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.
-
Sponsored Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
The Thaiger key takeaways Managing chronic conditions in Thailand requires health insurance that covers specialist visits, medications, tests, and hospital stays. Cigna offers high-coverage plans with access to top hospitals, direct billing, and telemedicine support for convenient long-term care. Expats...
-
Tropical storm ‘Mun’ to affect north and north-east Thailand
The TMD (Thai Meteorological Department) has issued a warning this morning relating to possible impacts of tropical storm ‘Mun’. The TMD reports that the tropical storm is moving west from Hainan Island in the South China Sea at a speed 20 kph and will make landfall between northern Vietnam and China tomorrow (July 4). It is predicted that the storm…
-
Air Asia loyalty program email scams on the loose again
AirAsia Big Loyalty CEO Spencer Lee has issued an alert on the airline’s corporate website about an email scam. The company is warning the public not to engage with an online scam circulating with the subject line ‘AirAsia Big Loyalty Bonus’. The latest ‘loyalty program’ scam surfaced on June 21. It’s not the first time scammers have targeted AirAsia, routinely credited…
-
China starts to roll out epic 8K TV technology on the back of 5G
HD TV was a huge step up (most of what we still watch on our TVs is HD – high definition). 4K provided us with almost ‘cinematic’ experiences of detail and quality (most modern cinemas use a 5K format… there are variations). Now the Chinese, using the latest 5G technology, are talking of broadcasting an 8K picture quality experience. China…
-
20 smuggled Burmese, including children, found in locked Songkhla warehouse
by Santiparp Ramasutra Songkhla Police, in Thailand’s deep south, have rescued 20 scared and hungry Burmese, victims of traffickers who’d locked them inside a warehouse on the Thai-Malaysian border. Residents say they heard the sound of children crying for several days in the usually deserted warehouse in the Sadao district. Pol General Suchart Thirasawat, an inspector-general in charge of an anti-trafficking…
-
Europe’s searing heatwave breaks temperature records
Europeans have their umbrellas out but not for the rain. This time they’re trying to protect themselves from record heat that is sweeping across continental Europe. Many European cities are not designed for the high heat with air-conditioning not a common addition to most homes. Whilst the temperatures, exceeding Fahrenheit 100 degrees, are not uncommon in other parts of the…
-
One Thai, six Burmese arrested in northern Thailand
PHOTO: ThaiVisa A 36 year old Thai man has been arrested for allegedly smuggling six Burmese migrants across the border into Mae Hong Son’s Khun Yuam district. District officials stopped Pimarn Kannikar at a road checkpoint at 5pm on Wednesday night. He was riding a motorcycle. His Burmese passenger failed to present any travel documents. Following questioning, Pimarn later led…
-
Huawei reassures customers that its roll-out is unaffected by US sanctions
Despite Huawei’s challenges posed by the US ban, the Chinese telecom firm says their 5G network momentum plunges forward around the world. Huawei is assuring governments and customers that its 5G equipment roll out and development will not be affected by the US sanctions. Huawei continue to challenge the US sanctions saying they are unfair and the allegations “lack substantial…
-
New Malaysian political sex video appears on Pornhub
PHOTO: Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz, sacked and A new video clip showing Malaysia’s former deputy minister’s aide, Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz, and a man resembling the Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, has appeared on YouTube, while a nine-minute-plus full version has been uploaded to porn site Pornhub. As with earlier clips, the YouTube video (which may be removed…
-
Boeing sued by more than 400 pilots in class action over 737 MAX ‘cover-up’
More than 400 pilots are involved in a class action against the US manufacturer of the 737 MAX seeking damages over what they allege was Boeing’s “unprecedented cover-up” of the “known design flaws” of the latest incarnation of its top-selling jet. • A plaintiff lodged claims against Boeing on behalf of hundreds of pilot peers alleging the company “knowingly” covered…
-
ASEAN takeaways – 34th Summit in Bangkok
PHOTO: Thai PBS Time to say goodbye. The leaders, minders, security details, media and staff all head back to the ten ASEAN nations following a non-controversial Bangkok Summit held over the weekend, as well as regional plenaries held last Thursday and Friday. The expensive crockery is being put away, the hundreds of flags neatly folded, the chairs stacked and stored,…
-
ASEAN’s bid for the 2034 World Cup
Today’s last day of the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok is considering a proposal, from the foreign ministers of the ten member nations to submit a bid to host the football World Cup in 2034. The only Asian hosts of the World Cup so far have been Japan and South Korea, in 2002. Thailand’s Foreign Minister, Don Pramudwinai, says the proposal…
-
The Korean Wave – a tsunami of cultural opportunity for ASEAN
BTS, Blackpink, ASEAN, K-Pop by The Star Online – Asia News Network TV drama, pop music, culture, food. The ‘Korean Wave’ is on its way. The Korean Wave was the hot topic at the ASEAN-Korea Media Forum held in Seoul recently, with experts saying that it has, in fact, enhanced cultural exchanges between the republic and the entire region. Korean…
-
ASEAN agrees on common ground for world’s largest trade bloc, RCEP
ASEAN members reached common ground on the mega economic trade bloc, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) during their meeting in Bangkok yesterday. RCEP will cover nearly half of the global economy. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten member states of ASEAN – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam –…
-
Summit this afternoon, banquet tonight – ASEAN leaders assemble in Bangkok
The 34th ASEAN Summit got down to the main agenda today Saturday as leaders from various ASEAN countries arrived in Bangkok for the regional talk-fest. This morning leaders who were in attendance at the Athenee Hotel were Malaysian PM Mahathir Bin Mohamad, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President of The Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, Laos PM…
-
Vietnam and Thailand top Asia Pacific destinations for Russians
Vietnam is becoming one of the top destinations in the Asia Pacific region for Russian visitors, with the favourite Thailand still a close second, according to global travel analysis firm ForwardKeys. The ForwardKeys survey reports that Vietnam saw the highest increase in Russian market seat capacity at 153%, followed by Thailand and the Maldives, which saw a growth of 125%…
-
ASEAN’s main conferences on today in Bangkok
The 34th ASEAN Summit started yesterday with various break-out meetings before the main leaders’ meeting takes place today and tomorrow. Wireless Road (Witthaya Road) is closed Saturday and Sunday as part of the weekend’s security arrangements. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered a speech at the opening of the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network Meeting, one of the important…
-
73 Burmese and 4 ethnic Rohingya intercepted on their way to Malaysia
PHOTO: Thai PBS Two passenger vans have been intercepted by police along the Asian Highway in Surat Thani, southern Thailand. There were 42 illegal Burmese migrant workers travelling in the two vans. The vans were transferring the migrants, including three women, from the Prachuap Khiri Khan border crossing to Yala in Thailand’s deep south on the border of Malaysia. The…
-
China-North Korea leaders meet. “Ties good for regional peace”
In a clear signal to the US President, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has welcomed the Chinese President Xi Jinping in a grand parade. Kim Jong Un and China’s President agreed that amid “serious and complicated” international affairs, strengthening bilateral ties was good for both countries and regional peace, according to North Korean state media. Xi arrived in Pyongyang yesterday…
-
34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok – preview
South-east Asian leaders will assemble for the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok this weekend to discuss a range of hot topics. Bangkok’s busy Wireless Road will be closed during the Summit. The event is being held at The Athenée Hotel. Intersections on Wireless, Phloen Chit and Sarasin roads will be closed over the weekend to facilitate the movements and security…
-
Thai Army assists with removal of Cambodian border mines
The Royal Thai Army has helped its Cambodian counterparts clear landmines along the Sa Kaew border in Thailand’s east. Together they’ve cleared around 1.72 million square metres in the past financial year. Lt Gen Sitthipol Nimnual, director of the Thailand Mine Action Centre visited the border at Sa Kaew’s Ta Phraya district where the TMAC-Cambodian Mine Action Centre project has…
-
Bangkok’s Wireless Road closed for two days – 34th ASEAN Summit
Wireless Road (Witthayu Road), one of Bangkok’s most congested and popular stretches of road, will be closed for two days during the 34th ASEAN Summit. Thailand is hosting the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok on June 22 and 23 when it will welcome the regional leaders of the 10 ASEAN member countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Philippines,…
-
Earthquake rattles northwest Japan, triggers small tsunami
An earthquake has struck Japan’s northwest coast triggering a small tsunami, shaking buildings and cutting power to around 9,000 buildings in the area. The quake struck at 10.22pm. local time at a depth of 12 kilometres. The magnitude 6.4 quake lasted for around 20 seconds. Damage included a landslide that struck a road, according to public broadcaster NHK. Authorities lifted…
-
Paris Airshow overshadowed by Boeing’s woes
PHOTO: The new, single-aisle Airbus A321NeoXLR, extra-long-range version Boeing suffered more setbacks whilst Airbus launched an update to their single-aisle line up. Day one at the Paris Airshow. Boeing’s latest creation the 777X will have to wait for General Electric’s specially-constructed new jets to arrive following another delay in testing. The long delay is a blow to Boeing, already struggling…
-
ASEAN meeting reports on global sugar deficit and opportunities for SE Asian countries
The ASEAN Sugar Alliance says there will be a global sugar deficit of about 2.5 million tonnes in 2019-20, and prices are expected to firm following a number of years of falling prices and surplus stocks. The prediction was reported at the fourth meeting of the ASEAN Sugar Alliance in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday. Market analyst, futures trading and risk manager…
-
Porsche smashed up but Malaysian driver escapes injury in Krabi
PHOTOS: Krabi Pitak Pracha Rescue Foundation A Malaysian tourist has escaped injuries after their Porsche collided with roadside barriers in Krabi yesterday. Krabi Pitak Pracha Foundation reports that they were notified of the incident yesterday in Mueang Krabi. They arrived to find the damaged sport sedan on the side of the road with much of its front mouldings damage and…
-
Malaysia’s Deputy PM sympathises with Azmin’s family over gay sex video scandal
Malaysia’s Deputy PM Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has expressed sympathy for the family of Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, who has been linked to a sex video scandal. Read The Thaiger story HERE. She said she rejected any practice of gutter politics as she had experienced it before. “I reject ‘gutter politics’ because I…
-
Thailand’s dengue fever cases “double the five year average” – epidemic declared
“The situation is also the same in Thailand’s neighbour countries.” The Department of Disease Control on Friday has declared a dengue fever epidemic this year. From Jan 1 to June 11 this year there has already been 28,785 reported cases and 43 deaths from the mosquito-borne virus. The deputy director-general of the department says the number of patients was double the…
-
ASEAN-Hong Kong, China Free Trade Agreement comes into force
The ASEAN – Hong Kong, China Free Trade Agreement (AHKFTA – that acronym’s never going to fly!), came into force this week for Hong Kong and five ASEAN member states, namely, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Under the AHKFTA, Hong Kong and Singapore will grant tariff-free access and keep their customs duties at zero upon entry into force of…
-
Bangkok and Singapore jump in rankings for world living costs
Bangkok is now the 63rd most expensive location in a new cost of living survey for expats. Singapore has experienced a big rise in the rankings, becoming the 12th most expensive location in the world for expatriates. Lee Quane, regional director for Asia at ECA International says that Bangkok has risen 100 places in just the last five years. “We have…
-
Thai island vs Malaysian island – Phuket vs Penang
Two ‘pearls’ go head to head, including some reflections by guest writer TravellingMitch who’s from the UK Penang was once the ‘Pearl of the Orient’, for most western travellers the only ‘orient’ they would know outside of Singapore and maybe Hong Kong. At the time Phuket wasn’t even known on the tourist map. It was the 1950s and 60s when jet…
Broke? Find employment in Southeast Asia with JobCute Thailand and SmartJob Indonesia. Rich? Invest in real estate across Asia with FazWaz Property Group or get out on a yacht anywhere with Boatcrowd. Even book medical procedures worldwide with MyMediTravel, all powered by DB Ventures.