World
- Covid-19 News
New Covid-19 restrictions imposed to tackle Europe’s second wave
Countries across Europe are imposing new restrictions as they grapple with a second major wave of Covid-19. Worldwide, the coronavirus has now infected more than 40 million people and been responsible for the deaths of more than 1 million. In Europe, Covid-19 deaths have surpassed 250,000, making up nearly a quarter of the coronavirus deaths in the world. Whilst there…
- Covid-19 News
Timeline of a pandemic – the early days of Covid-19
The most critical time in the Covid-19 story is obviously early January this year, when either confusion or a lack of concrete knowledge, caused delays in public information about the seriousness of a possible new coronavirus. It was, indeed, a novel coronavirus, difficult to identify without a history or a published RNA sequence for comparison. In the last weeks of…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Army v Twitter, Tourism interrupted, Thailand World’s #6 | October 9
Clerk calls out Thai Army for alleged corruption An army clerk is calling out the Thai Army for alleged corruption, saying he was forced to withdraw money under his name which was then falsely documented as a travel expense. The clerk at the army’s Ordnance Material Rebuild Centre posted photos of documents on Facebook, showing the withdrawal listed as a…
- Tourism News
Condé Nast Traveller ranks Thailand in Top 20 Best Countries in the World
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is delighted to announce that Thailand has ranked #7 in a ranking of the Top 20 Countries in the World by readers of Condé Nast Traveller in the 33rd Readers’ Choice Awards 2020. Some of Thailand’s most popular locations also scored well in the prestigious listing. Italy, Sri Lanka and Portugal scored the top 3…
- Tourism News
Global tourism plunges up to 80% in 2020
Internationally, tourism will plunge between 60 – 80% by the end of the year. The UN World Tourism Organisation makes the forecast in their latest report. The prediction, broad and probably conservative, will put millions of workers in the world’s tourism industry, out of work. In Thailand, with its reliance on tourism as a significant contributor to its GDP, will see…
- World News
US President Trump tests positive for Covid-19, reported to be “well”
United States President Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid-19. He announced on Twitter that both he and his wife Melania Trump have tested positive for the virus and are now in isolation. “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER.” The US presidential election…
- World News
The world’s Top 10 languages, spoken by native speakers
I battle to speak one language, English, and can barely order my lunch in Thai. And, whilst studying French for 7 years at school, I can only ask a French-speaker for the time or order coffee. Sacre Bleu! The world’s most common languages changes over time and a world interlinked on the internet and aviation, like never before, is making…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 deaths surpass 1 million whilst more reports emerge about former patients’ “brain fog”
The world’s Covid-19-related deaths has passed the 1 million mark overnight as the the cycle of the world’s lockdowns and re-openings are getting mixed results. As of this morning, Thai time, the number of total deaths has reached 1,002,389, with 4,000-6,000 deaths still being recorded, globally, every day. And rising. On a more positive note, the number of daily deaths…
- World News
Travellers from Thailand can enter United Kingdom without quarantine
No more quarantine for those travelling from Thailand and entering the United Kingdom. Thailand and Singapore will be added to the UK’s so called “travel corridor” list starting tomorrow. The Thailand Foreign Ministry deputy spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun says this is “good news, adding that Thailand’s Covid-19 prevention methods have been recognised by other nations. He says several countries have removed…
- Tourism News
World Tourism Organisation reports on destinations re-opening to tourists
53% of the world’s tourist destinations have now started easing travel restrictions government’s imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic – the claim from the UN World Tourism Organisation in its latest update on the state of the world’s re-openings in the Covid-era. The UNWTO acknowledges that many destinations “remain cautious” and some are even re-closing borders and tightening up restrictions…
- Economy News
Asia Pacific’s smartphone market declines by 20% during pandemic
“The region’s smartphone market was hardest hit in the second quarter when many countries here entered lockdown mode. This was also when we started observing new trends emerging and the corresponding shifts in consumer demand for durable goods.” People are buying fewer smartphones this year. The once robust and thriving industry has been on a downward slope in the Asia…
- Covid-19 News
When will the world open up again for travel?
OPINION 9 months since the first outbreak in China, international borders remain mostly sealed. Most travellers, excepting certain categories, are prevented from leaving or entering in the majority of countries. The shutters went up in March and April in much of the world, a bit later in some countries, as governments and medical officials figure out how to safely re-open…
- Covid-19 News
1 new case of Covid-19 reported as a soldier in state quarantine – July 29
One new case of Covid-19 cases confirmed by the government today, as another soldier who was quarantined after returning from a military exercise in Hawaii. Read more on the original story, HERE. Deputy general manager of the Department of Disease Control, says the man arrived on July 22, and was quarantined in the province of Chon Buri. He screened positively…
- Tourism News
Travel trends define future of world tourism
People still want to travel, even if their options are severely limited at the moment. 84% of respondents to a Hotels.com survey admit that they are “looking forward to travelling again”. But attitudes towards have also evolved as a result of the world Covid-19 pandemic. 49% of those surveyed admit that they would “still be nervous about travelling” even after…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 UPDATE: All the latest news from the world – July 12
Today the total number of Covid-19 patients in the world has reached 12,847,288 with 567,734 people dying due to the effects of the virus. 7,483,246 people are registered as ‘recovered’ from their bout of Covid-19. The numbers of new cases, worldwide, is accelerating. The current hotspots are the US, Brazil, India, South Africa and Mexico – presenting with the highest…
- Environment News
Report claims air pollution “kills thousands”, costs billions annually
“In mere months, major cities around the world have lost tens of thousands of lives and well into the tens of billions of dollars in economic productivity.” New data released by environmental groups makes claims that air pollution in Bangkok alone has caused some 6,800 deaths and an economic loss of 81.4 billion baht so far this year. The data,…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 UPDATE: Friday, July 10
Today the total number of Covid-19 patients in the world has nearly reached 12.4 million with over 557,000 people succumbing to the effects of the disease. Nearly 7.2 million people are registered as ‘recovered’ from their bout of Covid-19. The numbers of new cases, worldwide, is accelerating. The current hotspots are the US, Brazil, India, South Africa and Mexico –…
- Covid-19 News
Australia shuts down border between 2 most populous states over Covid-19 fears
Australian officials are closing borders indefinitely starting from tomorrow for its two most populous states over Covid-19 fears, Victoria and New South Wales. The move comes after authorities scramble to contain a coronavirus outbreak in the northern suburbs of the city of Melbourne, with some fearing that even these current containment measures may not work to stop the spread of…
- Covid-19 News
WHO clarify the early days of the novel coronavirus
As the coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, adding a million new infections in less than a week, NGOs and governments, alike, are starting to publish their official narrative about the early days of Covid-19. For the World Health Organisation, they now strenuously deny any complacency toward China and have published a series of notifications and communications with Chinese authorities outlining the…
- World News
L’Oreal is dropping words such as ‘whitening’ from products
The French cosmetics giant L’Oreal is reportedly joining the bandwagon to remove terms such as “whitening” and “fairness” off its skincare products. The decision was made by the Paris-based corporation in the aftermath of the global anti-racism demonstrations that followed the killing of George Floyd in the US last month. L’Oreal said in a statement that it has “decided to delete…
- Covid-19 News
Taiwan hosts gay pride march for other countries
Taiwan has taken centre stage by hosting a gay pride march for the rest of the world which saw many cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Taipei’s Liberty Square saw more than 200 people coming out to celebrate saying they were “marching for the world” during the LGBT pride season. The move supports Taiwan’s recent progressiveness towards the issue as…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Covid-19 cases pass 10 million, deaths surpass 500,000
The Covid-19 coronavirus has now officially infected over 10 million people worldwide. We emphasise “officially” because today’s sad milestone only accounts for confirmed cases. The 10 million case milestone was almost certainly passed some time ago with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announcing recently that infections in the US alone could be 10 times greater than reported.…
- Covid-19 News
World Covid-19 cases accelerate as the toll surpasses 9 million infections
Global coronavirus infections have now topped 9 million infections with the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating in cases. As parts of the world start to open up the World Health Organisation is warning that, far from even getting to a second wave, most of the world is still deep into its first wave. Europe has been steadily easing community and even travel…
- World News
Trump campaign and media tussle over Tulsa rally turnout
“In an increasingly globalised online world, the world’s youth have started getting involved in the narrative for this November’s US Presidential election.” In the days leading up to Saturday night’s election rally for US President Donald Trump – his first since March – the campaign management were touting figures suggesting that as many as 1 million people had signed up…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 update: 1 new imported case (June 14)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 1 new imported coronavirus case and no new deaths today taking the total number of infections in Thailand to 3,135 since the outbreak began in January. The death toll remains at 58. The CCSA says the new case is a 35 year old female Thai student who returned from the US last Monday.…
- Covid-19 News
WHO expert calls comments on asymptomatic virus transmission a “misunderstanding”
After stirring some controversy with comments about asymptomatic transmission of the virus being “very rare”, a World Health Organisation Covid-19 expert has rushed to explain herself. In a Q&A session on social media, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, says there is no definitive answer yet as to whether or not such transmission is rare but indicated that real world data showed…
- Northern Thailand News
Thailand’s health volunteers are ‘unsung heroes’ WHO rep says
Thailand’s village health volunteers have been deemed “unsung heroes” in the coronavirus pandemic by a World Health Organisation representative for Thailand. “The volunteers have helped keep the number of cases low by educating villagers about the virus and prevention measures as well as collecting temperatures.” While Thailand had the first coronavirus case outside of China, the country has not been…
- Covid-19 News
“No evidence of Covid-19 losing potency” – WHO experts dismiss claims of Italian scientist
There is no evidence that the Covid-19 virus has been losing potency. A high profile Italian doctor made the assertions on Sunday. But the World Health Organisation and a range of other noted scientists say there was no evidence to support the assertion. Professor Alberto Zangrillo, the head of intensive care at the San Raffaele Hospital in Lombardy, Italy, told…
- Covid-19 News
Global recovery unlikely to happen next year – IMF
The head of the International Monetary Fund says the global economy is going to take longer than initially thought to recover fully from the shock caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus. She’s also warning against the danger of protectionism. Kristalina Georgieva says the Fund is likely to revise its forecast for a 3% contraction in GDP in 2020 downward, but gave…
- Covid-19 News
WHO spokesman: Covid-19 may never be wiped out
As nations around the world begin gradually lifting lockdown restrictions enacted to stem the spread of Covid-19, the World Health Organisation is warning that the virus may never be completely wiped out. The virus was first detected in Wuhan in China in December last year and has now infected more than 4.3 million people and killed nearly 300,000 worldwide. The WHO’s…
