Govt talks up new, 'more efficient' Thailand PassThe Foreign Affairs Ministry is rolling out a campaign to promote the use of the new Thailand Pass system which will replace certificates of entry (COE) for visitors to Thailand when the country reopens on Nov 1. "Thai embassies and consulates will change their original role of issuing the COEs to publicising and giving advice on the registration of the Thailand Pass system. The Thailand Pass system is a web-based system designed to make the documentation process for travellers entering Thailand more efficient than the COE application by collecting both travel and health information and also facilitating the filing of TM6 and T8 forms. According to the website, the processing of a Thailand Pass application takes three to five days depending on the Thai embassy or consulate where the application has been submitted. It is recommended to apply for the Thailand Pass at least seven days before the intended date of departure.

9,351 new Covid cases, 56 more deathsHealth workers vaccinate people against Covid-19 at Wat Bang Phli Yai in Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)There were 9,351 new Covid-19 cases and 56 more fatalities recorded during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Sunday morning. The number of new cases dropped from the 9,742 announced on Saturday, when the country recorded 74 more deaths. On Saturday, 10,098 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,850,482 Covid-19 cases, with 1,730,727 complete recoveries so far.

Dechapol, Sapsiree seal Denmark Open final spotDechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai advanced to the mixed doubles final at the US$850,000 BWF Denmark Open in Odense yesterday. The Thai second seeds rallied to defeat third seeds and 2019 champions Praveen Jordan and Melati Oktavianti of Indonesia 16-21, 21-17, 22-20 in the thrilling semi-final of the World Tour Super 1000 event at Odense Sports Park. The battle was very close as Dechapol and Sapsiree won a total of 59 points while the Indonesian pair took 58 in the 65-minute contest. Yamaguchi won the title in 2016, the same year former Thai No.1 Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk won the men's singles crown. Ratchanok Intanon, who got knocked out in the first round by fellow Thai Phittayaporn Chaiwan, won the women's singles title in 2017.

A source in the BMA said a follow-up meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday where details of the Bangkok sandbox are expected to be finalised. Turning to the Bangkok sandbox proposal, Mr Sa-nga reckoned it would be no easy task regulating travel as Bangkok borders many provinces. Bangkok sandbox 'key to revival'Sanan Angubolkul, the TCC chairman, said the TCC and the BMA will champion the Bangkok sandbox as a model for reviving tourism. The BMA has appointed a steering committee for the Bangkok sandbox to communicate details of the reopening to tourists. "The Bangkok sandbox will put the capital back on track and revitalise the city," he said.

The Ubolratana Dam, the largest irrigation dam in the Northeast, currently holds 2.7 billion cubic metres of water, or 111% of its capacity. (Photo: Chakrapan Natanri)KHON KAEN: Authorities on Saturday began increasing the discharge rate from the Ubolratana Dam, where water volume has exceeded the reservoir's capacity. The dam currently holds 2.7 billion cubic metres of water, or 111% of its storage capacity of 2.4 million. They recommended that the discharge rate be increased by 40%, said the governor. “For the safety of the Non Sang earth embankment that will affect the lives and property in Non Sang district and communities around the dam, authorities have resolved to increase the discharge rate of the dam from 25 million cu/m a day to 35 million,” he said.

The telecom companies had no choice but to step aside as government-approved technicians installed the equipment alongside their own computer systems and servers. Russia is using the censorship technology to gain more leverage over Western internet companies in addition to other strong-arm tactics and legal intimidation. But unlike China, which has three state-run telecoms that get people online, Russia has thousands of internet providers, which makes it more difficult to censor. “A blocking system is installed at the border of every Russian internet provider,” he said. The company sells products in Belarus and Kazakhstan, countries where human rights groups have documented internet censorship.

Three headwinds for the global economyIn the past few months or so, several headwinds have emerged in the world economic arena. This situation may drag on until the end of this year, with an impact on economic growth as well as inflation. With that in mind, we view that the global economic recovery will falter in the last quarter of the year, and slowing momentum will continue into next year. Global economic growth in 2022 is expected to subside to 4.9% from an expected 5.9% this year. CHINA LOOMS LARGEWe see three headwinds going forward: a China slowdown, emerging market turbulence and the fear of global stagflation.

38 million risk PM2.5-related health threatsAbout 38 million Thais are living in an environment that puts them at risk of falling ill with common diseases associated with prolonged exposure to frequently hazardous levels of PM2.5 ultra-fine dust particles, health authorities warned yesterday. This group constitutes all those people living in areas where PM2.5 levels exceed 50 microgrammes per cubic metre, 15 million of whom -- including children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with respiratory problems -- risk suffering particularly severe health complains, said Dr Danai Teewanda, deputy director-general of the Department of Health. On average, lung cancer, for instance, costs about 200,000 baht per patient per month in healthcare expenses, whereas living in areas with good air quality can largely curb these health problems, he said. Under the new guidelines, WHO halved the recommended limit for average annual PM2.5 level from 10 microgrammes per cubic metre to 5 and average daily PM2.5 level to 15 microgrammes per cubic metre from 25 previously. These guidelines are intended for the governments to refer to when considering adjusting their policies to curb air pollution to better protect the health of their people, she said.

(Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)Night entertainment venues will remain closed in 17 provinces during the initial stage of the country's reopening to vaccinated foreign visitors from 46 countries next month. Meanwhile, the nighttime curfew imposed to help curb the spread of Covid-19 will be lifted in 17 provinces, including Bangkok, on Oct 31. "We have announced an initial list of 46 countries. The prime minister also ordered an end to the curfew in 17 provinces, including Bangkok, from Oct 31 to support the reopening of the country. Entertainment venues in the 17 provinces will remain closed, including pubs, bars and karaoke shops, but operators and officials could begin preparing for their reopening.

China, India to be invited to join development effortsThailand, Indonesia and Malaysia will deepen economic and logistic cooperation under the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) with a plan to invite China and India into the partnership. Deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said yesterday the three nations will foster closer cooperation under the sub-regional cooperation initiative which comprises several cooperation frameworks including customs, immigration, labour data, and e-commerce. She said the next step is to invite China and India to join the IMT-GT initiative which is a sub-regional initiative formed in 1993 by the three nations to accelerate economic and social development. She said new projects include the development of a rail transport system between Thailand and Malaysia and a tourism development project in northern Sumatra by Indonesia. She said IMT-GT has also agreed to join hands in protecting global geoparks by signing a memorandum of understanding.

Foreign legion continue to make mark in English Premier LeagueWhatever one's views on the English Premier League, one thing that cannot be denied is its cosmopolitan nature. Arsenal also fielded two foreign players, Anders Limpar (Sweden) and John Jensen (Denmark). Of course, there were foreign players in England long before the Premier League was introduced. In the 1951-52 season, his 33 league goals made him the first foreign top scorer in the English league. After becoming Arsenal manager in 1996, Wenger assembled some brilliant foreign players.

Conditions for no-quarantine arrivalsApisamai Srirangson, a spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, outlines conditions for entry into Thailand by air from Nov 1, in a broadcast from Government House on Friday. (Screenshot)The government on Friday outlined conditions for quarantine-free entry from Nov 1 for arrivals by air from 46 countries, which also apply to people who recently left Thailand for those countries. The no-quarantine measures apply to arrivals by flights at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Samui, U-Tapao airports and chartered flights at Buri Ram airport. Other arrivals must enter "sandbox" programmes in, for example, Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phangnga and Krabi. These arrivals will be retested for Covid-19 upon arrival and on day 6 or 7 afterwards, before leaving their sandbox zones.

China hounds Taiwan with 'greyzone' war plane incursionsHandout photo shows a Taiwanese F-16 fighter jet flying next to a Chinese H-6 bomber in February 2020. But the sudden spike in Chinese war planes crossing into the island's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) has focused attention on Taiwan, fuelling concerns it could become a global flashpoint. In September 2020, the month that year with the highest number of sorties, Taiwan recorded incursions by 32 fighters and three bombers. - A message -China, which has vowed to one day seize Taiwan, says little about its ADIZ incursions. "(China) could start a war but whether it could win it is a different thing," he added.

Bills beat Chiefs in NFL grudge match, Bucs down DolphinsBuffalo quarterback Josh Allen waves to fans after the Bills' 38-20 NFL victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. LOS ANGELES: The Buffalo Bills avenged their defeat in last season's American Conference title game on Sunday with a convincing 38-20 NFL victory over the Chiefs in Kansas City. Mahomes also gave up a fumble late in the fourth quarter that extinguished all hopes of an unlikely Chiefs rally. Brown, 33, reached the mark in his 143rd NFL game to beat Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison, who did it over 149 games in a 13-season career with the Indianapolis Colts. Mike Evans also caught two touchdown passes for the Bucs, who trailed the Dolphins 10-7 in the first quarter before Brown and Brady heated up.

Murray serves underarm to beat Alcaraz, meets Zverev next at Indian WellsBritain's Andy Murray on the way to a second-round victory over Spain's Carlos Alcaraz at the Indian Wells ATP Masters tournament. Britain's Murray, 34, who accepted a wild card into the draw, had just eight unforced errors in the second set to Alcaraz's 14. "Especially in the second set I didn't see the ball well on (one) side of the court because of the sun," Zverev said. Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus continued her upset run with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over 2015 Indian Wells champion Simona Halep of Romania. She stunned recently crowned US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round.