Wonderful Tonight - Taking Kim Jong Un's brother to a Clapton concert

By James Pearson

 

Thae Yong Ho, North Korea¡¯s former deputy ambassador in London who defected to the South, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Seoul, South Korea, February 3, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

 

SEOUL (Reuters) - Two years ago, Thae Yong Ho, North Korea's former deputy ambassador in London, received an unexpected phone call from the ruling Workers' Party Central Committee in Pyongyang telling him to get ready to receive a very important e-mail.

 

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967142-wonderful-tonight-taking-kim-jong-uns-brother-to-a-clapton-concert/

Gas prices up 60 satang - effective 5 am today

 

PTT and Bang Jak announced yesterday that pump prices for gasoline would increase from 5am today, Saturday February 4th.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967166-gas-prices-up-60-satang-effective-5-am-today/

 

Bangkok taxi driver stabbed to death in apparent murder/robbery, say police

 

Image: Daily News

 

Police in Samut Prakarn said that a 30 year old taxi driver from Roi-Et was murdered in his cab on Friday.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967167-bangkok-taxi-driver-stabbed-to-death-in-apparent-murderrobbery-say-police/

 

Around 7% of minivans fail roadworthiness checks - 672 too dangerous to be on the road

 

Image: Daily News

 

The Land Transport department has announced the results of its promised checks on the roadworthiness of minivans.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967168-around-7-of-minivans-fail-roadworthiness-checks-672-too-dangerous-to-be-on-the-road/

 

"The doctors told me he was dead!" Thai mum looks set to be reunited with her long lost 29 year old son.

 

Image: Thairath

 

A Thai woman said that she believes she is the mother of a 29 year old man who has travelled to the country with his adoptive parents to look for his real mum.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967169-the-doctors-told-me-he-was-dead-thai-mum-looks-set-to-be-reunited-with-her-long-lost-29-year-old-son/

 

Customs seize 100 million baht of fake sports shoes

 

Image: Sanook

 

In an ongoing crackdown on pirated goods entering and being sold in Thailand the Customs and Excise department announced a seizure of 70,000 pairs of sports shoes worth 100 million baht.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967170-customs-seize-100-million-baht-of-fake-sports-shoes/

 

Phuket Governor in face off with Tourism Dept boss over corruption allegations, Patong bar crackdown

Tanyaluk Sakoot

 

 

PHUKET: The Director-General of the Department of Tourism, Wanasiri Morakul, arrived in Phuket yesterday (Feb 2) to personally question Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan and other top officials about a slew of critical issues facing Phuket as a tourism destination.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967171-phuket-governor-in-face-off-with-tourism-dept-boss-over-corruption-allegations-patong-bar-crackdown/

 

PM orders creation of national water database centre

By The Nation

 

 

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the Water Resources Department to upgrade its water disaster prevention centre to become the country’s central water database operation.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967172-pm-orders-creation-of-national-water-database-centre/

 

Rolls Royce says no to THAI’s request for bribery information: Jarumporn

 

 

Britain-based Rolls Royce company has turned down request by Thai Airways International for information about bribery scandal concerning THAI’s procurement of Rolls Royce aircraft engines, THAI president Jarumporn Chotikasathien said on Friday.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967173-rolls-royce-says-no-to-thai’s-request-for-bribery-information-jarumporn/

 

Two super cars share the same license plate belonging to another car

 

 

Police have found out that two super cars – a Lamborghini Gallardo and a Nissan Skyline GTR R35 – in the care of car dealer Akarakit Worarojcharoendet use the same license plate belonging to another car.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967174-two-super-cars-share-the-same-license-plate-belonging-to-another-car/

 

Alro forced to respond to ruling on wind farms

By SUTTHIPONG SETTHARANGSI,
PRASIT TANGPRASERT
THE NATION

 

 

THE AGRICULTURAL Land Reform Office (Alro) is seeking alternative solutions after the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the agency’s decision to rent farming-designated Sor Por Kor land plots in Chaiyaphum province to a private company to construct a wind farm was a misuse of the land.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967175-alro-forced-to-respond-to-ruling-on-wind-farms/

 

Universal healthcare failing most vulnerable

By PUANGCHUMPOO PRASERT
THE NATION

 

Dr Samrit

 

MARGINALISED people in rural areas who do not have sufficient access to medical care and lack the opportunity to get good quality health services are among the most vulnerable people in Thailand, a recent study has revealed.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967176-universal-healthcare-failing-most-vulnerable/

 

 

Tests find no paint repair to Jomsap truck

By PIYANUCH TAMNUKASETCHAI
THE NATION

 

 

NO EVIDENCE of paint repair or a new coat of paint has been found on the Toyota pickup truck belonging to former teacher Jomsap Saenmuangkhot who was accused of being the driver in a 2005 fatal hit-and-run accident.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967178-tests-find-no-paint-repair-to-jomsap-truck/

 

New visa rules hit tourism in Songkhla

By SOMCHAI SAMART
THE NATION

 

 

A NEW VISA requirement affecting visitors from Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei has dealt a blow to tourism in the bustling border town of Songkhla.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967179-new-visa-rules-hit-tourism-in-songkhla/

 

Trump's travel ban has revoked 60,000 visas for now

By Mica Rosenberg and Lesley Wroughton

 

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 60,000 visas were revoked under U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily halting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, the State Department said on Friday, in one of several government communications clarifying how the order is being rolled out.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967181-trumps-travel-ban-has-revoked-60000-visas-for-now/

 

Trump administration tightens Iran sanctions, Tehran hits back

By Yeganeh Torbati

 

White House spokesman Sean Spicer holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 3, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Friday imposed sanctions on Iran, which it said were just "initial steps" and said Washington would no longer turn a "blind eye" to Iran's hostile actions.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967182-trump-administration-tightens-iran-sanctions-tehran-hits-back/

 

PM orders hunt after assassination threats against him, Prawit

By The Nation

 

 

DOUBTS HAVE been raised about the credibility of death threats allegedly made online against top government figures as authorities continue to hunt for the people involved.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967187-pm-orders-hunt-after-assassination-threats-against-him-prawit/

 

 

Users once again warned about downloading Super Mario Run APK

BY STAFF WRITER

 

 

The iconic game Super Mario Run is coming to Android devices in March 2017 although a few versions of the platform game seem to be springing up early.

 

Full story: http://tech.thaivisa.com/users-once-again-warned-about-downloading-super-mario-run-apk/19688/

Transfer pricing disclosure: Stay put or take proactive measures?

By SPECIAL TO THE NATION

 

WITH THE PROPOSED transfer-pricing law now under review by the Council of State, the landscape for transfer pricing is expected to undergo a major facelift once the law is enacted.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967188-transfer-pricing-disclosure-stay-put-or-take-proactive-measures/

 

ADB private sector financing exceeds $8.3 bn in 2016, up 15% year on year

By THE NATION

 

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved US$2.5 billion (Bt88 billion) in new private sector financing in 2016. Together with co-financing, ADB mobilised $8.3 billion for private sector projects in the region, a 15 per cent increase over last year and a new record for the multilateral.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967190-adb-private-sector-financing-exceeds-83-bn-in-2016-up-15-year-on-year/

 

Central Group plans to increase its sales of locally grown produce

By KWANCHAI RUNGFAPAISARN
THE NATION

 

CENTRAL GROUP has set a five-year plan to increase its annual sales of community-produced items, especially foods and vegetables, from Bt240 million last year to Bt1 billion, to support the government’s Pracha Rath project.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967191-central-group-plans-to-increase-its-sales-of-locally-grown-produce/

 

R&D centre planned to spur ideas for start-ups in electronics sector

By SOMLUCK SRIMALEE
THE NATION

 

GRAVITECH Thai (Thailand), an electronic experimental solutions firm, has set aside Bt30 million to build a research and development centre at Thailand Science Park in order to support start-ups with innovative business ideas. The facility is scheduled to open by the middle of the year.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967192-rd-centre-planned-to-spur-ideas-for-start-ups-in-electronics-sector/

 

King Mongkut’s University making its mark with medical research

By THE NATION

 

 

THANKS TO ITS outstanding practical research, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) is now making its presence felt in Thailand’s medical industry.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967194-king-mongkut’s-university-making-its-mark-with-medical-research/

 

Rice scheme was worthy, well-planned, Kittiratt says

By The Nation

 

FORMER MINISTER TELLS COURT THERE WAS NO MISMANAGEMENT BY YINGLUCK

 

FORMER Finance minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong has strongly defended former premier Yingluck Shinawatra’s implementation of the controversial rice-pledging scheme before the Supreme Court’s criminal division for holders of political office.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967196-rice-scheme-was-worthy-well-planned-kittiratt-says/

 

Slow economic recovery, new players top SME concerns

By SUCHEERA PINIJPARAKARN
THE NATION

 

THE SUBDUED domestic economic recovery and intense competition due to the arrival of new players were the most worrying issues for SMEs surveyed in the final quarter of last year, according to the latest TMB-SME Sentiment Index. The index is based on a survey carried out during the quarter among 1,318 small and medium-sized enterprises on their confidence both currently and for the next three mon

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967198-slow-economic-recovery-new-players-top-sme-concerns/

 

Govt plans to clear rice stocks in H1

By PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION

 

THE GOVERNMENT expects to be able to clear out its entire rice stockpile of 8.01 million in the first half of this year, beginning with a big lot of 2.87 million tonnes of rice suitable for consumption put up for auction on February 16.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967199-govt-plans-to-clear-rice-stocks-in-h1/

 

Phuket Smart City Free High Speed Wi-Fi now available

 

 

PHUKET: The Governor of Phuket has confirmed that the project to have 1,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots available across Phuket, a project costing just under B240 million, is now complete.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967200-phuket-smart-city-free-high-speed-wi-fi-now-available/

 

Seattle judge blocks Trump immigration order

By Dan Levine and Scott Malone

 

Migrants sit in the chapel at the Juan Bosco migrant shelter after being deported from the U.S., in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, February 1, 2017. Picture taken February 1, 2017. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

 

SEATTLE/BOSTON (Reuters) - A federal judge in Seattle on Friday put a nationwide block on U.S. President Donald Trump's week-old executive order barring nationals from seven countries from entering the United States.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967201-seattle-judge-blocks-trump-immigration-order/

 

Japan says it hopes Mattis visit strengthens regional security

 

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Japan's Defense Minister Tomomi Inada (L) walk as they review the honour guard at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Japan, February 4, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

 

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said on Saturday she hoped a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to South Korea and Japan this week, his first overseas trip since taking office, would lead to deeper security ties.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967202-japan-says-it-hopes-mattis-visit-strengthens-regional-security/

 

More than 1,300 migrants rescued at sea in one day - Italy coast guard

 

Mamahba, 17, from Guinea is covered with thermal blankets aboard the former fishing trawler Golfo Azzurro of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms following a rescue operation near the coasts of Libya in the central Mediterranean Sea, February 3, 2017. REUTERS/Giorgos Moutafis

ROME (Reuters) - More than 1,300 migrants were rescued in 13 separate missions in the Mediterranean on Friday, bringing the total helped over the last three days to more than 2,600, the coast guard said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/967203-more-than-1300-migrants-rescued-at-sea-in-one-day-italy-coast-guard/