World News
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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Governor halts movement of goods between Tak and Myanmar amid Covid fears
The governor of the north-western province of Tak has put a temporary stop on the transport of goods between the province and Myanmar, just across the border. The suspension comes amid increasing anxiety about the number of Covid-19 cases in the neighbouring country and is expected to remain in force until at least October 25. Governor Pongrat Piromrat called a…
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2 Covid vaccine trials halted in phase 3 over safety concerns
After Johnson & Johnson paused phase 3 of its Covid vaccine trials due to safety concerns, a second pharmaceutical company has followed suit. Eli Lilly has halted phase 3 trials of a lab-produced antibody treatment, 24 hours after the Johnson & Johnson decision. The Bangkok Post reports that an unspecified incident led Eli Lilly to call a temporary halt to…
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Thai police to verify “Boss” whereabouts with UAE embassy
Following recent reports that the elusive Red Bull heir, Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, is living in Dubai, Thai police say they’re writing to the UAE embassy to verify the claims (the embassy is in Witthayu road… we can send you the address if you need so you can ‘drop in’ and have a chat). Boss is wanted in relation to a…
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King Bhumibol Adulyadej – in remembrance of the “Father of Thailand”
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej was Thailand’s monarch for just over 70 years. 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 revered as a calming and compassionate influence, overseeing Thailand’s stormy political history in the second half of the…
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German politician raises questions about the status of Thailand’s Head of State
German politicians have raised questions in parliament about the status of Thailand’s Head of State as a part time resident in the state of Bavaria, after protests in Thailand have continued to make international news, drawing attention to Thailand and the Thai government’s fragile political situation. Frithjof Schmidt, from Germany’s Green Party, has questioned the German Foreign Ministry about its…
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Timeline of a pandemic – the early days of Covid-19
The most critical time in the Covid-19 story is obviously early January this year, when either confusion or a lack of concrete knowledge, caused delays in public information about the seriousness of a possible new coronavirus. It was, indeed, a novel coronavirus, difficult to identify without a history or a published RNA sequence for comparison. In the last weeks of…
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China’s economy expected to grow 1.6% in 2020 – World Bank
Much the world is currently seeing continuing surges of new Covid-19 cases, some countries are well into their 2nd wave. Meanwhile China is quietly getting it’s industrial engine and economy going again as new cases. In fact China’s number of ‘active cases’ has been dropping since April, and now is fewer than 200 total cases across the country. Along with…
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Air Asia diversifies from an airline brand to e-commerce powerhouse
Airasia.com has revealed its greatly extended new online brand identity online as “ASEAN’s super app”, completing what it calls a “transformation from digital airline to comprehensive lifestyle platform”. The airasia.com ASEAN super app combines a host of related online experiences in a “faster and more convenient user experience” with over 15 types of products and services under 3 main headings…
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US presidential debate schedule changed after Trump’s Covid-19 infection
The second US presidential debate, initially scheduled for next week, has now been postponed after President Donald Trump, who is still recovering from a bout of Covid-19, pulled out of the debate. Due to the current coronavirus outbreak at the White House, infecting several dozen people ranging from aides to senators and top military officers, organisers changed next week’s debate…
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Mr ‘Phuket Seasted’ is back with his Crypto Cruise Ship
From the man who was chased away from the Phuket offshore ‘Seasted’ by the Royal Thai Navy, along with his Thai girlfriend, the very same Chad Elwartowski is now launching a Crypto Cruise Ship. The company he was representing at the time, Ocean Builders, is again behind the new venture. Just to recap from April last year… “A couple has…
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“There is hope” Covid-19 vaccine could be ready by the end of the year, WHO director
A Covid-19 vaccine could be ready by end of this year and distributed by next year. While the cost and availability of the vaccine remains uncertain, the World Health Organisation director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is calling on world leaders to make sure any vaccine is equally distributed to the public once it is available. WHO’s COVAX global vaccine facility is…
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Rock star Eddie Van Halen loses cancer battle – VIDEO
Rock icon Eddie Van Halen has died, after losing a long battle with cancer. His son, Wolfgang Van Halen, took to Twitter to announce the death of his 65 year old musician father. “I can’t believe I’m having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning. He…
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Global tourism plunges up to 80% in 2020
Internationally, tourism will plunge between 60 – 80% by the end of the year. The UN World Tourism Organisation makes the forecast in their latest report. The prediction, broad and probably conservative, will put millions of workers in the world’s tourism industry, out of work. In Thailand, with its reliance on tourism as a significant contributor to its GDP, will see…
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UPDATE: Trump says he is “starting to feel good” after being hospitalised
After being transferred to a military hospital a mere 17 hours after being diagnosed with Covid-19, US president Donald Trump says he is “starting to feel good” as the White House published pictures of him working from his hospital bed. But his recent statement is contrary to some reports that his oxygen levels had ‘dropped rapidly’ with White House officials…
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UK battles big spike in new Covid-19 cases, but deaths remain low
The UK has reported 12,872 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, and 7,070 this morning. The Saturday report of Friday’s new cases were a record daily addition of new cases for the country, taking the overall total since the start of the pandemic to 480,017. The British government is blaming the jump on a “reporting delay” and saying the numbers in…
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Skål International Bangkok’s helps to repatriate a mother and her teacher son
by Andrew Wood A mother’s plight to rescue her 23 year old son, John de Villiers, who was stranded in Asia and his mother’s wish to return him safely home to South Africa, led to a fantastic story that has to be told. The amazing story involved using key contacts available via Skål International’s global reach, embassies across 3 continents,…
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Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra had Covid-19 but has since recovered
Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra, and current fugitive, was infected with Covid-19 but has since recovered. BBC Thai report that the former prime minister has recently returned to his Dubai home after an extended stint in hospital. Thaksin says that he only informed the people closest to him about the infection. His is now 71 years old. “I was discharged…
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60 Burmese test negative for Covid-19 after contact with infected teen at border district
Those in the Kanchanburi province, close to the Thai-Myanmar border in the west of Thailand, have been on high alert since a Burmese teenager in a border town tested positive for Covid-19 last month. Myanmar health officials now report that 60 people in the Payantongsu district, who were in close contact with the 17 year old, have all tested negative…
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US President Trump tests positive for Covid-19, reported to be “well”
United States President Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid-19. He announced on Twitter that both he and his wife Melania Trump have tested positive for the virus and are now in isolation. “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER.” The US presidential election…
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UPDATE: US President Trump and First Lady test positive for Covid-19
The US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania have tested positive for Covid-19. The President made the announcement on his Twitter account in the early hours of Friday morning, US time. The 74 year old President was diagnosed just hours after it became public that Hope Hicks, a Trump aide who had been travelling with him on Air Force…
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The world’s Top 10 languages, spoken by native speakers
I battle to speak one language, English, and can barely order my lunch in Thai. And, whilst studying French for 7 years at school, I can only ask a French-speaker for the time or order coffee. Sacre Bleu! The world’s most common languages changes over time and a world interlinked on the internet and aviation, like never before, is making…
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Top 10 must-see towns in Asia
Tropical nights, curious mountain silhouettes, sprawling rice paddies and exotic cuisine. You’ll also find some snow-topped mountains as well. The Thaiger has selected the Top Ten of these camera-worthy towns. Southern Asia is a concoction of the ancient, very modern, traditional and enigmatic. Amongst the islands, megacities and spectacular scenery, there are also some very pretty towns that deserve your days…
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Covid-19 deaths surpass 1 million whilst more reports emerge about former patients’ “brain fog”
The world’s Covid-19-related deaths has passed the 1 million mark overnight as the the cycle of the world’s lockdowns and re-openings are getting mixed results. As of this morning, Thai time, the number of total deaths has reached 1,002,389, with 4,000-6,000 deaths still being recorded, globally, every day. And rising. On a more positive note, the number of daily deaths…
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IATA proposes Covid testing before travelling to replace quarantine on arrival
The International Air Transport Association is proposing travellers to take a Covid test prior to departure to replace worldwide mandatory quarantines on arrival. The push comes after it announces that international travel is down by 92% this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As many countries are imposing mandatory quarantines that can be not only expensive but up to 14…
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Singapore’s population contracts along with its GDP
The little south east Asian island nation of Singapore, which has always punched way above its weight, with the fourth largest economy, but the biggest GDP per capita in the region, is getting smaller. Both its economy and population. The population of the Republic of Singapore is shrinking for the first time since 2003. Border closures and, mostly, job losses, are…
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Thailand seals its 2,000 kilometre border with Myanmar
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control remains on alert, and patrols increased along the Thai/Myanmar border, as Thailand’s western neighbour continues to register a spike in new Covid 19 cases – between 430 and 670 people each day, over the past 4 days. The DDC director-general Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai told Bangkok Post that Thai “business operators should stop hiring foreign workers, especially Myanmar…
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Myanmar’s Covid-19 spike causes mass lockdowns as Thai authorities scramble to seal the border
Myanmar is currently suffering a wave of Covid-19, causing concern in Thailand as its western border authorities bump up security measures and patrols. Burmese authorities have been introducing increasingly draconian restrictions to control the sudden spread of the virus over the past 4 weeks. Whilst the case load is still relatively small, the concerns are focussing on the porous western borders…
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Burmese child contracted Covid-19 while crossing the border, report says
The 2 year old Burmese child, who tested positive for Covid-19 after leaving Thailand, may have contracted the virus while travelling from Thailand to Myanmar, according to a report from Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health Disease Control Department. The department says they suspect the child was exposed to the virus while crossing the border from the Mae Sot border district…
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England’s self-quarantine rule breakers will receive up to a 10,000 pound fine
England’s self-quarantine rule breakers are receiving up to a 10,000 pound fine, starting September 28, according to British PM Boris Johnson. The fine will be handed down to anyone who tests positive for the virus or has been in contact with someone who has the virus and dodges the rules for self-quarantine. For the first offence, rule breakers will receive…
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48 Thais deported from Malaysia after serving prison sentences
Malaysian authorities have sent home 48 Thais after finishing their prison sentences for working illegally. The 38 males and 10 women were deported to Thailand’s southern Songkhla Sadao district where they were immediately tested for Covid-19 upon arriving and sent to mandatory 14 day quarantine facilities. The main border checkpoint at Sadao was closed for 14 days following a surge…
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