A Thai influencer has sadly passed away after accepting a challenge for $875.

Thanakarn Kanthee, known on social media as ‘Bank Leicester,’ was only 21 when he collapsed and died on December 25 in Chanthaburi’s Tha Mai district, Thailand, as reported by the Bangkok Post.

The Bangkok native was reportedly hired to attend a birthday celebration, where he was paid to consume bottles of whiskey for money.

The Nation Thailand revealed Kanthee was compensated 30,000 baht for consuming two 350ml bottles as part of the challenge, equivalent to roughly $875.

Unfortunately, soon after completing the task, he seemed unwell.

After vomiting and losing consciousness, he was transported to Songpeenong Hospital, where he was declared deceased at 3.40am on December 26, just hours after reaching the event.

According to Thai Enquirer on Facebook, Thanakarn’s death has been listed as acute heart failure, though autopsy results have yet to ascertain if alcohol played a role or if there were other underlying health concerns.

Before this unfortunate incident, the influencer was a student at the Ritthiyawannalai School and was involved in selling garlands.

He initially gained fame on Facebook through his rap songs designed to attract buyers.

It is suggested that Thanakarn engaged in similar risky challenges to financially support his family and grandmother, as another video has emerged showing him consuming hand sanitizer.

A post on his Facebook page stated: “I am willing to be bullied and insulted to just get scraps of money from the rich people in order to provide for my family.”

A different Facebook post, made days prior to his death, read: “Nowadays, I don’t care who hates me, who doesn’t like me, I just ignore it and let it go because these days, I only care about the people around me.”

“If they don’t like me, that’s their problem, not my problem. My duty is to earn money and find happiness for myself, that’s enough.”

On Saturday, police officers arrested two other social media influencers, Ekachart “Em” Meephrom from Chanthaburi province and Theerawat Srirot from Pathum, in connection with Thanakarn’s death, as reported by The Independent.

If it is determined that the victim was paid to drink a lethal amount, those responsible could be charged under Section 291 of the Penal Code for causing death through negligence.

Those found guilty of this crime may face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 20,000 baht ($580), or both.

Since this tragedy, tributes have poured in on his Facebook page, with friends remembering him as a ‘very good person’ who brought ‘smiles to everyone’.

The ex-girlfriend of the individual who caused an explosion with a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas has revealed the text messages she received from him in the days leading up to the incident.

Authorities identified the man as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, a decorated Army soldier from Colorado Springs. He was on approved leave when he traveled to the Trump hotel.

On January 1, Livelsberger shot himself just before the Tesla vehicle exploded, leading to minor injuries for seven people.

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill suggested that the explosion was aimed at causing more harm to the hotel, but the building remained largely unaffected because the steel-sided truck caused the blast to vent ‘out and up’.

The explosive was described as ‘crudely built’. Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, remarked: “The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience.”

In the days preceding the explosion, Livelsberger communicated via text with his ex-girlfriend, Alicia Arritt, a former Army nurse. Arritt later spoke to The Denver Gazette about their exchanges.

On December 29, at 9am, Livelsberger texted Arritt from Denver, saying: “I rented a Tesla Cybertruck. It’s the s***.”

The exchange was light-hearted, without any hint of what was to come. Livelsberger added: “I feel like Batman or halo.”

He continued texting Arritt until New Year’s Eve, sharing photos and videos of the vehicle.

Though Arritt was pleased to hear from him, she found it odd given their difficult breakup in 2021.

Livelsberger updated her on his life, saying: “I’m building drones in my new position. You would love it.”

Arritt inquired about the Cybertruck, particularly its speed.

Livelsberger responded: “Ungodly.”

As the investigation into the explosion continues, Arritt told The Denver Gazette that Livelsberger was ‘the kindest man’ she’d ever known.

“He got me through a difficult time,” she recalled, mentioning how Livelsberger had also bought a house for his mother when she fell ill.

She noted a change in his behavior towards isolation in 2019, after returning from the Middle East with a traumatic brain injury. Yet, she described Livelsberger as a patriotic man, which leaves her puzzled over the events on New Year’s Day.

At the time of his death, Livelsberger was married and had recently become a father.

An airline traveler was shocked when they were reportedly asked to give up their seat to make room for a dog.

The unhappy passenger shared their experience on Reddit, expressing frustration with the situation they encountered. They claimed that a service dog was ‘too large to fit on the floor’ and therefore was permitted to occupy their seat during a United Airlines flight from San Diego to Denver.

“I boarded a flight from SAN to DEN and an enormous ‘service’ dog was sitting on my seat,” the passenger stated.

“He was way too big to fit on the floor. The flight attendant was a few rows away and when asked if she saw the dog, she just shrugged.

“My husband and I tried to resolve it with the passenger but there was no way that dog could fit under his legs in his window seat. Since we were told that it was a completely full flight, and the dog was taking my seat, I thought I was going to get bumped off the flight by this dog.”

The passenger recounted that eventually a flight attendant managed to find them another seat, while the dog remained on their original seat, which they found ‘absurd’.

“A United staff member came onboard and spoke to the passenger but the dog remained,” they added.

“Finally, somehow they located another seat for me. The dog stayed on my seat for the whole flight. Totally absurd that an oversized dog can displace a paying passenger from their seat. United needs to crack down on passengers abusing the ‘service’ animal allowance.”

“How can someone be allowed onboard with a dog that big without buying an extra seat?

“United’s policy is that service dogs ‘can’t be in the aisle or the floor space of the travelers next to you’. Also it is nasty to have a dog outside of a carrier sitting on passengers’ seats with his butt on the armrests.

“The gate agents carefully check the size my carry-on, but apparently they don’t monitor the size of people’s ‘service’ dogs! WTH?!”

The incident sparked a lot of debate, with many people sharing their views in the comments.

One person remarked: “Service dogs are required to sit on the floor at the passenger’s feet. Not on a seat. This is for the animal’s safety since it can’t wear a proper seatbelt.”

Another individual commented: “As a disability lawyer, you need to start making mass complaints to the airline. They know that an SD has to be either: in the floor space and or under the seat in front of its handler, or the handler has to purchase a second seat. If the dog encroaches on another passenger’s foot space (or seat), the handler has to buy a second seat, and the dog can be IN the FOOT space of the their seat, and the 2nd seat. A non-lap dog can NOT be in the seat for takeoff & landing.”

A third commenter noted that the dog ‘should have been removed from the seat’ regardless of whether the passenger was relocated or not.

According to the United Airlines website: “Your dog should sit in the floor space in front of your seat. They can’t be in the aisle or the floor space of the travelers next to you.”

A woman decided to experiment with a trending music technique claiming it helps alleviate insomnia, and she experienced positive effects in just 45 minutes.

With the arrival of the New Year, numerous viral trends are sweeping through social media, including ‘microretirement’ which is rapidly gaining popularity on TikTok.

Another trend that’s gaining attention online focuses on health and is purported to aid individuals struggling with insomnia, anxiety, and similar issues.

Tahira Ali shared her personal experience in the Daily Mirror, illustrating how a viral music technique has proven effective in tackling persistent insomnia.

She stated: “I’ve just moved to London and am feeling jangled by the busy pace of life. I’ve also suffered from insomnia for three years so when London fitness chain, Gymbox, started offering a binaural beats relaxation class, I jumped at the chance to try it. When it starts, however, I’m anything but relaxed.”

As she settled in and attempted to get comfortable, Tahira detailed her anticipation for the ‘effects of this neuroscience-approved brand of electronic music’ to manifest.

But what exactly makes this type of music conducive to falling asleep at night?

Neurologist Dr. Faye Beget explained to the Daily Express: “Binaural beats are an auditory phenomenon that occurs when two tones of slightly different frequencies are played in each ear.

“When each ear hears tones of different frequencies, the brain perceives the difference between the two frequencies as a third sound. For example, if a 300Hz tone is played in one ear and a 310Hz tone in the other, the brain perceives a 10Hz beat.”

Initially skeptical, Tahira experienced noticeable changes within just 45 minutes.

“My thoughts, while not silenced completely, are far quieter and I have a feeling of gratitude that wasn’t with me before,” she wrote.

Tahira reflected on feeling ‘more grounded’ after engaging with binaural beats at the gym, and the effects had left her feeling ‘more awake’.

She mentioned: “The buzzing tiredness of a morning headache has faded. I feel more present and positive: I was more generous when asked to give to charity, I helped two groups of tourists navigate the Tube, I bought casual gifts for my family. The most surprising result was that night when, for the first time in a long time, I had a solid eight hours of sleep.”

Would this new trend be something you’d consider trying?

Apple is a global tech powerhouse, yet even they couldn’t get one of their ambitious products to succeed, leading to its abandonment.

For many, Apple is synonymous with technology. Their influence is pervasive, and they’ve long strived to dominate the smartphone sector.

However, Apple was working behind the scenes to enter a new market. Despite a decade of effort, they decided to abandon the project.

It’s not unusual for large tech companies to scrap projects regularly, but this particular endeavor was a costly one.

Over ten years, Apple invested $10 billion in attempting to launch this product, but it was ultimately not successful.

The project in question was their secretive car initiative, known as Titan, which they decided to discontinue.

Although the exact reasons for the project’s termination in early 2024 aren’t clear, Apple informed the 2,000 employees working on it that it was being shelved.

Originally, the project aimed to challenge Tesla by developing an electric car, later pivoting to focus on self-driving technology. Eventually, it reverted to being an electric vehicle contender against Tesla.

It’s easy to ponder the financial losses incurred while changing the project’s direction.

When Apple terminated the project in 2024, they shifted their focus to generative artificial intelligence, which resulted in 600 employees losing their jobs.

A post on Instagram highlighted Apple’s misstep, but sympathy for the company was limited despite the financial hit.

One user quipped: “They can afford it from all the money they annually collect from re-releasing the same phone.”

Another joked: “So this why y’all stop giving us a charger in the box?” while another speculated: “Imagine a car that starts glitching when the new model comes out.”

Someone else commented: “Billion dollars… I guess iPhones is about to cost us $10.00 more so they can make that money back up lol.”

Yet, another user offered a positive note: “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

Attentive fans of Squid Game’s second season have uncovered an intriguing detail that alters the way you view the first episode.

The inaugural season of the popular South Korean series captivated Netflix audiences during the 2021 Covid pandemic.

The eagerly awaited second season of Squid Game was released on December 26, 2024, maintaining its intense action-packed plot.

Be advised: Spoilers for Squid Game season two follow.

The new season opens with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), fresh from his season one victory, as he embarks on a quest to find the salesman who first lured him into the perilous games.

Using his substantial earnings, Gi-hun sets out to track the recruiter, intending to infiltrate the games and confront the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun).

The previous Squid Game victor eventually catches sight of the recruiter involved in a game of Ddakji at a subway station. Does this ring a bell for anyone?

However, when Gi-hun chooses to pursue him, things take a turn for the worse for him and his companion, Choi Woo-seok (Jeon Seok-ho), as they are detected and compelled to partake in Squid Game once more.

The first game they are coerced into playing is Rock, Paper, Scissors, with the added tension of Russian Roulette.

The threat of death seems to escalate when more bullets are introduced into the game, but one observant viewer has noticed an ‘intriguing’ detail suggesting the game might not have been as lethal as it appeared.

A Reddit post pointed out: “Why’d the recruiter use dummy bullets in the Russian roulette scene?

“In the recruiter’s first Russian roulette game between the loan sharks, if you look closely you can see that the recruiter actually loaded a dummy bullet (you can tell by the ‘hole’, it’s caused by the primer already being hit by the firing pin).

“So there was actually a 0% chance of the gun firing at first.”

The viewer speculated further about the implications of the first episode, stating: “Then in the second game when they play with 5 bullets, the recruiter adds 3 more dummies and 1 real bullet (you can tell as it’s flat, so the primer hasn’t already been hit). So there was actually only a 1/6 chance of dying.

“Maybe he just enjoyed their suffering and wanted to make them panic even more by adding more bullets, making them think death was pretty much imminent, even if it was only 1/6.”

You can now watch Squid Game season two streaming on Netflix.