World News
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Sponsored This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand
The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...
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Cambodia PM orders to destroy, store US weapons following arms embargo ban
Cambodia PM Hun Sen is not quite happy following an arms embargo ban by the United States last week and asked the country’s military to examine any US-made weapons or equipment in its possession to be stored in warehouses or destroyed, although the country has never acquired arms from the States under the current administration. According to the Phnom Penh…
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Geminid meteor shower: 100s of shooting stars visible late Monday night
For those up late tomorrow night, the Geminid meteor shower will be visible in the night sky late on Monday night. The heavenly display happens each year, usually between December 4 and December 17 each year and is one of the best opportunities to see dozens of shooting stars with the naked eye. In a post on Facebook, the National…
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Thai officials watching bird flu after a woman’s death in China
While Covid-19 and Omicron are on everyone’s mind, the Department of Livestock Development has gone on high alert after a woman died from the bird flu last month. The woman died in China of the H5N6 strain of avian influenza and officials in Thailand are focused on making sure the virus doesn’t make it across the border and into the…
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Political rows blemish Israel’s Miss Universe 2021 beauty pageant
The jury will face a tough decision on Sunday in Israel’s most southern city Eilat when it’s called on to decide the winner of the 70th “Miss Universe” beauty pageant. The event to crown the successor of Andrea Maza from Mexico in a three-hour live show that includes contestants giving personal statements as well as modeling in swimsuits and evening…
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EU devises new measures against ‘economic coercion’
China last week put a ban on imports from Lithuania, an EU member state. It had nothing to do with a trade conflict: Beijing simply wants to persuade Vilnius to change its friendly policies toward Taiwan. Lithuania has allowed Taiwan to open a kind of embassy but China sees Taiwan as a renegade province awaiting reunification with the mainland. Now,…
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Rohingya vs. Facebook: What are the chances of success?
In August 2017, tensions escalated between Myanmar’s Buddhist majority and the Rohingya, a Muslim minority that lives mostly in the country’s northwestern state of Rakhine. Prior to that, the militant group “Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army” (ARSA) had carried out a number of attacks on police stations and border posts. The Myanmar military responded with a massive operation in the course…
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AfricaLink On Air — 10 December 2021
Odinga’s bid for the Kenya presidency+++Ghana introduces Mandatory vaccinations +++Tackling COVID surge in Johannesburg+++Zambia’s domestic workers fight for their rights+++Qatari sportswashing SOURCE: DW News
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Pakistan: Where did billions of rupees in COVID aid go?
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has recently hit back at claims that corruption is behind the billions of rupees in financial irregularities, following an audit of cash intended for Pakistan’s coronavirus response. The report released last month by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) claimed that irregularities amounted to 40 billion Pakistani rupees ($226 million, €200 million). The almost…
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Afghanistan opium trade booms since Taliban takeover
The cultivation of opium poppy as a medicinal plant has a long tradition in Afghanistan. The milky sap extracted from the seed pods is dried to produce raw opium, an effective remedy for severe pain. Today, opium is used primarily as an intoxicant and as a raw material for the production of stronger drugs like heroin. In the last harvest…
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Huge stash of marijuana intercepted near the Malaysian border
Police have discovered some 1.6 tonnes of compressed high-grade marijuana. The stash was hidden in amongst other freight being carried on an 18 wheeler truck in Narathiwat. That’s a LOT of weed! The truck was on its way, allegedly to transfer into a boat to cross the Malaysian border, nearby. Local drug authorities estimate the high-grade marijuana would have a…
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Meta bans Myanmar military-owned telco from Facebook
Myanmar’s military junta chief has woken up to find his partly-owned telecom company Mytel being barred from Facebook as Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s new company umbrella, is pulling the plug on business related to the Tatmadaw, the Burmese military. Facebook has nearly 29 million users in Myanmar, in a country with a population of 54 million. Mytel is on of…
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Thailand participates in exercise simulating cyber-attack on global financial system
Thailand is one of 10 countries to participate in a simulation exercise that mimicked a cyber-attack on the global financial system. According to a Reuters report, the exercise was led by Israel, with the intention of building on cooperation between countries to mitigate potential damage to global markets and financial institutions. The exercise was named, “Collective Strength” and included officials…
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Nigerians are livid over UK’s omicron travel ban
Nigeria became the eleventh African country to be added to the UK’s red list earlier this week over fears travelers from the country could help spread the omicron COVID-19 variant in Britain. Announcing the ban, the UK’s Department of Health said 21 Omicron cases, or 16% of all omicron known cases at the time, were linked to travel from Nigeria.…
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Is this the end of Kashmir’s bespoke gun-making?
Civilian shotguns have been a traditional handicraft in Indian-administered Kashmir for decades, but as gun ownership has become increasingly difficult in the restive region, the industry may be breathing its last breath. SOURCE: DW News
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Meta removes Myanmar military businesses from its Facebook following lawsuit
Myanmar military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing yesterday woke up to see his partly-owned telecom company Mytel being removed from Facebook as Meta started to ban businesses related to Tatmadaw, also known as the military, from functioning on its platform. The move came just hours after lawyers from the US and the UK launched a $150 billion lawsuit on behalf…
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Philippines to ban France visitors from December 13 due to Omicron
Starting from December 13 onwards, tourists with a two-week travelling history in France will be barred from entering the Philippines, according to the acting presidential spokesperson, Karlo Nograles, yesterday, amidst fear of the new variant, Omicron. France has been added to the Philippines’ “Red List” of countries after over 20 cases of the Omicron were discovered in the European nation,…
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Sinovac is testing its effectiveness against Omicron variant
Following the good news announcement from Pfizer that 3 doses of their vaccine can neutralise the Omicron variant, Sinovac came out with a more reserved announcement stating that lab studies about its effectiveness against the new strain would take time. The Chinese-based Sinovac is the most widely used vaccine in the world with over 2.3 billion doses shipped worldwide so…
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Will the US summit on democracy deliver?
In the wake of a turbulent Donald Trump administration where conspiracy theories were promoted and authoritarian leadership style admired, President Joe Biden is reestablishing its commitments to democracy by holding a summit to defend it. The United States will have to reassess its traditional role of being a lecturer of democratic values at the Summit for Democracy which will take…
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WHO encourages vigilance, vaccinating in the face of Omicron
The need to vaccinate and stay vigilant against Covid-19 as the Omicron variant spreads was stressed by the World Health Organisation in a briefing yesterday. The WHO called on countries to accelerate vaccination programs as much as possible and warn that the Omicron variant may change the course of the pandemic. The Director-General of the WHO says that Omicron could…
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Death toll rises to 39 in Indonesian volcano eruption
An AFP report confirms that the death toll following the volcanic eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Semeru has now risen to 39. The volcano erupted last Saturday, sending plumes of volcanic ash skywards, with entire villages subsequently submerged under hot mud and thousands of people left homeless. Rescuers say the discovery of an additional 4 bodies, and another victim who died…
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DW’s GirlzOffMute turns one!
It’s a year since DW launched GirlZOffMute, the video and radio show that gives African teen girls a voice! The reporters have helped girls in Nigeria, Cameroon, Malawi, and Kenya share their stories on various issues. The 60 videos in English, Kiswahili, Amharic and French have had more than 15 million views on social media and via DW’s partner stations…
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Meet Dago Nivel, an Angolan who took on the system
Dago’s real name is Fancisco Mapanda. He grew up in Jindingo, Luanda. It used to be an agricultural area. Jindingo then became a residential area. Dago had a rough childhood on the streets and at school here. Activism and hip hop changed Dago’s life. He became known as “Dago Nível Intelecto”. In 2016, he and other human rights defenders were…
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World in Progress: The ripple effects of the pandemic
COVID-19 has disrupted children’s education all over the world. Lockdowns and shutdowns have caused much more than kids missing out on school’s curriculums though — it’s taken a toll on their mental health, too. Can drones help in getting medicine and vaccines to remote areas? And how to best tackle COVID misinformation — volunteers in India try to encourage people…
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Transatlantic allies ramp up pressure on Russia over Ukraine
White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki minced no words ahead of the virtual meeting where President Joe Biden conveyed to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, the harsh financial penalties that would accompany any new invasion of Ukraine. “[W]e have a path forward that would impose significant and severe harm on the Russian economy,” Psaki said. “You can call that a threat,…
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President Joko Widodo visted displaced areas in East Java after volcano eruption
More than 34 people were killed, hundreds hospitalised, 22 seriously injured (mostly burned), and nearly 3,000 houses and 38 schools were damaged after a Mount Semeru volcano erupted in the Lumajang district of East Java on Saturday. Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the ravaged areas yesterday to reassure people that communities will be restored quickly and assistance is reaching those…
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Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen to visit Myanmar next month
Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen has accepted an invitation to visit Myanmar military coup leader Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on January 7 and 8, following the discussion between two countries’ foreign ministers at a meeting in Phnom Penh today, according to the Khmer Times. Hun Sen is appointed to take ASEAN chairmanship from 2022. Deputy Prime Minister Park Sokhonn,…
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Blowing the whistle on traffic offenses in Angola
In Caxito, Angola, young men spend the day monitoring the streets aiming the stop traffic accidents. Recognizable by their trademark whistles, many are taxi conductors, and others volunteer as inspectors. They blow the whistle when they see a traffic violation. Drivers routinely ignore road signs. But they aren’t solely responsible for accidents. Caxito’s roads are poorly maintained. Meanwhile, the police…
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Laos to reopen to fully vaccinated international tourists in 2022
Laos’s Tourism Ministry yesterday said the government and private sectors are working together to reopen Laos to fully vaccinated tourists in 2022, with specifics on quarantine upon arrival still being discussed. Following the rules outlined by the Prime Minister’s Office last month, the ministry is also encouraging officials to prepare for the return of international tourists. Further information from the…
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Jetstar Asia to operate vaccinated travel lane between Bangkok and Singapore
Jetstar Asia has confirmed it has received approval to launch 2 additional Vaccinated Travel Lane services from next week. TTR Weekly reports that the carrier will operate flights for fully vaccinated passengers from Bangkok and Phnom Penh to Singapore. The Bangkok to Singapore service launches on December 15 and the following day, VTL flights from Phnom Penh to Singapore join…
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Top US scientist says Omicron “almost certainly” no more severe than Delta
America’s top infectious diseases expert has echoed statements made by the World Health Organisation that Omicron is unlikely to be more severe than other Covid-19 variants. Dr Anthony Fauci says that while it’s too soon to say for sure, there are early indications the variant may in fact result in milder illness. “There is some suggestion that it might even…
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