PM Modi visits Thailand today for the BIMSTEC Summit, joining leaders from Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, and Bhutan to discuss regional cooperation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a two-day visit to Thailand, where he will engage in bilateral talks with his Thai counterpart, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and participate in the 6th BIMSTEC Summit. Modi will receive a grand welcome from the Indian community in Thailand and is scheduled to meet Shinawatra at the Government House, where he will be accorded a ceremonial welcome. On Thursday evening, the Prime Minister will join the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) leaders from Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, and Bhutan to oversee the signing of the Agreement on Maritime Cooperation. The BIMSTEC summit will bring Modi face-to-face with Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, and Myanmar military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, among others.
Myanmar's ruling military declared a temporary ceasefire in the country's civil war Wednesday to facilitate relief efforts following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that has killed more than 3,000 people. The surprise announcement by military leaders who also head the unelected government came late Wednesday on state television MRTV, which said the halt in fighting would run until April 22 to show compassion for people affected by Friday's quake. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule, and the military warned that those groups must refrain from attacking the state and regrouping, or else face "necessary" measures. The resistance forces have also reserved the right to fight in self-defense. Earlier Wednesday, rescuers pulled two men alive from the ruins of a hotel in Myanmar's capital, a third from a guesthouse in another city, and another in the country's second city, Mandalay, five days after the quake. Bu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive here on Thursday on a two-day visit, during which he will hold talks with his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra and attend the 6th BIMSTEC Summit. Modi will be given a grand welcome by the Indian community in Thailand and is scheduled to meet Shinawatra at the Government House, where he will be accorded a ceremonial welcome. On Thursday evening, the Prime Minister will join the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) leaders from Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and Bhutan to oversee the signing of the Agreement on Maritime Cooperation. The BIMSTEC summit will bring Modi face to face with Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, among others. It was not immediately clear whether Myanmar military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing was attending the Summit in person. Myanmar is grappling with the aftermath of the massive earthquake that ...
Rescue workers saved a 63-year-old woman from the rubble of a building in Myanmar's capital on Tuesday, but hope was fading of finding many more survivors of the violent earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, compounding a humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war. The fire department in Naypyitaw said the woman was successfully pulled from the rubble 91 hours after being buried when the building collapsed in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit midday Friday. Experts say the likelihood of finding survivors drops dramatically after 72 hours. Death toll numbers forecast to increase The head of Myanmar's military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, told a forum for relief donations in Naypyitaw that 2,719 people have now been found dead, with 4,521 others injured and 441 missing, Myanmar's state MRTV television reported. He said Friday's earthquake was the second most powerful in the country's recorded history after a magnitude 8 quake east of Mandalay in May 1912. The
International tourist arrivals are expected to drop by 10 per cent-15 per cent or even more in the next two weeks
Emergency rescue teams on Sunday began trickling into the area of Myanmar hardest hit by a massive earthquake that killed more than 1,600 people, their efforts hindered by buckled roads, downed bridges, spotty communications and the challenges of operating in a country in the midst of a civil war. The 7.7 magnitude quake hit midday Friday with an epicentre near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, bringing down scores of buildings and damaging other infrastructure like the city's airport. Many of Mandalay's 1.5 million people spent the night sleeping on the streets, either left homeless by the quake, which also shook neighbouring Thailand and killed at least 17 people there, or worried that the continuing aftershocks might cause structures left unstable to collapse. Many areas still have not been reached So far 1,644 people have been reported killed in Myanmar and 3,408 missing, but many areas have not yet been reached, and many rescue efforts so far have been undertaken by peo
Indian tourists, a significant portion of Thailand's visitors, began returning to India as soon as the deadly quake's effects were felt
A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand on Friday, destroying buildings, a bridge and a dam. At least 144 people were killed in Myanmar, where photos and video from two hard-hit cities showed extensive damage. At least 10 died in the Thai capital, where a high-rise under construction collapsed. The full extent of death, injury and destruction was not immediately clear particularly in Myanmar, one of the world's poorest countries. It is embroiled in a civil war, and information is tightly controlled. The death toll and injuries are expected to rise, the head of Myanmar's military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said as he announced on television that at least 144 people were killed and 730 others were injured in his country. In Thailand, Bangkok city authorities said 10 people were killed, 16 injured and 101 missing from three construction sites, including the high-rise. The 7.7 magnitude quake struck at midday, with an epicentre near Mandalay, Myanma
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that India will continue to monitor the developments and more aid will follow
A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked the Thai capital of Bangkok on Friday, causing buildings to sway. The US Geological Survey and Germany's GFZ centre for geosciences said the midday temblor was a shallow 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), with an epicentres in neighbouring Myanmar, according to preliminary reports reports. The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments. Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1:30 pm and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok. They remained in the streets, seeking shade from the midday sun in the minutes after the quake. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The quake was forceful enough to send water sloshing out of pools, some high up in high-rises, as the tremor shook. The epicentre of the earthquake was in central Myanmar, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of th
Modi will travel to Sri Lanka afterwards; MoUs on energy, defence and health to be signed
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-nation tour of Thailand and Sri Lanka next week with a broad focus on boosting regional cooperation under India's newly announced 'MAHASAGAR policy' and vision for a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. In the first leg of the tour, Modi will visit Bangkok from April 3 to 4 to participate in the sixth BIMSTEC Summit being hosted by Thailand. It will be the prime minister's third visit to Thailand, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday. From Thailand, Modi will travel to Sri Lanka for a three-day trip to hold talks with top leadership of the island nation. "The prime minister's visit to Thailand and Sri Lanka, and his participation in the 6th BIMSTEC summit will reaffirm India's commitment to its 'Neighbourhood First' policy, 'Act East' policy, 'MAHASAGAR' vision, and vision of the Indo-Pacific," the MEA said. Modi announced the vision of 'MAHASAGAR' or "Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across ..
The new visa restrictions could affect long-term visitors, including digital nomads, remote workers, and retirees, many of whom depend on visa-free stays to extend their time in the country
On Wednesday, US president Donald Trump reiterated his stance to impose reciprocal tariffs on counties, including India from April 02, 2025, during his address to the Congress
Hundreds of Indians trapped in Myanmar's Myawaddy region were lured by fake job offers and forced into cybercrime; a crackdown by Thailand, Myanmar, and China aims to dismantle these scam hubs
The White Lotus Season 3 is now available for streaming online. With a premium subscription, viewers in India can watch the web series on Jio Hotstar. The show was filmed in Thailand's major cities
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that many of the world's conflicts are an outcome of taking extreme positions instead of a balanced approach, asserting that Buddha's teachings of following the middle path and avoiding extremes offer solution to numerous global challenges. In a video address to the fourth edition of Samvad, a global Hindu-Buddhist initiative for conflict avoidance, organised in Thailand, Modi said the shared traditions of Asia rooted in the principles of Dhamma provide answers to the environmental crisis plaguing the world. Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, and other Asian traditions teach people to live in harmony with nature, he said, adding they do not see themselves as separate from nature but as a part of it. According to a statement, Modi highlighted the concept of trusteeship, as advocated by Mahatma Gandhi, and emphasised that when using natural resources for progress, one must also consider our responsibility to future generations. This approach .
Margherita held talks on further deepening the relations of India with these countries
Hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand made Thursday a life-changing occasion, registering their marriages legally on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal. By the end of Thursday some 1,832 same-sex couples had married nationwide, according to the Department of Provincial Administration. Well over 1,000 registered at district offices, while 185 couples registered their union at a daylong gala celebration at a shopping mall in central Bangkok. The couples included actors Apiwat Porsch Apiwatsayree and Sappanyoo Arm'Panatkool, who tied the knot at the Phra Nakorn district office in Bangkok. We can love, we love equally, legally, said Sappanyoo. And we can build our family in our own way because I believe that every kind of love, every kind of family is beautifu