World News
World news, global politics, business, technology, and culture—stay updated with breaking stories, international trends, and major events. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for global news.
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Sponsored Is expat health insurance in Thailand actually worth it?
The Thaiger key takeaways Foreigners aren’t covered by public healthcare, making private hospital costs a major concern. Insurance offers financial protection and access to better medical care. Whether it’s worth it depends on your stay length, health, lifestyle, and budget....
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China-North Korea leaders meet. “Ties good for regional peace”
In a clear signal to the US President, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has welcomed the Chinese President Xi Jinping in a grand parade. Kim Jong Un and China’s President agreed that amid “serious and complicated” international affairs, strengthening bilateral ties was good for both countries and regional peace, according to North Korean state media. Xi arrived in Pyongyang yesterday…
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34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok – preview
South-east Asian leaders will assemble for the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok this weekend to discuss a range of hot topics. Bangkok’s busy Wireless Road will be closed during the Summit. The event is being held at The Athenée Hotel. Intersections on Wireless, Phloen Chit and Sarasin roads will be closed over the weekend to facilitate the movements and security…
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Thai Army assists with removal of Cambodian border mines
The Royal Thai Army has helped its Cambodian counterparts clear landmines along the Sa Kaew border in Thailand’s east. Together they’ve cleared around 1.72 million square metres in the past financial year. Lt Gen Sitthipol Nimnual, director of the Thailand Mine Action Centre visited the border at Sa Kaew’s Ta Phraya district where the TMAC-Cambodian Mine Action Centre project has…
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Suu Kyi attending ASEAN Summit amid regional storm over Rohingya
PHOTO: ASEAN members will be piling pressure on Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi over the regional Rohingya crisis. Myanmar ‘State Counsellor’ Aung San Suu Kyi is heading to Bangkok to attend this weekend’s 34th Summit of the ASEAN. It’s believed the Rohingya refugee crisis will be a hot topic for discussion at the Summit. Myanmar’s state-run media report that Suu…
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Earthquake rattles northwest Japan, triggers small tsunami
An earthquake has struck Japan’s northwest coast triggering a small tsunami, shaking buildings and cutting power to around 9,000 buildings in the area. The quake struck at 10.22pm. local time at a depth of 12 kilometres. The magnitude 6.4 quake lasted for around 20 seconds. Damage included a landslide that struck a road, according to public broadcaster NHK. Authorities lifted…
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Paris Airshow overshadowed by Boeing’s woes
PHOTO: The new, single-aisle Airbus A321NeoXLR, extra-long-range version Boeing suffered more setbacks whilst Airbus launched an update to their single-aisle line up. Day one at the Paris Airshow. Boeing’s latest creation the 777X will have to wait for General Electric’s specially-constructed new jets to arrive following another delay in testing. The long delay is a blow to Boeing, already struggling…
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ASEAN meeting reports on global sugar deficit and opportunities for SE Asian countries
The ASEAN Sugar Alliance says there will be a global sugar deficit of about 2.5 million tonnes in 2019-20, and prices are expected to firm following a number of years of falling prices and surplus stocks. The prediction was reported at the fourth meeting of the ASEAN Sugar Alliance in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday. Market analyst, futures trading and risk manager…
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Thailand to sit on UN committee from 2020
PHOTO: Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Don Paramudwinai Thailand has been selected as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council from 2020 to 2022 on behalf of Asia and the Pacific region, alongside China, South Korea and Bangladesh. Thailand won 186 votes in the selection process. Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Don Paramudwinai also participated in the session. Last time…
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Malaysia’s Deputy PM sympathises with Azmin’s family over gay sex video scandal
Malaysia’s Deputy PM Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has expressed sympathy for the family of Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, who has been linked to a sex video scandal. Read The Thaiger story HERE. She said she rejected any practice of gutter politics as she had experienced it before. “I reject ‘gutter politics’ because I…
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Thailand’s dengue fever cases “double the five year average” – epidemic declared
“The situation is also the same in Thailand’s neighbour countries.” The Department of Disease Control on Friday has declared a dengue fever epidemic this year. From Jan 1 to June 11 this year there has already been 28,785 reported cases and 43 deaths from the mosquito-borne virus. The deputy director-general of the department says the number of patients was double the…
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ASEAN-Hong Kong, China Free Trade Agreement comes into force
The ASEAN – Hong Kong, China Free Trade Agreement (AHKFTA – that acronym’s never going to fly!), came into force this week for Hong Kong and five ASEAN member states, namely, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Under the AHKFTA, Hong Kong and Singapore will grant tariff-free access and keep their customs duties at zero upon entry into force of…
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Eighteen Burmese illegal migrants found in a Songkhla camp, Thailand
PHOTOS: The Nation Eighteen Burmese illegal migrants have been found at a makeshift camp in forest near Songkhla’s Sadao district waiting waiting to be transported to Malaysia. The 16 men and two women, kept in the woods for four days and told to live on young banana stalks and creek water, were found in a forest area two kilometres away…
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Thai island vs Malaysian island – Phuket vs Penang
Two ‘pearls’ go head to head, including some reflections by guest writer TravellingMitch who’s from the UK Penang was once the ‘Pearl of the Orient’, for most western travellers the only ‘orient’ they would know outside of Singapore and maybe Hong Kong. At the time Phuket wasn’t even known on the tourist map. It was the 1950s and 60s when jet…
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Elephant rides to be banned around Angkor Wat in Siem Reap
Elephant rides around Cambodia’s famous tourist magnet Angkor Wat are being banned. The operator of the local elephant rides around Siem Reap says they have been under pressure from international animal rights organisations, social media and activists to stop the rides. Riding to Angkor Wat at sunrise has been a favourite tourist experience for the past decade. Oan Kiry of…
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Asia’s most challenging golf courses
Golfers fall in love with courses for their beautiful views, world-class services, and impeccable layouts. Some golfers also have a love to hate relationship with all those courses that really test their ability. The Golfscape team has been researching the most challenging courses to play in Asia with the help of journalists, professional golfers, and course designers. Take a look…
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Malaysian diplomat visits Thailand’s deep South to resume peace talks
PHOTO: Tan Sri Abdul Rahim bin Mohammad Noor arrives for talks with Lt-Gen Pornsak Poonsawat, commander of Thailand’s Fourth Army Region – Thai PBS The nominated Malaysian facilitator to continue ongoing peace talks between the Thai government and Mara Patani, an umbrella organisation for Thailand’s separatist groups in the Deep South, wraps up a two day visit to the region today.…
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Malaysian PM dismisses gay sex video implicating his cabinet minister
Malaysian PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad has dismissed the ‘gay sex romp’ videos implicating his Economics Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali with another man. “This is done by people who have political agendas,” said the PM after attending a fund-raising event last night. “Things like these are dirty. If you cannot compete with someone, don’t do something like this.” The…
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Malaysian gay sex video scandal – Cabinet Minister named
Malaysian politics has been thrown into a tizz today as a gay sex video scandal has become the talk of the country. Muhammad Haziq Abdul Aziz, the senior private secretary to Deputy Primary Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, also named the Malaysian cabinet minister with him in the video and said he was “not fit…
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Melbourne named as first non-US city to be an Uber flying-taxi testbed
Flying cars. Long awaited, a thing of 1950s editions of Popular Mechanics and sci-fi, now a small step closer to reality. Uber, the worldwide ride-sharing App, say it is going to use Melbourne, Australia as the first non-US city for its new aerial transportation service. They’ve even claimed 2023 as their launch date for the initiative. Melbourne joins Dallas and…
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PM Prayut receives Royal endorsement at Government House, Bangkok
PHOTO: Thai PBS The newly elected ThaiPM, until now the Prime Minister-elect, has now received royal endorsement from His Majesty the King. The ceremony was held at Government House early this afternoon. Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngarm says that PM Prayut and existing cabinet ministers from the previous government will attend the ASEAN Summit, scheduled for June 20-23 in Bangkok, because…
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Grab adds another layer of riding security in Malaysia. Selfies.
If you’ve used the e-hailing alternative ‘Grab’ you’ll know how easy it is to use as it continues to disrupt traditional taxi and tuk tuk services around the region. In Malaysia they’ve just added another level of security for users and it will be applicable for Thais or other foreigners using Grab when in Malaysia. In Malaysia it will now…
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Helicopters high over Halong Bay, Vietnam
Your visit to Vietnam’s Halong Bay, a cruising Mecca for half a century, can now be enjoyed from above. The Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company will now provide scenic flights over the famous bay, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam. Flights will start at $125 (3,920 baht) for a 12 minute flight – that will take you over six tourist sites,…
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Goodbye iTunes, hello new dedicated Apps
In January 2001 Apple announced iTunes. It changed everything in the music industry and has gone on to spawn other more modern forms of music purchases and sharing. It was a true ‘disrupter’ for the time. Then, just eight months later would come the iPod which fundamentally changed the way we listen to music as well. Now Apple is introducing…
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Campaign to clear ‘Ghost Nets’ from Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar
A team of experienced divers from around the world have launched a campaign to clear lost and disused fishing nets, known as ghost nets, from the coral reefs in Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago. Ghost nets, or ALDFG (abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear), include fishing nets, lines and traps which are left in the ocean and become entangled in rocks and…
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Bali’s Mount Agung erupts again
PHOTO: Twitter/Phoebs A week after flights were cancelled in and out of Bali’s airport, Mount Agung has burst into life again today at 11:42am sending plumes of ash into the Balinese sky. Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center said the eruption lasted for 8 minutes Despite the renewed activity, Mount Agung remains on level alert level three, or “standby”…
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Travel’s dynamic changes – A personal perspective
by Andrew J Wood – President SKÅL International Bangkok With the dramatic announcement of the sale of retail travel giant Thomas Cook following the loss of £1.5 billion brings the blight of the travel agent community into the news once more. Last week Wall Street bank Citigroup advised investors to sell shares in the travel company. Confidence that travel agents…
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ASEAN group calls for end of judicial ‘harassment’ of Thai MPs
The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, based in Jakarta, is calling on Thai authorities to end what they describe as harassment of the Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. They’ve also asked the ruling Junta to stop their efforts to undermine anti-military parties in the new Thai parliament. Charles Santiago, Chair of APHR and a Member of Parliament in Malaysia…
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Lee Kuan Yew’s grandson marries same sex partner in South Africa
by The Star – Asia News Network The grandson of the late Singapore PM Lee Kuan Yew, Li Huanwu, has married his “soul mate” in Cape Town, South Africa. This was revealed by Li’s partner, Heng Yirui, who made the announcement on his personal Instagram account. “Today I marry my soul mate. Looking forward to a lifetime of moments like this with…
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Watch out Thailand, here comes Vietnam
“Vietnam is poised to take advantage of the next wave of digital technologies such as blockchain, AI (artificial intelligence), internet of things and cloud-based services to become Asia’s next high-performing economy and improve the living standards of its residents.” Dr Lucy Cameron, from Australia, lead author of the report “Vietnam’s Future Digital Economy Towards 2030 and 2045”, says the country…
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Chinese, Taiwanese and Singaporeans dominate Asia’s cruise market
Chinese travellers continue to dominate Asia’s passenger cruise market, but Taiwanese and Singaporeans aren’t far behind. This according to the 2018 Asia Cruise Industry Ocean Source Market Report. Commissioned by the Cruise Lines International Association, the report looks at the growth, demographics and trends of the top source markets in Asia. While China continues to dominate the passenger share of…
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