World News
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Sponsored Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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Belarus tells Germany’s Goethe Institute, DAAD to shut down
On Thursday, Germany’s cultural Goethe Institute issued a short press statement announcing that it had been asked to cease its Belarus activities. It was clear that they were taken by surprise. “This is an unprecedented step for the Goethe Institute, which can freely work in its 157 institutes across the world,” the organization’s secretary-general, Johannes Ebert, said on Thursday. He…
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COVID: Vaccination workers come under attack in Kashmir
Zareena Bano, a health care worker from Srinagar city, has not been to her home for almost two months. She’s currently on duty in India-administered Kashmir’s northern Bandipora district, where she’s carrying out a door-to-door COVID vaccination campaign. Last week, Zareena and her co-workers visited Zaban village, located 8 kilometers (5 miles) away from Bandipora town. In the village, Zareena…
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India: Fake vaccines undermine fight against COVID
The discovery of fake vaccination camps in cities like Mumbai and Kolkata has shocked India, with authorities vowing to take firm action against unauthorized inoculations. Media reports say that thousands of people, desperate to get a COVID vaccine, have fallen prey to the scam. In one such case, Debanjan Deb, a 28-year-old man, posed himself as a civil servant and…
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Laos reports first Delta variant cases, patients had returned from Thailand
Laos has reported its first Covid-19 cases involving the rapid-spreading Delta variant of the virus. The patients who tested positive for the variant had returned to Laos from Thailand, according to the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control. Since the mutated strain, which was first found in India, is the most transmissible Covid-19 variant identified, Laos health officials are…
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COVID: Life slowly coming back to normal in India
Less than two months ago, India’s health care infrastructure was dealt a hefty blow by the second wave of the coronavirus. After a period of collective grief, Indians are now stepping out as life resumes. SOURCE: DW News
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Can drone warfare in the Middle East be controlled?
Last weekend, the US launched airstrikes against militant groups loyal to Iran near the Iraqi-Syrian border. According to a statement issued by United States defense officials, the strikes were in retaliation for the groups’ drone attacks on American troops in Iraq. The US military said that drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (or UAVs), have been used against their…
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German Covid-19 vaccine only 48% effective in final stage trials
A German Covid-19 vaccine that uses the same RNA technology as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, has shown an efficacy rate of just 48% in final stage trials. According to a Bangkok Post report, the results for the CureVac vaccine, or CVnCoV, were not a surprise after poor interim data was released earlier in the month. The company has defended…
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Finnish judges acquit Danish man of 1987 Baltic ferry murder
A Danish man accused of bludgeoning a German backpacker to death on a Baltic Sea cruise more than three decades ago was set free by judges in Finland on Wednesday. Prosecutors accused the 52-year-old, identified in court only as Herman H, of killing Klaus Schelkle, 20, and attempting to murder his girlfriend Bettina Taxis. The fatal incident took place on…
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Turkey to pull out of Istanbul Convention on violence against women
In March, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree aimed at withdrawing his country from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, or Istanbul Convention for short. Turkey was the first country to sign the 2011 agreement, but is set to leave the framework for good on July 1. Turkish presidency…
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At former Indigenous schools, Canada unearths a brutal history
WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing Dustin Ross Fiddler was raised with these stories. They are not new. He heard them from his grandparents, his parents, the elders in his community, countless uncles and aunts — stories of the stolen children who never came home. “This was something that was truth and knowledge to Indigenous people.…
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How Nigeria arrested secessionist leader Nnamdi Kanu
Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of a group that has called for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria, was presented before a federal high court in Abuja on Tuesday, days after his arrest at an undisclosed location. “Nnamdi Kanu has been intercepted. … He has been brought back to Nigeria in order to continue facing trial after disappearing,” said Justice Minister…
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COVID: Kashmir’s transgender community left to fend for themselves
A series of lockdowns have barred transgender people from working in the wedding industry. Ostracized from society and without access to government aid, many are on the verge of starvation. SOURCE: DW News
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World in Progress: Brazil’s controversial land bill spells disaster for the indigenous
Indigenous people in Brazil have come under threat as miners and loggers continue to invade their lands. A bill limiting indigenous land rights is threatening their livelihoods even further. It’s backed by the country’s powerful farm lobby and President Jair Bolsonaro. Critics say it would be the biggest set-back for the indigenous since their rights were enshrined in the 1988…
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World in Progress: Brazil’s controversial land bill to spell disaster for the indigenous
Indigenous people in Brazil have come under threat as miners and loggers continue to invade their lands. A bill limiting indigenous land rights is threatening their livelihoods even further. It’s backed by the country’s powerful farm lobby and President Jair Bolsonaro. Critics say it would be the biggest set-back for the indigenous since their rights were enshrined in the 1988…
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Hong Kong national security law: Can civil liberties survive another year?
One year ago, a national security law took effect in Hong Kong, handed down by Communist Party authorities in Beijing in response to a massive pro-democracy movement in the semi-autonomous city. The law criminalizes so-called acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers. Since the law came into effect on June 30,2020, authorities have removed all opposition lawmakers…
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Ethiopia: Uncertainty in Tigray after rebels take control of restive north
The former ruling party in Tigray said it took back control of the regional capital Mekele on Monday after Ethiopia’s federal government troops controlled the city for eight months. The Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) is “in control of Mekele and people are now dancing in the streets,” said Million Haileselassie, a DW correspondent based in the city. The TDF is…
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US and NATO withdraw from an Afghanistan still at war
On April 14, United States President Joe Biden told Americans when their country’s longest war would finally end: “I’m now the fourth US president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan: two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.” Biden delivered his address in the White House Treaty Room. It was in this…
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US and NATO withdraw from an Afghanistan still at war: What you need to know
On April 14, United States President Joe Biden told Americans when their country’s longest war would finally end: “I’m now the fourth US president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan: two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.” Biden delivered his address in the White House Treaty Room. It was in this…
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New study:Moderna effective against Delta variant
A new lab study shows that the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Moderna is reasonably effective against the growing Delta variant first identified in India. The study found that the vaccine was only slightly less effective against the newer strain than it is against the original Covid-19 virus. The study tested blood serum from 8 subjects who had finished their second…
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Bali plans 5-year visa scheme for digital nomads as island stalls reopening
Digital nomads in Bali will be granted a 5-year visa, according to Indonesia’s tourism minister. The government is waiting until the Covid-19 situation improves before reopening the island to foreign tourists. To revive the tourist island’s economy after the pandemic, tourism officials hope to attract more digital nomads, online-based business owners and people who work remotely. Under a proposed scheme,…
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Sea Breeze: Ukraine, US Black Sea drills raise tensions with Russia
A military incident off the coast of the Crimean Peninsula caused quite a stir last week. The British warship HMS Defender was en route from the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa to Georgia when it encountered Russian forces, who issued warning shots. The incident sparked tensions between Moscow and London and came just days ahead of multinational naval maneuvers…
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Oxford University study shows strong immune response after third AstraZeneca dose
Researchers at Oxford University say a third dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine provokes a strong immune response. However, they add that there is no evidence yet that such boosters are required, particularly given that some countries are struggling with insufficient supplies. A study carried out at the renowned English university shows that a third, or booster, shot increases antibody…
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Trial of deposed Burmese leader Suu Kyi to overrun as prosecution need more time
The trial of former Burmese leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is set to overrun as the prosecution says it needs more time. There are still around 23 witnesses waiting to be called by the prosecution and Suu Kyi’s lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, has confirmed the trial will go on longer than anticipated. Suu Kyi is currently under house arrest and…
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Afghanistan: Why Germany needs to simplify asylum process for local staff
The German parliament last week discussed the future of the German military’s (Bundeswehr) local staff in Afghanistan amid an increasing threat to their lives from the Taliban. After the US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and dismantled the Taliban regime, foreign forces relied heavily on domestic help. They needed translators, interpreters, cooks, cleaners, as well security experts who could help them…
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India looks to revamp Ladakh with infrastructure overhaul
As China-India relations remain tense over border disagreements, New Delhi is increasingly focusing on developing the Ladakh frontier region that has been neglected for years. SOURCE: DW News
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France could ease path to parenthood for single and lesbian women
When Benedicte Blanchet, a 40-year-old who lives in a Paris suburb, decided that she wanted to have a child on her own and not wait to meet the right man, nothing prepared her for the costly obstacle course that was to follow. Under existing laws in France, which are among the strictest in western Europe, only heterosexual couples who are…
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Idlib braces as a crossing to Syria prepares to close
The Syrian city of Idlib is separated from the Bab al-Hawa crossing at the Turkish border by about 40 kilometers (25 miles). Huda Khayti, director of the Women Support and Empowerment Center Idlib, travels there several times each week to check on people in refugee camps along the border and bring them aid. Millions of internally displaced Syrians have been…
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Bereaved families remember loved ones lost in Miami building collapse – VIDEO
At least 9 people have now been confirmed dead in the condominium collapse in Florida last Thursday. As the rescue operation continues, Reuters reports that relatives of those confirmed killed are remembering their loved ones. Among the dead was a woman whose teenage son survived the collapse, an elderly couple about to celebrate 59 years of marriage, and a devoted…
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LGBTQ troops and vets go to war with homophobia in Ukraine
The silence inside a makeshift cinema in the heart of Kyiv was shattered with the crash of a windowpane. Fireworks flashed. Homophobic attackers were attempting to besiege the screening of a film about the lives of LGBTQ people. The assailants threw tear gas and pyrotechnics. A member of the audience jumped up onto the windowsill and began throwing the projectiles…
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Cuba’s COVID vaccine rivals BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna
In a measure of its ambitious efforts to be vaccine self-reliant, Cuba has named one of its homegrown jabs Abdala, after a famous dramatic verse by independence hero and national icon Jose Marti. In the verse, the young hero, Abdala, heads to war to defend his fatherland, full of patriotic fervor no matter how strong and powerful the enemy. From…
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