World News
World news, global politics, business, technology, and culture—stay updated with breaking stories, international trends, and major events. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for global news.
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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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No survivors in China Eastern Boeing 737 crash carrying 132 people
Rescuers searching the wreckage of the China Eastern Airlines passenger jet say there are no survivors. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft carrying 132 people crashed into a mountainside in southern China’s Guangxi region after a sudden nosedive. Rescuers are searching a deep pit in the mountainside to find the plane’s black box, which holds flight data and voice recordings from the…
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Asia News Today | China plane crash latest & HK looking to relax restrictions
Investigators are now trying to piece together the final moments of a Boeing 737 flight in southern China yesterday before it plummeted into a hilly area as it was approaching Guangzhou. The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 jet, flight MU5735, carrying 132 people crashed in Wuzhou. The sudden nosedive of the plane has left aircraft accident specialists baffled as authorities…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Ultimatums ‘not feasible’; Russian offensive stalls; Putin’s ‘back is against the wall’
As Russia’s invasion continues, here’s the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine… • In a televised address, President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine could not submit to ultimatums from Russia. The only way to do that would be to “destroy us all” he said. The remarks come after Ukraine rejected a Russian ultimatum for Mariupol authorities to surrender the city…
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All quarantine rules lifted for international travellers to Indonesia
Following in the steps of a number of other Southeast Asian nations, Indonesia is lifting all quarantine requirements for international arrivals in a bid to revive its tourism industry. International arrivals will still need a negative PCR test result before travel. The move follows a trial period of 2 weeks, during which quarantine-free travel was introduced on the islands of…
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UPDATE: Boeing 737 carrying 132 passengers crashes into mountains in China
A Boeing 737 passenger jet carrying 132 people has crashed in China, according to a Chinese state media broadcast earlier today. Reports say the Chinese Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 went missing earlier in the day as it was headed from Kunming to Guangzhou. The plane was carrying 123 passengers and 9 crew. The China Eastern Airlines aircraft plummeted rapidly then…
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US says Rohingya violence was ‘genocide’ as Asean envoy meets Myanmar junta leaders
US President Joe Biden has determined that the violence against the Rohingya minority committed by Myanmar’s military in 2017 amounted to genocide and crimes against humanity, a US official told Reuters on Sunday. The move comes as a special Asean envoy begins three days of visits with junta officials in Myanmar, aiming to begin a peace process. The US Secretary…
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Asia News Today | More North Korea missiles, ‘genocide’ in Myanmar
North Korea has conducted another missile launch, this time using a multiple rocket launch system, the latest in a busy time for North Korean missile testers. The statement from the South Korean military didn’t specify how far the rocket got, the direction it was fired, or the exact type of rockets or weapons launched, but said they’re constantly monitoring the…
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Thai woman who claims she escaped organ harvesting sentenced to 6 months in prison
A Thai woman who claimed a Chinese gang stole her blood and attempted to steal her organs in Cambodia has been sentenced to six months in prison with no parole. 25 year old Areeya Komkratok admitted she fabricated the entire story because she urgently wanted to return to Thailand. Areeya, along with seven other Thai people who were lured into…
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Thailand is the 61st happiest country in the world
On a list of 146 countries on the World Happiness Index, Thailand ranks at 61. Finland was ranked the happiest country, while Afghanistan was ranked least happy. Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world for five years in a row. An editor of the World Happiness Report said after the Covid-19 pandemic, all three acts labeled “acts…
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Blood and organ harvesting claims by Thai woman in Cambodia were fake
“A Thai woman alleges organ harvesters in Cambodia drew her blood and were about to cut her open when she was rescued.” Except it didn’t happen. The woman fabricated the entire story. Thairath.co.th yesterday reported that the Thai woman, who had claimed to have been the victim of ‘organ harvesting’ in Sihanoukville, Cambodia had confessed to inventing the whole incident. She…
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AirAsia to resume Malaysia-Thailand flights, open 3 routes in April and May
AirAsia plans to resume international flights from Malaysia to Thailand, with 3 new routes opening in April and May. The three new routes include Penang-Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur-Hat Yai on April 13, and Johor Bahru-Bangkok on May 3, according to an announcement on the airline’s website on Tuesday. In an effort to provide passengers with more options to travel to…
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Singapore’s foreign minister wants China to use influence to pressure Russia
As Singapore imposes unilateral sanctions on Russia, the country’s minister of foreign affairs is calling on China to use its powerful influence to pressure Russia to stop its invasion and violence in Ukraine. The minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, said China’s “characteristics” would help it reason with Russia. “I hope they will assert their influence with Chinese characteristics, which means quietly and…
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Over 100 Thais apply to give stranded Ukrainians shelter, donate 5 million baht
Ukraine’s charge d’affaires to Thailand announced at a press conference yesterday that over 100 Thais have applied to give free accommodation to Ukrainians stranded in Thailand. The charge d’affaires added that there are over 3,000 Ukrainians stranded in Thailand. He said the Ukraine launched a website to provide free accommodation to Ukrainians stranded abroad. Thais submitted over 100 proposals on the…
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Myanmar to reopen April 17 to travellers from abroad
After two years, Myanmar will finally allow international tourists to enter the country starting April 17. Visitors must be fully vaccinated, and will be required to quarantine for a week, according to the country’s health ministry. They will also have to take two RT-PCR tests. Apart from the ongoing violence against its own citizens and the current military government unrecognised…
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Shenzhen now has more billionaires than New York, China has most in world
Shenzhen in China now has more billionaires than New York City. Meanwhile, China has 1,133 listed “billionaires”, more billionaires (measured in USD) than any other country in the world. These 1,133 Shenzhen billionaires make up 34% of the world’s 3,381 billionaires. This is despite the fact China lost 160 of its billionaires in a government crackdown last year. The crackdown…
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Thailand to donate 1 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Myanmar
Thailand plans to donate 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to Myanmar. The first order of 500,000 doses arrived in the neighbouring country on March 12. The delivery date for the next order has yet been announced. Myanmar is the first country Thailand has donated locally-made Covid-19 vaccines to. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Thanee Saengrat, shared…
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Swedish woman who hid child in Thailand sentenced to prison
A Swedish woman who was arrested by Thai police in January has been sentenced to one year and three months in prison in Sweden for hiding her child in Thailand for over a year. The woman lost her custody battle with the child’s father but disappeared with the child in December 2019 before the court’s decision was enforced. The woman…
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Bleaching damages Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, corals drained of colour
Bleaching has damaged Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, including in its marine park. Bleaching occurs when rising ocean temperatures drain corals of their colours. Marine park authorities say the bleaching is “widespread” across multiple regions, ranging from minor to severe. High sea temperatures have caused bleaching in the reef since 1997, and many corals struggle to survive. Meanwhile, starfish also eat…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Russian offensive stalled, attacks civilians; Putin warns ‘traitors’; Turkey plays mediator
As Russia’s faltering military campaign enters its fourth week, here’s the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine… • More than a thousand people were sheltering in the bombed Mariupol theater. Civilians are said to be emerging alive from the ruins of the theatre, according to Ukrainian authorities. Between 1,000 and 1,200 people may have been inside, the city’s deputy…
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Tourism school helps stranded Russians and Ukrainians in Koh Samui
A tourism school is helping stranded Russians and Ukrainians in Koh Samui stay in a hotel for about 4,000 baht a month. This is for up to 30 rooms at a hotel on Chaweng beach. Many Ukrainians can’t return home due to the violence from Russia’s invasion, while many Russians’ flights home have been canceled. Many Russians also can’t access…
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As residents run out of patience, Hong Kong considers easing Covid restrictions
The Hong Kong government is considering rolling back some Covid restrictions, aware that public tolerance is fading. Chief Executive Carrie Lam says that even though the infection rate is not yet declining, some restrictions could be eased, recognising that the public has had enough. “Not because the number of cases has come down, but I have a very strong feeling…
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Kanye West blocked from Instagram for a day
Instagram has blocked Kanye West from posting, commenting, and sending messages for 24 hours, the social media company announced yesterday. Instagram also deleted some of West’s content. A spokesperson for Instagram said the content violated rules on hate speech, bullying, and harassment. American media said the post deleted targeted talk show host Trevor Noah, after Noah called West “belligerent” over…
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Japan earthquake kills 4, injures almost 100
A 7.4 earthquake hit the northeast coast of Japan late last night, killing at least four and injuring almost 100. About 36,400 houses had no electricity this morning, although an electricity firm said most houses are expected to have electricity again later today. Japan issued a tsunami warning, but canceled it early this morning. Parts of Tokyo also lost power…
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Asia News Today | Chinese react to stock slump, Thai nightlife may re-open
China’s top economic official have stepped in to reassure investors, claiming that Beijing will take measures to support the Chinese economy and financial markets. The comments follow a sharp sell-off that has been partly fuelled by reaction from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Liu He, a vice-premier and economic adviser to the Communist party executive, says the government will take measures…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Biden approves military aid after Zenelsky speech; Russia strikes Mariupol theatre with children
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a speech to the US Congress on Wednesday. In a virtual address, Zelenksy repeated his plea for a no-fly zone and called for more sanctions on Russia, as Russian forces inch toward Kyiv, with intensified fighting around the capital. After Zelensky challenged him to be “the leader of peace“, US President Joe Biden pledged an additional $800…
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Iran frees captives held for 5, 6 years
Today, Iranian authorities freed two British-Iranian nationals imprisoned in the country for five and six years. One captive, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, was arrested in 2016. The other captive, Anoosheh Ashoori, was arrested in 2017. Nazanin was a project manager for Thompson Reuters Foundation when she was arrested, and Anoosheh was a businessman. Iranian authorities accused Nazanin of trying to “overthrow” the…
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Official assigned to “investigate” anyone who shares Lisa Blackpink’s whisky ads
The director of Thailand’s Office of the Alcohol Control Committee has been assigned to investigate anyone who shares photos of a famous Thai celebrity promoting a whisky brand. He was assigned by the Department of Disease Control, according to reporters. The celebrity, Lisa from Blackpink, is a brand ambassador for the Scotch whisky company Chivas. In Thailand, it’s illegal to…
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Expat numbers in Singapore now at lowest level since 2010
Data from Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower shows that the number of expat, white-collar workers, in the city state is the lowest it’s been in a decade. The number of Employment Pass holders, a work permit issued to foreign professionals earning at least S$4,500 (over 110,000 Thai baht) a month, fell 9% to 161,700 in the year ended December 2021. This…
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Russian Embassy in Bangkok works with Thai tourism to help those stranded
The Russian embassy in Bangkok is working with Thai tourism authorities to help Russians stuck in Thailand following flight cancelations and payment problems. At a press conference yesterday, Russia’s ambassador to Thailand said 1,500 letters have been issued to extend visas for the roughly 6,500 Russians stranded across the country. This news comes after the Russian Consulate in Phuket announced…
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Vietnam reopens borders to international tourism TODAY (a day late)
The Ides of March came and went without so much as a word on Vietnam’s much anticipated border reopening on March 15. But the news comes today, with the Ministry of Health officially announcing that foreign nationals entering Vietnam now only need to provide a negative Covid-19 test certificate to enter the country and will no longer be required to…
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