World News
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Sponsored Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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The tale of two Covids – the world diverges
OPINION There are two Covid conversations going on at the same time, depending where you live in the world. In one Covid universe, countries are lowering restrictions, reopening borders, letting their citizens walk around with out face masks and, generally, get on with things. In the parallel Covid universe, countries are gingerly re-opening their borders but still with restrictions, expensive…
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Taiwan to ease entry restrictions, cut quarantine to 10 days in March
Taiwan plans to relax its strict COVID-19 quarantine policy beginning in March, in order to reopen to the world and gradually resume normal life, the government said on Tuesday. Since the start of the pandemic, Taiwan has enforced a blanket two-week quarantine on everyone arriving to the island, even while its neighbours in Asia began implementing reopening strategies last year,…
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Interpol Red Notices issued for 2 Canadians wanted for Phuket hit job
Interpol has issued Red Notices for both suspects wanted in the targeted killing of an Indian national in Phuket. Alleged gang member Jimi “Slice” Sandhu was gunned down in the car park of his villa near Rawai beach on the evening of February 4. Police are searching for 2 ex-servicemen from Canada in relation to the killing, believed to be…
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Asia News Today | Japan to ease border controls & Fears of Cambodian surveillance
A new internet gateway in Cambodia, set to be launched today, is being delayed, apparently due to issues related to Covid 19 in the country. When enacted, all Internet traffic in Cambodia will be routed through the government-run National Internet Gateway, allowing authorities to monitor online activity, intercept and censor digital communications, and collect users’ personal data. But the Telecommunications…
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Asia News Today | Daily news from around Asia in 10 minutes
US prosecutors have accused a former Goldman Sachs banker of taking 35 million USD in kickbacks on the first day of a trial over the multibillion-dollar looting of the infamous 1MDB Malaysian government fund.Roger Ng, Goldman’s former head of investment banking in Malaysia, stands charged with conspiring to launder money. The trial is renewing scrutiny of Goldman Sachs’s role in…
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Snake on a plane forces Malaysian AirAsia flight to make an emergency landing
Like a scene of the cult-classic Samuel L. Jackson film “Snakes on a Plane,” (but far less dramatic), a snake slithering loose in an AirAsia passenger airplane led the pilots of the Malaysian budget carrier to detour from the scheduled route and make an emergency landing. A video from the aircraft’s cabin shows the silhouette of a long snake slithering…
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Tourism officials in Vietnam push for a full reopening to foreign travellers on March 15
Vietnam plans to reopen borders for foreign travellers on March 15, although the date is not yet official. According to the local media outlet VN Express, a draft proposal is in the works to fully allow inbound and outbound tourism starting in mid-March. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is now getting input from relevant agencies before submitting the…
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Chon Buri barbershop goes viral after haircut for the nephew of Brunei Sultan
Men are flocking to a barbershop in Chon Buri after the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei came in for a haircut. Faiq Jefri Bolkiah, who is also a professional footballer, recently started playing for the Chon Buri Football Club and has become very popular among Thais, many saying he is friendly. The owner of Chang Tee Barbershop says many…
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Lombok expects to welcome 64,000 visitors at Indonesian Motorcycle Grand Prix
At least 64,000 visitors are estimated to flock to Indonesia’s Lombok for the 2022 Indonesian Motorcycle Grand Prix next month, with locals on the island’s special economic zone Mandalika expecting a boost. One said it’s the first time their resort has been fully booked since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The five-day event will start on March 18 with…
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15 passengers denied entry at Philippines airport over vaccine certificates
Following its reopening of borders to fully-vaccinated visitors last week, the Philippines immigration reportedly denied entry to 15 Malaysians due to their vaccination in Malaysia yesterday. Their passports are reportedly being held and they will be deported from the Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport tomorrow. A passenger told The Star reporters that the Philippines immigration officials did not accept the…
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Russia’s figure skating sweetheart Kamila Valieva continues Olympic pursuit after interim doping ban
Russia’s figure skating star Kamila Valieva has been allowed to continue competing in the Winter Olympics after successfully appealing an interim ban, which came in light of a late failed doping test she took more than a month before the games began in Beijing. The Court of Arbitration for Sport made the ruling on Monday morning, allowing the 15 year…
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Hong Kong “overwhelmed” as it battles “onslaught” of Covid-19 infections
Hong Kong has found itself overwhelmed by an ongoing surge in Covid-19 infections, according to leader Carrie Lam. She has described the situation as an “onslaught” that has significantly affected the territory’s capacity to manage the spread, with daily infections reaching record highs and overwhelming the global financial hub. According to a Reuters report, in the last 2 weeks, daily…
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Thailand to ban alcohol sales on February 16, Makha Bucha Day
Don’t we all love those alcohol bans that come time to time in Thailand! This coming Wednesday, February 16, you won’t be able buy alcohol because Thailand, along with some other south east Asian countries, will mark the Buddhist holy day of Makha Bucha Day. The day commemorates Buddha gathering with his first 1,250 disciples in the bamboo grove where…
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NZ authorities show no mercy, weaponise Barry Manilow ballads to repel truck protest
Truck protests are spreading as fast as Omicron itself. The protests are variously against vaccine mandates, ongoing Covid-related restrictions and face masks. They are certainly helping to galvanise a weary global electorate after 2 years of lockdowns and precautionary mandates. But even the Canadians haven’t stooped to the sheer terror inflicted on NZ truckies and other protesters who have gathered…
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Thai soldiers and police arrest 246 more Burmese migrants in Kanchanaburi
Thai soldiers and police have arrested 246 Burmese migrants in 6 border areas across 4 districts of Kanchanaburi, a Western province, yesterday and today. The migrants say they paid job brokers between 15,000 and 25,000 baht to get them jobs in several Thai provinces. Thai authorities also caught 4 guides helping the migrants, and charged them with assisting illegal border…
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Boosters much less effective after 4 months, US officials say
The US Centres of Disease Control and Prevention published a study yesterday that found that third jabs of Pfizer and Moderna lose much of their effectiveness four months after they’re given. The study compared how likely vaccinated and unvaccinated people were to test positive. It found that vaccines were 87% effective for people two months after they had their third…
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Sharp rise in Southeast Asia flight bookings as countries ease border controls
Online flight search engine Skyscanner has reported a sharp rise in flight bookings for Southeast Asia as several countries ease border restrictions. This will come as welcome news to the region’s airlines, after international travel in Asia-Pacific plummeted 93% last year, compared to pre-pandemic levels. According to a Reuters report, many carriers are relying heavily on the cargo market to…
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Indonesia purchases six Rafale fighter jets from France
The defence minister in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta says the country is buying six Rafale fighter jets, confirming that a deal was signed with France yesterday as part of an order of 42 warplanes. Jakarta is replacing its ageing fleet of warplanes, which are mostly American F-16 fighter jets and Russian Sukhoi fighter jets. Indonesia’s first order for French fighter jets…
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Digital health pass on Mor Prom app accepted in 60 countries
Residents of Thailand can now travel to 60 countries, including 27 EU nations, where the Mor Prom Digital Health Pass is accepted. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his deputy Sathit Pitutecha confirmed the development at a media briefing. The Thailand Digital Health Pass has been accorded the same recognition as the EU’s Digital Covid Certificate since December. According to…
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Burma or Myanmar? Myanmarese or Burmese?
We refer to Myanmar a lot in our news because it’s a bordering foreign country to Thailand and many people from Myanmar work in and around Thailand. It’s also subject of an ongoing coup after the Burmese military staged a coup on February 1, 2021. But is it Myanmar or Burma? And are the people that live there Myanmarese or…
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Interpol turns down Myanmar military’s request to assist them counter “terrorism”
In response to the Myanmar military’s appeal to assist them in countering “terrorism” threats in the post-coup nation, the international police organisation Interpol turned down the request and said it will not intervene in any nation’s domestic political affairs. An Interpol spokesperson told CNA that the organisation does not comment on specific cases or operations of member countries unless in…
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Philippines lifts travel ban, welcomes fully vaccinated tourists from 157 countries
The Philippines is welcoming fully vaccinated travellers from 157 countries with visa-free agreements as the Southeast Asian country has lifted its nearly two-year ban on foreign tourists. The 157 countries include the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and Russia. (Here’s a full list by Philippines Airlines.) Visitors are no longer required to quarantine upon arrival as a risk classification system that…
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BTS promotes Samsung’s ocean cleanup campaign in ‘Galaxy for the Future’ MV
In a new music video, South Korea’s BTS is promoting the recycling of ocean-bound plastics and the use of eco-conscious packaging for the new Samsung Galaxy S22 Series smartphones. The MV capped off last night’s Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event, which saw the release of Samsung’s newest devices, with an eco-friendly emphasis on their Galaxy for the Planet initiative and the…
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Former Malaysia PM tests positive for Covid-19 after ministers’ meeting
Malaysia’s former prime minister tested positive for Covid-19 just a day after he chaired a meeting of the National Recovery Council, which advocated reopening the country’s borders to vaccinated travellers as soon as March 1. Former PM Muhyiddin Yassin says he will be quarantined at home in compliance with the health ministry’s protocols and urged those who may have been his…
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Scientists in India say they’ve come up with a vaccine against all Covid variants
Indian scientists say they have come up with a vaccine that is effective against all variants of Covid-19… Yes, ALL variants. With new SARS-COV-2 virus versions causing new outbreaks of the highly contagious disease, scientists at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, and Kazi Nazrul University designed a vaccine, which they say, can defend against any potential coronavirus…
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Villager in Indonesia rescues crocodile trapped in motorbike tyre for five years
A villager in Indonesia was about to free a crocodile of a motorbike tyre that had been stuck around its neck for more five years. Since 2016, conservationists have been trying to capture the crocodile to free him from the tyre, but had not been successful. But this week, a villager from Sulawesi island in the east of Borneo, along…
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Singapore’s LGBT content ban slammed after gay kiss caught in news broadcast
In a Singaporean news broadcast on the Winter Olympics, it wasn’t the coverage that got the attention of viewers, it was what was happening in the background at the Beijing bar. Behind the Channel News Asia correspondent were two men passionately kissing, a taboo for Singaporeans where broadcasting laws prohibit LGBT content and homosexual relationships between men are illegal. Although…
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Election campaigns kick off in the Philippines, Marcos Jr. a favourite
The campaign season in the Philippines leading up to the May presidential election kicked off this week. Channel News Asia says this season is candidates are running a “chaotic” and “colourful charm offensive” which is aimed at attracting the millions of voters who are “typically more interested in personality than policy.” Analysts have already foreseen the victory of Ferdinand “Bongbong”…
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13 killed, dozens injured in Indonesia’s Java island bus crash
At least 13 people were killed in a bus crash on Indonesia’s Java island yesterday. Dozens of passengers, including young children, were injured. Many were factory workers on their way to a beach for a holiday trip. The bus carried 47 people travelling from Sukoharjo in Central Java to Yogyakarta for a family gathering. The driver lost control while driving…
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Second Thai-Laos friendship bridge will house both railway and motorway- Transport Minister
Thailand is planning to build a bridge to Laos across the Mekong River for both railway and motorway. Last month, the Thai cabinet approved the project to build a second Thailand-Laos friendship bridge, connecting Nong Khai in northeast Thailand and the Laos capital Vientiane, as part of the third phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project. The construction is estimated…
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