Philippines
- Thailand News
Thailand’s English level drops for the third year – English Proficiency Index
English skills in Thailand have dropped for the third year in a row with an English language proficiency score considered to be “very low.” In the past year, Thailand’s ranking dropped from 74 out of 100 countries to 89, according to the 2020 English Proficiency Index by EF Education First. The index is based on test results from 2.2 million…
- Crime News
Filipino, Thai woman, arrested in Bangkok for running scam loan company
A woman originally from The Philippines, has been arrested in Bangkok alongside a Thai woman, for running a company that scammed people into parting with their money. The victims were persuaded to invest in a loan company called Filipino Cooperative Investment Loan, run by 30 year old Liny Paengkusan Camaono and 22 year old Thanyares Saiyanoi. Sompong Chingduang, from the…
- World News
15 Asia-Pacific countries form the world’s largest trade bloc, the great RCEP reset
After 8 gruelling years of negotiation, 15 countries have signed onto the largest free trade bloc in history. In a joint statement, the leaders of the countries, signatories of the trade deal, say RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) will form a crucial part of economic recovery once the pandemic is over. The deal excludes the US, which withdrew from a…
- World News
Fair weather for Thailand’s north east this weekend despite incorrect warnings
The Thai Meteorological Department has incorrectly forecast the tracking of the tropical storm ‘Vamco’, instead warning Thais to “brace for the impact of Typhoon Vamco over the weekend”, according to Bangkok Post. But the track of the storm is not even forecast to reach the far north of Thailand until late Monday or Tuesday, although there could be some rain…
- World News
Typhoon Goni kills 22, many others missing, now heads towards Vietnam
Typhoon Goni blasted its way across the northern island of Luzon, tracking just south of the capital Manila. It made landfall around 5am in the morning and by the end of the day it had crossed, heading westwards, and reached the South China Sea, having killed at least 22 and displacing more than 800,000 people. The latest death toll was…
- World News
This year’s most powerful typhoon will hit Philippines tomorrow
Typhoon Goni continues to bear down on The Philippines in one of the South China Sea’s busiest storm years. 220,000 people have now been evacuated as of today.The typhoon, packing “destructive winds’, is expected to reach the south-east of the Philippine’s main island of Luzon tomorrow morning with the eye of the storm passing over during Sunday afternoon. Forecasters are expecting…
- Covid-19 News
12 new Covid-19 cases in Thai quarantine
12 new Covid-19 cases were detected in quarantine, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The total number of confirmed cases is raised to 3,775 with 3,585 recoveries and 59 deaths. 131 are currently receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus. Here’s a list of the cases identified in the past 24 hours… 4 Thai people, ages 26, 30, 42…
- World News
Australia falls into a recession, global economies at a loss
“Our record run of 28 consecutive years of economic growth has now officially come to an end. The cause: a once-in-a-century pandemic.” Just about everyone hit from the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses closed. Many lost their jobs. Paychecks were cut. Economies across the globe slipped into recession and Australia is now added to that list. The country reported it has sunk…
- Covid-19 News
US surpasses 6 million Covid-19 cases whilst the world trend is ‘down’
The US has surpassed the 6 million mark for the total number of Covid-19 cases. Brazil (3.7 million) and India (3.3 million) are the countries with the 2nd and 3rd highest number of cases. Around the world there is now a total of 24,331,524 Covid-19 cases, 829,664 deaths with 16,872,542 recorded as ‘recovered’. Of note, both the trend in new cases…
- World News
Philippine Embassy fires back at xenophobic Thai Rath headline
Leading Thai daily Thai Rath has incurred the wrath of the Philippines Embassy in Thailand with their tabloid headline reporting about Filipino teaches coming to Thailand. The first 165 arrived a few days ago. Up to 3,000, mostly Filipino, are expected in the next month or so Filipino teachers are a common sight in schools around Thailand teaching English. The…
- World News
Philippines plummets in to recession as virus numbers spike
The Philippines, reeling from Covid-19 lockdowns that have destroyed businesses and thrown millions out of work, plunged into recession after its biggest quarterly contraction on record, data showed today. The Philippine Statistics Authority says GDP 16.5% year-on-year in the second quarter as the country endured one of the world’s longest stay-at-home orders to slow the spread of the virus that’s…
- World News
Philippines’ capital to re-enter lockdown as Covid cases surge in Manila
Manila and the surrounding Philippine provinces are heading back into lockdown from tomorrow, for a period of at least 2 weeks. The decision comes as the Philippines’ capital recorded a significant spike of over 100,000 new cases of the Covid-19 virus. Thai PBS World reports that the country’s President, Rodrigo Duterte, is imposing the lock-down on Manila and the adjacent…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Friday, May 15
Maison Saigon7 new cases, all imported, no new deaths 7 new cases of Covid-19 this morning at the daily press briefing. The new cases bring the national total to 3,025 since the beginning of the outbreak. But today’s new infections are all among Thais returning from Pakistan, 6 men and a woman, aged 17-31. All are now in state quarantine.…
- World News
‘Vongfong’ heads northwest along Philippines coast
The first potential typhoon for this year’s typhoon and storm season in the western Pacific now has a name. It’s been called ‘Vongfong’ and is is quickly becoming a threat to the Philippines. While the peak of the western Pacific typhoon season is late summer, there are frequent storms in the winter or early spring due to the warm waters of…
- World News
Leading Philippines broadcaster shut down after clashes with Duterte
The Philippines’ leading television and radio broadcaster, ABS-CBN, has been ordered to shut down by the country’s parliament, where the majority of members are loyal to President Rodrigo Duterte. Critical coverage of President Duterte’s controversial war on drugs angered the Philippine leader, but his gripe with ABS-CBN goes back to the 2016 presidential election when he accused the network of refusing to…
- Việt Nam
Tình hình Covid-19 tại Đông Nam Á: Indonesia “vươn” lên thành vùng dịch lớn nhất khu vực
Với gần 6.000 ca nhiễm Covid-19, Indonesia đã vượt qua Philippines trở thành vùng dịch lớn nhất Đông Nam Á, đồng thời cũng là vùng dịch chết chóc nhất khu vực. 1, Indonesia Tổng số ca nhiễm: 5.923 ca (tăng 407 ca). Số ca tử vong: 520 ca (tăng 24 ca). Nước này đã làm xét nghiệm nCoV cho 42.000…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand cannot lower its guard in the battle against Covid-19
Yesterday, Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says, “despite the declining numbers of the Covid-19 infections, the Kingdom cannot lower its guard because our neighbouring countries are still at high risk.” “The decreased number of new infections is good news for the traditional Thai New Year (Songkran), though high numbers of new cases recorded in…
- World News
Philippine President Duterte: “Shoot them dead”
The president of the Philippines is warning that those who violate his coronavirus lockdown could be shot. He also says abuse of medical workers is a “serious crime that will not be tolerated.” In a nationally televised address, President Rodrigo Duterte said it’s crucial that everyone cooperates and follows home quarantine measures to try to slow the spread of Covid-19…
- Covid-19 News
8 killed as Medevac plane crashes in Manila – VIDEO
“Unfortunately, no passenger survived the accident.” A plane evacuating a Covid-19 coronavirus patient exploded during takeoff in the Philippine capital of Manila on Sunday, killing all eight passengers and crew. The victims included an American and a Canadian. The plane, owned by a Philippine-registered charter service Lionair, was bound for Japan. It burst into flames at the end of the runway…
- Covid-19 News
Coronavirus UPDATE: Fortress Australia, Europe new ‘epicentre’
As of lunchtime today, there are 156,766 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus in the world. There have been 5,839 deaths and 75,937 patients who have now recovered. Italy now has more active cases than China, and new Chinese cases have drastically reduced over the past two weeks. The countries with more than 1,000 confirmed cases below… INFOGRAPHIC: worldometers.info In other…
- Việt Nam
30 con tin bị bắt giữ trong vụ nổ súng ở trung tâm thương mại Philippines
Hôm nay tại thủ đô Manila, Philippines, ít nhất 30 người bị bắt làm con tin khi một tay súng tấn công vào trung tâm thương mại. Người dân lo lắng gần trung tâm thương mại nơi xảy ra vụ bắt cóc (Ảnh: Facebook) Theo AFP cho biết vụ việc trên diễn ra tại trung tâm thương mại Virra Mall…
- Covid-19 News
Study predicts Coronavirus will grow exponentially; Philippines, NZ enact travel bans
While the list of countries banning entry to travellers from China is growing, Thailand continues to resist. The Philippines yesterday became the latest country to block entry to travellers, including those from Hong Kong and Macau, after a Chinese man died in Manila of the Novel Coronavirus, the first death outside of China from the pneumonia-like illness. Philippine President Duterte…
- Covid-19 News
Coronavirus UPDATE – first death outside China, 14,559 confirmed cases
Deaths from the coronavirus outbreak have now reached 305 today, including the first outside China, a 44 year old Chinese man in the Philippines. 14,559 people are now confirmed with the virus, the vast majority in China. Whilst the fatality rate remains at 2% with the current level of cases, many have also recovered and returned home. Many remain in…
- Covid-19 News
Coronavirus UPDATE – 14,551 confirmed cases, first death outside China
“The Philippines has confirmed this morning the second coronavirus case in the country and, notably, the first death in the country and the first outside China” Philippines’ Health Secretary Francisco Duque III Deaths from the coronavirus outbreak have now reached 304 today. 14,551 people are now confirmed with the virus. An increasing number of countries are also imposing restriction on travel…
- World News
Burmese surfing team head to SEAsia Games, a first for Myanmar
PHOTO: Burmese surfer Thwe Thwe Soe practicing off the coast of Ngwe Saung – Myanmore Paddling hard and smiling, Thwe Thwe Soe flung herself up on the board just as a wave was breaking, spreading her arms out for balance before getting knocked off. “I can’t live without surfing. I did not expect to be chosen for the national team but…
- World News
Another 300 Chinese rounded up in Philippines fraud crackdown
PHOTO: rya.org Aliens were reportedly rounded up in eight hotels and establishments where they were caught in the act of doing their illegal activities.” Philippines immigration officials, backed by army troops, have arrested more than 300 Chinese over alleged cyber crimes, a week after a similar number were detained during a raid linked to investment fraud. The Bureau of Immigration late…
- World News
15 killed after truck plummets into ravine in T’boli, Philippines
“Based on eyewitness accounts, the truck lost its brakes.” Fifteen people, including children, have been killed in the southern Philippines after their flatbed truck plummeted into a ravine. The vehicle was carrying around 30 people home from a trip to the beach when the driver lost control near the town of T’boli in the latest deadly crash on the nation’s dangerous…
- World News
American woman charged with trafficking ‘baby in bag’ at Manila airport
“The baby, who is now in the custody child welfare services, was born to a Filipino mother in the nation’s south and then flown to Manila.” Philippine authorities have charged an American woman with trying to smuggle a six day old baby out of the country in a bag she wore around her waist as she tried to board a…
- World News
The Philippines declares national dengue epidemic
PHOTO: Philippine Star The Philippines has now declared a national dengue epidemic reporting that the mosquito-borne disease has now killed at least 622 people in the country in 2018. More than 146,000 dengue cases have now been reported in the first seven months of the year, a number almost double last year, according to the The Philippines’ health department. Officials…
- Bangkok News
Former British Bangkok teacher jailed over aiding and abetting child abuse
A 42 year old British man, who had previously taught at an international school in Bangkok, is now in jail in the UK for facilitating the abuse of young girls in The Philippines. James Alexander had been working as a teacher and part time DJ while living in Thailand between 2017 and 2018. He served as a reservist in the Parachute…
