Blinken seeks to patch up on France trip after subs furorUS Secrretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the press during US-EU trade talks in Pittsburgh ahead of a trip to Paris following tensionsWASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will promise better communication with France on a trip to Paris to next week where officials are still smarting over the cancellation of a massive submarine contract. Blinken will then fly from Paris to Mexico City for his first trip to the neighboring country as the top US diplomat, a trip already announced by the Mexican government. France accused the United States of betrayal and Australia of back-stabbing and withdrew ambassadors from both countries. Blinken had already been planning to visit for the 60th anniversary of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Blinken will speak at the OECD on "shared values" including transparency, said Matt Murray, a senior State Department official handling economic affairs.

Democrats under pressure to save Biden's agendaSpeaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has another hard day ahead in trying to save President Joe Biden's domestic agendaWASHINGTON - Democrats entered a second day of likely marathon negotiations Friday to resolve splits over the scope of President Joe Biden's domestic spending plans, knowing that failure could be crippling for the party. Democrats control not just the White House but both houses of Congress, so on paper they have a rare chance to enact their priorities. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared a pause late Thursday but the White House insisted this did not mean defeat. They also have already voted in favor of the separate $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. This year, though, Republicans are refusing to join Democrats in granting authorization, while Democrats argue they should not have to bear responsibility alone.

Thousands brave heat as delayed Dubai Expo finally opensAustralia is among the 192 countries with pavilions at ExpoDUBAI - Thousands of people toured Dubai's Expo 2020 on the opening day on Friday, braving hot temperatures as the Covid-delayed world fair finally opened its doors one year late. - Human rights criticism -Some exhibitors are hoping Expo, set to be the most attended event since the pandemic, reflects a turning point in the global fight against the disease. Reem Al Hashimy, the Expo 2020 director general and the United Arab Emirate's minister of state for international cooperation, said officials were keeping a close eye on the situation. The UAE last month brushed off a European parliament resolution urging member states and businesses to boycott Expo over the country's human rights record. But criticism continued on Friday, with campaign group Human Rights Watch hitting out at the detention of activists.

The global tech powerhouse Huawei has praised Thailand for being a 5G leader in Asean and suggested that the country would better benefit from the cutting-edge technology by establishing a national 5G alliance. For the consumer market, new infrastructure has stimulated rapid 5G development across the country. Huawei envisions a Thailand 5G Alliance as having five components: information sharing, collaborative innovation, standard influence, technology support, and cross-industry exchange. Mr Deng closed his speech on an optimistic note, expressing confidence that 5G will light up a brighter future for Thailand. “Together, we would like to bring the 5G and digital technology to every person, home and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent and low-carbon Thailand,” he said.

Exiled ex-president Saakashvili says back in GeorgiaSaakashvili called on his supporters to gather on Tbilisi's main thoroughfare on SundayTBILISI - Ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili said Friday he had returned from exile to Georgia, despite the threat of arrest and ahead of local elections in the Caucasus country gripped by a protracted political crisis. The 53-year-old flamboyant pro-Western reformer was Georgian president from 2004 to 2013 and swept to power in a wave of street protests. Georgia's interior ministry told the independent Formula TV channel that "Saakashvili did not cross Georgia's state border". Georgia plunged into political turmoil last year, when opposition parties denounced elections won narrowly by the ruling Georgian Dream party as rigged. With concerns mounting in the West over the ruling party's democratic credentials, the United States has hinted at possible sanctions against Georgian Dream officials.

(Photo: Reuters)SYDNEY: Australia will begin reopening its borders next month, the prime minister said on Friday, 18 months after citizens were banned from travelling overseas without permission and foreign arrivals largely banned. Scott Morrison said vaccinated Australians would be able to return home and travel overseas "within weeks" as 80% vaccination targets are met. On March 20 last year Australia introduced some of the world's toughest border restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic. For the last 560 days countless international flights have been grounded, and overseas travel has slowed to a trickle. The rest of the world may well be looking at this thinking that Australia has changed fundamentally as a country."

Apart from their delectable dishes and photogenic corners to step up your social media game, they also offer workshops to pick up new skills. Right next to the coffee corner is a leather handcrafting studio: MHA Leather Work School, which has been here for generations. They offer leather crafting classes, where you can turn a sheet of premium leather into a variety of bags for the starting price of B4,700 per person. If that doesn't catch your fancy, try the Dunking Fun Canvas Cake (B145), a chocolate cake served with a paintbrush and food-colour palette. So while the cafe doesn't offer workshops, you can still learn how to paint a cake.

China orders energy firms to secure supplies amid power crisis: reportAn energy crunch in China has led some banks to lower their growth forecasts for the economy this yearBEIJING - China's top state-owned energy companies have been ordered to ensure there are adequate fuel supplies for the approaching winter at all costs, a report said Friday, as the country battles a power crisis that threatens to hit growth in the world's number two economy. The country has been hit by widespread power cuts that have closed or partially closed factories, hitting production and global supply chains. More than a dozen provinces and regions have been forced to impose curbs on energy usage in recent months. And a note from Capital Economics on Friday warned that "power shortages seem unlikely to ease any time soon". "Of course we're unhappy... but we’re going along with the hours that the power curbs take place," he said.

PSG's dominance makes Messi a pure luxury in Ligue 1Lionel Messi has only appeared twice in Ligue 1 so far for PSGPARIS - Paris Saint-Germain are already surging clear towards the Ligue 1 title in France even as Lionel Messi has so far been held back for the Champions League, in which he got his first goal for his new club in midweek. As they look to reclaim the Ligue 1 title from reigning champions Lille, PSG are already nine points clear of Lens in second after just eight games. Key stats8 - PSG have won all eight Ligue 1 games so far this season. 14 - Lille have won all 14 Ligue 1 matches in which Canadian striker Jonathan David has found the net since the start of last season. Fixtures (times GMT)FridayLens v Reims (1900)SaturdayMontpellier v Strasbourg (1500), Nice v Brest (1900)SundayRennes v Paris Saint-Germain (1100), Angers v Metz, Lorient v Clermont, Monaco v Bordeaux, Nantes v Troyes (all 1300), Lille v Marseille (1500), Saint-Etienne v Lyon (1845)

Attack leaves 4 hurt, one a young childAn aerial image shows the scene of the attack on a checkpoint in Sungai Padi district of Narathiwat on Thursday night. (Photo: Abdullah Benjakat)NARATHIWAT: A defence volunteer and three civilians, one a young child, were hurt when gunmen opened fire and threw a bomb at a checkpoint in Sungai Padi district on Thursday night. The attack occured around 7.30pm on Jarusathian Road in tambon Paluru, said Pol Capt Theerapong Phimpha, deputy investigation chief at Sungai Padi police station. The assailants fired many shots at the road checkpoint and then threw a bomb. Those injured were defence volunteer Manawee Kotae, 37, and three local residents Chalermphol Phuenpa and Phattrawadee Phromchuen, 37, and her young child Varida.

Although normal business is expected to gradually resume, Thais should not be careless toward the COVID-19 situation as the virus spread can return any time. It is confident that this group of products will be able to reach consumers during work from home and in response to the New Normal lifestyle. Regarding, Thailand's 'plastic waste' situation, information from PPP Plastics' online forum on "Plastic Waste: Management and Opportunities Post-COVID-19" indicates that prior to COVID, Thailand has an average of 2 million tons of plastic waste/year or about 90 grams/person/day (January-December 2019). Dr. Wijarn Simachaya, President of the Public Private Partnership for Sustainable Plastic and Waste Management (PPP Plastics) said, “Waste to WORTH: Sorting is Easy” is an example demonstrates the commitment of Sansiri, Unilever and PPP Plastics to help solve plastic waste problem, at source. The key fundamentals to re-purpose post-consumed plastic are to create drop point and connection network from segregators and recyclers in line with the government's Plastic Waste Management Roadmap 2018 – 2030.

Liverpool, Man City battle for Premier League supremacyLiverpool and Manchester City have become the dominant forces in English football under Jurgen Klopp (left) and Pep Guardiola. MANCHESTER: Liverpool and Manchester City resume their rivalry for top spot when they go head to head in the Premier League this weekend, while Chelsea and Manchester United aim to get their title challenges back on track. Under Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, City and Liverpool have become the dominant forces in English football, sharing the past four Premier League titles between them. Liverpool, by contrast, were able to ease off the gas long before the end of a 5-1 Champions League win over Porto. Nuno needs response from SpursJust three weeks after topping the Premier League table, Nuno Espirito Santo's position as Tottenham manager has been questioned by fans following three dismal league defeats on the spin.

Great-grandmother keeps Indian martial art aliveMeenakshi Amma practitioner and teacher of 'Kalaripayattu' has trained since she was seven years oldVATAKARA (INDIA) - Deftly parrying her son with a bamboo cane, Meenakshi Amma belies her 78 years with her prowess at kalari, thought to be India's oldest martial art. "When women learn this martial art, they feel physically and mentally strong and it makes them confident to work and travel alone." "There are two divisions in kalaripayattu -- one is that kalaripayattu is peace and the other is kalaripayattu in war," said the "gurukkal" (master). "It's an art that purifies mind, body and soul, improves concentration, speed and patience, regenerates physical and mental energy. "When totally connected mentally and physically to kalari, then the opponent disappears, the body becomes eyes."

EU, Australia trade talks postponed amid subs rowAustralia last month abruptly cancelled a multibillion-dollar contract for 12 French submarines, opting to buy nuclear-powered US-designed vessels instead. SYDNEY: A long-planned round of Australia-EU free trade talks have been postponed, a European official confirmed Friday, after fury over Canberra's decision to cancel a major French submarine contract. "The FTA trade round has been postponed for a month until November," an EU official in Canberra told AFP, throwing the future of the far-reaching pact into doubt. Australia last month abruptly cancelled a multibillion-dollar contract for 12 French submarines, opting to buy nuclear-powered US-designed vessels instead. The next round of talks was due to cover areas including trade, services, investment and intellectual property rights.

(Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)There were 11,754 new Covid-19 cases and 123 more fatalities recorded during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Friday morning. The number of new cases rose from the 11,646 announced on Thursday, when the country recorded 107 more deaths. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,615,229 Covid-19 cases, with 1,483,146 complete recoveries so far. Global Covid-19 cases rose by 487,191 in 24 hours to 234.55 million. The United States had the most cases at 44.31 million, up 113,922, and the most deaths at 716,847, up 1,812.