World News
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Sponsored The 5 best luxury villa rentals in Koh Samui by The Luxury Signature
Koh Samui has long been known as one of the world’s finest luxury travel destinations. Its pristine beaches, lush landscapes, and crystal-clear waters create an idyllic setting that attracts travellers seeking an escape from the everyday grind. And opting to...
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Myanmar junta and its supporters will face more sanctions – US State Department
The US, along with the UK and Canada, imposed new sanctions on people and organisations linked to Myanmar this week, focusing on judicial officials involved in prosecutions against Myanmar’s deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the coup last year. According to US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet, Myanmar’s military and those who assisted the junta…
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Covid-19 vaccination begins for Malaysian children between the ages of 5 and 11
Malaysian children between the ages of 5 and 11 are now being given a Covid-19 vaccine as officials try to boost immunity in the very young. According to a Reuters report, yelps of pain could be heard at a vaccination centre in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, where young kids waited nervously beside their parents. Despite a degree of anxiety in…
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New Zealand announces 5 step border reopening plan, starting this month
New Zealand is slowly starting to ease restrictions and gradually reopen borders. The country announced a five-step plan for loosening some of the world’s most restrictive Covid-19 measures, starting with allowing citizens in Australia, who have been fully vaccinated, to travel back home at the end of the month. Vaccinated travellers will be free to enter on March 13, according…
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Myanmar sees rapid uptick of narcotics production, trafficking since coup
Illicit drug production and trafficking in Myanmar has rapidly increased since the February 2021 military coup, when Tatmadaw (Burmese army) seized power and overthrew the civilian, elected government. A senior official from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says, that over the past year, there has been a spike in narcotics production, particularly methamphetamine, in the country’s Shan State…
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Bali to reopen fully vaccinated travellers starting tomorrow, quarantine required
The island of Bali is reopening to fully vaccinated visitors from all countries starting tomorrow. Travellers who are vaccinated against Covid-19 must quarantine for five to seven days, according to Senior Minister Luhut Pandjaitan. The popular tourist destination in Indonesia had initially reopened in mid-October, but only to those travelling from certain countries, including China, New Zealand, and Japan. And even though…
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ASEAN called to reconsider its five-point consensus on solving the Myanmar crisis
Political experts called on ASEAN to reconsider its dialogue with the Myanmar military junta and urged it to get more help from the international community today as some say the bloc’s five-point consensus on solving the Myanmar crisis is “not working.” During the webinar “Myanmar: Year Zero Plus One” by Asia News Network earlier this week, a retired Thai ambassador,…
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Healthcare standards in Laos need to be improved, country’s health minister says
Health officials in Laos are being pushed to do a better job of increasing access to and enhancing the quality of the country’s public healthcare system, similar to how private hospitals and clinics operate. Although Laos has been able to protect people’s right to healthcare in recent years, and most people now have access to better quality health services, the…
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US CDC issues Level 4: Very High Risk travel advisory for the Philippines
Although the Philippines is set to reopen its doors to fully vaccinated international visitors this month, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of the US is advising its citizens not to travel to the Southeast Asian country due to a “very high level” of Covid-19 infections. The CDC released a statement that those planning to go to the Philippines…
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Rights group calls on Thai government not to deport Laos activist
Rights groups have raised concerns over the deportation of a Laos human rights activist who is currently residing in Thailand as an UN-recognised refugee after he was arrested at Lak Si district police station in Bangkok on Saturday for allegedly overstaying his visa. Khoukham Keomanivong was found guilty of the charge and was transported to the immigration bureau after his…
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CNY 2022: Ring in the Year of ‘Thaiger’ with a quiet roar
The Lunar New Year, like its solar counterpart on January 1, is a special time for people to let go of the past and embrace a new and brighter future. The date of Chun Jie (Spring Festival) changes from year to year depending on the Chinese lunar calendar, which determines when the 15-day festival will happen between January 21 and…
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NeoCoV could be ‘3 times more lethal’ than Covid-19, IF it gains key mutation for humans
Chinese researchers in Wuhan have sounded the alarm on a species of known bat coronavirus that could potentially be 3 times more fatal than Covid-19, the Thai Public Health Commission’s Vice Chairman Chalermchai Boonyaleephan stated yesterday. If the virus were to mutate and make its way to human populations, it could turn into “Covid-22” and eventually be crowned “MERS-CoV-2,” Boonyaleephan said.…
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Myanmar: One year after the military coup and bloody crackdown
A year ago today, Myanmar’s military seized power of the government over what they say was a fraudulent election. The democratically elected State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted and detained, as well as other civilian leaders. The coup was met with backlash from the public, leading to a bloody crackdown by security forces that killed more than one…
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Wordle sold to New York Times with millions of daily players 4 months after launch
An internet word game that sky-rocketed in popularity just months after it was launched has been sold to the New York Times. According to an AFP report, Wordle, which was unleashed on the world last October, has been sold for an undisclosed sum, believed to be “in the low 7 figures”. The New York Times released a statement yesterday to…
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Four people reportedly arrested during Laos’ second-largest illegal drugs bust last week
Four people were arrested during the second-largest seizure of illegal drugs by Laos police in Huay Xai province north of Bokeo last week, with authorities reporting 36 million methamphetamine pills, a total weight of 590 kilograms, were found. The UN Office of Drugs and Crime regional representative, Jeremy Douglas, says… “Those four who were arrested were pretty low-level… there were…
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Smoke blankets over Laos capital Vientiane, landfill fire releases toxic fumes
Clouds of toxic smoke billowed over the Laos capital of Vientiane after a fire broke out at a landfill over the weekend, according to the local media outlet Laotian Times. Authorities have yet to issue a comment about what caused it. Smoke blanketed the skies in and surrounding the Xaythany District, causing locals to complain about the stink over the…
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Thailand and Cambodia agree to intenstify crackdown on call-centre scams
Thailand and Cambodia are reportedly working together to combat transnational online scams. Officials from both Southeast Asian countries met via video conference to discuss intensifying crackdowns on deceptive call centres and investment scams that have extorted money from citizens of both countries. During the virtual meeting with Cambodia’s Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Chea Vandet, Thailand Digital Economy and Society…
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Regional low-cost carriers expand routes in Southeast Asia as travel slowly resumes
International flights in the Southeast Asia region continue to resume, with low-cost carriers expanding their routes as countries re-open. According to a TTR Weekly report, the Singapore Airlines subsidiary, Scoot, is resuming the Singapore – Ho Chi Minh route, with 4 round-trip flights a week. A twice-weekly service connecting Singapore and Hanoi is planned from February 22. Last week, Vietnam…
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Nadal defeats Medvedev in Melbourne, wins record 21st grand slam title
Rafael Nadal has done the impossible — coming back from 2 sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev and win the Australian Open in an epic championship match that spanned more than 5 hours. Nadal, who was the 6th seed entering the tournament in Melbourne Park, came back from behind to defeat his Russian opponent 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 7-5…
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Countdown to February 1, one day to go before Test & Go resumes
“The recent 3 months of total international arrivals were around 3.4% of the arrivals at the same time 2 years ago.” The Test & Go program of the Thailand Pass is set to start again this Tuesday, a rebooted version with some additional costs and paperwork. Travellers will need to book an extra pre-paid SHA+ room and PCR test for Day…
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Dr Yong: I don’t think “endemic” means what you think it means.
Dr Yong Poovorawan, the country’s outspoken top virologist, is raining on Thailand’s endemic parade. The chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University pointed out that while the nature of Covid-19 may be evolving over time to be less of a threat, it will never by definition be endemic. It seems…
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Australia to Kanye West: you must be fully vaccinated to play here
After the Australian public and government overwhelmingly agreed they didn’t want unvaccinated tennis champion Novak Djokovic in the country, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has a strong working for hip-hop superstar Kanye West. Kanye announced plans to tour Australia in March, but the government has responded: not without a vaccine you aren’t. While Kanye’s vaccination status is unknown, he has made…
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Pope Francis calls Covid-19 fake news a violation of human rights
While the church hasn’t always been on the same side as science, Pope Francis spoke out strongly against vaccine disinformation and Covid-19 fake news. In a statement Friday, he condemned any news source, including Catholic news media, that perpetuated misinformation about the pandemic, calling it a violation of human rights. In a talk with members of a group of Catholic…
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Asia’s second largest drug bust: 36 million meth pills in Laos
After a record-breaking bust in October, police in Laos have just captured 36 million meth pills, the second-largest Asian drug bust on record. A United Nations official confirmed the bust earlier today and say it points to changes in the patterns of drug smuggling in Southeast Asia. In the bust earlier this week, 36 million meth pills were found along…
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Covid-19 vaccine does not kill athletes, despite consistent rumour
An apparently false conspiracy theory that the Covid-19 vaccine is killing athletes has once again been pushed by prominent “anti-vaxxers.” US Senator Ron Johnson claimed that 22,000 people have died from the vaccine including many athletes. And Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton contended that over 100 athletes had died after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine. Neither of these statements were…
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Philippines reopens Feb 10 for the vaccinated from most countries
After nearly 2 years of closed borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Philippines plans on reopening to some fully vaccinated tourists on February 10. Officials made the announcement today that travellers from most countries will finally be allowed to enter, after plans to reopen on December 1 were scrapped due to the spread of the Omicron variant. The announcement…
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Laos workers to return Thailand as borders reopen for migrants from neighbouring countries
For the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, Thailand will reopen its borders to migrant workers, especially from Laos, who are now granted permission to return to Thailand with the approval of their employers next week after a hiatus due to Covid-19. Reports say many people continue to cross the border illegally in search…
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Surat Thani immigration police arrest human trafficking suspect from Myanmar
A 46 year old Myanmar national was arrested by Surat Thani Immigration Police today for allegedly smuggling six others into Thailand. The suspect, who is identified as Bumaw, was reportedly seen on a road in Tambon Talad in Surat Thani province’s Mueang district, and Immigration Police arrested him at the spot, nearly four months after the Surat Thani Court issued…
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10 year high: Real estate price spike in Singapore
Last year, Singapore home prices rose to their highest level in more than a decade, boosting the island state’s government’s decision to impose “cooling” policies that will hopefully help the Singaporean property market’s stability. According to estimates released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority on Friday, prices increased by 10.6% in 2021. This is the highest level since 2010, when they…
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Spike in Covid clusters at Malaysia schools, many parents still concerned with vaccinating children
Covid-19 is on the rise at a number of schools in Malaysia following their reopenings and fingers are pointing at teachers and staff for not following and enforcing disease prevention rules like wearing a mask. The country’s health minister even says teachers with coronavirus symptoms are still coming to class. The cluster outbreaks at schools come just as the government is…
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Neil Young pulls music from Spotify over Joe Rogan’s misinformation
After slamming Spotify for giving Joe Rogan a platform for spreading life-threatening vaccine misinformation, classic rocker Neil Young demanded that the music streaming service remove his catalogue and they complied. The legendary musician has never shied away from expressing his opinion and wrote an open letter last week calling out Spotify for carrying Joe Rogan popular podcast which gets millions…
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