World News
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Sponsored Why health insurance costs more each year and how expats in Thailand can save more money
Each year, many expats living in Thailand see their health insurance premiums go up and often without a clear reason. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to plan your budget. But by understanding why prices rise and learning...
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It’s cicada season and America is preparing for billions to emerge after 17 years of hiding
Americans are preparing for billions of cicadas to emerge after spending 17 years underground. Some are thinking it’s their worst nightmare to see and hear the insects as they will undoubtedly swarm their yards and porches. Their semi-hard skin, that is shed, will also be a sight to see, if there are, indeed, billions coming out. In Thailand, and most…
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UN representative talks with Thai officials to help refugees fleeing Myanmar
With ongoing violence in Myanmar between the military junta and ethnic armies, a representative from the United Nations has held discussions with local authorities in Mae Hong Son, which borders Myanmar, to look into ways to help more than 2,000 Karen refugees who fled their homes to escape the violence. Following the military coup in February, ousting the state counsellor…
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Diplomatic spat between China and Australia, Chinese suspend economic dialogue
A diplomatic spat between China and Australia has the Communist State suspending all economic dialogue “indefinitely” between the 2 countries as of today. A statement by China’s National Development and Reform Commission detailed some of the reasoning behind the move, which is under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue. “Recently, some Australian Commonwealth Government officials launched a series of measures to…
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Vietnam extends quarantine for overseas arrivals to 21 days
Just the thought of 14 days in isolation has driven away many prospective tourists. Imagine 21 days in quarantine. If you want to travel to Vietnam, you’ll now have to go through the 3 week quarantine upon entering the country, Vietnam’s Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long announced yesterday. The country of 96 million people has kept cases low at…
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Independence Day holiday is set date for US to achieve herd immunity from Covid-19
US President Joe Biden is setting the national holiday of Independence Day, on July 4, as the date in which he says 70% of American adults should have had at least their first Covid-19 vaccine dose. But, Priya Sampathkumar, chair of Infection Prevention & Control at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, disagrees with that priority. “Vaccinating more people in the…
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Burmese rebel group claim to have downed military helicopter – VIDEO
Al Jazeera is reporting that a Burmese rebel group is claiming to have downed a military helicopter in Kachin province. The Kachin Independence Army says it shot down the aircraft in response to military air strikes in the province. Myanmar has been rocked by violence and political unrest since a February 1 military coup that deposed of the democratically-elected government…
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Bill and Melinda Gates to divorce after 27 years of marriage
Philanthropist and entrepreneur Bill Gates has announced that he and his wife of 27 years, Melinda, are to divorce. The world’s 4th wealthiest person posted a joint statement from the pair on his Twitter account yesterday, according to an NPR report. Bill Gates is reported to be worth more than US$130 billion dollars, having made his fortune with the Microsoft…
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Singapore now demands state 14 day quarantine for all travellers out of Thailand
Things were starting to ease up for travellers around SE Asia, and travel bubbles were being discussed at high levels. But with some localised surges in new Covid infections around the region the shutters are coming back down again. The Singapore Ministry of Health has announced that all travellers coming from Thailand, including Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long term…
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Weekend music festival in Wuhan attracts thousands of fans
A 2-day music festival in the central city of Wuhan has attracted thousands of fans over the weekend. The Wuhan Strawberry Music Festival showcased the talents of popular musicians, as well as less well-known acts, over 3 stages in the city’s Garden Expo park. According to a Reuters report, sister events are also being held in Beijing and other Chinese…
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First case of Indian Covid-19 variant found in Malaysia
Malaysia’s Health Minister has confirmed that a case of the Indian variant of Covid-19 has been reported in the country. Adham Baba says the highly contagious B.1.617 variant was detected in an Indian national at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The news comes just days after Malaysia banned flights from India. According to a Bangkok Post report, the World Health Organisation…
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Burmese protests countrywide call for a “spring revolution”
Calls for a “spring revolution” erupted from thousands of protestors marching across Myanmar today to protest the Burmese military junta. The country has been in turmoil since the Feb 1 coup that overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s government and installed military rule. Protests have raged for 4 months despite the Burmese military cracking down on demonstrations, often violently and bloodily,…
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US pushed to join call for patent-free Covid vaccines
The United States is being pushed to join a scheme to persuade all manufacturers of Covid-19 vaccines worldwide to give up their intellectual property rights. This would make all Covid-19 medications, treatments and vaccines patent-free, allowing manufacturers around the world to produce them locally. India and South Africa proposed this plan at the World Trade Organization. As Covid-19 still spreads…
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Deja Vu: Cruise ship in Japan finds Covid-19 infection
In an unfortunate case of life coming full circle, Covid-19 has infected a passenger aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Japan. One infamous early outbreak of what at the time was a new and mysterious virus we hoped wouldn’t manage to spread worldwide was the case of Carnival Cruise Line’s Diamond Princess cruise ship. 3,700 people were quarantined…
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Covid-19 and the coup may push half of Myanmar into poverty
With the devastating double whammy of a global pandemic and the military coup descending into civil war, the UN fears that nearly half the people of Myanmar could be living in poverty by next year. The United Nations Development Program predicted that up to 25 million Burmese people could suffer below the poverty line by the beginning of 2022. The…
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Brazil’s Covid death toll rivalling US
Brazil’s Covid-19 death toll is now rivalling the US as it became the second country to see over 400,000 deaths since the pandemic began. Experts are saying that number is expected to keep surging as the vaccine roll out has been slow to take off, as well as restrictions loosening in recent days. They also warn that loosening Covid measures…
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US Air Force lands in India with much-needed Covid-19 supplies, other foreign aid on the way
As India has recently requested foreign aid to help with its severe Covid-19 situation, a US Air Force aircraft has landed in the South Asian country, answering that call with Covid-19 relief supplies. The aircraft departed from California and, according to a statement by the US Department of Defense, was packed with cargo pallets containing more than 400 oxygen cylinders…
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UPDATE: Covid-19 around the world
The Covid-19 situation around the world is seeing some nations attempt to return to a new normal as vaccines are rolled out, but some countries, notably India, are seeing the worst of the virus. As India’s death toll reached over 200,000 yesterday, hospitals are running out of oxygen and basic medical equipment. A Covid virus variant has hit the South…
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YouTubers in Bali may be kicked out of Indonesia after face mask prank
2 YouTubers in Bali, Indonesia may be getting kicked out of the country after posting a video of one of them breaking local mask-wearing regulations. The local government has seized Josh Paler Lin and Leia Se’s passports and are facing deportation as a result of posting the video, which shows them entering a grocery store with Se being turned away…
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Thailand joins other Southeast Asian countries with hospital bed shortages amidst Covid crisis
As Southeast Asian nations are struggling to control new waves of Covid-19, Thailand is joining its neighbours in running out of hospital beds for patients. Last Friday, the government warned that beds could run out in as little as 6 to 8 days, unless the situation is brought under control. Malaysia and the Philippines are also struggling to provide the…
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Burmese military launch more airstrikes close to Thai border
For the second day in a row, the Burmese junta has carried out airstrikes close to the border with the northern Thai province of Mae Hong Son. The strikes, hitting at rebel-held areas, were confirmed by a Thai official yesterday. Myanmar has been in a state of upheaval since a February 1 military coup ousted the democratically-elected government of Aung…
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Pro-democracy Burmese: no negotiations until prisoners released
Until the Burmese military junta releases all political prisoners, the pro-democracy unity shadow government in Myanmar are refusing mediation talks. This throws a wrench in the works of the ASEAN summit’s plans to keep a dialogue open and bring about peace in the turbulent country. In their meeting this week, Burmese General Min Aung Hlaing had said he was open…
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Balding, once a Caucasian problem, grows in Asian men
While around half of Caucasian men will experience hair loss by middle age, Asian men had largely escaped balding, until now. In Korea only 14% of men experience hair loss, in China, 13% of 30-something men will lose hair, and Japanese men start losing their hair 10 years later than Europeans. But these figures are changing, not due to genetics,…
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Dozens of Burmese migrants arrested at Thai-Myanmar border for entering illegally
As many flee Myanmar to escape violence following the February military coup, Thai border patrol arrested 60 Burmese migrants yesterday for crossing the Thai-Myanmar border illegally into Kanchanaburi. Another 52 migrants in the province were arrested on Monday. Officers suspect many entered Thailand in search of jobs. The migrants were charged with illegal entry as well as violating emergency orders…
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Britney Spears asks to address court over controversial conservatorship case
US pop singer Britney Spears has requested to speak in court in the controversial legal battle over her father’s conservatorship. The 39 year old was placed under conservatorship of her father back in 2008 when she apparently had a mental breakdown, which was widely publicised. Now, after 13 years, adamant fans are demanding for her conservatorship to end amid speculations…
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Myanmar preparing to shut down import of Thai soft drinks via land transport
Thailand’s Commerce Minister is preparing to hold urgent talks with Myanmar following the news that Burmese officials are planning a ban on the import of Thai soft drinks over land. Jurin Laksanawisit says the reason for the ban is not known, with Myanmar insisting only imports via ship will be allowed. This ramps up the cost for Thai businesses and…
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India’s appeal to foreign aid has been granted with multiple nations sending help
India’s appeal to receive foreign aid has been granted, as multiple nations are sending help to deal with its dire Covid-19 situation, which has seen over 2,800 deaths from yesterday alone. As infections and death rates are exploding, emergency medical supplies arrived today from abroad with the first shipmen arriving from the UK. Ventilators and oxygen concentrators were delivered as…
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Travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore starts May 26
A travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore will start on May 26, waiving the quarantine period for those travelling between the 2 countries. For those travelling from Hong Kong to Singapore, visitors will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, except for travellers who are younger than 16 or who cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons. Travellers going from…
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ASEAN nations agree to appoint envoy to broker cross-party talks in Myanmar
Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to appoint an envoy to act as mediator in cross-party talks in Myanmar. The country has been rocked by months of violence following a February 1 military coup in which the democratically-elected government of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted. The leader of the coup, Min Aung…
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Top 10 busiest airports: Atlanta bumped as China dominates list
After 22 consecutive years as the busiest airport in the world, Atlanta slips to number 2 while China and the United States dominated the entire top 10 list of the 2020 world’s busiest airports. With the covid-19 pandemic stifling travel around the world all the airports on the list saw massive drops in passengers and rankings climbed and fell and…
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Double truck driver bust yields 2.2 million meth pills, 165 grams of marijuana
Two truck drivers were arrested in a massive double bust where police seized a total of 2.2 million methamphetamine pills and 165 grams of dried marijuana. One truck full of meth was caught in the Nong Khai province on the Laos border, while the other driver was apprehended in Chon Buri province. Banglamung Police announced the arrest yesterday while working…
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