CHON BURI: Holidaymakers flocked to Koh Lan, offshore from Pattaya beach, on Friday - the first day of the four-day government weekend. Rooms were booked out.

PATTAYA: Campaigning is underway to encourage voters to cast their ballots in the first mayoral election in this resort city in a decade.

SEOUL: North Korea is facing its first confirmed Covid-19 outbreak with no known vaccine programme, sparking new calls for the government to accept aid that could save lives, help protect its battered economy and may lead to a diplomatic opening.

SURAT THANI: The four-day government weekend that began on Friday was expected to draw more than 50,000 visitors to this southern province, with spending forecast at 484 million baht, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

There were 56 more Covid-19 fatalities and 7,779 confirmed new cases on Thursday, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported on Friday, as the figures continued to improve.

Former transport minister Chadchat Sittipunt is the favourite candidate for Bangkok governor, according to the latest opinion survey.

This week: Lazada ad drama, Khao San tourism, Thai Pass plans and cult temple corpses

Thailand will shield its government borrowing plan from surging bond yields by tweaking the mix of short- and longer-term debt instruments it issues, according to the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO).

WASHINGTON: That's one small pot of soil, one giant leap for man's knowledge of space agriculture: scientists have for the first time grown plants in lunar soil brought back by astronauts in the Apollo program.

The Bank of Thailand (BoT) is persevering in its commitment to relax foreign exchange regulations as part of its development of a new foreign exchange ecosystem to stabilise the exchange rate in the longer term.