BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai police arrested a student leader on Tuesday as part of a continued crackdown against political activists who helped organize an anti-government protest in July, a police officer told Reuters. Jutatip Sirikhan, 21, the president of the ... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s economy saw its biggest annual contraction in 22 years and a record quarterly fall in the April-June period, as the coronavirus pandemic and restriction measures hit tourism, exports and domestic activity, prompting an outlook do... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Flash floods killed at least two people and swept through hundreds of houses in northern Thailand, authorities said after tropical storm Sinlaku dumped heavy rains on 18 provinces over the weekend. Muddy, waist-high waters poured into homes... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s emerging student pro-democracy movement has adopted a Japanese cartoon hamster, Hamtaro, as a creative way to get support from young people around the country. University and high school students have rallied almost daily in the ... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand hopes to ease some coronavirus restrictions on foreigners entering the country after going for 28 days without recording any domestic transmissions, a senior official said on Monday. Those who will benefit from the easing of restri... More »
CHONBURI, Thailand (Reuters) – Volunteer pet groomer Kriengkai Thatwakorn is thrilled to be back helping out stray dogs in Thailand, some in urgent need of a shearing after waiting three sweltering months for a trim. A domestic travel ban to contain the novel ... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Researchers in Thailand began collecting samples from horseshoe bats to test them for coronavirus amid concerns they may pose a threat to local residents, a government statement said on Saturday. They plan to collect 300 bats over three day... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – The Chinese Beidou navigation network will be complete this month when its final satellite goes into orbit, giving China greater independence from U.S.-owned GPS and heating up competition in a sector long dominated by the United States. Th... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand on Tuesday reported two new coronavirus cases and no new deaths, bringing the total to 3,017 cases and 56 deaths since the outbreak started in January. The two new cases are a 19-year-old woman from Bangkok and a 51-year-old woman ... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – As Thailand’s capital cautiously reopens many restaurants shuttered over coronavirus fears, the feline “employees” of the Caturday Cafe are back at work. The few dozen friendly cats typically lounge around the cafe, breaking up naptime to s... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Chewy and Miley, both two-year-old Schnauzer dogs, are getting their hair cut at a groomer in Bangkok for the first time since the new coronavirus outbreak began in Thailand in January. Pet grooming shops are among a handful of businesses t... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Oil and gas output from some of the world’s top oil companies is set to drop by over 12% in the second quarter of 2020 to levels not seen in at least 17 years, according to Reuters calculations. The output cuts are driven by an unprecedented... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand on Monday reported nine new coronavirus cases and one death, bringing the country’s totals to 2,931 cases and 52 fatalities. It is the first time since the outbreak started in January that there have been no new local transmissions... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand recorded 19 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, a senior health official said, the lowest daily tally in more than a month. A 50-year-old taxi driver accounted for the latest death, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the gov... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s job losses may reach 10 million if the coronavirus outbreak continues for a few months, a business advisory council said on Monday. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy is being hit hard by the virus outbreak and is heading in... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand reported 28 new coronavirus cases and 2 new deaths on Monday. Of the new cases, 18 are linked to previous cases, 7 without connection to old cases, and 3 are Thai nationals who had traveled to South Sulawesi province, Indonesia for... More »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – As coronavirus cases surge in Indonesia, doctors are working double-time treating patients both at hospitals and online through healthtech startups – an approach that is quickly becoming part of the national healthcare system. Doctor Mohamm... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand reported 51 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths on Monday, according to a spokesman for the government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration. Thirteen of the new cases were medical personnel who attended to infecte... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai Airways International Pcl (THAI.BK) may permanently reduce the number of aircraft types it deploys once the coronavirus outbreak that has caused the company to ground most of its fleet ends, said a senior government official on Monday.... More »
(Reuters) – Major sports events around the world that have been hit by the coronavirus pandemic: OLYMPICS * The International Olympic Committee and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe concluded the Tokyo 2020 Olympics must be postponed and held no later than the... More »
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia will mobilise the army to help enforce curbs on movement aimed at reining in the coronavirus, the government said on Friday, as it grapples with the highest number of infections in Southeast Asia. Malaysia reported 130 new inf... More »
BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus epidemic closed its first makeshift hospital, one of 16 hurriedly built to handle the epidemic, after it discharged the last recovered patients, state broadcaster CCTV reported on M... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand has reported one new coronavirus case, bringing the total number of such cases in the country to 43 since January, a senior health official said on Monday. The new case is a 22-year-old Thai woman who works with another Thai patien... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea reported 123 new coronavirus cases, taking the country’s total infections to 4,335, the Yonhap news agency said, citing health authorities. The updated numbers added to the 476 recorded earlier by the Korea Centers for Disease Con... More »
DUBAI (Reuters) – Kuwait’s Health Ministry announced 10 new cases of coronavirus in the country on Monday bringing the total number to 56, a ministry official said. The official, who was speaking during a news conference broadcast on state television, urged ci... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s telecoms regulator raised 100.52 billion baht ($3.2 billion) in 5G spectrum auctions on Sunday, with operators snapping up 48 licenses ahead of an expected commercial rollout later this year. Thailand’s top mobile operator, Advan... More »
NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand (Reuters) – Mourners left flowers and written messages in front of the Terminal 21 shopping center in northeastern Thailand on Monday after a soldier’s shooting rampage in which at least 29 people were killed. Soldiers, mall staff a... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Foreign Ministry said that 27 foreigners in the country have been confirmed infected with the new coronavirus as of Monday morning, and two had died. An American died on Feb. 6 and a Japanese died on Feb. 8, ministry spokesman Geng ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain said on Monday that the new coronavirus was a serious and imminent threat to public health, a step that gives the government additional powers to fight the spread of the virus. “The Secretary of State declares that the incidence or t... More »
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The LPGA Tour, the elite women’s professional golf circuit, said on Monday it was cancelling tournaments in Thailand and Singapore later this month due to the coronavirus outbreak. More than 40,000 people have been infected by the flu-li... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Some technology firms in China have maintained operations to manufacture parts and products despite government calls in various cities and provinces for companies to halt work to help stop the spread of a new coronavirus. Chinese telecom g... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The Shanghai government has said companies in the city are not allowed to resume operations before Feb. 9, an official at the municipality announced at a press conference on Monday. The measure is applicable to government and private compa... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Macau said on Monday it will deny entry to visitors from China’s Hubei province or those who visited the province 14 days prior to arrival unless they can provide documentation showing they are not infected with the virus that broke out in ... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The mayor of Wuhan, the city where China’s coronavirus outbreak originated, said on Monday the city’s management of the virus was “not good enough”. Zhou Xianwang made the remarks in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV. The death toll... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s finance ministry and National Health Commission have extended 60.33 billion yuan ($8.74 billion) to help contain a spreading virus, according to a statement on the ministry’s website. The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak ro... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s Hainan province confirmed on Monday that an 80-year-old woman has died after being infected with the coronavirus, marking the province’s first fatality in the rapidly spreading outbreak, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Source:... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country’s state planning agency, plans to invest 300 million yuan ($43.5 million) for the construction of hospitals in Wuhan serving patients affected by the coronavirus, offic... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea reported on Monday its first confirmed case of a new coronavirus that has broken out in China, South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. The patient is a 35-year-old Chinese woman and resident of Wuhan,... More »
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Monday it has approved synthetic feather shuttlecocks for its international tournaments from next year as it bids to cut down on waste. The governing body said it collaborated with Japanese spor... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO) say a new strain of coronavirus is behind the outbreak of pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan, which has erupted just ahead of the Lunar New Year, the country’s biggest festival... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO) say a new strain of coronavirus is behind the outbreak of pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan, which has erupted just ahead of the Lunar New Year, the country’s biggest festival... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will step up efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays as a rise in confirmed cases fanned fears the virus could spread to other countries. The National Health Commission said on Sunday ... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s National Health Commission on Sunday said the outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus is controllable, in the first statement from the body since the outbreak was reported in late December. The transmission path of the new virus has... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – In geography and in culture, the rice paddies of northeastern Thailand are thousands of miles away from the birthplace of hip hop in New York City’s Bronx, but for Thai rapper RachYo, the language of hip hop is universal. A recent video fea... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A Chinese woman has been quarantined in Thailand with a mystery strain of coronavirus, authorities said on Monday, the first time it has been detected outside China. Thai authorities are stepping up monitoring at airports ahead of the Lunar... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has ordered police to stop completely blocking roads in Bangkok for royal motorcades, a government spokeswoman said. The order followed rare criticism of royal motorcades and other inconveniences that Tha... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s central bank has not shut the door to further monetary policy easing should the economy worsen, the governor said on Monday, after two rate cuts this year to support flagging growth. The Bank of Thailand (BOT) last week left its ... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s customs-cleared exports in November fell 7.39% from a year earlier, after falling 4.54% the previous month, the commerce ministry said on Monday. November’s export numbers came in worse than a Reuters poll forecast for a decrease... More »
(Reuters) – Canadian Adam Hadwin and South African Erik van Rooyen have snuck into the field for next year’s Masters after finishing the year barely inside the top 50 in the world rankings. With no more official tournaments left on the global 2019 schedule aft... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Tesla Inc boss Elon Musk emerged victorious on Friday from a closely watched defamation trial as a federal court jury swiftly rejected the $190 million claim brought against him by a British cave explorer who Musk had branded a “pedo gu... More »
((This December 6 story is refiled to fix typo in quote in paragraph nine)) By Tom Hals (Reuters) – Elon Musk’s daring has left its mark on electric cars and rockets, and now experts say the entrepreneur may have reshaped U.S. defamation law with his willingne... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A U.S. District Court jury in Los Angeles on Friday found in favor of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) boss Elon Musk in the defamation lawsuit brought against him by a British cave explorer who Musk had branded a “pedo guy” on Twitter. The verdict w... More »
(Reuters) – Team by team analysis of Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix (listed in championship order): – MERCEDES (Lewis Hamilton 1, Valtteri Bottas 4) Hamilton’s 11th win of the season, fifth in Abu Dhabi and 84th of his career. He start... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Few aspects of life escape the touch of high tech in cutting-edge Japan, including an official song written to welcome Pope Francis when he visits Japan from Saturday. Written by Jun Inoue, the song, “Protect all Life – The Signs of the Times... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – China on Monday called on the U.S. military to stop flexing its muscles in the South China Sea and to avoid adding “new uncertainties” over Taiwan, during high-level talks that underscored tension between the world’s two largest economies. ... More »
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Max Verstappen won a thrilling Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix for Red Bull on Sunday after the Ferraris collided and Mercedes’ six-times world champion Lewis Hamilton was demoted from third to seventh. In a race of safety cars and surpr... More »
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Team by team analysis of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix, penultimate race of the 21-round Formula One season (listed in championship order): – MERCEDES (Lewis Hamilton 7, Valtteri Bottas retired) Hamilton finished third on track but collec... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand still has time to renegotiate with the United States over a suspension of duty-free preferences on imports of Thai goods before the suspension takes effect in April, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Monday. The United St... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Asian countries held conclusive talks on what could be the world’s biggest trade pact and there will be an announcement of success at a summit in Bangkok, despite doubts raised by India, the Thai hosts said on Monday. But questions still hu... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – India is going to continue talks on an Asia-wide trade deal that is being discussed at a summit of regional leaders in Bangkok and which Thailand has said will be signed next year, Australia’s trade minister said on Monday. The comments thr... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand said on Sunday that Southeast Asian nations are committed to signing a pact by February 2020 on forging what could become the world’s largest trade bloc, even after new demands by India dealt a blow to the process backed by China. ... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Talks to agree what could be the world’s biggest trade bloc were conclusive and an announcement on their success will be made later on Monday, Thailand’s commerce minister said on Monday. The prospects of reaching agreement on the 16-nation... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A Bangkok burger joint has become an internet sensation after YouTubers started challenging each other to eat its biggest meal – a near 6kg (13 pound) patty covered in fried onion rings, bacon and mayonnaise. Chris Steaks and Burgers is off... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Thailand’s Siam Cement Pcl’s (SCG) (SCC.BK) packaging subsidiary is planning a local listing, in a float that is set to raise about $1 billion, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. The IPO of SCG Packaging Pcl (SCG Packaging), w... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – The European Union aims to resume negotiations with Thailand on a free trade agreement (FTA), the Council of the European Union said in a statement, after suspending trade talks following a 2014 military coup. Thailand held general election... More »
(Reuters) – China’s Shanshan Feng birdied four of her final six holes to card a nine-under-par 63 and win the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic by one shot from Ariya Jutanugarn on Sunday. Ariya (64) had a three-shot lead on the back nine but a bogey on 15 proved ... More »
SATUN, Thailand (Reuters) – The son of a Thai fisherman, Anurak Saruethai never really took to life at sea. But seafood has been good to him. Hawking dried shrimp, squid and fish in nightly Facebook (FB.O) livestreams, Anurak, who is quick with a joke and adep... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s central bank is expected to keep its benchmark policy rate steady on Wednesday for a fourth straight meeting, a Reuters poll showed, despite slowing growth and the way many Asian central banks have shifted toward easing policy. I... More »
(Reuters) – Hannah Green became the third Australian woman to win a major with a one-stroke victory over South Korean Park Sung-hyun at the Women’s PGA Championship in Chaska, Minnesota on Sunday. After a poor six-iron approach into a bunker at the final hole,... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand will ban pig imports from Laos for 90 days after its neighbor confirmed the first outbreak of deadly African swine fever, an official notice said. The ban would cover live pigs and carcasses in an effort to prevent the disease from... More »
(Reuters) – A Miami bar that offered customers “free shots” for every goal scored by the United States at the Women’s World Cup has scaled back its offer in the wake of the team’s record-breaking 13-0 thrashing of Thailand this week. The American Social Bar & ... More »
(Reuters) – Customers at a bar in Miami had more reason than most to celebrate as the United States women’s soccer team went on a record scoring rampage against Thailand at the World Cup on Tuesday. The American Social Bar & Kitchen had used its social media p... More »
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam culled a further 500,000 pigs over the past two weeks to tackle an oubreak of African swine fever, taking the total killed so far to 1.7 million, or 5% of the country’s herd, the agriculture ministry said on Monday. Pork accounts for ... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Two Thai political parties were meeting leaders of a pro-army party on Monday to discuss a possible deal to keep military junta chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha on as prime minister more than two months after a disputed election. An agreemen... More »
MONACO (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton withstood lap after lap of intense pressure on worn tires to win a nail-biting Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday in a triumphant tribute to his Mercedes team’s late Formula One great Niki Lauda. The Briton, who now has 77 career win... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s central bank has not intervened in the trading of the baht to gain a trade advantage with the United States, an assistant governor said on Monday, amid speculation that Washington may soon add the country to a currency watch list... More »
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam has culled more than 1.2 million farmed pigs infected with African swine fever, the government said on Monday, as the virus continues to spread rapidly in the Southeast Asian country. Pork accounts for three-quarters of total meat con... More »
SANTA CLARA (Reuters) – The United States got a goal in each half through Samantha Mewis and a late third from substitute Carli Lloyd to earn a 3-0 win over South Africa in a Women’s World Cup warm-up in California on Sunday. Mewis got the opener after 37 minu... More »
(Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Friday said Elon Musk must face a defamation lawsuit by a British diver who said he was falsely branded a pedophile and child rapist by the chief executive of electric car company Tesla Inc. U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson in Los... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand began the third and final day of coronation ceremonies for King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who will meet foreign diplomats and greet his subjects from atop a balcony, a day after a grand procession through Bangkok. The coronation started... More »
REUTERS (April 17) – A Thai animal rescue group welcomed a dog who was rescued nearly 220 kilometers (136 miles) from shore Monday. The dog, named Boonrod – a Thai word which roughly translates to “the saved one” – was brought to shore for a health check after... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s annual manufacturing output in February is expected to have risen at a slightly faster pace than in the previous month, a Reuters poll showed. The median forecast of eight economists was for the manufacturing production index (MP... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore Telecommunications Ltd said on Monday it has signed a partnership to enable the use of its cross-border mobile wallet platform in Japan, as the telecom operator moves ahead with its digital payments expansion. The partnership wi... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Young people line up to take selfies with him. His hashtags are trending. And when billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit promises an end to Thailand’s military “dictatorship”, supporters of his Future Forward Party roar their approval. ... More »
MUMBAI (Reuters) – Indian traders will export raw sugar to Iran for March and April delivery, five trade sources said, the first Indian sugar sales to Tehran in at least five years as Iran struggles to secure food supplies under sanctions imposed by the United... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand launched a Huawei Technologies 5G test bed on Friday, even as the United States urges its allies to bar the Chinese telecoms giant from building next-generation mobile networks. Huawei, the world’s top producer of telecoms equipmen... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Former Australia soccer captain Craig Foster will lobby officials at world governing body FIFA later on Monday for them to intervene on behalf of a Bahraini refugee player being detained in Thailand and facing deportation to his country. Fos... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – When app developer Sattha Puangput was looking to move from a startup to a new role, he updated his profile on GetLinks, a website that pairs technology professionals with companies looking to beef up their tech teams. Within days, he says,... More »
DUBAI (Reuters) – The head of the Australian soccer players union wants the sport’s regional governing body to help secure the release of a Bahraini refugee footballer arrested in Thailand in November over a prison sentence in his homeland. Hakeem Al Araibi, w... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Police in Australia are investigating suspicious packages sent to a wide range of embassies and consulates on Wednesday, which officials said included the U.S. and British missions in Melbourne, but there were no reports of harm to staff.... More »
SYDNEY/BANGKOK (Reuters) – The United Nations has asked Australia to consider refugee resettlement for an 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled to Thailand saying she feared her family would kill her, the Australian government said on Wednesday. Rahaf Mohammed al-Q... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Superstition and looking for luck are a part of daily life in Thailand. In one temple in central Bangkok, visitors hope to find it hidden in the bark of an ancient tree. Hundreds flock to the Kunnatri Ruttharam temple every week to pay resp... More »
CHIANG RAI, Thailand (Reuters) – All 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped for more than two weeks deep inside a flooded Thai cave have been rescued, a Thai navy SEAL unit said on Tuesday, a successful end to a perilous mission that has gripped the world. “Th... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai rescuers deployed helicopters on Friday in a search for 29 people missing after the sinking of a boat carrying Chinese tourists, with one official saying he feared “no chance” of any more survivors, which would mean a death toll of nea... More »
CHIANG RAI, Thailand (Reuters) – Rescuers in Thailand scrabbled to clear a constricted passageway for divers deep inside a flooded cave complex on Monday as the search for 12 boys and their soccer coach entered a ninth day. The divers from a Thai navy SEAL uni... More »
CHIANG RAI, Thailand (Reuters) – Thai navy divers had still to navigate their way through three kilometers (nearly 2 miles) of dark, flooded cave passages on Sunday to reach the spot rescuers believe would give 12 missing boys and their soccer coach a better c... More »
SHOAL CREEK, Ala. (Reuters) – Ariya Jutanugarn let a seven-stroke lead slip through her fingers at the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday after a remarkable back-nine collapse but averted disaster by beating South Korean Kim Hyo-joo in a playoff to collect her second... More »
SHOAL CREEK, Ala. (Reuters) – Ariya Jutanugarn’s collapse at the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday ranked among the most memorable in major championship history, eight-times PGA Tour winner Brad Faxon said after watching the Thai squander a seven-shot lead before wi... More »
NILAI, Malaysia (Reuters) – Malaysia has made its largest ever seizure of crystal methamphetamine, officials said on Monday, finding nearly 1.2 tonnes of the drug disguised as tea in a shipment from Myanmar, and arrested six suspected traffickers. The bust com... More »
(Reuters) – Ariya Jutanugarn made it 15 different winners in 15 events on the LPGA Tour this year when she triumphed in a three-way playoff at the Kingsmill Championship in Virginia on Sunday. Ariya rolled in a 12-foot birdie at the second extra hole to beat J... More »
