THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Thursday 26 Sep 2019

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Thai Airways to take funding review for fleet-expansion plans

 

FILE PHOTO: Workers service a Thai Airways Airbus A380-800 aircraft at Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand September 3, 2019. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Airways International Pcl said on Wednesday it was reviewing its fleet-expansion plans to procure 38 new planes, as it considered funding sources, nearly two years after it announced the order.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125383-thai-airways-to-take-funding-review-for-fleet-expansion-plans/

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Thailand slashes growth and export forecasts again, holds key rate

By Orathai Sriring and Kitiphong Thaichareon

 

Thailand's central bank is seen at the Bank of Thailand in Bangkok, Thailand April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo GLOBAL BUSINESS WEEK AHEAD PACKAGE SEARCH BUSINESS WEEK AHEAD JUNE 27 FOR ALL IMAGES

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Wednesday while cutting its forecast for 2019 economic growth and predicting exports will shrink this year, hurting domestic demand.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125384-thailand-slashes-growth-and-export-forecasts-again-holds-key-rate/

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Thais third most travelled, Agoda survey finds

By THE NATION

 

 

Britons lead the way for globetrotting, taking the top spot for the highest number of international countries visited according to the “Well Travelled Survey” commissioned by Agoda, a fast-growing digital platform. The survey showed that the average British traveller has visited 12 countries, followed by Australians who average 10 international destinations.

 

Full Story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125394-thais-third-most-travelled-agoda-survey-finds/

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ADB drops Thai growth forecast to 3%

By Wichit Chaitrong
The Nation

 

 

The Asian Development Bank has lowered its growth forecast for the Thai economy to 3 per cent but is optimistic that conditions will improve next year.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125437-adb-drops-thai-growth-forecast-to-3/

 

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Jurin, business executives, line up business agreements on India trip

By The Nation

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit

 

Commerce Ministry staff and chief executives of private companies are on a five-day trade trip to Mumbai and Chennai, India to drum up business, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125438-jurin-business-executives-line-up-business-agreements-on-india-trip/

 

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EGCO enters oil business

By THE NATION

 

 

Electricity Generating Group (EGCO) has announced its expansion into other energy sources with a 44.6-per-cent share of Thai Pipeline Network Co Ltd.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125440-egco-enters-oil-business/

 

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UPDATE:

 

THAI board balks at hefty acquisition plan

By THE NATION

 

Thaworn

 

Thai Airways International (THAI) directors on Tuesday (September 24) asked executives of the national carrier to review plans to procure 38 more aircraft worth a combined Bt156 billion.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125383-thai-airways-to-take-funding-review-for-fleet-expansion-plans/?do=findComment&comment=14607556

 

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Vegetarians not big spenders this year

By The Nation

 

 

Kasikorn Research Centre expects Bangkokians to spend up to Bt4.8 billion during this year’s Vegetarian or Jae Festival, up 2.4 per cent from the same period last year. 

 

Full story:  https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125441-vegetarians-not-big-spenders-this-year/

 

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King Power eyes hotel industry in UK

By Somluck Srimalee
The Nation

 

 

Duty-free giant King Power Group is looking into entering the hospitality business in the United Kingdom, now that property prices in Europe and UK are dropping due to the global slowdown, the group’s chief executive officer Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha told the press on Wednesday (September 25).

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125442-king-power-eyes-hotel-industry-in-uk/

 

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UPDATE:

 

MPC cuts growth estimate to just 2.8%

By THE NATION

 

Titanun

 

The Monetary Policy Committee on Wednesday (September 25) reduced its forecast for economic growth this year from 3.3 to 2.8 per cent and for next year from 3.7 to 3.3 per cent.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125384-thailand-slashes-growth-and-export-forecasts-again-holds-key-rate/?do=findComment&comment=14607572

 

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ADB seeks co-financing of Thai projects  

By Wichit Chaitrong

The Nation

 

Hideaki Iwasaki

 

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is looking to co-financing deals of mass transit, double-track rail and renewal energy projects with the Thai companies, said Hideaki Iwasaki, the bank's country director in the Kingdom. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125443-adb-seeks-co-financing-of-thai-projects/

 

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Only charter court is authorized to rule on convicted Khon Kaen MP’s status

 

 

The Constitutional Court is the sole authority to decide whether Pheu Thai MP for Khon Kaen province, Mr. Nawath Tohcharoensook, has lost his MP status after he was sent to jail yesterday by order of the Khon Kaen provincial court, which sentenced him to death for masterminding the murder of a local official.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125444-only-charter-court-is-authorized-to-rule-on-convicted-khon-kaen-mp’s-status/

 

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Chinese tourists are heading back to Thailand at last

 

 

BANGKOK: The number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand topped one million in August for the first time in six months, brightening an otherwise dim outlook for the nation’s economy.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125445-chinese-tourists-are-heading-back-to-thailand-at-last/

 

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PM Johnson goads opponents to call election as tempers flare over Brexit

By Elizabeth Piper and William James

 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson exits the podium after addressing the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

 

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson taunted his rivals on his return to parliament on Wednesday, goading them to either bring down the government or get out of the way to allow him to deliver Brexit.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125446-pm-johnson-goads-opponents-to-call-election-as-tempers-flare-over-brexit/

 

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Seeking favours, Trump asked Ukraine president to investigate Biden

By Andy Sullivan and Patricia Zengerle

 

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, New York, U.S., September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump pressed Ukraine's president to investigate a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, in coordination with the U.S. attorney general and Trump's personal lawyer, according to a summary of a momentous telephone call released by the Trump administration on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125449-seeking-favours-trump-asked-ukraine-president-to-investigate-biden/

 

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Netanyahu tapped by Israel's president to form new government

By Jeffrey Heller

 

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a nomination ceremony at the President's residency in Jerusalem September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

 

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's president tasked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday with assembling a new government after power-sharing talks with his strongest rival, Benny Gantz, failed following an inconclusive election.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125450-netanyahu-tapped-by israels-president-to-form-new-government/

 

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UPDATE:

 

For Ukraine's leader, Trump memo on their call is a diplomatic car crash

By Pavel Polityuk and Andrew Osborn

 

FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivers a speech during a parliamentary session in Kiev, Ukraine August 29, 2019. Picture taken August 29, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo

 

KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - For U.S. President Donald Trump, White House publication on Wednesday of a memo summarising his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy fuelled a domestic political crisis.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125449-seeking-favours-trump-asked-ukraine-president-to-investigate-biden/?do=findComment&comment=14607837

 

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Iran demands U.S. 'pay more' for a wider deal

By Parisa Hafezi and Michelle Nichols

 

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

 

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani demanded on Wednesday that the United States "pay more" for any agreement that goes beyond the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Washington abandoned.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125457-iran-demands-us-pay-more-for-a-wider-deal/

 

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Drunk Russian tourist falls through roof of Pattaya bar

By The Nation

 

Picture: 77JOWO

 

A very drunk Russian tourist mysteriously fell through the roof into the kitchen of a Pattaya bar early Thursday, the owner and rescuers said.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125462-drunk-russian-tourist-falls-through-roof-of-pattaya-bar/ 

 

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"Farang in a Ferrari" - faces charges for assaulting Thai woman after car collision

 

Thai caption: Scandal of farang in a Ferrari

 

Social media in Khon Kaen in Thailand's north east was abuzz with stories after a video clip emerged of an altercation between a 47 year old western man who had driven his Ferrari into the back of a Thai woman's car.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125463-farang-in-a-ferrari-faces-charges-for-assaulting-thai-woman-after-car-collision/

 

 

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Did possibility of a frequent flyer tax seal Thomas Cook’s fate?

Government has been asked to consider levy in bid to discourage emissions-producing air travel

David Buckley

 

 

As a rough rule of thumb, I’m not big on conspiracy theories. But I’ve just spotted a news item on the BBC website which may have some relevance to the British Government’s decision not to bail out the Thomas Cook travel company.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125465-did-possibility-of-a-frequent-flyer-tax-seal-thomas-cook’s-fate/

 

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Realtime camera of Samui airport taken offline after police visit British webcam operator 

 

File photo

 

Police, immigration and airport authorities went to a house next to Samui Airport after complaints that a CCTV camera was recording take-off and landing at the airport. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125468-realtime-camera-of-samui-airport-taken-offline-after-police-visit-british-webcam-operator/

 

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Fourteen employees injured after speedboat crash off Ranong coast

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Daily News reported that 14 employees of Grand Andaman had been taken to hospital last night after a speedboat collision at sea. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125470-fourteen-employees-injured-after-speedboat-crash-off-ranong-coast/

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How a sanctions-busting smartphone business thrives in North Korea

By Ju-min Park

 

FILE PHOTO : A man uses his mobile phone next to an electric bicycle in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea October 8, 2015. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Picture

 

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea is evading U.N. sanctions to cash in on soaring domestic demand for smartphones, using low-cost hardware imports to generate significant income for the regime, according to defectors, experts and an analysis of North Korean-made phones.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125473-how-a-sanctions-busting-smartphone-business-thrives-in-north-korea/

 

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Thai woman gets pavement rash after footpath gobbles her up

 

Thai caption: That's Thailand's footpaths

 

Comment was rife on Facebook after a Thai woman reported that a footpath north of Bangkok gobbled her up. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125474-thai-woman-gets-pavement-rash-after-footpath-gobbles-her-up/

 

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Strong quake strikes Indonesia's Seram island, no tsunami risk

 

Concrete rubble are seen on the floor of a classroom at Al Anshor Islamic Boarding School after an earthquake in Ambon, Maluku province, Indonesia, September 26, 2019, in this still image from video obtained via social media. Weul Artafella via REUTERS

 

JAKARTA (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 hit the island of Seram in Indonesia's eastern province of Maluku on Thursday, damaging to some buildings, but there was no risk of a tsunami, the geophysics agency said.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125475-strong-quake-strikes-indonesias-seram-island-no-tsunami-risk/

 

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Legalization of medical marijuana use only half complete: Anutin

By The Nation

 

 

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Wednesday that his plan to liberate marijuana for medical use is only at the half-way mark and much remains to be done before household growing of the plants can be allowed.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125477-legalization-of-medical-marijuana-use-only-half-complete-anutin/

 

 

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Pattaya: Prostitution finally found - foreign sex workers arrested

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Prostitution has finally been found to be going on in Pattaya.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125478-pattaya-prostitution-finally-found-foreign-sex-workers-arrested/

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Hit and run motorcyclist gives himself up

 

 

A motorcyclist who left a 10 year year old girl in hospital after hitting her going the wrong way down a street in Bang Plee has given himself up to police. 

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125483-hit-and-run-motorcyclist-gives-himself-up/

 

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Nigerian romance scammer arrested in Krabi

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Immigration police in Krabi have announced the arrest of a 23 year old Nigerian and a 20 year old Thai woman following a visit to a house in the Neua Klong area on Tuesday evening.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1125485-nigerian-romance-scammer-arrested-in-krabi/