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 Experience Bangkok from a new perspective with Royal Orchid Sheraton Riverside Hotel
Bangkok surely knows how to dazzle. Down by the Chao Phraya River, the pace slows as boats drift past temples and heritage buildings. High above the skyline, the city spreads out in a glittering patchwork of lights and towers. The...
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Sri Lanka president declares state of emergency, deploys army
Following a week of turmoil and unrest in Sri Lanka, the country’s president has now declared a state of emergency. This week, Sri Lankan protestors tried to storm the president’s house following the country’s longest power blackout ever recorded. The protestors called on the president and his powerful family, who hold a number of prominent political positions in Sri Lanka,…
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Bum Gun vs Toilet Paper, which is better for your butt?
Life’s important questions… Is there a God, Honda vs Toyota, bum-guns (aka. arse-blasters) vs toilet paper. It’s a cultural shock either way. If you’re an Asian travelling to the west you may be left pondering what happened to the water gun, usually found casually hanging on the wall next to the toilet. Or if you’re a westerner heading to Asia,…
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Pope Francis says Ukraine visit is “on the table”
Pope Francis was recently invited to Ukraine by the country’s president Volodymyr Zelensky. When asked if he was considering visiting, Francis told a reporter today, “Yes, it’s on the table”. Although Francis has not mentioned the word “Russia” explicitly, since the invasion of Ukraine, he has condemned “unjustified aggression” and “atrocities”. Other Ukrainian officials that invited Pope Francis include an…
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UPDATE: Malaysia-Singapore border reopens for vaccinated travellers
For the first time in two years, the land border between Singapore and Malaysia reopened yesterday, April 1, for travellers by private transportation, without the pandemic-era requirements of Covid-19 testing and quarantine. Now fully-vaccinated travellers can freely cross the land boarder on the southern end of the Malay peninsula with only a valid passport and proof of vaccination. Children up…
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Increasing number of Singaporeans think racism is an important issue
The percentage of Singaporeans who think racism in their country is an important issue is growing. While 46.3% thought it was important in 2016, that number has risen to 56.2%. Channel News Asia and the Institute of Policy Studies reported these statistics after surveying more than 2,000 Singapore residents aged 21 and above. CNA says the survey questioned accurate numbers…
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Thai student activist charged with lèse majesté will be allowed to study in Germany
The South Bangkok Criminal Court ruled yesterday that a student activist charged with lèse majesté who was barred from studying abroad in Germany earlier this month will now be allowed to study there. The activist, Rawisara Eksakul, nicknamed “Dear”, won a prestigious scholarship for a Master of Management in Non-Profit Organisations. The court was told that Ms Rawisara holds a…
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American arrested in Bangkok for alleged 3 million baht fraud
Bangkok police arrested an American national in Klong Toey district of Bangkok yesterday (reported as Nana in some media). The man arrested allegedly lured investors into fraudulent contracts. Thailand’s Economic Crime Suppression Division says the victims lost over 3 million baht altogether. The man allegedly offered victims options in energy and precious metals as well as futures contracts through 60…
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Will Smith steps down from the ‘Oscars’ Academy
Will Smith announced yesterday that he has resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. The actor posted an apology on Instagram the morning after he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage. Millions of people across the world viewed and commented on the dramatic incident, quickly making viral memes out of the photo of Smith slapping Rock. Now…
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30,000 travellers entered Indonesia between January to February
With the relaxation of Covid-19 travel requirements, Indonesia saw an increase in foreign travellers arriving through their airports and seaports since the beginning of 2022, according to government data released on Friday. Figures from the statistics department revealed 33,600 travellers entered Indonesia through its main channels from January to February. Compared to the same time last year, the country saw…
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9 of Thailand’s restaurants ranked on “Asia’s 50 Best” list, all in Bangkok
“Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” has included nine restaurants in Thailand on its 2022 list. The Thai restaurants featured on the list are located in Bangkok. While some of the restaurants serve traditional Thai cuisine, others serve international flavors, as well as fusion dishes. One restaurant, Le Du, serves Thai food with a French twist. Le Du ranks number 4 of…
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Indonesia and Malaysia agree not to compete over palm oil prices
After a meeting yesterday, Malaysian and Indonesian officials agreed that their countries would not compete over palm oil prices. Malaysia’s PM announced the agreement with Indonesia’s president after their meeting. He said that he and the Indonesian president will determine the price together. The two countries account for roughly 85% of the world’s palm oil production. Indonesia is struggling to…
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Thais being trafficked to Myanmar rescued from house on “No Man’s Land”
Eleven Thais were reportedly lured into work for a call centre scam and were rescued by Thai authorities, with some of them being held at a home on a small, isolated island known as “No Man’s Land” near Myanmar. Two Chinese men were arrested for allegedly luring the Thais to work for illegal call centres in Myanmar. Four of the…
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Ukrainian coordinator calls on Thais to donate to Ukrainians
A Ukrainian coordinator in Bangkok requested yesterday that Thais help provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian victims of Russia’s invasion. At a Bangkok hotel, the coordinator said anyone interested can make a donation, and the Ukrainian embassy will give it to the location in need. On Sunday, 9,729 tourists said they wished to stay longer in Phuket, including 8,545 Russians and…
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Asia News Today | China under lockdown & South Korea upholds ban on tattooing
Tens of millions of people in China are under lockdown, including in the largest city Shanghai. Thailand’s infection numbers continue to creep up, already much higher than at their peak last year. Hong Kong morgues are overwhelmed and patients are being turned away from hospitals. In South Korea, health authorities are reporting the most cases per capita in the world.…
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Angry protestors try to storm Sri Lanka president’s house following blackout
Following Sri Lanka’s longest power blackout ever recorded, enraged protestors tried to storm the president’s house in Colombo yesterday. Unidentified activists had called for a rally against the president and his family on social media. One resident who lives nearby told AFP he cannot return home because his area is barricaded. The resident said the protestors are “shouting for the…
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Diesel no longer for sale across Sri Lanka, massive blackout
Diesel was unavailable for sale at stations across Sri Lanka today. Petrol is on sale but in short supply, forcing drivers to abandon their cars in long queues. Private business owners say they have already run out of fuel, and even skeleton services may not be possible after Friday. Now, the country is grappling with a 13-hour power blackout, its…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Putin ‘misled’; Russia ‘misjudged’ war, Zelensky warns of Donbass regrouping
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into a second month, here’s the latest headlines… • Russia has “massively misjudged the situation” in Ukraine and the truth of the situation is being kept from President Vladimir Putin, as generals have been reluctant to tell the full extent of Russia’s failures in Ukraine. That’s according to Jeremy Fleming, the head of…
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Thailand and Cambodia will sign MOU to crack down on call centre scams
A Thai government spokesman has announced that Thailand and Cambodia plan to sign an MOU together soon to crack down on call centre scams. The spokesman said the Police Cyber Taskforce recently raided the operational base of a network of four gambling websites in Nonthaburi. He said the network had more than 200,000 clients with 200 million baht a month…
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Iran still bars women from football stadiums, officials express disagreement
Women in Iran still can’t enjoy watching football matches at the country’s stadiums. On Tuesday, about 2,000 women who bought tickets for the World Cup qualifier against Lebanon went to a stadium in Mashad, but couldn’t enter, according to Iranian media. The Islamic republic has banned women from sports stadiums since its government came to power in 1979. Since then,…
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More Karen flee Myanmar to Thai border, Myanmar arrests Karen journalist
Around 1,000 Karen hill tribe people crossed the border into Thailand on Saturday, only for Thai authorities to send them back, according to an official from a refugee camp. This month, over 10,000 Karen from Myanmar’s Kayin state have fled after clashes between Karen rebels and Myanmar’s military. Now, Burmese police have arrested a reporter for the Karen Information Centre.…
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Asia News Today | Vietnamese automaker Vinfast invests big in the US
A mentally disabled man is now awaiting execution in Singapore after Singapore’s highest court rejected a final appeal by a man sentenced to death for drug trafficking. There’s been a concerted campaign over the man’s situation… his lawyers claiming that the trial violated international laws as the man has intellectual disabilities. Yesterday’s ruling ends all legal avenues to prevent his…
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Half of worldwide pregnancies unintended, Ukraine crisis could raise the rate
In a new report, the United Nations Population Fund stated yesterday that almost half of the pregnancies across the globe are unintended, and the Ukraine crisis is expected to raise the rate. The UNFPA reported 121 million unintended pregnancies every year, with 331,000 every day. 60% of these unintended pregnancies end in abortion, and almost half of these abortions are…
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Pirate-fighting pact bolsters maritime safety in Southeast Asian seas
The seas of Southeast Asia are getting safer, after joint naval patrols in the waters of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have successfully deterred piracy in the region. It all comes down to a Trilateral Cooperation Agreement, or TCA, in which the nations pledged to conduct joint anti-piracy patrols in their waters and share information. The result has been a…
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Asia News Today | Japanese yen drops to a seven year low
Nearly 9,000 soldiers from the Philippines and US are participating in the largest-ever joint military drills as the two longtime allies do some high-level sabre-rattling amid fresh tensions in the disputed South China Sea. Filipino and American soldiers will take part in the 12 day military exercises across the main Filipino island of Luzon. Philippine military chief welcomed soldiers from…
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UPDATE: Will Smith apologises for Oscars outburst, after Academy rebuke
While fans in Asia were going to bed, Will Smith was waking up in Hollywood — to a world full of controversy and condemnation. The 53 year old actor slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night, then won his first Oscar. The assault occurred in response to Rock cracking an insensitive joke about…
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Will Smith slaps Chris Rock, wins an Oscar (full speech)
It will forever be remembered as the night Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage in front of a live TV audience. Not for the prestigious award he won moments later, celebrating an illustrious 30 year acting career. The unscripted incident happened at the 94th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night — Hollywood’s most prestigious awards ceremony —…
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Asia News Today | Both black boxes now found on China plane & lockdown in Shanghai
The latest from the crash site of the Boeing 737 in southern China, more threats from the Burmese Junta, one of the largest cities in the world heads into a Covid lockdown and vanishing glaciers in Indonesia, yes Indonesia. Recovery crews at the site of the China Eastern Boeing 737 that crashed last Monday, have found the second black…
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Vietnamese man who tried to paddle to India fell victim to romance scam
The Vietnamese man who tried to paddle an inflatable boat from Thailand to India to meet his “wife” was either scammed or “catfished,” where someone uses a fake profile online to deceive another person for money or personal reasons. International media outlets picked up the story of the 37 year old Vietnamese man who spent 18 days at sea on…
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Shanghai to enter lockdown, one half at a time, for mass testing
The authorities in Shanghai plan to lock down the city of 25 million residents, one half at a time, in order to conduct mass Covid-19 testing. Officials are trying to curb the spread of the virus, with China facing its worst wave since the pandemic was first reported in the central city of Wuhan. According to a Bloomberg report, the…
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Second black box recorder found for crashed China Eastern Boeing 737
Recovery crews at the site of the China Eastern Boeing 737 that cashed last Monday, have found the second black box recording device, This time it’s the flight data recorder after the cockpit voice recorder was found last Wednesday. The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 jet crashed into a mountainside in southern China last Monday afternoon, plummeting from its cruising…
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