World

  • World News

    Pakistani government tells people “drink less tea” amidst economic crisis

    Pakistan is the latest of several countries hit by an economic crisis. In the midst of the crisis, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning and Development has some interesting instructions for citizens: drink less tea. Pakistan is the world’s largest importer of tea, buying more than US$640 million worth in 2020, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity. The minister, Ahsan…

  • China News

    Men brutally attack group of women at restaurant in China

    Several men attacked a group of women at a restaurant in northern China last week after one of the women rejected a man’s advances. Security footage shows a man in a restaurant in the city of Tangshan approach a woman dining with 2 of her friends. The man puts his hand on the woman’s back, and she pushes him away.…

  • World News

    Shopee fires 50% of its Thai staff

    E-commerce platform Shopee today announced 50% of its Thai staff are being fired alongside employees from Indonesia and Vietnam. The company, under the Singaporean tech group Sea, did not give a reason for the mass redundancies. DealStreetAsia reported that Shopee has informed all staff on the redundancy hit list to pack up their stuff and wait for an official termination…

  • World News

    Dengue fever breaks out in Singapore

    Dengue fever has broken out in Singapore, as the number of cases has already climbed to more than double the number throughout all of 2021. The city-state’s peak dengue season usually begins on June 1. A spokesperson for Singapore’s Ministry of Health told CNN that on May 28 this year, Singapore already had about 11,670 cases. Throughout all of 2021,…

  • World News

    Three charged over rape of a mother of two on a train in Pakistan

    Three men in Pakistan have been arrested over the rape of a woman on a train from Karachi to Multan on May 27. Pakistan’s railway ministry reported that the men asked the woman to move to a carriage with air conditioning, before they attacked her on the moving train. One of the accused is a ticket checker for the train.…

  • World News

    Japan facing rise in ‘Long Covid’ cases

    Japan is seeing a number of people report having so-called ‘Long Covid’ symptoms, including fatigue, coughing and memory memory loss. Tokyo’s metropolitan government found that of the 2,039 people reporting Long Covid symptoms, 97% only had mild symptoms when they were infected with the coronavirus between January and April. 74% had no underlying disease, and more than 70% were aged…

  • World News

    Shooting in Oklahoma kills 4

    After a school shooting in Texas rocked global headlines last week and destroyed the lives of the victim’s families in Uvalde, Texas, there’s been another shooting in the neighbouring state of Oklahoma in the US. The shooter shot and killed 4 people in a medical building on a hospital campus in Tulsa yesterday before shooting himself dead. Tulsa Police Department…

  • Thailand News

    More and more Americans are liking Thailand’s edible insects

    More and more Americans are taking a liking to Thailand’s edible insects, according to Thailand Department of International Trade Promotion. The department’s director-general, Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit, told TNA that the department found from its survey on Thai export opportunities that insect consumption was growing steadily and significantly in the US. Phusit has suggested that insect products should be marketed through restaurants,…

  • World News

    Tensions flare once again in Israel-Palestine ahead of controversial march

    Perhaps the most divisive, disputed conflict in the world is hot with tension once again, as Israel’s annual flag march is expected to take place today (Sunday). The march celebrates Israel’s capture of Jerusalem in 1967 after the ‘6 Day War’. The march is now heavily associated with Israel’s Right Wing, which has become the country’s dominant political force after…

  • World News

    Almost 200 cases of monkeypox reported across the globe, according to WHO

    After an outbreak of monkeypox, a viral infection similar to smallpox, began last week, almost 200 cases have been reported across more than 20 countries, according to the World Health Organisation. The Associated Press noted that this number seems likely an undercount, though. Meanwhile, various health professionals and officials continue to dispute the cause of the virus. Doctors in the UK,…

  • World News

    Former South Korean navy member under fire for fighting in Ukraine

    A former South Korean navy member who fought in Ukraine hasn’t received a warm welcome upon returning home to recover from injuries. The man, Rhee Keun, said that about 10 police officers were waiting for him as he stepped off the plane today. The officers told him to quarantine for a week as a Covid-19 precaution, and said they would…

  • World News

    Deadly Afghanistan blasts target mosque and car

    A series of blasts in Afghanistan yesterday targeted a minivan, and a mosque. An explosion targeting the minivan happened in northern Afghanistan’s Balkh province. The blast killed at least 4 people and wounded over 10, according to the province’s spokesman Mohammad Asif Waziri. Another explosion happened a short time later in the same area. Another blast happened at a mosque…

  • World News

    Australian voters sweep conservative government out of power

    Australian voters have delivered a stark rebuke to both of the major political parties, awarding votes to a raft of new independent MPs who will take seats in the new lower house of the Australian parliament. Both major parties – the Liberal/National conservative coalition and the centre-left Australian Labor Party – lost their way in a sea of big changes…

  • World News

    Japan government says masks not needed outside if you don’t talk too much

    Japan’s government is saying it’s not necessary for people to wear masks outside, as long as they aren’t talking to others a lot. On Friday, Health Labor and Welfare Minister Shigeyuki Goto, said that even indoors, masks aren’t necessary if people are not talking a lot, and they can properly socially distance. The recent change to the Japanese government’s position…

  • Tourism News

    Thai officials visit Saudi Arabia for roadshow, push for more tourists

    As part of a push to draw more Middle Eastern tourists to Thailand, tourism officials visited Saudi Arabia on May 15-16 in a roadshow. There, the Tourism Authority of Thailand signed a memorandum of cooperation with Almosafer, the biggest OTA in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The TAT also signed an MoC with Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, to promote a…

  • World News

    Thailand’s PM Prayut invites US to invest in supply chains

    As part of his visit to the US, Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has attended the 2nd ASEAN-US Special Summit in Washington last week. Now, he is inviting the US to invest or set up supply chains in Thailand to fill gaps created by the Russia-Ukraine crisis. And not the least the ongoing disruption of China’s part in the supply chain…

  • World News

    Britney Spears announces miscarriage

    In an emotional Instagram post, pop diva superstar Britney Spears has announced today (Sunday in Thailand) that she has suffered a miscarriage. 40 year old Britney had said last year that she wanted more children, but wasn’t allowed to make her own birth control decisions with her infamous conservatorship, under which her father controlled her every move. Britney’s conservatorship ended…

  • World News

    South Korea to add 230 international flights to meet demand

    As South Korea’s Covid-19 situation improves and several restrictions have been eased, the country also plans to add 230 international flights next month, to meet a jump in travel demands. South Korea has been known as a Covid hotspot earlier this year after being one of the World Health Organisation’s ‘postcard’ countries for controlling the virus in mid 2020. But…

  • World News

    Another Indonesia oil export attempt foiled

    After Indonesian authorities caught 2 ships trying to smuggle crude palm oil out of the country earlier this month, they have now foiled yet another oil export attempt. Indonesia’s trade ministry released a statement yesterday saying that authorities seized a ship headed for East Tamor on April 28. Indonesia banned crude palm oil exports last month in order to control…

  • World News

    Sri Lanka’s PM quits, goes into hiding

    Following a wave of outraged protests that started in March, Sri Lanka’s PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has quit his position earlier this week, and is now hiding in a military base. This news comes after protestors have called for Mahinda’s brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the country’s president, to step down, along with other members of Sri Lanka’s powerful political family. On Monday,…

  • World News

    Australia’s Great Barrier Reef facing “mass bleaching”

    Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, one of the most famous natural sites in the world, is suffering a mass bleaching event. Due to bleaching in 2016, 2017 and 2020, 66% of the reef’s coral was damaged. Bleaching occurs when rising ocean temperatures cause corals heat stress, and drain them of their colours. The UN threatened to lower the reef’s World Heritage…

  • Bangkok News

    New Japanese food export platform launched in Bangkok

    Following Japanese PM Fumio Kishida’s visit to Thailand, Japan has launched a new platform in Bangkok. The platform, called Japan Food Export Platform, is meant to help boost exports of Japanese farm products and foodstuffs. At a meeting yesterday, Thailand’s Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-on said that talks between the countries are “a good opportunity” to strengthen their agricultural…

  • World News

    Japan’s PM says entry restrictions to ease by next month

    Japan’s PM announced yesterday that in June, visitors can enter the country “as smoothly as other G-7 nations”. Apart from China, Japan is the last Asian country that still hasn’t opened its border to foreign tourists. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the country has only been letting in foreigners who are either studying abroad, foreign dignitaries, or people…

  • China News

    Strict Covid-19 rules make companies in China think about moving investments

    Now that 43 cities in China are under either full or partial lockdown, more and more European companies in the country are seeking to move their investments. The European Chamber of Commerce in China announced today that nearly a quarter of respondents on a survey were considering moving current or planned investments out of China. 92% of the respondents say…

  • China News

    Beijing’s strict Covid-19 policies limit holiday acitivties

    This year’s May Day may not have been so fun for Beijing residents. The country’s ultra-strict so-called ‘zero-Covid’ policies mean buildings and housing complexes with Covid-19 cases are on lockdown. In Beijing, parks and tourist attractions are only allowing 50% of their normal capacity. All restaurants in the capital city are only serving customers take-out, with no dine-in services, from…

  • China News

    Building collapses in China, 18 people possibly still trapped

    A six-storey building collapsed in China’s Hunan province on Friday, with 23 people inside. Rescuers managed to retrieve 5 people alive, who were brought to a hospital and are now in stable condition, according to authorities. But at least 18 more might still be trapped. The disaster happened in the city of Changsha. Meanwhile, the mayor of the city says…

  • World News

    Freight trains between North Korea and China suspended due to Covid-19

    A South Korean media agency said today that freight train services between China and North Korea have been suspended. The agency said services were suspended due to Covid-19 infections in the Chinese border city of Dandong. Meanwhile, South Korean authorities say they are keeping an eye on the situation. An official from South Korea’s unification ministry said the government is…

  • World News

    HRW urges Japan’s PM to raise human rights issues on Thailand trip

    For the first time in 9 years, Japan’s Prime Minister plans to visit Thailand. Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida plans to visit Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha on May 1-2 (Sunday to Monday) next week. Now, Human Rights Watch is calling on Fumio to raise concerns with Prayut about freedom of expression and assembly. This is part of a larger call that…

  • World News

    Sri Lanka’s political crisis continues with huge walkout

    After Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency earlier this month, the world has seen massive political unrest in the country as protestors call on the president and his powerful family to step down. Last week, Sri Lankan police shot and killed a protestor in an incident that quickly spread across social media. Today (Thursday), Sri Lankan workers participated in mass…

  • World News

    Pakistan terror attack kills 4, 3 victims Chinese teachers

    The Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for a suspected suicide bombing in Kirachi, Pakistan which happened last Tuesday. The attack, which happened near a Chinese language centre, killed 3 Chinese teachers, and a driver. Kirachi police and the BLA say the bomber was a woman. The BLA is an armed separatist group which claims to be fighting to liberate…

  • World News

    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,…

  • World News

    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…

  • World News

    Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard saga continues

    The legal saga between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard continues in court. Depp filed a lawsuit against Heard after she wrote a column in 2018 describing herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”. Even though Heard never named Depp explicitly, he is suing for implying he was a domestic abuser. Depp delivered a roughly three-hour testimony on…

  • World News

    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…

  • World News

    Pilots announce end of US mask mandate mid-flight, passengers divided

    Midway through a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles on Monday night, the pilot announced the end of America’s requirement to wear face masks on public transport, including on planes. The sound of cheering resonated through the plane and around one third of passengers instantly took off their masks, according to a witness. However, some passengers were outraged and scolded…

  • World News

    Ukraine’s Zelensky defies Russia’s ultimatum to lay down weapons

    As Russian forces plunder through the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky says the situation there is “inhuman”. Russian troops first encircled Mariupol last month. Yesterday (Saturday), Russia gave Ukrainian forces an ultimatum to lay down their weapons by 6am Moscow time (10am Bangkok time) today. In response, Zelensky hit back by warning Russia… “the elimination of our…

  • Crime News

    Thailand’s Defence Ministry says Yakuza member is not former PM’s son

    Thailand’s Defence Ministry is calling ‘fake news’ on rumours that a former PM’s son is part of a yakuza gang after he was arrested in the US this month on suspicion of trafficking in drugs and weapons. The gang members were arrested for trafficking heroin and methamphetamine while trying to acquire surface-to-air missiles for rebel groups in Myanmar and Sri Lanka,…