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.
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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Nok Air ordered to halt international flights over safety
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has directed Nok Air to pause its international flight operations and halt route expansion due to safety concerns. The airline, however, clarified that an issue with an aircraft engine has already been addressed by replacing it. Currently, Nok Air is not conducting international flights due to the low travel season. During peak times,…
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Vietjet turbocharges fleet with new Boeing jets and routes
Budget airline Vietjet Thailand is gearing up for a massive fleet expansion, rolling out new aircraft and routes in a bold bid to challenge rivals and scoop up millions more passengers. Chief Executive Woranate Laprabang confirmed the airline will acquire nine new Boeing 737-8 jets this year, moving towards a full Boeing fleet within five years. The switch will give…
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Thai Airways fast-tracks mega Boeing and Airbus fleet expansion
Bigger planes, more routes, faster growth: Thai Airways is betting big on a massive aircraft order to secure its future skies. Thai Airways International has confirmed an accelerated aircraft acquisition plan, placing orders for both Boeing and Airbus jets to expand its fleet and strengthen its Network Airline strategy. Thai Airways CEO Chai Eamsiri revealed that the carrier is shifting…
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Thai Airways takes Michelin street food and local flavours sky-high
Thai Airways is taking in-flight dining to new heights, transforming ordinary meals into cultural experiences through its Good Taste for a Good Cause initiative. The national carrier says the programme not only celebrates Thai cuisine but also provides vital support for local farmers, artisans, and community enterprises. Central to the effort is the revolutionary Streets to Sky programme, which brings…
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Parking pain: Don Mueang slaps higher charges on travellers
Flying from Don Mueang next year could hit travellers in the pocket before they even leave the ground: airport bosses have announced a parking price hike from December. Don Mueang International Airport confirmed that parking fees across all its facilities will rise sharply, with the 7-24 hour rate more than doubling from 110 baht to 250 baht. The revised structure…
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Greenland mother’s baby seized despite ban on parenting tests
A young Greenlandic mother has been left heartbroken after Danish officials seized her newborn baby just an hour after birth, despite a new law banning the controversial parenting competence tests used to justify the removal. The young mother, 18 year old Ivana Nikoline Brønlund, who was born in Nuuk and has represented Greenland in handball, gave birth to her daughter,…
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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…
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Christmas in Liturgical Splendor: Vestments highlighting the joy of the season
Colour and Symbolism: A Symphony of White and Gold The primary colour associated with Christmas vestments is white, often interwoven with gold or silver threads. White symbolises purity, light, joy, and new beginnings – all themes deeply resonant with the birth of Christ. As the “light of the world” (John 8:12), Christ’s arrival banishes the darkness of sin and ushers…
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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…
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Air Serbia eyes Bangkok return after decades-long break
Thailand could soon welcome more Balkan tourists directly, as Air Serbia considers reviving long-haul winter flights to Bangkok, a destination not served from Belgrade since the collapse of Yugoslavia. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) confirmed it’s in talks with the airline as part of a push to boost direct air access from the Balkan region. TAT’s marketing representative for…
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Free flights frenzy: Tourists lured with 700 million baht giveaway
Thailand is betting big on tourism, with a 700 million baht budget set aside to hand out free domestic flights to foreign travellers. The government is rolling out a bold plan to lure at least 200,000 more international tourists into Thailand’s heartland by offering free domestic air tickets. Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong confirmed today, August 20, that he…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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VietJet Thailand launches Phuket-Mumbai flights at 1,400 baht
VietJet Thailand has launched its inaugural flight connecting Phuket and Mumbai, expanding its network to India. Pinyot Phiboolsongkram, vice president of commerce and customer relations at VietJet Thailand, announced the new route on August 14, enhancing travel options between Thailand’s popular tourist destination and India’s largest city. The inaugural flight from Phuket to Mumbai was celebrated at Phuket International Airport,…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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Thailand–Hong Kong flight ‘rat pack’ busted in mid-air bag theft
A Hong Kong passenger caught a suspected in-flight thief red-handed on a Thailand–Hong Kong flight, exposing “rat pack” gangs targeting travellers’ bags. What was meant to be a much-needed rest for one Hong Kong tattoo artist turned into a mid-air sting operation when he spotted a man rifling through his bag just 30 minutes after take-off from Thailand. The passenger,…
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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…
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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%…
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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…
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China denies drone donation claims in border conflict
China has hit back at reports claiming it supplied drones to Cambodia amid ongoing tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border, branding the allegations “completely false.” In a firm statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, officials clarified that the viral photos allegedly showing Chinese drones gifted to Cambodia were taken during a flight demonstration back in January and had nothing…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Missing French woman found dead near Angkor Wat in Cambodia
A French woman was found dead near the popular tourist attraction, Angkor Wat, in Cambodia after going missing during a morning jog on Saturday, August 2. A friend of the French woman, Lisa Girard, provided an update on the search at 12.55pm today, August 4, confirming that Girard’s body had been found earlier in the day. The friend also expressed…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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