Thailand

Airbnb Inc. is considering raising capital from new investors, as the home-sharing giant wrestles with escalating losses due to the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its global business, according to people close to the company. The pandemic has also thrown into disarray Airbnb’s plans to go public this year, and the company’s board and investors are divided over …

A long queue of cars forms in front of a drive-in cinema in Seoul, as South Koreans look for safer spaces to enjoy a movie without the risk of contracting the coronavirus raging across the world. Box office numbers in South Korea — which has 8,897 confirmed virus cases — have plummeted in recent weeks due to the epidemic, with …

Shopping malls and markets in Bangkok starting on Sunday 22nd and adjacent provinces, except those selling food and essential consumer goods, have been ordered to close for three weeks in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19. The closures in Bangkok, ordered by Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang, come as the number of Covid-19 infections surged by 89 yesterday, the …

China reported no new local cases of the deadly coronavirus for a third consecutive day Saturday, but confirmed the highest yet increase in infections from abroad. The rate of infection has been slowing for weeks in China, while the rest of the world steps up measures to try and battle the raging pandemic. The World Health Organization on Friday praised …

The Public Health Ministry reported 89 new cases on Saturday in the largest daily jump since the coronavirus update, bringing the total to 411. Thirty-two people in Greater Bangkok and some provinces contracted the virus from people infected during a boxing match. Two new patients linked to the cases involving an entertainment complex were reported in Ekkamai and Sukhumvit areas …

The Interior Ministry has ordered most border provinces to leave only one international checkpoint open as the country tries to block arrivals to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has caused a sharp jump in cases this week. Key checkpoints to temporary shut are the first Thai-Mayanmar Friendship Bridge in Tak, which will be closed until further notice. The Phu Nam …

Government spokesperson Narumon Pinyosinwat said on Friday Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has asked for cooperation, especially from those living in Bangkok and adjacent provinces, to refrain from going out. As for calls by some people for lockdowns, the spokesperson said measures must be prepared well before time, and those people who earn daily incomes must also be considered. “The prime …

An arrest warrant has been issued for a 23-year-old man for vandalising cars and setting fire to his own house to put pressure on his mother to buy him an expensive motorbike. The Si Sa Ket provincial court on Thursday approved a warran for the arrest of Jetkhati Wonglert, 23, of Muang district, for causing damage to property and offences …

Five vendors have been sentenced to between six months and 18 months in jail for selling face masks at inflated prices while two others have got a suspended jail term and a fine of 25,000 baht each. The seven vendors — one man and six women — were taken to the Criminal Court on Thursday. Named as defendants in a …

Thais abroad who have booked flights back home risk being turned away at check-in if they cannot show a health certificate, which is difficult to get in many countries. Foreign nationals travelling to Thailand need verification of their travel history in the previous 14 days and a health certificate certifying they “pose no risk of being infected by the Coronavirus …