World News
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Sponsored See the best of Northern Thailand this winter on a budget
The Thaiger key takeaways Peak season brings higher prices, but smart planning and local know-how can help you experience Northern Thailand affordably. Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai offer plenty of free or low-cost attractions, from temples and canyons to...
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Major earthquake near Acapulco, Mexico kills 1
A major earthquake shook the southwestern Mexican beach town Acapulco, yesterday. The earthquake has killed at least 1 person after a post fell on him. There were also rockfalls that damaged buildings, and power outages across several states as a result of the earthquake, says local officials. The earthquake, or temblor, had a magnitude of 7.0, which Michigan Tech estimates…
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Fire kills 41, injures dozens more at Indonesian prison
At least 41 people have been killed and over 70 others have been injured after a fire ripped through an Indonesian prison on western Java, today. The fire at the Tangerang Penitentiary tore through the prison in the early morning hours. Most inmates were asleep at the time. Police speculate that the fire could have been caused by an electrical…
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Survey shows most Singaporeans reluctant to travel internationally for now
A survey carried out by online travel agency, Booking.com, shows that 63% of Singaporeans are not planning to travel abroad for now. While Singapore is on the “green list” for most countries, the survey shows that most Singaporeans remain cautious about overseas travel. In general, over a year and a half since the start of the pandemic, travel in the…
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Paris: Can a trial help heal victims of the Bataclan terror attacks?
Ever since November 13, 2015, Sebastien Dauzet has been feeling vulnerable. That night, nine gunmen attacked what he considers the heart of his neighborhood. Theterrorists killed 130 people in attacks at the Stade de France stadium just north of Paris, as well as in several bars and the Bataclan music venue in the capital. It was France’s bloodiest terror attack…
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Belarus: Germany, EU slam Kolesnikova verdict
The news from Minsk did not come as much of a surprise: A court in the Belarusian capital on Monday sentenced the well-known Belarusian opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova to 11 years in prison. Her colleague in the Belarusian opposition’s Coordination Council, the lawyer Maxim Znak, was handed a 10-year jail sentence. Kolesnikova became one of the most prominent faces of…
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Vietnamese man gets 5 years in jail for spreading Covid
A man in Vietnam has received a 5 year jail sentence for breaking home quarantine rules and spreading Covid. 28 year old Le Van Tri has been convicted of “spreading dangerous infectious diseases to other people” after he went to his home province in Ca Mau from Ho Chi Minh City in July, says the Vietnam News Agency. Le Van…
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Singaporean who repeatedly refused to wear a face mask jailed for 16 weeks
A Singaporean woman who repeatedly refused to wear a face mask in public spaces has been sentenced to a 16-week jail term. According to a Coconuts report, 54 year old Phoon Chiu Yoke has pleaded guilty to 9 counts of breaching Covid-19 regulations. The woman achieved notoriety when a video of her refusing to wear a mask at the Marina…
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Mikhail Khodorkovsky: ‘Dialogue only strengthens Putin’s regime’
DW: About a year ago, Alexei Navalny was poisoned. What impact did this have on political life in Russia and on the country’s opposition? Mikhhail Khodorkovsky: Fortunately, this event hasn’t ended badly so far. Alexei Navalny might be in prison but he is still alive. Nevertheless, the poison attack against him is a move away from normal statehood and towards…
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India’s ambitious palm oil push triggers biodiversity fears
The Indian government introduced a new plan in August to boost the production of palm oil. India is one of the largest consumers of palm oil, which is used in almost everything from soaps to chips. But the country still imports most of its palm oil. India also produces a range of other vegetable oils, like mustard and soybean, but…
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Singapore approves Boeing 737 MAX for return to service
Singapore’s aviation regulator announced today it will approve the return to service for the Boeing 737 MAX. The aircraft had been grounded for 2 years following 2 fatal crashes. The approval is owed to operators, such as Singapore Airlines complying with airworthiness directives and extra flight crew training requirements, says the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. The city state’s approval…
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Battling through Ghana’s lean season
The World Food Programme reports hunger has increased by 30% higher since year than last year and it is the highest level in a decade. But one man’s initiative is helping those struggling. Nanleeb Konlan farms large plantations of grains,which he distributes for free to poorer communities in the lean season. SOURCE: DW News
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Facebook video recommendations disabled after labelling black men Primates
Facebook has disabled their topic recommendation features on videos today after the AI software appears to have mistaken black men in a video for monkeys. The video in question was from the British tabloid The Daily Mail and was title “White man calls cops on black men at marina.” But under the video where auto-generated suggestions are made to encourage…
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Japan to donate 300,000 more AstraZeneca vaccines next week
The Japanese embassy in Bangkok made an announcement today that their government will again donate AstraZeneca vaccines to Thailand. Japan donated 1.05 million AstraZeneca vaccines to Thailand at the beginning of July and have declared that another shipment of 300,000 vaccines will be forthcoming. The second shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines from Japan is slated to arrive on September 8, this…
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AfricaLink on Air — 03 September 2021
The ban on open grazing in some parts of Nigeria continues to cause ripples, hindering its implementation+++ Gambia requests extra Senegalese troops ahead of elections +++ The futuristic city that singer Akon planned is still unbuilt +++ FIBA AfroBasket 2021 SOURCE: DW News
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Moroccan elections will be about math, not change
The Moroccan elections take place next Wednesday and will be the first time that newly formulated electoral rules apply, including one particularly contentious one. In Morocco, rules on how elections are conducted are often amended before the event. Although the country’s King Mohammed VI holds the most power, Morocco has staged a national vote around every five years since 1993.…
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Poland: ‘State of emergency’ worsens Afghan refugees’ plight
People look at the camera from afar, with heavily armed soldiers separating them and the photographer. Some of the people in the photos seem to be waving, but few are smiling. They do not look particularly serious, but they do seem desperate. These are rare pictures of the 32 Afghans who have been waiting at the border between Poland and…
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COVID: Why is Europe donating so many vaccines to Vietnam?
Italy and Romania became the latest European countries to donate COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam on August 25. In the weeks beforehand, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and France gave doses to Hanoi. DW estimates that EU states have so far donated or pledged to provide a combined total of 2.6 million inoculations to Vietnam, a key actor in Asian politics.…
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EU escalates row with Gambia over expelled migrants
According to initial plans, the first batch of the over 2,000 ‘failed Gambian asylum seekers’ was expected to arrive in Banjul on September 1. But an official from Gambia’s Foreign Ministry responsible for diaspora affairs told local media that Gambia’s new position is not to accept requests for deportations. The Gambia has cited security concerns and the inability to reintegrate…
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India to allow women to join top defense institutions
The Indian Supreme Court ruled last month that female students will now be allowed to train at one of the country’s elite military training institutions, the National Defence Academy (NDA). In another move aimed at creating gender balance in the armed forces, the Sainik Schools (soldier schools) will be opened to female students. These schools, while also teaching a standard…
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Belarusian Cyber Partisans want to overthrow the regime through hacking
In July and August, a group of hackers that go by the name of Belarus Cyber Partisans claimed responsibility for a number of cyberattacks on government and police databases in Belarus, including those of the Interior Ministry. It recently said that it now had access to the passport details of all Belarusians, as well as internal security plans, and also…
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Is the fall of Kabul the kick European defense needs?
“Afghanistan has shown that the deficiencies in our strategic autonomy comes with a price,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after an informal meeting of defense ministers on Thursday. “And that the only way forward is to combine our forces and strengthen not only our capacity, but also our will to act.” A day earlier, Borrell used sharper…
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Langkawi plans reopening amid high vaccination, Covid-19
Taking a cue from the Phuket Sandbox, Malaysia is launching a plan to reopen the tropical resort island of Langkawi in a similar fashion. The plan calls for a travel bubble to begin on September 16 in an effort to begin to restart the economy for Langkawi island which relies so heavily on tourism revenue and has been damaged so…
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AfricaLink on Air — 02 September 2021
Anti-government sentiment in S.Sudan: Where does the youth stand? +++ Mozambique’s “tuna bonds” corruption trial +++ New coronavirus variant spreading in South Africa +++Do beauty standards reflect colonial attitudes +++ Controversy over TV rape demonstration in Ivory coast SOURCE: DW News
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UAE’s new human rights institute: Real change or ‘image washing’?
The United Arab Emirates announced earlier this week that it would set up an independent national human rights organization. The new institution will open an office in Abu Dhabi and, according to the UAE’s state media, “aims to promote and protect human rights and freedoms” in accordance with the local and international laws and guidelines. The new organization — official…
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Young Ugandans develop anti-rape bracelet
SafeBangle Technologies in Kampala, Uganda have developed a prototype bracelet to report sexual and gender-based violence. SOURCE: DW News
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Suvarnabhumi’s ranking plummets in World’s Best Airports index
The results of this year’s World’s Best Airports awards are in, and in the last 10 years, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi has taken a nosedive from number 13 to 66. The awards, voted for by passengers, are run annually by UK consultancy, Skytrax. This year’s results were decided by an online survey that ran for a 12-month period between August 2020 and…
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Afghanistan: Turkey moves into the spotlight
The United Nations’ statistics leave no room for doubt: The situation in Afghanistan is dire. UN experts estimate that more than 18 million people in Afghanistan need help: That’s more than half the entire population. Hamid Karzai International Airport in the capital, Kabul, is central to overcoming the country’s most urgent problems. At present, though, following the withdrawal of all…
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Mozambique: ‘Hidden debt’ trial exposes depth of corruption
Between 2013 and 2014, three Mozambican state-owned companies, ProIndicus, Ematum and Mam, took out €1.76 billion ($2.08 billion) in loans. The colossal amount of money came from Credit Suisse and the Russian bank VTB, among others. These funds were allegedly meant to finance maritime surveillance, fishing, and shipyard projects. No projects materialized, and the operation is believed to have covered…
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Boxer Samuel Takyi becomes Ghanaian hero
20-year-old Samuel Takyi before ended Ghana’s 30-year wait for an Olympic medal. He’s called the “Golden Ring Warrior” and he trains in Accra. He was also rewarded by president Nana Akuffo-Addo. SOURCE: DW News
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Thailand’s ‘spirit houses’ believed to bring fortune and protection
Eagle-eyed visitors to Thailand may have noticed these miniature shrines set up in cities across the country. It is a common sight to see locals pausing on a busy Bangkok street to give these doll-house -like structures a deferential “wai” (a traditional form of greeting in Thailand). Some leave offerings at these ornate structures, ranging from candles, incense, flowers, food…
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