World News
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Hurricane Dorian downgraded to Category 1 storm
“Dorian should remain a powerful hurricane as the eye of the storm moves near or along the coast of North Carolina.” Hurricane Dorian has weakened to a Category 1 storm this morning as it approached the coast of North Carolina, according to US meteorologists. At the same time, the death toll rises during the mop-up in the Bahamas which felt…
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American woman charged with trafficking ‘baby in bag’ at Manila airport
“The baby, who is now in the custody child welfare services, was born to a Filipino mother in the nation’s south and then flown to Manila.” Philippine authorities have charged an American woman with trying to smuggle a six day old baby out of the country in a bag she wore around her waist as she tried to board a…
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Air Asia flight, from Maldives to Bangkok, returns to Male after engine explodes
A Thai AirAsia Airbus A320-200, flying as FD-178 from Male in the Maldives to Bangkok’s Don Mueang, had just taken off out of Male’s runway 18 when an engine started making “banging noises” and streaks of flames were coming from the engine, prompting the crew to stop the climb at 5000 feet, shut down the engine and return to Male…
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Indonesia’s forest fires causing air pollution in southern Thailand
Residents in Thailand’s southern provinces of Songkhla and Satun are being warned to protect their health by wearing face masks or staying indoors as the two provinces are blanketed with smoke from forest fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island. The 16th regional environment office reports that dust particles of less than 2.5 microns, were measured at 55 microns/cubic metre during the…
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Collecting Hurricane Dorian’s dead in the Bahamas: ‘It’s hell everywhere’
by Gilles Clarenne The blue, sun-kissed skies of the Bahamas, more usually associated with a tropical paradise, have returned, yet a glance across Marsh Harbour offers up nothing but horror – the grim aftermath of a cataclysm. 20 people have been identified as dead as a result of the passing hurricane Dorian. “There was a big two-story building over there,”…
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Vietnam Airlines gets go-ahead for direct US flights
Vietnam Airlines is the first carrier in the country to secure a coveted license to fly direct to the US, according to the Vietnamese national carrier. The approval has for months been sought by Vietnamese carriers eager to exploit a fast-growing market for air travel among Vietnam’s booming middle class. Domestic and regional air travel has mushroomed among Vietnamese travellers, and…
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Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam asks for dialogue after rejected concessions
by Jerome TAYLOR | Yan ZHAO, Hong Kong, China | AFP Hong Kong’s leader Thursday urged pro-democracy protesters to end their demonstrations after her surprise decision to bow to one of their key demands was condemned as too little, too late. Carrie Lam, the city’s pro-Beijing chief executive, surprised many on Wednesday when after three months of rallies she suddenly…
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Copycat – Chinese company announces first cloned kitten
Cats usually have nine lives. This one had ten. ‘Garlic’ the British short-hair died late last year. Garlic’s friend Huang Yu was devastated. So he ordered a new Garlic, a clone, an exact copy of his beloved dead cat. Born on July 21, the new fluffy and purring Garlic was created by Chinese firm Sinogene, China’s first successfully copied cat.…
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American woman tries to smuggle 6 day old baby in carry on luggage – Philippines
A female US citizen remains in custody in the Philippines after allegedly trying to leave the country with a baby inside her hand luggage. She was flying out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. The baby was alive and now in the care of Philippine officials. The 43 year old American woman was caught with the child in…
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UK PM’s call for general election rejected by British MPs
In a dramatic day of British politics, the House of Commons has passed a bill that rules out the new PM Boris Johnson’s plan to pull out of the EU next month without a blueprint of how trading terms will continue with the UK out of the bloc. That bill now goes to the unelected House of Lords for assent.…
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Chief Executive of Hong Kong insists she’s going nowhere
PHOTO: Scmp.com/Nora Tam The Asean Post reports that Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam says she has no intention of resigning, despite a leaked audio recording where she says she wants to do just that. “For a chief executive to have caused this huge havoc to Hong Kong is unforgivable. If I have a choice, the first thing is to…
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Thai fisherman admit to killing up to 30 dolphins
SCREENCAPTURE: Sanook Royal Thai Police have responded to a video clip showing 30 dolphins caught in a fishing trawl in Malaysian waters, killing many of the mammals in the process. The clip was forwarded to them by the Command Centre for Illegal Fishing (CCCIF). The Thai PM ordered an immediate investigation which lead to the discovery that the boat in the…
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Thailand industrial property a winner as US-China trade war drags on
Amongst all the bad economic news, Thailand’s industrial property sector is profiting from the protracted US-China trade war, as mainland Chinese manufacturers shift production to ASEAN countries in an attempt to avoid escalating tariffs. Chinese foreign direct investment into the south east Asia sector rose last year by 31.7% to USD 233 million, after declining by 15.7% in 2016-17, according…
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AirAsia X orders 42 new long-haul Airbus jets
PHOTO: AirAsia’s new generation A330neo will be based at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport – Bernama AirAsia X, the long-haul part of the AirAsia Group, has now finalised a major order with Airbus for 12 more A330-900 and 30 A321XLR aircraft. The contract was signed today by Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, chairman of AirAsia X, along with Guillaume Faury, CEO…
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The Thai charm-offensive on the South Korean President
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is inviting South Korean investors to increase their investment and trade with Thailand. The PM says Cabinet will consider offering incentives for South Korean businesses to invest in the country. South Korean President Moon Jae-in capped off an official two day visit to the Kingdom yesterday. The Thailand-Korea Business Forum was held yesterday in Bangkok with…
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China sounds ominous warning to Hong Kong protesters
PHOTO: Vox.com Authorities in China have issued a stark warning to Hong Kong protesters, as reported by the country’s state-run Xinhua News. “The end is coming for those attempting to disrupt Hong Kong and antagonise China.” Beijing is also clear that its words are aimed not just at Hong Kong activists, but equally directed at Western governments attempting to undermine…
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World economy wakes up to a day when the US has imposed new tariffs on China
The US has rolled out new tariffs on Chinese products yesterday but some economists say the latest gamble is likely to backfire and hurt the US economy. Meanwhile they predict the ramping up of the tariff ti-for-tat will not tarnish China’s resilience or dampen development in the long run. Yesterday the US administration imposed 15% additional tariffs on about half…
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Roadblocks disrupt traffic to Hong Kong airport in a weekend of violence
Protests have continued in Hong Kong over the weekend. Transport to and from Hong Kong International Airport was also disrupted yesterday as protesters barricaded roads, leaving traffic gridlocked and stranding hundreds of tourists at the airport terminal. It was the 13th consecutive weekend of protests in Hong Kong, concluding days of escalation in which a number of activist leaders and…
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Scenes of chaos in Hong Kong as protests continue
PHOTO: Sam Tsang/South China Morning Post Thai PBS World reports scenes of chaos and devastation in Hong Kong, following more violent protests in the territory. Police used tear gas and water cannon in Hong Kong’s financial district last night, as protesters defied a ban and ignored threats from China. This is the 13th weekend of such protests. The protests began…
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Podul bringing rain and strong winds to the north and northeast of Thailand
Tropical storm Podul is weaken as it crosses into the north of Isaan and the north of Thailand today. The storm centre is currently north of Khon Kaen, heading westward. Podul crossed through Vietnam last night where it started to weaken. The low pressure system is now bringing rain and strong winds to parts of Thailand’s northeast and will affect…
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Podul plods towards Vietnam’s coast and will bring rain to northern Thailand over weekend
Tropical storm Podul is still moving towards Việt Nam with the eye of the storm sitting to the south-west under China’s Hainan island, in the north of the South China Sea this afternoon. It is slowly moving westward towards Vietnam’s northern central coast. Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister says the storm will cross the coast tomorrow and cross the country into…
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Google moves manufacture of Pixel phone from China to Vietnam
Google is shifting the manufacturer of their Pixel smartphone from China to Vietnam. The move is said to happen before the end of this year, as reported by Nikkei. Google cited increasing Chinese labour costs and added pressure from tariffs in the ongoing China-US trade spat. The US-based internet giant is reported to be moving both the manufacturer of its…
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Grab creates finance and payments revolution in Southeast Asia
PHOTO: Grab.com While Southeast Asia’s economy shows huge potential for growth, around 73% of the population still doesn’t have a bank account, severely limiting the upward mobility of both individuals and organisations. Enter Grab, the ride-hailing app, which is introducing a range of financial services in Singapore, including micro-insurance for small to medium sized companies, and post-paid products. Instead of…
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BTS, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift and Ariande Grande – winners at 2019 VMAS
In the pop music world you’re on top if you win at the 2019 VMAs, the annual MTV Video Music Awards show. The annual award show has had its ‘moments’ – with Madonna’s onstage kiss with Britney Spears in 2003 and and Kanye West storming the stage in 2009 to tell Taylor Swift that her award should have gone to Beyonce. This year…
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Thailand plans to become electricity-hub for region
“Thailand’s push for regional energy trading could be a step to increasing security of supply and system resiliency, particularly as falling costs and higher government targets increase the volume of variable renewable energy generation in the ASEAN region.” – Caroline Chua, Bloomberg Finance analyst covering Southeast Asian power markets. Thailand aims to be the power-trading hub as it jump-starts plans to create…
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Jay Chou fans queue up for four days in KL to grab concert tickets
Jay Chou fans have been queuing up for four days before tickets went on sale for the ‘Mandopop’ king’s concert in Malaysia to ensure they get to see their idol. The All New Jay Chou Concert World Tour will be held in Hong Kong Disneyland in December, Singapore on January 10 and 11 and at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium…
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Southern insurgency suspect dies after 35 days in coma
PHOTO: Adbulloh Benjakat Abdulloh Esor Musor, left in a coma after being interrogated at a notorious southern Thai detention centre in Pattani, died yesterday, as pressure mounts on the Thai army to release further findings of a probe into the case. The man, a suspected insurgent allegedly tortured during his brief military custody being questioned after his arrest on July 20,…
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New Robinsons Tower in Singapore reaches for the sky with a green thumb
Thailand’s capital could never be accused of having one of the world’s most interesting skylines. Except for maybe the Mahanakorn ‘lego building’, there is little cutting edge skyline architecture in Bangkok. It’s a different case a few hours flight south in the Lion City, Singapore. Pushing all sort of limits is the new Robinson Tower in the CBD. The first impression…
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US and China ramp up the rhetoric and the tariffs in a day of tit-for-tat
Beijing has unveiled a new round of retaliatory tariffs on the US valued around US$75 billion. China will now place additional tariffs of 5%-10% on US imports starting next week. The tit-for-tat trade war between the world’s two largest economies is causing widespread disruption to supply chains and long-held trade conventions. China’s Finance Ministry says they will also resume tariffs on…
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More than four million guests stayed in an Airbnb on August 10, 2019
“Airbnb has created an opportunity to meet people from all around the world.” – Pim, an Airbnb Host in Thailand Exactly 11 years since Airbnb was founded, the home-sharing hospitality company and ‘accommodation disrupters’ celebrated its biggest night ever, with more than 4 million people spending the night in an Airbnb listing on August 10, 2019. To date, there has…
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