World News
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Sponsored 9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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The 77 Percent — The retirement age impasse
How long do you want to work before retiring? In most African countries the retirement age is 60. But in Uganda, some civil servants want to change their age legally so that they can stay in the job market for longer. Unsurprisingly, young Ugandans who face crippling unemplyment are very much against the idea. On this week’s show we delve…
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Siarhei Tsikhanouski: From blogger to activist to political prisoner?
Belarusian video blogger Siarhei Tsikhanouski was in pretrial detention for more than 18 months. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of organizing mass unrest and of inciting social hatred. Tsikhanouski’s emergence on the Belarusian political scene in the spring of 2020 came as a surprise to many in the country. In May 2020, media…
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AfricaLink On Air – 14 December 2021
Nigeria’s security situation at a glance +++ Gambia’s main opposition party heads to the supreme court to challenge the outcome of the December 4th presidential election +++ Is Cameroon serious about protecting the LGBTQ community? +++ Mali’s young creative farmers changing the game +++ Russia – Ukraine tension SOURCE: DW News
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Sudan: Military used heavy weapons against anti-coup protesters, NGOs say
The deaths of at least 41 unarmed protesters in Sudan have caught the attention and condemnation of international observers. Despite the internet outage ordered by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan following the military coup on October 25, activists were able to document the use of anti-aircraft weapons and armor-piercing bullets. The footage shows clearly that the Sudanese Security Forces and militias such…
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Indonesia: Epidemiologists warn of high COVID risk at disaster shelters
As a sprawling archipelago on the ring of fire, Indonesia frequently experiences strong earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. A 7.3-magnitude earthquake in the Flores Sea on Tuesday sent people runningfrom the coast in panic, although a tsunami warning was called off, and damage was reported to be minor. However, disasters in Indonesia can often be more serious. The sudden eruption…
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UK’s nationality bill could strip millions of Britons of their citizenship
What is the Nationality and Borders Bill? The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act passed in 2002 enabled the government to strip someone of their British citizenship provided they had another nationality. Since 2006, the British home secretary has had the power to deprive dual nationals of their British citizenship if doing so is “conducive to the public good.” In 2014,…
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Is South Korea close to officially ending the Korean War?
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said this week that the United States, China and North Korea agreed in principle on declaring a formal end to the Korean War, replacing an armistice agreement that ended hostilities in 1953. However, analysts are not sure it will happen, or if such a step is advisable, given concerns over the security situation in northeast…
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Two lions escaped at Singapore’s Changi Airport facility while being loaded aboard
Officers at Singapore’s Changi Airport may have encountered the real-life Jumanji prop on Sunday as two lions escaped from their container while being loaded aboard a Singapore Airlines flight. Authorities had to contact the vets right away, who used a tranquiliser gun on the two massive cats, one of which was found relaxing atop their cage. According to The Straits…
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Malaysia donates 283,400 AstraZenaca vaccine doses to Laos
Laos received a total of 283,400 AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, which were donated by Malaysia as a part of ongoing global efforts to end the pandemic. Laos is set to reopen to international tourists in 2022 and plans to vaccinate at least half of the adult population by the end of the year in order…
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Vietnam’s Hanoi Metro faces boycott, lacks of passengers
The Cát Linh-Ha Dong line of the Hanoi Metro, Vietnam’s first mass transit train service, which was launched on November 6 this year, is reportedly facing a public boycott for cooperating with China despite its initial excellent service and high expectations. It came to attention as local media reported last month that the service is lacking passengers, at around 12,000…
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Lithuania: Taking a stand against China
The building at the heart of the row is a rather inconspicuous office block in the Lithuanian capital. Behind its shiny glass facade you can find law firms, consultancies and other companies. But, at the end of November, new tenants moved into 16b J. Jasinskio Street in Vilnius — and that was when the trouble really started. It’s the Taiwanese…
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COVID: Why is India’s largest vaccine maker cutting production?
India’s largest vaccine maker is reducing its production of the COVID-19 vaccine, as the country now has more doses than it needs to fully vaccinate the eligible population. As of Monday, nearly 816 million of the country’s eligible adult population had received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 512 million were fully vaccinated, according to health ministry figures.…
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Cambodia PM orders to destroy, store US weapons following arms embargo ban
Cambodia PM Hun Sen is not quite happy following an arms embargo ban by the United States last week and asked the country’s military to examine any US-made weapons or equipment in its possession to be stored in warehouses or destroyed, although the country has never acquired arms from the States under the current administration. According to the Phnom Penh…
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Geminid meteor shower: 100s of shooting stars visible late Monday night
For those up late tomorrow night, the Geminid meteor shower will be visible in the night sky late on Monday night. The heavenly display happens each year, usually between December 4 and December 17 each year and is one of the best opportunities to see dozens of shooting stars with the naked eye. In a post on Facebook, the National…
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Thai officials watching bird flu after a woman’s death in China
While Covid-19 and Omicron are on everyone’s mind, the Department of Livestock Development has gone on high alert after a woman died from the bird flu last month. The woman died in China of the H5N6 strain of avian influenza and officials in Thailand are focused on making sure the virus doesn’t make it across the border and into the…
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Political rows blemish Israel’s Miss Universe 2021 beauty pageant
The jury will face a tough decision on Sunday in Israel’s most southern city Eilat when it’s called on to decide the winner of the 70th “Miss Universe” beauty pageant. The event to crown the successor of Andrea Maza from Mexico in a three-hour live show that includes contestants giving personal statements as well as modeling in swimsuits and evening…
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EU devises new measures against ‘economic coercion’
China last week put a ban on imports from Lithuania, an EU member state. It had nothing to do with a trade conflict: Beijing simply wants to persuade Vilnius to change its friendly policies toward Taiwan. Lithuania has allowed Taiwan to open a kind of embassy but China sees Taiwan as a renegade province awaiting reunification with the mainland. Now,…
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Rohingya vs. Facebook: What are the chances of success?
In August 2017, tensions escalated between Myanmar’s Buddhist majority and the Rohingya, a Muslim minority that lives mostly in the country’s northwestern state of Rakhine. Prior to that, the militant group “Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army” (ARSA) had carried out a number of attacks on police stations and border posts. The Myanmar military responded with a massive operation in the course…
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AfricaLink On Air — 10 December 2021
Odinga’s bid for the Kenya presidency+++Ghana introduces Mandatory vaccinations +++Tackling COVID surge in Johannesburg+++Zambia’s domestic workers fight for their rights+++Qatari sportswashing SOURCE: DW News
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Pakistan: Where did billions of rupees in COVID aid go?
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has recently hit back at claims that corruption is behind the billions of rupees in financial irregularities, following an audit of cash intended for Pakistan’s coronavirus response. The report released last month by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) claimed that irregularities amounted to 40 billion Pakistani rupees ($226 million, €200 million). The almost…
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Afghanistan opium trade booms since Taliban takeover
The cultivation of opium poppy as a medicinal plant has a long tradition in Afghanistan. The milky sap extracted from the seed pods is dried to produce raw opium, an effective remedy for severe pain. Today, opium is used primarily as an intoxicant and as a raw material for the production of stronger drugs like heroin. In the last harvest…
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Huge stash of marijuana intercepted near the Malaysian border
Police have discovered some 1.6 tonnes of compressed high-grade marijuana. The stash was hidden in amongst other freight being carried on an 18 wheeler truck in Narathiwat. That’s a LOT of weed! The truck was on its way, allegedly to transfer into a boat to cross the Malaysian border, nearby. Local drug authorities estimate the high-grade marijuana would have a…
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Meta bans Myanmar military-owned telco from Facebook
Myanmar’s military junta chief has woken up to find his partly-owned telecom company Mytel being barred from Facebook as Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s new company umbrella, is pulling the plug on business related to the Tatmadaw, the Burmese military. Facebook has nearly 29 million users in Myanmar, in a country with a population of 54 million. Mytel is on of…
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Thailand participates in exercise simulating cyber-attack on global financial system
Thailand is one of 10 countries to participate in a simulation exercise that mimicked a cyber-attack on the global financial system. According to a Reuters report, the exercise was led by Israel, with the intention of building on cooperation between countries to mitigate potential damage to global markets and financial institutions. The exercise was named, “Collective Strength” and included officials…
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Nigerians are livid over UK’s omicron travel ban
Nigeria became the eleventh African country to be added to the UK’s red list earlier this week over fears travelers from the country could help spread the omicron COVID-19 variant in Britain. Announcing the ban, the UK’s Department of Health said 21 Omicron cases, or 16% of all omicron known cases at the time, were linked to travel from Nigeria.…
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Is this the end of Kashmir’s bespoke gun-making?
Civilian shotguns have been a traditional handicraft in Indian-administered Kashmir for decades, but as gun ownership has become increasingly difficult in the restive region, the industry may be breathing its last breath. SOURCE: DW News
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Meta removes Myanmar military businesses from its Facebook following lawsuit
Myanmar military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing yesterday woke up to see his partly-owned telecom company Mytel being removed from Facebook as Meta started to ban businesses related to Tatmadaw, also known as the military, from functioning on its platform. The move came just hours after lawyers from the US and the UK launched a $150 billion lawsuit on behalf…
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Philippines to ban France visitors from December 13 due to Omicron
Starting from December 13 onwards, tourists with a two-week travelling history in France will be barred from entering the Philippines, according to the acting presidential spokesperson, Karlo Nograles, yesterday, amidst fear of the new variant, Omicron. France has been added to the Philippines’ “Red List” of countries after over 20 cases of the Omicron were discovered in the European nation,…
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Sinovac is testing its effectiveness against Omicron variant
Following the good news announcement from Pfizer that 3 doses of their vaccine can neutralise the Omicron variant, Sinovac came out with a more reserved announcement stating that lab studies about its effectiveness against the new strain would take time. The Chinese-based Sinovac is the most widely used vaccine in the world with over 2.3 billion doses shipped worldwide so…
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Will the US summit on democracy deliver?
In the wake of a turbulent Donald Trump administration where conspiracy theories were promoted and authoritarian leadership style admired, President Joe Biden is reestablishing its commitments to democracy by holding a summit to defend it. The United States will have to reassess its traditional role of being a lecturer of democratic values at the Summit for Democracy which will take…
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