Thailand

Germany’s foreign minister said Monday the rights to coronavirus vaccine research were not for sale, following reports Donald Trump wanted the US to buy exclusive access to a potential vaccine developed by a German biotech firm. The comments, made in an interview to media group Funke, come as scientists raced to develop a vaccine against the deadly coronavirus that has …

Thailand is preparing to restrict some aspects of daily life after the country’s biggest spike in coronavirus cases, further damaging one of Asia’s weakest economic outlooks. The steps to be considered Monday include placing more curbs on foreign arrivals, cancelling events with big crowds and closing entertainment venues deemed risky for spreading the virus. Confirmed cases jumped by 32 on …

The government has stepped up measures to contain the coronavirus or Covid-19 if the country reaches Stage 3, a full-blown pandemic, with the first measure to use a newly built hospital to treat only Covid-19 patients, as the number of infections jumped alarmingly to 114 yesterday. The premier mentioned the prospect of moving to Stage 3 after chairing an urgent …

A proposal for a stabiliser fund to support the battered stock market is scheduled to be vetted by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday. According to Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, who discussed the issue yesterday with the Finance Ministry, the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Bank of Thailand, all parties agreed …

An association of chest physicians is calling on the government to prepare for Covid-19 to become a “Stage 3”, full-blown epidemic in Thailand while slamming the authorities’ slow response to the spread of the disease. The Thoracic Society of Thailand issued an emotionally charged statement warning that the country might not be equipped to deal with a drastic escalation in …

The body of a Chinese man who fell to his death from a Bangkok hotel on Friday was left at the scene for more than six hours because rescuers were afraid of contracting coronavirus if they handled it. The 39-year-old man, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, fell from the sixth floor of the seven-storey building in Makkasan, …

Low-cost airlines are not immune to the threat of the coronavirus pandemic and plan to reduce or scrap routes to four major destinations — Japan, South Korea, India and China — while tourism operators say the battered stock market will further weaken travel sentiment. The suspension follows the decision to temporarily halt services on all routes connecting to mainland China …

Thai Airways International Plc’s (THAI) outgoing president Sumeth Damrongchaitham said he decided to resign after “those in power” told him that he was done with his mission. He said on Friday he had tendered his resignation to pave the way for the THAI board to find a more appropriate replacement who can follow the board’s policy. “We were here on …

The Public Health Ministry on Friday reported five new local cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), all linked to people arriving from Hong Kong and South Korea. Dr Sukhum Karnchanapimai, permanent secretary for health, said the new cases were cluster infections. Two were a woman, 36, and a man, 37, who went to a pub in a group of 15 …

A month long lockdown in the Philippine capital to contain the spread of coronavirus is set to curb economic growth and make an interest-rate cut next week more likely. Growth could weaken to below 6% in the first quarter of the year, according to Nicholas Mapa, an economist at ING Bank in Manila. With more than 12 million people, the …