World News
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Lao aid truck plunges off bridge – one dead, two injured
Aid continues to rush into southern Laos as international relief tries to grasp the full extent of the damage from the floods that occured last Monday night after a privately owned hydroelectric dam breached its walls. But as relief teams pour in, a man has been killed and two others injured when their truck loaded with provisions and donated items…
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Lombok earthquake – 10 people now confirmed dead, over 40 injured
PHOTO: Indonesian Search And Rescue Agency 10 people are now confirmed dead with 40 or more injured following this morning’s strong Lombok earthquake. Lombok is an Indonesian island, next door to Bali, although the epicentre of the quake wasn’t near the tourist areas. The tremor is said to have sent people running from their homes in panic. The initial 6.4…
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Three reported dead in Lombok earthquake – Indonesia
PHOTO: Nusa Tenggara Barat Disaster Mitigation Agency A shallow 6.4 magnitude earthquake has struck the Indonesian holiday island of Lombok this morning. At least three people are reported to have been killed. Lombok is 100 kilometres east of Bali. The United States Geological Survey reports that the quake hit at 6:47 am local time today. The epicentre is believed to…
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Questions over reliable death toll in the Laos floods – foreign media banned
PHOTO: Thai PBS In a sign of the times where social media is simply instantaneous, but often unreliable, the Lao PM Thongloun Sisoulith is warning members of the public to be aware and conscious about news and reports on the deadly flooding in southern Attapeu province. But some international news agencies are claiming that the Laos government is trying to…
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DoubleTree by Hilton Penang invites you to Malaysia’s culinary capital
DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang is inviting food lovers to discover the amazing flavors of Penang with a journey of discovery into the island’s unique culinary scene. Part of Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT), this stunning seafront resort is the perfect base from which to explore the gastronomic culture of Penang, which is often labeled the “Culinary Capital of Malaysia”. The…
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Rescuers search for 131 missing persons in Laos flooding
Laotian rescuers are continuing their search for 131 missing people. They have been missing since Monday’s fracture of the banks of the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydropower dam causing devastating floods to villages in the southern Laos province of Attapeu. The Laos PM Thongloun Sisoulith says, “Impact of this flooding is enormous.” The Vientiane Times is reporting that the disaster…
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Aid and rescuers pour into southern Laos to help flood victims
PHOTO: The Nation Rescuers from Thailand and China are arriving at Laos’ flooded southern district of Attapeu to assist local soldiers in search and rescue efforts following the collapse of a saddle dam belonging to a major dam construction project that caused massive downstream flooding. The dam broke its banks on Monday night. Scores of Laotians remained on the missing…
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16 billion USD wiped off Facebook shares
Facebook has had a horror day on the share market as it starts rolling out new privacy policies which are cutting into the company’s bottomline. Mark Zuckerberg, personally, lost 16 billion US dollars in the market rout. CNN reports that Facebook shares plunged 19% on Thursday after executives warned that revenue growth would slow as the company focuses on user…
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Marijuana across the Mekong – 350 kilograms seized
A routine naval patrol has foiled an attempt to smuggle 350 kilograms of marijuana across the Mekong into Nakhon Phanom from Laos last night (Tuesday). Rear Admiral Pisit Thongdeelert, commander of the Mekong Protection Unit for Nakhon Phanom, said a patrol vessel spotted a boat approaching the bank in Ban Na Nong Book in Tambon Chaiyaburi of Tha Uthen district.…
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Thai Airways Boeing 777 in emergency landing in Dhaka
PHOTO: News In Flight A Thai Airways plane has made an emergency landing at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA). The Boeing 777 is reported to have veered off the runway during landing but was steered back onto the runway by the pilots. The plane had burst six tyres according to newsinflight.com. TG321 landed around 12.18pm with 145 passengers –…
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Hundreds dead, thousands displaced – Laos dam bust.
(5 minute read) The heavy rains in northern, north-eastern Thailand and southern Laos have caused a partially man-made disaster affecting hundreds of Loas homes with hundreds of people still missing. Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes in Laos’ southern Attapeu province following the collapse of part of a hydroelectric dam under construction. The disaster came hours after…
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Hundreds of houses flood as Laos dam breached
PHOTOS: BCEL One Heart The Nation is reporting that hundreds of households in Laos were heavily flooded on Monday night after a large amount of water overflowed a saddle dam section of Xe Pian dam following heavy rainfall in the country’s southern province of Attapeu. The disaster has reportedly claimed several lives, left hundreds of people missing and more than…
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Australia awards highest honours to Tham Luang cave rescuers
PHOTOS: Tim Shaw, 2CC Australian members of the Tham Luang cave rescue team, including Dr Richard Harris and Craig Challen, have been congratulated by the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull after receiving the Order of Australia and the Star of Courage at a function at Government House in the Australian capital Canberra today. Cave diving medical specialists, Richard Harris and…
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Malaysian Mahathir government to look at reducing voting age to 18 from 21
Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister and the youngest ever minister, says the Malaysian government is planning to reduce the voting age from 21 to 18 before the next elections in 2023. In an interview with Bloomberg in KL, the 25 year old Cabinet member said the government would ask the Attorney-General’s Office to look into…
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New tropical storm warning for north and north-east until Tuesday
The Thai Meteorological Department have issued another warning for people in the north and in north-east of the country to brace for intense rains or heavy rains in some areas, today and Tuesday due to another tropical depression. The depression is situated in the Bay of Tonkin, near Hainan Island heading towards the Chinese mainland and Vietnamese coast. It was…
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Rights groups call for laws to stop child marriages
“This isn’t just a marriage, but may be child abuse.” Defenders of Thailand’s children are calling for legal actions and amendments to laws to tackle the increasing number of “premature” marriages throughout the country. Activists say that such marriages harm the children. The comments follow the controversy of a 44 year old Malaysian man who ‘married’ an 11 year old…
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“Myanmar must be held accountable” – Fortify Rights Report
The Fortify Rights report is out. It names names and specifies responsibilities for the ongoing persecution of Myanmar’s Rohingya. The Nation’s Wasamon Audjarint and Sandy Leegumjorn compile this report about the document and its implications for Myanmar’s military. The international community must hold Myanmar accountable for the military-planned genocide of the Rohingya minority, a report unveiled yesterday said, describing the killings…
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Vaping pilot causes 737 to plunge 6,000 metres
A vaping co-pilot in the cockpit of an Air China flight has caused the plane to plunge 6,000 meters (19,600 feet) after mistakenly flicking the wrong switch. A senior official from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) told reporters Friday that, without notifying the pilot, the unnamed co-pilot was trying to turn off air recycling fans to prevent the…
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Busan, South Korea – Best Destination in Asia, according to Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet have announced their Top Ten Asian destinations for 2018. Only one entry for Thailand – Chiang Mai. The South Korean portside city of Busan has won the top gong as the best destination in Asia 2018 by the influential travel blog. Busan is described as a “confluence of scenery, culture and cuisine.” It’s long been domestically lauded as…
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41 year old Malaysian man might be charged with polygamy
“Zaini said the groom could be charged under Section 23 and 19 of the Syariah enactment.” Religious authorities say the bridegroom in the child marriage controversy is “not off the hook” although elements of force, violence and criminal intimidation have been ruled out. Read original story HERE. They also ruled out sex, lust and elements of coercion in a report…
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Thai and Chinese clash over damming of the Mekong
The Mekong River is shared my six countries and is the world’s twelfth longest river. But running through six going economies is causing a host of challenges and conflicts as to how to manage the river. Hydro-electric power is just one of the issues. Chinese experts who insist that hydropower projects on the Mekong River will benefit all stakeholders met…
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“Marriage of 11 year old girl is illegal.” Malaysian Deputy PM.
PHOTO: Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail/The Star Online The Star Online, as a follow up to its earlier revelation about the marriage of a 41 year old Malay man to a Thai 11 year old girl, says that Deputy Malaysian PM, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, says the Government is taking the matter of the child…
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Bali: Thousands stranded as Mount Agung erupts again
PHOTO: merdeka.com Sitting in the KLIA Terminal in Kuala Lumpur, the announcement comes over the PA. “Passengers are advised that the fight from KL to Bali has been cancelled.” This is why. Thousands of tourists are now stranded as the international airport closes following more eruptions from Mount Agung. People on the island report a thick plume of ash and…
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Thailand upgraded in Trafficking in Persons report
The latest US Trafficking in Persons has been released today with some better news for Thailand’s government. Thailand’s status in the US Trafficking in Persons report (TIP) has been upgraded to Tier 2 for its efforts in combating modern slavery. The TIP 2018 report, launched by the US State Department in Washington, says the Thai government has demonstrated increasing efforts…
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Death penalty for child rape cases in Myanmar voted down
PHOTO: A campaign calls for death penalty for child rape – The Irrawaddy In the wake of Monday’s surprise execution of a convicted murderer in Bangkok by lethal injection, the Myanmar Lower House has voted down a proposal for the death penalty to be imposed in child rape cases, The Irrawaddy News Online reported on Tuesday. The proposal was spearheaded…
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ASEAN commits to tackling Dengue
The ASEAN region is the most vulnerable to the threat of potentially-fatal dengue fever, according to the World Health Organisation. Last year, more than 425,000 people in ASEAN nations came down with the disease, the highest number of any region in the world. ASEAN nations have stood united in their initiatives against dengue fever and for eight years now, June…
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Kim’s trip to Singapore – it’s a travel doco you just have to see!
Days after the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore, North Korean editors have been hard at work preparing this feast of propaganda/documentary about Kim’s visit. It starts by describing him as a “respected world leader” but it gets better with behind the scenes moments of Kim’s visit to Singapore. The enthusiastic narrator, whilst we…
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PM backs Myanmar’s efforts in tackling the Rohingya crisis
PHOTO: VOA News Thailand has considered the issue a “domestic” matter for Myanmar, and has also declined to recognise the Rohingya as refugees, leaving them vulnerable to persecution. Thailand is backing the Myanmar government’s efforts to solve the long-running problem relating to the Rohingya in Rakhine state. Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said, “[I] welcome the Myanmar government’s] sincere efforts to…
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Historic handshake leads to a day of talks in Singapore
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un made history this morning, becoming the first sitting US and North Korean leaders to meet and shake hands, as they seek to end a tense decades-old nuclear stand-off. The two men strode toward each other and shared a handshake beneath the white-washed walls of an upscale hotel on Sentosa Island, Singapore, before sitting down…
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Thaiger Briefing – June 11
thethaiger.com Briefing. A new, daily, quick update on all Phuket and Thailand’s main news stories.
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