LONDON: The world faces around 4,000 variants of the virus that causes Covid-19, prompting a race to improve vaccines, Britain said on Thursday, as researchers began to explore mixing doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots.

ROME: World food prices rose for an eighth consecutive month in January, hitting their highest level since July 2014, led by jumps in cereals, sugar and vegetable oils, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday.

The National Committee for the Elderly will meet on Friday to consider the plight of pensioners told to return their living allowances to the Comptroller General’s Department.

The solar business in Thailand is booming, as the government prepares to hit its Paris Climate Accords target of 30% renewable by 2030 and private businesses seek to attract green investors by matching ambitious emissions reduction targets.

The government on Thursday reported 809 new Covid-19 cases, 796 local infections and 13 imported, raising the total to 22,058.

SYDNEY: More than 500 tennis players and officials were ordered into isolation in the Australian city of Melbourne on Thursday as authorities reintroduced coronavirus restrictions after a worker at a quarantine hotel tested positive for the virus.

Foreign investors flocked to Myanmar as it began its democratic transition a decade ago, but this week's military coup is likely to accelerate a trend of Western withdrawal -- and China's expansion.

Consumer confidence dropped for a second straight month in January, hitting a nine-month low, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce reported on Thursday.

Police have arrested Siapo Po-arnon - a net idol, former celebrity boxer, former House adviser on gambling - on charges of organising online gambling.

Landowners in prime Sukhumvit areas are offering land prices 30% lower than previous years as condo developers delay purchases, according to property consultant CBRE Thailand.