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Drought devastates northern Kenya
Kenya’s arid northern counties of Garissa and Wajir face severe drought, with nomadic pastoralists already losing many domestic stock. Climate change and poor rainfall has been blamed. SOURCE: DW News
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South Korea looks to Germany for pointers on overcoming reunification hurdles
With just seven months left before he steps down as president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in and his government remain committed to their long-held dream of the two halves of the Korean Peninsula being reunited into a single nation. And with Germany one of the very few countries with experience in recent history of a similar amalgamation of two states,…
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Burkinabe chef overcomes disability
Edith broke her arm after a fall, aged 7. Doctors chose to amputate her arm to avoid infection. Now she runs her own restaurant in a bustling subrub of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. SOURCE: DW News
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Friday Covid Update: 11,754 new cases; provincial totals
123 new Covid-related deaths were reported today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 16,850 with 16,756 of the fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 11,754 new Covid-19 cases and 12,473 recoveries. There are now 115,233 people currently receiving treatment for Covid-19.…
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From peaceful protests to war: The evolution of Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict
Over the past five years, the English-speaking regions of Cameroon have rapidly morphed into a war zone. Lives have been lost, properties have been destroyed, and the humanitarian crisis continues to intensify. In its latest report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) highlighted the impact on education: “Since the beginning of the crisis in 2016,…
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AirAsia relaunching 9 routes including Phuket-Chiang Mai Oct 15
AirAsia announced in a press release today that they will resume many domestic flight routes including from Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok around the country and a Phuket to Chiang Mai direct flight. The flights from Don Mueang will resume on October 15, while the Phuket — Chiang Mai route will recommence the next day. Last month AirAsia reinstated 11…
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Tourism said to fuel Southeast Asia’s illegal wildlife trade
This article is written by Soraya Kishtwari and was originally published on China Dialogue under a Creative Commons licence. Tourist guides and information centres in Southeast Asia have been fuelling the illegal wildlife trade by facilitating consumption by tourists, several investigations show. Prior to Covid-19, shops trading wildlife items, from ivory bangles to tortoise shells, relied heavily on tourists, forming partnerships with travel…
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Mute man nabbed for child porn, solicited nudes from 8 year old
A 37 year old man has been arrested in Chumphon for allegedly convincing an 8 year old girl to send nude photos to him. The Technology Crime Suppression police arrested the man on child porn charges. The man, whose name was not publicly released, was arrested by police in front of his house in Muang District. Police reported after taking…
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Thailand sees slump during peak travel period, Chinese stay home for Golden Week
One of Thailand’s peak travel periods, with an influx of Chinese visitors, looks like it will be quiet for another year. The 7-day holiday in China, known as Golden Week, which starts today, used to draw in hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists, many flocking to Pattaya’s Sohotown and crowding shopping centres, floating markets, and restaurants catering to the holiday,…
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Blood supplies low during pandemic, LGBTQ activists call to be allowed to donate
Blood supplies in Thailand have reportedly run critically low over the recent months as many donation centres have suspended operations due to the Covid-19 situation. With calls from the Thai Red Cross society for blood donations, LGBTQ activists are urging the Red Cross to change their criteria to allow those in the gay and transgender communities to donate, especially now…
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Assistant village chief busted with 3.8 million meth pills
An assistant village chief has been arrested in Mae Chan district of Chiang Rai for alleged drug trafficking after Chiang Rai police seized 3.8 million meth pills and 1 kilogramme of ketamine. The commander of the Chiang Rai Provincial Police announced the drug bust yesterday. The 45 year old assistant Ban Pha Bue village chief in Mae Fa Luang district…
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Pattaya beach vendors see domestic tourist business increasing
Beach vendors along Pattaya beaches say that they are starting to see earnings increase due to domestic travellers in recent weeks. Their revenue is still far below the levels they were before Covid-19, but they are seeing an uptick of weekend and holiday travellers. Vendors selling food, massage, beach umbrellas and more are slowly seeing improvement, with each weekend seeming…
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Thailand’s largest field hospital closes as last Covid-19 patient discharged
Thailand’s largest Covid-19 field hospital has closed its doors as the number of seriously ill patients and new infections continues to fall. The Public Health Ministry closed Busarakham field hospital yesterday. The facility was located at the Impact exhibition and convention centre in the central province of Nonthaburi. According to a Bangkok Post report, the hospital opened on May 14…
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Friday Covid Update: 11,754 new cases and 123 deaths
Today, the CCSA reported 11,754 new Covid-19 cases and 123 coronavirus-related deaths. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,586,366 confirmed covid-19 cases have been reported. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 12,473 recoveries. There are now 115,233 people currently receiving treatment for Covid-19. Out of…
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Government reveals Thailand’s 2022 tourism slogan
The Thai government has unveiled the new slogan that will be used to market the country to foreign tourists next year: “Visit Thailand 2022, Now Even More Amazing Thailand Has It All”. Thai PBS World reports that the slogan was revealed at an online meeting of the Centre for Economic Situation Administration yesterday. The meeting was chaired by PM Prayut…
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Chon Buri eases Covid-19 restrictions – what’s allowed now?
Easing of Covid-19 regulations has been announced by the governor of Chon Buri, going into effect today, with many businesses allowed to reopen. According to a Facebook post on the province’s Public Relations page, the new less restrictive rules are in line with the revisions enacted by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration across the country. While the curfew in…
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Who is The Thaiger?
Formed in 2018 as a digital rebrand of The Phuket Gazette, one of Thailand’s largest and most well-known English language regional print newspapers, The Thaiger expanded beyond local Phuket news, going nationwide. Our Thai language offering was launched just a year later and has long since surpassed the readership of the English news, with local Thais coming to read about…
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Tunisia’s first female PM: Mere symbolism or credible change?
After Wednesday’s appointment of geology professor Najla Bouden Romdhane as the first female prime minister in the Arab World, the 63-year-old is facing mixed feelings in Tunisia. While some wonder if Bouden could become the symbol of women’s progress and empowerment in Tunisia and the Middle East, others fear that President Kais Saied might exploit her limited political experience to…
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Afghanistan: Why has ICC excluded US from war crimes probe?
The call by prosecutor Karim Khan to resume an International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into potential war crimes committed in Afghanistan is a development many human rights defenders are applauding after the Taliban takeover of the war-torn country. Until now the investigation covered crimes alleged to have been committed on the territory of Afghanistan since May 1, 2003, as well…
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Myanmar: What can we expect from Aung San Suu Kyi trial?
On February 1, 2021, the day the Myanmar military toppled the nation’s democratically elected government in a coup, Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested. Since then, the country’s most prominent politician and pro-democracy advocate has once again been under house arrest. She had already been under house arrest, with interruptions, for a total of 15 years between 1989 and 2012.…
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Phuket entry update October 1: Checkpoints, testing, vaccines
Starting tomorrow, the rules for entering (and exiting) Phuket are changing. The Phuket Sandbox will be reducing the time arriving international travellers must stay on the island to one week, meaning they won’t need as many Covid-19 tests as well. But revisions also go into effect for domestic travellers and overland entry onto the island, making it easier for tourism…
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Mombasa’s no-nonsense female rickshaw driver
In Mombasa’s Old Town Farida Shenga starts her day tidying up her rickshaw. Shenga became a rickshaw driver in 2005 after her husband died, leaving her as the family’s sole breadwinner. After buying a new rickshaw with a friend, she then had to learn how to use it. On the road, she is an iron lady: careful, but tough. Men…
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Pakistan: Will a Premier League partnership jumpstart professional football?
Michael Owen, a former England national team and Real Madrid football player, has signed a three year contract to promote football in Pakistan, with a Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) approved league. However, PFF, the country’s controversial football governing body, is not recognized by FIFA. Owen last week was announced as the official ambassador of the Pakistan Football League (PFL), launched…
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Thursday Covid Update: 11,646 new cases; provincial totals
107 Covid-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 16,727 with 16,633 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, 11,646 new Covid-19 cases and 10,887 recoveries were reported. There are now 116,075 people in Thailand currently receiving treatment…
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Police arrest man believed to have shot teenager at protest
In Kanchanaburi province, police have arrested a suspect that they believe may have shot a 15 year old boy during protests in front of the Din Daeng Police Station in August. The shooting caused huge controversy with many accusing the police of using live ammunition and firing into the crowd of protesters. Police have always maintained that they used only…
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Updated regulations on Thailand’s quarantine period for international arrivals
Starting tomorrow, the mandatory quarantine period for vaccinated travellers entering Thailand will be reduced from 14 days to seven. Those who are either unvaccinated, or who cannot show proof of their vaccination status, face a longer quarantine period of between 10 to 14 days. The mandatory isolation period is waived for vaccinated travellers entering Thailand through the pilot reopening projects…
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Rumour dispelled: The UN did not dedicate December 5 as ‘King’s Day’
Despite a rumour and video going viral on Thai Facebook and Twitter, the UN has NOT declared December 5 “international king’s day” in honour of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama 9, the former King who died in 2016 after over 70 years reigning over Thailand. The information came to light following a ‘fact checking’ article published by AFP. The post began…
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Thailand inks deal for 60 million AstraZeneca vaccines in 2022
A new deal signed with AstraZeneca confirms the purchase of 60 million vaccines next year for Thailand to use as booster shot third vaccines. The Ministry of Public Health signed the deal with the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer to acquire the booster shots over the course of 3 quarters of 2022. The signing was accompanied by a ceremony attended by Minister…
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Prayut visits flooding Nonthaburi today, Chaiyaphum yesterday
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is scheduled to visit the flooding in areas of Nonthaburi province this afternoon according to a government spokesperson. The prime minister is visiting along with his delegation to survey the damage and inspect the situation on the ground. The group will start at the pier of the Pak Kret municipal office and board a boat to navigate…
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Pickup truck falls 6 stories from 8th floor parking garage
In a bizarre accident in Nakhon Ratchasima that amazingly resulted in only 2 injuries and no deaths, a pickup truck smashed through a wall and plummeted 6 floors. The truck crash took place last night in Muang district on the 8th floor of a hospital parking building. The crash took place at about 7 o’clock in the evening at the…
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