World News
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Sponsored Travel vs international health insurance: Which coverage do you need overseas?
The Thaiger key takeaways Travel insurance is ideal for short-term trips, covering emergencies, cancellations, and lost luggage, but not routine care. International health insurance suits expats and long-term residents, offering full medical coverage, including checkups, maternity, and chronic care. Choosing...
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Philippines to spend US$620 million on 32 new Black Hawks for disaster relief
The Philippines will become another Southeast Asian nation to upgrade its military capability in 2022, probably for different purposes, as the Thai Cabinet approved the government’s plan to purchase four more fighter jets to strengthen the potency of its Royal Thai Air Force earlier last week. According to defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the Philippines will spend over US$620 million on…
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Monks were amongst those who fled to safety in eastern Myanmar conflicts
Hundreds of monks were among the thousands of people who fled2 major towns in Mynamar’s Kayah (Karenni) State last week as fighting has intensified in the southern region between the military and local militia groups, known as the People’s Defense Forces which oppose the regime, The UN estimates that over 90,000 individuals have fled Loikaw city in the region where…
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Aung San Suu Kyi is “indispensable” for Myanmar peace talk, says Philippines FM
The Philippines, amongst other neutral ASEAN members, made a strong statement on solving the Myanmar crisis yesterday as its foreign minister urged the 10 member bloc to invite the deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to any peace talks, citing she’s the key figure in restoring democracy to the turmoiled Southeast Asian nation, regardless of her conviction. The Philippines Foreign…
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13-day quarantine enacted for travellers from Thailand to Japan
Japan has announced new restrictions for travellers from Thailand entering the country, who must now undergo a 13-day quarantine on arrival. The new restriction will go into effect tomorrow and will affect travellers coming from Thailand and 4 other countries. The new restrictions follow a farther-reaching announcement on January 15 easing restrictions for the rest of the world, replacing the…
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Nong Khai bridge the final step in China-Laos-Thailand Railway
In order to connect Thailand to the new China-Laos Railway, the State Railway of Thailand has received orders from the Cabinet to build a second bridge across the Mekong River, this on for trains to link Nong Khai province to Laos. The SRT was instructed to design and build the bridge as quickly as possible. A meeting was held at…
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Singapore requires office-workers to be vaccinated, few exemptions
Get vaccinated or lose your job. That’s the thrust of new workplace laws being introduced in Singapore. From today an earlier concession, allowing negative-testing employees to keep working in offices, is dropped. Employers now have the option to redeploy unvaccinated staff to ‘working from home’ duties, put the staff on leave without pay, or simply sack them if they are…
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Malaysia hands 3 suspected insurgents to Thailand following peace talks
Officials in southern Thailand told reporters that Malaysia had delivered three suspected militants on Wednesday after Thai authorities and rebel groups finished their negotiations. Reports say it was their first in-person peace talk in nearly two years. The rare handover marked the first official transfer of convicts linked to the ethnic and religious separatist insurgency in Thailand’s Deep South region near…
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Citi to sell consumer banking business in Southeast Asia to Singapore’s United Overseas Bank
Citigroup announced on Thursday its agreement to sell its consumer banking operations in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam to United Overseas Bank (UOB) for approximately US$2.97 billion. UOB stated that as part of the agreement, it will acquire Citi’s retail deposit divisions, loan portfolios and wealth management, in the four countries’ consumer banking sectors. “We are excited to announce this…
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Japan-Thailand cooperation discussed by PM Prayut and Japanese Minister
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha met at Government House yesterday with the Japanese Minister of Economy Trade and Industry to discuss cooperation between Japan and Thailand for future investments. They discussed the benefit to Thailand of the technology that Japan has supplied as well as a plan to meet sustainable development goals for the future. The Prime Minister spoke of the contribution…
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Australia calls foul, cancels Djokovic’s visa again as Serbian tennis star faces deportation to forfeit title defense
So far it’s a double fault for the Serb tennis star. Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has announced his decision to re-cancel the visa of Serbian tennis player Novak Dokovic, on the grounds of “health and good order.” In an official statement posted Friday evening on the website for the Department of Home Affairs, Hawke wrote: “Today I exercised my…
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Queen of England revokes military, royal titles from Prince Andrew, as US civil lawsuit proceeds in New York
Queen Elizabeth II has revoked Prince Andrew’s royal patronages and military titles, in response to a forceful letter from armed forces veterans, as a US civil lawsuit against the Duke of York proceeds in the state of New York. The prince, who is the British Queen’s third child and second son, is accused of child sexual abuse in the US…
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Indonesia kicks off booster shot campaign as Omicron cases rise
The fourth-most-populous country in the world, Indonesia, has started administering Covid-19 booster shots to the public as its infection rates soar, with most of the cases owing to the Omicron variant, which is the highest number in nearly three months. President Joko Widodo of Indonesia stated Tuesday that all those who are qualified for the booster shot will receive free…
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Gene that doubles risk of severe Covid-19 found by Polish researchers
There may be a new method to determine who is most vulnerable during the pandemic, as a gene has been identified by Polish scientists that more than doubles the risk of serious Covid-19 infection. The scientists behind the discovery hope that being able to identify people who are a great risk might prompt them to get vaccinated if they have…
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Philippines sets “no vaccine, no ride” policy for Manila public transportation
If you’re in the Philippines, you’ll need to show your vaccination certificate to use public transportation in the country’s capital Manila. The Southeast Asian country’s new “no vaccine, no ride” policy prohibits those who are unvaccinated against Covid-19 from riding public transportation in Manila starting next week. The controversial restriction was enacted after a fresh wave of Cvoid-19 cases skyrocketed…
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UN’s special envoy urges ASEAN to work toward “inclusive dialogue” with Myanmar
Days after Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen visited Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw to see the military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, a United Nations Special Envoy encouraged the rest of Southeast Asian countries to support international efforts to engage all sides in the situation inside tumultuous Myanmar. In a statement released today by the UN, its secretary-special general’s envoy on Myanmar, Noeleen…
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Kim Jong-un eyes strategic military “muscle” after North Korea’s “hypersonic” missile test
North Korean media reports that the country test fired a new hypersonic missile but also the attendance of its leader. The event was also Kim Jong-un’s first public appearance in nearly 22 months after his regime tested a pair of single-stage solid-fuel KN-24 missiles in March 2020. It was the second test-firing of the hypersonic missile in less than a…
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More than 5,000 Singapore students aged 5 to 6 signed up for vaccinations
A representative from the Early Childhood Development Agency told Singapore media The Straits Times that more than 5,000 children from age 5 to 6 have been registered for their Covid-19 vaccines yesterday. The report followed the announcement by Singapore’s Education Minister Chan Chun Sing that about 80,000 students or more than one-third of the Primary 1 to 6 cohorts had…
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Djokovic battles ‘misinformation’ in bombshell Twitter post, as countries investigate his whereabouts, claims
In a 6 page Twitter post, embattled tennis player Novak Djokovic attempted to set the record straight on his whereabouts after testing positive for Covid-19 last month — admitting to breaking self-quarantine and blaming his agent for an error on his Australian travel declaration form — as authorities in Australia and Serbia investigate his claims. “I want to emphasise that…
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Indonesia joins hands with Japan to promote clean energy
The bilateral relationship between Japan and Indonesia has taken the next step towards clean energy as the two nations agreed to cooperate on decarbonisation technologies such as hydrogen, ammonia, and carbon capture and storage (CCS), according to Reuters, citing the Japanese industry ministry. The memorandum of cooperation (MOC) was signed on the same day while Japanese Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda…
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Famous African rat Magawa that tracks down landmines in Cambodia dies
The famous African mine detection rat named Magawa, who has saved hundreds of lives by finding over 100 landmines in Cambodia, died over the weekend, according to his organisation, APOPO, which trains fellow rats like Magawa to track landmines. A hero is laid to rest. He will leave a lasting legacy in the lives that he saved as a landmine…
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Couple stranded in Singapore for 18 months rescued by New Zealand navy
A couple stranded in Singapore for 18 months due to their health and dwindling finances, which had made it difficult for them to survive in the most expensive country in Asia, were rescued by the New Zealand navy during a rare merciful mission last year. Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the pair were unable to fly to New Zealand, claiming…
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Air passengers from Thailand to be banned from transiting in Hong Kong over Omicron spread
There are unconfirmed reports that air travellers from Thailand and a number of other countries are to be banned from transiting through Hong Kong. The ban applies to all Group A countries, which have been designated high-risk for Covid-19. Group A includes a number of popular transit routes, such as Singapore, Australia, and several European countries, as well as Thailand.…
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Vindicated in visa court case, Djokovic seeks historic victory in a different court
World Number 1 player Novak Djokovic tweeted a picture of himself standing with his team on a tennis court in Melbourne, Victoria late Monday evening, writing he was “pleased and grateful” that a judge overturned his visa cancellation. Game. Set. Match! Judge Anthony Kelly of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia had earlier ordered Djokovic’s release from an immigration detention…
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American man becomes first to get a genetically-modified pig heart transplant
A 57 year old American man in Baltimore has become the first human to get a heart transplant from a genetically engineered pig after undergoing seven-hour experimental surgery. The day before the surgery, the patient David Bennett told reporters “it was either die or do this transplant,” that the experimental surgery is a “shot in the dark,” but it’s his…
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Laos PM visited Vietnam’s capital for three days to enchance bilateral relations
Laos Prime Minster, Phankham Viphavanh, has visited Hanoi for three days to meet with Vietnam’s Pham Minh Chinh on Saturday to enhance bilateral relations between the two nations, according to official reports. The two leaders then discussed ways to improve economic cooperation and agreed to increase connections between their economies, particularly through land-road, railway, aviation, and marine port projects, including…
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Myanmar’s Suu Kyi slapped with jail terms
Myanmar’s deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been sentenced to four years in jail for three charges brought by a Naypyidaw court under the military junta this afternoon, according to reports. The court ruled that 76 year old Suu Kyi, who was detained since the military took power in early February 2021, was found guilty of two offences linked…
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Australian government mulls deportation of unvaccinated tennis star Djokovic after judge orders his release
The Australian government has exceeded a four-hour time limit to decide whether to deport Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, after a federal judge ordered his release from detainment on Monday afternoon, allowing the tennis star to remain in the country — at least for tonight. The world No. 1 tennis player has been detained since Thursday for allegedly breaking the…
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Hospitals in the Philippines prepare more beds amid surge in infections in Manila
Officials in the Philippines have ordered hospitals to prepare more beds and resources, in response to a surge in infections in Manila. According to a Reuters report, the capital leads the way with record case numbers, with nearly 60% of 28,707 infections reported in the Manila region. Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles says health authorities have also been ordered to…
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1-year ceasefire declared in Myanmar by junta leader
After nearly a year of deadly conflict between the Burmese military junta that overthrew the government and citizen protesters and rebel insurgent groups, Burmese junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing has declared a ceasefire in Myanmar after meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The Prime Minister met with the junta leader on Friday after months of the Association of…
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France Saturday: 105,000 protest vaccine, 303,669 get Covid-19
French President Emmanuel Macron made waves recently when he came out hard against unvaccinated people saying that he would make life harder for them and “piss off” those who refused inoculation as it hurts the society as a whole. Yesterday, over 100,000 people came out to protest the government restricting the rights of people who refuse a vaccine all across…
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