World News
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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Scientists study bats in Cambodia to find clues about Covid
Scientists are collecting samples from bats in Cambodia to better understand the Covid pandemic. The researchers chose the region as a similar virus was found there in bats years ago. 2 samples were taken from horseshoe bats back in 2010 in the Stung Treng province, which is close to Laos. The samples were placed in freezers at the Institut Pasteur…
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Iran enriches uranium as the West watches on
Iran may now be capable of producing enough weapons-grade uranium for a single nuclear warhead within just a month. That’s according to US experts who were quoted in The New York Times last Wednesday after reviewing classified new data from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The experts weren’t permitted to speak in an official capacity, but told the newspaper…
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Flight restrictions to the US to ease in November – US government
The US of A has announced that it will remove Covid travel bans on air travel for all passengers starting in November, provided the passengers are fully vaccinated and have submitted to testing and contact tracing. The Covid response coordinator for American president and Corvette fan Joe Robinette Biden, Jeffrey Zients says the new “consistent approach” will take effect sometime…
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Bali to re-open for international yachts with fully vaccinated crew, passengers
The director of a Bali yachting firm says Indonesia is preparing to ease entry restrictions for yachts and fully vaccinated crew and passengers. Thomas Taatjes from Asia Pacific Superyachts says foreign nationals will be required to present proof of Covid-19 vaccination when applying for a visa. “Foreigners who apply for the visa must have a certificate showing they are fully…
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Tunisia’s political crisis: What role will the military play?
The video, shot late at night, shows a group of mostly men in suits approaching a metal gate in Tunis. Beyond the gate stand several soldiers guarding the country’s parliament buildings. Politely, it is explained that the gathering includes some of the most senior politicians in the country, including Rachid al-Ghannouchi, Tunisia’s parliamentary speaker and chairman of the moderate Islamist…
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South Korea’s balancing act amid US-China Indo-Pacific rivalry
As the US bolsters its alliances to counter China throughout the Indo-Pacific region, medium-size regional powers are coming under growing pressure to choose a side. South Korea has been militarily aligned with the United States since the 1950-53 Korean War, and is also deeply economically intertwined with neighboring China. Analysts say Beijing is putting pressure on South Korea to move…
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South Korea squeezed by US-China Indo-Pacific rivalry
As the US bolsters its alliances to counter China throughout the Indo-Pacific region, medium-size regional powers are coming under growing pressure to choose a side. South Korea has been militarily aligned with the United States since the 1950-53 Korean War, and is also deeply economically intertwined with neighbor China. Analysts say Beijing is putting pressure on South Korea to move…
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Insect snacks hit Japanese vending machines
Vending machines sell a variety of products. Some vending machines sell soda and candy, some sell full meals, and others, which are a bit harder to find, sell used underwear. Now, Japan is introducing vending machines that sell snacks with insect extract and edible insects. Such a machine has been installed in Miyaki Town in Western Japan, recently. Thai PBS…
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Opinion: Culinary ignorance can breed racism
One would think that a man who has two Pulitzer Prizes under his belt would be judicious enough to do some research before writing an opinion piece in The Washington Post. But not only did Weingarten have the audacity to club anchovies and blue cheese together as foods that didn’t suit his palate, he decided to club all “Indian food”…
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Manny Pacquiao to run for president of the Philippines
Manny Pacquiao, the Philippine boxer and politician, has announced that he will run for president in next year’s election. He has been nominated as a presidential candidate by a faction of the ruling party, PDP-Laban. The 42 year old boxer currently serves as a senator in the Philippine parliament. The incumbent, Rodrigo Duterte is prevented from running for another term…
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‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero awaits verdict on terrorism charges
The verdict on Paul Rusesabagina, a long-time critic of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, is scheduled for Monday, September 20. His trial attracted international attention due to his role in rescuing hundreds of people during the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsis. President Kagame, in early September, defended the trial of Rusesabagina saying the 67-year-old former hotelier was in court not…
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Ghana’s children scavenging for scrap
These children are eking out a living picking through rubbish. They are scavenging for plastic and metal. From tin containers to iron bars and zinc. Children are at the frontlines of the scrap business. Plastic is harder to sell than the scrap metal. They sell it to the dealers who roam the streets. Dealers melt down the tin and aluminum.…
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Uncertainty still shrouds Haiti presidential killing
On July 7, 2021, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry received a nighttime call from a secret service agent with the country’s interior ministry — mere hours before the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Henry, a politician and trained neurosurgeon, had been appointed to the post by Moise only a few days prior. The details of said phone call are unknown…
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AfricaLink on Air — 17 September 2021
What next for Guinea after ECOWAS leaders imposed sanctions on coup leaders, among them holding elections in six months? +++ Gambia’s President Adama Barrow finally defends his alliance with former dictator Yahya Jammeh ahead of the December elections+++Zambians are divided on the fate of the expensive presidential jet. SOURCE: DW News
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South Korean students embrace ‘niche’ learning alternatives
As a teenager, Young-chae Song studied German at his South Korean high school and had to pass an exam in the language to enter university. During that time, in the early 1980s, most high school students in South Korea would study English, plus another foreign language, typically German, French or Japanese. But today, young Koreans are turning their backs on…
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Tanzania: First female defense minister ignites gender debate
“I have decided to break the longtime myth that in the defense ministry, there should be a man with muscles,” President Samia Suluhu Hassan said earlier this week as she administered the oath of office to Stergomena Tax. “The minister’s job in that office is not to carry guns or artillery,” Suluhu Hassan declared. Tax’s appointment was part of President…
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Greece tightens its border with Turkey amid ‘tough but fair migration policy’
The river Evros forms the land border between Greece and Turkey. The waters of this river and its tributaries have made the Evros region one of the most fertile in Greece. Here, on both sides of one of Europe’s most controversial external borders, rolling green hills lined with small deciduous forests stretch as far as the eye can see. “Refugees…
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African Swine Fever: China’s other pandemic
During a teleconference more than two years ago, Chinese Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua urged health authorities to step up efforts to rein in a growing pandemic despite initial “positive results,” and suggested that “enhancing quarantine and monitoring” measures would help prevent the spread of the virus. Hu’s comments came before the discovery of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Instead, he…
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Osmani: If Kosovo delivers, the European Union should also deliver
In an interview with DW, the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, confirms her commitment to EU integration and NATO. She also emphasizes the country’s full support of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers war crimes court. SOURCE: DW News
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Sahel terror threat persists despite the killing of al-Sahrawi
The war against armed Islamist extremists in Africa received a boost on Thursday following the killing of Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi. The self-proclaimed leader of the so-called Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) claimed responsibility for attacks in Niger in 2017 when four US troops and four Nigerien soldiers died. France also wanted him for the killing of six…
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Lebanon: Influencers join together to fight hate speech
Lebanon has no shortage of thorny issues sparking controversies that are often carried out on social media. The country has a tech-savvy population: Internet penetration is close to 80% — which translates to 5.3 million people — 4.37 million of whom are active on social media, according to datareportal.com. Seeing as the small country has a population of just 6.8…
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Foreign Minister Don to US for meetings with UN, ASEAN, more
An anonymous source has reported that Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai will be in the United States next week for several high profile meetings. The trip will see Minister Don attending the United Nations General Assembly as well as meetings in Washington DC and New York related to ASEAN matters. Numerous bilateral meetings with US counterparts and Thailand’s friends are…
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Afghanistan: Pakistan braces for more ‘Islamization’ after Taliban victory
The Taliban’s capture of Kabul in 1996 gave impetus to Islamist militant groups across the world, but the country that was most affected by the rise of fundamentalism in Afghanistan was its neighbor, Pakistan. Not only did the victory of the “students” (the Taliban in Arabic) embolden extremist and militant groups in Pakistan, some people in the South Asian country…
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Kenya’s shelter for suspected witches
These elderly people had to run away from home. Some have been brutally beaten. They are accused of practicing witchcraft. Many were persecuted by their own children. Kadzo Ngala has lived in this camp for two years. It’s a haven for those accused of sorcery in Kilifi County. Some in the region believe gray hair is a sign of witchcraft.…
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Why COVID cases are rising again in some Indian states
After India’s deadly second wave in April and May, cases declined all over the country, even as restrictions eased. The past couple of months have seen a spike again in the western state of Maharashtra and the southern state of Kerala. Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 3,783 new coronavirus cases and 56 fatalities, taking the infection tally to 65,07,930 and the…
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ICC opens investigation into Philippines President Duterte
Draconian laws in the Philippines’s war on drugs may be catching up with President Rodrigo Duterte as the International Criminal Court just approved a formal investigation into possible crimes against humanity under his regime. The ICC reviewed materials and announced the decision to pursue Duterte yesterday. Judges have approved the request by prosecutors to look into possible crimes against humanity…
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American general defends “clandestine” phone calls with China
The American General, Mark Milley is defending himself following a revelation in a book that he had “secret” calls with China during concerns about former President Donald Trump. The calls date back to last October and January and were meant to reassure the Chinese military, says Mark. Former President Trump says the claims were made up and Republicans have demanded…
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Afghanistan’s Hazara refugee women stitch future dreams
Some Afghan women refugees who fled to India a few years ago have found livelihood in a startup that aims at building sustainable communities of artisans. The women who work here have faced tremendous hardships in the past. Now they worry for their relatives back home under the Taliban rule. SOURCE: DW News
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Will Russia swallow up Belarus?
Some events are long in the making. Back in 1999, the leaders of Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on creating a “union state.” For the past three years, Moscow has been pushing Belarus to move toward greater integration on the basis of that treaty. The leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, made repeated trips to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin,…
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Bali eyes wealthy tourists, while considering a ban on backpackers
Travellers visiting Bali on a budget may have to haul their backpacks elsewhere if one Indonesian government official gets his way. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who serves as the country’s Maritime and Investment Coordinator Minister, has put forward a controversial proposal to ban backpackers from Bali once the hugely popular tourist island re-opens. His comments are captured in a Bali Sun…
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