Immigration Backtracks on Plan to Require COVID-19 Test for Visa Extensions
BANGKOK — A spokesman for the immigration police on Tuesday walked back on his announcement that a negative COVID-19 test result will be mandatory for every foreigner who wishes to extend their stay in the kingdom.
Dubai, Party Haven Amid Pandemic, Faces Its Biggest Surge
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Masks off the minute you step inside. Bars packed and pulsing like it’s 2019. Social media stars waving bottles of champagne. DJs spinning party tunes through multi-hour brunches.
Biden To Propose 8-Year Citizenship Path for Immigrants
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden plans to unveil a sweeping immigration bill on Day One of his administration, hoping to provide an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal status, a massive reversal from the Trump administration’s harsh immigration policies.
Thais Most Willing to Take Vaccine, Out of 24 Surveyed Countries
BANGKOK — After two weeks of living under a literal lockdown, residents near Bang Yai Central Market in Nonthaburi are out and about again – and hungry for vaccines.
No Official Caught Virus From Infected Gov. ‘Because They Wore Masks’
SAMUT SAKHON — Alarm was raised when words came out that Samut Sakhon Gov. Veerasak Vijitsaengsri tested positive for the coronavirus in late December – just one day after he toured the province and held meetings with scores of government officials central to the effort to contain the pandemic.
SF Cinema Disputes Viral Tweet Claiming End of Royal Anthem
BANGKOK — A popular cinema chain on Monday said it continues to show the Royal Anthem music video prior to each screening, contradicting a viral tweet claiming otherwise.
State Quarantine in Ranong Had No Electricity, Running Water
RANONG — A man said he was forced to spend his coronavirus quarantine inside a state-run facility in Rayong province without electricity or running water for days.
Kremlin Critic Who Survived Poisoning is Detained Upon Landing in Moscow
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested Sunday at a Moscow airport as he tried to enter the country from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin.
China Likely the Only Major Economy To Achieve Growth in 2020
BEIJING (Kyodo) — China registered a 2.3 percent year-on-year economic growth in 2020 with domestic demand recuperating from the coronavirus shock, government data showed Monday, likely becoming the only country among major ones to expand its economy last year.
FBI Vetting Guard Troops in DC Amid Fears of Insider Attack
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. defense officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event.
