Some local residents have planned a counter-protest at the site on the day of the event to underline their opposition to the factory. Thousands are expected to attend, with locals given priority for the guest list announced by Tesla earlier this week. - Environmental concerns -Tesla began construction at the site in Gruenheide in 2019 after receiving preliminary approval under a special procedure. But local authorities are still in the process of evaluating the environmental impact of the factory, despite construction being all but done. Until the survey is completed, final approval cannot be given and production at the factory will not be allowed to begin.

On October 12, William Shatner -- Captain James T. Kirk to Trekkies -- is set to become the first member of the iconic show's cast to journey to the final frontier, as a guest aboard a Blue Origin suborbital rocket. - Pioneering show -The original Star Trek was canceled after only three seasons, but went on to spawn more than a dozen movies and several spin-off series, including some that are ongoing. Astronauts have returned the favor, posing in Star Trek uniforms for mission-related posters and embracing the show's motifs. Amazon's Alexa was said to be inspired by the conversational computer in Star Trek, and Bezos -- wearing heavy makeup sporting an egg-shaped head -- appeared in a cameo in the 2016 film "Star Trek Beyond." Blue Origin denied the claims and said the employee was sacked two years ago for issues involving US export control regulations.

(Reuters photo)Thailand logged 73 new Covid-19 fatalities and 10,630 new cases during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry said on Saturday. The number of new infections and fatalities announced on Saturday dropped from Friday’s figures of 11,140 cases and 116 deaths. Of the 10,630 new cases, 10,621 were local infections and nine were imported cases. Four southern border provinces had 2,037 new cases (-278) and four new fatalities (-15), while 67 other provinces recorded 6,333 new cases (+10) and 39 new deaths (-15). Global Covid-19 cases rose by 442,912 in 24 hours to 237.99 million.

Facebook grapples with another global outageFacebook reported trouble again Friday with its services, days after a major outage. "Sincere apologies to anyone who wasn’t able to access our products in the last couple of hours," a Facebook spokesperson told AFP about 21:30 GMT. "Problems with Instagram, Facebook, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp AGAIN!" In an apologetic blog post, Santosh Janardhan, Facebook's vice president of infrastructure, said that day's outage was caused by "configuration changes" on routers that coordinate network traffic between data centers. The outage on Friday was not related to the one earlier in the week, according to Facebook.

US says to hold first in-person talks with Taliban since Afghan withdrawalTaliban fighters working as a police force stand guard next to a Humvee vehicle at the entrance gate of a police district in Kabul on October 3, 2021WASHINGTON - The United States and the Taliban will hold their first in-person talks since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan starting Saturday, the State Department said. The US delegation will meet Saturday and Sunday in the Qatari capital Doha with senior Taliban representatives, a State Department spokesperson said. The State Department stressed that the meeting did not indicate that the United States was recognizing Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The United States says that the Taliban have largely cooperated on letting out US citizens. Senior US officials including Central Command chief General Frank McKenzie met with the Taliban in Kabul in August as US troops took over the airport for the airlift.

Fury, Wilder heaviest ever for trilogy showdownWBC heavyweight champion British boxer Tyson Fury weighs in for his bout with Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas on SaturdayLAS VEGAS - WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and challenger Deontay Wilder will be their heaviest ever fighting weights when they clash for the third time in Las Vegas on Saturday. It means Wilder will come in 37lb lighter than his opponent when he attempts to reclaim his WBC title from the unbeaten Fury at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. Wilder's previous heaviest fighting weight was the 231lbs he weighed during his knockout defeat to Fury last year. Asked what the significance of his heaviest ever weight would be, Fury replied: "It means total obliteration of a dosser. "I'm not aiming for a specific weight, I'm just eating plenty of food," Fury said.

Equities steady ahead of key US jobs reportRecap: Global stocks were mixed on Friday as investors awaited a key US employment report that could influence the Federal Reserve's timeline for scaling back its stimulus. Brokerage firms were net buyers of 2.69 billion baht, foreign investors bought 1.92 billion baht and institutional investors purchased 1.17 billion baht worth of shares. Retail investors were net sellers of 5.78 billion baht in shares. The headline consumer price index (CPI) rose more than expected in September, at 1.6% year-on-year, as government utility subsidies ended and energy prices increased. Yuanta Securities says retail stocks will benefit from the easing of lockdown measures, among them BJC, CPALL, CPN and CRC.

Kerry Express added to sustainability listAlex Ng, chief executive of Kerry Express. Parcel service operator Kerry Express has been listed on the SET's Thailand Sustainability Investment (THSI) list. Its selection acknowledges Kerry Express's commitment to good governance and social and environmental responsibilities, the company said in a statement. Kerry Express Grow Green is a pilot project in Bangkok that uses electric motorcycles to deliver parcels. Kerry Express said it prioritises the safety of employees and consumers.

South moves to rein in CovidMore virus control measures will be imposed in the four southernmost provinces to contain the spread of Covid-19 following the recent spike in cases, according to a senior government official. Gen Supoj Malaniyom, secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC) and head of the Covid-19 operation centre, said Covid-19 restrictions will be reintroduced in the deep South, as the outbreak has exacerbated. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) is expected to discuss the disease control measures for Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla next Thursday. Meanwhile, the deep South on Friday reported a total of new 2,310 cases with Yala recording the highest number of infections (776) followed by Narathiwat (592), Pattani (503) and Songkhla (444). Dr Songkran Maichum, chief of Songkhla provincial public health office, said bed shortages were unlikely as most patients have very mild symptoms.

The island has seen an influx of travellers because of the Phuket sandbox programme for fully vaccinated visitors. Tourism operators in sandbox areas are upbeat about the outlook for the high season after Thailand was removed from the UK's red list for travel, effective Oct 11. Removal from the red list means tourists are not required to stay at a quarantine hotel for 10 days upon their return. The country was added to the UK's red list on Aug 30, which caused a surge in hotel cancellations. Visitors to the Phuket sandbox programme must be fully vaccinated, but students aged 15-18 normally receive only one jab of Pfizer vaccine.

A woman at a Din Daeng flat exercises with a skipping rope on Friday night as anti-government protesters were gathering at Din Daeng junction for a rally against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Pol Maj Gen Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB), said police have information about the suspected culprit, but no arrest warrant has been issued yet. Pol Maj Gen Jirasan did not confirm whether the gunman was among those arrested. Pol Maj Gen Jirasan also said that more riot control gear, such as bullet-proof helmets, will be provided for officers to ensure their safety. He was shot at about 10.43pm behind Din Daeng Flat 1 on Chaturathit Road, also known as Soi Saeng Uthaithip, and rushed to Police General Hospital.

Germany, Netherlands edge closer to World Cup finalsLate show star: Thomas Mueller acknowledges the fans. PARIS: Germany needed a late winner from Thomas Mueller to beat Romania 2-1 while the Netherlands eked out a 1-0 win in Latvia to stay on course for the World Cup finals on Friday. Four-time world champions Germany now have a six-point lead in Group J after their win in Hamburg. A win in Skopje would put the Germans on the brink of punching their World Cup ticket. Croatia, the runners-up to France in the 2018 World Cup final, still lead Group H after a 3-0 win in Cyprus.

Cops nab 2 over bank card scamTwo foreign nationals were arrested in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Hua Hin district for allegedly defrauding people by cloning their ATM cards and withdrawing money from their accounts, police said. Found in his possession were 209 blank electronic cards, two cloned cards, six bank books, and an electronic card reading/writing device. Police seized 28 magnetic strip cards with data, a data copying device, and an electronic card reading/writing device. Police said the suspects stole people's ATM card data using skimming devices and made duplicate cards they used to withdraw money from the victims' bank accounts. According to police, the pair operated for three months in several areas in Bangkok and Hua Hin and they procured the electronic card reading/writing devices from China and the skimmer devices from England.

Domestic airlines allowed full flightsAir travellers return at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sept 1, 2021. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration's (CCSA) operation centre has agreed to lift capacity limits on domestic flights, allowing airlines to take full flight bookings, according to the Public Health Ministry. Dr Chawetsan Namwat, director for emergency health hazards and diseases, said that while airlines are allowed to book to full capacity he stressed other Covid-19 prevention measures remain intact. Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that air travellers are increasingly frustrated with Covid-19 travel restrictions. Some 73% responded that their quality of life is suffering as a result of Covid-19 travel restrictions (up 6 percentage points from June 2021).

Strong quake in Tokyo derails train, injures commutersNippori-Toneri Liner trains derailed by the earthquake that jolted the Tokyo region on Thursday night. The operator, also known as JR East, resumed train services on Friday morning but many passengers were forced to wait at stations due to delays. At JR Kawaguchi Station in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, JR East imposed entrance restrictions to avoid congestion, leaving many people lining up in front of the station. Among the 32 people hurt, two in Saitama Prefecture and one in Chiba Prefecture sustained severe injuries, according to a tally by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The magnitude-5.9 earthquake, which struck the capital region at 10.41pm local time on Thursday, measured upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in parts of Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture.