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.

Burkina to open trial of alleged killers of left-wing idol SankaraFormer president Blaise Compaore is one of 14 men accused of assassinating Burkina Faso's revolutionary hero, Thomas SankaraOUAGADOUGOU - The trial of 14 men, including a former president, was set to begin in Burkina Faso on Monday over the assassination of the country's revered revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara 34 years ago. He and his former right-hand man, General Gilbert Diendere, who once headed the elite Presidential Security Regiment, face charges of complicity in murder, harming state security and complicity in the concealment of corpses. He tossed out the country's name of Upper Volta, a legacy of the French colonial era, and renamed it Burkina Faso, which means "the land of honest men". Burkina Faso has long been burdened by silence over the assassination -- during Compaore's long time in office, the subject was taboo -- and many are angry that the killers have gone unpunished. But the trial will not be able to restore our dream," Halouna Traore, a comrade of Sankara and survivor of the putsch, said in a TV interview.

Blackmail and scandal: former police chief on trial in SpainFormer police commissioner José Manuel Villarejo, in June 2017, at the entrance of the Plaza de Castilla (Madrid) courts. MADRID: Notorious former police chief Jose Manuel Villarejo, whose revelations have shaken Spain's political and business elite to the core, goes on trial this week for blackmail and corruption. The trial, which will be held in San Fernando de Henares, near Madrid, at the Audiencia Nacional, Spain's top criminal court, is expected to continue until January. "This first trial will be important for establishing the credibility of the Spanish judicial system," said Manuel Bravo Perez, who co-wrote a book on the Villarejo case. But the ex-police chief will attend the trial as a free man since the court lifted his pre-trial detention in March, after serving three years behind bars at a Madrid prison.

Key UN biodiversity summit to open in ChinaAround one million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction amid human encroachment on habitats, over-exploitation, pollution, the spread of invasive species, and climate change. BEIJING: A key UN summit tasked with protecting biodiversity officially opens in China and online Monday, as countries meet to tackle pollution and prevent mass extinction weeks before the COP26 climate conference. China has not yet committed to the "30 by 30" plan. - Division over targets -China said on Friday it has "given high priority to the protection of biodiversity by establishing a network of protected areas and national parks." The biodiversity discussions at COP15 are separate from weightier COP26 summit set to begin next month in Glasgow, where world leaders are under pressure to act on the climate crisis.

Economics Prize wraps up unpredictable Nobel seasonEsther Duflo, who won the economics prize in 2019, was the second woman to be awarded the prize, after Elinor Ostrom in 2009. STOCKHOLM: The Nobel Economics Prize on Monday wraps up a Nobel season characterised by surprising picks, with a number of women in with a chance of scooping the traditionally male-dominated prize. According to Clarivate, which maintains a list of potential Nobel Prize winners, other potential macroeconomists that could be honoured are Japan's Nobuhiro Kiyotaki and his at-times writing partner John Moore of the UK. The economics prize was the only prize not among the original five set out by the will of Alfred Nobel, who died in 1896. The chemistry prize went to Germany's Benjamin List and Scottish-American David MacMillan for their work on catalysts.

Climate: Rich nations have dodged finance pledgeThe promise to gradually ramp up aid for the Global South to $100 billion per year by 2020 was first make at the 2009 UN climate summit in Copenhagen. But rich countries have not delivered on that pledge, a failure that could undermine a critical COP26 climate summit in Glasgow next month already riven with tensions, experts say. "If we can get a good perspective regarding the $100 billion, that would ... give us the means to make progress on some other issues." "The $100 billion target therefore needs to be seen as a floor and not as a ceiling," the added. The failure of rich nations to honour their pledge is especially galling in light of a separate track in the negotiations over "loss and damage", meant to cover the costs of climate-enhanced damages that have already occurred.