Asean weighs excluding Myanmar junta boss from summitBrunei's second minister for foreign affairs and Asean envoy to Myanmar Erywan Pehin Yusof. Malaysia's top diplomat Saifuddin Abdullah on Twitter said that without progress, "it would be difficult to have the chairman of the SAC at the Asean summit". He reiterated his remark about Min Aung Hlaing in parliament on Wednesday and said the Asean envoy was doing "whatever is humanly possible" to make progress on the roadmap. Myanmar junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun did not respond to calls from Reuters on Wednesday. Last week he told a news conference that Myanmar was cooperating with Asean "without compromising the country's sovereignty".

Press freedom, Belarus opposition or Greta for Nobel Peace Prize? OSLO: Media watchdogs, Belarus opposition leaders and climate campaigners such as Greta Thunberg are among those seen as contenders when the Nobel Peace Prize is announced on Friday. The highlight of the Nobel season, the prestigious peace prize always elicits a flurry of speculation. Ukraine opposition, climate campaignersAlso mentioned as a possible winner is the non-violent opposition in Belarus, which has denounced as fraudulent the August 2020 election win that gave strongman President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term. The lavish banquet in Oslo celebrating the peace prize laureate every December was cancelled last year due to the pandemic and may be again this year.

Armed with seven cameras, a Xavier robot in Singapore issues warnings to the public and detects 'undesirable social behaviour'. SINGAPORE: Singapore has trialled patrol robots that blast warnings at people engaging in "undesirable social behaviour", adding to an arsenal of surveillance technology in the tightly controlled city-state that is fuelling privacy concerns. Officials have long pushed a vision of a hyper-efficient, tech-driven "smart nation", but activists say privacy is being sacrificed and people have little control over what happens to their data. The government's latest surveillance devices are robots on wheels, with seven cameras, that issue warnings to the public and detect "undesirable social behaviour". During a recent patrol, one of the "Xavier" robots wove its way through a housing estate and stopped in front of a group of elderly residents watching a chess match.

Race for World Cup berths heats up in EuropeDenmark could clinch their place at the 2022 World Cup over the course of the next week. European champions Italy, Spain, France and Belgium take centre stage contesting the Final Four in Milan and Turin, but five of the 10 automatic World Cup qualifying spots could be secured come next Tuesday. The inaugural Nations League winners could theoretically qualify for the World Cup with two games to spare, but only if Serbia slip up against both Luxembourg and Azerbaijan. Stale Solbakken's side are tied with the Netherlands atop Group G on 13 points as they target a first World Cup since 1998. Croatia, the 2018 World Cup runners-up, and Russia are the pacesetters in Group H, but Slovakia cannot be discounted either.

PM picked by ruling partyPrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha presided over launch of the vaccination campaign for young people aged 12-18 at the Pibool Uppatham School in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district on Monday. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has been nominated by the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) as its prime ministerial candidate in the next election. After Tuesday’s weekly cabinet meeting, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana told a press conference that Gen Prayut responded positively to the decision. With the PPRP's nomination in hand, Gen Prayut looks set to seek another term as premier. They maintained Gen Prayut's time as prime minister began in 2014, as the head of the National Council for Peace and Order, which seized power in a coup.

Premier League scrambles to convince stars to get vaccinatedPremier League matches are once again taking place in packed stadiums. However, although no official figures have been offered by the Premier League, reports suggest only seven of England's 20 top-flight clubs have more than 50 percent of their squad fully vaccinated. "It's low, not just in the Premier League but in the Football League as well. British Health Secretary Sajid Javid has expressed his "disappointment" and concern at the potential impact of vaccine hesitancy among Premier League stars on children and young people. And England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam has addressed Premier League captains in a bid to reassure them on any health concerns.

Johnson vows 'long overdue' revamp of UK's post-Brexit economyJohnson is expected to explain Britain's current problems as unavoidable to reset the economy post-BrexitMANCHESTER (UNITED KINGDOM) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rallies his Conservative party faithful on Wednesday vowing a far-reaching overhaul to wean the UK economy off cheap foreign labour after Brexit. "Because we are embarking now on the change of direction that has been long overdue in the UK economy," Johnson will say, vowing no return to the pre-Brexit model of "uncontrolled immigration". - Climate silence -The government blames the acute labour shortages afflicting the UK economy not on its hardline approach to Brexit but on the coronavirus pandemic. But at the Tory gathering as a whole, the topic of climate change has been relegated to the backburner. But Johnson's COP26 president, Alok Sharma, denied the party was soft-pedalling climate change with less than a month to go before he welcomes delegates from around the world to Glasgow.

(Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool)There were 9,866 new Covid-19 cases and 102 more fatalities recorded during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Wednesday morning. The number of new cases fell slightly from the 9,869 announced on Tuesday, when the country recorded 92 more deaths. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,667,097 Covid-19 cases, with 1,541,770 complete recoveries so far. Meanwhile, reopened tourist provinces namely Phuket, Krabi, Phangna and Surat Thani still had enough resources to handle their local Covid-19 cases, she said. Global Covid-19 cases rose by 411,101 in 24 hours to 236.59 million.

Netflix is a prime example for Southeast Asian filmmakers to showcase their work to a larger, international audience. The panellists each discussed how Southeast Asian cinema is flourishing in a new era of international recognition. Like in many SEA countries, Vanridee said the Thai film industry is facing financial issues caused by the pandemic. "It shows the resilience of all film industry players to adapt and find new ways to tell their stories. "I believe there's a similarity in the way we work, whether Indonesian to Filipino or Thai filmmakers," said Tjahjanto.

Placebo by Nuttapong Daovichitr. (Photo courtesy of Art Bakery Gallery)"Safe Space" is the first online virtual reality exhibition by Nuttapong Daovichitr, aka Nutdao, who is displaying 11 digital paintings at Art Bakery Gallery, a VR gallery fully accessible around the clock, until Oct 31. He constructed this imaginary space as an escape from hopeless situations where there is no way out. Some of the highlight pieces are Placebo, Sanctuary No.01 and Sanctuary No.02. He is reputed for portraying his innermost feelings and daily state of mind through simple yet detailed drawing lines in his work.

(Photo courtesy of Picasa)Trash is a constant element in the artwork by Cameron Platter, which is being displayed during "The Message Is The Message" at Warin Lab Contemporary, until Nov 18. In his eyes, trash is the garbage of conformist common sense. It represents the way people become addicted to a Netflix series to the point where they neglect to realise that the worst inhumanities are flowing in the background of life. Warin Lab Contemporary is located at O.P. Garden, Charoen Krung 36 and opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30am to 7.30pm.

Burger chain looks to revitalise via franchisesFrom left, Mrs Chamchan and Mr Supak. Steak Group, the owner of EZ'S sausage and the operator of Siam Steak burger chain, announced the expansion of its business via the franchise model to turnaround business. Siam Steak Group, the owner of EZ'S Sausage and the operator of the Siam Steak burger chain, has expanded via the franchise model to turn around a business spluttering from the pandemic. There are four Siam Steak franchise stores in Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi. "It is hoped the franchise model will raise our sales to offset the drop in the school channel.

Air force chief wants modern jetsThe air force needs new, advanced aircraft to strengthen the nation's defences, newly appointed air force chief, ACM Napadej Dhupatemiya, says. He said his father, former air force chief ACM Praphan Dhupatemiya, once told him the air force needed more advanced fighter jets like the F-35, provided the country could afford them and had the people's backing. The air force's current fleet of fighter jets is getting old and should be replaced with modern aircraft, he added. "We need to move past the ordinary types of jets and embrace more advanced aircraft," the new chief said. "Useful aircraft are quality aircraft," ACM Napadej added.

Govt warns workers of Aussie visa scamThe Labour Ministry is warning Thai jobseekers looking for agricultural jobs in Australia to be wary of scammers claiming to be able to secure a visa immediately, as details of the scheme are still being finalised by authorities. "All job seekers who wish to work overseas must thoroughly check the job position and description. They can find legal recruitment firms, 125 of which have been certified, via the website of Employment Department at 'doe.go.th/ipd'," said Mr Suchart. The Australian embassy in Thailand also said the details of the new working visa are still being finalised. Before applying for any jobs overseas, all labourers must inform the Employment Department and depart through the job-seeker channel at airports.

S&P keeps Thailand's BBB+ ratingThe government has welcomed the decision by Standard & Poor (S&P) Global Ratings to maintain Thailand's sovereign credit rating at BBB+ and rate the kingdom's economy as having a stable outlook. Published on Monday, the positive credit rating and economic outlook were awarded to Thailand for its strong finance and foreign currency parameters, despite the global economic doldrums caused by Covid-19. S&P expects the economy will grow 1.1% this year and a further 3.6% annually until 2024, said government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, citing the report. Thailand retains strong public finance despite a budget deficit caused by the government's decision to incur more public debt in order to finance its pandemic relief and economic revival policies, he said. Meanwhile, confidence among foreign investors is returning, given the volume of investment privileges requested, he said.