World News
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Sponsored How much is Thai health insurance?
Health insurance in Thailand is essential for expats and locals, providing financial protection and access to quality care. Costs depend on age, health, and coverage level, with basic plans being cheaper but limited and comprehensive plans offering more benefits at...
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Former Malaysia PM tests positive for Covid-19 after ministers’ meeting
Malaysia’s former prime minister tested positive for Covid-19 just a day after he chaired a meeting of the National Recovery Council, which advocated reopening the country’s borders to vaccinated travellers as soon as March 1. Former PM Muhyiddin Yassin says he will be quarantined at home in compliance with the health ministry’s protocols and urged those who may have been his…
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Human trials of Indonesian Covid-19 vaccine get underway
Indonesia has kicked off human trials of its homegrown Covid-19 vaccine as infections continue to surge across the country. Indonesia’s drug regulator has given the go-ahead for human trials of the Merah Putih (Red White) vaccine, so-named after the Indonesian flag. The trials are being conducted by research teams from Airlangga University and Biotis Pharmaceutical Indonesia. Progress on the homegrown…
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Scientists in India say they’ve come up with a vaccine against all Covid variants
Indian scientists say they have come up with a vaccine that is effective against all variants of Covid-19… Yes, ALL variants. With new SARS-COV-2 virus versions causing new outbreaks of the highly contagious disease, scientists at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, and Kazi Nazrul University designed a vaccine, which they say, can defend against any potential coronavirus…
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Villager in Indonesia rescues crocodile trapped in motorbike tyre for five years
A villager in Indonesia was about to free a crocodile of a motorbike tyre that had been stuck around its neck for more five years. Since 2016, conservationists have been trying to capture the crocodile to free him from the tyre, but had not been successful. But this week, a villager from Sulawesi island in the east of Borneo, along…
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Election campaigns kick off in the Philippines, Marcos Jr. a favourite
The campaign season in the Philippines leading up to the May presidential election kicked off this week. Channel News Asia says this season is candidates are running a “chaotic” and “colourful charm offensive” which is aimed at attracting the millions of voters who are “typically more interested in personality than policy.” Analysts have already foreseen the victory of Ferdinand “Bongbong”…
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Malaysia considers full reopening in March to vaccinated travellers
Following moves from other Southeast Asian countries, like Thailand, to gradually reopen borders, Malaysia is considering a full reopening of borders starting March 1, allowing vaccinated travellers to enter without mandatory quarantine requirements. The plan is to speed up the country’s economic recovery, according to its coronavirus recovery council today. The Southeast Asian country that shut down its borders in March…
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13 killed, dozens injured in Indonesia’s Java island bus crash
At least 13 people were killed in a bus crash on Indonesia’s Java island yesterday. Dozens of passengers, including young children, were injured. Many were factory workers on their way to a beach for a holiday trip. The bus carried 47 people travelling from Sukoharjo in Central Java to Yogyakarta for a family gathering. The driver lost control while driving…
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Second Thai-Laos friendship bridge will house both railway and motorway- Transport Minister
Thailand is planning to build a bridge to Laos across the Mekong River for both railway and motorway. Last month, the Thai cabinet approved the project to build a second Thailand-Laos friendship bridge, connecting Nong Khai in northeast Thailand and the Laos capital Vientiane, as part of the third phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project. The construction is estimated…
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Foreign ministry confirms Saudi leader will visit Thailand, most likely this year
The controversial Saudi leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, is likely to visit Thailand at some stage this year. Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai says the visit will happen once a roadmap for restoring bilateral ties has been agreed. The roadmap will focus on cooperation in areas such as energy and labour, according to the minister. After decades of…
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Indonesia tightens restrictions as Covid-19 cases rise in the capital
As the spread of the Omicron variant in Indonesia has led to a spike in cases in Jakarta, officials are tightening restrictions in the capital, Bali, Bandung in West Java, and Yogyakarta in Central Java. Reports initially said foreign tourists would be barred from entering Jakarta, but the transport minister released a statement today saying that tourists with the proper…
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Australia calls for the “immediate release” of economist detained in Myanmar
The foreign minister of Australia says officials are using every opportunity to advocate for the release of Australian professor and economist, Sean Turnell, who was detained in Myanmar last year following the February 1, 2021 military coup. Foreign Minister Marise Payne released a statement yesterday calling on the “immediate release” of Turnell, saying his detention “unjust.” Professor Turnell’s detention is unjust,…
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US President Biden vows to work with Cambodia to promote US-ASEAN relations
In order to improve ASEAN-US relations, President Joe Biden stated that his administration is looking forward to working with Cambodia as the ASEAN chair in promoting the bloc’s “regional architecture” for bilateral agreements and institutions at the core of the Indo-Pacific. Biden wrote a letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on January 14 saying that he intends to invite…
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Australia to finally open to tourists in March
Vaccinated international tourists will finally be allowed to enter Australia again in March. The country’s borders shut exactly two years before that in March 2020. Skilled migrants and international students were only allowed back in December 2021. But now that Covid-19 cases are down in all states except Western Australia, Australia’s home affairs minister says she’s making the opening a…
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UPDATE: Spotify removes over 100 old Joe Rogan Experience episodes
Streaming service Spotify has now removed 113 episodes of the highly popular Joe Rogan Experience from its platform. It follows an apology from Joe Rogan, for using racial slurs on his podcasts and comes just 2 weeks after another controversy regarding criticism of apparently misleading Covid-19 guests and conversations. The Instagram apology isn’t directly related to the mounting criticism over some…
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Philippines passes bill to crackdown fake social media accounts, fraud
The Philippines has passed a bill that will require social media users to register their identities and phone numbers when opening new accounts in a bid to combat online abuse and misinformation, according to a senator this week. The move comes ahead of a general election in May, in which a president, legislators, and thousands of political roles will be…
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Thailand says Myanmar observers will not participate in Cobra Gold exercises
Myanmar military observers will not participate in this year’s 41st Cobra Gold military exercise, which will take place from February 20 to March 5, according to Lt Gen Chitchanok Nujjaya, Director of Joint Operations. He said the decision was made by both Thailand and the US since there was not enough time to prepare for Myanmar’s participation. Although there were…
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UPDATE: Indonesia welcomes fully vaxxed travellers with 5 day quarantine from today
Fully vaxxed and dreaming of white beaches? Starting from today, Indonesia welcomes you with a reduced quarantine of 5 days. You might even be able to book a direct flight to Bali this month, if you’re traveling from select countries. For those with a single jab, the duration of quarantine is reduced from 10 to 7 days. Ministry of Coordinating…
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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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Cambodian domestic airlines resume flights as tourists flock in
Since many international visitors have begun to flock to the country, Cambodia has resumed some of its domestic airlines, with Cambodia Angkor Air starting its weekly flights between Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville from tomorrow. AirAsia also started flying between Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur last week, whilst Vietnam Airlines began flying between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh…
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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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Social media users angered by sale of Wordle to New York Times
Social media users are up in arms over news that the New York Times has purchased the hugely popular online word game, Wordle. On Monday, the NYT confirmed it has purchased Wordle for an undisclosed “low” 7-figure sum. While the publication has stated that the game will remain available to users without the need for a paid subscription, the word…
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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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Single Singaporeans ‘rent’ themselves out as dates on TikTok for Lunar New Year celebrations
In what appears to be a meme, Singaporean men have been ‘renting’ themselves out as dates on TikTik to help single young ladies avoid embarrassing relationship-status questions from relatives at family gatherings for Chinese New Year. One such TikToker is Wayne Chia, a Singaporean of Chinese descent. He posted a video of himself posing in a red suit behind a…
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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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