ADB cuts Asia growth forecast on slow Covid vaccine rolloutWorkers build a bridge in Ghaziabad, India. The Asian Development Bank has cut its growth forecast for developing Asia. MANILA: The Asian Development Bank warned of "lasting scars" from the coronavirus pandemic as it cut its 2021 growth forecast for developing Asia on slow vaccination rates, surging infections and crippling lockdowns. The Philippines-based ADB forecast growth of 7.1% -- compared with its previous prediction in April of 7.3% and a slight contraction in 2020 -- but said the recovery "remains fragile". Progress on reducing poverty in developing Asia had been set back "at least two years", and prolonged school closures would lead to higher-than-expected learning and earning losses.

11,252 new Covid cases, 141 more deathsYoungsters wait for injection with the Pfizer vaccine at Vajira Hospital in Bangkok on Tuesday. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)Thailand logged 11,252 new Covid-19 cases and 141 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Wednesday morning. Four southern border provinces had 1,309 new cases and 10 new fatalities, while 67 other provinces recorded 6,039 new cases and 57 new deaths. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,511,357 Covid-19 cases, with 1,366,533 complete recoveries so far. Global Covid-19 cases rose by 456,457 in 24 hours to 230.31 million.

Amnesty demands two billion Covid jabs for poorer worldAmnesty claims vaccine manufacturers are not living up to their commitments to provide the Covid jab to poorer nations. LONDON: Covid vaccine manufacturers are putting profit before lives, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, as it demanded two billion doses for poorer nations by the end of the year. The group said AstraZeneca, BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Novavax and Pfizer had all refused to share doses or technology to enable more of the world to get Covid jabs. Out of 5.76 billion doses administered worldwide, only 0.3 percent have gone to low-income countries with over 79 percent heading to upper-middle and high-income countries, it said. AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson were selling their doses at cost price, it noted.

US actor Tom Hanks serves as a trustee for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles is finally getting a museum for movies -- and it's about time, said Tom Hanks, as he welcomed journalists to a special pre-opening event Tuesday. After decades of delays, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opens to the public next week. "It matters for Los Angeles to have this film museum," said double-Oscar winner Hanks, who serves as a trustee. After a star-studded opening gala Saturday, the museum opens to the public on September 30.

WeTV forecasts strong business growthMs Kanokporn delivers a keynote presentation at the live press conference for 'WeTV Always More 2022'. "Thailand's over-the-top [OTT] market sees intense competition with more than 20 players involved," said Kanokporn Prachayaset, chief commercial and country manager of WeTV Thailand. Kanokporn Prachayaset, chief commercial officer and country manager of WeTV Thailand, Tencent (Thailand) Co, gives a keynote presentation at the live press conference for 'WeTV Always More 2022.' In 2021, 50% of WeTV content is from China and the rest from local productions and elsewhere. Kaichen Li, head of WeTV and iFlix for Southeast Asia, said there are 180 million OTT users in Asean.

(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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.