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HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam’s electricity firm EVN has signed five new deals to buy electricity from Laos starting from next year, the state-run company said. The southeast Asian nation faces severe power shortages from 2021, as demand outpaces construction of new plants, with demand expected to exceed supply by 6.6 billion kilowatt hours (kWh)
Australian authorities began assessing the damage on Sunday from heatwave-spurred bushfires that swept through two states a day earlier, as cooler conditions provided a temporary respite from blazes that have scarred the country’s east coast for weeks. Light rain and cooler temperatures in the southeast of the country were a welcome change from the searing
The Office of National Water Resources will hold an urgent meeting on Monday, with the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) and related agencies, to address the intrusion of seawater into the Chao Phraya River. The influx is threatening the production of tap water for consumers in Bangkok and its suburbs. Drought, compounded by high tides, have
Airports of Thailand Company (AOT) has installed thermal scanners at six international airports, to screen passengers arriving from China, in a precautionary measure to help contain an outbreak of an unidentified form of viral pneumonia which has struck several dozen people in the Chinese city of Wuhan. 44 infections have been reported so far, including
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to hit 52 Iranian sites “very hard” if Iran attacks Americans or U.S. assets after a drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani and an Iraqi militia leader, as tens of thousands of people marched in Iraq to mourn their deaths. Showing no signs of seeking
Most respondents to a recent poll agree with House Speaker Chuan Leekpai’s suggestion that, if the Constitution is to be amended, the five military top brass and the national police chief should not be appointed ex-officio senators. According to Super Poll, 75.4% of the respondents agree that the six key figures, namely the supreme commander,
The Palang Pracharat party is to embark on a charm offensive by holding a news conference every Sunday to talk about the week’s issues of public interest, progress in projects undertaken by the party’s cabinet ministers and constituency problems raised by MPs. Party secretary-general and Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong said today (Sunday) that the party’s
His Majesty the King of Thailand has appointed privy councillor General Surayud Chulanont as president of the Council. The Royal Command announcing General Surayud’s appointment was published in the Royal Gazette on January 2nd. It was counter-signed by Mr. Chuan Leekpai, president of the parliament. General Surayud was appointed acting president of the Privy Council
Late Friday night or early this morning, thieves stole most of the eggs from the nest of a rare leatherback turtle, which had come ashore in Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Muang national park in Thailand’s southern coastal province of Phang-nga to lay. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a well-known marine scientist and chair of a working committee on rare
Iraqi factions threatening to oust US troops, officials denouncing American “violations” and fears of a new Gulf war: a US strike has catapulted Iraq back to the tumultuous aftermath of the 2003 invasion. The precision drone strike outside Baghdad airport on Friday killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and his Iraqi right-hand-man, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Thousands of Australians forced from their homes by rampaging bushfires now find themselves stuck in makeshift camps, fearful for the future and turned refugees in their own country. On golf courses, cricket ovals and showgrounds — anywhere with a minimal amount of combustible tree cover — Australians are sheltering from a climate-fuelled disaster. At the
If you have ever wondered why rare marine creatures, from tiger sharks to round ribbon-tail ray and Omura whales, have been sighted around the Similan Islands national park in the past several months, the answer is a phenomenon called the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). The IOD, also known as the Indian Niño, is an irregular
At their meeting on Tuesday, the cabinet is expected to approve the establishment of a command centre and associated budget to tackle drought. Government spokeswoman Mrs. Narumon Pinyosinwat said today that the centre will be headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and was the brainchild of the National Water Resources Committee (NWRC), in anticipation of
Iraq’s prime minister attended a mourning procession in Baghdad on Saturday for Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, killed in a US strike the previous day. Adel Abdel Mahdi joined Muhandis associate Hadi al-Ameri, Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim, former premier Nuri al-Maliki and other pro-Iran figures in a large crowd.
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control has joined Thailand’s major mobile phone service provider, AIS, in launching an online application platform to help village health volunteers monitor farmers’ use of hazardous farm chemicals, such as paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos. A memorandum of understanding was signed by Dr. Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of Department of Diseases Control, and
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran has vowed “harsh retaliation” for a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad’s airport that killed Iran’s top general and the architect of its interventions across the Middle East, as tensions soared in the wake of the targeted killing. The killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, marks
