Coronavirus Update for Phuket & Thailand
Thursday 13th of January, 2022: As of January 12th Phuket has had 452 new local infections confirmed across the island, but no new deaths, bringing the total number of people recognised as infected with COVID-19 in Phuket since Apr 3 to 24,968. Phuket is still open to...
China, Russia veto U.S. push for more U.N. sanctions on North Korea
China and Russia vetoed on Thursday (May 26) a U.S.-led push to impose more United Nations sanctions on North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile launches, publicly splitting the U.N. Security...
First tourists in Japan face Covid-19 tests, chaperones and little free time
TOKYO (BLOOMBERG) - For the first time in more than two years, tourists are coming back to Japan. The few allowed in under a trial programme were subject to tight hygiene measures and closely monitored, giving a glimpse of what visiting will be like after next month's...
Russia prepares to seize western firms looking to leave
May 26 (Reuters) – Russia is advancing a new law allowing it to take control of the local businesses of western companies that decide to leave in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, raising the stakes for multinationals trying to exit. The law, which could be in...
Cambodia hails US ties, seeks relief on China-linked sanctions
DAVOS (BLOOMBERG) - Cambodia said ties with the US had improved significantly and it expects the Biden administration to lift sanctions imposed over its ties with China "very soon," a senior minister said on Wednesday (May 25). "We're pushing very hard," Mr Kao...
Relaxation of mask requirement may start in provinces with improved COVID status
Some provinces in the “Green” and “Blue” zones, where the COVID-19 situation has improved satisfactorily, should be the pilot areas for the relaxation of the requirement to wear face masks in public, according to the Department of Disease Control. Other factors should...
Thai Mekong Campaigner Awarded Prominent Environmental Prize
AdvertisementA Thai environmental activist who successfully campaigned against a China-led Mekong River channel deepening project is among the recipients of the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize. Niwat Roykaew is the head of the grassroots environmental group Rak...
Malaysia’s Domestic Political Turbulence Threatens to Derail its Foreign Policy
AdvertisementIt has been a hectic month for Malaysia on multiple fronts. The long-awaited U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit concluded on May 13 with a joint statement that reiterated multiple commitments including Indo-Pacific security, regional economic initiatives, and...
Philippines Congress Officially Proclaims Marcos the Country’s Next President
AdvertisementThe Philippine Congress has officially proclaimed Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the country’s 17th president, completing his family’s remarkable rehabilitation nearly four decades after it was driven into exile following an army-backed popular uprising.In a joint...
Blast tears through Kabul mosque, killing at least five
KABUL (REUTERS) - A blast tore through a mosque in Afghanistan’s capital on Wednesday evening (May 25), killing at least five people, authorities and hospitals said, the same day deadly explosions hit passenger vehicles in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. A...
Disaster prevention, risk reduction, critical to sustainable future: UN deputy chief
Ms. Mohammed was speaking at the opening of the Seventh Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction - the first international forum on the issue since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic - bringing together governments, the UN and key stakeholders.During the...
Thai rural environmentalist wins 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize
A rural Thai teacher-turned committed protector of the mighty Mekong River, Niwat Roykaew, aka “Teacher Thi”, has been awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for 2022, along with five other grassroots environmentalists. The other awardees are from...
Pakistan police fire teargas, baton-charge supporters of ousted PM Khan
ISLAMABAD (REUTERS) - Pakistani police fired teargas and baton-charged supporters of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday (May 25) to block them from reaching the capital Islamabad, officials and witnesses said. Political and economic volatility has deepened...