WHO monitoring new coronavirus variant named 'Mu'The 'Mu' coronavirus variant, first identified in Colombia, has mutations indicating a risk of vaccine resistance, the WHO says. GENEVA: The World Health Organization has said it is monitoring a new coronavirus variant known as "Mu", which was first identified in Colombia in January. "The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape," the bulletin said. Five variants, including Mu, are to be monitored. After being detected in Colombia, Mu has since been reported in other South American countries and in Europe.

252 Covid fatalities, 14,802 casesA sales assistant starts arranging shoes on shelves in a shop at CentralWorld in Bangkok on Tuesday as malls reopened on Wednesday with the easing of the lockdown measures. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)There were 252 new Covid-19 fatalities and 14,802 new cases over the past 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Wednesday morning. Since April 1, around when the third wave of Covid-19 began, there have been 1,190,668 Covid-19 patients, 1,013,342 of whom have recovered. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,219,531 Covid-19 cases, 1,040,768 of whom recovered. The death toll was at 11,747 the third wave and 11,841 from the beginning of the pandemic early last year.

Ronaldo return headlines busy final day of Premier League transfer dealsCristiano Ronaldo completed his return to Manchester United on Tuesday. MANCHESTER: Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United was confirmed by the English giants on Tuesday as Premier League clubs scrambled to strengthen before the close of the transfer window. The Portugal captain scored 118 goals in 292 games during his first spell at United, winning his first Ballon d'Or and Champions League title, as well as three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two League Cups. Ronaldo's return has already had a knock-on effect with United winger Daniel James joining Leeds for a reported pound sterling25 million. Top-of-the-table Tottenham helped ease Barcelona's financial woes with a pound sterling25 million deal for right-back Emerson Royal.

252 Covid deaths, 14,802 cases WednesdayA sales assistant starts arranging shoes on shelves in a shop at CentralWorld in Bangkok on Tuesday as malls reopened on Wednesday with the easing of the lockdown measures. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)There were 252 new Covid-19 fatalities and 14,802 new cases over the past 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Wednesday morning. Over the past 24 hours, 18,996 Covid-19 patients recovered and left hospitals. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,219,531 Covid-19 cases, 1,040,768 of whom recovered. The death toll was at 11,747 the third wave and 11,841 from the beginning of the pandemic early last year.

A multi-track strategy for North KoreaNorth Korea or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been a conundrum for the international community for over half a century. The human rights dilemmas are covered by a variety of UN human rights mechanisms. The harder edge of monitoring the country's human rights record is carried out by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK who reports on the human rights situation, and this role was bolstered by a UN Commission of Inquiry a few years ago. All this means dark money falling into the hands of those who abuse human rights. There used to be the "Six Party Talks" between North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia, the US and China as a platform for discourse on the nuclear issue, with some implications for human rights, such as the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents.

He challenged the opposition to find out who had taken the alleged "change" from the government's purchase of Covid-19 vaccines, saying his government is ready for any investigations into the allegation. Mr Prasert said that instead of procuring the Covid-19 vaccine under the usual public procurement law, Gen Prayut had declared a state of emergency to allow the purchase of the Sinovac vaccines. Comparing the prices, Thailand paid for 2 million doses of Sinovac as of Jan 5 against the prices paid by other countries, he said. Thailand actually paid 556 million baht, while Indonesia and Brazil paid only 460 million baht and 337 million baht respectively. "Gen Prayut and Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul have conspired together to purchase the Sinovac vaccine on various occasions," he said.

At his third solo exhibition, "The L/Royal Monument", Wittawat conveys how his political views have changed. His turning point came after he read books in different fields such as philosophy and social science, as well as some that are banned. "I use landscape paintings to communicate political issues and symbols in my paintings hint at changes in my viewpoints. Afterwards, their paintings were painted over and I took photos of the wall and then created this painting. The painting of Anon Nampa, Captain Justice, was drawn from photos that Wittawat took when he met Anon.

It was to only have the voices of people who were there on that day. So each episode goes through the day, from the early part of the day when the first tower is hit, and then sort of moves along through the day. 9/11: One Day In America, produced officially in partnership with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, is the most detailed documentation to date of what happened on that day. Some of it is from major news outlets and then we would get the footage they aired on that day. And that's how most of us survived that day, by helping each other, and I hope that people can watch this.

Antoine Griezmann rejoins Atletico Madrid from BarcelonaGriezmann first signed for Diego Simeone's men from Real Sociedad shortly after their surprise 2014 league title triumph. MADRID: France forward Antoine Griezmann has made a shock deadline-day return to Atletico Madrid, just two years after leaving to join Barcelona, the clubs announced on Wednesday. Griezmann joins Luis Suarez, who left Barca for Atletico 12 months ago, at the reigning La Liga champions. But Kylian Mbappe's widely expected dream move to Real Madrid from PSG failed to materialise on Tuesday. They had to settle for second in La Liga, five points behind champions Real Madrid, in Griezmann's first season before stumbling to a third-placed finish last term.

(Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb0Harsh lockdown measures imposed last month were viewed as having limited power to contain the spread of Covid-19 due mainly to ineffective law enforcement, according to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI)'s CEO survey. Up to 78.1% of 201 FTI executives in 45 industries said the measures, implemented since mid-July and covering more provinces last month, only stopped the outbreak to some extent. Only 6.5% of respondents said the measures could effectively control the virus while 15.4% said the lockdown failed to cope with the outbreak. Their doubt over toothless laws to deal with such issues as illegal entry of migrant workers was viewed as the top reason (72.6%) behind the ineffective lockdown, said Wirat Uanarumit, vice-chairman of the FTI. The government currently focuses on four industries -- automotive, electronics, food and medical equipment -- in firms employing over 500 workers.

Pratthana Leelapanang, chief consumer business officer of AIS, said AIS Play has become a platform for Thai football viewership through which the audience can view the games anywhere without limitation. "Besides supporting Thai football by bringing content to fans, AIS will continue to develop this [Thai football] platform as the complete hub for watching Thai football," he said. Pratthana: The 'complete hub'The Thai League football programme includes all matches from the REVO Thai League, the M-150 Championship, the Bluedragon League, as well as the FA Cup and League Cup. Pol Gen Somyot Poompanmoung, president of the FAT, said this season's Thai League will be historic for Thai football with a huge array of viewing choices building a platform for Thai football. This will upgrade the viewing experience and make Thai football more international, he said.

Zipmex lures new investorsMr Sam (left) and Mr Akalarp, who pointed out that Zipmex is more than just a digital asset exchange. Mr Akalarp described Zipmex as more than just a digital asset exchange. The deal will give BAY greater exposure to blockchain and the digital asset ecosystem, said Krungsri Finnovate managing director Sam Tansakul. "We have been interested in the digital asset business and have studied the feasibility of investing in digital assets for a long time. Mr Sam said Krungsri Finnovate was a venture capital firm invested in start-ups.

TUC aims to reach 2m subscribers by year-endTUC introduces popular emcee Kan Kantatavorn (centre) to be its new presenter. The company also introduced popular emcee Kan Kantatavorn as its new presenter. Teeradet Dumrongbhalasitr, co-president of True Corporation, the parent company of TUC, said the pandemic has changed lifestyles regarding work, study and daily activities. The company has introduced popular emcee Kan Kantatavorn as its new presenter for True. Various models of 5G-compatible handsets have been rolled out with reasonable prices and valuable 5G packages, bringing True's 5G subscriber base to 1 million in June.

Floods prompt warning from trade groupThe Thai General Insurance Association (TGIA) has warned policyholders to prepare for heavy flooding and closely monitor the situation, as only a small number of buyers have full coverage for property damage caused by natural disasters. For anyone seeking to manage risk through insurance, Mr Anon suggested exploring existing insurance policies with full coverage for flood damage. Mr Anon said coverage in insurance policies after the 2011 Thailand floods was drastically changed. Existing coverage for natural disasters from floods, windstorms and earthquakes may not be sufficient because the insured may not have insurance policies that offer full coverage for flood damage. According to the TGIA, only a small percentage of assets damaged by floods each year were covered by insurance.

Bluebik to launch IPO later this monthPochara: High growth potentialBluebik Group, a local tech consulting company, is offering 25 million common shares, representing 25% of the total issued and paid-up shares, in an initial public offering (IPO) in the Market for Alternative Investment at the end of September. Payupat Mahabhol, managing director for investment banking at Yuanta Securities (Thailand), a lead underwriter for Bluebik's IPO, said Bluebik shares, with the ticker symbol BBIK, will be open for subscription through Yuanta and Kasikorn Securities, and the brokers' customers will get priority in share allotments. Pochara Arayakarnkul, Bluebik's chief executive, said the IPO was primarily aimed at raising funds for employees' capability enhancement and building a talent pool, which has been deemed a main driving force for the firm's future business expansion. According to the firm's financial statement, Bluebik's revenue has risen from 132.8 million baht in 2018 to 200.5 million baht at the end of 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 22.9%. Most of the growth was attributed to the firm's rapid expansion of its digital excellence and delivery and management consulting services, which include the development of comprehensive advice and plans on digital application and technology development customised for individual organisations.