World News
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Sponsored Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
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Will Russia swallow up Belarus?
Some events are long in the making. Back in 1999, the leaders of Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on creating a “union state.” For the past three years, Moscow has been pushing Belarus to move toward greater integration on the basis of that treaty. The leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, made repeated trips to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin,…
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Bali eyes wealthy tourists, while considering a ban on backpackers
Travellers visiting Bali on a budget may have to haul their backpacks elsewhere if one Indonesian government official gets his way. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who serves as the country’s Maritime and Investment Coordinator Minister, has put forward a controversial proposal to ban backpackers from Bali once the hugely popular tourist island re-opens. His comments are captured in a Bali Sun…
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Afghan journalists ‘have to get out of the country’
It was an almost clandestine press conference that the organization Reporters Without Borders (ROG) held this Wednesday at its headquarters in Berlin. Only 20 journalists were allowed in, and unlike the normal routine since the coronavirus pandemic began, there was no live video transmission on the internet. The reason: In the room, there were journalists from Afghanistan who fear for…
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An end to neo-Islamism in the Middle East?
Last week, the party that previously held a majority in the Moroccan parliament suffered a crushing setback. In the country’s federal elections last Wednesday, the Justice and Development Party lost 113 of the 125 seats it had won in the last election. In previous ballots of 2016 and 2011, the party, commonly known as the PJD, ended up with a…
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Rwanda: The mysterious deaths of political opponents
The death of former Rwandan lieutenant Revocant Karemangingo, a critic of President Paul Kagame, is the latest addition to a list DW has compiled of Rwandan opposition voices that have died under suspicious circumstances. The regime of President Kagame, who has effectively ruled Rwanda since 1994, is accused of suppressing dissenting views. International rights groups claim opposition politicians, journalists, and…
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What does the end of the Merkel era mean for Southeast Asia?
Germany’s federal elections this month are unlikely to dominate the headlines in Southeast Asia. But experts agree that the outcome of the ballot will be important for the region nevertheless. The elections mark the end of Merkel’s 16 years as chancellor. Pundits think there is also a chance that the new government will be formed without Merkel’s once-dominant alliance of…
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German Africa Prize 2021 goes to Ethiopian rights activist
Daniel Bekele, currently Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), will receive the German Africa Award for his fight for democracy and human rights. The prize is the highest award of its kind in Germany. It honors outstanding personalities from the African continent who are committed to peace, reconciliation, and social progress. “I am delighted that the independent…
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North Korea launches 2 ballistic missiles off their coast
North Korea blasted 2 ballistic missiles into waters off their east coast today, says Japanese and South Korean officials. The Defence Ministry says the objects did not penetrate Japanese territory. The possible missiles are thought to have landed somewhere outside of Japan’s economic zone, says the coast guard. The BBC says it’s unclear where the missiles were intended to go…
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Nearly 40 border officials quarantined for testing after 9 migrant workers they arrested test positive for Covid
Nearly 40 officials in Songkhla, a southern Thai province, are quarantined for testing after 9 out of 14 illegal Burmese migrant workers, whom the officials arrested previously, tested positive for Covid. The migrant workers were arrested by immigration police and administrative officials at a border section near Ban Rai Tok, opposite the Kedah State of Malaysia, on Saturday. The workers…
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Tourists from Middle East put off Thailand due to bureaucracy, costs of Covid tests
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the high cost of Covid-19 tests, coupled with Certificate of Entry bureaucracy, is proving a deterrent for tourists from the Middle East. According to a Bangkok Post report, Chaiwat Tamthai from the TAT’s Dubai office says would-be tourists from the Middle East are in favour of the Phuket sandbox concept, but put off by…
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15 people fled hidden in truck to escape Covid-19 in Vietnam
A refrigerated truck travelling north from Southern Vietnam was discovered to be holding 15 stowaways trying to escape the Covid-19 surge. Vietnamese state media reported on the story of the 15 people, one of which was just 7 years old, attempting to escape from the south which has been overwhelmed with Covid-19 infections. According to reports from Ho Chi Minh…
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Pakistan: How ‘blood money’ laws allow murderers to be pardoned
In January 2018, Asma Rani, a medical student in her third year, was on a semester break in her hometown of Kohat in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Asma and her sister-in-law were on their way back to their house when two men opened fire. Three bullets hit Asma. Before her death, she identified her attacker as Mujahidullah Afridi, a…
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Indonesia’s deadly prison blaze highlights region’s overcrowded jails
A blaze broke out at Tangerang prison near Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta last week while inmates were sleeping. In total,41 prisoners died and eight others were seriously injured. The facility houses over 2,000 inmates, exceeding its official limit of 600, according to government data. Block C, where the fire broke out, housed 122 inmates at the time — far over…
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Germany and the Middle East: A tale of morals and markets
On its homepage, Germany’s foreign ministry lists, “peace and security, the promotion of democracy and human rights, and commitment to multilateralism,” as the guiding principles of German foreign policy. Just a few lines later, however, there is another commitment whereby Germany, as a trading nation, has a particular interest in an effective external economic policy, “that helps companies to tap…
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Bangkok police arrest 12 year old and others at Din Daeng intersection for violating curfew
Bangkok police continue to wield the merciless hammer of law and order. They brought it down last night on a 12 year old, arresting the child for allegedly violating curfew at the Din Daeng intersection. The minor was riding his bike to observe a protest, says a group of lawyers and activists. At least 11 other people were also arrested.…
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The EU’s 4 persistent problems still dogging the bloc
The findings of a recent Eurobarometer survey, commissioned by the European Union itself, are clear: Citizens in the bloc believe that the main issues it should be addressing are climate change, the COVID pandemic, health care, the economic situation and social inequality. These are thus the themes that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will broach in her second…
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Why Pakistan’s new school textbooks are sparking backlash over gender
Pakistan’s ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) launched its revised Single National Curriculum (SNC) in August this year, deeming it “a milestone to end disparity in the education system.” Following the recent release of the curriculum’s accompanying new textbook, many have taken to social media to criticize what they view as patriarchal gender norms in the book. The outrage is similar…
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South Africa eases lockdown restrictions despite low vaccination rates
The road to Thulamahashe is full of potholes. The town is located close to Kruger National Park in the province of Mpumalanga, one of the poorest in the country. But the roads remain quite busy — especially on social grant payday, as hundreds make their way from the villages to the nearest town over. Carlos Mavanga is one of them.…
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Africa: COVID lockdowns blamed for increase in teenage pregnancies
“I’m five months pregnant by a young man who works in the barracks,” says 16-year-old Elsa. “He is a soldier and helps me buy food and other things for school, because my family could not afford to send me to school otherwise.” Elsa is one of many girls in Africa who have found themselves in a similar situation during the…
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Afghanistan: The Taliban are trying to silence the voices of journalists
Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, claiming to have full control of the country, they’re trying to present themselves as more tolerant than 20 years ago. Some even speak of a Taliban 2.0. In their first press conference in late August, the militant Islamists said, journalists would be allowed to continue working in Afghanistan. Three weeks later, this statement…
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Cambodian officials blame Thai truck drivers for spreading Covid in border province
Cambodian officials believe truck drivers from Thailand have brought more than just their goods into Cambodia. The officials suspect the drivers have spread Covid into their country, specifically, to the border province of Battambang. The chief of the district, Sok Sokhun, says truckers that routinely cross the border could be why Covid is spreading throughout Battambang. He says it is…
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Police say Din Daeng protests will end by next month
The daily protests at the Din Daeng intersection will end by October, says the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau. The police did not specify how the protests would end. The daily demonstrations have been held since last month. They have been organised by locals, who call themselves “ThaluGas”, as well as protests by Ratsadorn Taliban, and Ramkhamhaeng for Democracy. There have…
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23 Rohingya rescued from human trafficking operation in Tak
Police and soldiers rescued 23 Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority that predominantly lives in Myanmar, from a human tracking ring based out of 2 locations in the northern Thai province of Tak. The rescue happened yesterday. The operation is a result of the police determining that human traffickers had smuggled multiple Rohingya from the Myanmar border into Thailand. At one…
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FBI releases 9/11 file documenting probe into Saudi Arabia’s possible role
The FBI has released a document pertaining to its investigation into any involvement by the Saudi Arabian government in the 9/11 terror attacks. The release was ordered by US President Joe Biden following demands from the victims’ families, but does not provide any proof of official Saudi involvement. According to a Nation Thailand report, in 2019, the Trump administration responded…
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14 Burmese migrant workers arrested in Songkhla
14 Burmese migrant workers were arrested yesterday in Songkhla, a southern Thai province. They were on the Thai border opposite Malaysia’s Kedah State. The migrants were arrested in 2 groups. One group was arrested yesterday afternoon after a Toyota truck was stopped along the border at the Rai Tok village. Officials discovered 7 Burmese migrant workers inside, 4 men and…
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Italy: Palermo puts migrant children center stage
When the Rainbow Choir reunited for its first rehearsals after the pandemic last summer, the sense of excitement was palpable. “Louder,” bellowed the ensemble’s maestro, snapping his fingers as he paced around the room. The young singers needed little encouragement — grinning in unison, they soared through another verse of an Italian movie soundtrack. Run by the Teatro Massimo, Palermo’s…
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Super Typhoon Chanthu and Tropical Storm Conson hit SE Asia
Thailand is not alone in the massive storms and flooding it has experienced over the past week or two. Southeast Asia is looking down the barrel of two major storm systems, Super Typhoon Chanthu lumbering towards Taiwan and Tropical Storm Conson advancing on Vietnam, both expected to make landfall this weekend. Super Typhoon Chanthu The super typhoon will batter…
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Is Africa ready to produce a malaria vaccine?
There’s a ray of hope in the fight against tropical diseases: German pharmaceutical company BioNTech said it wants to develop vaccines against malaria and tuberculosis. Clinical trials are expected to start by the end of 2022. The vaccines will use use BioNTech’s messenger RNA technology that’s already proven effective against COVID-19. BioNTech also said it wants to produce the vaccines…
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9/11, the ‘war on terror’ and the consequences for the world
Twenty years have passed since the September 11 attacks. At Ground Zero in New York, the towers of a new World Trade Center rise above the skyline, and there is a memorial to the nearly 3,000 victims of the attacks. The city has bounced back and now has more residents than in 2001. Until the pandemic, the economy was booming. …
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PM Prayut lays out 10-year plan at China-ASEAN Expo
To kick off the 18th annual China-ASEAN Expo taking place in Nanning, China from September 10 to September 13, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha gave a speech by video conference discussing a post-pandemic Asia. In his remarks, PM Prayut praised the Chinese government and pledged to focus the ASEAN-China relationship on public health, economic recovery, and sustainability. The Thai prime minister gave…
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