World News
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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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NZ authorities show no mercy, weaponise Barry Manilow ballads to repel truck protest
Truck protests are spreading as fast as Omicron itself. The protests are variously against vaccine mandates, ongoing Covid-related restrictions and face masks. They are certainly helping to galvanise a weary global electorate after 2 years of lockdowns and precautionary mandates. But even the Canadians haven’t stooped to the sheer terror inflicted on NZ truckies and other protesters who have gathered…
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Thai soldiers and police arrest 246 more Burmese migrants in Kanchanaburi
Thai soldiers and police have arrested 246 Burmese migrants in 6 border areas across 4 districts of Kanchanaburi, a Western province, yesterday and today. The migrants say they paid job brokers between 15,000 and 25,000 baht to get them jobs in several Thai provinces. Thai authorities also caught 4 guides helping the migrants, and charged them with assisting illegal border…
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Boosters much less effective after 4 months, US officials say
The US Centres of Disease Control and Prevention published a study yesterday that found that third jabs of Pfizer and Moderna lose much of their effectiveness four months after they’re given. The study compared how likely vaccinated and unvaccinated people were to test positive. It found that vaccines were 87% effective for people two months after they had their third…
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Russia enters war games with Belarus as NATO nations rush to defuse conflict in Ukraine
Russia has entered war games with ally Belarus, after amassing more than 100 thousand troops on its border with Ukraine in recent days, while NATO leaders are scrambling for diplomatic talks in hopes of avoiding potential conflict in Europe. Russia has sent an estimated 30 thousand troops, including missile launchers, armoured vehicles and fighter jets, for 10 days of joint…
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Indonesia purchases six Rafale fighter jets from France
The defence minister in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta says the country is buying six Rafale fighter jets, confirming that a deal was signed with France yesterday as part of an order of 42 warplanes. Jakarta is replacing its ageing fleet of warplanes, which are mostly American F-16 fighter jets and Russian Sukhoi fighter jets. Indonesia’s first order for French fighter jets…
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Digital health pass on Mor Prom app accepted in 60 countries
Residents of Thailand can now travel to 60 countries, including 27 EU nations, where the Mor Prom Digital Health Pass is accepted. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his deputy Sathit Pitutecha confirmed the development at a media briefing. The Thailand Digital Health Pass has been accorded the same recognition as the EU’s Digital Covid Certificate since December. According to…
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Burma or Myanmar? Myanmarese or Burmese?
We refer to Myanmar a lot in our news because it’s a bordering foreign country to Thailand and many people from Myanmar work in and around Thailand. It’s also subject of an ongoing coup after the Burmese military staged a coup on February 1, 2021. But is it Myanmar or Burma? And are the people that live there Myanmarese or…
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Singapore’s Formula 1 Grand Prix takes steps to reduce carbon footprint this year
Organisers of Singapore’s Formula 1 Grand Prix are taking steps to reduce the event’s carbon footprint. One step is using sustainable fuels to replace fossil fuels as part of their sustainability goals in the upcoming night race at Marina Bay Sands this September. The tournament is reportedly developing its own 100% “sustainable” fuel, including components derived from carbon capture, municipal…
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Philippines lifts travel ban, welcomes fully vaccinated tourists from 157 countries
The Philippines is welcoming fully vaccinated travellers from 157 countries with visa-free agreements as the Southeast Asian country has lifted its nearly two-year ban on foreign tourists. The 157 countries include the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and Russia. (Here’s a full list by Philippines Airlines.) Visitors are no longer required to quarantine upon arrival as a risk classification system that…
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BTS promotes Samsung’s ocean cleanup campaign in ‘Galaxy for the Future’ MV
In a new music video, South Korea’s BTS is promoting the recycling of ocean-bound plastics and the use of eco-conscious packaging for the new Samsung Galaxy S22 Series smartphones. The MV capped off last night’s Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event, which saw the release of Samsung’s newest devices, with an eco-friendly emphasis on their Galaxy for the Planet initiative and the…
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Former Malaysia PM tests positive for Covid-19 after ministers’ meeting
Malaysia’s former prime minister tested positive for Covid-19 just a day after he chaired a meeting of the National Recovery Council, which advocated reopening the country’s borders to vaccinated travellers as soon as March 1. Former PM Muhyiddin Yassin says he will be quarantined at home in compliance with the health ministry’s protocols and urged those who may have been his…
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Human trials of Indonesian Covid-19 vaccine get underway
Indonesia has kicked off human trials of its homegrown Covid-19 vaccine as infections continue to surge across the country. Indonesia’s drug regulator has given the go-ahead for human trials of the Merah Putih (Red White) vaccine, so-named after the Indonesian flag. The trials are being conducted by research teams from Airlangga University and Biotis Pharmaceutical Indonesia. Progress on the homegrown…
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Villager in Indonesia rescues crocodile trapped in motorbike tyre for five years
A villager in Indonesia was about to free a crocodile of a motorbike tyre that had been stuck around its neck for more five years. Since 2016, conservationists have been trying to capture the crocodile to free him from the tyre, but had not been successful. But this week, a villager from Sulawesi island in the east of Borneo, along…
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Singapore’s LGBT content ban slammed after gay kiss caught in news broadcast
In a Singaporean news broadcast on the Winter Olympics, it wasn’t the coverage that got the attention of viewers, it was what was happening in the background at the Beijing bar. Behind the Channel News Asia correspondent were two men passionately kissing, a taboo for Singaporeans where broadcasting laws prohibit LGBT content and homosexual relationships between men are illegal. Although…
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Election campaigns kick off in the Philippines, Marcos Jr. a favourite
The campaign season in the Philippines leading up to the May presidential election kicked off this week. Channel News Asia says this season is candidates are running a “chaotic” and “colourful charm offensive” which is aimed at attracting the millions of voters who are “typically more interested in personality than policy.” Analysts have already foreseen the victory of Ferdinand “Bongbong”…
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Malaysia considers full reopening in March to vaccinated travellers
Following moves from other Southeast Asian countries, like Thailand, to gradually reopen borders, Malaysia is considering a full reopening of borders starting March 1, allowing vaccinated travellers to enter without mandatory quarantine requirements. The plan is to speed up the country’s economic recovery, according to its coronavirus recovery council today. The Southeast Asian country that shut down its borders in March…
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Second Thai-Laos friendship bridge will house both railway and motorway- Transport Minister
Thailand is planning to build a bridge to Laos across the Mekong River for both railway and motorway. Last month, the Thai cabinet approved the project to build a second Thailand-Laos friendship bridge, connecting Nong Khai in northeast Thailand and the Laos capital Vientiane, as part of the third phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project. The construction is estimated…
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Cambodian PM says false claims of Australian’s release in Myanmar was a “mistake”
Cambodian PM Hun Sen says his claims that the Myanmar military junta had released an Australian economist as per his request was an “unintentional mistake.” After authorities in Myanmar said the economic adviser, Sean Turnell, is still the Hun Sen admitted that he had been given the wrong information and had made a mistake. On his official Facebook page, the…
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Foreign ministry confirms Saudi leader will visit Thailand, most likely this year
The controversial Saudi leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, is likely to visit Thailand at some stage this year. Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai says the visit will happen once a roadmap for restoring bilateral ties has been agreed. The roadmap will focus on cooperation in areas such as energy and labour, according to the minister. After decades of…
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Indonesia tightens restrictions as Covid-19 cases rise in the capital
As the spread of the Omicron variant in Indonesia has led to a spike in cases in Jakarta, officials are tightening restrictions in the capital, Bali, Bandung in West Java, and Yogyakarta in Central Java. Reports initially said foreign tourists would be barred from entering Jakarta, but the transport minister released a statement today saying that tourists with the proper…
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US President Biden vows to work with Cambodia to promote US-ASEAN relations
In order to improve ASEAN-US relations, President Joe Biden stated that his administration is looking forward to working with Cambodia as the ASEAN chair in promoting the bloc’s “regional architecture” for bilateral agreements and institutions at the core of the Indo-Pacific. Biden wrote a letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on January 14 saying that he intends to invite…
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Malaysia battles Omicron surge, daily new infections expected to hit 15,000
Malaysia’s health minister has warned that daily Covid-19 infections may soon reach 15,000 as a result of the highly-contagious Omicron variant. According to a Bloomberg report, Malaysia’s daily case count topped 10,000 yesterday for the first time in 4 months as Omicron continues its rapid spread across the country. Meanwhile, according to health ministry data, nearly 80% of Malaysia’s population…
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Australia to finally open to tourists in March
Vaccinated international tourists will finally be allowed to enter Australia again in March. The country’s borders shut exactly two years before that in March 2020. Skilled migrants and international students were only allowed back in December 2021. But now that Covid-19 cases are down in all states except Western Australia, Australia’s home affairs minister says she’s making the opening a…
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UPDATE: Spotify removes over 100 old Joe Rogan Experience episodes
Streaming service Spotify has now removed 113 episodes of the highly popular Joe Rogan Experience from its platform. It follows an apology from Joe Rogan, for using racial slurs on his podcasts and comes just 2 weeks after another controversy regarding criticism of apparently misleading Covid-19 guests and conversations. The Instagram apology isn’t directly related to the mounting criticism over some…
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Thailand says Myanmar observers will not participate in Cobra Gold exercises
Myanmar military observers will not participate in this year’s 41st Cobra Gold military exercise, which will take place from February 20 to March 5, according to Lt Gen Chitchanok Nujjaya, Director of Joint Operations. He said the decision was made by both Thailand and the US since there was not enough time to prepare for Myanmar’s participation. Although there were…
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Vietnam plans for full reopening in March or April, PM pushes for preparations
Following moves in other Southeast Asian countries to gradually reopen borders to foreign tourists, Vietnam is set to reopen to fully vaccinated tourists around March or April of this year. The country’s PM Pham Minh Chinh says the country needs to prepare to reopen safety, which will be either at the end of March or by the end of April,…
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UPDATE: Indonesia welcomes fully vaxxed travellers with 5 day quarantine from today
Fully vaxxed and dreaming of white beaches? Starting from today, Indonesia welcomes you with a reduced quarantine of 5 days. You might even be able to book a direct flight to Bali this month, if you’re traveling from select countries. For those with a single jab, the duration of quarantine is reduced from 10 to 7 days. Ministry of Coordinating…
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Myanmar junta and its supporters will face more sanctions – US State Department
The US, along with the UK and Canada, imposed new sanctions on people and organisations linked to Myanmar this week, focusing on judicial officials involved in prosecutions against Myanmar’s deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the coup last year. According to US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet, Myanmar’s military and those who assisted the junta…
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New Zealand announces 5 step border reopening plan, starting this month
New Zealand is slowly starting to ease restrictions and gradually reopen borders. The country announced a five-step plan for loosening some of the world’s most restrictive Covid-19 measures, starting with allowing citizens in Australia, who have been fully vaccinated, to travel back home at the end of the month. Vaccinated travellers will be free to enter on March 13, according…
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Myanmar sees rapid uptick of narcotics production, trafficking since coup
Illicit drug production and trafficking in Myanmar has rapidly increased since the February 2021 military coup, when Tatmadaw (Burmese army) seized power and overthrew the civilian, elected government. A senior official from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says, that over the past year, there has been a spike in narcotics production, particularly methamphetamine, in the country’s Shan State…
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