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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Former Soviet Union premier Mikhail Gorbachev dies aged 91
Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev died last night aged 91. The Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow stated, “Gorbachev died this evening after a serious and long illness.” He will be buried in Moscow’s Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife Raisa, who died in 1999. Tributes have been poured in for the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize winner. UN chief Antonio…
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Study: Balinese monkeys use stones to get their rocks off
Monkeys in Thailand need to step up their game. A, er, handy new study of monkeys in Ubud, Bali discovered that local macaques monkeys frequently rub or tap themselves with stones as a form of masturbation. The study was published in this month’s academic journal Ethology (because publishing it elsewhere might get you on a sex offender registry) and showed…
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Groups of 8 or more dining in Hong Kong required to Covid test
A new Covid-19 regulation that came into effect yesterday in Hong Kong is drawing ire from groups of diners and restaurants. The new rule requires all members of any group of eight or more dining in restaurants to present a photo of a negative Covid test taken within 24 hours of dining or a text message confirmation of a negative…
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Royal Caribbean offers cruises to Thailand & other Asian locations in 2023
Royal Caribbean has announced a new series of Asian cruises on their ship ‘Spectrum of the Seas,’ setting sail in 2023 and 2024. Beginning in Singapore, travellers can set off on cruises for 5, 7, 9 or 12 nights, visiting various locations in Asia including Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan and Japan. Guests can choose from cruises which make stops…
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Divers in Singapore find 8 dead blacktip sharks
In the waters of Pulau Hantu, islands just south of Singapore, divers made a gruesome and heartbreaking discovery: the lifeless bodies of eight young blacktip sharks who appeared to have died from wounds to their gills. Sharks are rare to spot in the area, so it was especially gut-wrenching to discover them dead. The divers who discovered it were shocked…
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Popular Phuket-Penang route relaunched by Firefly Airlines
A popular route for expats is back in operation now Firefly Airlines recommenced its flight route between Phuket and Penang. On Friday, the trip resumed for the first time in over two years since being grounded, like so many other flights and routes, by the Covid-19 pandemic. The flight will run four times per week connecting the two popular island…
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VIDEO: Brazillian footballer thanks the wrong girlfriend in an interview
A Brazilian football player might have put a foot in his mouth this week when he was asked in an interview if he wanted to give a tribute to someone. The goalkeeper, Kainan, gave a seemingly noble reply. He said… “To my girlfriend, who’s working now, Thank God, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. Grazi, a hug to you!” But Kainan’s…
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Moderna suing Pfizer for using their tech in Covid vaccines
After Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine brought in US$22 billion so far this year compared to Moderna’s US$10.4 billion, Moderna is suing Pfizer, claiming they copied technology in developing their vaccines. Moderna, a decade-old company that had been pioneering mRNA technology long before Covid-19, had said at the start of the pandemic that they wouldn’t enforce related patents to help the world…
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US spits dummy out in China tit-for-tat airline row
The childish rattle-throwing, tit-for-tat games continue between the United States and China with the US declaring it is banning 26 flights to China in response to the mainland suspending some US flights for importing Covid-19. The US spat its dummy out in objection to China revising its Covid policies. The mainland stated on August 7 that if 4% of passengers…
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Former UK ambassador and husband reported detained in Myanmar
The former UK ambassador to Myanmar and her husband have been detained in Yangon, two anonymous sources reported today. A spokesperson for the Burmese junta did not answer calls from Reuters seeking comment on the situation. A British embassy spokesperson has said the embassy is concerned about the arrest. She said… “We are in contact with the local authorities and are…
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Hong Konger stuck in Myanmar pleads for help after being kidnapped in Thailand
A man from Hong Kong has contacted an anti-trafficking NGO pleading for help. He says he is currently detained and being forced to work as a scammer in Myanmar after he was kidnapped in Thailand. The man, 30 year old John, says he has been trapped for three months so far, and “escape is not an option.” John said he…
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Domino’s Japan delivers pizza to summit of Mt. Fuji
A Domino’s Japan delivery driver went to extreme lengths to deliver a pizza to a hungry hiker at the summit of Mt. Fuji, the country’s tallest peak at 3,776 metres. The delivery fee amounted to the equivalent of almost 1,000 baht, which seems modest considering it took the Domino’s guy almost six hours to walk up the active volcano to…
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Floods wreak havoc on northern India, killing over 30 people
Floods are wreaking havoc on two of India’s northern states, destroying homes and leaving people stranded. Since August 19, at least 32 people in Uttarakhand state and Himachal Pradesh state have been killed in floods and landslides, often due to houses collapsing in the floods. In the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, 27 people have been killed, and six were…
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Former Malaysia premier starts 12 years in the slammer
A federal court in Kuala Lumpur yesterday rejected an appeal by the former prime minister of Malaysia, that he had done no wrong, and sentenced him to a 12-year jail term for playing a part in a multi-million dollar graft. It was reported he was sent to Kajang prison, south of the Kuala Lumpur capital. Najib Razak, who served as…
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Tourism Malaysia visits Songkhla and Bangkok to lure Thais
As Thailand has lured more and more Malaysian tourists across the border for short-haul holidays, Malaysia started marketing tourism to Thai people as soon as the borders began to open again after the Covid-19 pandemic. Thailand added more train services across the border at Padang Besar into the country and Malaysia welcomed tours sent by Thai travel agents. Malaysia overtook…
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Cambodia aims for 1 million tourists in 2022, has 740k already
As Southeast Asia reopens and scrambles to attract international tourists, Cambodia has announced triumphant numbers from the Ministry of Tourism, declaring over 740,000 tourists from abroad between January to the end of July this year. The swell of tourists is about 22.5% of the number of travellers pre-pandemic, but a 560% increase over figures for the first half of 2022.…
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LGBTQ+ community hail Singapore’s gay sex repeal
The LGBTQ+ community hailed Singapore’s announcement to end the ban on gay sex as “a win for humanity.” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the decision, that the city-state will repeal the law that bans gay sex, on national television last night. The 70 year old PM said they would abolish the law as he believed it “is the right…
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Terrorists kill at least 20 in Somalia hotel attack
Terrorists have shot and killed at least 20 people in a hotel in Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu on Friday, and have wounded at least 50 others. Two security officials were among those injured at the attack at the Hayat Hotel, one of whom was an intelligence chief. The Al Qaeda-affiliated group Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in…
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Baldwin deflects blame, expects no charges over gun accident
In a rare interview regarding the tragic gun accident on the set of his film “Rust” which left the cinematographer dead, Alec Baldwin deflected blame and said he didn’t believe anyone would be criminally charged over the incident. The accident happened when a prop gun that Baldwin was to fire toward the camera somehow was loaded with live ammunition which…
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ISIS member involved in plot that killed Americans gets sentenced for life
Justice was served yesterday for one of the bloodthirsty savages of ISIS. The ISIS member, 34 year old former British national El Shafee Elsheikh, had been part of a plot to take hostages, which led to the killings of four Americans in Syria. Those slain included journalist James Foley and aid worker Kayla Mueller. ISIS members notoriously beheaded Foley in…
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261 billion baht profits in 2022 for AirAsia X
Many airlines have been fighting to stay afloat amid a downturn in tourism and sky-high operating costs but one airline, AirAsia X, reported a profit of 261 billion baht for the fiscal year that ended on June 20, 2022. The net profit for the year was weakened by the fourth quarter recorded a net loss of 5.19 billion baht, compared…
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“Drink more booze” Japan urges youth with new contest
Japan’s alcohol sales have gone way down since Covid-19 restrictions, and the government is desperate to bring them up again. Numbers show that Japan’s young drink quite significantly less than its old. While about 30% of people in their 40s to 60s drink regularly, only 7.8% of people in their 20s do. Meanwhile, sales at Japan’s pubs were cut in…
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Sri Lanka’s exiled president to head home after Thailand stay
Sri Lanka’s exiled president is planning to finally head home next week after staying in Thailand. The ousted leader, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has been on quite a journey ever since 100,000 angry protesters forced him to flee Sri Lanka on July 14. He first travelled to the Maldives and then to Singapore, where he was granted a temporary residence but without…
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China not cod-ing about its zero Covid policy as it tests fish
China was not cod-ing when it said it remains committed to its zero Covid-19 policy. This week fish caught off the coast of Xiamen, in southeastern Fujian province, were given nucleic acid tests alongside the fishermen who hauled in the catch. China’s overzealous zero Covid strategy was made fun of by a Chinese media outlet, Sohu (搜狐新闻), who posted a video on…
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Mystery 911 emergency service call turns out to be a monkey
American police officers responded to a 911 (emergency) call in a remote area three and a half hours north of Los Angeles only to find an unlikely caller – a monkey in a zoo. The incident took place at Zoo to You, a wildlife conservation park in the quaint town of Paso Robles, California, known for its wineries and military…
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Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla diagnosed with an unfortunate infection
If you’ve ever heard the advice “never get a haircut from a bald barber” you know that even something completely natural can tarnish the image of a brand in people’s minds. So, much like being judged for being an overweight fitness instructor, it’s a bit awkward for Albert Bourla that people now know he’s been infected by Covid-19, considering he…
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Aung San Suu Kyi receives additional 6-year prison sentence
Deposed Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi received an additional jail term sentence, this time six years for corruption, adding to the 11 years she has already. Suu Kyi was jailed by the military junta that overthrew the government on February 1, 2021, as she tried to introduce democracy. She was sentenced previously to 11 years in jail for breaking…
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Malaysia considers medical cannabis law shaped by Thai policy
While the decriminalisation of cannabis in Thailand has been somewhat rocky and haphazard, it has inspired Malaysia to rollout legalisation similarly. The Malaysian Minister of Public Health is slated to meet with Thailand’s Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul to discuss how the kingdom went about legalising medical cannabis. Malaysia is currently considering similar laws to those Thailand adopted to…
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Gunman wounds 8 in Jerusalem, 48 dead in Israeli Gaza strikes
Mainstream media last night reported eight people had been wounded after a gunman opened fire at two locations in Jerusalem. According to reports, the man who pulled the trigger is believed to be a Palestinian who targeted a bus carrying Jewish worshippers who had just prayed at the Western Wall and people in a car park near the holy site.…
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Man fights Indian Railways for 22 years for justice (and 9 baht)
Twenty-two years is a long time to fight a court battle, but nine baht is nine baht, right? A lawyer in India believes so and has fought for justice against Indian Railways for more than two decades because he was overcharged by 20 Indian rupees, the equivalent of almost 9 baht, 21 pence, or 25 American cents. The lawyer who…
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