News
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Sponsored 5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine
It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
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Is the fall of Kabul the kick European defense needs?
“Afghanistan has shown that the deficiencies in our strategic autonomy comes with a price,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after an informal meeting of defense ministers on Thursday. “And that the only way forward is to combine our forces and strengthen not only our capacity, but also our will to act.” A day earlier, Borrell used sharper…
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Langkawi plans reopening amid high vaccination, Covid-19
Taking a cue from the Phuket Sandbox, Malaysia is launching a plan to reopen the tropical resort island of Langkawi in a similar fashion. The plan calls for a travel bubble to begin on September 16 in an effort to begin to restart the economy for Langkawi island which relies so heavily on tourism revenue and has been damaged so…
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Extorted women held in chicken fighting dog kennel by fake police
A woman went out for a shopping trip but ended up at the centre of a bizarre story after she alleges she was arrested by fake police and detained in a dog kennel while being extorted for 50,000 baht. The woman was reported missing on Monday by her mother after she never came home from her shopping trip and today police arrested…
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AfricaLink on Air — 02 September 2021
Anti-government sentiment in S.Sudan: Where does the youth stand? +++ Mozambique’s “tuna bonds” corruption trial +++ New coronavirus variant spreading in South Africa +++Do beauty standards reflect colonial attitudes +++ Controversy over TV rape demonstration in Ivory coast SOURCE: DW News
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Meme elephant Bunmee breaks into house 3 times, history of hijinks
You probably don’t know or recognise the name of 58 year old Hua Hin resident Supha, but you know her tragic and/or hilarious plight. The woman nicknamed Pa Yai (translated to English: “Big Aunty”), like many people in Thailand has to deal with the occasional pest in her house, rummaging through her food and making an unintentional mess. For many…
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UAE’s new human rights institute: Real change or ‘image washing’?
The United Arab Emirates announced earlier this week that it would set up an independent national human rights organization. The new institution will open an office in Abu Dhabi and, according to the UAE’s state media, “aims to promote and protect human rights and freedoms” in accordance with the local and international laws and guidelines. The new organization — official…
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Police search 2 rooms Thitisan and subordinated used; unknown powder and drugs allegedly found
Police investigating the now-infamous case of the man who died in police custody in Nakhon Sawan, a northern Thai province, have searched a condominium room used by former police station chief, Thitisan Utthanaphon, and a subordinate’s apartment, today. The search was conducted by local police and investigators from the Crime Suppression Division. The investigators say they found a suspicious powdered…
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Malaysia removes ban on Boeing 737 MAX following improvements to aircraft
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia has removed a ban on operating Boeing’s 737 MAX passenger jet that was in place for over 2 years, the CAAM said in a statement today. Previously, there had been a moratorium on using the aircraft since March 2019 following 2 fatal crashes. CAAM dropped the ban as it released a new safety directive…
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Former Nakhon Sawan officer will face perjury charges over suspect’s cause of death
The now-ousted Nakhon Sawan police station chief will face perjury charges for his statement on the cause of death of the suspect. The former superintendent of the Mueang station, Thitisan Utthanaphol, is accused demanding a 2 million baht bribe from the suspect and placing plastic bags over the suspect’s head, killing him. Thitisan, known as “Joe Ferrari” for his collection…
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Bangkok ranked #1 best “workation” city in the world, Phuket #10
Bangkok has been ranked as the number one city in the world for a ‘workation’ – a portmanteau combining work and vacation – with Phuket also ranking in the top 10. The two Thai destinations ranked among the top cities in the world where people can get a break from their office life and have a holiday while still actively…
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Over 1,000 cats abandoned by owners on Koh Phi Phi, donations needed
More than 1,000 cats have been abandoned on Koh Phi Phi, the small collection of islands that are part of Krabi’s province. The cats were stranded by their owners after Covid played havoc with Phi Phi’s tourism. Thai PBS says the owners worked on the island or were entrepreneurs that had to leave the islands due to Covid, under the…
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Hat Yai immigration officer investigated for alleged extortion
Immigration police are investigating an officer in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district for alleged extortion after an audio clip of an officer asking an immigrant for a monthly fee was shared on a watchdog Facebook page. A committee has been set up by Immigration Division 6 to investigate the case and to determine whether an immigration officer was involved. The division says the…
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No deaths, 2 Sandboxers with Covid-19 in Phuket
While Thailand has begun to see a downward trend in daily infections that is hoped to continue, Phuket’s infection trend has been rising over recent weeks. A few days this week have dropped to below 200 Covid-19 but today there’s been 238 new infections reported over the past 24 hours. The province extended strict entry requirements in hopes of curbing Covid-19…
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Thursday Covid Update: 14,956 new cases; provincial totals
262 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 12,103. Out of that number, 12,009 fatalities were reported during latest and most severe wave of the virus, which was first recorded on April 1. The CCSA also reported 14,956 new Covid-19 infections today, raising the total case count…
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Phuket Fishing Port to reopen tomorrow
The Phuket Fishing Port on Koh Siray will reopen tomorrow. Officials performed a mass cleaning of the port yesterday ahead of the reopening. The port had been closed for 2 weeks after a Covid outbreak from fisherman who had come ashore following a period of weather that rendered them unable to catch fish. Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew scrutinised the cleaning…
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Ostrich escapes from Chon Buri farm, causes traffic jam
An ostrich ran into a busy street in Chon Buri, causing a traffic jam. Cars and motorbikes were backed up around a 1-kilometre down Suk Prayun Road. It took officers nearly 2 hours to catch the 2-metre tall bird. A rescue team chased the ostrich to a parking lot outside a Robinson shopping centre and was able to get a…
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Man allegedly killed a man for reporting him for visa overstay
An Indian man was arrested allegedly killing a man and then dismembering the body because he thought the victim reported him to immigration for overstaying his visa. Officers found the mutilated remains of 52 year old Mahesh Singh, also an Indian national, in Pathum Thani’s Thanyaburi district around 11am yesterday. His body had been cut into two pieces. 29 year old…
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Thailand to prioritise vaccination of over 50s, who make up 80% of Covid deaths
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the vaccination of people over the age of 50 is being given urgent priority. Thai PBS World reports that the decision comes after it was revealed that 80% of Covid-related deaths or in the over 50s. According to Apisamai Srirangsan from the CCSA, the majority of those deaths are in the elderly and…
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Suvarnabhumi’s ranking plummets in World’s Best Airports index
The results of this year’s World’s Best Airports awards are in, and in the last 10 years, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi has taken a nosedive from number 13 to 66. The awards, voted for by passengers, are run annually by UK consultancy, Skytrax. This year’s results were decided by an online survey that ran for a 12-month period between August 2020 and…
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Thursday Covid Update: 262 deaths and 14,956 new cases
262 coronavirus-related deaths and 14,956 new Covid-19 infections were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported 1,205,624 confirmed Covid-19 cases. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 17,936 more recoveries. There are now 163,680…
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Tourism Minister defends PM’s re-opening plan on day 3 of no-confidence debate
Thailand’s Tourism Minister has defended the PM’s promise to re-open the country, pointing out that Bangkok and another 4 provinces should be in a position to welcome tourists from next month. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the re-opening of those 5 provinces will be followed by a further 21 provinces around the country. He was speaking during yesterday’s no-confidence debate against PM…
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PM Prayut accused of embezzlement in Sinovac vaccine purchases
Complex, tricky accounting, embezzlement or a government going about its work in the middle of a pandemic? Accusations by the Pheu Thai opposition party are demanding Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha explain a 2 billion baht gap between what was allocated for Sinovac vaccine purchases and what was actually spent. The charges, made under parliamentary privilege in this week’s no-confidence debate,…
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Anutin speaks in defence of handling of Covid-19 and vaccines
On the first day of the 4 day censure debate where multiple cabinet members as well as PM Prayut Chan-o-cha are facing a vote of no-confidence, Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul spoke in the evening in defence of himself and in praise of the government’s competent handling of the Covid-19 crisis. The minister walked through the Covid-19 crisis and…
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Afghanistan: Turkey moves into the spotlight
The United Nations’ statistics leave no room for doubt: The situation in Afghanistan is dire. UN experts estimate that more than 18 million people in Afghanistan need help: That’s more than half the entire population. Hamid Karzai International Airport in the capital, Kabul, is central to overcoming the country’s most urgent problems. At present, though, following the withdrawal of all…
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Mozambique: ‘Hidden debt’ trial exposes depth of corruption
Between 2013 and 2014, three Mozambican state-owned companies, ProIndicus, Ematum and Mam, took out €1.76 billion ($2.08 billion) in loans. The colossal amount of money came from Credit Suisse and the Russian bank VTB, among others. These funds were allegedly meant to finance maritime surveillance, fishing, and shipyard projects. No projects materialized, and the operation is believed to have covered…
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Study: recovery from Covid-19 gives more immunity than Pfizer
A new study appears to contradict previous data about the efficacy of vaccines, claiming that those who have recovered from Covid-19 previously have more immunity from the Delta variant than those who are fully vaccinated with the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines. Conducted by Israeli researchers, it is the largest real-world study that compares the natural immunity people get from having…
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Boxer Samuel Takyi becomes Ghanaian hero
20-year-old Samuel Takyi before ended Ghana’s 30-year wait for an Olympic medal. He’s called the “Golden Ring Warrior” and he trains in Accra. He was also rewarded by president Nana Akuffo-Addo. SOURCE: DW News
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Thailand’s ‘spirit houses’ believed to bring fortune and protection
Eagle-eyed visitors to Thailand may have noticed these miniature shrines set up in cities across the country. It is a common sight to see locals pausing on a busy Bangkok street to give these doll-house -like structures a deferential “wai” (a traditional form of greeting in Thailand). Some leave offerings at these ornate structures, ranging from candles, incense, flowers, food…
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India: Schools reopening signals return to normalcy after COVID catastrophe
Many schools across India are opening this week for the first time in 18 months, as the worst of the coronavirus pandemic in the country seems to have subsided. As part of nationwide lockdown measures, most schools were closed in March 2018, and classes went online. As doors are reopened, students will be required to follow strict COVID protocols. “It…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says lifting the nightly curfew is under consideration
Ending the nightly curfew in “dark red” provinces is under consideration, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced today before Parliament during the second day of the censure debate against his government. 29 provinces, including Bangkok, are classified as “dark red” zones under maximum control to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, following a meeting chaired by prime…
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