Asia

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Update | Thai suicide rate skyrocketed during pandemic

    Thailand News Update | Thai suicide rate skyrocketed during pandemic

    On Saturday, Thailand’s Department of Mental Health has reported the drastic impact of Covid-19 on mental health, with its director-general revealing that the suicide rate in Thailand is 5.9 times what it was in pre-Covid days.The department’s data found that people are 2.1 times more likely to develop stress, and 4.8 times more likely to develop depression, than they were…

  • World NewsAsian stocks rise with new Russian sanctions, market volatility increases worldwide

    Asian stocks rise with new Russian sanctions, market volatility increases worldwide

    Asia markets ticked higher at opening on Friday, encouraged by a rebound of the US stock market, after Russia was struck with a flurry of international sanctions. US President Joe Biden has announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, crippling its ability to conduct business in major currencies. Many indexes were in the green on Friday morning, including Tokyo’s…

  • Technology NewsGlobal Electric Vehicle sales up 109% last year

    Global Electric Vehicle sales up 109% last year

    In new research on the global electric vehicle market, Canalys estimates that 6.5 million electric vehicles (EVs) were sold worldwide in 2021, up 109% on 2020. EVs include fully electric and plug-in hybrid passenger cars. The total global car market grew just 4% in 2021 as it continued to struggle with Covid-19 restrictions and chip shortages. EV sales represented 9%…

  • Thailand NewsDespite Covid-19, tourism authorities still optimistic about this coming year

    Despite Covid-19, tourism authorities still optimistic about this coming year

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand is keeping its chin up, and has high hopes for tourism income this year. The TAT governor told the Bangkok Post today he hopes to target wealthy travellers, skilled professionals, and remote workers. The target age groups include millenials and retirees alike. He says the goal for tourism this year is to earn the country…

  • Thailand video newsAsia News Today | Japan to ease border controls & Fears of Cambodian surveillance

    Asia News Today | Japan to ease border controls & Fears of Cambodian surveillance

    A new internet gateway in Cambodia, set to be launched today, is being delayed, apparently due to issues related to Covid 19 in the country. When enacted, all Internet traffic in Cambodia will be routed through the government-run National Internet Gateway, allowing authorities to monitor online activity, intercept and censor digital communications, and collect users’ personal data. But the Telecommunications…

  • World NewsLombok expects to welcome 64,000 visitors at Indonesian Motorcycle Grand Prix

    Lombok expects to welcome 64,000 visitors at Indonesian Motorcycle Grand Prix

    At least 64,000 visitors are estimated to flock to Indonesia’s Lombok for the 2022 Indonesian Motorcycle Grand Prix next month, with locals on the island’s special economic zone Mandalika expecting a boost. One said it’s the first time their resort has been fully booked since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The five-day event will start on March 18 with…

  • World News15 passengers denied entry at Philippines airport over vaccine certificates

    15 passengers denied entry at Philippines airport over vaccine certificates

    Following its reopening of borders to fully-vaccinated visitors last week, the Philippines immigration reportedly denied entry to 15 Malaysians due to their vaccination in Malaysia yesterday. Their passports are reportedly being held and they will be deported from the Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport tomorrow. A passenger told The Star reporters that the Philippines immigration officials did not accept the…

  • World NewsIndonesia purchases six Rafale fighter jets from France

    Indonesia purchases six Rafale fighter jets from France

    The defence minister in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta says the country is buying six Rafale fighter jets, confirming that a deal was signed with France yesterday as part of an order of 42 warplanes. Jakarta is replacing its ageing fleet of warplanes, which are mostly American F-16 fighter jets and Russian Sukhoi fighter jets. Indonesia’s first order for French fighter jets…

  • World NewsPhilippines lifts travel ban, welcomes fully vaccinated tourists from 157 countries

    Philippines lifts travel ban, welcomes fully vaccinated tourists from 157 countries

    The Philippines is welcoming fully vaccinated travellers from 157 countries with visa-free agreements as the Southeast Asian country has lifted its nearly two-year ban on foreign tourists. The 157 countries include the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and Russia. (Here’s a full list by Philippines Airlines.) Visitors are no longer required to quarantine upon arrival as a risk classification system that…

  • World NewsVillager in Indonesia rescues crocodile trapped in motorbike tyre for five years

    Villager in Indonesia rescues crocodile trapped in motorbike tyre for five years

    A villager in Indonesia was about to free a crocodile of a motorbike tyre that had been stuck around its neck for more five years. Since 2016, conservationists have been trying to capture the crocodile to free him from the tyre, but had not been successful. But this week, a villager from Sulawesi island in the east of Borneo, along…

  • World NewsSingapore’s LGBT content ban slammed after gay kiss caught in news broadcast

    Singapore’s LGBT content ban slammed after gay kiss caught in news broadcast

    In a Singaporean news broadcast on the Winter Olympics, it wasn’t the coverage that got the attention of viewers, it was what was happening in the background at the Beijing bar. Behind the Channel News Asia correspondent were two men passionately kissing, a taboo for Singaporeans where broadcasting laws prohibit LGBT content and homosexual relationships between men are illegal. Although…

  • World NewsElection campaigns kick off in the Philippines, Marcos Jr. a favourite

    Election campaigns kick off in the Philippines, Marcos Jr. a favourite

    The campaign season in the Philippines leading up to the May presidential election kicked off this week. Channel News Asia says this season is candidates are running a “chaotic” and “colourful charm offensive” which is aimed at attracting the millions of voters who are “typically more interested in personality than policy.” Analysts have already foreseen the victory of Ferdinand “Bongbong”…

  • World NewsIndonesia tightens restrictions as Covid-19 cases rise in the capital

    Indonesia tightens restrictions as Covid-19 cases rise in the capital

    As the spread of the Omicron variant in Indonesia has led to a spike in cases in Jakarta, officials are tightening restrictions in the capital, Bali, Bandung in West Java, and Yogyakarta in Central Java. Reports initially said foreign tourists would be barred from entering Jakarta, but the transport minister released a statement today saying that tourists with the proper…

  • World NewsThailand says Myanmar observers will not participate in Cobra Gold exercises

    Thailand says Myanmar observers will not participate in Cobra Gold exercises

    Myanmar military observers will not participate in this year’s 41st Cobra Gold military exercise, which will take place from February 20 to March 5, according to Lt Gen Chitchanok Nujjaya, Director of Joint Operations. He said the decision was made by both Thailand and the US since there was not enough time to prepare for Myanmar’s participation. Although there were…

  • World NewsVietnam plans for full reopening in March or April, PM pushes for preparations

    Vietnam plans for full reopening in March or April, PM pushes for preparations

    Following moves in other Southeast Asian countries to gradually reopen borders to foreign tourists, Vietnam is set to reopen to fully vaccinated tourists around March or April of this year. The country’s PM Pham Minh Chinh says the country needs to prepare to reopen safety, which will be either at the end of March or by the end of April,…

  • World NewsASEAN called to reconsider its five-point consensus on solving the Myanmar crisis

    ASEAN called to reconsider its five-point consensus on solving the Myanmar crisis

    Political experts called on ASEAN to reconsider its dialogue with the Myanmar military junta and urged it to get more help from the international community today as some say the bloc’s five-point consensus on solving the Myanmar crisis is “not working.” During the webinar “Myanmar: Year Zero Plus One” by Asia News Network earlier this week, a retired Thai ambassador,…

  • World NewsUS CDC issues Level 4: Very High Risk travel advisory for the Philippines

    US CDC issues Level 4: Very High Risk travel advisory for the Philippines

    Although the Philippines is set to reopen its doors to fully vaccinated international visitors this month, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of the US is advising its citizens not to travel to the Southeast Asian country due to a “very high level” of Covid-19 infections. The CDC released a statement that those planning to go to the Philippines…

  • World NewsRights group calls on Thai government not to deport Laos activist

    Rights group calls on Thai government not to deport Laos activist

    Rights groups have raised concerns over the deportation of a Laos human rights activist who is currently residing in Thailand as an UN-recognised refugee after he was arrested at Lak Si district police station in Bangkok on Saturday for allegedly overstaying his visa. Khoukham Keomanivong was found guilty of the charge and was transported to the immigration bureau after his…

  • Covid-19 NewsNeoCoV could be ‘3 times more lethal’ than Covid-19, IF it gains key mutation for humans

    NeoCoV could be ‘3 times more lethal’ than Covid-19, IF it gains key mutation for humans

    Chinese researchers in Wuhan have sounded the alarm on a species of known bat coronavirus that could potentially be 3 times more fatal than Covid-19, the Thai Public Health Commission’s Vice Chairman Chalermchai Boonyaleephan stated yesterday. If the virus were to mutate and make its way to human populations, it could turn into “Covid-22” and eventually be crowned “MERS-CoV-2,” Boonyaleephan said.…

  • World NewsMyanmar: One year after the military coup and bloody crackdown

    Myanmar: One year after the military coup and bloody crackdown

    A year ago today, Myanmar’s military seized power of the government over what they say was a fraudulent election. The democratically elected State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted and detained, as well as other civilian leaders. The coup was met with backlash from the public, leading to a bloody crackdown by security forces that killed more than one…

  • World NewsSmoke blankets over Laos capital Vientiane, landfill fire releases toxic fumes

    Smoke blankets over Laos capital Vientiane, landfill fire releases toxic fumes

    Clouds of toxic smoke billowed over the Laos capital of Vientiane after a fire broke out at a landfill over the weekend, according to the local media outlet Laotian Times. Authorities have yet to issue a comment about what caused it. Smoke blanketed the skies in and surrounding the Xaythany District, causing locals to complain about the stink over the…

  • World NewsLaos workers to return Thailand as borders reopen for migrants from neighbouring countries

    Laos workers to return Thailand as borders reopen for migrants from neighbouring countries

    For the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, Thailand will reopen its borders to migrant workers, especially from Laos, who are now granted permission to return to Thailand with the approval of their employers next week after a hiatus due to Covid-19. Reports say many people continue to cross the border illegally in search…

  • World NewsSpike in Covid clusters at Malaysia schools, many parents still concerned with vaccinating children

    Spike in Covid clusters at Malaysia schools, many parents still concerned with vaccinating children

    Covid-19 is on the rise at a number of schools in Malaysia following their reopenings and fingers are pointing at teachers and staff for not following and enforcing disease prevention rules like wearing a mask. The country’s health minister even says teachers with coronavirus symptoms are still coming to class. The cluster outbreaks at schools come just as the government is…

  • World NewsCambodia PM invites Myanmar junta to the Summit if progress made on peace plan

    Cambodia PM invites Myanmar junta to the Summit if progress made on peace plan

    Despite objections from his counterparts, Cambodia’s leader and incumbent chair of the 10 member bloc, PM Hun Sen, confirmed he had invited Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing to the next ASEAN summit if he makes progress on a peace plan he agreed to last year. Hun Sen reportedly spoke to the military head, Min Aung Hlaing, today via video…

  • World NewsIndonesia calls for tougher sentences in child abuses as cases rise

    Indonesia calls for tougher sentences in child abuses as cases rise

    The judiciary of Indonesia was slammed by right groups when a 10-year jail term was sentenced to a 37 year old Christian priest Benyamin Sitepu, the principal of Galilea Hosana School in Medan, who was accused of sexually assaulting six students under his care. The families were disappointed with the verdict by the Medan District Court as Sitepu did not…

  • World NewsSamsung removes ad in Singapore of drag queen hugging Muslim mother

    Samsung removes ad in Singapore of drag queen hugging Muslim mother

    Following the outcry from socially conservative groups, South Korean electronics giant Samsung has withdrawn its online advertisement in Singapore that portrayed a hijab-wearing Muslim mom hugging her drag queen son. The ad from Samsung’s “Listen to Your Heart” promotion was allegedly accused of advertising homosexuality and transgenderism by promoting wearable devices like noise-cancelling headphones and smartwatches that apparently highlighted the…

  • World NewsAmerican retail giant Walmart shows interest in Laos

    American retail giant Walmart shows interest in Laos

    Walmart might be moving to Laos. An American multinational retail conglomerate, best known for its hypermarket and grocery store chains across the States, has shown its interest in Laos as a group of Lao-Americans met yesterday, including the Lao Overseas Affairs Department and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI), to discuss investment in Laos. The team, led by…

  • World NewsMalaysia resumes Vaccinated Travel Lane ticket sales for air, land travel to Singapore

    Malaysia resumes Vaccinated Travel Lane ticket sales for air, land travel to Singapore

    Malaysia’s health ministry announced today that ticket sales for air and land travel under a Vaccinated Travel Lane programme (VTL) with Singapore, which had been cancelled until yesterday due to Omicron concerns, have resumed. Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that the resumption of VTL follows a risk assessment of the current Covid-19 situation in both countries. However, ticket sales will…

  • Bangkok NewsThai baht rises as officials consider resumption of Test & Go

    Thai baht rises as officials consider resumption of Test & Go

    Thailand saw strength in its currency “baht” today as expectations are high for the relaxing of quarantine for vaccinated visitors under “Test & Go” quarantine exemption scheme. Registration for the entry scheme was closed last month, but the Public Health Ministry is proposing the scheme be reopened again. The Public Health Minister says that if approved by the Centre for…

  • World NewsMore than 349,000 people displaced due to violence in Myanmar since February coup

    More than 349,000 people displaced due to violence in Myanmar since February coup

    Official figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs this month show that about 349,800 individuals were displaced in the southeast and northwest of the country and needed humanitarian aid since the February 2021 military coup. Fights have intensified between Myanmar’s military and the People’s Defence Forces, locally known as PDFs. Thousands have reportedly fled to…