-democracy demonstrations starting in 2020 had sought to bring changes to the lese majeste law, but protesters found themselves targets of prosecution under the same statute.

Critics say the law is frequently wielded as a tool to quash political dissent. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights says that more than 280 people, many of them student activists, have been charged with violating Article 112 since early 2020.

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Blue by Alain Ducasse x Baan Tepa: A Michelin 4-Hands Dinner

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Contributor

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30 September 2025, 17:37

Blue by Alain Ducasse, a one-Michelin-star fine dining French restaurant, presents a new dimension of flavors with the exclusive dining experience “Blue by Alain Ducasse x Baan Tepa 4-Hands Dinner”, born from the collaboration of two world-class chefs: Chef Evens Lopez, Executive Chef of Blue by Alain Ducasse, a one-Michelin-starred French fine dining restaurant for five consecutive years, and Chef Tam Chudaree Debhakam, owner of Baan Tepa, a two-Michelin-starred Thai fine dining restaurant and winner of Asia’s Best Female Chef 2025 from Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. They will jointly create a special dinner for guests to experience exceptional flavors on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at Blue by Alain Ducasse, 1st Floor, ICONSIAM.

“Blue by Alain Ducasse x Baan Tepa 4-Hands Dinner” is the meeting of two world-class chefs who will blend two culinary cultures: contemporary French cuisine and Thai cuisine using local ingredients. Guests will experience an evening of flavors and inspiration through a six-course menu, designed and crafted exclusively for this special night. The menu emphasizes the integration of local ingredients and Thai culinary wisdom by Chef Tam, combined with the meticulous French cooking techniques of Chef Evens, creating a harmonious exchange of diverse yet balanced flavors.

Veolia Expands Thailand Operations with Chonburi Energy Stake

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Contributor

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30 September 2025, 15:28

Veolia, a global leader in resource management, has acquired all of GPSC’s 33.3% stake in Eastern Seaboard Clean Energy Company Limited (“ESCE”), a holding vehicle which owns

99.99% of Chonburi Clean Energy (“CCE”). With this acquisition, Veolia has increased its stake to 66.6% in CCE, a state-of-the-art non-hazardous solid Waste-to-Energy plant located in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor.

In 2024, CCE generated 65,072 MWh of energy, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 260,000 households. CCE also avoided 24,294 tons of CO2 emissions. These impressive environmental contributions resulted from CCE’s strong operational performance. In 2024, CCE achieved a remarkable 92% availability rate (8,075 operating hours), surpassing the industry average for WtE plants. This achievement underscores the plant’s efficient design, effective management, and reliability in waste management.

In addition to reinforcing CCE’s position as a market leader in the waste-to-energy sector, Veolia, positioning itself as a leading operator of Waste-To-Energy in Thailand by leveraging its pristine operational track record, aims to expand CCE’s waste-to-energy business into waste-to-resource operations. This initiative will support industrial stakeholders in achieving resource reuse and advancing Thailand’s transition from a linear to a circular economy, thereby reducing waste and pollution. Veolia’s vision fully aligns with Thailand’s Industrial Waste Management framework, the Bio-Circular-Green Model, and the forthcoming Draft Industrial Waste Management Act.

“This investment demonstrates Veolia’s determination to lead the transformation of waste management in Thailand. With over 170 years of global expertise, we are leveraging our operational excellence to further optimise CCE’s performance, diversify waste streams, and convert waste into valuable resources. This approach is fully aligned with Veolia’s GreenUp strategy – decarbonise, depollute and regenerate – and positions us as a key partner in supporting Thailand’s sustainability objectives and accelerating the transition of its industrial landscape towards a more circular and resilient economy,” said Jerome Le Borgne, Country Head of Veolia Thailand.

ABOUT VEOLIA
Veolia group aims to become the benchmark company for ecological transformation. Present on five continents with 215,000 employees, the Group designs and deploys useful, practical solutions for the management of water, waste and energy that are contributing to a radical turnaround of the current situation. Through its three complementary activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, to preserve available resources and to renew them. In 2024, the Veolia group provided 111 million inhabitants with drinking water and 98 million with sanitation, produced 42 million megawatt hours of energy and treated 65 million tonnes of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) achieved consolidated revenue of 44.7 billion euros in 2024. www.veolia.com

ABOUT Chonburi Clean Energy (CCE)

CCE is a leading Waste-to-Energy facility in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor and the first industrial WtE plant in Chonburi to meet European emission standards, exceeding Thai regulations. With a capacity of 100,000 tons of non-hazardous waste annually, CCE prevents over 110,000 tons of waste from landfill and generates 8.63 MWe of renewable electricity—enough to power approximately 260,000 households—while fully complying with Thai regulatory requirements.

China Court Sentences 11 Members of Myanmar-based Crime Syndicate to Death

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Associated Press

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30 September 2025, 15:26

scam sentence — Courtroom scene Photo: courtesy of the Intermediate People's Court of Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. (Global Times)

BANGKOK (AP) — A court in China sentenced 11 people to death on Monday for their roles in a family-run crime syndicate accused of running illegal gambling and scam operations worth more than $1.4 billion and for the deaths of disobedient workers.

The Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Ming Guoping, Ming Zhenzhen, Zhou Weichang — all members of a powerful family in Kokkang, Myanmar — to death along with eight others, according to a court statement.

The court also handed death sentences suspended for two years to five others, while a further 12 defendants received jail sentences of between five and 24 years. Two-year suspended death sentences are often converted to life in prison.

The sentences came shortly after China on Sunday separately sentenced former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian to death with reprieve for taking bribes. Tang took bribes of more than 268 million yuan ($38 million) in cash and property between 2007 and 2024, according to a statement by the Intermediate People’s Court of Changchun in the northeastern Jilin province.

China issued arrest warrants for members of the Ming family in November 2023 on suspicion of fraud, murder and illegal detention as part of a crackdown on illegal scam operations near the border with Myanmar.

The syndicate’s crimes resulted in the deaths of 10 workers and injuries to two others who tried to escape the scam centers it ran, the court statement said.

The centers, in which criminals run sophisticated online scams targeting people all over the world, have proliferated in countries in Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. They often use trafficked workers who are forced to conduct romance-based investment scams as part of a globalized industry that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates is worth $40 billion annually.

China is cracking down on scam centers in the region through joint operations or coordinating with local police forces. In February, China, Myanmar and Thailand exerted pressure on scam centers located along the Thai-Myanmar border, resulting in the release of more than 7,000 workers, most of whom were Chinese citizens.

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Negroni Week 2025 Launches in Bangkok for Charity

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Contributor

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30 September 2025, 15:25

The 13th annual Negroni Week takes place from 22nd to 28th September 2025 with proceeds from participating venues going to charitable causes.

Celebrating mixology culture across bars and restaurants, CAMPARI, The Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok & Alchemy Thailand hosted the 13th annual Negroni Week Opening Night with special guest bartender “Simone Caporale” one of the most influential figures in modern mixology and the five-time winner of the No.1 spot on The World’s 50 Best Bars with the fundraising proceeds going to charitable partner Slow Food at Caleō.

In 2024, over 13,000 bars and restaurants across nearly 90 countries participated in Negroni Week, helping raise a combined $600.000 that has supported an educational scholarship awarded to 24 industry professionals and 17 community-based projects around the world.

For Negroni Week 2025, the Negroni Week Fund will continue to be distributed by Slow Food to directly support the hospitality community in helping preserve cultural and biological diversity, promoting food and beverage education with knowledge exchange, and fostering equity and wellness.

For more information, please visit the website: www.negroniweek.com

From left to right

1. Clément Larre, Director of Food & Beverage, The Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok
2. Pitta na Patalung
3. Kristian Harmston, Group Chief Executive Officer (Group CEO), Alchemy Asia
4. Armando De Paolis, Campari Group, Managing Director, Asia Partnership Markets
5. Arno Schonfelder, General Manager, Alchemy Thailand
6. Carla PorterGina Virahya
7. Gina Virahya

Hylife Group Wins Top CEO Award for New Generation Leadership

By

MC Marketing

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30 September 2025, 14:50

On the 19th of September 2025, at Centara Grand at CentralWorld, Hylife Group led by Mr. Carl P. Singh, Chief Compliance and Procurement Officer, along with Ms. Nintnara Manothip, Group VP of Marketing served as representatives to accept the prestigious award “Top CEO New Generation of the Year 2025” which was presented to Mr. Dhanush R. Nair, Co-Group CEO at the Dailynews Top CEO 2025 event. This serves as a testament to the forward-thinking vision and new-generation leadership dedicated to driving the organisation with innovation and creativity.

Mr. Carl P. Singh stated: “The Top CEO New Generation of the Year 2025 award is not the achievement of one individual, but a reflection of the dedication of every team member who has contributed to Hylife Group’s sustainable growth. I am truly proud to see our collective commitment and efforts recognised on this prestigious stage. This award will serve as a driving force for us to move forward with determination, continuing to create meaningful value for society in the future.”

The award honors next-generation executives who demonstrate clear vision, outstanding adaptability, and the ability to develop strategic approaches suited to today’s dynamic business environment. It also recognises expertise in systematic organisational management that drives business success amid volatility.

This award reaffirms the role of Hylife Group under the leadership of a new generation of executives who drive the organisation with innovation, sustainability, and a genuine commitment to creating value for society. It also reflects the Group’s dedication to continuous development, raising the standards of Thai businesses onto the global stage, inspiring the next generation, and contributing to positive change across both the industry and society.

Pattaya Club Closed After Indian Manager’s Gunpoint Assault on Tourist

By

Khaosod English

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30 September 2025, 13:03

pattaya indian pub1 — Police and administrative officials order all activities to cease at Boss Club in South Pattaya during a raid that uncovered drug violations and illegal foreign workers on September 30, 2025.

PATTAYA — Thai Authorities have closed a prominent Walking Street nightclub after its Indian manager allegedly orchestrated a brutal attack on a tourist and threatened him with a firearm over an unpaid bar tab.

Pattaya City Police launched the investigation after receiving a complaint about the manager of Boss Club, located in the heart of South Pattaya’s entertainment district. According to the 33-year-old victim, also an Indian national, the manager had been operating like a mafia figure, using personal bodyguards to assault him and holding a gun to his head when he requested to settle his bill the following day.

The incident is particularly troubling as the victim is known among local establishments as a reliable VIP customer who consistently pays his bills and has never defaulted on payment.

pattaya indian pub2 — Thai officers from DOPA – Department of Provincial Administration conduct drug tests at Boss Club in South Pattaya district on September 30, 2025.

Massive Raid Uncovers Multiple Violations

The assault sparked widespread concern among tourists and prompted swift action. On September 30, more than 100 officers from district administration, Pattaya City Police, and tourist police raided the venue while approximately 300 Thai and foreign patrons were inside.

Officers halted all activities and conducted comprehensive checks. Drug tests revealed nine employees tested positive for narcotics. Authorities also discovered over 40 foreign workers—including Indian, Myanmar, and Uzbek nationals—operating without proper work permits or holding fraudulent documentation.

Those who tested positive were detained for further processing, while undocumented foreign workers were transferred to immigration police.

pattaya indian pub3 — Authorities inspect and interview security staff at Boss Club in South Pattaya as part of the investigation into alleged assault and illegal employment violations on September 30, 2025.

Manager Evades Authorities

The manager was absent during the raid and failed to report to police when contacted. District officials responded by ordering the immediate closure of Boss Club and will recommend the provincial governor impose an extended shutdown.

“This is part of our zero-tolerance policy regarding violence against tourists,” officials stated. “We will pursue the perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law to deter criminal influence from expanding in the entertainment district.”

Gold Necklace Dispute

Lakshman Singh, President of the Indian Association of Pattaya, said on Tuesday the victim is a premium customer at several Indian clubs in Pattaya who routinely settles bills the next day via bank transfer—a common practice for VIP patrons.

pattaya indian club4 — Left: Leg injuries sustained by the 33-year-old Indian victim. Right: The gold necklace at the center of the dispute that led to the assault at Boss Club in South Pattaya on September 26, 2025.

On the night in question, the Boss Club manager invited the victim to the venue and borrowed his gold necklace. When the victim later requested its return, the manager refused unless he paid his drink bill immediately, sparking an argument.

Two security guards then dragged the victim away and beat him with a stick-like object, striking his legs. Another Indian man held a gun to his head demanding immediate payment and confiscated his passport.

The victim received treatment at Pattaya Memorial Hospital before filing a police report. Singh said the incident has left the victim deeply shaken and urged business operators to better protect tourists, especially VIP customers. He called on authorities to prosecute the perpetrators swiftly.

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Rescuers Run Oxygen to Survivors in Indonesia School Building Collapse

By

Associated Press

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30 September 2025, 11:29

APTOPIX Indonesia Building Collapsed — Rescuers pull out a survivor from a collapsed building at an Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

SIDOARJO, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers ran oxygen and water to students trapped in the unstable concrete rubble of a collapsed school building in Indonesia, as they desperately worked to free survivors Tuesday a day after the structure fell. At least three students were killed, more than 100 were injured and dozens were presumed buried in the rubble.

Rescue workers, police and soldiers digging through the night pulled out eight weak and injured survivors more than eight hours after the collapse at Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in the East Java town of Sidoarjo. Rescuers saw additional bodies, indicating the death toll was likely to rise.

Rescue efforts were temporarily suspended at 10:15 a.m. as the collapsed concrete shook suddenly, indicating another collapse could be imminent. People immediately ran for their lives, some screaming, as rescuers urged everyone in the area to avoid the building, including more than a dozens of ambulances that parked near the scene.

AP25273037557569 — Rescuers search for victims after a building under construction collapsed, at an Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

Families of the students gathered at hospitals or near the collapsed building, anxiously awaiting news of their children. Relatives wailed as they watched rescuers pull a dusty, injured student from the buried prayer hall.

A notice board at the command post set up in the boarding school complex listed 65 students as missing as of Tuesday morning. They are mostly boys in grades seven to 11, between the ages of 12 and 17.

“Oh my God… my son is still buried, oh my God please help!” a mother cried hysterically upon seeing her child’s name on the board, followed by the cries of other parents whose relatives had suffered a similar fate.

“Please, sir, please find my child immediately,” cried a father, holding the hand of one of the rescue team members.

Heavy slabs of concrete and other rubble and unstable parts of the building hampered search and rescue efforts, said Nanang Sigit, a search and rescue officer who lead the effort. Heavy equipment was available but not being used due to concerns that it could cause further collapse.

“We have been running oxygen and water to those still trapped under the debris and keeping them alive while we work hard to get them out,” Sigit said. He added that rescuers saw several bodies under the rubble but were focused on saving those who were still alive.

AP25272592821098 — A woman is comforted as she weeps while rescue work is underway after a building collapsed at an Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

Several hundred rescuers were involved in the effort and had equipment for breathing, extrication, medical evacuation and other support tools.

The students had been performing afternoon prayers in a building that was undergoing an unauthorized expansion when it suddenly collapsed on top of them, provincial police spokesperson Jules Abraham Abast said.

Residents, teachers and administrators assisted injured students, many with head injuries and broken bones. Female students were praying in another part of the building and managed to escape, survivors said.

One male student, a 13-year-old boy, was killed and 102 other students were injured and taken to hospitals, some of them in critical condition, officials said.

Authorities were investigating the cause of the collapse. Abast said the old prayer hall was two stories but two more were being added without a permit.

“The old building’s foundation was apparently unable to support two floors of concrete and collapsed during the pouring process,” Abast said.

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