BANGKOK — Their Majesties the King and Queen on Thursday received Princess Anne, the Princess Royal of the United Kingdom, and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, at Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall in Dusit Palace during the royal couple's official visit to Thailand.

The audience took place at 17:07 on 16 July, the first day of Princess Anne's two-day visit to the kingdom. The Princess Royal is the younger sister of King Charles III.

Earlier in the day, Princess Anne and Sir Timothy visited Chumchonmoobanpattana School in Bangkok's Khlong Toei district, where she presided over a sporting event organized by Save the Children under her patronage in partnership with the Liverpool FC Foundation and the British Embassy in Bangkok.

The royal couple later met Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at Government House before visiting the Grand Palace to pay their respects to Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, and Princess Bajrakitiyabha.

On Thursday evening, Princess Anne attended a reception marking the official birthday of King Charles III, hosted by the British Embassy at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok. During the event, she met with Thai and British business leaders, investors, government representatives and members of various organizations.

Princess Anne and Sir Timothy are scheduled to conclude their official visit on Friday with a series of engagements across Bangkok. The Princess Royal will first meet Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn before presenting scholarships and awards for women in science and technology at Chulalongkorn University.

She will then visit the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit at Mahidol University's Faculty of Tropical Medicine and officially launch the ASEAN-UK Health Security Partnership programme. Her itinerary also includes a visit to the Bangkok National Museum to view an exhibition on Thai-British historical relations, as well as the royal chariots, palanquins and funeral carriages prepared for the upcoming royal cremation ceremonies of Queen Sirikit and Princess Bajrakitiyabha.

The visit will conclude with a Thai-British cultural performance and a stage production based on a literary work by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) at the National Theatre.

British Ambassador to Thailand Mark Gooding said Princess Anne's fourth visit to Thailand reflected the long-standing and warm relationship between the United Kingdom and Thailand, as well as the important role played by the two royal families in strengthening bilateral cooperation.

Princess Anne previously visited Thailand in 1972, 1979 and 1987.

Indian fortune teller arrested over illegal work in PattayaLegacyAn Indian fortune teller in Pattaya was arrested yesterday, July 16, after Tourist Police accused him of working without a permit and allegedly charging tourists for fortune-telling and spiritual rituals. Following complaints from residents and tourists, Tourist Police investigated reports that a group of South Asian men, particularly Indian nationals, dressed in religious-style clothing, were approaching visitors across Pattaya. According to police, the men allegedly told tourists they were experiencing misfortune or bad luck before offering fortune-telling sessions and blessing rituals in exchange for payment. The group typically handed victims items such as red strings, sacred cloths or paper bearing lucky numbers to build credibility before requesting a “teacher’s fee” starting at 199 baht. Customers were then allegedly encouraged to pay several thousand baht for additional rituals intended to remove bad karma. Some people, police added, reported being pressured or intimidated into paying after initially refusing the offers. Photo via Amarin TV At about 1.20pm yesterday, officers inspected a coffee shop in Pattaya and found 36 year old Singh, an Indian national, allegedly providing palm readings, face readings and fortune-telling services to tourists. After gathering evidence, officers identified themselves and inspected Singh’s passport and work permit, which revealed he did not hold a valid work permit. Two tourists told officers that Singh approached them, claiming they were suffering from bad luck before offering fortune-telling services and requesting a 199 baht teacher’s fee. Both said they transferred 200 baht before Singh allegedly offered a further cleansing ritual for 1,900 baht, which they declined because they did not have enough money. Photo via Amarin TV Singh was taken into custody and charged with working in Thailand without authorisation and working without a valid work permit. He was handed over to investigators at Pattaya City Police Station for legal proceedings. Amarin TV reported that Singh admitted he had been working as a fortune teller, police said. Tourist Police urged residents and visitors to be cautious if approached by strangers claiming they are suffering from bad luck, inviting them to participate in blessing or karma-cleansing ceremonies, or requesting money for spiritual services. Anyone with information can contact the Tourist Police hotline on 1155, available 24 hours a day. The story Indian fortune teller arrested over illegal work in Pattaya as seen on Thaiger News.

The Public Health Ministry has moved to clear the air over its hiring of community nurses (ASP), reaffirming that the role is meant to support, not replace, professional nursing staff. The controversy erupted when the ministry announced plans to recruit 7,256 community nurses for training, while approximately 7,000 professional nurses in the system remain temporary employees.

Health Minister Pattana Prom-Pattana stated that hiring community nurses does not aim to substitute for professional nurses but rather to strengthen the health team's capacity to deliver continuous essential care to communities. The two roles cannot be compared directly, he said.

Community nurses will focus on four key patient groups: homebound and dependent patients, those with chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mothers and children, and patients with mental health and substance abuse issues. This creates a systematic, rapid-response community care model.

Selection criteria vary by educational background: general bachelor's degree holders (up to age 65) undergo 240 hours of training; health science graduates (up to 65) complete 120 hours; and licensed health professionals such as nurses, doctors, or community health workers (up to 70) undertake 30 hours. Provincial selection committees with representatives from various sectors will review qualifications, and performance is evaluated annually. Top performers (top 10%) gain benefits like nursing degree study opportunities, while the bottom 10% receive warnings and their contracts end after two years.

Addressing concerns about professional nurses still awaiting permanent positions, Dr. Suphachoke Wetchaphanit, head of the Public Health Ministry's inspection team, confirmed the ministry has implemented systematic multi-faceted solutions. The ministry is accelerating the permanent hiring of over 5,842 medical and nursing personnel to ensure job security and reduce temporary and daily-wage nursing positions.

Of this total, 4,525 professional nurse positions are being filled, with completion targeted for September 2569 (2026). Many units have already processed over 40% of appointments. Additionally, the ministry is requesting allocation of 8,642 new civil service positions in ongoing discussions with the Civil Service Commission (CSC). The CSC has requested supplementary data from the Public Health Ministry, including distribution of professional nursing positions across health zones, five-year production and attrition statistics for nurses, and proposed improvements to job classification and senior-level nursing positions.

Although refrigerators help preserve food and add convenience to daily life, storing both raw and cooked foods together for more than seven days risks bacterial contamination and the development of aflatoxin—a toxic mold-derived substance that damages health. Aflatoxin, produced naturally by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus molds, is classified by the WHO as a Group 1 carcinogen with clear evidence of causing cancer in humans. The toxin is heat-resistant and survives cooking at around 100 degrees Celsius, directly attacking liver cells and potentially leading to cirrhosis, acute liver failure, and significantly increased liver cancer risk. The humid, poorly ventilated environment inside refrigerators actually promotes mold growth in stored food.

Five high-risk foods include pickled vegetables, which accumulate nitrite over time—converting to the carcinogenic nitrosamine—and are further threatened by mold-induced aflatoxin. Leafy greens like kale, water spinach, and lettuce bruise easily and deteriorate within days at low temperatures as natural enzymes and microorganisms break them down, potentially producing harmful substances. Tropical fruits such as bananas, mangoes, papayas, and dragon fruit lose their quality and flavor when stored too long, darkening and softening, making them vulnerable to mold penetration and aflatoxin formation. Noodles and rice noodles also present risks when refrigerated extended periods. Nutrition experts recommend buying leafy greens in appropriate quantities and consuming them within one or two days, stored in a dry place away from direct sunlight rather than prolonged refrigeration.

Agriculture Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit announced the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives' 99-day performance report and outlined goals to boost Thai farmer incomes by at least 5 percent within one year. Joined by Deputy Agriculture Ministers Watcharapol Khaokhom and Piyarat Tiyapairat, Suriya outlined efforts to help farmers face climate crises from the super El Niño phenomenon, low crop prices, high production costs, illegal agricultural imports, and global trade barriers.

Over the past 99 days, the ministry has promoted upgrading Thai rice through innovation and sustainability by distributing high-yield rice varieties to farmers and encouraging alternating wet-dry farming methods to cut costs and water use. A low-carbon rice pilot program across 25 provinces covering 100,000 rai has reduced production costs by 24 percent and increased yields by 10 percent, with plans to expand to 500,000 rai by 2027.

The ministry has also integrated water management efforts across irrigation, land development, and royal rainmaking departments, opening 12 royal rainmaking operations covering 59 provinces to mitigate flooding and drought affecting over 2.5 million rai of agricultural land. A central command center has pursued 146 legal cases against illegal agricultural goods, seizing over 26 tons of frozen meat, while fresh durian exports exceeded 100,000 million baht in the first half of the year. The ministry is expanding fresh fruit markets in New Zealand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, and China, and is negotiating with Malaysia to resume Thai shrimp exports within 30 days.

The ministry has also streamlined regulations by amending nine outdated rules and reducing approval time from 14 days to one day. It is upgrading land rights documents into agricultural titles for use as collateral, partnering with the Agricultural Bank to suspend debt for 8,858 farmers totaling 940 million baht, and reducing cooperative member debt by over 9,300 million baht. Minister Suriya emphasized that global food security must begin with the security of Thai farmers, stating that the past 99 days mark only the beginning of change as the ministry commits to improving farmer quality of life, boosting agricultural competitiveness, and ensuring long-term food security for Thailand.