Middle East tourists face obstaclesA man stands near health workers at the Phuket airport as the island reopens to vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine on July 1. Thailand’s attempt to attract more visitors from the Middle East is being undermined by a complicated certificate of entry (COE) application process and relatively costly Covid-19 tests, says the Dubai office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). "Feedback from tourists about the Phuket sandbox is positive, but applying for the COE and expensive RT-PCR tests remain obstacles," said Chaiwat Tamthai, director of the TAT's Dubai office. Mr Chaiwat said Phuket welcomed 5,000 tourists from the Middle East in the first month of the sandbox programme, before dropping to 2,000 in August due to stricter regulations and the start of a new school semester in the Middle East. Mr Chaiwat said if Thailand maintains the same travel conditions, the number of tourists from the Middle East should reach 20,000 in the final quarter.

After first visit, family of Nicaraguan detainees describe abuseSeveral high-profile opponents of President Daniel Ortega are being held in Nicaragua's notorious El Chipote prisonMANAGUA - Isolation, daily interrogations, threats and hunger: relatives fear for the welfare of dozens of opposition figures held in Nicaragua under conditions denounced by human rights observers. Ortega's government has been accused of political persecution for its rounding up of opposition figures, including seven aspiring presidential candidates. - Talking to spiders -Family members say the prisoners are being held without adequate food and no access to medical care. On Monday, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet urged the Nicaraguan government to "immediately and unconditionally" release detainees and stop its "persecution of the opposition, the press and civil society." The Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has also called on the Nicaraguan government "to end the harassment of opposition figures, including (human rights) defenders, as well as to immediately free those detained arbitrarily."

13,798 new Covid cases, 144 more deathsA woman receives a Covid-19 vaccine at The Mall Bangkapi shopping centre in Bangkok on Tuesday. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)Thailand logged 13,798 new Covid-19 cases and 144 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, 14,133 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus. Since April 1, when the third wave of Covid-19 began, Thailand has treated 1,391,477 Covid-19 patients, 1,249,603 of whom have recovered to date. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,420,340 Covid-19 cases, with 1,277,029 complete recoveries so far.

Dubious of Trump's sanity, US general secretly called China: bookUS Army General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sought to reassure China over the potential threat from president Donald Trump, according to a new book, "Peril," by Washington Post journalists Robert Woodward and Bob Costa. "General Li, I want to assure you that the American government is stable and everything is going to be okay," Milley told Li in the October call, Woodward and Costa write. To reassure the Chinese, Milley went so far as to have the Pentagon's Indo-Pacific Command postpone military exercises that Beijing might have viewed as a possible threat. The system had "a lot of checks" to forestall extreme behavior by the president, Milley responded. "These actions by General Milley demonstrate a clear lack of sound judgement, and I urge you to dismiss him immediately," he said in a letter to Biden.

International animations which screen in Thailand can earn 100 million baht, but Thai animations earn only 40-50 million baht. If investors want to produce a Thai animation, they must be able to sell it abroad to cover their investment," said Rutt. Thai animations released in cinemas usually feature characters and storylines that relate to Thai literature, which can limit its reach to international viewers. Rutt commented that not all Thai animations have to include Thai identity. However, talented young animators like Pattama and Ramita already have jobs.

The budget will be allocated for logistics, new land purchases for industrial estate development, and infrastructure development projects in industrial estates, said Ms Jareeporn. The company plans to launch three new industrial estates in Thailand by the end of this year. Its joint venture with IRPC Plc, the petrochemical arm of PTT Group, to develop WHA Industrial Estate Rayong, is scheduled to start operations in the last quarter of 2022. WHA also plans to develop two new industrial estates -- WHA Smart Technology Industrial Zone and WHA Northern Industrial Zone in Thanh Hoa province in Vietnam -- covering a total area of over 7,500 rai. WHA currently has a total of 11 industrial estates in Thailand and one industrial estate in Vietnam.

'Soft power' just a dream? The so-called creative economy will be the vehicle towards the dream. As long as the government is keen on censorship and does not allow youngsters to enjoy critical thinking, the creative economy will not grow. So-called Thai "soft power" will remain just a daydream. Young Thai talent will have to follow in Lisa's footsteps and try to make it in South Korea.

Benefits in the package include a 10-year Thai visa for not only approved special visitors but also their spouses and children, said government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, on Tuesday. The package also includes automatic work permits, the same rates of income tax as Thai citizens, tax exemption for income earned abroad, and ownership of properties and land, he said. The minimum health insurance package required for this group is also US$100,000 coverage per person, he said. Highly skilled professionals who would work as university lecturers teaching subjects related to industries of importance are also within this group, he said. The Board of Investment of Thailand has been assigned to set up a new centre to specifically serve this long-term visa programme, Mr Thanakorn added.

Japan to donate more dosesTOKYO: Japan said yesterday it will donate an additional 1.3 million AstraZeneca Plc Covid-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan and its other Asian neighbours, including 300,000 doses to Thailand. To date, Japan has given out more than 23 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in Japan to countries in South Asia and the Pacific islands, he said. Additionally, Japan has pledged US$1 billion (32.9 billion baht) and 30 million doses to the Covax programme, overseen by the GAVI alliance and the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, the Thai cabinet yesterday approved a central budget of 946 million baht for the Thai Red Cross Society to buy one million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. These vaccine doses will be given to people in Thailand's target groups, said Traisuree Taisaranakul, deputy Government House spokesperson.

Haiti PM sacks prosecutor who accused him of links to president's murderHaiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry (C), seen here attending the funeral of slain President Jovenel Moïse on July 23, 2021, in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, fired a prosecutor who accused him of links to the killingPORT-AU-PRINCE - The investigation into the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise descended into confusion Tuesday, as the Caribbean island's prime minister sacked a prosecutor who had accused him of links to the killing. Henry's move came hours after Claude asked the judge investigating Moise's murder to charge the prime minister with involvement in the case. Henry was named by Moise as prime minister days before the president's murder. A prime minister legally cannot be questioned unless the president authorizes it, but in the wake of Moise's slaying, Haiti does not have a president. Some in government circles had also called in recent days for the prime minister to resign over the allegations.

WADA to review cannabis banned statusSha'Carri Richardson was banned from the Olympics after testing positive for cannabis, prompting calls for a review of the drug's status as a banned substance. LOS ANGELES: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Tuesday it will review the status of cannabis on its banned substances list in the wake of the positive test that saw US sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson suspended from the Olympics. "Following receipt of requests from a number of stakeholders, the (executive committee) endorsed the decision of the List Expert Advisory Group to initiate in 2022 a scientific review of the status of cannabis," WADA said in a statement. Her case triggered debate about marijuana's continued inclusion on WADA's banned list, with celebrities and fellow athletes criticising the rule as outdated and unnecessary. World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe is among those who have backed calls for a cannabis review.

Japan to donate 300,000 AstraZeneca doses to ThailandVials labelled "Astra Zeneca COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine" and a syringe are seen in front of a displayed Japan flag, in this illustration photo taken March 14, 2021. (Reuters file photo)Japan said on Tuesday it will donate an additional 1.3 million AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan and other Asian neighbours, including 300,000 doses to Thailand. Taiwan will get 500,000 more doses, bringing Japan's total donation to the island to 3.9 million. The latest donation batch will go out as soon as possible, and includes another 400,000 shots for Vietnam, 300,000 for Thailand, and 100,000 to Brunei. To date, Japan has given out more than 23 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced in Japan to countries in South Asia and the Pacific islands.

Chinese property giant Evergrande under 'tremendous pressure'China Evergrande has tried to sell off assets to meet help pay its debts, including its Hong Kong headquartersBEIJING - Embattled Chinese property giant Evergrande on Tuesday conceded it is under "tremendous pressure", a day after insisting it will avoid a bankruptcy that many fear could have a huge impact on the world’s number-two economy. Its plight has raised fears of a contagion across the debt-laden Chinese property sector -- which accounts for more than a quarter of the economy -- with a knock on for banks and investors. It is also struggling to sell its Hong Kong headquarters, even at a loss. He poured money into mass developments in new cities, raising $9 billion in its 2009 IPO in Hong Kong. A year later Xu bought a struggling football team and renamed it Guangzhou Evergrande, lavishing millions of dollars on salaries for its stars and scooping titles.

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Flood, storm surge warnings as Hurricane Nicholas heads for TexasTropical Storm Nicholas off the coastline of the US state of Texas at 13H40 UTC on September 13, 2021HOUSTON - Storm Nicholas strengthened to a hurricane Monday as it tracked up the Texas coast just before its expected landfall, with meteorologists warning of dangerous levels of rainfall. Nicholas is bringing "heavy rains, strong winds, and storm surges to portions of the central and upper Texas coasts," the National Hurricane Center said. Between six and 12 inches of total rainfall is expected in parts of Texas and western Louisiana, with isolated maximum amounts of 18 inches. The NHC also issued a storm surge warning for much of the Gulf coast, meaning "there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline." - Flights canceled -Sylvester Turner, the mayor of Houston -- parts of which were devastated by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 -- said the city was on high alert.