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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Former pageant queen in Myanmar sides with ethnic armies opposing military coup
A former pageant queen Htar Htet Htet has been vocal about her opposition to the military takeover in her home country, Myanmar. But recently, she took her stance even farther by posting a photo of herself in a black combat outfit with an assault rifle, showing support for the ethnic armies fighting against the state military. The Myanmar military took…
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More than 15,000 foreigners arrested since January for illegal border crossings
Thousands of foreign nationals have been arrested this year for illegally crossing land borders into Thailand. Due to fears that those entering Thailand illegally and evading the mandatory 14-day quarantine could possibly lead to the spread of Covid-19, particularly more contagious variants of the virus, Thai authorities say they will take tough legal action on illegal migrants and labour traffickers.…
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Fear over Covid in India has some washing themselves with cow dung
Fears over Covid-19 has some people in India, bathing themselves in cow feces. Doctors, however, warn that there is no evidence that cow dung is effective at curing the novel coronavirus and even warn of other diseases that can be acquired from the bacteria and germs in the feces. The pandemic has brought widespread devastation to India, with 22.66 million…
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Beaches closed in Vietnam following rise in Covid-19 infections
Several beaches have been closed in Vietnam as the country battles a resurgence of the Covid-19 virus. Officials in Hai Phong City have closed Do Son and Cat Co beaches following news that 47 new infections had been reported in the country’s capital, Hanoi. In Quang Ninh province, which is 150 kilometres east of the capital, Tuan Chau, Quan Lan,…
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44 countries report cases of Covid-19 variant first found in India – WHO
So far, 44 countries have now reported the cases of the mutated Covid-19 variant that was first detected in India and is linked to the country’s massive outbreak, where active Covid-19 infections in India have now surpassed 3.7 million. The drastic spike in cases linked to the new variant has led to severe shortages of hospital beds and oxygen to…
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Health officials point to Thailand’s porous borders as biggest “Indian variant” threat
Thailand’s health officials say the Kingdom’s porous borders pose the greatest risk in terms of the so-called Indian variant of Covid-19 being imported. Prasit Watanapa from the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital says there is a distinct possibility the highly contagious variant, currently wreaking havoc with India’s healthcare system, could be imported by migrants slipping into the country illegally.…
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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…
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Thai government looks into “humanitarian solution” for detained reporters from Myanmar
Following the arrest of 3 journalists from a Myanmar news agency and 2 activists, who all face deportation and charges for entering Thailand illegally, the Thai government says they’re looking for a “humanitarian solution.” Following the February military coup, the junta attempted to silence the media by revoking licenses allowing outlets to report and arresting journalists. The editor and director…
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3 journalists from Myanmar arrested in Chiang Mai
Police in Northern Thailand arrested 3 senior journalists who had fled Myanmar due to orders from the military junta to stop reporting, the director and editor of the news agency Democratic Voice of Burma said in an email to the Associated Press. The journalists, along with 2 associates, were arrested yesterday in Chiang Mai for allegedly illegally entering Thailand. Police…
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Flight booking data shows vaccinations are key to rebooting travel globally
The latest findings from a research firm that analyses flight booking data confirms that vaccination is the key to rebooting international travel. The most recent research from ForwardKeys shows that destinations prepared to welcome vaccinated tourists have seen a surge in bookings. In particular, Greece and Iceland, have had a significant uptake in inbound flights, while countries where mass vaccination…
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National lockdown in Malaysia as Covid-19 infections surge
Malaysia has gone into full national lockdown amid a surge in Covid-19 infections, including highly contagious variants that are putting the healthcare system under pressure. According to Thai PBS World, the Malaysian PM, Muhyiddin Yassin, has announced a ban on social gatherings and inter-state and inter-district travel. “Malaysia is facing a third wave of Covid-19 that could trigger a national…
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Glass bridge in China shatters, tourist hangs on 100 metres above the ground
A tourist walking on a glass bridge in China, looking down at the ground 100 metres below, quickly had to cling onto the bridge’s rails after high winds caused some of the panels of the glass-bottom bridge to shatter. Reports say the wind blew at up to 145 kilometres per hour, damaging the glass bridge and leaving the tourists stuck…
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Thailand donates cash, equipment to Laos to help combat Covid-19 outbreak
With Laos, just north of Thailand, under lockdown measures to control a spike of Covid-19 infections, the Royal Thai Embassy to Laos helping the country combat the outbreak and has donated cash and materials valued altogether at more than 16 million baht. While cases have remained low in Laos since the start of the pandemic last year with active cases…
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Security tightened at Burmese border as Tachileik nightlife venues re-open
Security patrols are being stepped up along the Thai-Burmese border amid reports that nightlife venues in Tachileik are set to re-open. The Burmese town is just across the border from Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district. It hit the headlines late last year when a number of Thai nationals working in the town crossed back into Thailand illegally, bringing Covid-19 with…
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Vietnamese woman becomes first to die in Vietnam after receiving AstraZeneca’s vaccine shot
A Vietnamese woman is the first person to die in Vietnam after receiving the Covid-19 AstraZeneca shot. The Ministry of Public Health says the 35 year old developed anaphylactic shock after getting the first dose of the vaccine, passing away in Vietnam’s southern province of An Giang last Friday. “This is a very rare case in the vaccination against Covid-19.”…
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Third supsect arrested in bomb attack of Maldives ex-president
After a bomb attack in the Maldives attempting to assassinate former president Mohamed Nasheed, police have arrested a third suspect. The Manhunt has continued in the Maldivian capital city of Malé as the police appealed to the public for any information they may have about another suspect. Religious extremists have been blamed for the attempt on the former president’s life.…
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UPDATE: Chinese rocket debris plunges into Indian Ocean
UPDATE: 10.30am (Thai Time) Trackers have confirmed that the debris has splashed down somewhere west of The Maldives in the Indian Ocean. 9.30am (Thai Time) The Chinese Long March 5B carrier rocket should land in this area… 72.47°E longitude and 2.65°N latitude, just west of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. That’s according to China’s National Space Agency. “Most of…
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Today’s Chinese rocket debris not expected to hit land
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has assured the public that the debris from a large rocket re-entering the atmosphere today is not likely to do any harm. They said the majority of the Chinese rocket will mostly be burned up on re-entry. The Long March 5B rocket left the Earth on April 29th, launching from Hainan island in China. This…
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Like Songkran, Sri Lanka New Year’s brings Covid-19 wave
Sri Lanka has seen a huge wave of new Covid-19 infections in part due to large New Year’s celebrations in mid-April at the same time as Thailand’s Songkran Festival. From the beginning of April until now, the island nation has experienced a fivefold increase in daily cases, with 1,895 infections reported yesterday. February had previously been the worst month in…
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With Indian neighbours sealing borders, Maldives welcomes tourists
Tuesday saw a new Daily Record for Covid-19 cases in the 26 islands of the Maldives, with 601 new infections. The tiny nation’s Health Emergency Operations Centre reported this week that hospitalisations due to Covid-19 had tripled in a few days and they suspect that a new variant may now be present in the country. The capital city of Malé…
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Once Covid-19 free, Cambodia eases lockdown amidst surge
After remaining relatively unscathed during the global pandemic in 2020, Cambodia, like other countries in the region, is in the midst of a massive Covid-19 surge. As recently as late February, the country had only seen about 500 cases in their population of 16 million. But just two days ago, 650 new cases and 4 fatalities were recorded nationally. Cambodia…
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Covid-19 Indonesia: Indian variant, reused swabs, holiday travel ban
Indonesia is experiencing an average of 5,000 new Covid-19 cases each day over the past week, and the Indian variant has now arrived as well. The Health Ministry confirmed this week that 2 patients had been infected by what has been identified as the B.1.617 variant of the Coronavirus, commonly known as the more contagious Indian strain. Indonesia is often…
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King and Queen of Thailand gift critical oxygen supplies to India
Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand are sending a gift of desperately needed oxygen supplies for Covid-19 patients to India today. The Royal Thai Air Force will deliver the oxygen along with care packages of aid and relief items donated by the Indian Institute of Technology Alumni Association, the India-Thai Chamber of Commerce, and the Indian Association of…
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Southeast and South Asia struggling with rapid Covid-19 spread
With outbreaks in many countries throughout the region, and India in a Covid-19 crisis, the World Health Organisation and other health bodies are urging action in South and Southeast Asia. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have joined the call to action to aid the Earth’s most populous region, and the pandemic now ravaging it. The…
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Laos prime minister orders an extension on lockdown measures
While the majority of countries across the globe have been grappling with Covid-19 outbreaks for the past year, Laos, just North of Thailand, has only reported 1,177 cases with the vast majority of the infections detected over the past month. Laos PM Phankhan Viphavanh says ordered an extension on lockdown measures, now until May 20, saying it is essential in…
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It’s cicada season and America is preparing for billions to emerge after 17 years of hiding
Americans are preparing for billions of cicadas to emerge after spending 17 years underground. Some are thinking it’s their worst nightmare to see and hear the insects as they will undoubtedly swarm their yards and porches. Their semi-hard skin, that is shed, will also be a sight to see, if there are, indeed, billions coming out. In Thailand, and most…
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UN representative talks with Thai officials to help refugees fleeing Myanmar
With ongoing violence in Myanmar between the military junta and ethnic armies, a representative from the United Nations has held discussions with local authorities in Mae Hong Son, which borders Myanmar, to look into ways to help more than 2,000 Karen refugees who fled their homes to escape the violence. Following the military coup in February, ousting the state counsellor…
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Diplomatic spat between China and Australia, Chinese suspend economic dialogue
A diplomatic spat between China and Australia has the Communist State suspending all economic dialogue “indefinitely” between the 2 countries as of today. A statement by China’s National Development and Reform Commission detailed some of the reasoning behind the move, which is under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue. “Recently, some Australian Commonwealth Government officials launched a series of measures to…
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Anti-coup Burmese protesters take up military training in jungles of Myanmar
Members of Myanmar’s Civil Disobedience Movement, including doctors and students, are taking up military training in the jungles, where they fled to escape a violent crackdown by the junta. Crawling on the ground towards their target of a small village isn’t just in preparation for a simulated clash-the training is to help protect them while they continue to resist the…
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Independence Day holiday is set date for US to achieve herd immunity from Covid-19
US President Joe Biden is setting the national holiday of Independence Day, on July 4, as the date in which he says 70% of American adults should have had at least their first Covid-19 vaccine dose. But, Priya Sampathkumar, chair of Infection Prevention & Control at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, disagrees with that priority. “Vaccinating more people in the…
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