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Can India and Israel help drive cooperation in the Middle East?
Top diplomats from India, the US, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) held a virtual ministerial meeting on Monday, which has been lauded as a first step towards expanding quadrilateral cooperation in the Middle East and Asia. India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Foreign Ministers Yair Lapid of Israel and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed of the UAE were joined…
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Travellers after November 1 told to book quarantine hotels
While many are excited that Thailand is finally reopening at least somewhat without quarantine to certain people in certain locations, the confusion and lack of confirmation of rules until the last minute is creating some conflicting information. Thai embassies are telling potential foreign travellers that they will still need to book quarantine accommodations before they are permitted to travel. Many…
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Fire at Samut Prakan shoe factory rages for 3 hours
Fires raged at Watana Footwear, a large shoe factory in Samut Prakan which caught fire and burned for 3 hours causing an estimated 100 million baht of damage. The blaze took place last night around 9 pm on King Keaw Road in Bang Plee, Samut Prakan, a sub-province of Bangkok. Two people were reported injured in the incident. Bang Keaw…
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Bangkok Hospital Pattaya giving expats free Pfizer vaccines
A new opportunity has been announced for expats in Pattaya who have yet to be vaccinated to get a free Pfizer vaccine. Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, who earlier this month offered free AstraZeneca vaccines to the expat and local foreigner community, has opened registration today for foreigners to get inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccination programme is open to any…
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Covid-19 Wednesday: 79 deaths, infections below 9,000
Today, the CCSA reported 8,918 new Covid-19 infections, down 204 since yesterday, the first times the new infections dipped under 9,000 in months. There were 79 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 8 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,782,989 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since…
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Bangkok authorities and hotels prepare for returning travellers
Bangkok authorities and hotels are gearing up to welcome back international tourists on November 1, setting up swab hubs and preparing for an influx of travellers. The Tourism Authority of Thailand said they will set up testing stations outside the airport and are strategising to avoid congestion and bottlenecking as international travellers arrive into Thailand. The plan is instead to…
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Korat’s largest hospital now flooded
The northeastern province of Korat is seeing its largest hospital flooded today after the Lam Takhon canal overflowed. Marahat Nakhon Ratchasima, was invaded by water at around 4:30am. The water in the front and back of the hospital measured at 50-60 cms deep by mid-morning, making it impossible for small vehicles to enter or leave the property. The intersection in…
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GPO selling ATKs at 40 baht at 8 centres and online
After a protracted battle over whether or not to purchase 8.5 million antigen test kits from a Chinese company that had been pulled from US shelves after US FDA warnings of inaccuracy, the sale went through and the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation has been distributing the kits for use across Thailand. The GPO has now announced a supply of 2 million…
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Digital literacy a must for bank card holders after recent cyber fraud incident
In light of the recent cyber fraud incident, in which 40,000 people were victimised in Thailand, a cybersecurity expert is emphasizing the need for digital literacy. Prinya Hom-anek, president of the ACIS Professional Centre, an IT security consulting service, says bank card holders are the most vulnerable in the payment ecosystem. This vulnerability sees criminals targetting the group first, as…
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93 arrested for alcohol in restaurant across from police station
In what has become a common occurrence, police raided an establishment and arrested people illegally serving and consuming alcohol. In Pathumwan district of Bangkok Monday night, police raided a restaurant within a shopping centre and arrested 93 people with alcoholic beverages. In real estate, as in illegal alcohol sales, location is everything, and the raid occurred on the second floor…
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Senior health official says South must move to Pfizer only to tackle Covid-19 outbreak
A senior health official in the southern province of Songkhla says the region must move to Pfizer vaccines only, in order to combat a surge in Covid-19 infections. According to a Nation Thailand report, Dr Papon Deechaisit is proposing a move from mixing Sinovac and AstraZeneca to using Pfizer for both doses. There has been a concerning spike in infections…
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Thailand requires 3 million baht insurance for ‘retirement’ visas
In a revision to the rules for non-immigrant OA visas, foreigners will now be required to hold a minimum of 3 million baht in health insurance, for in-patient services, in order to be eligible for long-term stays in Thailand, 8 times more than the 400,000 baht that has been previously required. The OA visa is also known as the Retirement…
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Banks confirm refunds to recent cyber fraud victims
After the recent cyber fraud scam that affected at least 40,000 individuals in Thailand, banks are now confirming that they will refund money to such victims. The scam saw small amounts of online withdrawals through hacking users’ debit and/or credit card information. Payong Srivanich, chairman of the Thai Bankers’ Association, says banks will pay back money to the victims of…
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Phuket’s Life Home Project Foundation becomes partner of GlobalGiving
Phuket’s Life Home Project Foundation has recently become a recognised global partner of GlobalGiving. The non-profit organisation announced that they had graduated from the GlobalGiving Accelerator program after successfully raising funds for one of their projects. That project called “Help HIV+ Thai Children finish the school year 2021-2022,” saw donations from 43 unique individuals in the amount of US$7,805. The…
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Residents near Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River warned of imminent flood risk
People living near floodgates at the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok are being warned of a significant flood risk between now and the end of the month. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has issued the warning as officials monitor rising water levels. According to a Bangkok Post report, the river’s level is expected to rise between 20 and 40cm as a…
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Singapore Airlines launches 60 minute A380 flights
It’s designed to ferry lots of people long distances, in an ultra-quiet flying experience. So flyers would be used to flying the huge Airbus A380 from LA to London, Bahrain to Frankfurt, Melbourne to Hong Kong. The massive super jumbo airliner wasn’t designed for a short 1 hour hop. But that’s exactly what Singapore Airlines have planned now they’re getting…
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North Korean defectors struggle adapting to life in the South
For the tens of thousands of North Koreans who have escaped their repressive homeland and completed the often-perilous journey to South Korea, their problems are often far from over. Some defectors face prejudice in South Korean society, according to a recent report looking at the experiences of new arrivals in the South last year — before the North Korean regime…
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Bangladesh: Hindus targeted by violence demand better legal protection
Last week, several Hindu temples were ransacked during violent protests across Bangladesh that were sparked by video of a Quran being placed at the feet of a Hindu statue during celebrations for the Hindu festival Durga Puja. The Quran video provoked outrage in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, and hundreds of Muslims protested violently in more than a dozen districts. Houses belonging to…
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Exposed: How big farm lobbies undermine EU’s green agriculture plan
It is a long way from the farms and fields of Sezze in central Italy to the halls of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. But the decisions made at the European assembly this week can directly impact the lives of farmers like Valentina Pallavicino. Her farm in the plains between Rome and the Mediterranean is the kind that is often…
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Covid-19 Tuesday: 9,122 new cases, 71 deaths, port of entry data
Today, the CCSA reported 9,122 new Covid-19 infections, down 989 since yesterday. They also reported 71 new deaths, which is up by 8 from yesterday. Since April 1, when the most recent wave of infections began, there have been a total of 1,802,934 reported cases of Covid-19 in Thailand, with 18,407 deaths. Today the Thai Department of Disease…
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How To Meet the Newly Announced Health Insurance Requirements For O-A Visa
Health insurance is required for non-immigrant visa holders O-A and O-X who want to spend their retirement years in Thailand. It has recently be announced there will be change to the regulations for non-immigrant OA visas, visitors will now be required to have a minimum of 3 million baht in health insurance for in-patient care to be eligible for long-term…
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Arrest made for the 14 year old murder of pregnant girl
An arrest was finally made for the murder of a pregnant girl that happened 14 years ago. This case has been cold since the murder was committed in 2007, and the fugitive has been on the run ever since. But yesterday the suspect was finally tracked down and arrested in the remote Northeastern Loei province. Police from the Crime Suppression…
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Cyber fraud case renews talks over the safety of online banking
After at least 40,000 people in Thailand were victims of online banking cyber fraud, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau is renewing talks over the safety of such online transactions. The losses recently incurred by those using online banking are thought to be over 10 million baht after hackers stole credit and debit card information. Kornchai Klayklueng, the commissioner of the…
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Myanmar’s junta government releases prisoners, cancels arrest warrants
In the wake of ASEAN recently announcing it would exclude Myanmar’s representatives from future summits, Myanmar’s junta government made the move to release prisoners. The government is also cancelling arrest warrants for thousands of its people after making the announcement yesterday. The statement said that 1,316 people in detention will be released and that 4,320 cases will be dropped. Citing…
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MP queries appointment of army general to oversee Covid-19 in southern Thailand
An MP from the Bhumjaithai Party has called on the PM to review his appointment of an army general to oversee the Covid-19 situation in the south of the country. MP Suphachai Jaismut has questioned the appropriateness of appointing Nattaphon Narkphanit, formerly secretary-general of the National Security Council. “My point of contention is that the PM is adopting ‘security as…
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Former U.S. president Trump sues House committee over records request
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit alleging that an illegal request was made for his White House records. The request by the US congressional committee was part of its investigation into the January 6 Capitol attacks. Trump says that the materials sought by the House of Representatives are covered by a legal doctrine known as executive privilege,…
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Vietnam to host next Southeast Asia Games
Vietnam is set to host the upcoming 31st Southeast Asia Games in May of 2022, after being delayed this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This multi-sport competition features most of the same events as the Summer Olympics, and includes both individual and team events. The SEA games are held every 2 years in a different country within the Southeast Asia…
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Covid-19 pill treatment highly effective at preventing hospitalisation, death
A prominent Thai virologist says the world’s first oral treatment for Covid-19 is highly effective if taken within 5 days of symptoms developing. Dr Yong Poovorawan from the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University made the statement on his Facebook page yesterday. According to a Bangkok Post report, he was citing research published on the health sciences…
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Politicians across the world face growing dangers
Death threats, hate mail, anonymous phone calls — politicians in many countries need police protection as they carry out their work. Here are some prominent attacks on lawmakers that have occurred in recent years. Great Britain Conservative MP David Amess is the second British politician in five years to be murdered. Back in June 2016, Labour Party MP Helen Joanne…
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AfricaLink on Air – 18 October 2021
News+++Sudanese protesters demand return to military rule+++Cameroon separatists declare days of national mourning+++Nigeria battles to revive palm oil industry+++mRNA hopes for malaria vaccine+++Sports SOURCE: DW News
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