Australia

  • Phuket News19 year old Australian falls to his death at a Phuket hotel

    19 year old Australian falls to his death at a Phuket hotel

    A 19 year old Australian, Joshua Connell, died when he fell from the 6th floor of a hotel rooftop in Phuket’s Patong Beach. He landed on the roof of a restaurant kitchen next door and was only wearing shorts.s CCTV video shows that he was balancing on the brick walling and steel railing of the rooftop area before losing his…

  • Thailand NewsThai Airways resumes Perth – Bangkok flights

    Thai Airways resumes Perth – Bangkok flights

  • Thailand NewsUPDATE: 12 people exposed to monkeypox forced to quarantine in Thailand

    UPDATE: 12 people exposed to monkeypox forced to quarantine in Thailand

    UPDATE: The 12 crew members and passengers who were in close contact with a traveller infected with monkeypox – who stopped off at Bangkok’s Survarnabhumi airport for 2 hours before flying on to Australia – are currently being forced to quarantine in Thailand. The 12 people have already been in enforced quarantine for 7 days and have shown no symptoms…

  • Thailand NewsEx Thai prisoner convicted of child sex offences willing to be castrated

    Ex Thai prisoner convicted of child sex offences willing to be castrated

    A high-profile paedophile says he is willing to be castrated to stop him reoffending in the future. Child sex offender Bradley Pen Dragon announced he is happy to be chemically or physically castrated today after he won his release from a prison in Australia. The 62 year old will be allowed to leave prison next month subject to more than…

  • Tourism NewsTourism officials ramp up marketing campaigns to target short-haul markets

    Tourism officials ramp up marketing campaigns to target short-haul markets

    Tourism officials are looking to short-haul markets to attract holidaymakers during the off-peak season, with a number of marketing events planned. Thanet Phetsuwan from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says places like India, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia are the target markets. “This strategic push for short-haul markets aims to create a quick win, attracting both repeat and first-time visitors all…

  • China NewsThe QUAD Summit in Tokyo – what is QUAD, who’s attending and what are they talking about?

    The QUAD Summit in Tokyo – what is QUAD, who’s attending and what are they talking about?

    Leaders of the US, Australia, Japan and India are meeting today at the QUAD Summit 2022 in Tokyo to discuss the ever-growing economic influence of China in the region, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and India’s ongoing trade war and relationship with Russia. US President Joe Biden yesterday stoked regional political fires, prior to today’s summit, during a media conference with…

  • World NewsAustralian voters sweep conservative government out of power

    Australian voters sweep conservative government out of power

    Australian voters have delivered a stark rebuke to both of the major political parties, awarding votes to a raft of new independent MPs who will take seats in the new lower house of the Australian parliament. Both major parties – the Liberal/National conservative coalition and the centre-left Australian Labor Party – lost their way in a sea of big changes…

  • Phuket News22 year old Australian found dead at hotel in Phuket

    22 year old Australian found dead at hotel in Phuket

    An Australian traveller plunged to his death after falling from an 11th storey hotel room at The Royal Paradise Resort Hotel and Spa, in Patong district of Phuket. The body of the lifeless man, identified as Billy James Simmons, was found on the footpath below his room, lying face up. The 22 year old’s body was discovered by the hotel’s…

  • Thailand NewsMelbourne City player mocks Bangkok Glass players’ height during match

    Melbourne City player mocks Bangkok Glass players’ height during match

    Thai football fans are calling for Melbourne City FC to apologise on behalf of a player who mocked the height of two Thai football players during an AFC Champions League match between A-league club Melbourne City and Bangkok Glass, or BG Pathum United FC, at the BG Stadium in Pathum Thani province yesterday. Melbourne’s 34 year old defender Rostyn Griffiths,…

  • World NewsAustralia welcomes the return of cruise ships as 2-year Covid ban lifted

    Australia welcomes the return of cruise ships as 2-year Covid ban lifted

    Cruise ships are returning to Australia, following the lifting of a 2-year Covid ban, according to an AFP report. The ban was implemented in March 2020 in a bid to prevent the importation of Covid-19. It ended this morning with the arrival of the Pacific Explorer into Sydney Harbour. At the base of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, crowds gathered to…

  • World NewsHuman Rights Watch rebukes Australia for meeting with Myanmar junta chief

    Human Rights Watch rebukes Australia for meeting with Myanmar junta chief

    Yesterday, Human Rights Watch accused Australia’s ambassador to Myanmar of “lending credibility” to Myanmar’s junta government. HRW’s criticism came after the ambassador met with the junta’s chief Min Aung Hlaing and of Myanmar’s state-owned media outlets on Wednesday to discuss “cooperation” in various sectors. HRW Myanmar researcher Manny Maung said the meeting has hurt global efforts to hold the chief…

  • World NewsAustralia plans to sue Facebook owner over scam ads for cryptocurrency

    Australia plans to sue Facebook owner over scam ads for cryptocurrency

    Australian officials are suing Facebook’s owner, Meta Platforms, over scam ads for cryptocurrency schemes. The ads feature well-known Australians, including a politician and a businessman, who they claim endorse the schemes. In reality, the figures never endorsed the schemes, or approved the ads. Australia’s consumer protection commission said the ads also contained links to fake articles with quotes claiming to…

  • World NewsAsia News Today | Record Covid cases in South Korea, Japan and Australia add extra Russia sanctions

    Asia News Today | Record Covid cases in South Korea, Japan and Australia add extra Russia sanctions

    The Asia-Pacific region has been lagging behind other parts of the world, in regards to Covid recover, but now appears primed for a tourist and business travel comeback. Unlike most of North America and Europe, the omicron variant surge in most locations in the Asia-Pacific region still hasn’t peaked. Countries including South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam…

  • World NewsAustralia, Netherlands in joint legal action against Russia over 2014 downing of MH17

    Australia, Netherlands in joint legal action against Russia over 2014 downing of MH17

    The governments of Australia and the Netherlands have confirmed they’re taking joint legal action against Russia over the downing of a Malaysian Airlines passenger plane 8 years ago. MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, when it came down over eastern Ukraine. International investigators say it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile supplied by…

  • Thailand video newsAsia News Today | China locks down 17 million, earthquake in Indonesia

    Asia News Today | China locks down 17 million, earthquake in Indonesia

    Families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea are calling on an early meeting of leaders from the two countries to retrieve their relatives. They are pushing on the Japanese government to approach North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to swiftly resolve the issue of abductions… this comes from the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea.The association…

  • World NewsBody of Australian cricket star Shane Warne flown home to Melbourne

    Body of Australian cricket star Shane Warne flown home to Melbourne

    The body of cricket legend Shane Warne has been flown out of Bangkok, landing in his native Melbourne yesterday. According to an AFP report, a private jet transported the body of the 52-year-old, who died of a heart attack last week while on holiday on Koh Samui. After an 8-hour flight, the chartered jet touched at Melbourne’s Essendon North airport…

  • Koh Samui NewsBody of Australian cricket legend to be flown home following autopsy

    Body of Australian cricket legend to be flown home following autopsy

    Police on Koh Samui say the body of Australian cricket player, Shane Warne, will be flown home for a state funeral once the autopsy is completed. The 52-year-old was found dead at a villa on the island on Friday, a day after he arrived. The player is thought to have died of a heart attack. According to a Bangkok Post…

  • World NewsMuch of Australian state under water as 200,000 people ordered to flee flood

    Much of Australian state under water as 200,000 people ordered to flee flood

    A devastating storm that started last week has killed 13 people so far in the Australian state of New South Wales. Emergency services have ordered 200,000 people to flee, warning of dangerous wind and rain across 400 kilometres of the coast. A meteorologist predicts there will be 50-150 milimetres of rain in and around Sydney, which he warned will cause…

  • World NewsIn the absence of Chinese tourists, TAT pins its hopes on short-haul markets

    In the absence of Chinese tourists, TAT pins its hopes on short-haul markets

    With the Chinese market showing no signs of a revival any time soon, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is turning to the neighbours. According to a Bangkok Post report, the TAT says it plans to attract 1.5 million tourists from Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Australia. Thanet Phetsuwan says if travel restrictions are eased in Southeast Asia, Thailand should be…

  • World NewsAsia News Today | Japanese government “on alert” for local provocations, here comes 6G”

    Asia News Today | Japanese government “on alert” for local provocations, here comes 6G”

    The Japanese government says it’s on alert for any provocations in East Asia… specifically from China, Russia and North Korea. In addition to North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan last Sunday, military exercises conducted by China and Russia are becoming more active in the waters and airspace around Japan over the past 3 months,…

  • World NewsLATEST: Massive Russian convoy nears Kyiv, Kharkiv bombed, as peace talks falter

    LATEST: Massive Russian convoy nears Kyiv, Kharkiv bombed, as peace talks falter

    On the fifth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, satellite images show a mammoth convoy of Russian armoured vehicles with militia about 64 kilometres long is slowly slithering down from the north toward the capital of Kyiv. The serpentine convoy is now less than 30 kilometres away. Air raid sirens have been sounded again, with Russian strikes on the…

  • World NewsVietnam resumes flights to 20 countries, prepares to welcome international tourists in March

    Vietnam resumes flights to 20 countries, prepares to welcome international tourists in March

    Vietnam has reopened air routes to 20 countries and regions in an effort to resume socio-economic activities – compared to 28 in the 2019 winter flight schedule pre-pandemic – a transport official says. The Vietnam Ministry of Transport says the resumed routes included those to Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, the Vietnam…

  • World NewsAustralia reopens its borders to international travellers

    Australia reopens its borders to international travellers

    Australia has reopened its border to foreign tourists for the very first time in over two years, after closing due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020. More than 50 different flights are scheduled to arrive today. Fully vaccinated travellers can enter all states without undergoing a quarantine period except Western Australia, which is sealed till March 3 and will…

  • World NewsSharp rise in Southeast Asia flight bookings as countries ease border controls

    Sharp rise in Southeast Asia flight bookings as countries ease border controls

    Online flight search engine Skyscanner has reported a sharp rise in flight bookings for Southeast Asia as several countries ease border restrictions. This will come as welcome news to the region’s airlines, after international travel in Asia-Pacific plummeted 93% last year, compared to pre-pandemic levels. According to a Reuters report, many carriers are relying heavily on the cargo market to…

  • World NewsAustralia calls for the “immediate release” of economist detained in Myanmar

    Australia calls for the “immediate release” of economist detained in Myanmar

    The foreign minister of Australia says officials are using every opportunity to advocate for the release of Australian professor and economist, Sean Turnell, who was detained in Myanmar last year following the February 1, 2021 military coup. Foreign Minister Marise Payne released a statement yesterday calling on the “immediate release” of Turnell, saying his detention “unjust.” Professor Turnell’s detention is unjust,…

  • World NewsAustralia to finally open to tourists in March

    Australia to finally open to tourists in March

    Vaccinated international tourists will finally be allowed to enter Australia again in March. The country’s borders shut exactly two years before that in March 2020. Skilled migrants and international students were only allowed back in December 2021. But now that Covid-19 cases are down in all states except Western Australia, Australia’s home affairs minister says she’s making the opening a…

  • Covid-19 NewsNew Zealand announces 5 step border reopening plan, starting this month

    New Zealand announces 5 step border reopening plan, starting this month

    New Zealand is slowly starting to ease restrictions and gradually reopen borders. The country announced a five-step plan for loosening some of the world’s most restrictive Covid-19 measures, starting with allowing citizens in Australia, who have been fully vaccinated, to travel back home at the end of the month. Vaccinated travellers will be free to enter on March 13, according…

  • NewsNadal defeats Medvedev in Melbourne, wins record 21st grand slam title

    Nadal defeats Medvedev in Melbourne, wins record 21st grand slam title

    Rafael Nadal has done the impossible — coming back from 2 sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev and win the Australian Open in an epic championship match that spanned more than 5 hours. Nadal, who was the 6th seed entering the tournament in Melbourne Park, came back from behind to defeat his Russian opponent 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 7-5…

  • Thailand NewsAustralia at the top of women’s world cup, defeats Thailand

    Australia at the top of women’s world cup, defeats Thailand

    Australia now leads Group B of the FIFA Women’s World Cup after players Emily van Egmond and Sam Kerr scored two goals against Thailand, beating Thailand 2-1. Thailand still made it to the quarter-finals as a third-place team, along with Vietnam. Up next, Thailand will play against Japan in the quarter-finals on Sunday. Thailand started the cup this Monday, losing…

  • Thailand NewsThai women’s football team to play against Australia tomorrow

    Thai women’s football team to play against Australia tomorrow

    After winning 4-0 against Indonesia on Monday, the Thai women’s football team will play against Australia tomorrow. The AFC Women’s World Cup is being hosted in India right now. Even though Thailand lost their first game to the Philippines, the win over Indonesia has brought back their stride. The team hopes that player Chaba Kaew will help it qualify for…