Thailand Live Tuesday 23 Feb 2016

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Health care issue, longtime uniter of Democrats, now divides
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health care for all. It's a goal that tugs at the heartstrings of Democrats, but pursuing it usually invites political peril.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897182-us-health-care-issue-longtime-uniter-of-democrats-now-divides/

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AP Analysis: Echoes of 1991 Gulf War linger on in Mideast
By JON GAMBRELL

The 1991 Gulf War saw only 100 hours of ground fighting as U.S. forces entered Kuwait to end the Iraqi occupation, but echoes of that conflict have lingered for decades in the Middle East.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897183-echoes-of-1991-gulf-war-linger-on-in-mideast/

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90-year-old woman, her 82-year-old brother shot at bus stop
By KASEY JONES

BALTIMORE (AP) — Two elderly siblings were shot in the leg as they waited at a bus stop

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897184-us-90-year-old-woman-her-82-year-old-brother-shot-at-bus-stop/

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Europeans see something familiar in odd US primary race
By GREGORY KATZ

LONDON (AP) — With its red, white and blue banners, patriotic slogans and ubiquitous country songs, the presidential campaign marching through South Carolina and Nevada seems like an all-American affair. But it holds familiar overtones for Europeans watching anxiously from abroad.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897185-europeans-see-something-familiar-in-odd-us-primary-race/

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US Election 2016: Cruz fires top aide over fake Rubio video

WASHINGTON: -- Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has asked his campaign spokesman to resign after the staffer promoted a doctored video of rival Marco Rubio.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897186-us-election-2016-cruz-fires-top-aide-over-fake-rubio-video/

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NASA releases recording of 'outer-space type music' from far side of the moon
By James Griffiths, CNN

(CNN)"Did you hear that whistling sound too?"

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897187-nasa-releases-recording-of-outer-space-type-music-from-far-side-of-the-moon/

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Armed Theft from House in East Pattaya



PATTAYA: -- On Monday afternoon, two men, one armed with a gun, tied up and gagged a house owner and proceeded to steal items from the house and removed them in the victim’s pick-up which the pair also stole.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897188-armed-theft-from-house-in-east-pattaya/

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Pattaya Pub DJ dies in high-speed road crash on Highway 7



PATTAYA: -- Late on Monday Night a popular Thai DJ who works in a Pub in Pattaya was killed as he crashed his high-powered motorbike into a concrete barrier on Highway 7.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897189-pattaya-pub-dj-dies-in-high-speed-road-crash-on-highway-7/

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Assad calls parliamentary elections in Syria
By Catherine Hardy | With AFP



DAMASCUS: --Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has called parliamentary elections to be held on April the 13th.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897190-assad-calls-parliamentary-elections-in-syria/

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US: NKorea offered peace talks with US, bailed over nukes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Monday that North Korea sought to discuss a peace treaty but pulled away after the U.S. insisted denuclearization be part of the discussions.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897224-us-north-korea-offered-peace-talks-with-us-bailed-over-nukes/

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Tensions rising on DMZ, North Korean officer tells AP
ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press

PANMUNJOM, North Korea (AP) — Tensions have increased significantly along the Demilitarized Zone since North Korea's recent nuclear test and rocket launch, a North Korean military official told The Associated Press on Monday, adding that while he could not comment on operational details, "the reality is that it is touch and go."

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897225-tensions-rising-on-dmz-north-korean-officer-tells-ap/

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UPDATE:

Fears for 'disorientated' British backpacker missing in Thailand

By Chiara Palazzo

In most recent phone call to her family, Grace Taylor said "people were trying to hurt her and were following her"

LONDON: -- The mother of a British backpacker who has gone missing in Thailand has appealed to the backpacking community in the hope of locating her young daughter.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897148-british-backpacker-grace-taylor-missing-in-thailand/page-3?p=10452861#entry10452861

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UN panel agrees to ban battery shipments on airliners
By JOAN LOWY

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.N. panel approved on Monday a temporary ban on cargo shipments of rechargeable lithium batteries on passenger planes because they can create intense fires capable of destroying an aircraft.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897231-un-panel-agrees-to-ban-battery-shipments-on-airliners/

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UPDATE:

British backpacker missing and 'disorientated' in Thailand
STAFF WRITER


Featured image is of Grace and is via Sam Taylor’s Facebook page

BANGKOK: -- 21-year old Grace Taylor has been declared a missing person this past week after going under the radar while travelling in Thailand.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897148-british-backpacker-grace-taylor-missing-in-thailand/page-4?p=10453173#entry10453173

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Camille Cosby deposed in defamation case, returns next month
By DENISE LAVOIE

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Bill Cosby's wife, who has publicly stood by him as he faces dozens of sexual-assault allegations, was deposed Monday in a defamation lawsuit filed against him by seven accusers and agreed to return next month to answer even more questions under oath.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897233-camille-cosby-deposed-in-defamation-case-returns-next-month/

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SET up 7.24 points at opening /Bangkok Post

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Indonesians welcome pay for plastic bag policy



JAKARTA: -- Indonesians have been quick to embrace the new policy of paying for plastic bags each time they purchase groceries, saying the environmental benefits outweigh the hassle of bringing their own bags, the Jakarta Globe reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897236-indonesians-welcome-pay-for-plastic-bag-policy/

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Indonesia scuttles 30 vessels in anti-illegal fishing campaign



JAKARTA: -- Indonesia's Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force, or Satgas 115, scuttled 30 vessels in five separate locations on Monday for poaching in the country's rich oceans, according to The Jakarta Globe.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897237-indonesia-scuttles-30-vessels-in-anti-illegal-fishing-campaign/

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Malaysia wants Australia to share terror intel – police chief



KUALA LUMPUR: -- Malaysian Police Inspector-General Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar has called upon Australia to share any information on terror threats concerning Malaysia, as they want to know on what basis a travel advisory on the matter was issued, New Straits Times reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897239-malaysia-wants-australia-to-share-terror-intel-police-chief/

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Ministry urges Thai businesses to invest in China as prospect still bright



BANGKOK: -- The Ministry of Commerce has urged Thai private sector to make investments in China to take advantage of the dramatic rise in interest from foreign investors in the country.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897240-ministry-urges-thai-businesses-to-invest-in-china-as-prospect-still-bright/

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Despite road block, anti-poppy campaigners vow to march on



YANGON: -- Anti-poppy campaigners encamped at an army checkpoint near the junction of Sadung and Chipwi roads in Kachin State’s Waingmaw Township have vowed to continue their mission this week to eradicate poppy fields in the area, The Irrawaddy reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897242-despite-road-block-anti-poppy-campaigners-vow-to-march-on/

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152 killed while jaywalking in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City last year



HANOI: -- New police data confirmed that 152 pedestrians were killed last year when they were crossing or walking in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City streets unlawfully, according to Thanh Nien News.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897243-152-killed-while-jaywalking-in-hanoi-ho-chi-minh-city-last-year/

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Environmental network demands incoming govt end Salween Dam projects



YANGON: -- ave the Salween Network (SSN), a group of nine river protection and ethnic civil society groups, has called on the incoming government to halt all projects on the Salween River, which extends through China, Myanmar and Thailand, The Irrawaddy reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897244-environmental-network-demands-incoming-govt-end-salween-dam-projects/

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UPDATE:

Nineteen Chinese tourists injured in Phuket bus crash



PHUKET: -- Nineteen Chinese tourists were injured as a runaway tour bus carrying about 30 Chinese tourists crashed into a power pole and house fence at the base of Patong Hill.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897158-chinese-tourists-injured-as-runaway-phuket-tour-bus-crashes-on-patong-hill/page-2#entry10453377

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MWC 2016: Some highlights from Mobile World Congress
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS



BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Several smaller phone makers are using this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, to unveil new smartphones targeting the lower-end and mid-range markets.

Full story: http://tech.thaivisa.com/mwc-2016-some-highlights-from-mobile-world-congress/14010/

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UPDATE:

Family of UK woman 'missing in Thailand' in appeal for help

LONDON: -- A 21-year-old woman from Swanage, Dorset is missing in south Thailand, according to her family who have posted an online appeal for help.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897148-british-backpacker-grace-taylor-missing-in-thailand/page-5?p=10453409#entry10453409

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Ministry now tightens check on Chinese traders doing fruit grading and sorting for export



BANGKOK: -- The Ministry of Commerce has stated that it will be enforcing laws involving foreign nationals and trade to control Chinese fruit traders that are taking advantage of local farmers.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897248-thai-min-now-tightens-check-on-chinese-traders-doing-fruit-grading-sorting-for-export/

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Calls for closure of Phuket Zoo
Phuket Gazette


Phuket Zoo admitted to releasing Milo into the jungle to avoid prosecution. Photo: Vicki Kiely

PHUKET: -- Milo, the female orangutan at the center of a wildlife furore, is recovering in the Phang Nga Wildlife Nursery Station after being rescued late on Saturday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897249-calls-for-closure-of-phuket-zoo/

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UPDATE:

Patong hill bus crash driver dies on way to Phuket hospital
The Phuket News


The bus stopped after slamming into a power pole in the sidestreet beside Patong temple. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub.

PHUKET: -- The driver of the bus that crashed at the bottom of Patong hill last night (Feb 22) was pronounced dead upon arrival at Patong Hospital The Phuket News has learned today (Feb 23).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897158-chinese-tourists-injured-as-runaway-phuket-tour-bus-crashes-on-patong-hill/page-2#entry10453481

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India caste unrest: Ten million without water in Delhi

DELHI: -- More than 10 million people in India's capital, Delhi, are without water after protesters sabotaged a key canal which supplies much of the city.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/897251-india-caste-unrest-ten-million-without-water-in-delhi/