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Can the Taliban govern Afghanistan?
The Taliban leadership took a long time to announce their interim government — three weeks after taking control of Kabul. Analysts say the fight for Panjshir province kept them busy all this while, and once the last resistance stronghold fell to the group, their spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, unveiled the caretaker government on Tuesday. Even though it is just a caretaker…
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Iran: The girls choosing education over tradition
Reporter: Dominika Nooripur / Presenter: Ineke Mules SOURCE: DW News
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Officials talk turkey about size of Phuket Vegetarian Festival
With Covid-19 still infecting over 200 people per day in Phuket, organisers of the yearly Phuket Vegetarian Festival are fishing for an answer to how big the event planned for October 6 to 14 can be. Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew said the event’s scale will be based on the Covid-19 situation in the days leading up to the festival. If…
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Getting Middle East start-ups off the ground
Reporter: Tilo Spanhel / Presenter: Sam Baker SOURCE: DW News
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Afghanistan: What Taliban rule means for Sikhs and Hindus
After taking shelter at the Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita at Karta-E-Parwan near Kabul for weeks, Afghan Sikhs and Hindus have left for their homes in different parts of the country. The collapse of Afghanistan’s civilian government and the takeover of the conflict-stricken country by the Taliban last month have thrown the lives of religious minorities in disarray. Just about 250 Sikhs…
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45 Thais working in Malaysia deported to Songkhla
45 Thais that were working in Malaysia have been arrested for illegal entry. Following their arrests, they were deported back to Thailand. 1 of the workers had Covid. The Thai citizens returned earlier this week to the southern Thai province of Songkhla, which borders Malaysia. Most of the returned citizens are now in quarantine at the Siam Thana Hotel until…
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Major earthquake near Acapulco, Mexico kills 1
A major earthquake shook the southwestern Mexican beach town Acapulco, yesterday. The earthquake has killed at least 1 person after a post fell on him. There were also rockfalls that damaged buildings, and power outages across several states as a result of the earthquake, says local officials. The earthquake, or temblor, had a magnitude of 7.0, which Michigan Tech estimates…
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Several markets and communities sealed off in Nakhon Si Thammarat following Covid outbreak
3 markets and 2 communities in Nakhon Si Thammarat, a southern Thai province, have been sealed off for at least 7 days following the discovery of hundreds of new Covid cases. Local officials say the Bang Wang, 100 years, and Wat Hu Long markets are in isolation, as well as the Moo 1 and Moo 3 villages. Since the week…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 14,176 new cases; provincial totals
228 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 13,511. Out of that number, 13,417 people died during during the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has…
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Fire kills 41, injures dozens more at Indonesian prison
At least 41 people have been killed and over 70 others have been injured after a fire ripped through an Indonesian prison on western Java, today. The fire at the Tangerang Penitentiary tore through the prison in the early morning hours. Most inmates were asleep at the time. Police speculate that the fire could have been caused by an electrical…
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Missing baby girl found by cave she was brought to as a sacrifice
In Chiang Mai, a toddler, who has been missing since Sunday evening, has reportedly been found. A man allegedly admitted to kidnapping the girl, who is almost 2 years old, and leaving her outside a cave as a sacrifice to the spirits of the mountains and forest. She was found in a hut just outside the cave. The 44 year…
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Vulnerable Bangkok students to receive Pfizer vaccines later this month
Adolescents, notably vulnerable students, in Bangkok will receive Pfizer vaccines later this month. The students, between the ages of 12 and 18, should get their vaccine at Navamindradhiraj University starting September 21, said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration yesterday. The eligible students, who’ve been assessed by a doctor, must provide proof of having a disability, illness, or a chronic condition. The…
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Hua Hin’s reopening in doubt
Hua Hin may not be reopening next month after all. Businesses and local communities have expressed their reservations about the reopening, saying they fear Hua Hin could repeat the same mistake as the Phuket sandbox programme, says the Prachuap Khiri Khan chamber of commerce. The seaside district had previously established a timeline to kickstart their tourism sector with no quarantine…
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Thai immigration official transferred amid allegations of bribery
A Thai immigration official has been transferred and an investigation launched following allegations of corruption. The officer is accused of demanding regular bribes from an immigrant in the Hat Yai district of Songkhla, in southern Thailand. Officers from Immigration Division 6 have now launched an investigation into the claims. They insist the investigation will be transparent and impartial, adding that…
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12 million Sinovac doses to arrive this month or next
The Cabinet Committee has approved a 4.25 billion baht budget to buy another 12 million Sinovac doses. The vaccine will be used for the immunity boost and the cross-formula method. The approval came yesterday afternoon. The vaccine allocation will prioritise 4 target groups: Patients with 7 underlying diseases Those over 60 years old Medical officials, frontliners, public officials who work…
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Survey shows most Singaporeans reluctant to travel internationally for now
A survey carried out by online travel agency, Booking.com, shows that 63% of Singaporeans are not planning to travel abroad for now. While Singapore is on the “green list” for most countries, the survey shows that most Singaporeans remain cautious about overseas travel. In general, over a year and a half since the start of the pandemic, travel in the…
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Torrential rain warning for Thailand as Tropical Storm Conson approaches
Batten down the hatches, there’s some heavy rainfall coming in the next 24 hours and most of the country will get it. The Thai Meteorological Department says the approach of Tropical Storm Conson means most regions are in for some very wet conditions. Conson is currently moving in a north-westerly direction, across the central Philippines, headed for Vietnam. Over the…
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“No Place Like Home” – New Online Care Marketplace SAIJAI Launches Digital Start-Up in Thailand
Press Release A new digital on-demand online marketplace named SAIJAI has launched in Thailand and is setting its sights on democratizing home care in the country. Borne from a dynamic consumer behaviour shift over the past sixteen months to home-based lifestyle needs, the start-up brand is eyeing the Care From Home (CFH) marketplace, Thailand is the first market in its…
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Survey shows over half of Thai hotels are considering closing due to low demand
A survey conducted by the Bank of Thailand and the Thai Hotels Association shows that 52% of hotels are considering closing temporarily and 9% want to shut down for good. 62% plan to reduce their workforce costs as a result of the financial fallout from Covid-19, while 61% say they will cut expenditure elsewhere. The Bangkok Post reports that the…
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Tourism officials push for resumption of Russia flights in last quarter
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says it’s essential that commercial flights between Russia and Thailand be allowed to resume during the last quarter of the year. However, under Thailand’s emergency decree, international flights can only operate as semi-commercial, with limited seat capacity. Khanittha Phanworawat from the TAT’s Moscow office says this means the Russian aviation authority is still not allowing…
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Why Afghan asylum-seekers are protesting in India
Many Afghan migrants and asylum-seekers, especially single mothers and their children, have been camping outside the office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in New Delhi for more than a week. They’re demanding recognition as refugees and better economic security for their children. Many of them arrived in India several years ago but are struggling to make…
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Monkey taken to Si Racha veterinary hospital following electrocution and fall from tree
A monkey has been rescued after it received a severe electric shock and plummeted from a high tree in Si Racha, a district in the Chon Buri province. A motorbike taxi driver alerted Si Racha firefighters to the simian’s plight yesterday. Veterinarians from the National Park Wildlife and Plant Conservation Si Racha Office and officials from the Si Racha Electric…
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Belarus: Germany, EU slam Kolesnikova verdict
The news from Minsk did not come as much of a surprise: A court in the Belarusian capital on Monday sentenced the well-known Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova to 11 years in prison. Her colleague in the Belarusian opposition’s Coordination Council, the lawyer Maxim Znak, was handed a 10-year jail sentence. Kolesnikova became one of the most prominent faces of…
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Couple held for questioning in connection with missing Chiang Mai toddler
Earlier today, the Thaiger wrote about how officials in Chiang Mai have been searching for a toddler that has been missing since Sunday night. Now, Thai PBS says a couple is being held in police custody for questioning in connection with the search. A 44 year old man, who is a neighbour of the missing girl’s father, and his wife…
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Local tour operator, marina and restaurant come together to help Phuket residents
The following is a press release from 5 Star Marine, Ann’s Kitchen and Royal Phuket Marine on their one-day “Fundraising Experience” which raised 65,000 baht to help Phuket residents in need. With the continued economic effect in Thailand from Covid-19, new and innovative charity efforts are needed to engage both expats and locals in order to help the 48,000+ Phuket residents in…
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68 schools to reopen as part of “Sandbox Safety Zone in School” programme
A new school programme, the “Sandbox Safety Zone in School” is being launched to reopen 68 schools across Thailand. The programme is being launched by the Ministry of Education. Education Ministry spokesperson, Kesthip Supawanich, says the schools that are part of the new programme include 44 schools from the Office of the Private Education Commission, 20 schools from the Special…
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Protesters at Bangkok’s Asok intersection call on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign
Protesters gathered at Bangkok’s Asok interaction yesterday, calling on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign. For the past year, pro-democracy groups have been pushing for the prime minister to step down, but with the latest wave of Covid-19 surpassing more than 1 million infections, along with a limited supply of vaccines, protesters now say Prayut should resign due to mismanagement during…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 13,821 new cases; provincial totals
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says there are now 145,465 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand, a decline over the past several weeks. Yesterday, a spokesperson for the CCSA said Thailand has “passed its peak” in the latest and most severe wave of the virus where more than 1 million confirmed infections have been recorded since April 1. 241 coronavirus-related…
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Koh Samui to switch from “Samui Plus Model” to Sandbox programme
Next month, Koh Samui will switch from their “Samui Plus Model” to the looser “sandbox” programme. The Koh Samui district chief estimates that there will be over 10,000 nights booked in hotels as a result of this change. The current model has seen Koh Samui opened for fully vaccinated tourists since July 15. District Chief Teerapong Chuaychoo says since July…
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New project aims to mass test vulnerable populations in Bangkok neighbourhood
A new project, involving mass-testing for Covid, is being launched to help look after the homeless and other vulnerable people in Phra Nakhon, a district in Bangkok. The project, “Klong Lod Covid-free”, was started by a group of civil society organisations that are working with the government. The project gets its name from Klong Lod in the Phra Nakhon district.…
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