Japan slams borders shut as world races to stem new Covid variantJapan has announced plans to shut its borders to foreign nationals over the Omicron variant, joining a growing list of countries erecting virtual fortresses against the mutated new strain. TOKYO: Japan announced plans Monday to bar all new foreign travellers over the Omicron variant of Covid-19, joining a growing list of countries trying to erect virtual fortresses against the heavily mutated new strain. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the country was "in a stronger position against the Omicron variant than other countries," citing voluntary mask-wearing and self-restraints about risk behaviours. "With the Omicron variant now detected in several regions of the world, putting in place travel bans that target Africa attacks global solidarity," WHO regional director Matshidiso Moeti said. But in a sign of optimism, Singapore and Malaysia eased coronavirus travel restrictions on one of the world's busiest land borders after nearly two years.

All arrivals free of new strain, say virus chiefsAll 1,007 visitors from southern Africa who recently arrived in Thailand have tested negative for Covid-19, the Department of Disease Control said on Sunday. The Department of Medical Sciences has not found a single case of the variant in Thailand, said deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek. The department is now asking all private hospitals to submit specimens from all patients who test positive for Covid-19 to be genetically sequenced to identify each individual's strain and its prevalence, she said. The Centre for Medical Genomics of Ramathibodi Hospital, meanwhile, is in the process of developing a test kit for accurately detecting the Omicron variant using a mass array technology, which is expected to be completed in about two weeks. Prof Dr Nithi Mahanonda, secretary- general of Chulabhorn Royal Academy, meanwhile, urged members of the public to stay calm and wait until clearer information is available.

NBTC reverses course on telecom infrastructure fundsThe National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) board has reversed its stance on its requirement for telecom infrastructure funds to seek telecom licences, saying these funds are just financial tools to raise capital. The board also assigned management to draw up a regulatory draft to determine all telecom infrastructure funds are not subject to requirements for a telecom licence. Existing telecom infrastructure funds listed on the stock market have never applied for telecom licences from the NBTC, although the regulator informed them before listing that they needed licences for their operations. In June, the NBTC board assigned its management to draft a regulation governing telecom infrastructure funds. The source indicated the latest resolution is meant to eliminate ambiguity about whether telecom infrastructure funds need to obtain telecom licences to operate because of interpretation of different laws.

The merger, if it took effect now, would see the new company's customer market share reach 54%, versus 46% for AIS. Mr Halil said the merger would create "some extent of monopoly power" in the telecom market, giving the company the largest subscriber base. "This is the trend for businesses now and merger is a way to strengthen parties' business growth," he said. WIN-WIN SOLUTIONAn industry veteran who requested anonymity said True and DTAC are likely to reap short-term benefits from the merger deal. "The merged company could undoubtedly claim it is the No.1 player in the mobile market," the source said.

Dechapol, Sapsiree win but Ratchanok loses in Indonesia Open finalsDechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai (right) pose for photos in a ceremony after winning their mixed doubles title at the Indonesia Open in Bali on Sunday. (Photo: Badminton Association of Thailand)Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai claimed their third straight title but Ratchanok Intanon missed a chance to win her first crown in almost two years at the Indonesia Open in Bali on Sunday. The victory was their third consecutive title after the Indonesia Masters in Bali and Hylo Open in Germany. But Ratchanok missed her opportunity to win her first title in almost two years after losing to An Se-Young of South Korea 17-21, 20-22 in 46 minutes. The 26-year-old Ratchanok last won a tournament at the Indonesia Masters in January last year.

Credit cards, personal loans lead debt types among Thais: pollCredit cards are one of the leading types of debt for Thai people, and debt levels have increased since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)Credit cards and personal loans top the many types of debt burdening Thai people since their daily life became affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll. The poll was conducted online between Nov 22-25 on 1,059 people throughout the country who have been in debt during the Covid-19 situation. Asked about the types of debt they had incurred, with each respondent allowed to choose more than one answer, 46.52% pointed to credit cards and personal loans; 39.85% loans for property including houses, condominiums and commercial buildings; 35.46% daily expenses; 30.79% loans for cars and motorcycles; and 15.73% expenses for education and student loans. varied as follows::48.18% owed less than 500,000 baht;22.85% owed 1,000,000-2,999,999 baht;15.26% owed more than 3 million baht;13.71% owed 500,000-999,999 baht.

5,854 new Covid cases, 30 new deathsA monk takes a nap as he waits for a train at Hua Lumphong Station amid the coronavirus disease in Bangkok on Tuesday. (Reuters photo)Thailand logged 5,854 new Covid-19 cases and 30 new fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Sunday morning. On Saturday, 6,354 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus. Since April 1, when the third wave of Covid-19 began, Thailand has treated 2,077,950 Covid-19 patients, 1,979,430 of whom have recovered to date. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 2,106,813 Covid-19 cases, with 2,006,856 complete recoveries so far.

Thailand will ban travellers from eight southern African countries where a new Covid-19 strain was found. No cases of the new variant have been detected in Thailand so far, according to the Department of Disease Control. Scientists are trying to find out how quickly the variant can spread and if it is resistant to the Covid-19 vaccines. The Department of Disease Control (DDC) yesterday announced a travel ban from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. RT-PCR tests should still work for the newly mutated Covid-19 variant.

(Photo supplied: Pattanapong Sripiachai)NAKHON PHANOM: A former pub employee and his wife were arrested and more than one tonne of compressed marijuana seized from their vehicle on the bank of the Mekong River in That Phanom district late Friday night. The seized drugs had a street value of at least 10 million baht. The arrest followed an investigation that led authorities top believe illicit drugs would be smuggled through That Phanom district of this northeastern province. He said he was struggling with debt when a member of a drug gang approached him and offered him 200,000 baht to transport a drug shipment from Nakhon Phanom to southern Thailand. He then rented the SUV and drove it to Nakhon Phanom with his wife accompanying him.

Health official says no Omicron cases detected to datePassengers queue to check in for a flight on Singapore Airlines at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday. (Reuters photo)Thailand will ban entry of people travelling from eight African countries it designated as high-risk for the new omicron coronavirus variant, a senior health official said on Saturday. The list of countries is the same as that used by the United States, which announced its ban early on Saturday. People already here who recently came from these countries will also be put in 14-day quarantine starting Saturday, he said. He added that no case of the new variant had been detected in Thailand.

"Do not travel to those countries to avoid getting the virus," the prime minister said, adding that a campaign has been rolled out to encourage more people to receive Covid vaccines, bolstered by an online system showing their vaccination certificates. Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said the government is monitoring the new variant. He said Thailand can request vaccines developed to deal with new variants of the virus under procurement agreements reached earlier with manufacturers. Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said the prime minister instructed relevant agencies to keep a close watch on travellers from countries where the new variant has been detected. The World Health Organization has classified it as a variant under monitoring (VUM).

Tourists rush to S.Africa airport after travel bansA flurry of nations announced travel bans to South Africa after the discovery of a new coronavirus variantJOHANNESBURG - Anxious-looking travellers thronged Johannesburg international airport and stood in long queues on Friday, desperate to squeeze onto the last flights to countries that had just shut their doors to South Africa. "South Africa found it but it's probably all over the world already," he told AFP. - 'Tired of this' -At the airport, red "cancelled" signs flashed next to London-bound flights listed on the departures board. Among them were UK citizen Ruth Brown, 25, who lives in South Africa and had planned to return home for the first time since 2019 next week. She had travelled to South Africa with her partner to adopt the child and was desperate to get back to their home in Austria.

Investors spooked by Covid news flee risky assetsRecap: Global markets, from stocks to commodities, tumbled yesterday as news of a possibly vaccine-resistant Covid variant propelled investors to seek refuge in safe-haven assets including gold. Retail investors were net buyers of 12.24 billion baht, institutional investors sold 5.98 billion and brokerage firms sold 3.21 billion baht. The cabinet on Tuesday approved a soft loan package worth 5 billion baht to help create jobs, mainly for the unemployed. Germany will release November unemployment, Canada will release third-quarter GDP and the US will release November consumer confidence. Australia will release third-quarter GDP on Wednesday, and the US will release November nonfarm employment change and manufacturing PMI.

Thai and foreign visitors walks on Khaosan Road on Nov 12 this year after the country reopened to air travellers on Nov 1. The country will also allow travellers to enter the country by land and sea, change the Covid-19 testing method for air travellers and allow tourists to visit more provinces. The change will allow visitors to start travelling in Thailand sooner since the antigen testing takes a much shorter time for the results to be known. Health authorities found 63, or 0.08%, of 81,000 air visitors infected with the virus, according to Public Health Ministry data on Thursday. The CCSA will also allow border entry, starting on Dec 24 with Nong Khai, the province opposite Laos.

Hong Kong records two cases of new variantThe Hong Kong government said Thursday that it had detected two cases of a new variant identified in South Africa, which scientists have warned shows a "big jump in evolution" and could limit the effectiveness of vaccines. (Hong Kong requires almost all overseas arrivals to quarantine in hotels for two to three weeks.) The presence of the new variant may complicate efforts to reopen the border between Hong Kong and mainland China. Mainland officials have said that Hong Kong is not doing enough to control the virus, even though the city has recorded just two locally transmitted cases in the past six months. On Thursday evening, Hong Kong’s No.2 official, John Lee, said mainland officials had told him earlier in the day that Hong Kong had "basically fulfilled" the conditions to reopen the border.