Israel
- World News
Calm returns to Gaza as ceasefire holds
Calm returned to Gaza on Sunday as a fragile ceasefire held for the most part, with both Palestinians and Israelis counting the cost of five days of cross-border fire that resulted in dozens of casualties. Fishermen took to their boats in the coastal enclave, as Gazans emerged from their homes after sheltering during the intense exchange of fire. The fighting…
- World News
Israel launches further strikes on Gaza as truce efforts continue
Violence intensified between Israel and Gaza as Israel’s military launched additional strikes on Friday, in response to rockets fired by militants on the fourth day of conflict. The fighting has resulted in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians, as well as one Israeli civilian reports Bangkok Post. Egypt’s ongoing efforts to lead truce negotiations offer some hope, as initial talks…
- World News
Gaza violence escalates as Israel and militants trade heavy fire
Overnight, Israel’s army and Gaza militants exchanged heavy cross-border fire, resulting in at least 22 Palestinians killed over two days. This marks the worst escalation of violence to impact the coastal territory in months. In response to incoming rocket attacks, sirens blared in the Tel Aviv area and Israel’s south. There were reports of launches from Gaza, while Israeli officials…
- World News
Islamic Jihad announces truce around Gaza after death of hunger striker in Israeli custody
A truce has been announced by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in Gaza following conflict with Israel, which had escalated after the death of a hunger striker from its ranks while in Israeli custody. Sources from both Islamic Jihad and fellow militant group Hamas have revealed that mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and the United Nations intervened to broker a…
- Thailand News
Tel Aviv – Bangkok flight time reduced by 2.5 hours
Flights between Tel Aviv and Bangkok, Thailand, just got three hours shorter thanks to the government of Oman who made the long-awaited decision to open its airspace to aircraft from all countries, including Israel. On Sunday, an EL AL Israel Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Bangkok flew through Oman’s airspace, becoming the first Israeli airline to do so, three…
- Hot News
Belgian couple ditch baby at Tel Aviv airport after refusing to buy extra ticket
A Belgian couple at Israel’s Tel Aviv airport abandoned their baby after realising they needed to buy a ticket for the child. The couple was late for a flight to Belgium and decided their child wasn’t worth the extra cost. They left their child at the check-in counter’s baggage conveyor belt and hurried to clear security to board their Ryanair…
- News
Palestine welcomes UN vote on Israel’s illegal occupation
Palestinian leaders last night welcomed a United Nations General Assembly vote insisting on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to answer the legal consequences of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories. The General Assembly voted 87 to 26 with 53 abstentions on the resolution, reported Aljazeera. A number of Western nations were split on the vote while the Islamic world…
- World News
New artefacts in the Cave of Salome, nurse to Jesus
New light has been shed on just how long a cave in Israel has been held as a religious holy site. The cave is believed to be the burial place of Salome, the apocryphal nurse to the newborn baby Jesus. After a recent excavation, new evidence has reinforced the long-held belief that the biblical figure is in fact buried there. Excavations…
- Crime News
Police arrest Israeli man carrying bullets at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand
An Israeli tourist was arrested upon arrival at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand, yesterday after security found 55 bullets in his luggage. The 29 year old tourist of Israeli nationality, Gan Chamoun Farjun, arrived in Phuket on a domestic flight at 12.30pm. When Farjun’s grey Samsonite suitcase went through the scanner at airport security, officials noticed what looked like bullet-like objects in…
- World News
Australia flip-flops on past decision around Israel’s capital
Australia today flip-flopped on a past decision it made around the capital of Israel, an infamously hot-button issue, several news outlets reported. While Australia recognised West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2018, the Australian government has now reversed this decision. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that Australia is committed to peace between Israel and Palestine and that the country would…
- Thailand News
Thai navy buys pilotless aircraft from Israel for 4 billion baht
Thailand has signed a contract to buy Hermes 900 “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAV) from an Israeli defence company, according to an announcement made today by the Royal Thai Navy (RTN). The purchase will cost 4 billion baht ($US107,003,360). The pilotless aircraft will patrol Thailand’s seas to “protect the sovereignty of Thailand’s waters and shipping routes.” The drones will also assist…
- World News
Israel and Palestine exchange rockets and air strikes again
Israel and Palestine are exchanging rockets and air strikes again in what often appears a never-ending cycle of violence. Palestinian militants launched a rocket from Gaza towards southern Israel today, with Israel launching airstrikes in response. Although Israel’s military says the Islamist militant group Hamas fired the rocket, Hamas has not yet responded to the accusation. Another Islamist militant group…
- World News
Al Jazeera accuses Israeli forces of fatally shooting journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh
Al Jazeera has accused Israeli forces of fatally shooting Shireen Abu Aqleh while she was covering an Israeli military operation in the city of Jenin in the West Bank yesterday morning. Abu Aqleh was considered by many to be “the voice of Palestinians” after reporting about the plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation for over two and a half decades.…
- World News
Surging violence at Al Aqsa mosque, Israel and Palestine
A new round of violence has broken out between Palestinians and the Israeli forces. Witnesses say this morning, young Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli police stationed at a gate outside the Al Aqsa mosque compound. The mosque is a sensitive spot between Israelis and Palestinians due to religious tensions. After the Palestinians threw rocks, the police, dressed in full riot…
- World News
UKRAINE UPDATES: Ukraine won’t surrender Mariupol; Zelensky calls Israeli MPs; 25% of Ukrainians flee home; Pope visits children
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth weeks, here are the latest headlines… • Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister rejected Russia’s demand to give up the strategic port city of Mariupol by 5am Monday morning Moscow time (4 am Monday in Mariupol). The Russian Ministry of Defence had offered to open humanitarian corridors in exchange for a surrender of the…
- Covid-19 News
Japan suspends foreign visitors from entering as Omicron variant spreads
Japan is suspending foreign visitors from entering as the new Covid-19 Omicron variant spreads throughout the country. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says the measure will take effect tomorrow. “We are taking the step as an emergency precaution to prevent a worst-case scenario in Japan.” The move means the country will backstep in restoring its border controls that eased earlier this…
- Tourism News
38 countries reportedly on short list for no-quarantine reopening
People were elated to hear that Thailand was launching a select reopening on November 1, but confusion exists over the Thai government’s statement that they would open 17 provinces to 10 low-risk countries, with the list of provinces and countries as yet unspecified just 2 weeks before the launch date. Then again, that’s been the way throughout the pandemic as…
- World News
Bodies of Thai workers killed in Gaza strike to be flown home next week
Thailand’s Labour Minister, Suchart Chomklin, has confirmed the bodies of 2 Thai men killed in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, will be flown home next week. 44 year old Weerawat Karunborirak and 24 year old Sikharin Sangamram were working in Israel when they were killed by a rocket strike launched by the Palestinian Hamas group. Suchart says he…
- World News
PM weighs in after Thai national injured in Gaza explosion
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has made statements expressing concern and sorrow for the violence in the Gaza Strip as recent explosions have injured a Thai national. Thailand has a quota for agricultural labourers that work on exchange in Israel, with about 250 workers travelling to Israel each week on a charter flight. 3,100 Thai workers are currently already working in Israel.…
- Covid-19 News
Flight booking data shows vaccinations are key to rebooting travel globally
The latest findings from a research firm that analyses flight booking data confirms that vaccination is the key to rebooting international travel. The most recent research from ForwardKeys shows that destinations prepared to welcome vaccinated tourists have seen a surge in bookings. In particular, Greece and Iceland, have had a significant uptake in inbound flights, while countries where mass vaccination…
- Pattaya News
Thai returnee from Israel dies after allegedly jumping from Pattaya quarantine hotel
Yesterday a Thai man, a recent returnee from abroad, appears to have jumped to his death from a quarantine hotel in Pattaya. Authorities are investigating why 39 year old Pol Prom-ngam, jumped from his balcony at the Jomtien Palm Beach Hotel and Resort at about 4pm, just a day after returning from Tel Aviv, Israel. He was pronounced dead at…
- World News
New breathalyser underway to detect Covid-19
Israel has reportedly developed a breathalyser that may be able to detect the Covid-19 virus in those who don’t even show symptoms, making it a potentially promising way to control the spread of the virus. The new technology is set to be used on airplanes and other methods of travel where it can identify if the virus is present on someone’s breath-at…
- Covid-19 News
Israel travel ban rankles Thailand
Thailand wants Israel to reconsider its decision, announced Tuesday, to ban Thais from entering the country in a bid to control the spread of deadly coronavirus (Covid-19). Israel banned all non-Israelis who have been in Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau in the previous 14 days. Previously, Israel’s health ministry had imposed only a 14-day house quarantine on visitors from…
- Covid-19 News
2 year old girl hospitalised in Israel over virus after arriving from Thailand
A two year old girl who recently flew from Thailand to Israel is in hospital due to fears she might be infected with the 19nCoV coronavirus. It isn’t clear whether the girl is an Israeli citizen. Hospital staff say she’s suffering from fever and diarrhea, and “this is currently a condition that requires hospitalization in isolation.” Israel’s Health Ministry yesterday…
