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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Each year, many expats living in Thailand see their health insurance premiums go up and often without a clear reason. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to plan your budget. But by understanding why prices rise and learning...
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Black box recovered as probe begins into cause of Vichai crash
UK Air accident investigators have begun the slow process of ascertaining the cause of the helicopter crash on Saturday that took the lives of King Power chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four other people. The sombre inquiry coincided with the opening of a book of condolences at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium, where fans flocked to leave tributes to the man…
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Speculation grows over the causes of Lion Air crash
“As the aircraft was preparing for takeoff, the engine died several times” – Passenger on the same 737 Max 8 plane the day before on a flight to Bali. In the wake of yesterday’s fatal crash of a brand new Lion Air Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, speculation has begun to try and imagine what could have happened to the…
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Lion Air flight JT 610 – body parts found, no plane located yet
PHOTO: Indonesian National Disaster & Mitigation Agency Search and rescue efforts continue to find more bodies and debris in the wake of the Lion Air flight JT 610 that crashed yesterday morning just after 6.30am in the seas north of Jakarta, Indonesia. According to rescuers, a total of 24 body bags have now been taken to the Kramat Jati Police…
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Indonesian searchers trying to locate the black box – Lion Air flight JT610
Authorities have scouring the waters north of Java Island, off the coast of Jakarta, for bodies and debris from Lion Air flight JT610. The flight went missing this morning shortly after take-off on a routine one-hour flight from Jakarta to Pangkalpinang in Bangka Belitung. The Lion Air flight lost contact with air traffic controllers at 6:33 am, briefly after take…
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Lion Air flight missing after scheduled take off from Jakarta
SCREENSHOT: Twitter/Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, Crisis Center Penanganan Jatuhnya Pesawat Lion Air JT 610 A Lion Air Boeing 737 with 188 passengers on board, has crashed into the sea shortly after take off from the Jakarta. This is what we know… • Flight JT 610 was on a scheduled flight to Pangkal Pinang, the main town in the Bangka Belitung Islands. It…
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Leicester fans mourn Thai boss killed in helicopter crash
PHOTO: Fox Sports Fans have been laying out flowers, football scarves, prayers and tributes outside the Leicester City club grounds after Saturday’s helicopter accident, in tribute to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the Thai Leicester club owner fans credit for an against-all-odds Premiership victory in 2016. “Leicester City was a family under his leadership. It is as a family that we will grieve…
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Unofficial confirmations that Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was aboard crashed helicopter
FILE PHOTO Although there haven’t been official verifications from authorities, it appears likely that Thai duty free supremo, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was aboard his personal helicopter when it crashed soon after take off following a league match last night, UK time. Two leading media sources have led with news of Mr Srivaddhanaprabha being on the helicopter when it took off. The Leicester…
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The new-Boracay opens with a whole new set of rules
It’s open again. Boracay Island, forced to close after being described by Philippine President Duterte as a ‘cesspool’, has undergone a major makeover of infrastructure and opens with new rules to help control tourist growth in the future. Tourists flooded back onto the island today as the island re-opened. Suffering the same problems as Maya Bay and southern Thai islands,…
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Superyacht going cheap – 1MDB investigators auction off seized boat
The bidding process for the billion-baht superyacht ‘Equanimity’ will begin on Monday and run until November 28. 1Malaysia Development Bhd’s (1MDB) counsel Ong Chee Kwan has confirmed the matter after meeting High Court (Admiralty Court) Judicial Commissioner Khadijah Idris in chambers yesterday. “Those who are interested to bid need to pay US$1 million as deposit,” he said. Also present were…
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Malaysian flight MH370, or is it a pile of rocks?
An amateur UK sleuth claims this satellite image from Google Earth shows the outlines of what could be the doomed MH370 jet off the coast of Thailand and Myanmar. The object he has presented as evidence appears to be shaped “like a large passenger plane”, sparking an unlikely theory it could be the missing jet itself. “I’ve got a feeling it…
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Mahatir drops in on an old friend
During the 1980s both men were the Prime Ministers of their respective countries. Now, both in their 90s, the two re-united yesterday for a casual catch-up. The two met in Bangkok yesterday to recall their long-standing friendship. The visitor was 93 year old Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad and the host Privy Council President, 99 year old General Prem Tinsulanonda. Mahathir…
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Malaysia commits to helping Thailand sort out deep south
by Supalak Ganjanakhundee Malaysia say it’s willing to help Thailand end the ethno-religious conflict in the deep South using peaceful means. Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad spoke yesterday, suggesting the root cause of the problem was not religion but injustice. Gratefully remembering the time when Thailand helped Malaysia end the communist insurgency in northern Malaysia in the late 1980s, he said…
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Thai, Malaysian PMs pledge push for southern peace
PHOTO: Benar News Malaysia and Thailand have agreed to expand the scope of bilateral cooperation to contain an insurgency along their shared border after changing peace negotiators. The two premiers have promised to help solve the conflict. Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has assured his visiting Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad that the peace dialogue in the deep South will continue and…
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The Great Bridge of China – the world’s longest sea-bridge opens
The world’s longest sea-crossing bridge, linking Hong Kong to mainland China, has opened today. The opening is of immense economic and political significance for China, Hong Kong, the greater Pearl Delta and the region. The Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over the ceremony in Zhuhai, next door to Macau, at the China end of the 54.7 kilometere-long bridge (Phuket, as…
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Indonesia set to ban dog meat trade
PHOTO: Jakarta Post – Asia News Network “In Surakarta, Central Java, an estimated 1,200 dogs are slaughtered and eaten daily by dog-meat connoisseurs in the city.” Indonesia’s government has bowed to international pressure and decided to issue a regulation banning the trade in dog meat. The decree also addresses concerns over the spread of rabies and animal abuse following campaigns…
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Chinese ‘fake moon’ to replace street lights described as ‘lunacy’
by The Star – Asia News Network A Chinese city’s plans to launch a man-made moon to replace street lights has been met with incredulity online. Or maybe it’s just an attempt to steal the monthly Full Moon party at Koh Phangan? (With a fake moon they could hold an event every night!) Chengdu, in southwest China’s Sichuan province, announced last…
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The Boracay renovation re-opens on October 26
Fewer hotels, no smoking or partying on the beaches. And construction works will still be going on. Welcome to the new Boracay. The Philippines’ tourist magnet will reopen on October 26 after phase one of the island’s rehabilitation is completed. But work is on-going improving roads, constructing sewage systems and some beaches still remain in a ‘critical condition’. Some hotels won’t…
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Giving peace a chance – Malaysian PM visits Thailand next week
PHOTO: The Nation This year’s Malaysian election has opened up new opportunities for peace negotiations over the long-running border clashes and insurgency in southern Thailand. New Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad, who will visit Thailand next week, says he is keen to solve the conflicts in southern Thailand coupled with the upcoming general elections in Thailand, which “provide a new window…
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Blissful Break packages @ Mövenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA
Just an hour or so away, with hundreds of flights a day into KL, here’s something a bit different for a weekend ‘out of town’ or a business break, in style. Mövenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA is a new architectural icon which opened this year near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. They’ve now unveiled a new package that allows…
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No caving to Similan tour operator pressure
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation is refusing to bow to pressure from tour operators in Phang-nga for it to ease current restrictions on the number of visitors to the Similan Islands. Songtham Suksawang, director of the National Parks Division of the department, says the decision to limit the number of daily visitors to the island at…
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Thai-flag footwear NOT ok
Thai social media is all in a lather today after photos of the latest fashion footwear in Paris were posted depicting Thai flags on the shoe designs. Well, so they thought. Not only were they outraged and angry, they are demanding apologies and jail for the perpetrators. But a legal spokesperson in Thailand points out that these are foreigners parading…
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Anwar one step closer to taking over from Malaysian PM
Former Malaysian deputy PM Anwar Ibrahim has made his political comeback by winning a by-election at Port Dickson, Malaysia. The results aren’t official but based on exit polls. The result, a strong mandate in a seven-contestant poll, puts him one step closer to taking over the reigns from Mahathir Mohamad, the current Malaysian PM, who committed to handing over the top…
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South East Asia tops travellers’ lists
by DataLeads – Asia News Network The Asia Pacific region accounts for 30 per cent of the world’s international tourism receipts. The region outperforms all other regions in terms of growth, with international tourist arrivals increasing an average 7% per year compared to the world average of 4%. China remains one of the leading destinations in Asia. It attracted the highest number…
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UPDATE: British Embassy statement on income letters
Officials knew about problems back in May and say that US nationals will also be affected. The British Embassy in Bangkok has responded to requests for clarification by Thaivisa on the issuing of letters regarding income. They said that they had a meeting with immigration in May and told Thaivisa that they are “not verification experts”. They have also claimed…
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AirAsia integrates AI to become a travel technology company
by The Star – Asia News Network AirAsia is integrating Google Cloud’s machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence) technologies into every aspect of its business, as part of its transformation into a travel technology company. Speaking at the Google Cloud Next London event, AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes said, “It’s a huge mission, but we’ve never done anything easy.” “We are…
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The rise of Kpop stars reveals the dark side of music sweatshops
• They’ve had two number one selling albums in the Billboard Top 200 this year. • They’re the first pop act to score two Number One albums in a calendar year since One Direction in 2014. • They were the first Kpop artists to win a Billboard Music Award. • The group officially holds the world record for most Twitter engagements…
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Where in the world are ‘wellness’ tourists going?
Getting well and staying well are the fastest growing segment in the world travel industry. So where do the weary and health conscious head to recharge their batteries? A new global survey has revealed the desires, demands and preferred destinations of wellness travellers. Wellness travellers say that mental health as a priority and many list the Maldives as a dream…
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18 years of internet growth in Asia
Sourced from DataLEADS – Asia News Network The internet continues to grow swiftly in all parts of the world. Asia continues to show impressive growth trends in the last eighteen years although there are still many pockets in south east asia that need improved access to the www. To say that access to the internet has made a profound change to…
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Thailand donates to the Indonesian relief effort whilst thousands flee the region
Thai PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha says the Kingdom of Thailand has made a donation of 5 million baht to the relief program to assist victims of Indonesia’s earthquake and tsunami. International efforts to assist the Indonesian government to deal with the devastating natural disasters gathered pace amidst concerns over hundreds of thousands of survivors with little food and water. Thai…
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Najib’s wife arrested, to be charged with money laundering – Malaysia
Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the former Malaysian PM, Najib Tun Razak, has been arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). According to her lawyers, she was arrested at 3.20pm while giving a statement at the headquarters of the MACC. It has been learnt that the wife of the former prime minister will be charged with money laundering…
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