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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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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Cambodia claims Louis Vuitton logo inspired by ancient Khmer art
A media outlet in Cambodia claims that the symbol on the famous Louis Vuitton logo is inspired by ancient Khmer art. Facebook page ‘Ebook Cambodia’ posted a photo of a classic Louis Vuitton handbag against an ancient Cambodian stone carving of an Apsara, a type of historical divine dancer known for exquisite costumes and captivating hand movements. The Apsara’s sarong…
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Thailand’s MICE sector boosts tourism profits
Tourism profits have thrived since Thailand reopened. For business travel, the sector known as meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE), is at the front of prospects for the coming year. MICE has been a major contributor to the hospitality sector in Thailand for years, with spending per trip almost double that of leisure tourists. In 2019, the international MICE market generated…
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AI chatbot steers British woman out of troubled marriage and into arms of lover
Artificial intelligence is omnipresent: it is in healthcare, enables problem-solving and, in one case, helped one unhappily married British woman to decide to divorce her husband. In maybe a world first, a woman sought the advice of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot to navigate the treacherous waters of a failing marriage and a steamy affair. Sarah, a 37 year old tech worker…
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Earthquake rocks Turkey – buildings tumble and fear takes over (videos)
A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeast Turkey early this morning, sending shockwaves throughout the region and causing several buildings to crumble. The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake was centred about 33 kilometres from Gaziantep, a major city, and had a depth of 18 kilometres. The disaster was felt in neighbouring provinces, as well as in Lebanon and…
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US military shoots down Chinese spy balloon
The US military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States yesterday according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. President Joe Biden approved the operation, which resulted in a diplomatic fallout between Washington and Beijing. The balloon was first spotted in the sky over Montana earlier in the week and…
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All aboard the sushi terror train
A new terror, more scary than even the mighty Godzilla, has struck Tokyo: the sushi terror train. In sushiten across the city, petrified diners clutch their chopsticks with fingers stiffened in fear. Something’s fishy in the nigiri. Today’s Guardian tells how Japan’s signature cuisine is at the centre of a police investigation after customers at sushi-train restaurants posted video clips…
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Thailand offers amnesty to ‘little ghosts’ in South Korea
The Thai government calls for all Thais working illegally in South Korea – known as ‘little ghosts‘ – to return to Thailand before February 28. Any little ghost who does not return to Thailand before this date will face a 30 million won fine (800,000 baht), warned the government. Today, government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek revealed that the South Korean Immigration…
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Southeast Asia’s most luxurious new beach hotels
Southeast Asia‘s most luxurious new beach hotels will be at the forefront of the region’s big tourism comeback promised for 2023. Thailand expects to receive as many as 10 million visitors from China alone this year. In the Philippines – “the worst place to spend the pandemic” – tourism is up by more than the global average. Vietnam is equally…
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Thai passport worth less than Cambodian
The Henley Passport Index released this week, ranks the passports of the world based on metrics such as how many countries one can travel to visa-free. Once again a Thai passport is worth less than many comparable nations and ranks a long way behind other nations that share similar demographics and income. There are not many surprises in the top…
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Former football star Bale shines on PGA Tour debut at Pebble Beach (video)
Former football star Gareth Bale stunned the sports world yesterday with a jaw-dropping shot Tiger Woods would have been proud of as he eased into his new life as a golfer. The 33 year old made a strong start in his PGA Tour debut at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Teaming up with professional golfer Joseph Bramlett, the duo dominated the…
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Rape charges dropped against Man Utd star Mason Greenwood
The charges of attempted rape and assault against Manchester United footballer Mason Greenwood have been dismissed. The 21 year old Manchester United striker was arrested in January 2022 amid allegations surrounding images and videos but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case against him for attempted rape. The case was dropped due to the withdrawal of key witnesses and…
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Belgian couple ditch baby at Tel Aviv airport after refusing to buy extra ticket
A Belgian couple at Israel’s Tel Aviv airport abandoned their baby after realising they needed to buy a ticket for the child. The couple was late for a flight to Belgium and decided their child wasn’t worth the extra cost. They left their child at the check-in counter’s baggage conveyor belt and hurried to clear security to board their Ryanair…
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US to form military alliance with Philippines to check China
The United States is set to announce details of a new alliance with the Philippines and four new military bases on the island nation as it attempts to curb China’s expansion in the South China Sea. The US is keen to rekindle a former friendship with the Philippines, 30 years after they were told to leave, and plug a gap…
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US woman detained and fined in Russia after walking a calf on Moscow’s Red Square
A Russian court has detained and fined a US woman after she walked a calf on Moscow’s Red Square. She alleged that she bought the calf to save it from a slaughterhouse. Alicia Day was charged with obstructing pedestrians in an unauthorised protest and was fined 20,000 rubles (US$285). The 34 year old was also sentenced to 13 days of…
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Eastern Thailand province suffers smoke from Cambodian forest fires
A province in eastern Thailand is suffering from smoke due to Cambodian forest fires. Smoke from the fires has drifted across the border into large parts of Trat province, with Trat’s governor receiving complaints from the main city district, as well as Klong Yai and Bo Rai districts, Naewna reported yesterday. The governor, Chamnanwit Teerat, said the governors of Cambodia’s…
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Thai supremo cancels Leicester City’s 7.8 billion baht debt
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha revealed his long-standing commitment to Leicester City Football Club by cancelling the club’s enormous debt. Aiyawatt, the Leicester chairman, yesterday announced he has cleared the £194 million (7.8 billion baht) debt the Foxes owe to its parent company King Power International (KPI). This was accomplished through a debt-to-equity transfer to KPI, freeing Leicester from its outstanding liabilities. The…
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Myanmar activists gather in Bangkok on coup anniversary
Anti-coup protesters gathered in Bangkok and Tokyo yesterday to commemorate the second anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar. The Myanmar military seized power from the government of Aung San Suu Kyi, in a coup d’état that began on the morning of February 1, 2021, when elected members of the ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed…
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Death toll rises after suicide bomb in Pakistani mosque, expert calls it ‘national security crisis’
UPDATE Following the horrific suicide bombing at a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday, the death toll has risen from 59 to at least 100, according to a hospital spokesperson. The spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital, Muhammad Asim Khan, said that at least 100 people have died following the attack. Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Peshawar Police Moazim Jah Ansari,…
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Chinese province to allow all citizens to have unlimited children
Amid China’s spiralling crisis with an ageing population and shrinking workforce, one province is making some drastic policy changes. Starting on Wednesday, February 15, the western Chinese province of Sichuan will allow all citizens, including unmarried couples, to register as many children as they want. The province has over 83 million people. While current policies don’t explicitly ban unmarried women…
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Hampshire family launches urgent appeal to bring father home after Thailand bike crash
A grief-stricken family from Hampshire is trying to get the body of their father back home after learning he died in a motorcycle accident in Thailand. Anthony Murphy lay dead in a hospital morgue for five days before he officials discovered his real name. At the time he was registered as John Doe, a name used when the true name…
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Two years ago today: the Burmese military coup
Today marks a cruel and tragic anniversary. It was on this day two years ago that military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing marched his troops on the Burmese capital and overthrew Myanmar’s elected government. They immediately arrested the democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. The conflict between the Burmese military and anti-coup activists has escalated with widespread violence…
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Singapore man charged with starving cat to death
A man in Singapore was sentenced to 20 days in jail after being fined SGD$10,000 (about 250,000 baht) for starving his pet cat, leading to its death. The 25 year old man was unable to pay the fine and was instead sentenced to serve time in jail. According to court records, The Singaporean man adopted the cat in February 2019…
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Corruption Index: world’s improvements flat, Thailand’s slight
In the Corruption Perceptions Index, Thailand is improving, having jumped nine places to the 101st position in 2022. The previous year, the kingdom was 110th according to Transparency International (TI), a German-based nonprofit that measures and fights corruption worldwide. The index works on a scale of 100, with 100 being completely free of corruption and zero being the most corrupt…
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Ukraine MP kicked out of parliament after visiting Thailand in unapproved trip
A lawmaker in Ukraine is now without his job after posting a video of him on an unapproved holiday in Thailand. Mykola Tyshchenko posted a video of him splashing around in the ocean on Facebook while saying that he was on an approved business trip in Asia. According to the Pattaya Mail, he furthered his intentions for some fun in…
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