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Will Iraqi Kurdistan’s youth turn to religious extremism next?
Over the past few days, there has been yet another indicator of how dissatisfied the people of Iraqi Kurdistan are with their leaders. Thousands of demonstrators, many of them students, took to the streets in the semi-autonomous northern Iraqi region to demand the restoration of financial stipends local authorities stopped paying around 2014. During the protests, security forces used a…
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Female Thai boxers conquer tradition
After a 20-month enforced break due to COVID-19, Muay Thai competitions have starting again in Bangkok’s traditional Lumpinee Stadium. For the first time, female athletes are allowed to enter the ring. SOURCE: DW News
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Songkhla prepares for tourism across the Southern land border
Despite having the second most daily Covid-19 infections in the country today with 441 and becoming the 6th most infected province overall, the Deep South border province of Songkhla is preparing to reopen in December and bracing for a surge of overland international visitors. Local tourism operators are saying they expect around 10,000 tourists from Malaysia and Singapore per week…
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French expat being denied re-entry to Thailand over repeated criticism of the Thai monarchy
One of Thailand’s long term French expats Yan Marchal is being denied reentry to Thailand. He says he is being expelled to Paris from Bangkok, as soon as tonight, for being a long term critic of the Thai government and Monarchy. Yan says he could appeal the ‘deportation’. “I have been advised to fly out rather than to expose myself…
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Omicron causing concern, Thai authorities ban travellers from 8 countries
Countries around the world are pushing back against the latest strain of Covid-19, now officially called by its Greek alphabet name ‘Omicron’, or B.1.1.529 if you want to be scientific. Potentially, the new variant is more a transmissible coronavirus and was first recognised by South African health authorities. Now, a number of countries are already banning travellers from several southern…
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Thailand’s nightlife venues and bars told to keep closed until January 16
Thailand’s nightlife cat and mouse game between authorities and desperate bar and nightlife businesses will continue until the middle of January 2022. Following deliberations from the CCSA yesterday, entertainment venues will have to keep their doors closed until at least January 16. To put an exclamation mark after the latest announcement, the Thai government has also extended the emergency decree…
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Amnesty International under investigation for defending activists
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that Thai authorities have opened an investigation into human rights group Amnesty International after they spoke out against the prosecution of anti-government protesters. An opposing group of protesters who are devoted to the monarchy called for Amnesty International to be barred from Thailand. On Thursday, the group of royalists gave the government a letter saying that…
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New Covid-19 strain named “Omicron” and a variant of concern
Omicron is the new Covid-19 to watch out for, having just received its Greek name and the highest category of classification, “variant of concern”. The B.1.1.529 strain, recently uncovered in southern Africa and already seeing some spread, was given the Omicron name and classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation yesterday. From least worrisome to most…
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“Omicron” – a new Covid variant triggers travel alarms as flights disrupted
A reminder today that there is still more steam left in the Covid-19 coronavirus. Just as the world started to peek from behind the curtain of uncertainty, another Covid “variant of concern”, named Omicron, has been discovered. The World Health Organisation says Omicron has a large number of mutations, and early evidence suggests an “increased reinfection risk”. Officially, it is…
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Nuclear power in Hungary: Green, cheap and independent?
While Germany is phasing out nuclear power and many EU states don’t have any atomic plants at all, others are expanding their nuclear programs as part of the fight against climate change. These states argue that atomic energy is low in CO2 emissions and allows them to produce cheap electricity and be more energy-independent. But can nuclear power really lead…
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AfricaLink on Air — 26 November 2021
The new southern African COVID “super variant” sparks a global scare +++ Kenya launches its 10-day mass vaccination campaign +++ Sierra Leone indicts a key opposition leader +++ Zambians raise concerns over increased alcohol consumption SOURCE: DW News
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Germany’s new Africa policy holds few surprises
The word “Africa” only appears four times in the coalition deal unveiled this week by the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the business-focused Free Democrats (FDP), which will form Germany’s next government. That’s considerably less than 15 times “Africa” appeared in the coalition treaty between the previous government of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the SPD,…
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Vaccine passport soon to be made digital and issued for free
Thailand is planning on streamlining the proof of vaccination process by offering an e-vaccine passport for free for international travellers. The CCSA announced the plan as one of the topics covered in their meeting today which also saw the elimination of Dark Red Zones and curfews, as well as a switch from RT-PCR tests for entering tourists to the faster,…
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What next for migrants stuck in Belarus?
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has called on Germany to accept migrants, a move Berlin says it has rejected. The EU is exploring possible repatriations. Meanwhile, concerns are mounting about a COVID outbreak. SOURCE: DW News
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Bang Sue Grand Station to use only Pfizer and Moderna vaccine
The Vaccination Centre at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok has announced that they will switch their operations to entirely use the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccine. The move will go into effect on November 26 and will replace the previously used vaccines in the main Bangkok vaccination centre, mainly Sinovac and AstraZeneca previously. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will…
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Phuket traffic police deny Facebook accusal of targeting tourists
After a Facebook post showing a motorbike checkpoint accused police of destroying tourism, the Phuket Provincial Police fired back. The post was made in Thai in the Phuket Sandbox – SHA Plus Facebook group on Sunday and went viral as it blamed traffic police for robbing foreigners now that tourists are returning. The post was accompanied by photos of a…
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Easier entry for foreign tourists: CCSA approves ATK for on-arrival screening
This story was updated to include a clarification from a government spokesperson who said an incorrect date during a press briefing. Entering Thailand will get a little easier, and a bit cheaper. The CCSA approved the use of rapid antigen tests to screen international arrivals for Covid-19 starting December 16. The ATK method will be replacing the RT-PCR test, meaning…
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Desperate to hire nurses, hospitals and clinics in Singapore offer “finder’s fee”
As the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the healthcare system in Singapore, the demand for nurses grows even as many have quit their jobs due to higher levels of stress and long hours duty to deal with the patients. For the first time in more than two decades, the number of nurses working in Singapore decreased in 2020 and the situation…
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Thailand, 5 other countries added to Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lane list
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore today announced that travelers from Thailand, Cambodia, Fiji, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Turkey will be able to enter Singapore quarantine-free starting in mid-December Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme. Visitors from VTL countries who are fully vaccinated are able to enter Singapore without having to go through quarantine and simply have to take a Covid-19 test.…
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Heavy rain, potential flooding in the forecast for Southern Thailand
Eight provinces in Southern Thailand — Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat — have been warned by the Meteorological Department today to prepare for potentially flooding and runoff as heavy rain and strong winds continued in the Gulf of Thailand. The warning will be in effect until Tuesday, according to the weather services, adding…
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Friday Covid Update: 6,559 new cases; provincial totals
64 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,645 with 20,551 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 6,559 new Covid-19 cases and 6,875 recoveries. There are now 80,277 people in Thailand being…
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Pakistani artists concerned about Turkish actors taking away their roles
Pakistani businesses and brands are increasingly opting for Turkish artists in their commercials, heightening anxiety among local actors. SOURCE: DW News
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Emergency Decree extended until January 31
The Emergency Decree has been extended until January 31, giving the Thai government sweeping powers to impose measures to combat the spread of Covid-19. In its general meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the CCSA decided to extend the decree due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation. The decree was imposed at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and…
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Vietnam urges to give third doses of Covid-19 vaccine
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health is urging local governments to accelerate giving out a third dosage of Covid-19 vaccines, prioritising people over 50 years old despite a recent spike in the Mekong Delta region with approximately 4,000 new infections per day. The MoH said 135.15 million of the 136 million vaccination doses received by Vietnam were distributed to various localities, which…
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World’s largest Ikea store opens in Philippines
The Swedish ready-to-take furniture giant has made its first appearance in Manila, Philippines by opening its largest store in the world, with a new 730,000-square-foot facility that includes a 2-story, 270,000-square-foot store, dining area, and showroom, as well as warehouses, an e-commerce centre, and a call centre. The opening ceremony of Ikea Pasay City was held at the store’s restaurant…
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Thai police suspect fugitive Red Bull heir is living in Austria
The fugitive Red Bull heir who is wanted by Thai police for the 2012 fatal hit-and-run case is claimed to now be in Austria. Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya is wanted for speeding his Ferrari in Bangkok’s Thong Lor and running over a police officer, dragging his body several dozen metres, killing him. Boss managed to evade justice and fled the country…
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CCSA revises zoning: No more “dark red” zones with nightly curfews
No provinces will be under a mandated nightly curfew starting December 1. The CCSA approved new zoning today, reclassifying several provinces on its colour-coded zoning scale based on Covid-19 infection rates and reopening measures. Under the revised zoning, there are no provinces classified as “dark red” with stay-at-home orders. Kanchanaburi, Nonthaburi, and Pathum Thani were reclassified as “blue zones,” or…
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Bangkok is back – Thailand’s capital roars back into gear
OPINION Before the pandemic, Bangkok was the most-visited city on the planet – a thriving hive of energy and activity which attracted over 22 million international visitors per year. Then, without warning, it all went quiet. Now, following the long-awaited reopening of Thailand’s borders on November 1, 2021, Bangkok is back. The city is welcoming the world’s travellers once again,…
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Soi Dog Foundation sends over 100 tonnes of dog and cat food for flood relief
The following is a press release from the Soi Dog Foundation. Soi Dog Foundation’s ongoing relief effort for dogs and cats affected by the recent flooding in Central Thailand has seen the amount of food delivered to desperate dogs and cats exceed a whopping 100 tonnes. Following the initial distribution in late September of 64 tonnes of food to flood-affected…
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Public Health Ministry drafts measures for reopening bars next month in 17 provinces
The Public Health Ministry has reportedly drafted measures for reopening bars and nightclubs in 17 provinces next month and will make a proposal to the CCSA. While entertainment venues nationwide are planned to reopen by mid-January, according to a report in Thai media, the ministry is proposing to open bars in “blue” zones a month earlier on December 16, but…
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