World News
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Thai student activist charged with lèse majesté will be allowed to study in Germany
The South Bangkok Criminal Court ruled yesterday that a student activist charged with lèse majesté who was barred from studying abroad in Germany earlier this month will now be allowed to study there. The activist, Rawisara Eksakul, nicknamed “Dear”, won a prestigious scholarship for a Master of Management in Non-Profit Organisations. The court was told that Ms Rawisara holds a…
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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…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: EU’s Metsola visits Kyiv; Russia blocks aid from Mariupol; Russian oil depot attacked
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters the month of April, here’s the latest headlines… • In a show of European support, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola visited Kyiv on Friday. During a meeting with EU leader, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said… “I sincerely want to thank you personally, Roberta, and your entire team for being here at such an important…
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30,000 travellers entered Indonesia between January to February
With the relaxation of Covid-19 travel requirements, Indonesia saw an increase in foreign travellers arriving through their airports and seaports since the beginning of 2022, according to government data released on Friday. Figures from the statistics department revealed 33,600 travellers entered Indonesia through its main channels from January to February. Compared to the same time last year, the country saw…
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9 of Thailand’s restaurants ranked on “Asia’s 50 Best” list, all in Bangkok
“Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” has included nine restaurants in Thailand on its 2022 list. The Thai restaurants featured on the list are located in Bangkok. While some of the restaurants serve traditional Thai cuisine, others serve international flavors, as well as fusion dishes. One restaurant, Le Du, serves Thai food with a French twist. Le Du ranks number 4 of…
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Thais being trafficked to Myanmar rescued from house on “No Man’s Land”
Eleven Thais were reportedly lured into work for a call centre scam and were rescued by Thai authorities, with some of them being held at a home on a small, isolated island known as “No Man’s Land” near Myanmar. Two Chinese men were arrested for allegedly luring the Thais to work for illegal call centres in Myanmar. Four of the…
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Thailand’s navy captures 3 Vietnamese fishing boats off Songkhla
Thailand’s navy captured three Vietnamese fishing boats off Songkhla this morning. A commander admiral from the navy said a total of 15 people were arrested and charged for illegally fishing in Thai territorial waters without fishing licenses, using unregistered boats, and being immigrants working in Thailand without a work permit. The boat skippers were charged with directing fishing without skippers’…
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Ukrainian coordinator calls on Thais to donate to Ukrainians
A Ukrainian coordinator in Bangkok requested yesterday that Thais help provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian victims of Russia’s invasion. At a Bangkok hotel, the coordinator said anyone interested can make a donation, and the Ukrainian embassy will give it to the location in need. On Sunday, 9,729 tourists said they wished to stay longer in Phuket, including 8,545 Russians and…
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Asia News Today | China under lockdown & South Korea upholds ban on tattooing
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 are being turned away from hospitals. In South Korea, health authorities are reporting the most cases per capita in the world.…
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Diesel no longer for sale across Sri Lanka, massive blackout
Diesel was unavailable for sale at stations across Sri Lanka today. Petrol is on sale but in short supply, forcing drivers to abandon their cars in long queues. Private business owners say they have already run out of fuel, and even skeleton services may not be possible after Friday. Now, the country is grappling with a 13-hour power blackout, its…
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Southern Thailand officials allocate 252 baht for Sadao connection with Malaysia
Now that Thailand’s Sadao border with Malaysia will finally reopen tomorrow, officials in southern Thailand have approved nearly 252 million baht to connect the two countries there. Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Interior announced today that the development committee of the southern border provinces approved construction of the road to connect the new Sadao Customs House and Bukit Kayu Hitam border…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Putin ‘misled’; Russia ‘misjudged’ war, Zelensky warns of Donbass regrouping
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into a second month, here’s the latest headlines… • Russia has “massively misjudged the situation” in Ukraine and the truth of the situation is being kept from President Vladimir Putin, as generals have been reluctant to tell the full extent of Russia’s failures in Ukraine. That’s according to Jeremy Fleming, the head of…
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Thailand and Cambodia will sign MOU to crack down on call centre scams
A Thai government spokesman has announced that Thailand and Cambodia plan to sign an MOU together soon to crack down on call centre scams. The spokesman said the Police Cyber Taskforce recently raided the operational base of a network of four gambling websites in Nonthaburi. He said the network had more than 200,000 clients with 200 million baht a month…
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More Karen flee Myanmar to Thai border, Myanmar arrests Karen journalist
Around 1,000 Karen hill tribe people crossed the border into Thailand on Saturday, only for Thai authorities to send them back, according to an official from a refugee camp. This month, over 10,000 Karen from Myanmar’s Kayin state have fled after clashes between Karen rebels and Myanmar’s military. Now, Burmese police have arrested a reporter for the Karen Information Centre.…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Russia relents, Ukraine offers concessions at Turkey peace talks; Amnesty decries Russian war crimes
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into its second month, here’s the latest deadlines… • With Russian and Ukrainian forces at a military stalemate in Ukraine, the door has opened for a diplomatic resolution to end the war. • At Tuesday’s peace talks in Istanbul, Ukrainian negotiators offered a pledge of neutrality and no NATO membership, in exchange for…
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Asia News Today | Vietnamese automaker Vinfast invests big in the US
A mentally disabled man is now awaiting execution in Singapore after Singapore’s highest court rejected a final appeal by a man sentenced to death for drug trafficking. There’s been a concerted campaign over the man’s situation… his lawyers claiming that the trial violated international laws as the man has intellectual disabilities. Yesterday’s ruling ends all legal avenues to prevent his…
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Half of worldwide pregnancies unintended, Ukraine crisis could raise the rate
In a new report, the United Nations Population Fund stated yesterday that almost half of the pregnancies across the globe are unintended, and the Ukraine crisis is expected to raise the rate. The UNFPA reported 121 million unintended pregnancies every year, with 331,000 every day. 60% of these unintended pregnancies end in abortion, and almost half of these abortions are…
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Asia News Today | Japanese yen drops to a seven year low
Nearly 9,000 soldiers from the Philippines and US are participating in the largest-ever joint military drills as the two longtime allies do some high-level sabre-rattling amid fresh tensions in the disputed South China Sea. Filipino and American soldiers will take part in the 12 day military exercises across the main Filipino island of Luzon. Philippine military chief welcomed soldiers from…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Irpin liberated; Turkey peace talks resume; Russian offensive stalled; Oligarch poisoned
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its second month, here’s the latest headlines… • Turkey peace talks: Russian and Ukrainian representatives have arrived in Istanbul for another round of negotiations — first face-to-face talks in more than two weeks. Ukraine says its top priority is to negotiate a ceasefire, but insisted Kyiv would not make concessions on territorial integrity.…
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UPDATE: Will Smith apologises for Oscars outburst, after Academy rebuke
While fans in Asia were going to bed, Will Smith was waking up in Hollywood — to a world full of controversy and condemnation. The 53 year old actor slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night, then won his first Oscar. The assault occurred in response to Rock cracking an insensitive joke about…
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Will Smith slaps Chris Rock, wins an Oscar (full speech)
It will forever be remembered as the night Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage in front of a live TV audience. Not for the prestigious award he won moments later, celebrating an illustrious 30 year acting career. The unscripted incident happened at the 94th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night — Hollywood’s most prestigious awards ceremony —…
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Vietnamese man who tried to paddle to India fell victim to romance scam
The Vietnamese man who tried to paddle an inflatable boat from Thailand to India to meet his “wife” was either scammed or “catfished,” where someone uses a fake profile online to deceive another person for money or personal reasons. International media outlets picked up the story of the 37 year old Vietnamese man who spent 18 days at sea on…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Putin “cannot remain in power”; Russia narrows war goals; Ukraine counter attacks; Auchan’s Russia stores stay open
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into its second month, here’s the latest headlines… • In a speech in Poland on Saturday, US President Joe Biden said Russian leader Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power.” His remarks have increased international pressure and further united NATO allies against Putin over his illegal invasion of Ukraine… “A dictator, bent on rebuilding…
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Shanghai to enter lockdown, one half at a time, for mass testing
The authorities in Shanghai plan to lock down the city of 25 million residents, one half at a time, in order to conduct mass Covid-19 testing. Officials are trying to curb the spread of the virus, with China facing its worst wave since the pandemic was first reported in the central city of Wuhan. According to a Bloomberg report, the…
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Second black box recorder found for crashed China Eastern Boeing 737
Recovery crews at the site of the China Eastern Boeing 737 that cashed last Monday, have found the second black box recording device, This time it’s the flight data recorder after the cockpit voice recorder was found last Wednesday. The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 jet crashed into a mountainside in southern China last Monday afternoon, plummeting from its cruising…
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On anniversary of bloodshed, Myanmar army chief vows to “annihilate” opponents
Days after human rights groups published an extensive report accusing Myanmar’s junta chief of targeting unarmed protestors, the Burmese chief vowed today to “annihilate” opponents of the junta. Today is the anniversary of Myanmar’s most violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests. The army chief, Min Aung Hlaing, said the military will “no longer negotiate… and annihilate until the end” groups fighting…
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Russia conducts drills on territory disputed with Japan
Japanese media reported today that over 3,000 Russian troops are conducting military drills on Tokyo’s Kuril islands. Japan’s Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office could not be reached outside business hours to comment on the exercises. Russia calls the chain of four islands part of its Kuril chain, while Japan calls them part of its northern territory. In its drills,…
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