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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Samsung removes ad in Singapore of drag queen hugging Muslim mother
Following the outcry from socially conservative groups, South Korean electronics giant Samsung has withdrawn its online advertisement in Singapore that portrayed a hijab-wearing Muslim mom hugging her drag queen son. The ad from Samsung’s “Listen to Your Heart” promotion was allegedly accused of advertising homosexuality and transgenderism by promoting wearable devices like noise-cancelling headphones and smartwatches that apparently highlighted the…
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American retail giant Walmart shows interest in Laos
Walmart might be moving to Laos. An American multinational retail conglomerate, best known for its hypermarket and grocery store chains across the States, has shown its interest in Laos as a group of Lao-Americans met yesterday, including the Lao Overseas Affairs Department and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI), to discuss investment in Laos. The team, led by…
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Indonesia to launch travel bubble with Singapore, entry to islands Batam, Bintan
A travel bubble is in the works between Singapore and Indonesia’s resort islands of Batam and Bintan. The Covid-19 situation at both islands in the archipelago is now under control and officials are moving forward with plans for a safe travel corridor, according to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto during a virtual press conference today. “The government is pushing…
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Thai PM to visit Saudi Arabia as guest of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman
The Thai PM will be in Saudi Arabia tomorrow and Wednesday, invited by its leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Prayut Chan-o-cha’s brief visit was confirmed by a statement from Government House yesterday. According to the statement, the visit aims to promote bilateral ties between both countries. A statement from the Saudi ministry says the trip is for both governments…
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Myanmar junta approves Telenor sale to M1 and its associate firm
Reuters reported that Lebanon’s M1 Group will join with a Myanmar firm to take over Norwegian telecom giant Telenor in the Southeast Asian country after the country’s military government sought a local bidder. Since the junta is putting pressure on telecom and internet companies to install monitoring technologies, one of Myanmar’s largest foreign investors, Telenor, said in July that it…
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Thai women’s football coach confident about World Cup Finals
Thai women’s football coach Miyo Okamoto is determined that player Chaba Kaew will qualify for her third straight FIFA Women’s World Cup. Miyo plans to send her best players to the cup, and some have previously been in cup finals. Myo said the team studies the Philippines team’s tactics in order to gain skills. She said that if her team…
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Laos government warns songwriter over sexually explicit lyrics
A songwriter from northern Laos’ Luang Prabang province has made a public apology for his sexually references in his music after being warned by the provincial Information, Culture, and Tourism Department. Not only have many people in the Southeast Asian country have criticised 31 year old Phimmasone Philachan’s sexually explicit lyrics, but he’s also apparently in violation of the Law…
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Nippon Steel makes $763 million acquisition of 2 Thai steelmakers
Japan is making a move to invest in Thai steel. Nippon Steel Corp, the largest manufacturer of steel in Japan has announced a strategic deal to buy stakes in two major steelmakers in Thailand. The deal is reported to be worth as much as US $763 million – about 25 billion baht. The giant steelmaker has been interested in acquqiring…
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Malaysia resumes Vaccinated Travel Lane ticket sales for air, land travel to Singapore
Malaysia’s health ministry announced today that ticket sales for air and land travel under a Vaccinated Travel Lane programme (VTL) with Singapore, which had been cancelled until yesterday due to Omicron concerns, have resumed. Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that the resumption of VTL follows a risk assessment of the current Covid-19 situation in both countries. However, ticket sales will…
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First Thai rice export on Laos-China railway, step toward strengthening bilateral trade
The Lao-Chinese railway to Chongqing delivered its first Thai rice shipment of 1,000 tonnes, boosting hopes to strengthen bilateral trade and benefit the economy. More rice exports, and other farm exports, will follow, says the advisor to Thailand’s Agricultural Minister. The advisor added that the Thai government is looking into exporting fruit, orchids, rubber, cassava, palm oil as well as…
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Australian news outlet places Indonesian capital in Bali in online map screw-up
An Australian news outlet has had to replace a map they uploaded online that mistakenly placed the Indonesian capital Jakarta on the island of Bali. Channel 9 News attracted some ridicule, not least among Indonesians, after the inaccurate map went viral, according to a Coconuts report. The report acknowledges that to some outsiders, Bali is Indonesia, or to others, it’s…
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At least 3 killed, 7 injured as Myanmar’s army raid displaced camps in Kayah State
At least three refugees were killed and seven others were injured during the Myanmar army’s raids on refugee camps in eastern Kayah State, where innocent civilians were forced to leave their houses as fighting escalated between the Tatmadaw (army) and armed opposition groups. According to a source from the local Catholic Church in Myanmar who spoke to the Vatican News,…
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More than a million Covid-19 vaccinations ‘expire’ in Indonesia before distribution to public
Indonesia had a Covid kerfuffle today after more than a million Covid-19 vaccination shots expired before they could be used, most of which were donated just one to three months, due to their short shelf life. According to Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, nearly 98% of the 1.1 million dosages were thrown out as a result of rushed shipments…
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New Zealand closes its borders to arrivals over fear of Omicron outbreak
New Zealanders are currently unable to return home as the Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins orders a temporary halt to the only route back to the country due to the fully occupied numbers of managed isolation and quarantine, or MIQ, as demands soar following the threat posed by the Omicron strain yesterday. Although the ban would be temporary, no date…
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Facebook mistakenly banning ok content a growing problem
Language and expression have nuances, subtleties, and variety in meaning, both explicitly and implicitly stated. The problem is, Facebook often times does not. Society is facing an increasingly conspicuous problem of Facebook and other social media platforms using algorithms to block prohibited content while lacking any useful channels to rectify mistakes. Many people have experienced getting muted or banned temporarily…
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Prince Andrew shuts down social media accounts as backlash grows in Britain
The British prince formerly known as His Royal Highness has quit social media amid a barrage of negative publicity ahead of a civil lawsuit in the US. Prince Andrew faces a civil case brought by Virginia Giuffre, a now 38-year-old woman, who accuses him of sexual assault and battery when she was just 17. Giuffre says she was trafficked by…
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China forced nearly 10,000 nationals to return home since 2014 – NGO report
Chinese authorities have forced nearly 10,000 nationals since 2014 to return to China. The country’s judicial system says they are wanted as part of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption efforts. But one Spain-based NGO, Safeguard Defenders, says there are cases in which Chinese authorities harass and detain expatriates’ family members in China in order to bully them into returning. Other times,…
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Canada bids farewell to Malaysia’s Supermax over alleged forced labour
Although Malaysia’s glove manufacturer, Supermax Corp, reported it would speed up the progress to meet the requirements of the International Labour Organisation two years ago, Canada cancelled its sourcing contract with the company over forced labour claims. Supermax came under fire for allegedly abusing foreign employees, who make up a large portion of the workforce, despite the Canadian government placing…
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Cambodian opposition leader accused of treason asks court to drop charges
A Cambodian opposition leader accused of treason has urged the court in the Southeast Asian country to drop the charges. He denied allegations that he worked with foreign groups to undermine the ruling administration of PM Hun Sen, which stirred widespread criticism amongst Cambodia’s politicians. The trial for 68 year old Kem Sokha, co-founder of the ousted Cambodia National Rescue…
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Indonesia lifts ban on international arrivals from high risk countries
Indonesia scrapped its travel ban list and now all foreign arrivals can enter the Southeast Asian country. A seven day isolation period is still required for all travellers from overseas. The 14 countries on Indonesia’s travel ban list due to high Covid-19 infection rates have all been removed, according to the country’s Covid-19 Task Force. The measure went into effect…
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Indonesia to build new capital called ‘Nusantara’ to replace sinking Jakarta
Indonesia is building a new capital… because Jakarta is sinking. According to Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, the new capital will be built in East Kalimantan Province on the island of Borneo and named “Nusantara,” which means “an archipelago nation.” The House of Representatives approved a law for the government’s shift today. The native name was proposed by Widodo himself. The new…
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Malaysia allows two new airlines to operate as industry still reels from Covid-19
The civil aviation regulator of Malaysia has allowed the entry of two new airlines despite the fact that the industry has been reeling from the catastrophic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic for more than two years. According to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom), the newly founded ultra-low-cost carrier MYAirline is about to begin its operations soon as it has been…
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Singapore crowned most “Instagrammable” place in the world – Big 7 Travel
If you’re in Singapore, get out your camera. The Southeast Asian country was just named the most “Instagrammable” place in the world by the England-based publication Big 7 Travel. The publication noted its annual hashtag tally, which is now in its fourth year, that Singapore has many photographable spots “from the renowned Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay to…
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Chinese sperm imposter sued in Japan after lying about ethnicity, education, wife
A Tokyo woman who sought impregnation from a “sperm donor” has given up her child for adoption, after she learned the father is actually a Chinese imposter, and has sued him for nearly US$3 million. The woman, whose husband suffers from an unnamed heredity disease, was reportedly desperate for a second child when she sought out a sperm donor online.…
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Tonga tragedy prompts PM to check if Thailand’s prepared for another tsunami
That reminds me… The recent volcanic eruption on the island of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai in Tonga has prompted the Thai PM to check Thailand’s preparedness in the event of another tsunami. According to a Nation Thailand report, the PM has instructed relevant agencies to keep an eye on developments in Tonga and to ensure Thailand’s disaster warning system is working. Government spokesperson…
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ASEAN backlash over Cambodian PM’s visit to Myanmar
Following Cambodian PM Hun Sen’s visit to Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw earlier this month, Cambodia’s year-long ASEAN chairmanship began with the postponement of a high-level conference amid a heated discussion on “who should represent Myanmar” after the post-coup country fell into a tottering loophole. The two-day summit, in which Cambodia had shown confidence in hosting an in-person ASEAN meeting for the…
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Malaysia says no tsunami threat along its coasts following Tonga volcano eruption
Tsunami warnings were issued in the US, Canada, and Japan following a large underwater volcanic eruption that originated on a small island in the South Pacific last weekend. The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) declared that there would be no tsunami threat in Malaysia yesterday. According to the Malaysia government’s report yesterday, no tsunami threat has been calculated so far under…
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Philippines to spend US$620 million on 32 new Black Hawks for disaster relief
The Philippines will become another Southeast Asian nation to upgrade its military capability in 2022, probably for different purposes, as the Thai Cabinet approved the government’s plan to purchase four more fighter jets to strengthen the potency of its Royal Thai Air Force earlier last week. According to defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the Philippines will spend over US$620 million on…
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Aung San Suu Kyi is “indispensable” for Myanmar peace talk, says Philippines FM
The Philippines, amongst other neutral ASEAN members, made a strong statement on solving the Myanmar crisis yesterday as its foreign minister urged the 10 member bloc to invite the deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to any peace talks, citing she’s the key figure in restoring democracy to the turmoiled Southeast Asian nation, regardless of her conviction. The Philippines Foreign…
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13-day quarantine enacted for travellers from Thailand to Japan
Japan has announced new restrictions for travellers from Thailand entering the country, who must now undergo a 13-day quarantine on arrival. The new restriction will go into effect tomorrow and will affect travellers coming from Thailand and 4 other countries. The new restrictions follow a farther-reaching announcement on January 15 easing restrictions for the rest of the world, replacing the…
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