Tackling Covid wasteThe Ministry of Public Health will start delivering 8.5 million Covid antigen test kits (ATKs) to the public on Wednesday. The discarding of used ATKs will only add to an ever-growing mountain of Covid-infectious waste which is currently mainly face masks. During normal times, such waste is typically limited to hospitals and medical facilities and is managed by a professionally licensed waste disposal company, which is costly. There had been a suggestion to allow industrial incinerators and furnaces to burn infectious waste but it did not gain much attention from the authorities. Let's hope something comes from it, as without a proper disposal system, infectious waste from Covid measures will become a new problem for our "new normal" Covid lifestyle.

PM U-turns on tackling 'Ferrari' cultureA parade marks National Police Day on Oct 13 each year. Despite a moderate police salary, Pol Col Thitisan, aka "Joe Ferrari" to those in the area, was found to have property worth an estimated 600 million baht. Let's face facts -- Joe Ferrari is just the tip of an RTP iceberg of graft and dodgy dealings. It should therefore come as no surprise that Joe Ferrari had been tipped as a rising star at the RTP. In many ways, the Joe Ferrari case is similar to the infamous Boss saga.

Big C Supercenter Plc plans to increase investment to expand its retail business in Cambodia over the next five years. Recently Big C opened its first Mini Big C store at Depo Market located on Jawaharlal Nehru Boulevard in Phnom Penh. Roughly 80% of products at Mini Big C Phnom Penh are imported from Thailand, with 20% local products. Big C plans to open two hypermarkets in Thailand in the fourth quarter this year and 150 Mini Big Cs this year. Of the total, 152 stores are Big C hypermarkets, 61 Big C Markets, 1,259 Mini Big Cs and 144 are Pure drug stores.

Sept 11 didn't change the world forever'Changed the world forever' is the most hackneyed phrase in journalism, and if you can get through this week (the 20th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks) without hearing it half a dozen times you'll be very lucky. With the benefit of hindsight, how much has the world changed as a result of Sept 11? So there were really no big changes in the Arab world as a result of Sept 11, and that goes for the rest of the Middle East too. But most of those deaths were "collateral damage", and the US military-industrial-academic complex would almost certainly have found other excuses for that scale of spending if Sept 11 hadn't happened. Did the world change forever?

Capt Thamanat has been accused of being behind a move to topple Gen Prayut in last week's censure debate. It's reported that Gen Prayut did not offer much of an explanation to Gen Prawit except that he had his reasons and he would take care of things. Gen Prayut and Capt Thamanat were believed to have cleared the air in a meeting hosted by Gen Prawit ahead of the censure vote last Saturday. In hindsight, Gen Prayut did show signs that things would not end well for Capt Thamanat. The move also sends a message to PPRP MPs and coalition partners that Gen Prayut can be tough when needed.

Medvedev advances to US Open final as Djokovic eyes SlamRussia's Daniil Medvedev advanced to the US Open final on Friday by defeating Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime. Medvedev, the 2019 US Open runner-up, reached his third Grand Slam final by eliminating 12th seed Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-5, 6-2. "I don't think I played my best today but I'm really happy to be in the final," Medvedev said. Medvedev, who lost to Djokovic in this year's Australian Open final, trails Zverev 5-4 in their all-time rivalry and trails Djokovic 5-3. By beating Zverev to reach the brink of the Slam, Djokovic would match Federer's all-time record of 31 men's Slam final appearances.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is gearing up to increase its market share in the high-end handset segment and roll out new Internet of Things (IoT) products, including electric vehicles (EVs). Xiaomi climbed to the top spot for the first time in the Thai market with a market share of 21% in the second quarter, based on a report by global analyst Canalys. It reached No.2 in global smartphone shipments for the first time with a market share of 16.7%. In the first half this year, the Thai smartphone market grew 16%, a similar rate as in the global market, he said. To maintain its leading position, Xiaomi plans to increase the number of MI stores from 38 in September to 100 by year-end.

You are invited to join Thai-German Business Forum webinarpublished : 10 Sep 2021 at 14:02 SPONSORED CONTENT1Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) Frankfurt Office, together with Royal Thai Consulate-General Frankfurt Am Main, The Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand, and Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Frankfurt Am Main, cordially invite you to join the "Thai-German Business Forum: Strategic Partnership on BCG Economy in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) of Thailand" webinar. Date: 16 September 2021 (Thursday) Time: 15.00 – 16.45 hrs. (Thailand Time) Language: English Registration: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcqdOmqqj0pHtXuEO8wWQaB_8cmibrtTfLc Free of charge10KeywordsBOI2021Do you like the content of this article?

Toyota cuts production further on virus issues, chip woesToyota said the move did not affect its full-year operating income forecast. TOKYO: Toyota, the world's top-selling automaker, said on Friday it would further slash production in Japan and abroad because of ongoing virus disruptions and a chronic global chip shortage. It comes after the automaker had already last month announced a 40% cut to September production, equivalent to 360,000 units. The outlook for November and beyond remained "unclear", though it said demand was strong and "the production plan for November and beyond assumes that the previous plan will be maintained". Toyota's rivals have also been forced to slow or temporarily halt production because of the chip shortage.

New 'Life is Strange' debuts as LGBTQ video games take off"Life is Strange: True Colors" allows players to pursue same-sex relationships as they journey through a supernaturally-tinged version of small-town AmericaBRUSSELS: With a bisexual protagonist who wields a mysterious superpower, the new instalment of "Life is Strange" is the latest in a growing array of video games that place LGBTQ characters in the spotlight. Like previous games in the popular series, "Life is Strange: True Colors" allows players to pursue same-sex relationships as they journey through a supernaturally-tinged version of small-town America. For years, gay, bisexual and transgender characters featured mainly in video games made by small independent companies. Before it developed "True Colors", Deck Nine Games worked on "Before The Storm", a 2017 "Life is Strange" prequel which similarly depicts a range of LGBTQ characters. Video game giant Ubisoft had stumbled with its own attempt at introducing LGBTQ characters in its cult "Assassin's Creed" series.

Japan Freight Railway opens representative office in BangkokJapan Freight Railway Co sets up an office in Bangkok to explore more freight railway opportunites in Thailand. (Bangkok Post file photo)Japan Freight Railway Co has opened a representative office in Bangkok to scale up feasibility studies on business opportunities in Thailand. The company in the Japan Railway group said it obtained governmental approval on Sept 2 for the opening of the office, its first outside Japan, in Wattana district. Japan Freight Railway has been providing support for local freight railway services since 2015 under an accord between Japanese and Thai transport authorities, while looking for a foothold in the Southeast Asian country. The Thai government is considering granting operating concessions to private-sector entities while refurbishing its infrastructure as it plans to restructure the state-run railway system -- a move that may open the way for major business expansion by Japan Freight Railway.

The way we were: Denmark lifts all Covid curbsVaccine passports will no longer be required to enter Danish nightclubsCOPENHAGEN - With no masks in sight, buzzing offices and concerts drawing tens of thousands, Denmark on Friday ditches vaccine passports in nightclubs, ending its last Covid curb. The vaccine passports were introduced in March 2021 when Copenhagen slowly started easing restrictions. According to the World Health Organization, the Scandinavian country has benefitted from public compliance with government guidelines and the Covid strategy adopted. With around 500 daily Covid cases and a reproduction rate of 0.7, Danish authorities say they have the virus under control. Travellers entering Denmark must still present either a vaccine passport or a negative PCR test, and masks are mandatory in airports.

Fatty liver: silent killer during work from homeWhile working from home, many might face issues of weight gain and fatty spare tyre around your waist. When we consume certain things such as alcohol, sugary drinks, soft drinks, and fruit juices, fatty liver can develop and make the liver work harder. Going to bed before 10 is ideal as the liver can heal itself best and try to avoid constipation as it would make the liver work harder. If you suspect that you might have fatty liver, you can come to hospital to check fat level in liver with a FibroScan machine.”Dr. Jeerawat also advises on herb consumption. However, improper administration can have a negative impact on the liver as the liver has to work harder to get rid of the substances that come with the herbs.

The unspoken failure in AfghanistanThe US withdrawal from Afghanistan captured the world's attention and attracted significant criticism. All functional states have some degree of common national identity. The new German language was related to old high German but did not really exist before the Prussians tried to build a new German nation. European countries such as Switzerland have shown that forging a common national identity with multiple languages is possible. Twenty years is far too long for a war, but far too short to build a stable national identity.

Hoteliers in Pattaya call for assistance, say foreign buyers sniffing aroundNo tourists at this hotel in Pattaya, in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)CHON BURI: Hoteliers in Pattaya have warned that if they do not get assistance with outstanding loans many could end up in the hands of foreign investors. Groups of foreign investors, mostly Chinese, were interested in buying hotels in Pattaya, the hotel association president said. He called on the government to pay more attention to the plight of the hotel sector and introduce measures to seriously address their problems. If remedial action was not taken, the crisis in the tourism sector would persist.