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- Thailand News
Songkran holiday eerily quiet after Covid mutes celebrations
Thailand rang in another Lunar New Year, or Songkran, without its normal festivities, highlighting the impact that the Covid pandemic has had on the world. For the 2nd year, the biggest Thai holiday was subdued without water-splashing, parties, and concerts. Instead, the predominantly Buddhist nation turned to its more muted, traditional activities of making merit to observe the 3 day…
- Hot News
Thai fishing industry officials protest controversial ‘Seaspiracy’ documentary
Thai fishing industry officials are protesting the controversial ‘Seaspiracy’ documentary as they say its information, regarding human trafficking, is outdated. The Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre spokesman Pokkhrong Monthatphalin, says the government had been cleaning up the fishing industry for years after its illegal practises were highlighted in 2015. He says Thai authorities have been trying to invited the documentary’s…
- Politics News
Taiwan ready to duke it out if China attacks
Taiwan officials say they are ready to duke it out if China decides to take its military activities a step further. The announcement, made by its foreign minister, comes after China has stepped up its aircraft carrier drills near the island along with other military activities in the past few months. “From my limited understanding of American decision makers watching…
- Crime News
Thailand hoping to be upgraded to a Tier 1 nation in anti-human trafficking efforts
Thailand is hoping its newest anti-human trafficking report will earn an upgrade from the US from Tier 2 to Tier 1. The report was submitted to the Washington’s Trafficking in Persons Report. Deputy government spokeswoman, Rachada Dhnadirek, said the government is ready to be upgraded after remaining on Tier 2 for 3 years in a row. Those nations who fall on…
- Politics News
Thai government denies backing Myanmar’s junta
Thailand’s government leaders are now denying backing Myanmar’s junta government 2 days after its military shot and killed over 100 Burmese citizens. PM Prayut made the announcement to the media yesterday at the Government House. “In what ways do we support Myanmar troops? Nobody supports use of violence against the people.” But recently, PM Prayut was accused of supplying rice…
- Covid-19 News
AstraZeneca vaccine drops 3 percentage points in effectiveness rate
The makers of the Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine have dropped its effectiveness rate by 3 percent. The revised rate comes after an independent panel of experts appointed to supervise the trial expressed concern that AstraZeneca had failed to include updated data in its initially released figure. The US National Institutes of Health then issued a rare statement asking AstraZeneca to work…
- World News
Burmese anti-coup demonstrators plan silent protest after 7 year old girl killed
Myanmar’s anti-coup protesters are planning a silent strike today, after violence took the life of a 7 year old girl. The girl was killed in her home when security forces allegedly opened fire during a crackdown in Mandalay, further corroborating the claims by the UN that women and children were among those being killed. The soldiers allegedly were aiming at…
- World News
Sorry, not sorry: Myanmar’s military says it’s sad about killings, but won’t stop crackdown
Myanmar’s military says it’s sad about those killed during the anti-coup protests, but is not stopping its crackdown. The military says it will continue to stamp out, what it says, is anarchy, despite international condemnation and sanctions. Over 260 people have been killed since the February 1 coup, with the UN saying that number includes women and children. But, junta…
- World News
EU, US imposes sanctions on 11 Burmese officials over coup violence
The European Union, along with the US is issuing sanctions on 11 Myanmar officials over military violence against anti-coup protesters. 10 top military officers were among those to receive sanctions which include travel bans and the freezing of assets. 2 senior officals, including the national police chief were also targetted by the EU. The eleventh person to be sanctioned is…
- Technology News
Uh oh: Netflix may stop allowing the sharing of passwords
Netflix is announcing that it may stop allowing users to share passwords with others who live elsewhere, in a worrying move for those who love to freeload off of their friends. Some free loaders took to Twitter to share the news of an apparent ban on sharing passwords as they say they were notified that they needed to be subscribers…
- Thailand News
Freedom House downgrades Thailand to “not free”
US based Freedom House, a democracy advocacy group, has downgraded Thailand from being “partly free” to “not free” in its latest global rankings. The Freedom in the World 2021 report released this week assigned Thailand a total score of 30 out of 100, dropping from 32 out of 100 in the previous survey conducted in 2019. Before, Thailand was deemed…
- Politics News
US government urges Myanmar military to stop violence and step down
The US government is urging Myanmar’s military to stop the violence against coup protesters and step down, after the death of a young woman. The recommendation comes as the US, along with Britain, Australia, and Japan, commit to issuing sanctions against the military regime in an effort to support the toppled democracy. Last November saw a landslide democratic, electoral victory…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Protest leader gets Time magazine nod, foreign teacher crackdown | February 18
A prominent protest leader and human rights lawyer in Thailand, who is currently in court detention, was named in Time magazine’s “Time 100 Next” as an influential leader, calling him “the lawyer who broke the silence around Thai Monarchy.” Traders at 2 wet markets in the central province of Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, have expressed their frustration at…
- World News
US issues sanctions against Myanmar after coup
US President Joe Biden is issuing sanctions against Myanmar’s military regime after it staged a coup which saw the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi placed under arrest along with other senior members of the National League for Democracy. The executive order will prevent Myanmar’s generals from accessing US $1 billion in assets in the US while keeping…
- Covid-19 News
World Tourism hotspots re-opening – success or failure? | VIDEO
The world of tourism has been turned upside down, not just in Thailand but around the world. Globally, it’s certainly the hardest hit industry from the coronavirus pandemic, shutting down hotels, tour companies, grounding aeroplanes and putting millions out of work. Before we look at the latest situation, and predictions for Thailand, let’s take a quick tour of some of…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Burmese coup & tourist visa ’emergency extensions’ | February 1
Myanmar’s military has taken control of the country in a political coup, deposing the elected government after reportedly detaining de-facto leader and ‘State Counsellor’ Aung San Suu Kyi, along with other politicians early this morning. The military-owned Myawaddy TV announced a state of emergency had been declared for 12 months and power transferred to the Junta. A news presenter referred…
- Covid-19 News
Chinese propaganda flick released about the Wuhan lockdown
A new, state-backed film marking the anniversary of the Covid-19 Wuhan lockdown, is using propaganda to praise the central Chinese city. The documentary “Days and Nights in Wuhan” chronicles the suffering that the city’s 11 million residents endured during the 76 day lockdown. 30 filmmakers contributed to the film which included footage of medical staff and front-line workers. The film…
- Covid-19 News
US President Biden jump starting Covid-19 strategy
Newly inaugurated US President Joe Biden is jump starting his Covid-19 strategy by signing more executive orders on his 2nd day in office. The orders include requiring Americans to wear masks for travelling in planes, ships, intercity buses and public transportation. The orders have fallen short of mandating the wearing of masks for everyone whilst in public spaces. Such mask-wearing…
- World News
Trump ban is indefinite: Facebook exec
“We are a private company, and we have a service we provide.” A senior executive at Facebook says the social media giant has no plans to reverse its ban on outgoing US President, Donald Trump. Sheryl Sandberg says the ban is “indefinite” and there is currently no end date in sight. “Our ban is indefinite. We have said at least…
- Covid-19 News
US jobs market stumbles back into decline
The labour market for the world’s largest economy is heading back into reverse mode after slowly chugging back into gear over the past 8 months, following the March stock crash and initial impacts of the US state lockdown measures.. The December report was the first drop since April figures, providing the strongest evidence of the impact of the huge number…
- World News
US Cabinet reportedly considers invoking 25th Amendment to force Trump out of office
The United States Cabinet members are reportedly discussing whether to invoke the 25th Amendment to force President Donald Trump out of office after a mob of protesters breached the US Capitol Building. It would be the first time in US history that a president was removed from office for a non-health related issue. Trump spread conspiracy theories after his loss,…
- Economy News
Vandals target US politicians over pandemic relief package
Vandals have targeted the homes of US politicians over a hotly-debated $900 billion pandemic relief aid package. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell and Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi saw their homes littered with graffiti, fake blood and a pig’s head. “Were’s [sic] my money” and “Mitch kills the poor” graced McConnell’s front door and window in Louisville, Kentucky,…
- Visa Information
Welcome to 2021 – Digital Covid Passports | VIDEO
Documentation, including your current Covid status and vaccination details, will become 2021’s biggest challenge as governments, businesses, and the travel industry try and re-establish some sort of workable way forward. Several companies and technology groups are developing smartphone apps or systems for individuals to upload details of their Covid-19 tests and vaccinations, creating digital credentials that could be shown in…
- World News
US conservative media walk back allegations on voter fraud
Some of America’s biggest right-leaning media have spent the last week walking back on their earlier promotion of conspiracy theories surrounding alleged voter fraud and tampering from the November 3 election. Both Fox News and Newsmax have aired segments this week contradicting earlier stories about election fraud and claims focusing on vote machines manufacturer Smartmatic. Without specifically retracting their earlier…
- Covid-19 News
US approves Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine
The US has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, a situation that now permits the rollout of the new mRNA coronavirus vaccine. President Donald Trump promised the first immunisations will now take place “in less than 24 hours”, hailing the development. “Through our partnership with FedEx and UPS, we have already begun shipping the vaccine to every state and zip code…
- World News
US Supreme Court rejects state bid to overturn presidential election
The US Supreme Court has rejected a last ditch bid from the Texas’ state attorney general, supported by President Trump, to block ballots of millions of voters in key battleground states that voted for President-elect Joe Biden. The Supreme Court order was unsigned, and the court did not provide a vote count from the sitting judges, but there were no…
- Events
China carries out first-ever lunar orbit docking, now heading back to Earth
China has carried out its first-ever lunar orbit docking today with a probe carrying lunar samples collected over the past week during a 48 hour stay on the Moon. The mission is named Chang’e-5, after a mythical Chinese Moon goddess, and is bringing back the first lunar soil samples in over 40 years. The capsule carrying moon rocks and soil…
- Covid-19 News
“Vaccines are no magic bullet” – World Health Organisation
“Vaccines will be no magic bullet for the coronavirus crisis as nations gear up for a massive rollout to tackle surging infections.” The warning of caution comes from the World Health Organisation on the day the US United States recorded a record number of Covid-19 cases for a second day in a row. President-elect Joe Biden is already describing the time…
- World News
US President Trump rejected again by appeals court upon challenging election results
US President Donald Trump’s legal team has been rejected again by a Philadelphia appeals court upon challenging the state’s election results. Despite the court dismissing the case, citing the “campaign’s claims have no merit,” Trump’s lawyers are vowing to appeal to the US Supreme Court. Stephanos Bibas, a Trump appointee, who is also the 3rd Circuit Judge, wrote for the…
- Thailand News
Thailand may have to wait for US vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna
As news that US may acquire its first shipment of Covid vaccines in mid-December, Thailand may have to wait to share the vaccines as they will likely be made available to the US and Japan first, before the rest of the world. Pfizer and Moderna recently announced their vaccines were about 95% effective, with some countries starting to preorder the…
- Covid-19 News
US may receive first Covid vaccine doses by mid-December
The head of the US government’s covid vaccine effort is saying that the first vaccine doses may be shipped by mid-December. Moncef Slaoui, the head of a federal vaccine development program, made the comments just 2 days after Pfizer and BioNTech applied for emergency vaccine use approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, after their versions of the vaccines…
- Thailand Election News
US federal judge shoots down President Trump’s attempt to block Pennsylvania vote certification
A US federal judge has shot down US President Trump’s campaign team’s attempt to block the certification of votes in the state of Pennsylvania. The judge issued the order that also refuted claims of widespread irregularities for mail-in ballots. The news comes after President Trump has refused to concede the election despite other leaders worldwide already recognising Joe Biden, a…
- Covid-19 News
US approves emergency Covid antibody therapy, G20 nations push for vaccine availability
US drug regulators have approved an emergency Covid antibody therapy as cases surpass 12 million, keeping the country as the highest in the world for the level of new Covid cases. Meanwhile, G20 nations are pushing for vaccine availability as more areas in the world are experiencing closures due to spikes in the amount of virus cases. The antibody therapy…
- Politics News
Poll reveals Thais hope President-elect Biden will be a “good leader”
Thailand’s Suan Dusit Poll has revealed that most Thais hope that the President-elect Joe Biden will be a good leader of his country. The opinion survey, by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, was conducted online on November 13 through November 18, in which 1,038 people responded with their opinions throughout the country. A majority of Thais, almost 90%, responded that they…
- Covid-19 News
10 new cases of Covid today in Thailand, all in quarantine
Thailand has 10 new cases of Covid-19 reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). The infections were from those arriving from 8 different countries, with all being in quarantine. The new cases bring the total to 3,902 with the death toll remaining at 60. Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, US and India were the…
- Covid-19 News
Vaccine could be ready by the end of next month – BioNTech/Pfizer
BioNTech has announced the candidate Covid-19 vaccine, the German company is developing with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, could be released for public distribution before the year, at least in the US and Europe. BioNTech co-founder Ugur Sahin says that both companies plan to apply for “emergency use authorisation” of their candidate vaccine in the US today (US time), while European regulators…
- Covid-19 News
In the middle of the Covid pandemic “now is the winter of our discontent”
In the northern hemisphere anyway, winter is on the way, a dangerous time for authorities trying to mitigate the sudden surge of new cases and deaths from Covid-19 in parts of Europe, the UK and the US. With a vaccine timeline still ‘flexible’, the only cushioning to a further spread of the pandemic is more social distancing, face-masks, attention to…
