13,256 new Covid cases, 131 deaths ThursdayA student reacts as she is vaccinated against Covid-19 in Laksi district, Bangkok, on Tuesday. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)Thailand logged 13,256 new Covid-19 cases and 131 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Thursday morning. The new cases increased from 11,252 new Covid cases announced on Wednesday when the country recorded 141 more deaths. Since April 1, when the third wave of Covid-19 began, Thailand has treated 1,495,750 Covid-19 patients, 1,352,936 of whom have recovered to date. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,524,613 Covid-19 cases, with 1,380,362 complete recoveries so far.

(Photos courtesy of Busan International Film Festival)The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has unveiled the line-up for its 26th edition to take place on-site from Oct 6-15. Asia's premier gathering of film professionals aims to shake off pandemic-related uncertainties with a slate of over 190 titles, with the focus on Asian cinema as usual. BIFF says that with On Screen, it wants to "present more diverse and higher-quality works to the audience, whose range of fandom is expanding. The rich, diverse programming of BIFF has always been its strength, while the festival's steady championing of Korean cinema as well as upcoming Asian talent since the early 2000s has earned it a lot of friends across the continent. Though the lingering impact of the pandemic will affect arrivals of international guests, Busan seems to adopt an unruffled, business-as-usual attitude.

Modest Mouse performing live. To celebrate the new release of their seventh studio album The Golden Casket, join American alt-rock band Modest Mouse on their return to live touring with a concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, with supporting guests Future Islands. Modest Mouse are a three-piece indie rock group from Washington, consisting of singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, bassist Eric Judy and drummer Jeremiah Green. The concert on Sept 29 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre is part of Modest Mouse's extensive US tour. The livestream tickets are US$15 (500 baht), or $35 with a Modest Mouse Red Rocks T-Shirt.

Intake Education, a rebrand of Mentor International, which has been advising families in their search for the best boarding schools in England for over 30 years, is holding the "British Boarding Schools Virtual Exhibition" on Sunday, from 3-7pm, via Microsoft Teams. (Photo courtesy of Intake Education)Boarding schools in the UK have long been favoured by Thais and over the years, many students have returned to have successful careers in Thailand. The UK is home to some of the finest boarding schools in the world and following expert advice, parents will find the right school to provide their children with an exceptional educational experience that they will cherish for the rest of their lives. During the upcoming virtual exhibition, parents can identify the best school "fit" for their child and learn more about UK boarding schools and the UK education system. They will be able to discuss their child's future education plans one-on-one with the delegates from 13 top schools including Abingdon, Badminton, Bromsgrove, Cardiff Sixth Form College, Caterham School, Cheltenham College, Lancing, Malvern St James, Millfield and Uppingham.

OIC unmoved by soaring Covid claimsTotal claims for Covid-19 insurance ballooned to 9.43 billion baht at the end of August and are expected to continue rising as the daily infection rate remains high, says the Office of the Insurance Commission (OIC). OIC secretary-general Suthiphon Thaveechaiyagarn said the office monitors and inspects many insurance companies and has not found any systemic risk or impending liquidity crunch arising from the surge in Covid claims. By the end of August, insurance companies paid 9.43 billion baht in Covid claims. Although the increase in claim payments may affect some companies offering Covid insurance, the OIC insisted the premiums received were sufficient to sustain businesses. The OIC is overseeing companies' financial status and operating conditions, both inside and outside insurance companies' offices.

The Pizza Company is launching a special round of 'Buy 1 Get 1 Free' menus through all channels every day from today until Nov 8 of this year. The Pizza Company, owned by SET-listed Minor Food Group Plc, expects its sales to recover in the remaining four months of this year, boosting its total sales to be on par with last year's level. The company is expecting this campaign to drive its sales to expand by 40% during the life of the campaign. Currently, there are 405 The Pizza Company branches operating in the Thai market. The Pizza Company's sales grew by 5-6% to 7 billion baht in 2020, while Thailand's overall domestic pizza market was valued at 15 billion baht last year.

We believe Thailand's current account surplus will shrink from 3.5% of GDP in 2020 to 0% this year, with the risk of falling into a full-year deficit. For the year to July 31, the current account posted a US$9.3-billion deficit, compared with a surplus of $12.9 billion in the same period last year. We forecast goods exports to grow 5% in 2022 as these supply-chain constraints ease. As such, we expect goods imports to grow a further 3.0% in 2022, with domestic consumption and investment picking up. The potential depreciatory effect of a current account deficit on the baht could provide some upside for the tourism sector.

But some things remain constant: The top tier of the 2022 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings is packed with familiar names, with Harvard University claiming the top spot for the fifth straight year. But the WSJ/THE College Rankings focus on outputs, emphasizing the return on investment students see after they graduate. The emergence of remote learning during the pandemic has raised new questions about the value of higher education, she says. For those planning to enter college, rankings remain useful tools that students and families can use to help decide where to go. The WSJ/THE rankings are intended to serve as a starting point for families considering their options: The "best" school in the world might not be the best one for you.

NCSA investigates two data leakage episodesThe National Cybersecurity Agency (NCSA) has confirmed the personal data of 106 million international travellers to Thailand was exposed online last month, but was quickly secured by authorities, with no sale of the data on underground websites. NCSA is also investigating the reported leakage of personal data from 15 million user records on e-commerce platform Shopee. Gp Capt Amorn Chomchoey, acting secretary-general of NCSA, said Thai authorities were alerted to the leak of travellers' data from a white hacker detecting the unsecured database. According to Comparitech, Thai authorities responded quickly to the disclosure, but the firm had no indication of how long the data was exposed prior to being indexed. He said the Personal Data Protection Act, slated for enforcement in June 2022, would be useful because it authorises fines for those who leak personal data.

The third annual edition of the Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) ranks Thailand 44th among 110 countries, with Singapore sixth and Malaysia 31st. Thailand excels in internet quality (19th), but displays comparatively low results in internet affordability (58th), e-infrastructure (46th), e-security (63rd) and e-government (51st). Overall, however, Thailand demonstrated one of the most significant improvements compared to the 2020 survey, rising from 63rd place to 44th and excelling in the internet quality pillar. Despite making a huge leap in the overall index, Thailand has room for improvement in specific areas, such as e-government and e-infrastructure. The United States stands out for the highest digital quality of life in the Americas, while South Korea takes the leading position in Asia.

August exports expected to expand at a slower rateShipping containers sit aboard a vessel at Klong Toey Port in Bangkok. According to Commerce Ministry statistics, customs-cleared exports reached US$22.7 billion in July, with imports increasing by 45.9% year-on-year to $22.5 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $183 million. For the first seven months of 2021, Thai exports expanded by 16.2% to $155 billion, while imports rose by 28.7% to $152 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $2.62 billion. Real sector exports (excluding gold, oil-related products and weaponry) also continued to soar by 25.4% from July last year. The deal includes a joint effort to help the Australian military acquire nuclear-powered submarines, in an apparent attempt to counter China.

Business body seeks incentives to stimulate foreign demandThe Phuket sandbox will help revive the residential market in the province next year, but a local business body is calling on the government to provide one-stop services and incentives to boost demand from foreign buyers. "Foreigners buying a Thai property visit Thailand as tourists. Around 3,000 condo units in Phuket had been reserved by foreign buyers in the period before the Covid-19 pandemic, and these were under construction. At present, there were new investments from Thai investors in the property market in Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi. "Despite the Phuket sandbox, the property market recovery will take time, not this year," he said.

Huawei in 5G partnership with hospitalsMr Anutin (centre) attends a live demonstration of 5G smart ambulance, telemedicine and home isolation solutions for remote diagnosis and treatment of patients. Global tech powerhouse Huawei has signed a two-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Thailand's Department of Medical Services (DMS) to enhance the country's medical services using 5G-powered technologies. DMS wants to introduce enhanced smart services that apply integrated digital technologies using 5G infrastructure, artificial intelligence, big data and cloud edge computing. With advanced ICT equipment, DMS's expertise and the adoption of 5G technology, it can create equal access to quality and timely healthcare, he said, adding that the DMS and Huawei will jointly explore the benefits of 5G in the healthtech field under this MoU. Under this two-year agreement, Huawei will provide 5G technology to the two partner hospitals, enabling the immediate upgrade of their existing infrastructure, he said.

Given the lack of progress toward ending global hunger and malnutrition by 2030, the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, will convene a Food Systems Summit in New York on Sept 23. One of Gain's donors is the pesticide producer BASF, which seeks to portray itself as a "food systems hero". UN human-rights experts have been damning in their criticism of the process, which has sidelined the UN's Committee on World Food Security (CFS). Permitting this outlook to dominate major international forums like the UN Food Systems Summit will further undermine democracy and self-determination. Sadly, the UN summit is more likely to feed corporate profits than provide hope to hundreds of millions of hungry people.

Veerathai: Bolster advanced techThe government needs to address seven pressing issues in its new national economic and social development plan, says Veerathai Santiprabhob, former governor of the Bank of Thailand. He made the remarks on Wednesday at the annual meeting of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC). The first pressing issue is bloated state agencies and state enterprises, resulting in ballooning state budgets, Mr Veerathai said. This could result in Thailand becoming less interesting in the eyes of foreign investors as the country's domestic market is still small, said Mr Veerathai. The country should also focus more on human resource development, particularly in the science and technology domain, Mr Veerathai said.