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Friday Covid Update: 8,148 new cases and 80 deaths
8,148 new Covid-19 cases and 80 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA reported 8,238 recoveries. There are now 97,480 people in Thailand receiving treatment for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported a…
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On-site learning resumes in over 10,000 Thai schools, another 20,000 to follow
Over 10,000 schools across the country have resumed in-classroom learning, with another 20,000 to follow. Dr Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai from the Department of Health says over 35,000 schools around Thailand have met the Public Health Ministry’s requirements for a safe re-opening. However, under the “Thai Stop Covid Plus” assessment system, final approval needs to come from the communicable disease committee in…
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Soft tourism openings expected for Hua Hin and Cha-am in last quarter of 2021
The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects a soft re-opening for the holiday destinations of Hua Hin and Cha-am during the last quarter of 2021. In total, deputy TAT governor Nithee Seeprae says both resort cities are only expected to receive 5% of 2019’s foreign tourist numbers. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says foreign tourists cannot stay in either…
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Fighting internet censorship with fashion
Introducing DW’s new Uncensored Collection, designed to draw attention to freedom of information. SOURCE: DW News
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Opinion: Ethiopia at risk of Balkanization
Jeffrey Feltman’s visit to Ethiopia on Thursday is the West’s last desperate attempt to rescue the tottering country. The US special envoy for the Horn of Africa will try topersuade Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to agree to a ceasefire and peace talks. The hope is to bring an end to the war between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray…
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Kashmir: Migrant worker killings spur exodus, halt industries
A recent spate of killings of migrant laborers in India-administered Kashmir has triggered a widespread emigration out of the region, shaking supply chains and bringing some industrial activity to a halt. Fears of a demographic change among the Muslim-majority population are behind the killings in the region, which largely depends on a workforce coming from mainland India. “The industrial output…
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COVID: How India is vaccinating isolated tribes in insurgency-hit areas
Minpa village, an isolated settlement in Sukma district in Chhattisgarh state, has just over 650 residents. Located nearly 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the state capital Raipur, the village has no electricity, no potable drinking water supply and no road connectivity. One has to embark on an arduous journey to reach the place as it is located in the dense…
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TAT revises goal to 700,000 international travellers to Thailand in 2021
Perhaps revising their previous goal of 1 million international tourists in the next 2 months, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is hoping to hit a total of 700,000 international travellers in 2021. Thailand has launched a number of schemes to bring in foreigners during the Covid-19 pandemic to various levels of success so far. The Phuket Sandbox has been the…
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Burmese junta adds third charge for American journalist Fenster
The managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, American journalist Danny Fenster, has been held for months by the Burmese junta and has now been charged with a third criminal offence. He had originally been arrested in May when attempting to leave the country. After being held for nearly 6 months, Fenster is still on trial, accused of promoting dissent against the…
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Cape Verde: Turning wastewater into useful energy
This university student wants to avoid wasting water. Patrick Gomes invented a portable sewage tank. The equipment filters wastewater by decantation. But the “RECYCLE BE” project is not just for purifying water. “RECYCLE BE” works autonomously. It seeks to solve water scarcity in Cape Verde. The ecological tank is a sustainable alternative to septic tanks. The environmental impact is lower…
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Thai health experts report three deaths linked to the Covid-19 vaccine
A committee under Thailand’s Public Health Ministry investigating fatalities following Covid-19 vaccination has found that the vaccine is linked to three deaths. So far, the committee investigated 842 of the 1,296 deaths following inoculation that have been reported as of October 24, according to an official from the Department of Disease Control. Out of the three people whose cause of…
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Police raid Pattaya beach bar and arrest 30 customers
Police raided a beach bar in Pattaya at around 10pm last night and arrested 30 people for gathering and drinking alcohol, violating Chon Buri disease control measures which orders bars to remain closed and bans alcohol at restaurants. Officers on patrol last night heard loud music coming from Lisa on the Beach and found customers inside dancing and drinking alcohol…
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COP26: Saudi Arabia’s climate strategy: Greenwashing or genuine transformation?
It was a regular hot and sunny day in late October in Riyadh, when Dalia Samra-Rohte, delegate of the German Industry for Saudi Arabia, and Germany’s ambassador to the kingdom, Dieter Lamle, were busy planting a crown-of-thorns sapling in Bödeker Park. It won’t be growing tall alone — earlier this year, the Saudi kingdom revealed plans to plant 7.5 million…
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AG’s Office to finish review of “Joe Ferrari” case within the next 2 weeks
A review of the death in custody case involving the now notorious former police station chief known as “Joe Ferrari” is expected to be finished within the next two weeks, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The ex-station chief in the rural province Nakhon Sawan and six of his subordinates are facing several charges, including killing by torture, which carries…
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Fake goods valued at 40 million baht seized in police busts
Pro-tip: If a shop is selling Louis Vuitton pillows next to Doraemon pillows, they are fake. In a series of raids, police impounded 40 million baht worth of counterfeit goods – mostly bedding products – from storage facilities in Pathum Thani and Rayong. The Department of Special Investigation announced the haul yesterday. The bust was made with the help of…
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Police bust counterfeiters selling fake US $100 bills on Facebook
A police raid led to uncovering an alleged counterfeiting ring that is suspected of producing 50,000 fake American banknotes in the Bangkok suburb of Nakhon Pathom. The criminal masterminds were discovered by police as they attempted the move the counterfeit bills in a not so sneaky way: advertising them for sale on Facebook. Police opened an investigation on the operation…
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Thursday Covid Update: 7,982 new cases; provincial totals
68 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,462 with 19,368 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,982 new Covid-19 cases and 8,482 recoveries. There are now 97,470 people in Thailand being…
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Joke Thaiger, Wowzers, Thai Silk Shirts, Greedy Bar Girls | Thaiger Bites | Ep. 53
Jay and Tim go through viewer comments from our YouTube shows, Facebook, Instagram and the Thaiger Talk forum as The Thaiger gets a little feisty.
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Bangkok ranked 68th of 80 best global cities for remote workers
In a study that assesses liveability, living costs, infrastructure, and employment compliance, Bangkok was ranked 68th out of 80 cities around the world for remote working. The study was conducted by WorkMotion, an HR platform that helps match businesses with remote workers worldwide. Bangkok suffered low ratings in several key areas for remote work. They ranked 70th on housing access,…
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Major political parties weigh in on whether to amend Thailand’s lèse majesté law
With an uptick of charges over the past year under Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law, which carries an up to 15 year prison sentence for insulting the monarchy, and protests calling on officials to abolish it, political parties have been voicing their opinions on the law, including the main opposition Pheu Thai Party which made a statement saying they were…
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PM Prayut urges a new Thailand focused on tourism, sustainability
As the reopening of Thailand cranks the doors open wide to international travellers after cracking it open with Sandbox schemes over the past 4 months, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is focusing on tourism in reimagining Thailand moving forward. PM Prayut has called for all sectors of the nation to come together to transform the country in the “new normal” with tourism…
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Six gunmen attack police vehicle in Deep South, two officers injured
Six gunmen reportedly fired shots at a police pickup truck in the Deep South province Narathiwat, injuring two officers before pouring petrol on the vehicle and setting it on fire. The region near the Malaysian border is prone to violence related to the religious separatist insurgency. The officers were driving from the Si Sakhon district police station to Narathiwat Court…
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Airbnb reports surge in Thailand accommodation searches since re-opening
The accommodation website Airbnb has reported a spike in searches for properties in Thailand, following the country’s re-opening to vaccinated tourists from select countries. Searches for Thai accommodation over the next 6 months are double those of a year ago, with searches for villas being the most popular. The Bangkok Post reports that in terms of location, Phuket, Bangkok, Koh…
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Department of Health begs for responsible drinking in restaurants
The Department of Health is warning people that the permission granted to serve alcohol in restaurants in key tourist destinations must be used responsibly without people overdoing the boozing. They are asking restaurants not to serve drinks after the allowed hours and asking patrons to not overdo their drinking. Now that the government has dedicated Blue Zones for the primary…
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More cuts at Thai Airways as flagship carrier continues rehab process
The chairman of the Thai Airways rehabilitation plan says the airline is making good progress with cost-cutting exercises. Piyasvasti Amranand says Thailand’s national carrier has managed to recover 44.8 billion baht by cutting its workforce and ending aircraft lease agreements. “Thai Airways’ operational performance has progressed satisfactorily in many aspects, including cost reduction and organisational restructuring.” According to a TTR…
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Chinese travellers forced to stay home as rest of Asia re-opens to tourism
With Asian countries re-opening to foreign arrivals, there will be one significant tourism market missing for now – the Chinese. In China, according to a Reuters report, international air travel is currently at just 2% of pre-pandemic levels, as officials continue to pursue zero-Covid status. The absence of Chinese visitors will mean a US$255 billion annual spending hole in the…
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New York’s mayor-elect Adams: The working-class candidate who embraces big businesses
New Yorkers on Tuesday elected Eric Adams as their next mayor in a landslide election in which the Democrat trounced Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa. Adams, a 61-year-old former police captain, will be the city’s 110th mayor and only the second Black man to lead the largest city in the United States — the first being Democrat David Dinkins, who was…
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Kenya’s first female wildlife rangers unit
Team Lioness is Kenya’s first all female unit of community wildlife rangers. Created in 2019, the team is stationed near the traditional community land around Amboseli National Park on the border of Tanzania and Kenya. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) team of 16 female rangers. The unit patrols the community lands of the Olgulului-Ololarashi Group Ranch (OOGR). Through…
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South Korea, US at odds over deal to end Korean War
The governments of South Korea and the United States have publically reiterated that they are making progress in discussions on an agreement that all sides in the 1950-53 Korean War can agree to and finally formally end the conflict. Analysts suggest, however, that the show of unity is forced and designed to give the impression that the alliance remains resilient.…
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Bitkub company and crypto-coin value surges as SCB buys 51% of shares
Cryptocurrencies just got a big boost in Thailand as Siam Commercial Bank Group’s parent company SCBX struck a deal to take over 51% of shares of Bitkub from its parent company Bitkub Capital Group Holdings, a deal valued at 17.85 billion baht. SCB Securities will hold the shares and collaborate with Bitkub to create a national infrastructure with a digital…
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