World News
World news, global politics, business, technology, and culture—stay updated with breaking stories, international trends, and major events. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for global news.
-
Sponsored
Why health insurance costs more each year and how expats in Thailand can save more money
Each year, many expats living in Thailand see their health insurance premiums go up and often without a clear reason. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to plan your budget. But by understanding why prices rise and learning...
-
SmartLynx Thailand lands first jet ahead of big launch
A new player is taxiing onto Thailand’s aviation scene as Thai SmartLynx Airlines has taken delivery of its very first aircraft, an Airbus A320, signalling its ambitious entry into the country’s skies. The 13.4 year old narrowbody jet, now carrying the Thai registration HS-SXA, touched down at Bangkok Don Mueang Airport on August 22. Previously flown by SilkAir, the A320…
-
Chiang Rai airport gets 5.7 billion baht mega upgrade
Chiang Rai is set to soar with a massive 5.7-billion-baht terminal upgrade aimed at transforming the northern province into Thailand’s next aviation hub. Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) has greenlit a bold expansion plan for Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport, including the construction of a new passenger terminal to support a dramatic increase in air traffic. Announced by…
-
Suvarnabhumi super expansion to handle 120 million flyers
Suvarnabhumi Airport is about to get supersized. Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) has updated its master plan to double the airport’s capacity. The revised target is to handle up to 120 million passengers annually as part of a bold new development push. According to acting AoT president Paweena Jariyathitipong, over 70% of this year’s master plan study is now complete…
-
Pattaya Airways turbocharges tourism with new jets
Thailand’s skies are about to get busier—and easier—as Pattaya Airways takes delivery of three ATR72 turboprop aircraft, a move aimed at fuelling domestic travel and making multi-city trips across the kingdom a breeze. The expansion, set to kick off in December, strengthens Thailand’s tourism rebound by adding more routes and increasing flight frequencies between major hubs and emerging hotspots. “These…
-
Thailand taps Polish Airlines to lure big-spending tourists
Thailand is stepping up its campaign for European tourists with a bold new partnership with LOT Polish Airlines, spearheaded by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool. The deal targets high-spending Eastern Europeans, with Poland leading the charge, and aims to reinforce Bangkok’s ambition to become Southeast Asia’s aviation capital. The push comes as overall foreign arrivals…
-
Free shots of death: Brit blinded in Laos methanol horror (video)
A dream backpacking adventure in Laos turned into a nightmare when a 23 year old Brit was left permanently blind after drinking poisoned spirits at a hostel in Vang Vieng. The poisoning, which struck in November last year, claimed six foreign lives in total. Calum Macdonald, from the UK, was one of several travellers served free whisky and vodka shots…
-
Thai trainer and Russian student injured in plane crash in Phuket
A small plane crashed into roadside woodland in the Paklok sub-district of Phuket yesterday, August 17, leaving two men injured, a Thai trainer and a Russian flying student. The plane, reportedly belonging to a private company, went down beside a road near a runway at around 4.30pm. The victims were identified as 40 year old Thai trainer Surasak Chana and…
-
AirAsia flight lands at Gimpo due to turbulence, not error (update)
AirAsia has refuted claims that one of its flights mistakenly landed at the wrong airport, which initially headed towards Seoul, explaining that the pilot diverted to Gimpo Airport due to turbulence. The budget airline clarified that flight D7506 from Sepang to Incheon initially landed at Gimpo for refuelling because of adverse weather conditions. AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismali stated that…
-
Thai-born American man dies in accident after being lured by Meta AI chatbot
A 76 year old Thai-born American man died following an accident after being lured to a meeting arranged by a Meta artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot on Facebook, which he believed was a real woman. According to a Reuters report, the incident took place in March this year when Thongbue Wongbandue, who suffered from brain impairment due to paralysis, packed up…
-
Police seize 5 million meth pills in Sakon Nakhon warehouse raid
In Sakon Nakhon, police have confiscated five million methamphetamine pills from a pickup truck parked in a rented, closed warehouse in the Kham Ta Kla district of this northeastern province. Provincial Police Region 4 investigators executed a search warrant at a warehouse in Moo 16 village, tambon Kham Ta Kla, around 2pm yesterday, August 13. Inside a four-door Chevrolet pickup…
-
Thai court weighs foreign pilot hiring dispute
Thai airlines are not currently hiring foreign pilots for domestic routes, but that could change next year depending on a key court ruling. In March, the Thai Pilots Association filed legal action against the Ministry of Labour, seeking a temporary injunction to halt the use of foreign pilots on domestic services. The case stems from last year’s high tourism season,…
-
WhatsApp wipes out 6.8 million scam accounts in global crackdown
WhatsApp has obliterated 6.8 million scam accounts in just six months, in what parent company Meta calls a major strike against global fraud networks. The social media giant says many of the accounts were tied to organised crime syndicates in Southeast Asia, notorious for running scam centres staffed by people forced into the work. Victims of these centres have been…
-
Cathay Pacific’s LA to Hong Kong trip turns into 29-hour nightmare (video)
What was supposed to be a routine 13-hour hop across the Pacific turned into a 29-hour ordeal for almost 300 Cathay Pacific passengers, leaving some calling it the world’s longest commercial flight in terms of sheer misery. Flight CX883 left Los Angeles at 12.55am (local time) on Monday, August 4, bound for Hong Kong. But as the 15 year old…
-
Thai Airways soars with 12 billion baht profit in Q2
Thai Airways (THAI) is flying high again, racking up a staggering profit of more than 12 billion baht in the second quarter of 2025, fuelled by cheaper jet fuel and strong passenger growth. The flag carrier and its subsidiaries reported revenue of 44.83 billion baht (excluding one-time items) for the quarter, up 1.9% on last year. Passenger numbers climbed 4.2%…
-
Danish zoo wants your unwanted pets for predator meals
A zoo in Denmark is turning heads—and stomachs—with its latest appeal: donate your healthy, unwanted pets to feed the lions, tigers, and lynxes. Aalborg Zoo has launched an eyebrow-raising campaign calling on the public to hand over live chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs—and even horses—to be used as food for its carnivores. The animals are reportedly “gently euthanised” by trained staff…
-
Thai Airways denies US pressure behind Boeing deal
Thai Airways (THAI) has grounded speculation that its planned multibillion-baht aircraft acquisition is tied to US trade deals, insisting the fleet expansion is based purely on business logic—not political bargaining. The national carrier is pushing back hard against claims its recent deal to acquire up to 80 aircraft, including 45 firm orders from Boeing, is part of backroom trade talks…
-
ChatGPT leak exposes plot to evict Amazon tribe
In a damning AI data leak that has sparked global outrage, a lawyer allegedly used ChatGPT to plan the low-cost eviction of an Amazonian tribe—revealing how artificial intelligence (AI) can be twisted into a tool for exploitation. A leaked ChatGPT conversation has revealed a chilling exchange in which a user—allegedly a lawyer for a multinational energy company—asked how to “displace…
-
Vietjet offers Bangkok flights from less than 1 baht
Vietjet Thailand is pulling out all the stops with two brand-new direct routes from India to Bangkok — and headline-grabbing base fares starting from just 1 Indian rupee (0.50 baht). The airline will launch direct flights from Kolkata and Ahmedabad to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, making them its third and fourth connections between the two countries, as it continues to grow…
-
Thai Airways shares take off again after 5-year pause
After five years of being grounded, Thai Airways (THAI) shares are finally cleared for takeoff. Trading of the national carrier’s stock will resume on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) yesterday, August 4, marking a significant milestone in the airline’s dramatic recovery from one of the biggest corporate meltdowns in Thai history. The move follows THAI’s exit from court-supervised debt…
-
Etihad’s A321LR brings luxury to Phuket flights
Etihad Airways has just upped the ante in luxury air travel, launching its first commercial flight of the all-new A321LR to Phuket. Etihad Airways has officially launched its all-new A321LR, marking a new chapter in luxury short and medium-haul flights. Flight EY414, which departed from Zayed International Airport yesterday, August 1, heralded the arrival of the aircraft designed to provide…
-
IndiGo slashes fares to Thailand despite border bloodshed
As Thailand and Cambodia attempt to hold together a fragile ceasefire after the bloodiest border fighting in more than a decade, India’s largest airline is offering a travel bargain to the Land of Smiles. IndiGo announced a special promotion for passengers flying to Thailand. Travellers can now use the promo code “6ETHAI” to get up to 10% off bookings to…
-
Thai airport fees set to soar, passengers brace for hike
Travellers flying out of Thailand could soon be hit with higher airport fees, as officials move to raise Passenger Service Charges (PSC) for the first time in years. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) confirmed it expects to decide on the proposed hike by October, with a potential increase of up to 100 baht per international passenger. If approved,…
-
Aeroflot flight drama: Phuket return sparks hacker rumours
An Aeroflot flight bound for Novosibirsk was forced to return to Phuket International Airport yesterday morning just minutes after takeoff, following what was reported as a technical malfunction, but speculation is swirling after the airline confirmed a cyberattack just one day earlier. The Airbus A330, operating as flight SU637, took off at 9.53am local time, around 30 minutes behind schedule. But…
-
Japan and US issue tsunami alerts after mega quake
A colossal magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula today, sparking tsunami warnings and urgent evacuations from Japan to Hawaii. The quake, initially measured at 8.7, struck about 126 kilometres southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at a depth of 18 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). In the Russian Far East, waves as high as 4 metres battered parts…
-
AEROTHAI ensures Thai flights unaffected by border tension
Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AEROTHAI) is set to fully support military operations while maintaining normal commercial flight operations, despite tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border. Surachai Nuprom, acting director of AEROTHAI, confirmed the organisation’s preparedness following Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit’s directive to closely monitor and report on the border situation. AEROTHAI is actively managing the situation after a Notice to Airmen…
-
Thailand ramps up flights as border unrest worsens
Thailand’s government is scrambling to evacuate its citizens from Cambodia as tensions escalate along the border, triggering fears of potential conflict. On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit ordered the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) to work urgently with seven Thai airlines to boost seating capacity for Thai nationals wishing to…
-
Thailand’s ageing F-16s, what’s the next move?
Thailand’s Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is facing an important challenge: how to replace its ageing fleet of F-16 fighter jets while keeping pace with regional security demands and budget realities. For decades, the F-16 has been the backbone of Thailand’s air defence. But with many of these jets approaching their retirement age, the RTAF has now shifted gears, looking…
-
Phuket-bound Air India Express flight aborts after 16 minutes
Air India makes the headlines again as Air India Express is involved in the latest aviation mishap, where a tropical holiday turned into a mid-air nightmare after a Phuket-bound Air India Express flight was forced to return to Hyderabad just 16 minutes after take-off—leaving frustrated passengers fuming. Flight IX110, operated by a Boeing 737 Max 8, was scheduled to land…
Broke? Find employment in Southeast Asia with JobCute Thailand and SmartJob Indonesia. Rich? Invest in real estate across Asia with FazWaz Property Group or get out on a yacht anywhere with Boatcrowd. Even book medical procedures worldwide with MyMediTravel, all powered by DB Ventures.