First a wedding, then hard work - Putin to visit Germany's Merkel

 

Russia's President Vladimir Putin inspects warships on the Neva river during the Navy Day parade in St Petersburg, Russia. Sputnik/Mikhail Klementyev/Kremlin via REUTERS

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday for talks about the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, as well as the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project that has drawn U.S. ire.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053342-first-a-wedding-then-hard-work-putin-to-visit-germanys-merkel/

U.N. chief suggests options for improved Palestinian protection

By Michelle Nichols

 

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, speaks to the media after a meeting with Costa Rica's President Carlos Alvarado at the Presidential house in San Jose, Costa Rica July 16, 2018. REUTERS/Juan Carlos Ulate

 

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The protection of Palestinian civilians could be improved by the deployment of U.N.-mandated armed forces or unarmed observers, a beefed-up U.N. civilian presence or expanded U.N. assistance, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in a report on Friday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053343-un-chief-suggests-options-for-improved-palestinian-protection/

 

Mexico navy says finds 50 tons of meth in mountain lab

 

Forensic technicians of the Mexican Navy are seen at a clandestine drug processing laboratory, where they seized 50 tons of methamphetamine discovered during an operation, in the town of Alcoyonqui, on the outskirts of Culiacan, Mexico, in this handout photo released to Reuters by Mexico's Navy on August 17, 2018. SEMAR Mexico's Navy/Handout via REUTERS

 

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican marines on Friday said they had discovered an underground drug lab in the mountains outside the capital of Sinaloa state where they destroyed 50 tons of methamphetamine.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053344-mexico-navy-says-finds-50-tons-of-meth-in-mountain-lab/

 

U.S. special counsel recommends six months in prison for Papadopoulos

 

FILE PHOTO: Robert Mueller testifies before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Federal Bureau of Investigation oversight on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S., June 13, 2013. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Special Counsel Robert Mueller recommended in a court filing on Friday that a judge sentence former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos to up to six months in prison for lying to federal agents investigating whether Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053345-us-special-counsel-recommends-six-months-in-prison-for-papadopoulos/

China complains about Pentagon report, says it is 'pure guesswork'

 

FILE PHOTO: A paramilitary policeman gestures under a pole with security cameras, U.S. and China's flags near the Forbidden City ahead of the visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to Beijing, China November 8, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Defence Ministry has lodged a complaint with the United States about a Pentagon report that said China's military was likely training for strikes against the United States and its allies, saying it was "pure guesswork".

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053346-china-complains-about-pentagon-report-says-it-is-pure-guesswork/

Women charged with murder of North Korean to testify in Malaysia trial

 

Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, who is on trial for the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, is escorted as she arrives at the Shah Alam High Court on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia August 16, 2018. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

 

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Two women charged with murdering the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un must answer for their role in a well-planned conspiracy, a Malaysian judge said on Thursday, but added that the evidence did not prove a political assassination.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053348-women-charged-with-murder-of-north-korean-to-testify-in-malaysia-trial/

Militia threat hampers Ebola fight in Congo as disease kills 47

By Stephanie Nebehay

 

FILE PHOTO: Congolese officials and the World Health Organization officials wear protective suits as they participate in a training against the Ebola virus near the town of Beni in North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, August 11, 2018. REUTERS/Samuel Mambo/File Photo

 

GENEVA (Reuters) - Militia violence in Democratic Republic of Congo has prevented aid workers from reaching some potential cases in an outbreak of Ebola that has so far killed 47 people, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053350-militia-threat-hampers-ebola-fight-in-congo-as-disease-kills-47/

 

Isaan ‘Woodstock’ Returning For Two Groovy Days

By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

 

Photo: Esan Music Festival / Facebook

 

KHON KAEN — A Woodstock-style music festival will return to Isaan’s largest dam later this year during the cool season.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053351-isaan-‘woodstock’-returning-for-two-groovy-days/

 

Fire hits worker quarters at Bangkok construction site

By The Nation

 

 

A fire swept through the living quarters of workers at a construction site on Soi Phetchaburi 9 in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district on Saturday morning.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053353-fire-hits-worker-quarters-at-bangkok-construction-site/

 

President Jokowi declares Asian Games 2018 open

 

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo carries a torch of the 2018 Asian Games as he runs with Sport and Youth Minister Imam Nahrawi (L) during the torch relay at the presidential palace in Jakarta on August 17, 2018.

The Asian Games 2018 torch relay has finally completed its one-month-long journey covering a total distance of 18 thousand kilometers and touring 53 cities and districts in 18 provinces across Indonesia, Anatara News reported.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053354-president-jokowi-declares-asian-games-2018-open/

Fire damages plastics factory in Nakhon Pathom

By The Nation

 

A fire broke out in the warehouse building of a plastic ware factory in Nakhon Pathom early on Saturday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053355-fire-damages-plastics-factory-in-nakhon-pathom/

 

PM Prayut vows to get rid of informal debts

 

 

Branding informal debt as an evil, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said last night he could not afford to let unscrupulous money lenders take advantage of their poor debtors and vowed to press on with the government’s effort to solve the informal debt problem.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053356-pm-prayut-vows-to-get-rid-of-informal-debts/

 

Housing project bribery case to proceed against Pheu Thai politicians

By The Nation

 

Watana Muangsook

 

A bribery case will proceed against former Pheu Thai Party politicians Watana Muangsook and Arisman Pongruangrong after the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders on Friday accepted lawsuits for trial.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053357-housing-project-bribery-case-to-proceed-against-pheu-thai-politicians/

 

Main Chiang Rai-Chiang Mai highway cut by run-off

By The Nation

 

 

Moutain run-off hit and washed out three sections of the main Chiang Rai-Chiang Mai road early on Saturday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053359-main-chiang-rai-chiang-mai-highway-cut-by-run-off/

 

Roads unusable as three Lampang villages hit by flash floods

By The Nation

 

 

Three Lampang villages were hit by flash floods early on Saturday following overnight heavy rains, officials said.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053363-roads-unusable-as-three-lampang-villages-hit-by-flash-floods/

 

British Embassy Bangkok warns of the importance of having medical insurance

 

 

Thaivisa is delighted to have teamed up with the British Embassy in order to effectively share messages to both British tourists and expats in Thailand.

 

A fresh warning has been issued to expats and tourists about the importance of having health and travel insurance when staying in Thailand.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053358-british-embassy-bangkok-warns-of-the-importance-of-having-medical-insurance/

 

Phayao villages hit by flash flood after river bursts banks

By The Nation

 

 

Two Phayao villages were hit by a flash flood early on Saturday after the Mao Lao River burst its banks following overnight heavy downpours.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053365-phayao-villages-hit-by-flash-flood-after-river-bursts-banks/

 

Truck driver blames reckless tourist for motorbike slam

By Eakkapop Thongtub

 

The tourist suffered serious injuries to his right knee. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub
 

PHUKET: Police are investigating an accident at the entrance to Surin Beach yesterday (Aug 17) after a heavy dual-rear-axle crane truck failed to brake in time to avoid hitting a tourist riding a motorbike.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053367-truck-driver-blames-reckless-tourist-for-motorbike-slam/

 

Death toll of rare wild gaur cattle rises to 8 in Kanchanaburi

By The Nation

 

Two more bloated carcasses of gaurs were found in Kanchanaburi on Friday, bringing to eight the total number of the very rare wild cattle found dead near the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053368-death-toll-of-rare-wild-gaur-cattle-rises-to-8-in-kanchanaburi/

 

Nan River bursts flood levee to inundate downtown community

By The Nation

 

Photos from the Nan provincial administration's PR office.

 

A community on the Nan River bank in the downtown of the northern province was inundated on Saturday morning when the river burst a flood levee.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053308-200mm-of-rain-floods-nan/

 

PM misreported over 3-month solution to Bangkok traffic woes, says spokesman

By The Nation

 

 

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had been misreported as having vowed to solve Bangkok’s traffic woes in three months, Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on Saturday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053377-pm-misreported-over-3-month-solution-to-bangkok-traffic-woes-says-spokesman/

 

Heavy rains forecast for upper Thailand through Sunday

By The Nation

 

 

River overflows and flash floods are possible as the Meteorological Department forecasts heavy rain for upper Thailand through Sunday due to the influence of an active low-pressure cell.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053378-heavy-rains-forecast-for-upper-thailand-through-sunday/

 

Former U.N. chief and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kofi Annan has died - foundation

 

 

ACCRA (Reuters) - Former United Nations Secretary General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi Annan has died, the Kofi Annan Foundation said on Saturday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053392-former-un-chief-and-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-kofi-annan-has-died-foundation/

 

Good deed of the day: Thais praised for giving lift to German in Phitsanulok

 

 

A group of Thais have been praised online for helping a German man stranded in Phitsanulok.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053408-good-deed-of-the-day-thais-praised-for-giving-lift-to-german-in-phitsanulok/

 

MFA urges consular officials to ensure best care for Thais abroad

Surapan Laotharanarit

 

BANGKOK, 17th August 2018 (NNT) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has convened a meeting of Thai consular officials from around the world, calling on them to do their best in providing protection for Thai citizens overseas. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053409-mfa-urges-consular-officials-to-ensure-best-care-for-thais-abroad/

 

PM says science important to national development

Nuppol Suvansombut

 

 

NONTABURI, 17th August 2018 (NNT)-Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged children to be more interested in science as it is important to the development of the country.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053411-pm-says-science-important-to-national-development/

 

Smoke from Indonesian forest fires affecting southern Thailand

Itiporn  Lakarnchua

 

 

SONGKHLA, 17th August 2018 (NNT) – Smoke from forest fires in Indonesia has begun to affect areas of Thailand’s southern region, including Hat Yai district of Songkla, where particulate levels are now detrimental to health. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053412-smoke-from-indonesian-forest-fires-affecting-southern-thailand/

 

Bangkok Governor inspects readiness of ambulances

Surapan Laotharanarit

 

 

BANGKOK, 17th August 2018 (NNT) – The Governor of Bangkok has conducted the annual inspection of ambulances to ensure that all contain the necessary equipment and can offer basic services to emergency patients. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053413-bangkok-governor-inspects-readiness-of-ambulances/

 

Marvel Comics mogul Stan Lee wins renewal of protect order

By Steve Gorman

 

Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee attends a tribute event "Extraordinary: Stan Lee" at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., August 22, 2017. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Marvel Comics mogul Stan Lee won renewal of a protective order on Friday against a onetime business manager accused of subjecting the 95-year-old "Spider-Man" co-creator to elder abuse after taking charge of his affairs earlier this year.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053414-marvel-comics-mogul-stan-lee-wins-renewal-of-protect-order/

 

Travolta, Newton-John reunite for 40th anniversary celebration of 'Grease'

 

Cast members John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John pose at a 40th anniversary screening of "Grease" at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., August 15, 2018. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

 

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Reuters) - "Grease" stars Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta on Wednesday celebrated the 40th anniversary of their classic movie musical about teenagers finding their way at the fictional Rydell High.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1053415-travolta-newton-john-reunite-for-40th-anniversary-celebration-of-grease/