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.
-
Sponsored Where to travel in Thailand in August [2025]
There’s no better way to experience Thailand than through its cuisine. In the rainy season, flavours bloom alongside the landscape, steam rises from market pots, the snap of chilli echoes through alleyways, and rain makes every bite more vivid. “I...
-
AirAsia integrates AI to become a travel technology company
by The Star – Asia News Network AirAsia is integrating Google Cloud’s machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence) technologies into every aspect of its business, as part of its transformation into a travel technology company. Speaking at the Google Cloud Next London event, AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes said, “It’s a huge mission, but we’ve never done anything easy.” “We are…
-
The rise of Kpop stars reveals the dark side of music sweatshops
• They’ve had two number one selling albums in the Billboard Top 200 this year. • They’re the first pop act to score two Number One albums in a calendar year since One Direction in 2014. • They were the first Kpop artists to win a Billboard Music Award. • The group officially holds the world record for most Twitter engagements…
-
Where in the world are ‘wellness’ tourists going?
Getting well and staying well are the fastest growing segment in the world travel industry. So where do the weary and health conscious head to recharge their batteries? A new global survey has revealed the desires, demands and preferred destinations of wellness travellers. Wellness travellers say that mental health as a priority and many list the Maldives as a dream…
-
18 years of internet growth in Asia
Sourced from DataLEADS – Asia News Network The internet continues to grow swiftly in all parts of the world. Asia continues to show impressive growth trends in the last eighteen years although there are still many pockets in south east asia that need improved access to the www. To say that access to the internet has made a profound change to…
-
Thailand donates to the Indonesian relief effort whilst thousands flee the region
Thai PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha says the Kingdom of Thailand has made a donation of 5 million baht to the relief program to assist victims of Indonesia’s earthquake and tsunami. International efforts to assist the Indonesian government to deal with the devastating natural disasters gathered pace amidst concerns over hundreds of thousands of survivors with little food and water. Thai…
-
Najib’s wife arrested, to be charged with money laundering – Malaysia
Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the former Malaysian PM, Najib Tun Razak, has been arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). According to her lawyers, she was arrested at 3.20pm while giving a statement at the headquarters of the MACC. It has been learnt that the wife of the former prime minister will be charged with money laundering…
-
Andaman’s Barren Island Volcano erupting
PHOTO: Volcano Hotspot According to volcanodiscovery.com, the Barren Island Volcano, situated about 800 kilometres north-west of Phuket, and 130 kilometres east of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is erupting today. There are currently no warnings or alerts about this occurrence – the volcano last erupted in December last year. According to volcanodiscovery.com, Barren Island, a possession of India in the…
-
An earthquake, a tsunami, now a bubbling volcano – Sulawesi
PHOTO: North Sulawesi’s Mt Soputan erupts, status raised to Level 3’Alert’ – The Jakarta Post Mount Soputan in North Sulawesi’s Minahasa regency is emitting a 4 kilometre high plume of ash this . It started at 8:47 am local time, or 7:47 am. Jakarta time, prompting authorities to raise the volcano’s status to a Level 3 of the national four-level volcano alert system. Mount…
-
Survivors try to flee Palu as aid starts to flow in
PHOTO: Locals and aid volunteers are trying to start the long clean up in Palu – VOA News As aid and volunteers continue pour into north-western areas of Sulawesi, following last Friday’s 7.4-magnitude earthquake and the subsequent tsunami, survivors are scrambling to salvage food supplies and other items. Aid from the central Indonesian government is beginning to trickle into the…
-
71 foreigners, including 32 Thais, found safe in Sulawesi
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency in Indonesia has announced that 71 foreign tourists were affected by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Sulawesi last Friday evening. Authorities say they have found 66 of the foreigners and declared them safe and accounted for. Two of the rescued tourists, a Singaporean and a Belgian, have now been moved to Jakarta. Of those,…
-
Trami storms through Japan, passes Tokyo last night
Some of the latest updates from reports coming out of Japan as Typhoon Trami continues its north-easterly trajectory through the Japanese archipelago. It’s currently early morning in Japan, and commuters are trying to get to work whilst contending with the aftermath of the Typhoon in the southern and central islands. The Typhoon unleashed its fury on some of Japan’s most populous…
-
Typhoon Trami cuts across Japan
Another powerful typhoon is unleashing heavy rain and winds on southern Japan as it slowly trudges its way north-east toward the Japan’s main islands and population centres this morning. Typhoon Trami is the equivalent of Category 2 hurricane. It passed over the Ryukyu Islands on Friday evening after taking a slow right-hand track and heading north out of the Pacific…
-
India has highest number of Facebook users but Singapore is Asia’s FB star
By DataLEADS – Asia News Network Facebook is the most popular social network worldwide and Asia is Facebook’s most active region in terms of active users. India has the most number of Facebook registered users not only in Asia but in the world. Facebook users in India now number 251 million, becoming the largest audience country for the social media giant.…
-
Large earthquake in Sulawesi. Palu struck by tsunami.
Another Indonesian earthquake, this time a shallow 7.5 magnitude tremor that was more powerful than the quakes that killed hundreds on Lombok island during July and August, has hit the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Rescuers are still scrambling to reach villages in central Indonesia to assess the damage after the earthquake hit, causing buildings to fall down and triggering…
-
Former Mae Hong Son border police chief gets suspended jail term for pimping out underage girl
The former commander of a border patrol police company in Mae Hong Son, north-west Thailand, has been given a suspended jail term and a small fine for forcing a girl under 18 into prostitution, according to the victim’s mother. The girl’s mother, Namphet Koeyputsa, says the Mae Hong Son Court convicted Pol Lt Col Pongnarin Pongnam, former commander of the…
-
Typhoon Trami predicted to regain strength and hit Japan this weekend
Tropical Typhoon Trami has weakened and it is no longer considered a “super typhoon” but is still packing winds up to 195 kilometres per hour (121 mph). The islands in the storm’s projected path are bracing for its arrival. If the current projected path of the typhoon holds, Trami will hit the southern Japan Ryukyu islands, including Okinawa, some time…
-
South Korean band’s motivational UN speech transcends race and gender identity
by Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com) K-pop sensation BTS embraced self-love and encouraged young people around the world to “speak themselves” regardless of their origin, skin color and gender identity, in a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York yesterday. Kim Nam-joon, better known as RM, said, “No matter who you are, where you are from, your skin color, your…
-
Budget Phuket to India direct, from October
Indian low-cost airline carrier GoAir will commence direct flights between India and Phuket in October. Flights between Delhi to Phuket start October 11 and from Mumbai on October 12. GoAir is the 5th largest airline in India, with a home base of Mumbai. The city-based airline, which became eligible to fly overseas more than two years ago when it took delivery of its…
-
New Hong Kong to Shenzhen high speed train launches today
It’s the first day of the new HK to Shenzhen high speed train service. At 7am the first hundreds of passengers departed the former British colony for mainland China at speeds up to 200 kph. The project, costing US$11 billion, is seen by some as a new, convenient and speedy track into mainland China and beyond. Others see it as…
-
‘Stereotype’ problems for single Thai women travelling out of Thailand
A Thai woman has gone online to describe her experiences of being locked in a Johur Bahru immigration jail for three days. She said that Thai women travelling abroad alone, especially to other places in Asia, are often assumed to be working in the sex industry. The woman made her comments on the Pantip website under the name “Fernchiu” and said…
-
Plastic straws to be banned in some Malaysian territories from January 1
Plastic straws are to be banned in all the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan in Malaysia from January 1 next year. Businesses which are still found to be using plastic straws in 2019 risk having their business licences terminated. Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Adnan Mohd Ikhsan says, “The ban on plastic straws is in addition to the…
-
Former Malay PM Najib to face up to 20 charges over 1MDB scandal
by The Star – Asia News Network Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak is expected to face “nothing less” than 20 charges under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act. A mountain of legal challenges lies ahead of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as authorities bring fresh charges against the former PM over the multibillion-ringgit 1Malaysia Development Bhd…
-
Soi Dog congratulates the Hanoi people’s committee ban on dog and cat meat trade
Barely 24 hours after urging citizens to stop eating dogs and cats, Hanoi’s authorities have announced that the sale of dog meat will be banned from the central districts of the city from 2021. The director of the city’s Department of Animal Health, Nguyen Ngoc Son, told Lao Dong Newspaper on Wednesday (September 12)… “Following a direction from the city’s…
-
Japanese billionaire buys a ticket to the moon
Elon Musk, fresh from being sued by Vernon Unsworth for his slanderous comments during the Tham Luang cave rescue mission, has now announced that he is sending Japanese tourists up with his company Space X’s first moon mission. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will be Earth’s first moon tourist. It is not known how much he paid for the return trip…
-
Singapore #1, Thailand #6 – Asia’s most innovative nations
by DataLEADS/Asia News Network Singapore, South Korea and Japan are the most innovative countries in Asia whereas Pakistan and Bangladesh are the least innovative, according to the Global Innovation Index 2018 report. Thailand comes in number 6 out of the 17 ranked countries. The report analyses the energy innovation landscape of the next decade and identifies possible breakthroughs in fields…
-
Death toll rises in the wake of Mangkhut in northern Philippines
by The Philippine Daily Inquirer – Asia News Network – BAGUIO CITY Massive landslides have killed 64 people while 45 others remain missing in this city and in the provinces of Benguet, Mountain Province, Kalinga and Nueva Vizcaya, as Typhoon “Ompong” (international name: Mangkhut) unleased its fury on Friday night and early Saturday, the Philippine National Police said on Sunday. The PNP…
-
More than 60 dead as Mangkhut continues into southern China
The world’s strongest tropical storm this year, Typhoon Mangkhut, continues its path of destruction across Southeast Asia, reaching mainland China yesterday (Sunday) after pummeling Hong Kong and killing dozens in the Philippines. The storm, originating in the Pacific Ocean and first hitting Guam and the Marshall Islands, has been deadly with its high power winds hitting rural communities in The…
-
Air Asia cancel flights into southern China
Air Asia has announced the cancellation of 32 regional flights through southern China scheduled on Sunday as there was potential the flights could be affected by Typhoon Mangkhut. Flights affected are routes landing in Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen, China. The affected return flights are Phuket-Macao, Don Mueng-Hong Kong, Don Meuang-Macao, Don Meuang-Shantou, Chiang Mai-Hong Kong, Utapao-Macao, Phuket-Hong Kong, Chiang…
-
Mangkhut will hit China coast around noon today
Typhoon Mangkhut will pass over the coast of southern China and be closest to the Pearl Delta, one of the most densely urbanised regions in the world, around noon today. So far, it’s been recorded as she strongest storm this year. It’s just barreled through the northern Philippines and is now headed for China. It brought ferocious winds and torrential…
-
“Please stop eating dog meat” – Hanoi city government
by Paul Kennedy – Viet Nam News/The Nation An international animal welfare charity is welcoming the news that the city government is considering banning the consumption of dog meat. But only in certain areas. Humane Society International say it’s time for those who make a living from slaughtering and selling dogs to look for another profession, and understand the dangers…
Broke? Find employment in Southeast Asia with JobCute Thailand and SmartJob Indonesia. Rich? Invest in real estate across Asia with FazWaz Property Group or get out on a yacht anywhere with Boatcrowd. Even book medical procedures worldwide with MyMediTravel, all powered by DB Ventures.