World News
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Sponsored Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Fact check: How one man was wrongly accused in Kongsberg attack
Whenever an act of terrorism or mass murder takes place, there is a race on social media to be the first to publish information about both attack and attacker. However, these initial reports are often mere speculation. They may also be completely false. This is what happened following the recent attack in the Norwegian town of Kongsberg. When a man…
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Why Saudi-Iran relations are thawing — for now
So far this year, regional arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran have met more times than in the previous five years altogether. The four meetings in Baghdad, and one on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, indicate continuity in the warming of bilateral relations that had been frozen since 2016. Back then, protesters had attacked Saudi diplomatic…
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Is the EU doing enough to protect journalists?
When Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered on October 16, 2017 in a car bomb attack people were shocked, not only across Europe but around the world. But the Maltese reporter who was renowned for her investigations into corruption and money laundering wasn’t the only one. In the four years since her death, other colleagues including Jan Kuciak from Slovakia, Giorgos…
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Australian suspected gas leak is actually familiar smell for Thais
In Australia’s capital city, an emergency was quickly diffused to a misunderstanding due to an unrecognised smell that’s all too familiar to the people of Thailand. Canberra firefighters raced to a store that was evacuated after people smelled a strong odour and warned of a gas leak. The incident took place in the Dickson shopping precinct and the public were…
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AfricaLink on Air – 15 October 2021
Nigeria’s military says Abu Musab al-Barnawi leader of ISWAP dead+++Zimbabwe: Mandatory COVID-19 jabs for civil servants SOURCE: DW News
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COVID: Pandemic anxiety on the rise in India
The coronavirus health crisis and the restrictions imposed on public life to combat the spread of the virus have had a terrible effect on people’s mental health and well-being in India. A range of factors, including restrictions on social contact, lockdowns, economic insecurity and school and business closures, have contributed to a steep rise in cases of depression and anxiety.…
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Pakistan: New religious body draws ire from rights activists
The Pakistani government has signed an ordinance for the establishment of the religious body — Rehmatul-lil-Alameen Authority (RAA), triggering fears it would further empower the country’s influential clerics and undermine the rights of women and religious minorities. President Arif Alvi on Thursday issued the ordinance related to the establishment of the RAA. The body will be comprised of a chairman…
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How Japan keeps its elderly employed and active
A sprightly and energetic 68-year-old, Atsuko Kasa says she has absolutely no intention of slowing down. She plans to continue to work at the “Silver Jinzai Center” close to her home in the Japanese city of Yokohama for as long as she possibly can. She is much too young to retire, she jokes, and wants to help others. Kasa, who…
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Confronting France’s colonial past: Harkis eye reparations
When Algerian-born Serge Carel joined the army of colonial power France during the Algerian war of independence in 1957, he felt incredibly proud. “My whole family was working with the French — we’ve always loved France,” Carel told DW, while sitting in an armchair in his home 50 kilometers south of Paris. Joining the Algerian National Liberation Front, known as…
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Bali re-opens, waits for international flights to resume
Bali has re-opened to foreign tourists, but international flights to the former tourist hotspot have yet to resume. The Bangkok Post reports that while the island has re-opened for the first time since March 2020, there are still no international flights scheduled. Bali’s airport has waived landing fees for all carriers between now and the end of the year, in…
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AfricaLink on Air – 14 October 2021
US President Joe Biden hosts Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta++Pro-democracy protests flare up in Eswatini++Abu Musab al-Barnawi was the leader of ISWAP dead SOURCE: DW News
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Pakistan struggles to balance ties between Washington and Beijing
Pakistan-US relations have remained strained since the Taliban takeover of neighboring Afghanistan in mid-August. Over the years, Washington has criticized Islamabad for supporting the Taliban. Since US President Joe Biden came into the White House, he has not engaged with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan. Some analysts claim Pakistan now has its eyes set on Beijing instead. Islamabad has repeatedly…
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The woman in charge of the EU mission in the Sahel
Antje Pittelkau is in charge of the EU mission in the Sahel. The 54-year-old police officer was born in Freiburg, Germany. She worked in Berlin for several years, served for four years in Afghanistan and arrived in Niger in 2018 on the EUCAP mission. The EUCAP mission supports security in Niger. It is part of the EU’s Common Security and…
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How Zanzibar cares for its stray cats
Zanzibar’s Stone Town is overpopulated by cats. There are hundreds of them on the streets. Some people feed them at the Forodhani Gardens. Cats are unprotected her, some are injured, others are simply lost. Young volunteers provide veterinary care and try to find them homes. The cats are also creating jobs. Some young people capture the animals and use cages…
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Retired teacher decides to domesticate zebras in Kenya
These wild zebras live together with domestic animals and share food on this rural property. Deforestation in Kilgoris usually causes zebras to migrate. But these zebras found their own piece of paradise. Deforestation is caused by new infrastructure and housing developments in western Kenya, but Saeni didn’t want to clear his land. The retired teacher soon noticed that zebras were…
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Desperate migrants trapped between Belarus, Poland amid geopolitical row
Neda and her husband Abozar sit under a tree in a remote field in Poland freezing, starving and losing hope. “I tumbled six days ago and fell down,” Neda tells DW. “I bled and now I am no longer pregnant.” The Iranian couple left the Belarusian capital of Minsk 10 days ago and say they have now been pushed back…
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Ethiopia: War in Tigray continues as government stays silent
An air and ground offensive in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region is intensifying according to Tigrayan forces, with the Ethiopian government pressing a fresh attack . The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) says the fighting began with air strikes launched by the federal government last week. However, the office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has not acknowledged the offensive. The office…
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Chinese war blockbuster fuels anger in South Korea
Across China, war epic “The Battle at Lake Changjin” is filling cinemas and shattering box office records. The film, set in the Korean Peninsula and deals with the bloody 1950-53 Korean War, is on course to be the biggest grossing movie in the world this year. The movie has been met with fierce criticism in South Korea, raising the possiblility…
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WHO approves Siam Bioscience’s AstraZeneca for emergency use
Today brought good news for Thai vaccines as the World Health Organisation approved the Siam Bioscience-licensed AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use. Siam Bioscience, a company wholly owned by a subsidiary of the Crown Property Bureau, was licensed last November to produce the AstraZeneca vaccine for domestic use in Thailand and for sale and distribution around Southeast Asia. The director of…
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Flights returning to Asia with airlines launching routes and sales
With Covid-19 restrictions and international border closures finally starting to ease around Asia, airlines in the region are prepping for their resurgence, relaunching their flights and promoting with sale fares. Domestic flights have been increasing in Thailand and travel agencies are reporting growing interest now that countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia are allowing domestic flying to resume as well.…
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Pandemic, climate change and conflict fuel sharp rise in global hunger
World hunger was set to end by 2030 — that was a goal set by United Nations in 2015. After years of progress reducing numbers of undernourished people since 1960, reaching zero hunger by 2030 sounded like an attainable target for the international community. But now, “the fight against hunger is dangerously off track,” the latest Global Hunger Index indicates.…
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Inside the EU’s offer to scrap most Northern Ireland checks
The European Union says its new proposals to solve the post-Brexit Northern Ireland conundrum go far beyond tinkering around the edges: halving customs paperwork on goods entering Northern Ireland from the British mainland and scrapping the majority of checks on food. EU officials are already in London to discuss their suggested changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol, but, with big…
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AfricaLink on Air – 13 October 2021
Rwanda education sector in shock after 60,000 students fail+++Ethiopian offensive in two northern regions intensifies+++Guinea’s military ruler, Col. Mamady Doumbouya, force some 42 military generals to early retirement+++Nigeria approves electronic transfer of election results+++Elderly fend off sexual predators through learning Karate SOURCE: DW News
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Benin: An Afro-descendant in the land of her ancestors
“I was absolutely told through my research, through what I’ve talked to people about that you definitely have to come and visit Ouidah. And so coming here into the Sacred Forest has been eye-opening. Getting to see the rituals, getting to understand a lot more about the religion of Vodun, it also helps me as a tourist and a visitor…
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What is the future of Indian investment in Afghanistan?
New Delhi spent billions of dollars on infrastructure and humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan after the United States toppled the Taliban regime in 2001. From building highways to transporting food and building schools, India “invested time, money and effort” into rebuilding Afghanistan, according to an Indian business expert. The expert, who asked not to be named, said Indian projects in Afghanistan…
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COVID: Will European tourists return to Southeast Asia?
It’s little wonder Southeast Asia is now in a rush to welcome back tourists: in 2019, the sector was worth $393billion (€340 billion) for the regional economy. For countries like Cambodia and Thailand, tourism accounted for around a third and a fifth of their entire GDP, respectively. But the COVID-19 pandemic has hit hard. The region welcomed 143 million tourists…
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Korea to donate 470,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Thailand
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced that it will donate nearly 1.6 million AstraZeneca vaccines combined to Thailand and Vietnam. The agency announced yesterday that South Korea will donate 470,000 vaccines to Thailand and 1.1 million vaccines to Vietnam. Korea is now managed to vaccinate nearly 80% of its population, about 41.6 million of its 52 million citizens.…
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Remembering Thailand’s beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Today is the national memorial day for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand’s beloved monarch who served for just over 70 years and died in October 2016. At the time of his passing in October 2016, King Bhumibol was the world’s longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. Amongst his many other gifts, he was was…
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Indonesia shortens quarantine, to reopen to travellers from 18 countries
Indonesia is reopening its border to allow arrivals from 18 countries and the mandatory quarantine period will be cut down from 8 days to 5. An official overseeing the country’s pandemic response did not specify which countries are included in Indonesia’s reopening plan. Indonesia’s borders have been gradually reopening and the airport on the tourist island Bali will resume international…
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AfricaLink on Air – 12 October 2021
International court backs Somalia in sea dispute with Kenya++ EU places temporary visa restrictions on Gambians++Turkey: Social media under increased threat from government SOURCE: DW News
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