New USA golf era sends message in epic Ryder Cup rompA United States team with six rookies and eight players in their 20s celebrates a victory over Europe in the Ryder Cup on Sunday at Whistling Straits. KOHLER: A new era of American golfers sent a message Sunday with a record-setting Ryder Cup blowout of Europe, their young and talented core looking ready to dominate for years. With eight under-30 players and six Ryder Cup rookies, the Americans completed a 19-9 rout of Europe at Whistling Straits that signaled a generational change to the world. "This is going to be the next era of Ryder Cup teams for the US side." - Signs of the future -At the next Ryder Cup in 2023 in Italy, the new-look Americans will try to win the trophy away from US soil for the first time since 1993.

September 26, 2021 23:03 UTC

Rafting in Nam Khek river postponed by overflowRafting on the Nam Khek river in Phitsanulok has been suspended from Monday due to heavy rain in the province. (Photo: Chinnawat Singha)PHITSANULOK: This year's launch of rafting in the Nam Khek, tentatively scheduled for Monday in this central northern province, has been postponed indefinitely as the stream has burst its banks. Nam Khek river -- the source of the Wang Thong river -- features numerous rapids, making it ideal for adventurous downstream rafting that has become a tradition. The Phitsanulok office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) organises rafting in the Nam Khek river annually. Sopthana Aunprasert, director of the TAT's Phitsanulok office, said because of the problem this year's launch of the Nam Khek rafting season, tentatively set for Sept 27, has been postponed indefinitely or until the water level has dropped to a level considered safe for rafting, probably in one or two weeks from now.

September 26, 2021 09:11 UTC

10 Myanmar migrants arrested in SongkhlaSecurity authorities arrested 10 Myanmar nationals in a rubber orchard in Sadao district of Songkhla before they were able to sneak into Malaysian territory. (Photo: Assawan Pakkawan)SONGKHLA: Ten Myanmar migrants were arrested on Sunday morning at a rubber plantation near the border with Malaysia in Sadao district while seven others escaped, police said. Mr Athiwat said he was hired by a Myanmar job agent to transport 17 Myanmar job seekers from a rented house at Ban Rai in tambon Phatong of Hat Yai district to the rubber plantation in Sadao district. The migrants told the police they were all from Rakhine State in Myanmar. The arrested migrants and the Thai van driver were handed over to Sadao police for legal proceedings.

September 26, 2021 07:07 UTC

China's Xi warns of 'grim' Taiwan situation in letter to oppositionEric Chu waves to supporters after winning the chairmanship of Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang Party (KMT), in Taipei, Taiwan, on Saturday. (Reuters photo)TAIPEI: The situation in the Taiwan Strait is "complex and grim", Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote in a congratulatory letter on Sunday to the newly elected leader of Taiwan's main opposition party, who has pledged to renew talks with Beijing. In Xi's letter, a copy of which was released by the KMT, he said both parties had had "good interactions" based on their joint opposition to Taiwan independence. "At present, the situation in the Taiwan Strait is complex and grim. He expressed hope that both parties could cooperate on "seeking peace in the Taiwan Strait, seeking national reunification and seeking national revitalisation".

September 26, 2021 06:45 UTC

Less security in life, property in Covid-19 era: pollThe Covid-19 pandemic forces people to make some adjustments in their daily life including wearing a mask in public places like a market. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)A majority of people say they are experiencing less security in life and property in the Covid-19 era, according to the result of an opinion survey by the Suan Dusit Rajabaht University, or Suan Dusit Poll. The poll was conducted online on 1,172 people throughout the country during Sept 19-23 to compile their opinions on "threats to society in the Covid-19 era". Asked to compare between the time before the Covid-19 outbreak and now in terms of security in life and property, a majority, 72.78%, of the respondents said they were experiencing less security; 24.40% said the situation remained unchanged; and 2.82% said the situation had improved. Most -- 54.46% -- were moderately concerned about this matter, 25.56% were very concerned; 16.81% a little concerned; and 3.17% not concerned at all.

September 26, 2021 04:13 UTC





PSG, Man City set to benefit from expected end to financial fair play restrictionsManchester City and PSG have regularly been accused of not respecting UEFA's financial fair play rules, but these rules are set to change. The story of PSG, City and Financial Fair Play (FFP) is essentially the story of the last decade in European football. Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour bought City in 2008, while in 2010 Qatar Sports Investments purchased PSG. Also in 2010, UEFA introduced FFP in response to a debt crisis that was submerging clubs across the continent. FFP meant clubs could not lose more than 30 million euros ($35.2m) over a three-year period if they wanted to play in European competition.

September 26, 2021 03:22 UTC

Merkel legacy in balance as party risks election defeatGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives may crash out of government altogether after her 16 years in powerBERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel may be lauded abroad for her cool crisis management -- at home, her legacy risks being tarnished by a botched succession with her party projected to return its worst post-war score in Sunday's election. "Everyone knows: if Laschet loses, then Merkel's legacy too is lost," said the conservative Welt daily. "Only if (he) wins.. will it be possible for the CDU to reconcile itself with 16 years of government under Merkel." Left with few good options, the conservatives finally plumped for Laschet, their current unpopular CDU chief and Merkel's would-be successor. "There would be an earthquake, a brutal scrum for the chairman role of the parliamentary group," predicted newspaper group RND, adding that the CSU would heap blame on the larger CDU party.

September 26, 2021 02:48 UTC

Pressure mounts on Solskjaer as Man Utd stumble againManchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under pressure. There is no need for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to hit the panic button yet, with his side just one point behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after six matches. United must stop the rot on Wednesday and in the context of Europe it could be make or break. "It's a big game, a Champions League night and we know we've started that group badly," said Solskjaer. United have lost seven of his 11 Champions League matches since taking charge in 2018.

September 26, 2021 02:48 UTC

Mitsubishi invests in Laos wind farm project, biggest in SE AsiaBCPG’s wind power facilities in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The company joins other companies in developing a wind farm in southern Laos. (BCPG photo)Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp has invested in a massive wind power plant project in Laos to deliver electricity to Vietnam, in what would be the biggest onshore wind farm in Southeast Asia. The onshore wind farm project, also described as the "first cross-border electricity interchange from wind power generation" in the region, is aimed at fighting climate change while supporting economic activity. The move was followed by an announcement in July by BCPG that IEAD and Vietnam Electricity, a leading power company in the nation, have officially agreed on electricity purchase for 25 years.

September 26, 2021 02:26 UTC

That has included threatening huge sequoias like the General Sherman, which looms 275 feet (83 meters) above the forest floor. Firefighters were able to beat back the flames as they ate into California's Giant Forest, thanks to decades of prescribed burns that starved the blaze of fuel. - 'Best tool we have' -The sequoias of Giant Forest, some of which are up to 3,000 years old, have survived countless previous fires. Which explains why there are very few areas in the western United States where the practice is common -- apart from around Giant Forest. "We don't have a lot of brand new sequoia trees in the Giant Forest because it hasn't seen fire in so long.

September 26, 2021 01:41 UTC

USA grabs 11-5 edge over Europe at Ryder CupBryson DeChambeau, left, and United States teammate Scottie Scheffler celebrate on Saturday as the Americans seized an 11-5 lead entering Sunday's final singles matches of the 43rd Ryder Cup. KOHLER: The United States seized a commanding 11-5 lead over Europe at the Ryder Cup on Saturday, with the visitors needing a record comeback on Sunday to deny the Americans the trophy. The US squad, boasting nine of the world's 11 top-ranked players, need only 3.5 points in Sunday's 12 final singles matches at Whistling Straits to reclaim the Ryder Cup while Europe need nine points to keep it. "You know, it's not over," said US star Dustin Johnson, the only 4-0 player at this year's Ryder Cup. Garcia, the top scorer in Ryder Cup history, now has a record 25 match wins while Rahm has 3.5 points, the most ever by a world number one in any Ryder Cup.

September 26, 2021 00:22 UTC

He pulled off the covers to find a young man, and shocked, started filming the encounter on his phone. Mr Krungsi said he was aware that Mr Jeerawat and First had fallen out a few months ago, with the result that Mr Jeerawat was sacked, and Mr Krungsi replaced him in the top job. Mr Jeerawat came back out to see him and said brusquely: "You are not involved, so don't meddle." While Mr Jeerawat was sacked, First was able to keep his job, which the killer thought was unfair. The killer's elder sister, Imm, 70, said Mr Jeerawat told her that First had hit him first.

September 25, 2021 23:44 UTC

Donated Pfizer jabs head for talksThe United States will invite Thai authorities to discuss a plan to deliver another one million Pfizer vaccine doses donated by the US government next week. Previously, the group met to discuss the delivery of the first batch of 1.5 million doses donated by the US, Mr Manasvi said. Mr Manasvi also said he had phoned Thai-born US senator Tammy Duckworth to ask her about the progress in the US donation of the additional 1 million vaccine doses. "For the coming donation, we are in touch with the company in question regarding the status of their own legal agreements with Thailand and regulatory approval. "These items will be analogous to those needed for the prior donation of 1.5 million doses.

September 25, 2021 23:24 UTC

(Photo: Somchai Poomlard)Large irrigation dams fail to prevent floods and droughts and ensure water security for local farmers as impacts of climate change intensify, data analysis on the performance of irrigation projects in the northeastern region show. But local farmers had to endure severe drought for three years between 2018 to 2020, as the dam's reservoir dried. The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) imposes water restrictions when the dam's water level falls below 30%. The one-two punch of Ubolratana Dam's water restriction measures and rainfall deficiency in 2019-2020 led to a sharp drop in dry season rice production. Old dams fail to do the jobAsst Prof Sitang Pilailar, a leading water management expert at the Department of Water Resources Engineering, Kasetsart University, said large-scale irrigation dams often fail to mitigate flood and drought.

September 25, 2021 23:15 UTC

France to double Covid vaccine doses for poorer countriesMacron's announcement came in a video broadcast during the Paris leg of the Global Citizen Live concert. PARIS: France will double the number of vaccine doses it will send to poorer countries to 120 million, President Emmanuel Macron pledged on Saturday, in a video broadcast during the Global Citizen concert in Paris. "We will pass from 60 million to 120 million doses offered." On Wednesday, the United States announced that it would be doubling its donation of vaccine doses, bringing its total contribution to 1.1 billion. African leaders pleaded for the chance to buy vaccine doses for their people during a meeting of the African Union earlier this month.

September 25, 2021 22:18 UTC