World News
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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Thai vaccination now accepted in the EU Digital Covid Certificate
In a move that will help expats and travellers who have weathered the Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand, the European Union is now accepting Covid-19 vaccination certificates and passports issued in Thailand as part of the EU Digital Covid Certificate. The announcement was made on a Twitter account belonging to the deputy chief of mission for the EU delegation to Thailand.…
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TikTok content moderators sue over exposure to disturbing content
Maybe it’s an “Okay Boomer” thing, but many of our readers may find scrolling endlessly through the short and often obnoxious videos that make up the TikTok app somewhat nauseating. But if you think what’s published on there is bad, the millions of videos that don’t make the cut are far, far worse. That content is blocked by a team…
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Luxury Selfridges chain bought by Central Group and Austrian property firm
Thailand’s Central Group has bought the luxury British retail chain Selfridges in partnership with Signa, an Austrian property firm. According to a Reuters report, the deal is worth around UK£4 billion (180 billion baht). Central Group is owned by Thailand’s billionaire Chirathivat family, while the Signa group is owned by Rene Benko, an Austrian investor. Between them, they already own…
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AstraZeneca triple vaccines shown effective against Omicron variant
Add AstraZeneca to the list of vaccines that testing data shows is effective against the Omicron variant after 2 doses and a third booster shot. The London-based vaccine brand announced today that, like Pfizer 2 weeks ago and the Moderna vaccine last week, AstraZeneca has also been shown to be effective after 3 doses against the Omicron variant of Covid-19.…
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Myanmar ethnic army requests “no-fly zone” near Thai border
Following the airstrikes on Myanmar’s oldest ethnic army controlled area that forced thousands of refugees to flee to neighbouring Thailand last week, the Karen National Union urged the UN Security Council to recognise a no-fly zone in its territory. As fighting between the state military and the Karen’s armed wing has escalated, Thailand took in about 3,400 migrants last week,…
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Jade mine landslide in Myanmar kills at least two, dozens missing and feared dead
A landslide at a Myanmar jade mine killed at least two people. Dozens of miners are still missing, feared dead as rescuers say they don’t expect to uncover any survivors who buried under rubble and debris the mine’s lake in Northern Hpakant, which borders China. About 200 rescuers, including firefighters and local volunteers, joined the hunt for missing miners, some…
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Indonesia increases Jakarta’s minimum wage for next year
Indonesia has decided to raise Jakarta’s provincial minimum wage (Upah Minimum Provinsi) starting in 2022 as its economic growth is predicted to reach 4.3% at the same time. The decision was made for the benefit of the community, especially employees from various departments who were targeted by the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria.…
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NGO warns jewellers to check suppliers, says Myanmar’s gemstone mining funds the military
Myanmar’s multimillion-dollar gemstone industry has fallen into the hands of the state military which seized power in a coup on February 1. Human rights groups are now concerned that the luxury gemstone trade is funding the military’s bloody crackdown. All gemstone mining in Myanmar is technically illegal as all licenses issued by Myanmar’s toppled civilian government expired in 2020, a…
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Indonesia bars travellers from Denmark, Norway and the UK amidst fear of Omicron
Amidst fear of the Omicron outbreak, Indonesia has barred travellers from Denmark, Norway, and the UK aside from ten African countries and extended the quarantine period for all arrivals to 14 days, according to the Jakarta Post. The Indonesian government decided to add Denmark, Norway, and the UK to the no-entry list because “Omicron has been spreading very fast in…
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Thai PM instructs officials to provide aid to around 4,000 Burmese refugees
The Thai PM has ordered local officials in the western province of Tak to provide aid to thousands of refugees who have fled Myanmar. According to a Thai PBS World report, some 4,000 people have been forced to flee fighting in the neighbouring country and are in need of temporary shelter and humanitarian aid. The UN’s refugee agency has already…
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UPDATE: Typhoon Rai death tolls rise to 375 in the Philippines
Super Typhoon Rai’s death toll has risen to 375. The storm, known locally as Odette, ripped through the Philippines, damaging homes, hospitals, and schools. The Philippine Red Cross called the storm’s destruction in the coastal areas“complete carnage” and says survivors are now in critical need of drinking water and food. As of this morning, national police reported that 375 have…
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Japan’s Defense Academy condemned for hosting military training to Myanmar cadets
The Human Rights Watch is calling on the Japanese government to stop hosting cadets from the Myanmar military through the Defence Ministry’s study abroad programme. The calls follow the February 1 coup where Myanmar’s state military took over the civilian government and detained the democratically elected leaders. The National Defense Academy of Japan is reportedly hosting eight military cadets from…
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“Chat girls” in Laos forced into prostitution at a Golden Triangle casino
Inside China-run Golden Triangle Economic Zone next to the Mekong River in far northern Laos, many young women from neighbouring countries come to look for jobs to make a decent income to support their families back home. Many of the vacancies would advertise as “chat girls” to sell shares in the new company to casino patrons, but many struggled to…
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UPDATE: Typhoon Rai – Rescuers battle to reach affected areas, 208 confirmed dead
At least 208 people have been killed as authorities and emergency workers start mopping up the mess left from the destructive path of Typhoon Rai (named as Odette in the Philippines). More than 400,000 people have also been displaced after the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines in 2021 slammed into the central east coast last Thursday and cut a…
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Myanmar deposed leader faces another postponement of her verdict
Pressures from the West and human rights groups may impede Myanmar generals’ decision to seek longer jail terms for deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi as the court under the military junta has postponed her another verdict for illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies today. Despite her lawyers being barred from speaking to the media and journalists barred from attending her…
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Will there ever be another Concorde?
We’d flown in propeller-powered planes, then jets. Supersonic was the next evolutionary step in flying people around the world as the 1960s came to a close. Now, 52 years after Concorde’s early flights supersonic flight is, again, an aviation pipe dream as we pack into our cheap ‘flying buses’ which are not much different from the first successful commercial jets that…
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UPDATE: Philippine’s Typhoon Rai – death toll reaches 208
An emerging human tragedy as at least 208 people have now been killed in the Philippines by Typhoon Rai (locally known as Typhoon Odette). And that toll is expected to rise as emergency and armed services get to the communities in the central Philippines area hardest hit. There are fears widespread landslides and floods have probably claimed many more lives.…
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21,000 people rescued in Malaysia as torrential rain causes severe flooding
Emergency services personnel, helped by civilian volunteers, have rescued 21,000 people from severe flooding across 7 states in Malaysia. According to a Reuters report, over 66,000 police officers, military personnel, and fire department staff were deployed, with people having to be pulled from cars stranded in rising waters or from flooded streets outside their homes. It’s understood 21,000 people have…
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Karen refugees returning to Myanmar as fighting eases
After fleeing Myanmar amid conflicts between the military junta and rebel forces, thousands of Karen refugees are choosing to return to their homes, according to a military source. The refugees were being housed in a temporary shelter in the Mae Sot district in Tak province. This is seen as a positive step in the ever-evolving conflict, as fighting between the…
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Southeast Asia sees only a trickle of international tourism
Southeast Asia, for decades a tourism hotspot, has been slowly reopening to international tourists, but despite cracking the door open, most countries are only seeing a trickle of tourism at best. Businesses in the tourism sector like hotels, tour guides and more saw their livelihoods destroyed by the Covid-19 pandemic and are eager to see international travellers returning. But the…
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Ryanair CEO says anyone who refuses vaccine is an “idiot”
Michael O’Leary, the CEO of RyanAir not known for biting his tongue, has spoken out against mandatory vaccinations but has made clear his personal beliefs on getting vaccinated. In recent comments, O’Leary said that anyone who turns down a potentially life-saving Covid-19 vaccine is an “idiot” and suggested that people who turn down the vaccine without good reason should suffer…
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Is Omicron less or more dangerous than earlier Covid variants?
A month after the first cases of the Covid-19 variant, Omicron, were officially detected in South Africa, we know a bit more about the potential dangers, but not a lot. Anecdotally, there have been plenty of doctors saying that the new variant appears to produce milder symptoms than earlier variants, as is often the case with these viruses. But they…
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UK and the EU brace for more Omicron-induced closures and restrictions
The UK and EU are going into a mild travel panic as borders start to close again and restrictions re-imposed. Last night France imposed a ban on travel to and from the country, except for “travel for compelling reasons”. The only “compelling” exemptions are for French and European travellers returning to France, or UK passengers heading in the other direction. Back…
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Moderna finds booster shot effective against Omicron variant
Following in the footsteps of Pfizer, Moderna has announced positive results in their study of how the mRNA vaccine stands up against the new Omicron variant. In their new assessment, the makers of Moderna found that, very similarly to the Pfizer vaccine, 2 doses of Moderna is less effective against the Omicron variant than previous strains, but a third booster…
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Vietnam tightens border restrictions with Cambodia over Omicron fear
More than ever, Vietnam has tightened security and patrols along the 133 kilometre border with Cambodia in the Mekong Delta provinces due to fear of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron starting today. Along with the 12 border guard posts, 36 checkpoints, six mobile patrol teams, four working groups, and three mobile working groups were ordered to reinforce pandemic control, according…
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UK records highest daily Covid cases of nearly 90,000
For the second day in a row, the UK has recorded a total of 88,376 new Covid-19 cases and 146 deaths, with the highest rates in London and the East of England since early January, thanks to the fast-spreading Omicron variety. PM Boris Johnson’s administration claimed that it was not pushing people to abandon their Christmas plans, despite the fact…
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Four killed, dozens injured as Typhoon Rai batters central Philippines
In this year’s strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines, four people were killed and dozens more were injured. Super Typhoon Rai, also named “Odette” by the country’s authorities, has battered the central islands of the archipelago. As the storm swept over the Pacific Ocean, 18,000 people have yet to return home out of the more than 300,000 people who sought…
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Don’t laugh! North Korea marks death anniversary of Kim Jong Il
Have you ever been in that situation when someone tells you, “don’t laugh!” and then it’s nearly impossible not to? In North Korea, failing to stifle laughter this week could come with severe consequences, as officials announced a 10-day ban on laughter to mark the 10 year death anniversary of the previous dictator Kim Jong Il. Much like celebrations of…
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Italy bars tourists from Singapore until late-January over Covid risk
Singaporeans can no longer travel to Italy for sightseeing starting today as the Italian embassy in Singapore has added Singapore and Brunei to a list of nations with a greater risk of Covid-19 infections. Travellers from both nations are now only permitted to enter Italy for job, health, or study purposes, or to return home in an emergency. Certain exemptions…
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Philippine island hit by Typhoon Rai, more than 45,000 people forced to evacuate
Super Typhoon Rai, named “Odette” in the Philippines, ripped through the archipelago’s eastern island of Siargao, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Flights have been cancelled as well as land and sea trips in the area. More than 45,000 people have been evacuated to government shelters in Eastern Visayas, which includes six provinces, as the 15th…
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