Thailand

One month after temporary clinics opened up to chaos and confusion at the epicenter of China’s coronavirus outbreak, Frontline Doctor Ma Yonggang is finally seeing more empty beds as fewer patients arrive. Announcement When 43-year-old Ma was first called to a sports stadium transformed into a medical facility on February 4, a virtual construction site with electrical wiring and beds …

Thailand’s billionaire Chearavanont family is considering setting up a shrimp farm in the United States, as President Donald Trump’s administration tries to curb America’s reliance on seafood imports. The agro-industrial arm of the family’s conglomerate, Charoen Pokphand Group, said it’s looking at several potential locations, including Florida, as well as other sites less prone to hurricanes. As much as 95% …

Rising Chinese pollution levels measured from space are showing a gradual but uneven industrial pickup after the economic slowdown caused by the nation’s fight to contain the deadly novel coronavirus. Although the level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in China’s atmosphere has risen nearly 50% from Feb 17, it was still roughly 20% below the equivalent period last year, according an …

The Finance Ministry has launched a huge relief package including cash giveaways to many more individuals beyond the 14 million people with annual base incomes not exceeding 100,000 baht and who are registered as poor to help cushion fallout from the spread of the new coronavirus. The whole package is worth 100 billion baht, said Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana. The …

Vibrant Chelsea made it a torrid few days for Liverpool as goals by Willian and Ross Barkley sealed a 2-0 victory to send them through to the FA Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday. Liverpool’s 44-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League ended in stunning fashion with a 3-0 defeat at Watford on Saturday and they were rocked again at Stamford Bridge. …

Relatives of a Chinese man whose body was found in a suitcase pulled from the Ping River have demanded the death penalty for his killers, after two of the four hunted suspects were caught in Myanmar. The body of Wang Jun, 30, a Chinese national, was cremated at Wat Bo Samsen in tambon Nong Pling of Muang district of Kamphaeng …

India has suspended the granting of regular visas to nationals of Japan and three other countries to guard against the spread of the new coronavirus. The government, in an official advisory, also said all nationals of Japan, Italy, Iran and South Korea already possessing visas will not be allowed to enter India, excepting in compelling circumstances. The suspension applies to …

Aviation agencies are planning to step up the screening of passengers from countries affected by Covid-19 and are assigning a small airport to specifically handle these flights. Wg Cdr Suthirawat Suwanawat, general manager of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, said he has raised the issue with Chula Sukmanop, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). According to him, aircraft from …

Shoppers in Greater Bangkok are quickly emptying supermarket shelves of long-lasting items like instant noodles, packed rice, tissue paper, tinned fish and drinking water as fears mount over the coronavirus epidemic. Large retail operators including Tops Supermarket, Tesco Lotus, The Mall Group and Big C Supercenter acknowledged that these items have been snapped up quickly since the weekend. They are …

A coronavirus outbreak has weighed on the transport and tourism sectors in Japan, including bullet trains, with fears about infection making people reluctant to venture outdoors or share confined spaces with others for long hours. The number of passengers between Feb 1 and 19 of the Shinkansen Line connecting Tokyo and Osaka fell 8% from a year earlier, its operator …