World News
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Sponsored Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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Duterte approves lockdown measures for Manila
The president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, AKA Rody, or “The Punisher”, or “Duterte Harry”, has approved lockdown measures in the capital of the Philippines, Manila, today. The move is an effort to thwart the spread of the Delta variant and to protect the country’s medical system. Earlier in the week, Duterte expressed his lack of enthusiasm for lockdowns, framing…
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China’s national anthem possibly booed in Hong Kong, police investigate
Today, Hong Kong Police said they are going to launch an investigation into an alleged booing of China’s national anthem at a shopping centre that was broadcasting the city’s first Olympic gold medal win in a quarter of a century from earlier this week. On Monday, over 100 people gathered at the shopping centre to watch Cheung Ka Long accepting…
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Ghana’s massive new National Mosque
Ghana’s capital Accra is now home to West Africa’s second biggest mosque. Funded by the Turkish government, Ghana’s National Mosque is said to be a replica of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The complex cost at least $10 million dollars, 15,000 people can worship in the mosque at a time. Decorations include hand-drawn calligraphy of Quran verses, and the Carrara…
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The wondrous Lake Wonchi
Have you ever heard of Lake Wonchi? The lake fills a volcanic crater that lies 100 km southwest of the capital Addis Ababa. It is surrounded by tree-covered mountains, lush valleys and natural hot springs. 2,800 m above sea level, the crater is also Ethiopia’s highest volcano. The 14th century monastery of Tana Kirkos is also located here. Tourists are…
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Tanzania starts vaccine campaign in COVID-19 U-turn
The launching of Tanzania’s belated vaccination campaign is the most decisive signal yet of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s break from the coronavirus policies of her late predecessor, John Magufuli. Magufuli, who died in March, was a devout Christian and a coronavirus skeptic. Saying God would protect his people, he championed prayers over face masks and home remedies such as steam…
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COVID: Why India’s economy cannot afford another lockdown
As a delayed monsoon finally reaches New Delhi, shopkeepers at a local market duck under covers and frantically attempt to keep their merchandise from getting wet. They say they cannot afford any further blow to their small business following more than a year of erratic income due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now there is fear of another crippling COVID-induced lockdown.…
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India seeks to reform its military amid new security threats
The top brass of the Indian military met last week to discuss massive reforms, which are aimed at integrating the capabilities of the army, the navy and the air force. In a plan backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, the current 17 single-service units will come under five “theater commands” in a bid to establish a unified approach to…
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Kashmir lockdowns put houseboats’ survival at risk
Traditional houseboats on Dal Lake in Srinagar draw tourists from around the world. But environmental degradation and the pandemic are keeping this heritage from staying afloat. SOURCE: DW News
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Patrolling Lithuania’s border with Belarus
Carefully, Justas moves through the undergrowth, using his flashlight to illuminate the dark forest. He’s pulled a brown balaclava over his face. The 22-year-old officer and his colleague Vitautas have been on patrol at Lithuania’s border with Belarus for hours. “Three days ago, a hole was cut into the fence to make crossing the border easier,” Justas tells me. Justas…
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Ghana: Anti-gay bill seeks long jail terms for LGBTQ people
Ghana’s laws already criminalize gay sex by forbidding “unnatural carnal knowledge”. Now West African country wants to go a step further in its efforts to outlaw the LGBTQ community. If the bill is passed, people of the same sex who engage in sexual activity could be fined or jailed for between three to five years. The law would also make…
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Africa’s shea trees are under threat
As the number of shea trees in West and East Africa rapidly declines, one group is trying to preserve shea parklands for generations to come. SOURCE: DW News
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Thailand: Is royal reform a far-fetched dream?
The youth-led, pro-democracy movement in Thailand began coalescing in mid-2020 and at its peak saw hundreds of thousands of protesters calling for the government’s resignation and a more transparent and accountable monarchy. The demonstrators — who in recent months have focused their complaints on Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s handling of the pandemic as Thailand struggles with surging COVID-19 cases —…
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China flood disaster: Passersby harass German reporter
“Are you that BBC guy?” a passerby asked Mathias Bölinger, a German journalist who has been reporting for DW and other broadcasters from the flooded regions in China. Ever since the BBC aired an investigative TV report on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic — a report Beijing considers “fictitious” — the British broadcaster has had a credibility problem in…
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Tunisia: A political crisis fueled by economic woes
Tunisian President Kais Saied had barely announced his decision to dismiss Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and freeze parliament for 30 days when he began justifying it on Sunday evening, arguing that he had acted in accordance with the constitution. The president, a lawyer, said he based his decision on Article 80 of the Tunisian constitution, which grants the president the…
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Afghanistan: What does NATO withdrawal mean for India?
The final stages of the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces from Afghanistan, coupled with the Taliban’s sweeping offensive, have forced regional stakeholders to recalibrate their position in the war-torn country. One of those stakeholders is India — the largest regional donor to Afghanistan. India has long supported the civilian government in Kabul, heavily investing in the country over the past…
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Iran: Drought, water shortages spark protests
People in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province are desperate. Suffering from drought and water shortages since March, they’ve taken to the streets in the last couple of weeks to express their anger with the government and its poor management of water resources. According to official sources, at least four men, including one policeman, have died in the protests. Authorities claim they…
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Myanmar’s economy to shrink by 18% due to military coup and Covid-19
The civil unrest following the February military coup, paired with the a spike in Covid-19 infections, is expected to cause Myanmar’s economy to contract by 18% this year, according to the World Bank. Since the military takeover, ousting the country’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi of the National League for Democracy, it’s estimated that more than 900 people have been killed…
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Noor Mukadam and the brutalization of women in Pakistan
Noor Mukadam, a 27-year-old woman and daughter of Pakistan’s former ambassador to South Korea, was killed in Islamabad on July 20 in a brutal manner. The alleged killer, Zahir Zamir Jaffer, was reportedly her acquaintance, and according to police reports, beheaded Mukadam after shooting her. Violence against women is widespread in Pakistan, but the recent spate of women killings has…
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Singapore plans to vaccinate 80%, reopen with quarantine-free travel by September
Singapore plans to fully vaccinate 80% of the population and reopen with quarantine-free travel in September. As the Southeast Asian country accelerates its vaccination campaign to hit its target within the next month, officials are preparing to reopen the country and are working to establish travel corridors with countries that have low Covid-19 infection rates. Finance Minister Lawrence Wong told…
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The ‘infodemic’ – interview with Helen Petousis-Harris about Covid misinformation
Helen Petousis-Harris is a NZ vaccinologist and associate professor in the Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care at the University of Auckland. She’s been at the forefront of the dis-information ‘infodemic’ since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year and a voice of reason in Ted Talks, worldwide interviews and lectures. Today she speaks to Tim Newton…
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Indonesia extends Covid-19 disease control measures for another week
Covid-19 restrictions in Indonesia are being extended to August 2 as the highly transmissible Delta variant continues to rapidly spread. Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced the extension yesterday, adding that the government will gradually adjust restrictions. Since the start of the pandemic last year, Indonesia has reported 3.1 million Covid-19 cases and 83,279 coronavirus-related deaths. With a recent spike in…
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The 77 Percent — Who is to blame for the rising insecurity in Northern Nigeria?
Host: Zaharadeen Umar SOURCE: DW News
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Man with Covid-19 disguised as his wife to board flight
Stories have been going viral about how after lockdowns and travel restrictions, airlines are struggling with defiant and badly behaved passengers. But an Indonesian man who is infected with Covid-19 went to extreme measures to sneak aboard a flight this week disguised by dressing up as his Covid-19 negative wife. The man who had tested positive for Covid-19 swapped identities…
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The Netherlands gears for future with flood-control project
“We were really lucky,” says Jan Heymans from the Dutch village of Neer on the Maas river. “The new flood wall was completed just a few months ago. Without it, everything here would have been flooded.” With massive steel gates and 10-cm-thick (4-inch-thick) glass panels at the top, the wall was able to resist the heavy rainfall from Germany and…
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West Africa’s liver cancer cases linked to hepatitis
The World Cancer Research Fund collects data on the prevalence of cancer types across the globe. When it comes to liver cancer, 8 West African nations are in the top 25 countries with highest prevalence of liver cancer. These include Liberia, Guinea, Ghana Burkina Faso and Senagal. In fact, liver cancer is the most common cancer in the Gambia, with…
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DR Congo faces major challenges in COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Almost every day, there are huge traffic jams in front of the district hospital in Goma, a major city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Cars, motorcycle cabs and pedestrians clog the road as friends and relatives come to pick up the deceased to bury them. For several weeks, an increasing number of COVID-19 patients have been among the dead…
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Nord Stream 2 deal stokes fears of Russian aggression in eastern Europe
For most countries in central and eastern Europe, the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline is not simply a controversial project. Rather, they see it as a measure of the credibility of German policy in the region. And, right now, that credibility is in tatters. This week’s US-German agreement in the Nord Stream 2 dispute, which would allow the…
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The EU and North Macedonia: More ‘trauma’ before membership?
North Macedonia was officially included in the agenda for EU enlargement in 2005; the promissory note that Brussels offered Skopje on the conditions of good behavior and reforms is now older than the country’s new name. Yet with a track record of steady reforms, Skopje has seen the process slowed down to a virtual halt, which has not only raised…
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Pegasus spyware: Mexico one of the biggest targets
It was Saturday afternoon when Marcela Turati discovered that she was one of the 25 journalists in Mexico who had been allegedly targeted by Pegasus spyware technology, just hours before an international network of researchers released information about the surveillance project that sent shockwaves around the world. At first, Turati was stunned and couldn’t believe it — but it soon…
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Tokyo Olympic Games: 41 Thai athletes compete for gold
The pandemic-delayed 2020 Olympics are finally set to get underway in Tokyo on July 23, under heavy Covid-19 restrictions as Japan still battles the virus. But as the Olympic Games are gearing up to begin, Thailand has sent 41 hopeful athletes to compete for the gold medal in Tokyo. Thailand will be competing in 15 events in the Tokyo Olympics:…
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