World News
World news, global politics, business, technology, and culture—stay updated with breaking stories, international trends, and major events. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for global news.
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BTS smash YouTube records with their new song “Butter” and are courted by Rock royalty
On Thursday the internet-of-music went into a minor churn when the band Queen’s Twitter account commented about the forthcoming BTS release of ‘Butter’, the South Korean band’s second full-English track. “Are you ready, hey are you ready for this? Another One Bites The Dust.” Was Queen doing a collaboration with the 21st century’s biggest music act? A quick listen to…
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Domestic tourism in China booming despite Covid-19
With international tourism all but dead for many parts of the world as governments keep borders tightly under control, China is experiencing a renaissance in domestic tourism. Perhaps it’s ahead of the curve, as the first country to deal with Covid-19, or perhaps it’s the strict handling of the virus keeping infections to almost nothing for many months, but a…
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Japan adds Thailand to travel ban list, some exceptions
Japan has barred the entry of foreigners who are travelling from Thailand and 6 other countries in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19, particularly the more infectious variant first detected in India. The restrictions, adding to Japan’s long list of banned arrivals, go into effect today. Foreigners who have been to Thailand,Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Seychelles, Saint Lucia, East…
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US President Biden signs hate crimes law to help protect Asian Americans
After multiple incidents of violence against Asian Americans in the US, President Joe Biden has recently signed a hate crime law. As violence against Asians in America has been on the rise since the Covid-19 pandemic, Biden told Asian American politicians and senior members of Congress that racism has long been toxic. He says the Asian American community has been…
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Bitcoin dives to $30k, a drop to less than half its peak price
Bitcoin saw the biggest drop of this year, returning it to levels it hadn’t seen since January, falling at one point to just over US $30,000. The past week has seen large amounts of selling of the cryptocurrency and value had dropped to less than half of its peak price last month of $64,829. Bitcoin experienced a 30% drop in…
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Air passengers in the US may face random weigh-ins
Aviation authorities in the US say passengers may be selected for random weight checks as part of the check-in process. Flight passengers could be asked to step on the scales, as the Federal Aviation Authority updates obesity figures that can affect aircraft weight considerations prior to take-off. While this is routine practice with small commuter aircraft, it is not currently…
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Meth haul on Thai cargo ship in Australia linked to Hong Kong drug trafficking boss
A huge methamphetamine shipment found on a Thai cargo boat docked in Sydney, Australia, is believed to be linked to a Hong Kong drug smuggling network. The haul, worth around 2.4 billion baht, was seized by Australian police earlier this month. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thailand’s Narcotics Suppression Bureau believes the shipment is connected to Hong Kong drug…
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Survey ranks Taiwan as top country for expats in 2021
Spoiler alert: Thailand isn’t in either the top 10 or the bottom 10 lists. A survey of 12,420 expats ranked Taiwan the best place to live and work abroad in 2021, the 3rd year in a row the country won the top spot. InterNations, a 4-million member expat community based in Germany, conducted the survey that ranked different aspects of…
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Hong Kong imposes tougher quarantine requirements on arrivals from Taiwan
The Hong Kong government has confirmed that residents returning from Taiwan will face stricter quarantine requirements, effective immediately. The move comes as a result of the deteriorating Covid-19 situation in Taiwan, which reported 333 new infections yesterday, its highest ever. The authorities say anyone who has spent 14 days in Taiwan before flying to Hong Kong must show evidence of…
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Burmese junta hit with additional US sanctions
The US has confirmed additional sanctions against Myanmar in response to the February 1 military coup that ousted the democratically-elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. CNN reports that the latest round of sanctions, which have been introduced in coordination with the UK and Canada, are aimed at the State Administrative Council, or military junta. In particular, they target…
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Escaped Bengal tiger in America captured after terrorising locals
An escaped, 9 month old Bengal tiger, that has terrorised the city of Houston in the American state of Texas, has been captured unharmed. The tiger, named India, was being minded by the wife of its owner who is 26 year old Victor Cuevas. The owner was recently seen on social media kissing the tiger before putting it in his…
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PM weighs in after Thai national injured in Gaza explosion
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has made statements expressing concern and sorrow for the violence in the Gaza Strip as recent explosions have injured a Thai national. Thailand has a quota for agricultural labourers that work on exchange in Israel, with about 250 workers travelling to Israel each week on a charter flight. 3,100 Thai workers are currently already working in Israel.…
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17 year old Burmese teenager details abuse at the hands of junta
A 17 year old Burmese teenager has spoken about her time behind bars at the hands of the Myanmar junta. Ma Chaw says she and her mother were arrested on April 14 in Rangoon as they were walking to a friend’s house from a morning protest. She says they were stopped by the military who jumped out of 2 security…
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America sees an easing of mask-wearing for those fully vaccinated
America is seeing an easing of mask wearing rules for those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention announced the new regulation yesterday, which allows those inoculated against the coronavirus, to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. US President Joe Biden, who held a press conference without wearing a…
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Burmese military declares martial law in border city after attack
After blaming attacks on a bank and a police station on armed terrorist the Burmese military Junta has declared martial law in the town of Mindat in Chin State. Ethnic rebels have been increasingly battling the military in these border regions – the Chin State borders India – and about 100 people were reported over the last 2 days to…
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Hong Kong budget airline HK Express puts in-flight trolleys up for sale
A limited number of in-flight trolleys and galley boxes put up for sale by budget airline, HK Express, have sold out in a day. The Hong Kong carrier had advertised the items on its website, pointing out they’d be the ideal accessory for a costume party. “Each plated with our first-generation logo and a unique license plate, these trolleys are…
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Supreme streetwear makes deal over T-shirt featuring monk
Wat Ban Rai, a small temple in Nakhon Ratchasima, has reached an agreement with popular streetwear brand Supreme for using an image of their monk. In February the temple became aware that the global clothing brand was using a stylised photo of a well-known monk from their temple, Luang Por Khun, without having ever asked permission. They had threatened lawsuits…
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Australian government provides grant to cover 1 million vaccine doses in Laos
To help the mass rollout of Covid-19 vaccines in Laos, the Australian government is providing a 15.2 million AUD grant to cover around 1 million vaccine doses in the Southeast Asian country. The grant also covers training for healthcare workers on how to safely administer the vaccines. Laos reported a spike in cases over the past month, after a year…
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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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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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Over 190,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine touch down in the Philippines
The Covid-19 vaccine rollout in the Philippines just got a significant boost, thanks to the arrival of at least 193,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine. The much-needed supply was donated by Covax, a global initiative set up to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines. Thailand declined to join Covax when given the opportunity, preferring to strike deals with manufacturers directly.…
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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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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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China sees slowest population growth since 1960’s despite relaxing 1 child policy
China is seeing the slowest amount of population growth since the 1960’s despite relaxing its 1 child policy. The birthrate has been in a steady decline since 2017, and its growth is being measured at 5.4% since the last census in 2010. The population has reached 1.41 billion, but that number is low due to the sluggish growth rate. The…
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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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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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‘Safe zone’ in Thailand for refugees fleeing Myanmar violence
Due to the ongoing violence between the Myanmar military and ethnic troops, the Thai military has set up a “safe zone” for thousands of refugees in Mae Hong Son near the Salween River, the natural border between Thailand and Myanmar. The prominent armed wing of the Karen National Union has openly supported the anti-coup movement in Myanmar, leading to clashes…
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