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Police arrest man for allegedly attacking and robbing a Russian woman in Pattaya
A 42 year old man was arrested today for allegedly beating and robbing a Russian tourist in Pattaya six months ago, Khaosod English reports. The 56 year old woman was taking photos in South Pattaya when the man allegedly attacked her, stealing her phone and US$2,000 in cash. The victim’s face was left with bruises from the assault. The man,…
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Thursday Covid Update: 4,971 new cases; provincial totals
33 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,847 with 20,753 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 4,971 new Covid-19 cases and 5,402 recoveries. There are now 73,726 people in Thailand being…
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Alcohol restrictions ease in some Nakhon Ratchasima districts, tourism scheme launches
Seven districts in the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima will be easing alcohol restrictions as a pilot tourism scheme launches. Restaurants that pass SHA stands will be allowed to serve alcoholic drinks until 10pm. Pubs, clubs, karaoke, entertainment venues, and massage parlors remain closed. According to the deputy governor Chusak Chunkoh, seven districts in Nakhon Ratchasima province, formerly knowns as Korat,…
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Kashmir: Vanishing wetlands threaten wildlife, livelihoods
Thousands of birds which flock to Indian-administered Kashmir each year are now under threat due to shrinking wetlands. Locals and fishermen are taking the initiative to try and restore the region’s dying lakes. SOURCE: DW News
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Bangkok to organise New Year’s festival followed by Buddhist chanting ceremony
Bangkok city officials are planning New Year’s events, but under Covid-19 measures. A New Year’s festival is planned for December 31 and a Buddhist chanting ceremony is planned for the following day, according to the deputy permanent secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The spokesperson says the events will be under the universal Covid-19 measures. The two-day event will be…
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Singapore man jailed for consorting with friend who smuggled firearms
A 27-years old Amirul Asyraff Muhammad Junus was sentenced to five years and two weeks in prison with six strokes of the cane (Yes, caning is a form of corporal punishment in Singapore) for consorting with a fellow gang member who smuggled a firearm into Singapore from Malaysia. His friend, Muhammad Ikram Abdul Aziz, 26, had illegally carried a Shooters…
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Chumphon flood makes main North-South highway impassable
In Chumphon province, the highway connecting Bangkok to the South of Thailand has been hit with a flood so bad it has been impassable. After 300 millimetres of rain fell on the Chumphon districts of Lang Suan, Sawi, and Thung Tako on Tuesday, the main artery travelling the whole of southern Thailand was flooded in several areas. The battered province…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha vows to prevent Omicron from reaching Thai soil
Thailand’s prime minister has urged the public not to panic, but to remain vigilant against the new Omicron virus, according to government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana yesterday. He added that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha also encouraged people to get fully vaccinated in order to boost group immunity and ensure everyone’s safety, as adequate vaccines are now available for all Thais. As foreign…
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Malaysia bans travel from African nations amid Omicron fears
Following suit with countries around Asia and around the world, Malaysia has announced a temporary ban on travellers entering from African countries in close proximity to the Omicron Covid-19 variant. Malaysia’s health minister announced the ban on 8 African countries including South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, though it hasn’t banned other countries that have reported cases of Omicron yet.…
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Cost of PCR tests reduced by 200 baht at labs run by Department of Medical Sciences
The Department of Medical Sciences is cutting the cost of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests by 200 baht. However, the reduction only applies to laboratories under the DMS. The price of PCR test kits remains unchanged. According to a Nation Thailand report, the fee is being reduced from 1,300 baht to 1,000 baht, in a bid to encourage more…
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Vietnam signs deal to expand production of Sputnik V vaccine
Vietnam has struck a deal with Moscow to expand their production of the Russian-made Covid-19 vaccines Sputnik V. Vietnam has been producing the Sputnik vaccines already, but a new deal will allow more Sputnik V vaccines to be manufactured as well as the Sputnik Light vaccine. The expanded deal was made during a visit to Russia by Nguyen Xuan Phuc,…
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Bangkok is 4th best place to live in Southeast Asia, according to expat survey
Bangkok has come in at number 4 in a survey ranking the best places to live in Southeast Asia. And the Thai capital has come in at number 11 out of 57 cities in the global rankings. This is a big jump on last year’s result, when it was ranked at number 30 out of 66 cities. According to a…
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Muang district in Ayutthaya allow to serve alcohol in restaurants
The CCSA seems to be slowly rolling out the lifting of the alcohol ban in Thailand on a province by province, and sometimes district by district, basis. Muang district in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya is the latest district to receive the green light to ease Covid-19 restrictions and allow alcohol to be served in restaurants. The district in Ayutthaya has…
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Women’s Tennis Association shelves all tournaments in China amid Peng concerns
The Women’s Tennis Association has suspended all tournaments in China amid concerns for the welfare of Chinese player, Peng Shuai. According to an AFP report, Steve Simon from the WTA says the tournaments, including those planned for Hong Kong, cannot go ahead while Peng is unable to speak freely. The Winter Olympics are due to take place in Beijing in…
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Thai officials attempt to track down 783 travellers from Africa for Omicron testing
Officials are attempting to trace 783 travellers who’ve arrived in Thailand from various African countries since November 15. Immigration police are working with the Public Health Ministry, who want to test the arrivals for the Omicron Covid-19 variant, according to a Bangkok Post report. However, national police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk says the public shouldn’t panic, adding that immigration officers and…
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Idlib: Collapsing Turkish lira makes daily life harder than ever
Khadija lives in Idlib, the capital of the Syrian Idlib province. The burden of responsibility weighs heavily on her shoulders. She has become her family’s main breadwinner, and provides for her twin brothers, who were born with Down syndrome. “I work a lot,” she told DW in a voice message. “My father used to be able to provide for us…
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Leaked documents ‘link’ top Chinese leaders to crackdown on Uyghurs
In an exclusive interview, German academic Adrian Zenz offers insight into a new set of documents which he says show that speeches made by Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top leaders lay a foundation for the crackdown on Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The documents, dubbed as the “Xinjiang Papers,” include three speeches made by Chinese President Xi Jinping from 2014,…
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EU, China race to secure green projects in Southeast Asia
Last weekend, the European Union launched a new green partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that will see €30 million ($34 million) donated to the region’s green investment fund — the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility. Days later at the annual China-ASEAN summit, Beijing vowed to step up its investment in green projects in the region and…
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Ghana showcases technology to tackle big challenges
Using digital and new technologies to tackle Ghana’s problems. That’s the focus for many innovators here. From digital solutions to climate change to greener construction techniques. One app warns of flood risks in Accra. Others want to make health and education more accessible. At Ghana’s digital innovation week video games aren’t just fun. They can also help shift perspectives. Like…
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Marthe Wandou: We need to move from frameworks to action and protect children
Marthe Wandou has been fighting against sexual violence and promoting women’s and children’s rights in Cameroon for decades. Founded in 1998, her nongovernmental organization, Action Locale pour un Developpement Participatif et Autogere (ALDEPA), applies a holistic approach focusing on education, abuse prevention, and providing psychosocial care as well as legal counsel. DW: What does the Right Livelihood Award (RLA) mean…
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Vietnam to welcome fully vaccinated tourists from Thailand this month
Vietnam is setting up a “travel bubble” scheme with Thailand to allow vaccinated travellers to enter the Southeast Asian country. The head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Nguyen Trung Khanh, today says his department is working with Thai officials to set up the scheme, adding that the first batch of Thai tourists will arrive in Vietnam this month…
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Myanmar junta likely to be temporarily barred from the UN, along with Taliban
The Myanmar military junta and the Taliban in Afghanistan are likely to be temporarily barred from representing their nations at the 193-member United Nations credentials committee, which includes Russia, China, and the United States. The committee will meet at UN headquarters to assess the credentials of all 193 members of the UN General Assembly for the current session, and Reuters…
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Hospital warns not all PCR tests properly detect Omicron variant
Ramathibodi Hospital Centre for Medical Genomics has warned that some PCR test kits may fail in accurately identifying people infected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19. The hospital says that the new variant has a growth advantage and that some polymerase chain reaction tests may not be able to see the variant. The Hospital posted its findings on Facebook recently…
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Thailand’s exclusion from US Summit for Democracy could impact foreign investment
The exclusion of Thailand from the US’s virtual Summit for Democracy could cause Thailand to lose foreign investment. More than 100 democratic nations were invited to the event hosted by US President Joe Biden while Thailand sits on the sidelines with other nations including Vietnam, Laos, China, and Russia. The summit focuses on three key themes: Defending against authoritarianism, addressing…
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Kanchanaburi park ranger reportedly stabbed co-worker, shot himself
A park ranger reportedly stabbed at co-worker to death before shooting himself. Apparently the two men had to an argument while installing cameras in a Thong Pha Phum district forest to study Bengal tigers. The Khao Laem National Park rangers were so deep in the forest that an army helicopter was sent to rescue the injured ranger. The head chief…
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Former Deputy PM Suthep indicted over construction contracts
The National Anti-Corruption Commission has filed an indictment against former Deputy Prime Minister and protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban accusing him of irregularities in police constructions contracts. The charges were filed yesterday in the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders and are regarding projects to build police stations and housing over 10 years ago. Suthep who has been jailed…
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New variant casts shadow over Thailand Motor Expo, concerns outbreak could affect the industry
The uncertainty of the newly identified Covid-19 variant Omicron looms over today’s opening of the Thailand International Motor Expo as firms promote their new electric vehicle options. Many of the manufacturers at the exhibition worry that the new variant may force countries to return to lockdowns or take other measures that will hurt business as the global economy and Thai…
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Cabinet sets aside over 5 billion baht to improve Bangkok’s public transportation
Yesterday, the two biggest transportation groups in Thailand, Bangkok Mass Transit Organisation (BMTA) and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), received subsidies from the Cabinet to cope with the loss as well as increase their liquidity. A total of 5 billion baht was given, with 2.28 billion going to BMTA and 3.38 billion going to SRT. The Cabinet has also…
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Most face masks on sale in Thailand do not meet industry quality standards
The Thailand Consumer Council says that out of 60 face masks available in the country, only a fifth have passed quality tests. According to a Bangkok Post report, the TCC has called on the Thai Industrial Standards Institute to mandate the same safety standards for disposable face masks, which is currently a voluntary requirement. In July, the TCC randomly chose…
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Epstein pilot says Trump, Prince Andrew, Clinton all flew on late financier’s planes
A pilot who worked for Jeffrey Epstein says he recalls flying Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump on the late financier’s private planes. Lawrence Visoski, who worked for Epstein for 30 years, claims he also flew Kevin Spacey. He says he would be told in advance when there would be VIP passengers, so he could ensure the plane “looked…
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