World News
Explore the latest global news with The Thaiger’s World News page, your comprehensive source for international updates. We’ve got breaking news, insightful analysis, and exclusive stories from around the globe, covering politics, business, technology, and culture. Stay informed about the world’s most pressing issues, emerging trends, and influential events, as well as updates on travel, lifestyle, and entertainment.
The Thaiger is your go-to platform for staying connected with the ever-changing world we live in. To keep up with the most reliable international news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored What is the 5 year visa for the digital nomad in Thailand?
The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is a great option for digital nomads, remote workers, and freelancers who want to stay in Thailand for a long time. This multiple-entry visa is valid for five years, allowing stays of up to 180...
-
Pakistan’s Imran Khan ousted from PM position
Following a parliamentary vote of no confidence last week, Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan has been ousted. The vote came after Pakistan’s opposition parties accused Khan of economic mismanagement, as well as poor governance. The country’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that a decision to block the no confidence vote was unconstitutional. Now, Khan claims that opposition to him is backed…
-
Post-Omicron, Asian economies accelerate into recovery mode
Across most of South East and Eastern Asia, Covid is now on a sharp retreat, some 2 – 3 months after similar surges and drops in the US, UK and Europe. Except for 3 countries, Japan, China and Thailand, where the daily numbers, fuelled by Omicron variants, are still climbing. These same 3 countries have been among the most risk-averse…
-
Will Smith has been ‘slapped’ a 10 year ban from attending the Oscars
Will Smith has been banned from attending the Academy Awards for the next 10 years, following his spontaneous slapping of comedian host Chris Rock on stage during this year’s Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced its decision in a statement yesterday in Beverly Hills, California… “The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from…
-
Airlines launching direct flights from Phuket to northeast Thailand, and Singapore
Slowly, gradually, but palpably, airlines are starting to increase their frequency and routes again. Not Air is launching direct flights to Phuket from Northeastern Thailand (and visa versa), and Air Asia is adding flight from Phuket to Singapore, starting next Tuesday. Yesterday morning, a Nok Air flight landed in Phuket, marking the new plan for one direct flight per week…
-
2 more missing divers found off Malaysia, 3 out of 4 now found
Two more of the four divers who went missing off southeastern Malaysia this week have been found safe today. The first of the divers found, a 35 year old Norwegian woman, was rescued on Thursday. The two divers found today are 18 year old Alexia Molina, from France, and 46 year old Adrian Chesters, from the UK. Malaysian fishermen spotted…
-
Smuggled sketches show horrific conditions inside notorious Insein Prison in Myanmar
Radio Free Asia have released a series of sketches penned by inmates of a Burmese prison in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, and smuggled out of the prison by brave, released detainees. Thousands of mostly political prisoners have been sent there since last year’s coup. The following from Radio Free Asia… “Sketches smuggled out of Myanmar’s notorious Insein Prison…
-
Phuket Soi Dog volunteer to brave Himalayas to raise money for foundation
A volunteer from Soi Dog Foundation in Phuket plans to brave a trek through the rugged Himalayan mountains to raise money for the foundation. The volunteer, 51 year old Yanisa, wants to reach the summit of the 6,419-metre Mount Chulu West with her husband in 21 days. Yanisa and her husband, 65 year old Rohun, will start from Kathmandu in…
-
Thailand tourism authorities target India to offset lack of Chinese tourists
A deputy governor of marketing from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says Indian tourists are important for offsetting the loss of Chinese tourists in Thailand, as the TAT aims to attract 500,000 Indian tourists this year. The marketing governor said ever since an air travel bubble started with India last month, Thailand has already seen around 600 Indian arrivals per…
-
Asia News Today | New North Korean test on the way & META blocks Filipino election account
Human Rights Watch has accused Australia’s ambassador to Myanmar of “lending credibility” to Myanmar’s military government. HRW’s criticism came after the ambassador met with the Burmese military chief and Myanmar’s state-owned media outlets on Wednesday to discuss “cooperation” in various sectors.HRW Myanmar researcher Manny Maung says the meeting has hurt global efforts to hold the chief accountable for human rights…
-
US arrests 3 Thais, yakuza chief for planning to supply missiles to Burmese rebels
US authorities revealed yesterday that they have arrested three Thai men and a Japanese yakuza organised crime leader in New York City on April 4 – 5. The men are accused of trafficking heroin and methamphetamine, as well as attempting to acquire surface-to-air missiles for rebel groups in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Takeshi Ebizawa, Sompak Raksaranee, Somphop Sigsiri and Suksan…
-
Malaysian Airlines 737 plunges mid-air, passengers ‘float’ in their seats
Malaysia Airlines has responded to questions over an ‘incident’ with one of their Boeing 737 aircraft last Sunday, commenting that “the plane performed an air turn back due to technical issues with the aircraft, compounded by bad weather en route”. Those “issues” caused MH2664, flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Sabah on the eastern island of Borneo, to plunge…
-
Human Rights Watch rebukes Australia for meeting with Myanmar junta chief
Yesterday, Human Rights Watch accused Australia’s ambassador to Myanmar of “lending credibility” to Myanmar’s junta government. HRW’s criticism came after the ambassador met with the junta’s chief Min Aung Hlaing and of Myanmar’s state-owned media outlets on Wednesday to discuss “cooperation” in various sectors. HRW Myanmar researcher Manny Maung said the meeting has hurt global efforts to hold the chief…
-
What do Thais of different ages think of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
Thais of different ages appear to have a wide range of opinions on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Young Thais are more likely to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion than older generations, according to some academics. A professor of international relations at Thammasat University, Kitti Prasirtsuk, told the Guardian that the way young Thais think of their own government has impacted their…
-
Asia News Today | A Malaysian Boeing 737 ‘dives’ in a terrifying mid-air incident
Another mid-air incident in Asia after a Malaysia Airlines flight from KL to Sabah on Borneo dipped its nose and dropped suddenly, allegedly flying erratically before turning back to Sabah. The incident happened on Sunday but has only come to light after passengers posted their stories on social media. The airline says that Flight MH2664 from KLIA turned back due…
-
Thailand promotes tourism packages to attract 1 million Southeast Asian tourists
As countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region ease their pandemic-era travel restrictions and reopen their borders, Thailand aims to take advantage of the resumed international flights. By the end of the year, Thailand hopes to attract some 1.75 million international tourists via short-haul flights, with more than a million coming from Southeast Asian counties alone. To reach their international tourism target,…
-
Another Boeing 737-800 experiences sudden dive, lands safely in KL, Malaysia
A mid-air incident in Asia is turning heads in the airline industry, after a Malaysia Airlines flight from capital KL to Borneo dipped its nose and dropped suddenly, allegedly flying erratically before turning back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The incident happened last Sunday, but has only now come to light after passengers posted their stories on social media, prompting…
-
Asia News Today | Growth in Asia expected to be on track in 2022
Police raided a house in the northern province of Chiang Rai yesterday to find 71 Burmese migrants hiding inside. A Thai man who was also inside the house told police he was hired to pick up the migrants who had illegally crossed over the border from Myanmar and transport them to the house. The migrants told police they were heading…
-
Boeing’s China syndrome, big problems for the US aircraft manufacturer
China Eastern Airlines has grounded its fleet of Boeing 737-800s – some 108 planes in the China Eastern fleet along with another 117 planes it flies with subsidiary airlines. That’s a lot of planes, in either the first or second largest aviation market in the world, depending how you measure it. Number of passengers on airlines worldwide in 2020, by…
-
Asia News Today | South Korea Committed To Re-opening Plans
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is urging the Philippine government to steer clear of external “disturbances” to its China policy and work to prevent tension arising from their South China Sea dispute The issue of China’s claims over the island’s in the South China Sea has become one of the issues in the run-up to the Philippine presidential election next…
-
Singapore won’t restore pandemic-era restrictions if Covid cases rise
If Covid-19 infections rise in Singapore, the city-state will not increase or strengthen current pandemic combatting measures, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong told The Straits Times. After two years of battling the spread of the virus, Singapore is on the alert for a possible rebound in infections, having lifted most of its most pandemic-era restrictions beginning April 1. Axed policies include…
-
Asia’s weird Covid twilight zone – VIDEO
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 being turned away from hospitals. In South Korea health authorities are reporting the most cases per capita in the world. Vietnam…
-
Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation to give US$250,000 to Ukrainian pets
Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation plans to give a grant of US$250,ooo to a clinic in Poland for Ukrainian pets whose owners fled Russia’s invasion. The money will also help a Polish animal society give immediate care to pets in desperate need right now. An estimated 40,000 dogs and cats have come with their owners to Poland since the invasion began…
-
Strange cold spell in Thailand caused by high pressure system from China
An abnormally strong high-pressure system from China caused a cold spell in Thailand today, according to the Thai Meteorological Department. The high-pressure system is now covering most of Northern Thailand, where temperatures were 18-23 degrees Celsius this morning, meaning they had dropped by two to four degrees. Highs in the North are expected to peak today at 26-28 degrees Celsius.…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
UPDATE: Malaysian drivers bewildered by Thailand Pass, as southern border reopens
THOU SHALL NOT PASS. That’s the message some northern-bound Malaysian travelers received when they attempted to drive their cars into Thailand on yesterday morning, only to find they’d forgotten the most important thing: you STILL need to register for Thailand Pass. In advance. Thailand finally reopened its land border with Malaysia on April 1 for travelers by private transportation. But…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
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.