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 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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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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Woman carries sharp knife onto Vietnam Airlines flight
A Vietnamese woman managed to get a sharp knife through airport security and aboard a domestic Vietnam Airlines flight on Monday. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has launched an investigation into the incident. An elderly lady is pictured peeling fruit with a sharp 20 centimetre knife on Vietnam Airlines flight VN208 from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi…
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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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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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Labour minister warns Thai women of trafficking in UAE ‘jobs’
Thailand’s labour minister is warning women about sex trafficking in some fake job opportunities in the United Arab Emirates. The minister, Suchart Chomklin, said yesterday that many Facebook ads invite women to apply for jobs in a spa massage, marketing, personnel management, and gambling websites in the UAE. Surchart said that these ads offer high returns and payment for airfares,…
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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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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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Thai Vietjet launches new route between Thailand and Japan
Budget airline Thai Vietjet has commenced services between Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Fukuoka Airport, located on the north shore of Japan’s Kyushu island. The route is the airline’s only service linking Thailand and Japan. The airline will operate the route three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays with an approximate flight duration of 5 hours 30 minutes. The…
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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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British hero hails US film director’s depiction of Thai cave rescue
Cave hero Richard Stanton believes movie director Ron Howard was the perfect choice to capture the raw emotion of the dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded grotto in Thailand. The Oscar-winning filmmaker has retold the climactic tale from four years ago of the cave rescue in a new movie, “Thirteen Lives,” which premiered last…
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UK airport has to suspend flights because of ‘melting runway’
An airport in the UK has been forced to suspend flights. Not because of the supply chain issues, Covid-19 positive staff calling in sick, or increased fuel prices, but because the runway was suffering under the unseasonably high temperatures. Train speed restrictions were also introduced in sections of the country to protect railway tracks against extreme heat. Luton Airport, one…
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China may take over the moon, warns head of NASA
NASA warns that, while the sky may not be falling, the moon may be falling… into China’s hands. The head of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in an interview that China has plans in place and a partnership with Russia for a lunar base by 2035 and he fears it may be a bid to assert ownership…
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Police investigate death of British man found in Pattaya canal
Thai police are investigating the mysterious death of a British expat found dead yesterday morning face down in the Najomtien drainage canal in Pattaya. Richard Wayne Moorcroft is believed to have slipped when out jogging, banged his head, knocked himself unconscious, and slid into the canal. The 63 year old was dressed in jogging clothing when he was found at…
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Filipinos go on book-buying spree to “preserve history” of Marcos family atrocities
Some Filipinos are in a rush to buy books documenting the divisive and savage 21 year reign of the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos as his son, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr, assumes office as the latest president of the Philippines after a landslide election victory in May. They say they fear that the new Filipino president may try and whitewash the…
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‘Oh, bother!’ Thai govt patrol team stumble upon 20 million baht Winnie the Pooh ecstasy haul
Drug smugglers would be right in thinking “Oh, bother!” after a narcotics enforcement team stumbled upon a 20 million baht drug haul of ecstasy tablets shaped as the fictional teddy bear Winnie the Pooh. It appears nothing is sacred anymore if drug dealers are disguising their narcotics as fictional cartoon characters. The drug haul prompts a dozen of Pooh memes,…
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More lockdowns in China add to economic woes
China has now reported the highest number of coronavirus cases since May. Millions are now in lockdown, despite a relatively low number of actually reported infections. China reported 450 cases on Saturday, up from 432 a day earlier. Today there have only been 154 new infections reported. Epidemiologists outside of China predict that there is a broad under-reporting of infections…
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Gunman shot dead by armed civilian after killing 3 in US mall
Four people were killed, and two were injured yesterday in yet another mass shooting in the US. A man with a rifle entered Greenwood Park Mall in Indiana at about 6pm last night, approached the precinct’s food court, and let rip with several rounds of ammunition. The gunman was eventually shot by an armed civilian who happened to be nearby.…
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Japan hits record high in Covid-19 cases
Japan’s number of Covid-19 infections climbed to a new record yesterday. While Japan’s previous peak was 104,169 cases in February, yesterday, there were 110,600 cases. In Tokyo, 18,919 new cases were confirmed. The city’s metropolitan government raised its Covid alert to the highest of four levels. Most cases are mild and don’t require hospital treatment. As the country moves on…
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Thailand isn’t the only place in the world that applies tourist taxes
Thailand is about to add an arrival ‘tourist’ tax of 300 baht. But it’s not really a tourist tax because it will apply to ALL foreigners entering Thailand, including YOU. No exemptions, not even your work permit or diplomatic status will help. The proposal, set to come into force in Q4, 2022, will be in the form of a 300…
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Thailand says no to North Korean martial art at SEA Games
Thailand is saying no to a North Korean martial art that will be included at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia. Cambodia has said that North Korean-style taekwondo is one of the 39 sports that will be featured at the Games. The vice president of the Olympic Committee of Thailand has said that Thailand will not send any athletes…
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Thousands evacuated as wildfires blaze across Europe
Thousands of Europeans from several countries have been evacuated as wildfires are burning down homes. The fires spread through Portugal, Spain, France, and Croatia earlier this week. Now, helicopters are being deployed to help put out the fires. About 10,000 people were evacuated from campsites around the town of Landiras in southwestern France. Fires have now burnt about 5,300 hectares…
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Honeymooning British man drowns in Phuket, Thailand
A British man on his honeymoon refused to acknowledge a red-flagged no swim zone on the island of Phuket in southern Thailand and it cost him his life. Ali Mohammed Mian drowned only two days into his honeymoon after being swept out to sea when he tried to take a dip in choppy waters at Kata Noi Beach. The 34…
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UPDATE: Sri Lanka president reportedly plans to fly to Saudi Arabia
UPDATE Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa reportedly plans to fly to Saudi Arabia, after he flies to Singapore. The Associated Press reported the development today, citing an unnamed Maldivian official. An unnamed security official in Colombo told CNN that Gotabaya was flying from Maldives to Singapore, as Sri Lanka’s rage has grown over his refusal to formally resign. Gotabaya is expected to reach…
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Bangkok governor looks for Chinese cash to create smart city
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday revealed he had a working dinner with the Chinese Ambassador to discuss a number of projects beneficial to the capital, including the city’s upcoming outdoor film festival, Chinese teachers, and the development of a smart city. Developing Bangkok as a smart city comes hot on the heels of an announcement by the Eastern Economic Corridor…
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A city in Laos is a surprise hit with Thai tourists
One city in Laos is a major hit with Thai tourists right now. Luang Prabang, Laos’s former capital, is seeing the majority of its room reservations filled by Thai travellers. Since Laos lifted its entry restrictions in May, Thais have made up 90% of the country’s room reservations. Laos has fewer tourists coming from Europe, Korea, China, and other countries.…
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State of emergency declared in Sri Lanka as president flees country
A state of emergency was declared in Sri Lanka as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled for his life on a military jet amid mass protests over the nation’s economic crisis. The 73-year-old president left the country on a jet heading for Maldives with his wife and two security officers. He plans to travel to a third country, yet unnamed, the Sri…
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Bhumjaithai didn’t push cannabis legalisation for recreational use
The Bhumjaithai Party who pushed for the decriminalisation of cannabis now says they are shocked to find people are using the drug recreationally. In a Facebook post yesterday MP Suphachai Jaismut said that his party had campaigned for the legalisation of marijuana strictly for medicinal purposes. The Bhumjaithai never intended the use of cannabis for anything more than improving the…
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