World News
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Lulo Rose: Largest coloured diamond in 300 years found in Angola
What experts believe to be the largest coloured gemstone unearthed in 300 years, the “Lulo Rose” is a beautiful pink diamond that weighs in at an impressive 170 carats. Discovered at the Lulo alluvial diamond mine in the African nation of Angola, it was announced to the world by the Australian-based Lucapa Diamond Company that owns the mine on Wednesday.…
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Thailand deny Uyghurs deportation to China
Fears Thailand is in the process of deporting asylum-seeking Uyghurs back to China have been denied by the government. News broke yesterday that dozens of Uyghurs from all around Thailand had been rounded up and impounded in a detention facility in Bangkok, raising fears among non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that the government plans to deport them back to China. It sparked…
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UPDATE: Body of foreigner found dead in Phuket is US man
UPDATE: The foreigner’s body that was found in waters off Yanui Beach in Phuket’s main city district yesterday morning has been named as US citizen John Joseph Sheridan. The 74 year old’s body was discovered floating in the water after he apparently fell on sharp rocks and bled to death. Fisherman found Sheridan, from Pennsylvania, floating on the rocky part of the shore…
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Sri Lanka former president’s stay in Singapore extended
After fleeing to Singapore on July 14, Sri Lanka’s former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will now be able to stay in the country until August 11, Reuters reported today. Gotabaya fled Sri Lanka after over 100,000 protestors stormed the presidential palace, demanding that he and the country’s PM resign. Since Gotabaya fled, Sri Lanka’s parliament elected former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe as the…
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New studies show Covid-19 started in Wuhan market, not lab
Two new studies suggest rumours of a lab leak or unnatural starts to Covid-19 are likely wrong, as a Wuhan animal market appears to be the epicentre of the pandemic’s beginnings. The studies were published Tuesday in Science, an academic journal, and point to a natural transition from animals to humans as the start of Covid, not any sort of…
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Magnitude 7+ earthquakes hit northern Philippine islands – VIDEO
The island of Luzon in the Philippines has been hit by a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake sending strong tremors felt in many areas nearby, including the capital Manila. The earthquake was measured at around 10 – 40 kilometres deep. There have been other similar magnitude earthquakes being reported this morning (below). At this stage there are no immediate reports of…
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Australian passengers queuing up outside airport terminals as unions threaten more delays
The world’s travel woes have made their way to Australia. Long queues and equally long delays at Australian airports are set to get worse as baggage handlers across the east coast initiate industrial action at a lunchtime meeting today. The strike threatens to impact baggage handling for up to 20 airlines including Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Etihad, and Air Canada. With cancellations…
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Thai astronomer involved in bringing amazing James Webb Space Telescope images to us
All those amazing pictures we’ve seen from the new James Webb Space Telescope do have a small Thai connection. One Thai astronomer, Dr Nicha Leethochawalit of the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, was among the first astronomers to use the new space telescope to discover the oldest and farthest galaxy ever detected. She was part of the Grism Lens-Amplified…
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US leads international outcry over execution of 4 Burmese anti-government activists
The US State Department has reacted to the murder of four democracy activists in a state-sanctioned execution, promising that there would be “further measures” to punish the military junta. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price called on countries to refuse to recognise the junta as Myanmar’s rightful government refuses to sell sales of military equipment to the military-controlled nation. “All…
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Thailand & Cambodian netizens row over lamduan flower
A row has broken out between Thai and Cambodian netizens over Cambodia’s national flower, which is featured on posters promoting the historical Thai movie Love Destiny 2. The Thai film studio GDH uploaded the poster on its official Facebook page on Saturday inviting audiences to reserve the tickets in advance as the film would be screened in five days on…
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Untold stories of Herculean cave rescue in Thailand
The heroic story of the Thai cave rescue has been told a number of times. We’ve read and heard about the Two British cave divers, John Volanthen and Richard Stanton, and their Herculean efforts to rescue the 12 boys and their football coach from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand. But what about the untold stories, the…
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Burmese junta executes 4 democracy activists
In the first executions in Myanmar in decades, the military junta killed four democracy activists they accused of terrorist activities. The executions came after a conviction in January that took place behind closed doors. The four men stood accused of creating pro-democracy militias that fought against the military junta after it seized power last February from the democratically elected government.…
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Monkeypox declared a Global Health Emergency by WHO
Monkeypox has been found in 74 countries around the world, including Thailand and now Cambodia, and the World Health Organisation (WHO)has now officially declared it a Global Health Emergency. The warning is the highest rating the WHO can assign, after nearly 17,000 people worldwide have been afflicted with the disease. The chief of the WHO held a press conference where…
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Rohingya genocide case allowed to move forward in UN Court
After more than a year of a violent and often bloody military coup in Myanmar, it’s easy to forget that the country was already mired in genocide accusations before forces overthrew the government in February of last year. But in an ongoing case, the International Court of Justice at the United Nations has rejected Myanmar’s attempt to avoid trial for…
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Nigerian monkeypox fugitive arrested in Cambodia
The first monkeypox case in Thailand has now become the first monkeypox case in Cambodia. A Nigerian man on the run after disappearing on Tuesday when diagnosed with monkeypox in Phuket has been apprehended in Cambodia. The deputy governor of Phnom Penh confirmed that 27 year old Osmond Chihazirim Nzere was arrested yesterday in the Cambodian capital city. The man…
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Man extradited from Thailand to Australia to face murder charge
A man charged with the murder of another man in 2014 has been extradited from Thailand to Australia. The man, 33 year old Antonio “Tony” Bagnato, carried out the murder of 25 year old Bradley Dillon along with others. The suspects shot Dillon in the back three times and stabbed him repeatedly at a car park in Leichhardt, a suburb…
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Singapore hangs a fifth person in four months
Singapore has hanged its fifth person in the past four months. Malaysian 64 year old Nazeri bin Lajim was hanged at 6am at Changi Prison. He was sentenced to death in 2017, five years after he was arrested with two bundles containing heroin. It is understood that his family members were at the prison to claim his body and make…
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Sri Lanka’s military raids protest camp outside president’s office
Ever since Sri Lanka descended into chaos, protesters have been camping outside of the presidential office in Colombo. But police and military aren’t having it, and today, they pulled down tents and arrested protesters. A police spokesperson confirmed that nine men were arrested, and would appear in court today. Following the raid, the area around the office has been calm,…
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Group closing in on Thailand ministers involved in Pegasus spyware scandal
The group behind the ground-breaking report revealing Thai democracy activists were targeted by the Israeli spyware Pegasus program, insists they are closing in on those behind the attacks. Citizen Lab, iLaw, and DigitalReach, revealed Monday that 30 activists and academics from Thailand had their Apple iPhones hacked between 2020 and 2021 by Pegasus’ advanced software program. Today the digital security…
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Oldest giant male panda on earth dies in Hong Kong
Wildlife lovers have a reason to mourn, now that the oldest giant male panda on earth has died today in Hong Kong. The panda, named An An, was 35 years old when he passed away today at Ocean Park. The giant panda believed to have lived the longest was a female panda who died at 38 years old in 2016.…
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A push for Thai travel to Malaysia
Travel agents in Thailand are pushing for more Thais to make their way to Malaysia. According to the president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, Malaysia’s adventure tourism was growing among young people before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. The TTAA travelled to Malaysia this week with almost 100 outbound tour firms. Due to a large number of Malaysian travellers in…
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Singaporean swindlers have fled to Thailand
A Singaporean couple wanted for swindling US$22 million from customers has fled to Thailand. The Singaporean man, Pi Jiapeng, and his Thai wife, Pansuk Siriwipa, hid in a lorry container as they made their escape from the police and Interpol after conning more than 200 customers out of their hard-earned cash for luxury goods that were not delivered. The Singapore…
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Sri Lanka former PM now president, some protesters still aren’t happy
Sri Lanka’s parliament yesterday elected former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country’s new president. He won 134 votes from a possible 223. This news comes after protesters set fire to Ranil’s house on July 9, and also stormed the presidential palace in Colombo. After over 100,000 enraged protesters stormed the palace, former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and has…
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Three Asian countries have the most useful passport
For years, Europe has had the most powerful passports for travelling, but as the world emerges in the post-Covid-19 era, three countries in Asia hold the top spots now. Japan holds the top spot, with Japanese passport holders having easy access to 193 different countries. Singapore and South Korea are tied for second with 192 countries easily accessed with a…
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Indonesian ferry sinks, 13 people aboard still missing
In Indonesia, a local ferry capsized due to bad weather, and search and rescue teams are still looking for 13 missing people that were aboard the boat. The vessel, the KM Cahaya Arafah, was travelling off the coast of Ternate Island in North Maluku, in the southeast of the country near Papua, on its way to Halmahera to the east,…
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Group of endangered turtles found injured in Japan
A group of endangered green sea turtles was found with neck injuries in Japan last week. At least 30 of the turtles were found near an island in southern Okinawa prefecture. According to an official from Naha Police Station, some turtles were bleeding and barely breathing. The official said the turtles’ injuries appeared to be caused by a blade. He said…
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US thug gets 5 years for brutal assault of Thai model in subway
The serial offender who launched a violent attack on a Thai model in a New York City Subway will be jailed for five years after pleading guilty. Thug Kevin Douglas admitted second-degree robbery for the brutal assault of Bew Jirajariyawetch while she waited at the 34th Street-Herald Square station for a train home on November 22 last year. Douglas struck…
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Government angry Thailand came last in ‘Land of Smiles’ poll
Thai and foreign netizens have been left stunned after seeing Thailand ranked at the bottom of a Land of Smiles poll conducted by Gallup Global Emotions 2022. The controversial poll even upset the Thai government who hit back, saying the topic wasn’t even included in the official survey report. Singaporean media platform, Southeast Asia Stats, posted a “Southeast Asian Country…
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Myanmar guilty of war crimes says Amnesty International
Amnesty International today accused the Myanmar military of committing war crimes by laying antipersonnel landmines in and around villages in Kayah (Karenni) State. The non-governmental organisation revealed they have conducted an investigation in conflict-affected parts of the state and concluded the antipersonnel landmines are inherently indiscriminate and therefore contravene international law. The landmines have been laid in and around villages…
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“Climate change is here,” UK Met Office – heatwaves sweep over the northern hemisphere
Records were broken, people were staying inside and shops were doing brisk sales of fans. Temperatures in the UK hit 40 degrees Celsius for the first time in recorded history yesterday, making it the country’s hottest day ever. With UK houses better designed to keep the cold out and the heat in, the unseasonal heat was challenging people across the…
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