World News
World news, global politics, business, technology, and culture—stay updated with breaking stories, international trends, and major events. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for global news.
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Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it Kim Jung-un riding a New Year rocket?
South Korea test-fired a solid-fuel rocket yesterday triggering panic over a UFO invasion, or a possible North Korean missile launch by Kim Jung-un, riding a new year rocket into the free south. Seoul said in a statement that the launch was part of efforts to build a space-based surveillance capability and bolster its defence posture. The general public was not…
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Andrew Tate spat with Greta Thunberg leads to his arrest in Bucharest
A spat with Greta Thunberg last night led to the arrest of controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate as part of an investigation into alleged human trafficking in Romania. The former British-American kickboxer and his brother, Tristian, were detained in Bucharest where they will be held for questioning for up to 24 hours. Romanian television last night showed the 36…
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Thai Airways rehab plan soars ahead of schedule
The embattled Thai flag carrier has sold at least eight aircraft and other non-core assets since October, as part of Thai Airways‘ rehab plan. Thai Airways International updated its ongoing bankruptcy rehabilitation to the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). THAI, whose subsidiary – Thai Smile, made global headlines yesterday after a mid-air brawl captured on video went viral– said in…
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Punk pioneer & avante garde British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood dies, aged 81
Tributes poured in on hearing the news that punk pioneer and British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood has died aged 81. In a statement on Twitter, her fashion house said she died “peacefully and surrounded” by her family in Clapham, South London. Westwood came to public prominence in 1976 for the controversial clothes she made for a boutique that she run…
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Born to play football – Pelé passes in Sao Paulo hospital, aged 82
“I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint.” Pelé, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940, in Três Corações, a small town in Minas Gerais, Brazil, has died at Albert Einstein hospital in São Paulo after a long illness, at the age of 82. Pelé, the…
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21 Thai citizens reported dead in fire casino in Cambodia
The death toll has risen on the fire incident this morning at the Grand Diamonds City and Casino in Poipet city in Cambodia. Thai officials confirmed that 21 Thai citizens were killed and another 53 were injured in the fire. The Cambodian authorities have not yet confirmed a full report on the deaths and injuries. Officials from the Burapa Internal…
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Thailand prepares to welcome infected tide of Chinese tourists
As Thailand prepares to welcome an infected tide of Chinese tourists, in the US, the Biden administration is changing its policy for arrivals from China, including Hong Kong, and Macau. Washington is scared. Coronavirus infections running rampant in Beijing could spawn new and more dangerous variants. From January 5, all travellers from China, including Hong Kong, and Macau, must present…
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Scottish man fights for his life in Thai hospital
A Scottish man is fighting for his life in a Thai hospital after a virus triggered a respiratory disease and rendered him unconscious while on holiday. Robert Kessell flew to Thailand on November 24 for a three-week holiday but was struck by illness on Thursday, December 8. The 66 year old, from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, was rushed to Pattaya…
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Chinese tourists may bring growing pains to the Thai travel industry
While people in the tourism and entertainment sector are celebrating China’s announcement to reopen and allow outgoing travel, others have raised fears about the potential problems that could come with an influx of Chinese tourists. Some fear an overwhelming surge of Chinese tourists flooding Thailand’s hotspots. Others worry that the healthcare systems in Thailand could be overburdened by the influx…
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South Koreans can carry on bonking sex dolls after import ban is lifted
South Koreans have been told to carry on bonking their adult-sized sex dolls after an import ban on the inflate-a-mates was lifted. The Korea Customs Service gave the green light on Monday to allow adult-shaped dolls through customs but added that child-like dolls resembling minors are still prohibited and will be confiscated. There are no laws or regulations prohibiting the…
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Thai DCD: you probably won’t die of a brain eating amoeba
The Disease Control Department (DCD) in Thailand is reassuring people that the chances of dying from a brain-eating amoeba are very, very small. The statement comes after news got out that a man returned to South Korea from a trip to Thailand and died of Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba. The DCD director-general reported that only 17 infections have been…
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South Korean man dies from ‘brain-eating amoeba’ upon return from Thailand
Health officials in South Korea confirmed that a Korean national died from a disease known as “brain-eating amoeba.” He had not long returned from Thailand. In the first case of its kind in South Korea, a man “in his 50s” died from a Naegleria fowleri infection, commonly known as brain-eating amoeba, according to a report released by the Korea Disease…
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Mall of America shooting: one dead, five arrested
A shooting at the largest shopping centre in the United States is the latest in the unrelenting gun violence epidemic in the country. Police have now arrested five suspects in connection with a shooting inside the Mall of America, a massive shopping centre that draws tourists nationwide to Bloomington, Minnesota. The shooting occurred on Friday evening when apparently two groups…
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Hongkongers to pay 4.5 baht for plastic bags
Hongkongers are to pay HK$1 (4.5 baht, US$0.13) for each plastic bag at supermarkets from next week, according to the South China Morning Post. It’s the first increase in 13 years. Hongkongers will pay for plastic bags for chilled or frozen items, but not for takeaway food or loose fresh goods. All operators, including major chains such as ParknShop and…
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Pope calls for peace in Ukraine, Russians support Putin
The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, gave his traditional Christmas Day address in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City, Rome, which was broadcast throughout the world. The Pope used the opportunity to urge an end to the “senseless” war in Ukraine. Calling for peace is a standard message in the Pope’s Christmas address. This year he gave his address…
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Taiwan to ration paracetamol after bulk-buying for China
Authorities are debating whether Taiwan will ration paracetamol, as the Covid situation across the strait deteriorates and concern grows following Taiwan’s reopening for travel. Taiwan may impose buying limits on all kinds of painkillers as people buy up local supplies to ship them to China where the pandemic has put a strain on supplies. Hsueh Jui-yuan, Taiwan’s minister of health…
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Tesco slavery case – Thai police raid ‘sweatshop’
Thai police have raided the former Tesco supplier at centre of a slavery claims by Burmese workers. The VK Garment (VKG) factory in Mae Sot is subject of a UK lawsuit against the supermarket chain from 130 ex-workers who claim they were trafficked, raped and abused. Thai police and labour officials inspected conditions and interviewed employees at the factory over…
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Codeshare deal between Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways
A strategic partnership expansion was just signed between Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways. The two airlines have had a partnership for years, as both are members of the Star Alliance network, but the new deal will allow them to codeshare more flights to offer each of their customers more variety when travelling in Southeast Asia and the world. Codesharing is…
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UN urges Asian countries to save starving Rohingyas adrift at sea
The UN is calling on Asian countries to save almost 200 starving Rohingya refugees adrift at sea. The group of desperate Rohingyas has been adrift in the Indian ocean for the past month. The boat’s exact location is unclear. But as of Wednesday, the boat was near the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of…
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Injured and detained journalists sentenced to three years plus labour in Myanmar jail
The Myanmar junta has reportedly sentenced two journalists to prison plus labour, along with seven anti-coup protesters. Myanmar Press Photo Agency journalists Ko Kaung Sett Lin and Ma Hmue Yadanar Khet Moh Moh Tun were arrested on December 5 after junta forces allegedly rammed a military vehicle into a peaceful flash-mob protest in Yangon’s Kyimyindaing Township. According to the Irrawaddy,…
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Small but mighty group of Afghan women take to the streets over university ban
A small but mighty group of Afghan women took to the streets to protest against the Taliban’s ban on university education for women. The latest move to restrict human rights for women in the country saw the Taliban’s minister for higher education ordering all private and public universities to bar women from enrolling and attending. According to the Straits Times,…
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‘Rescued’ scammers return home from Cambodia
The group of seven ‘rescued’ scammers who returned home from Cambodia had begged, live on air, to be rescued from a different set of scammers – this time Cambodian / Chinese. The two men and five women crossed the border in Sa Kaeo’s Aranyaprathet district on Tuesday evening, escorted by Thai embassy staff and Cambodian security officials. Only four had…
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UN Security Council adopts long-awaited resolution on Myanmar crisis
The United Nations Security Council has adopted a long-awaited resolution to the crisis in Myanmar. The Council called for Myanmar’s junta to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a famous political prisoner whose democratically-elected party was ousted from power by the military in February 2021. The 15-member council has been divided on the situation in Myanmar for decades and has…
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Indonesia could bring Myanmar junta to justice after taking over ASEAN chair next year
Indonesia could bring Myanmar’s junta leaders to justice after the country takes over as the chair of ASEAN. A group of Indonesian legal experts may have found an impact on the fate of the junta that seized power in Myanmar. The experts made the case to amend a law that was enacted back in 2000 which restricts punishment for human…
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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy appeals to US Republican lawmakers for additional aid in Congressional speech
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is appealing to US Republican lawmakers for additional aid during his speech to the US Congress. Zelenskiy made his first trip abroad since Russia invaded Ukraine with Ukrainian Americans offering support upon his arrival at the US Capitol. “It is a great honour for me to be at the US Congress and speak to you and…
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Thailand ranked 4th least corrupt country in Asia
Thailand – a nation run by a semi-elected military government – was ranked 35th in the world and 4th in Asia in the U.S. News‘ “Least Corrupt Countries” list. Yesterday, American media company U.S. News released its annual “Best Countries” ranking, featuring 73 countries all over the world. Data was collected from a worldwide survey with more than 17,000 participants.…
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Zelenskiy’s US visit gives Ukrainian Americans hope
President Zelenskiy’s visit to the US is giving Ukrainian Americans hope that the US will assist Ukraine further against the Russian invasion. Dozens of pro-Ukrainian activists gathered near the White House to support Zelenskiy as he made his first trip abroad since the war started. The group called “US Ukrainian Activists” then met at the US Capitol to hear Zelenskiy’s…
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Tourism groups in South Korea sign deals with TAT
To boost the tourism link with South Korea, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has just inked three new deals. By partnering with Korean Air, the Korea Association of Travel Agents, and SOOBAK, the TAT hope to increase visitors from the nation and strengthen the friendly relations between South Korea and Thailand. TAT News reports that the department’s governor Yuttasak Supasorn…
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97 year old former Nazi concentration camp secretary found guilty of over 10,000 murders
A 97 year old woman has been convicted of murdering over 10,000 people while she served as a Nazi concentration camp secretary. The woman was convicted for her role in what could be the last trial for World War II crimes. According to Reuters, the district court in the northern town of Itzehoe charged Irmgard Furchner with a two-year suspended…
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No more university education for women under Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
The Taliban is continuing its relentless campaign to chip away at women’s rights in Afghanistan. Yesterday, the terror group banned women from universities. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education said the move was to go into effect immediately. Afghan women are now mourning the loss of education, which was a lifeline for many under Afghanistan’s deeply patriarchal society. One university student…
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