USA
- World News
1 dead 99 unaccounted for in Florida building collapse
What that tells you is…. nothing like this was foreseeable Last night, a building collapsed in Miami, Florida. 1 person is reported dead, dozens are missing, and 99 people are unaccounted for. 102 people have been located, so far. It is unknown how many people were in the building when it went down. A search and rescue effort is currently…
- World News
Fed-up waiting, some Thais have travelled overseas to be vaccinated
While the Thai government continues to big up its vaccination rollout and PM Prayut Chan-o-cha insists there will be enough vaccines for everyone, many Thais have lost faith. And the few who can afford it are flying overseas – at significant cost – to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Coconuts reports that the reasons for doing so are varied… some have…
- World News
Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City orders travel companies to suspend “vaccine tours”
Officials in Ho Chi Minh have ordered local travel companies to stop offering “vaccine tours” to the US, accusing operators of only selling 1-way tickets. The southern city’s Tourism Department claims there are hidden costs involved and travellers may even end up without a flight home. So-called vaccine tours have become popular recently, as wealthy citizens whose countries are struggling…
- Covid-19 News
Pfizer vaccine OK for US children 12-15, critics urge better use
While drug regulators authorised Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 in the US, critics are saying that the jabs would be more useful if sent to poor countries. The American Food and Drug Administration cleared the vaccine on Monday, saying that it was safe for children over the age of 12, and the US Centres for Disease Control…
- Tourism News
Top 10 busiest airports: Atlanta bumped as China dominates list
After 22 consecutive years as the busiest airport in the world, Atlanta slips to number 2 while China and the United States dominated the entire top 10 list of the 2020 world’s busiest airports. With the covid-19 pandemic stifling travel around the world all the airports on the list saw massive drops in passengers and rankings climbed and fell and…
- Covid-19 News
Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine re-approved in the US
The pause on the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine was officially lifted in the US yesterday by the Centre For Disease Control And Prevention and the US Food And Drug Administration. They will add a warning label about the risk of blood clots, but vaccination can resume today. The CDC’s Advisory Committee For Immunization Practices recommended unpausing the Johnson &…
- World News
Thai chef pleads for justice after child kills her cat in New York park
A Thai-born chef, who now lives in New York, has launched a social media campaign calling for justice for her pet cat after the feline was attacked and killed by a child. Suchanan “Rung” Aksornnan says she was walking her cats, Ponzu and Kimchi, along with her dog, Tofu, and parakeet, Mango, in a Brooklyn park, when a boy ran…
- Covid-19 News
US pauses use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine after “rare and severe” blood clots
Health officials in the United States have decided to pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine while they investigate a number of cases of “rare and severe” blood clots. According to a CNN report, a 45 year old woman has died and another patient is in critical condition. In total, there were 6 blood clot incidents, out of…
- Tourism News
Sony, Amazon Falls to set up amusement park in Thailand
Sony Pictures Entertainment is setting up an amusement park in Thailand that is based on its Columbia Pictures movies. The entertainment giant is working with Thailand’s Amazon Falls to plan the venture, with an opening date set for this October. The water park, named Aquaverse, will be spread out among 14 acres and feature rides and attractions with Jumanji, Bad…
- World News
North Korea severs ties with Malaysia over “unpardonable” US extradition
The reclusive country of North Korea has confirmed a severing of diplomatic ties with Malaysia after its one-time ally agreed to extradite a North Korean citizen to the US. According to the Bangkok Post, Pyongyang has described the extradition as an “unpardonable crime”, accusing Malaysia of responding to US pressure with blind obedience. The country’s foreign ministry has announced that…
- World News
Novavax says vaccine 100% effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalisation
The US firm Novavax says trials on its Covid-19 vaccine have shown it to be 100% effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalisation or death from the virus. However, the efficacy rate fell sharply against mild to moderate cases of the South African variant. The Bangkok Post reports that one phase 3 trial took place in the UK and included 15,000…
- 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…
- World News
Thailand News Today | Thailand fallout from Burmese coup | February 3
With potential sanctions and boycotts against Myanmar likely following the military coup, the Thai-Myanmar Business Council says Thai investors are concerned their businesses in the neighbouring country will be affected. As for now, it’s unclear what effect the coup will have on Thai-owned businesses in Myanmar. The country’s economy, already battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, is expected to slow down…
- World News
Elderly Thai man killed in violent attack in California
An 84 year old Thai man has died after being brutally attacked outside his home in San Francisco, in the US state of California. CCTV footage shows Vicha Ratanapakdee being approached by a man who pushes him violently to the ground before running away. The attack took place on the footpath outside Vicha’s home early on Thursday morning, with the…
- Visa Information
Visa extensions in Thailand for stranded tourists, February 2021 | VIDEO
Stranded foreign tourists, either genuinely stuck in Thailand since April 2020, or stuck here by choice, are able to stay in Thailand until May 30. The order from the immigration department empowers local officers to grant a 60 day visa extensions from January 29 up to May 30. The order coincides with the world’s Covid-19 situation getting worse and more…
- World News
US President Biden reverses Trump’s policies on first day of presidency
Just after being sworn in, the new US President Joe Biden is reversing Donald Trump’s policies by signing 15 executive actions, principally targeting pandemic and climate change. Joe Biden, now America’s 46th President, said there is “no time to waste” as he referenced America’s battle with Covid-19. “Some of the executive actions I’m going to be signing today are going…
- Covid-19 News
Los Angeles ambulances won’t take cardiac patients unlikely to survive as Covid crisis worsens
As the state of California finds itself in the midst of a full-blown Covid-19 crisis, medical workers in Los Angeles are being faced with some stark choices. According to County Supervisor Hilda Sollis, a memo issued by the county’s Emergency Medical Services instructs ambulance workers not to pick up patients who’ve suffered a heart attack if their chances of surviving…
- 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,…
- Covid-19 News
US launches most complex vaccine distribution today as Covid soars
Today, the US is launching its largest and most complicated vaccine distribution process in its history after Covid has continued to wreak havoc on its citizens for months. The site of the distribution, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is filled with tractor trailers loaded with suitcase-sized containers of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine. US regulators authorised the vaccine from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech…
- Thailand Protest News
US senators introduce resolution in support of Thailand’s pro-democracy movement
The US Senate has called on the Thai government to end violence against political activists, as it introduced a resolution in support of the pro-democracy movement. 9 members of Congress introduced the resolution, including Thai-American senator Tammy Duckworth, who has previously served in the US military. “As a Thai-American who fought to protect the right to peacefully protest here at…
- Covid-19 News
Another bleak milestone for the US as Covid cases top 10 million
As scientists around the world cautiously welcome the positive news about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, data from worldometers.info reveals that Covid-19 cases in the US have now topped the 10 million case mark. The latest figures on Worldometers show that the US has now recorded 10,421,956 cases of the virus and 244,448 deaths, both counts being the highest in the world.…
- World News
UPDATE: President Trump says he’s “going well”. 6 more associates test positive.
Just 17 hours after announcing he has tested positive for Covid-19, US president Donald Trump has now been moved to a military hospital after displaying “mild” Covid symptoms. Meanwhile, his campaign manager, Bill Stepien, has tested positive for the coronavirus, along with a former senior adviser, and at least 2 senators after attending a White House event. More people who…
- World News
Trump advisers pour cold water on US president’s calls to delay election date
Donald Trump’s advisers say the US presidential election will go ahead as planned on November 3. The confirmation comes as Trump’s campaign and White House staff try to shut down speculation by the US President to delay the vote. Trump continues to cite concerns about the mail-in ballot system, which even his critics dismiss as unfounded and without evidence. The…
- Covid-19 News
US Covid-19 cases surge past 3 million
Over 3 million people in the US have now tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of the outbreak (3,158,932 as of midday Thai time). Nearly 135,000 deaths have been recorded and the country is now facing an acceleration of new cases in a number of key states, notably Florida, Texas, California, Arizona, Georgia and Tennessee. On a positive note,…
- World News
Covid-19 today: World snapshot
Despite many vaccines being in the works, and mostly all nations imposing safety measures surrounding Covid-19, The World Health Organisation says the pandemic is still growing around the world. “The epidemic is now peaking or moving toward a peak in a number of large countries,” said Dr Michael Ryan, WHO’s emergencies chief. So here is what’s happening around the world…
- Covid-19 News
7 new Covid-19 cases reported in Thailand (June 8)
This morning Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin, the spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has announced 7 new confirmed cases of the Covid-19. All 7 were reported as Thai nationals who were recently repatriated from aboard. Today marks the second week, with no new cases of Covid-19 transmitted locally. The Thai Government, however, says their current target is to reach…
- Covid-19 News
With more than 20,000 deaths, US surpasses Italy’s total of deceased coronavirus patients
Deaths from the Covid-19 coronavirus in the US topped 20,000 yesterday (20,577 to be precise), surpassing Italy, previously the world’s hardest-hit country. It was a grim start to the Easter holiday weekend on which US President Donald Trump had earlier hoped to “reopen the country”. With the report of 1,863 new deaths nationally yesterday, the US has reached two grim…
- Covid-19 News
US Covid-19 cases exceed 100,000 people, South Korea leads the world with testing
The US has kicked the number of cases of Covid-19 coronavirus over 100,000 people. As testing continues to expand rapidly, the US is seeing daily spikes of 10,000+ in recent days (18,294 in the past 24 hours). On March 20 there were 19,000 active cases recorded for the US. The numbers are expected to continue to rise steadily in the coming…
