(Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)Pattaya is on track to restarting its tourism sector on Oct 1, although the schedule could be deferred, said Pattaya City mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem. The so-called ''Pattaya Moves On'' tourism sandbox remains on track for reopening on Oct 1 as confirmed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Tourism and Sports Ministry, Mr Sonthaya said. Chon Buri is one of five provinces planned for the Oct 1 reopening. On Tuesday, Mr Sonthaya said Pattaya was fully prepared to welcome back foreign visitors on Oct 1, although he has made room for disappointment if the date were to be pushed back. Meanwhile, the famed Alcazar Cabaret Show theatre, one of Pattaya's main draw cards, is not yet ready for reopening on Oct 1.

Thung Kula Rong Hai hom mali rice was listed as a Geographical Indication product in China earlier this year. Thailand vows to continue driving forward with innovations, technologies and intellectual property (IP), hoping such areas will help boost international trade in the near future. Another key mission of the Commerce Ministry is to promote Geographical Indications (GI) to enhance the life quality and well-being of local people. According to the latest Global Innovation Index 2021 rankings, Thailand's innovation capability has climbed one spot and is now ranked 43rd out of 132 countries globally from 44th last year. The Global Innovation Index is a key indicator that reflects the global knowledge, technology and creativity output including R&D, which leads to an effective evaluation of innovation performance and policymaking decisions of all countries.

President Joe Biden has been under pressure from European politicians and major airlines to lift the restrictions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the travel restrictions on Friday with Philippe Étienne, the French ambassador to the U.S., according to a senior administration official. But it also means that people arriving from countries where travel to the U.S. had been allowed will now have to be vaccinated before arrival. Travel restrictions were one of the Trump administration's first measures last year to stem the spread of the coronavirus, attempting to keep it out of the U.S. The restrictions don't apply to travel into the U.S. by land.

SEC urges cautious approach to purchasing digital assetsThe SEC advises investors to make any transaction related to digital assets through licensed digital asset business operators supervised by the regulator to ensure legal protection. (Photo: Patipat Janthong)The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) advises listed companies to exercise care and caution before investing in digital assets. The regulator said digital assets are associated with high risk due to price volatility. In any case, the SEC advises investors to make any transaction related to digital assets through licensed digital asset business operators supervised by the regulator to ensure legal protection. In this regard, all digital asset business operators in Thailand are required to obtain a licence under the Emergency Decree on Digital Asset Businesses.

Taliban ask to address UN General Assembly: UN spokesmanThe Taliban said it had named its spokesman Suhail Shaheen as its ambassador to the United Nations. UNITED NATIONS (UNITED STATES) - The Taliban have asked to address world leaders at this week's United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, a UN spokesman said Tuesday. The credentials committee will now rule on the request, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told AFP. The letter said that the Taliban had nominated their Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan's permanent representative to the UN. "These two communications have been sent by the secretariat, after consultation with the office of the president of the General Assembly, to the members of the credentials committee of the 76th session of the General Assembly," he said.

Taliban says girls to return to school 'soon as possible'Afghan women have effectively been barred from work and school. KABUL: The Taliban said on Tuesday Afghan girls will be allowed to return to school "as soon as possible", after their movement faced shock and fury over their effective exclusion of women and girls from public life. At a press conference in Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said of the return of girls to school: "We are finalising things... it will happen as soon as possible." - No female ministers -The Taliban announced their new leadership earlier in September, drawn up exclusively from loyalist ranks. "We have the funds but need time to get the process working," Mujahid said.

Wildlife traffickers creeping back as pandemic restrictions ease - UNFILE PHOTO: A pangolin walks during a news conference after customs personnel confiscated live pangolins, in Bangkok, Aug 31, 2017. Jeremy Douglas, UNODC's representative for Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific, said that the pandemic has gifted authorities an opportunity to do more to discourage consumers and clamp down on the traffickers' supply lines. Southeast Asia, one of the world's most species-rich regions, has long been a hotspot for wildlife trafficking. Some governments have seized on the pandemic as a chance to impose much-needed bans on the wildlife trade. StockpilesThe hunting of wildlife and extraction of illegal animal products did not entirely stop during the pandemic.

Myanmar border alert for gun smugglingA soldier stands guard at the border with Myanmar in Mae Sot district of Tak. (File photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)Security agencies have been instructed to again step up vigilance along the border with Myanmar, this time to prevent weapons smuggling. Lt Gen Kongcheep said Gen Prawit had instructed that security intelligence agencies concentrate on obtaining information on the sources of weapons, transport routes and financial transaction channels used by the smugglers. Lt Gen Kongcheep quoted Gen Prawit as saying that Thailand does not support use of violence in any form in Myanmar. Gen Prawit wanted units where weapons had been stolen to investigate further, find those responsible and retrieve the stolen weapons as soon as possible, before they were used for violence, the defence spokesman said.

Crunch time for huge Chinese firm, but no 'Lehman moment'Evergrande's debt pile became a major issue last year when the government began unveiling a series of measures aimed at reining in borrowing. Talk of a "Lehman moment" has rung loud this week as worried investors try to ascertain whether the crisis could be a replay of the bankruptcy of Wall Street titan Lehman Brothers during the 2008 global financial crisis. However, most experts agree the state will not want to see Chinese homebuyers left out of pocket. Notably, the group has hired experts including Houlihan Lokey -- which advised on the restructuring of Lehman Brothers after its collapse in September 2008. However, drowning under huge losses linked to sub-prime mortgages, US authorities allowed the firm to go under.

Young couple arrested for online sex showThe couple arrested for streaming their sexual activities online, seated, in police custody after being arrested at a hotel in Samut Prakan province on Monday night. (Photo: Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau)A young couple were arrested at a hotel in Samut Prakan on Monday night for streaming their sexual activities online. The 19-year-old woman, known as Kainao, and her 20-year-old boyfriend shared their sexual exploits online via the OnlyFans website, Thai media reported. The couple admitted to producing pornographic content over a computer network, according to police. Police said they would not take legal action against the owner of the website, which only allowed creators to share content.

Biden bids to renew US leadership in UN speechUS President Joe Biden flies to the United Nations where he will vow to steer away from Cold War with China and work to resolving the Covid-19 pandemic. Biden's first speech as US president to the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York faces a tough reception. Reinforcing that theme of a United States wanting to turn the page on two decades of conflicts, Biden will vow a shift to diplomatic leadership, the official said. - New Iranian leader debuts -Biden will not be the only leader making his first appearance before the United Nations. From November, anyone fully vaccinated will be allowed to fly into the United States.

French defence minister warns Mali against Russian 'mercenary' firmAs some countries draw down their forces in Mali, the government is looking elsewhere to shore up its fight against jihadistsBAMAKO - France's defence minister has warned Mali that hiring paramilitaries from Russian private-security firm Wagner would isolate the country internationally, during a visit to the Sahel state. The Russian company is considered close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has been accused of committing abuses. The minister explained that France's "abandonment" of Mali meant "everything had to be considered to secure the country," the official said. France is concerned about military strongman Colonel Assimi Goita's commitment to hold swift elections to return Mali to civilian rule. But Goita overthrew the leaders of that interim government in May -- in a second putsch -- and was later declared interim president himself, drawing international condemnation.

Former minister Decha Sukharom dies aged 86Former public health minister Decha Sukharom. (Photo: Vorasuda Sucarom's Facebook account)KANCHNABURI: Dr Decha Sucarom, a former public health minister and six-time MP, died at 10.29pm on Monday at the age of 86, his daughter Vorasuda Sucarom posted on her Facebook page. He later switched to the Chart Thai Party and then Thai Rak Thai. Decha served as minister of university affairs in the Chuan Leekpai government in 1997. In 1998 he was appointed minister of public health in a cabinet reshuffle.

Asian markets stabilise after rout but Evergrande fears lingerInvestors -- already battling concerns about Evergrande, the virus and Fed monetary tightening -- are keeping a nervous eye on Capitol Hill as US lawmakers struggle to lift the country's debt ceiling in order to pay its billsHONG KONG - Equities fluctuated in Asia on Tuesday, with investors nervously keeping an eye on troubled property giant China Evergrande after fears over its possible collapse sparked a rout across global markets. Most experts expect the firm to default on the payments, though it does have a 30-day grace period afterwards. "Even though most people don't expect Evergrande to collapse all of a sudden, the silence and a lack of major actions from policymakers is making everyone panic," Ding Shuang, at Standard Chartered, said. "Markets are clearly having some angst on the potential spillover effects from Evergrande, along with some nervousness over the September (policy) meeting," said Cliff Hodge, of Cornerstone Wealth. There is a growing concern that US lawmakers will not reach an agreement to raise the country's debt ceiling to keep the government running and pay its bills, with Republicans against the move.

Tokyo's Nikkei plunges more than 2% on China debt crisis fearsThere are fears that Chinese authorities may not be able to contain the fallout of Evergrande's potentially disorderly collapse, which poses contagion risks. TOKYO: Tokyo's key Nikkei 225 index plunged more than two percent at the open on Tuesday, extending Wall Street falls on contagion fears from the expected collapse of debt-plagued Chinese property giant Evergrande. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index dived 2.07% or 630.51 points to 29,869.54 in early trade, while the broader Topix index fell 2.21% or 46.36 points to 2,053.81. Evergrande, one of China's biggest developers, is on the brink of collapse as it wallows in debts of more than $300 billion. On Wall Street, the Dow ended down 1.8% at 33,970.47, the broad-based S&P finished down 1.7% and the tech-rich Nasdaq fell 2.2%.