Stay informed with the latest updates, breaking headlines, and current events from around the world.
The escalating trade war between the US and China may help drive a conclusion to the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement to ensure smooth operation of the international supply chains. Trade ministers from China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the 10 ASEAN member states met in
MAWLAMYINE, Myanmar (AFP) – Myanmar troops deployed to flood-hit parts of the country on Sunday to help with relief efforts after rising waters left thousands stranded and the death toll from a landslide jumped to 51. Every year monsoon rains hammer Myanmar and other countries across Southeast Asia, submerging homes, displacing residents and triggering landslides.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging members of the public to help ease the suffering of people living in Thailand’s northeast caused by the ongoing drought. He asked that the public contribute whatever they can, financially or physically, as a tribute to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, and His Majesty the King. Government
The Transport Ministry plans to build a 4km bicycle lane from Kasetsart University to Ratchayothin Road intersection to provide another means for people in the area to travel to the Red Line electric train service. The bicycle lane project is part of the second phase of the development of drainage and landscaping on both sides
Most respondents to an opinion survey do not agree with the Transport Ministry’s decision to allow taxi fares to be increased while their services remain unimproved. The poll by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) sampled the opinions of 1,505 respondents in Bangkok and its suburbs about the Transport Ministry’s decision. The new taxi
The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand is inviting Thai people to watch the Perseid meteor shower during the night of Mother’s Day (August 12th). Mr. Suparuek Karuhanont, chief of the astronomical service of the institute, said that Perseid meteors can be seen anywhere in the world from July 17th until August 24th of every
Red sticky rice, from Thailand’s northeastern province of Loei, will be listed as a GI (geographic indication) product, by the Office of Bio-economic Development, with the Commerce Ministry because of its unique characteristics. The move came after a team of researchers from the office was sent to Ban Sricharoen village in Tambon Wangsai, Phu Luang
Mobile police units with rescue equipment have been rushed to disaster zones in the southern province of Satun after it was struck by torrential rain and storms on Saturday. Initial reports say that more than 205 houses in four districts of the province were damaged by strong winds and many trees were uprooted, making several
Deputy Agriculture Minister Manunya Thaiseth has given an assurance that three hazardous herbicides, which are widely used in Thailand and are strongly opposed consumer and civic groups, will be banned within this year. She disclosed Friday that she had ordered a suspension of the granting of permits for, or registration of paraquat, chlorpyrifos and glyphosate,
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong began another volatile weekend on Saturday, with anti-government protests taking place across the city, including one at the international airport for a second day. Increasingly violent protests have plunged Hong Kong into its most serious political crisis for decades, posing a serious challenge to the central government in Beijing.
THAPHYU KONE VILLAGE, Myanmar (Reuters) – Rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble of homes in a village in Myanmar on Saturday where a landslide a day earlier killed at least 32 people, with dozens still missing. Heavy rain caused the landslide in Thaphyu Kone village, in the southern Mon state, sending mud crashing into
Water shortages in Thailand’s northeastern province of Surin have reached such a critical level that the provincial hospital has appealed for help from all agencies concerned, while many residents have resorted to buying water from private sources as tap water supply is not meeting the demand. The Surin provincial hospital has exhausted all its 1.43
Tokyo (AFP) – Japan’s former empress Michiko has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and will soon undergo surgery, the Imperial Household Agency (IHA) said on Friday. Michiko’s husband Akihito formally stepped down as emperor in April, the first abdication for 200 years in the world’s oldest monarchy. A spokesman for the IHA told AFP
Thailand’s TMB and Thanachart banks announced Friday that they have signed a non-binding agreement to merge and become the country’s sixth largest lender. According to the statement, TMB will finance the merger through debt and equity. It will issue new shares worth 70 percent of the total deal. 50 to 55 billion baht of the
The prices of mangosteen, one of Thailand’s most prized fruits, have dropped sharply due to a combination of oversupply and drop in exports, mainly due to China’s imposition of GMP (good manufacturing practice) and GAP (good agricultural practice). According to reports from Talad Thai, Bangkok’s largest fresh fruit wholesale markets, about 10,000 tonnes of Mangosteen
The Serbian government has granted Serbian citizenship to fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, according to a Reuters report on Thursday. Quoting local media in Serbia, Reuters said that the Serbian government decided to grant Serbian citizenship to Ms. Yingluck, citing the provision in the law which entitles foreigners to be granted Serbian citizenship if
