JAKARTA: The United States is preparing "alternatives" in case efforts to revive a deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions collapse, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, as expectations grow that talks will fail.

NARATHIWAT: A pickup in a convoy of six vehicles taking rangers to support an operation was damaged when a bomb exploded on a road in Sungai Padi district on Monday. Nobody was hurt.

The army has set up a committee to investigate the crash of an Enstrom 480B training helicopter, which killed both crewmen, in Muang district of Nakhon Sawan province on Tuesday morning.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday withdrew his candidacy for the 2022 Senate race, the government elections monitor said, a month after he made a last-minute entry into the contest.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised China’s “aggressive actions” in Asia while laying out plans to more closely integrate US allies and security partners in Asia.

The cabinet on Tuesday approved the central bank's headline inflation target at 1%-3% for next year, unchanged from this year, which is appropriate for the economy amid a coronavirus outbreak, a government official said.

Thailand's economy is still expected to grow 1% this year due to the impact of a coronavirus outbreak, but growth is expected to accelerate to 3.9% next year, driven by a recovery in service sector activity, the World Bank said on Tuesday.

There were 37 more Covid-19 fatalities and 2,862 new cases registered during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry said on Tuesday morning.

HONG KONG: Against a backdrop of colourful banners and fluttering flags, local Hong Kong politician Allan Wong is trying to get morning commuters excited about the city's upcoming "patriots only" legislature polls.

SAMUT PRAKAN: A fire raged through a mattress warehouse in Khlong Dan area in the early hours of Tuesday, destroying the warehouse and damaging a neighbouring house. No casualties were reported.