“If I win the belt, of course I have to hand it over to the real champ, which is my mother,” Shadow told the Bangkok Post. Last September, she was ringside when Shadow stopped Bampara Kouyate by TKO to cement his place as a title contender. Shadow greets his mother on his way to the ring at ONE Fight Night 35Born into hardship, Shadow has often spoken about fighting to repay the sacrifices she made while raising him. Shadow wheels away after a TKO against Bampara Kouyate“I don’t think I will have time to feel it out,” he said. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about.”Shadow_s mother congratulates him after his victory at ONE Fight Night 40Shadow believes maturity will be key.

After decades of steady improvement driven by digitisation, process optimisation, and category management, this essential business function is now entering a new era thanks to AI and Generative AI (GenAI) solutions. This ongoing transformation isn’t simply based on automating tasks, but a fundamental reimagining of how procurement creates value — moving from incremental gains to true structural change. A leading procurement technology stack also includes ERP systems for data, Source to Pay platforms for workflow and tools to improve the user experience. The path ahead for AI procurementThe procurement function is at an inflection point. This reinvention in procurement value creation also plays a prominent role in how Thai companies are funding their AI transformation journeys.

(Photo: AFP)MILAN - Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych said he hoped “truth would prevail” as he appealed to sport’s highest court on Friday following his Olympic ban, as US figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin eyed a second gold of the Milan-Cortina Games. Heraskevych was disqualified on Thursday after refusing to ditch a helmet depicting victims of Ukraine’s war with Russia. Gestures of a political nature during competition are forbidden under the Olympic charter. The decision drew a stinging response from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said the “Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors”. Malinin, the son of Olympic figure skaters who competed for Uzbekistan before emigrating to the US, leads Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama after Tuesday’s short programme.

Exat completes Samui Link Expressway hearingsThe Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat) has completed its third public hearing on the proposed 74‑billion‑baht Samui Link Expressway, ahead of tentative cabinet consideration within the next two years. Exat deputy governor for finance, accounting and business development, Nattha Kasee, said on Wednesday that Exat held its final public hearing to summarise the findings of feasibility studies covering engineering, economic, financial and environmental impacts for the Samui Link Expressway project in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. Over a 30-year period, traffic volume is projected at 64.2 million vehicles, generating an estimated 80.108 billion baht in revenue. The project also includes a roughly 22-kilometre sea bridge constructed primarily with prefabricated segments to minimise marine construction activities. The design adheres to international standards to ensure structural stability under wind and seismic loads.

Merz, Macron to address first day of Munich security meetAuthorities have thrown up a ring of steel around the Munich Security Conference. (Photo: AFP)MUNICH — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron will Friday address the first day of the Munich Security Conference at a time of strained ties between Europe and the United States. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will also address the conference over the course of the day. The meeting comes as relations between Europe and the United States, their traditional allies and guarantors of the continent's security for decades, are under immense pressure. Rubio will address the conference on Saturday, a year after Vice President JD Vance used the same stage to attack European policies on immigration and free speech, shocking European allies.

Rio's Carnival period starts Friday, with the top schools kicking off three days of glittering parades on Sunday. Rio's tourism agency Riotur president Bernardo Fellows told AFP that 52 million reais ($10 million) had been allocated to samba schools through the ranks. But the roots come from here, they come from the North Zone." Nowadays it's a luxury carnival, a carnival of feathers, sequins, VIP boxes." These people shouldn't just be there to parade to fill the samba school, they need to appreciate the spectacle as well."

North Korea's Kim positioning daughter as successorNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae stand at a hotel reception counter as they attend an inauguration ceremony for hotels in the tourist resort in Samjiyon City. (Photo: Reuters)SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be taking steps to consolidate his daughter's position as successor, ​and there are signs ⁠she is providing input on policy matters, South Korean lawmakers said on Thursday, citing a spy agency briefing. South Korea's National Intelligence Agency (NIS) will be closely watching whether the daughter, ‌believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, attends an upcoming meeting of the ruling Workers' Party and how she is presented, including whether she takes on any official title, the lawmakers said. "In the ⁠past, the NIS described Kim Ju Ae as being 'in study as successor' but today the expression used was that she 'was in the stage of being internally appointed successor'," lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters following a closed-door briefing from the NIS. It remains unclear, however, ⁠whether it will be nuclear powered or ​operationally functional as designed, the lawmakers said, citing the spy agency's analysis.

Anutin Charnvirakul and Thananon Niramit registered their marriage on Friday in Bangkok. (Supplied photo)Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul married his long-time partner Thananon Niramit in an intimate ceremony at his private residence in Bangkok on Friday morning, with family members and a senior government official serving as witnesses. The couple registered their marriage at home with officials from Dusit district office officiating. Mr Anutin also serves as Interior Minister. Mr Anutin, 59, and Ms Thananon, 39, first made their relationship public in 2022 at Government House and have since appeared together at numerous official functions.

Les Ateliers Louis Moinet artistically expresses this zodiac theme in the Tourbillon Puzzle Fire Horse timepiece housed in an 18-carat red gold case. Based in Saint-Blaise, the independent Swiss brand has mastered the métiers d'art of micro-painting on a jigsaw puzzle dial. Meticulous hand micro-painting of the jigsaw puzzle pieces. Likewise, the horological puzzle has been solved by Louis Moinet for the new Fire Horse rendition. Tourbillon Puzzle Fire Horse in a 40mm red gold case.

Thailand remains a top pick for Chinese travellers the holiday. Thailand remains a top destination for Chinese travellers during the upcoming Lunar New Year, but tourism consultants said the country should still develop new attractions and experiences to compete with emerging markets. Thailand should benefit from Chinese tourists redirecting travel from Japan amid a political dispute, she said. "Thailand remains a favourite traditional destination," said Ms Parulis-Cook, citing strong demand for beaches, islands and relaxing travel, according to its survey. Ms Parulis-Cook said 55% of surveyed travel agents said families with children are the leading market for Chinese New Year travel sales.

Strange 'inside-out' planetary system baffles astronomersThis artist's impressions shows the unusual set up of the solar system around the LHS 1903 star. In our Solar System, the four planets closest to the Sun are small and rocky, while the four farther out are gas giants. Scientists had thought this planetary order -- rocky first, then gaseous -- was consistent across the universe. Puzzled by the weird LHS 1903 planetary system, the team of astronomers tried to figure out what could have happened. "Historically, our planet formation theories are based on what we see and know about our Solar System," said Isabel Rebollido, a planetary disc researcher at the European Space Agency.

Aerial view of a petroleum oil refinery in an industrial engineering concept. (Photo: Bangchak Corporation)Bangchak Corp will acquire Chevron’s Hong Kong fuel business for US$270 million as the Thai energy company accelerates its overseas expansion, it said. The Bangkok-based company agreed to buy 100% of Chevron Hong Kong Ltd, according to its Thai exchange filing. Chevron Hong Kong operates gas stations as well as industrial and marine fuel businesses in the territory, it said. The energy company in 2023 acquired a majority control of Exxon Mobil Corp’s Thai refinery and retail business for $644 million.

By coincidence, the exhibition ended on Sept 26 — the same date that Xu Beihong passed away in 1953, at the age of 58. Reverso Tribute Enamel Xu Beihong The Running Horse. Jaeger-LeCoultre honours his legacy by reproducing his horse-themed masterpieces for the Reverso Tribute trilogy. Since 1954, his works and art collection have been exhibited at the Xu Beihong Memorial Museum, established at his former residence in Beijing. In addition, the Métiers Rares Atelier coupled grand feu enamel with a hand-guilloché pattern in decorating the dials of the Reverso Tribute Enamel Xu Beihong series.

Singapore plans regulation for blind boxes over gambling risksA man buy blind boxes at a Pop Mart shop, the first branch in Thailand, at CentralWorld on Sept 20, 2023. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)As mania about “mystery” shopping sweeps through the world, Singapore is moving to tackle gambling risks raised by products which conceal their specific contents from shoppers. Singapore’s gambling authorities and home affairs ministry have decided to regulate how such “blind boxes” are offered to the public, according to a written reply to a parliamentary question on Thursday. While authorities draft new regulations, they will consider standardising and making it mandatory for boxes to disclose the probability of receiving certain products. The move aims to better manage gambling inducement risks, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam said in the reply.

Anti-Money Laundering Office eyes assets tied to scam networksThe Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) has asked prosecutors to confiscate 13 billion baht in assets linked to alleged transnational scam networks. The agency is also pursuing the forfeiture of 96 assets belonging to Chinese-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, founder of the US-sanctioned Prince Group. Chen, who was extradited to China for prosecution in early January, holds assets including land plots, cash and luxury items valued at 345 million baht. In addition, Amlo has petitioned prosecutors to confiscate 89 assets worth 560 million baht belonging to Cambodian businessman Kok An and associates, who face charges of participating in an international crime syndicate and money laundering. The petition also seeks the forfeiture of 31 assets valued at 46 million baht belonging to Eua-angkun Santirakyothin and associates.