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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Sponsored 9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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North Korea prepared to use nuclear weapons at ‘any time’ if provoked
Kim Jong-un has warned the world that North Korea is ready to use nuclear weapons against foreign powers at ‘any time’ if provoked. In a state-televised military parade held in Pyongyang on Monday, the North Korean leader pledged to develop nuclear forces as quickly as possible… “If any forces try to violate the fundamental interests of our state, our nuclear…
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Myanmar’s ex-leader Suu Kyi sentenced to 5 years in prison
Ousted leader of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi has been found guilty of corruption and sentenced to five years in prison by a court in Myanmar, according to an anonymous source with access to her trial, which is being tightly controlled by the junta. The charge was the first of 11 corruption charges filed against her, so her prison sentence…
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Canadian man to be deported from Bali for naked dance on volcano
They say fame comes at a price. It definitely did for one Canadian man in Bali who posted a viral video of himself dancing naked on a volcano believed to be sacred by the Balinese. After his little stunt, he is set to be deported from the Indonesian island. Craigen reportedly posted a video of himself doing a Maori dance…
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China warns Thailand to fix durian Covid-19 problem or face export ban
Officials at the Mohan border checkpoint in China have given Thailand 5 days to fix the issue of Covid-19 traces being found on exported durian. According to a Nation Thailand report, Chinese officials have threatened to slap an export ban on Thai durian if the problem is not resolved. Sanchai Puranachaikiri from the Thai Fresh Fruit Traders and Exporters Association…
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Elon Musk buys Twitter, vows to ‘unlock’ platform’s ‘tremendous potential’
The world’s richest man has bought the world’s more divisive social media platform. Elon Musk succeeded in buying Twitter Inc, after the board approved his offer of US$44 billion cash on Monday. The purchase gives Musk total control of the social media platform, which has nearly 400 million users, including influential world leaders. Prior to the takeover, Musk had purchased…
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Ousted Burmese leader Suu Kyi appears in court on corruption charge
Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically-elected former leader of Myanmar who was ousted in a military coup last year, has appeared in court on a corruption charge. The case is one of multiple cases being brought against her, with the threat of lengthy prison time if she’s found guilty. According to comments made to Reuters by an unnamed source close…
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Demand for Singapore picks up as Covid-19 entry restrictions are eased
Data compiled by economists at Maybank Investment Bank reveals an increase in Google searches for Singapore, following the city-state’s easing of Covid restrictions. In particular, an increase in demand has been reported among travellers in Malaysia, along with Indonesia, India, and Australia. According to a Bloomberg report, Singapore has jumped ahead of its neighbours in ditching travel restrictions and adopting…
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Lockdowns imposed in parts of Beijing as Covid-19 infections rise
The authorities in Beijing are imposing lockdowns in parts of the Chinese capital in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19. Mass testing has also begun on over 3 million people, according to an AP report. Since Friday, only 70 cases have been reported in the city of over 21 million people, but the authorities are taking no chances…
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Car bomb explodes near Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge – VIDEO
A car bomb exploded over the weekend near the first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, on the Myawaddy side of the Thai border, adjacent to Mae Sot district in Tak. Residents in Mae Sot reported they could clearly hear the blast, which happened late Saturday night. An ethnic anti-government Burmese group is suspected to have planted the explosive in a car parked…
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France’s Macron defeats Le Pen to secure second presidential term
France’s incumbent president Emmanuel Macron soundly defeated the far-right opposition candidate Marine Le Pen on Sunday, securing a second term with a majority of votes. Macron won 58.6% of the vote to LePen’s 41.4%. The margin is closer than their last face-off in 2017, when Macron won by more than 30 percentage points. This time the margin was significantly reduced,…
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“It was a human-made disaster”: 11 dead, 15 missing after tour boat sinks in Japan
A tour boat with 26 people on board sank off the coast of Hokkaido in Japan on Saturday. Authorities have confirmed the deaths of 11 passengers and rescue teams are still searching for the remaining 15 passengers. Given the near-freezing temperatures of the water, rescuers fear the death toll will wise. Scientists say the boat shouldn’t have been operating in…
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Amidst Indonesia palm oil crisis, farmers support export ban
Amidst an ongoing surge in the crude price of palm oil, Indonesian farmers support the country’s palm oil ban set to begin on April 28. While some politicians have criticized the ban, Indonesia’s Oil Palm Farmers Union said today that the ban is a “temporary ban” necessary for supply and affordability of cooking oil in the domestic market. Last month,…
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South Korea to allow eating at movie theatres, indoor gyms
Following South Korea’s move last week to lift several Covid-19 restrictions, the country’s PM announced on Friday that next week, people will be allowed to eat in many public spaces that were earlier prevented due to the country’s Covid restrictions. These include movie theatres, indoor gyms, religious centres, trains, and busses. The PM, Kim Boo-kyum, says the government will consult…
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Hong Kong to let in non-residents starting May 1, but with quarantine
After lifting suspensions on flights from 9 overseas locations on April 1, Hong Kong now plans to let in non-residents from all countries starting May 1. In the past month, average daily arrivals have risen in the territory to about 1,200 from a meagre 300, according to the Hong Kong government’s Covid website. The ban on non-residents has been in…
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UPDATE: Missing family from central Thailand flew to Istanbul, Turkey
THE LATEST After checking their database, Thai police have discovered that the family from central Thailand who went missing on April 10 flew to Istanbul, Turkey on that day. The family, who lived in Sukhothai, flew from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport. It is unclear whether they are still in Istanbul, or have moved to another spot. Police also found the couple’s…
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Chiang Rai business and tourism sectors weigh reopening Myanmar border bridge
A Chiang Rai commerce official hosted a meeting yesterday for business and tourism sectors to discuss reopening the Mae Sai district’s border crossing with Myanmar. The first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge connecting the two countries there has been closed ever since Covid-19 hit Thailand in 2020. Since then, Mae Sai has lost a hundred billion baht per year, according to Pakaimas…
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Queen of England gets personalised Barbie doll on 96th birthday
As Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 96th birthday and 70 years on the throne yesterday — i.e. “Platinum Jubilee” — toymaker Mattel delivered a plastic fantastic present: a special Barbie doll in the queen’s likeness. According to the company, the doll sports a replica of the Queen’s wedding day tiara, as well as blue and pink ribbons after those her…
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Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players is “crazy”, says Djokovic
World tennis champion Novak Djokovic has condemned Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players as “crazy.” Earlier this week, the oldest tennis tournament in the world announced that players from Russia and Belarus are banned from playing in this year’s competition from June 27 – July 10 because of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The decision has been described as “complete…
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Putin declares Mariupol ‘liberated’ despite Ukrainian troops, civilians holding out
Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed victory in the port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine. He declared it “liberated” despite more than a thousand civilians and Ukrainian troops still inside a massive steel plant. Winning the largest battle in the war in Ukraine is the type of moral victory the Russian leader wants to deliver on the eve of…
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Pfizer Covid-19 treatment, Paxlovid, “strongly recommended” by WHO
The World Health Organisation has given its backing to Pfizer’s Covid-19 treatment, Paxlovid, recommending it over the alternatives. The WHO says it “strongly recommends” the treatment for Covid patients with milder symptoms, who remain at high risk of being hospitalised. However, it adds that, as with vaccines, inequality in accessing the drug remains a problem for lower and middle-income countries.…
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European airlines assess mask rules for flights to United States
After US airlines stopped requiring people to wear masks on domestic flights last week, European airlines are assessing their mask rules for flights to the US. European carriers are now divided over policies on trans-Atlantic flights. British Airways told customers that the requirement to wear masks onboard depends on restrictions in the arrival destination. KLM, a Dutch airline, told passengers…
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Manhunt continues for escaped Rohingya refugees in Malaysia
Malaysian authorities are still on the hunt for 130 illegal Rohingya migrants, who escaped barefoot from a temporary immigration depot near the Kedah-Penang border on Wednesday, after a riot broke out at the facility early yesterday morning. The refugees were reportedly protesting overcrowding at the facility when the situation escalated into a riot. The undocumented migrants, still on the run,…
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Kyiv calls for negotiations to evacuate troops, civilians from Azovstal steel plant
After Ukrainian fighters holed up in the Azovstal steel plant ignored a Russian ultimatum to surrender or die on Wednesday, the government in Kyiv has proposed talks with Moscow to evacuate their troops and civilians from the surrounded steelworks factory. The move comes after a Ukrainian marine commander, Serhiy Volny, made a desperate plea to world leaders, asking them to…
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Low demand, supply surplus leads J&J to suspend sales forecast of Covid vaccine
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson says it’s currently unable to provide a sales forecast for its Covid-19 vaccine. According to the firm, vaccine hesitancy in low-income countries, coupled with existing low demand in wealthier nations, has led to a surplus of stock. J&J had previously forecast sales of up to US$3.5 billion for this year, according to a Reuters report.…
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Rohingya refugees in Malaysia killed trying to cross highway
Cars hit and killed six Rohingya refugees on a Malaysian highway today. 582 Rohingya refugees had escaped a temporary immigration detention centre, when two men, two woman, and a boy and a girl were hit and killed trying to cross a highway in Kedah state. Before the escape, a riot had broken out in a detention centre in Penang state.…
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Pattaya Christian organisation to give food, support to Russians and Ukrainians
As various sectors of Thai society step forward to help stranded Russians and Ukrainians, a Christian organisation in Pattaya plans to provide mink, instant noodles, 5 kilogram bags of rice. The organisation, Hand to Hand Foundation, invites Russians and Ukrainians to come to their centre in Banlamung district from 2pm – 4m on April 21, April 26 and April 28.…
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Sri Lanka’s police shoot and kill protestor
Sri Lankan police shot and killed a protestor yesterday in an incident that quickly spread across social media. Police had opened fire on a crowd in the central town of Rambukkana, and at least three others were injured. Police said the protestor killed, a man, had refused to move from a railway line and had parked a fuel truck across…
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Ukrainian commander pleads for evacuation of troops, civilians from Mariupol factory
A senior commander of Ukrainian marines has called for a third country to urgently evacuate troops and civilians from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, which has been under heavy Russian bombardment for weeks. The plea comes as Ukrainian troops in the besieged port city launch a final stand against Russian troops, who are closing in while supplies…
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Former leader Suu Kyi breaks silence, urges Burmese to ‘be united’
In rare comments, the former leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, has called on the Burmese people to be united. According to a Reuters report, the comments were confirmed by a source close to Suu Kyi’s legal proceedings. Suu Kyi, along with the democratically elected government, was ousted by a military coup on February 1 last year. The former…
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US mask mandate on public transport lifted following court ruling
A federal judge in Florida has ruled that a mask mandate on public transport in the US is unlawful, eliminating the disease prevention measure. According to a Reuters report, the mandate was extended last week until May 3, requiring passengers on trains, planes, in taxis, and at transit hubs to wear face masks. The lifting of the mandate comes as…
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