MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden could set up a call or meeting any time but there were no concrete plans yet for a summit.

BURI RAM: A fire destroyed the 20-year-old Khok Klang tambon administration organisation building in Lam Plai Mat district on Monday morning, with damage estimated at 10 million baht.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong is mobilising police in the battle against Covid-19 by getting a new anti-epidemic task force under the Security Bureau to prepare for universal testing, the South China Morning Post has learned.

There were 32 more Covid-19 fatalities and 18,883 new cases recorded during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Monday morning.

Turkish journalist Sedef Kabas begins her second month in detention on Tuesday for "insulting the president", an increasingly common offence which observers believe is stifling critical voices 16 months before the presidential election.

Myanmar's military government has criticised calls for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' special envoy to the conflict-torn country to meet bodies that oppose last year's coup, which the junta has declared as "terrorist" groups.

Most parents are concerned about the possible side effects of Covid-19 vaccination in their young children, a survey by the Education Ministry found.

A majority of provinces are reporting spikes in Covid-19 cases, with the situation in Nakhon Ratchasima viewed as serious because of a shortage of beds for patients.

About 200,000 people are expected to visit Thailand from Saudi Arabia this year with the resumption of direct flights and mutual tourism promotions, the government spokesman said on Monday.

PARIS: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden have agreed to a summit, to be held only if Moscow does not invade Ukraine, France announced Monday following a frantic new round of diplomacy to avert a war.