Thai golfer Kiradech ties for second in PGA ChampionshipThailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat celebrates during the final round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club, Virginia Water, Britain on Sunday. (Reuters photo)LONDON: Thai golf star Kiradech Aphibarnrat shot a superb closing 64 to tie for second place in the BMW PGA Championship title in a tense finish on Sunday. American Billy Horschel birdied the 18th hole to claim the in a tournament with huge implications for Europe's Ryder Cup team. "I am speechless really, and that's rare," Horschel, who has missed the U.S. Ryder Cup team, said. Five players -- Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and Paul Casey -- had already qualified on merit for the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits from Sept 24-26.

FILE PHOTO: A sunset is seen at a resort after the Vietnamese government eased the lockdown following the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, in Phu Quoc island, Vietnam May 8, 2020. (Reuters)Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island will be the country’s first tourist destination reopened to fully-vaccinated foreign visitors beginning in November, according to the government website, which cited the tourism administration. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh approved the plan on a pilot basis, according to the government website. International tourists must register negative for Covid-19 with a PCR test within 72 hours ahead of departing on the trip, it said. Kien Giang province has administered at least one vaccine shot to 23.6% of its population 18 or older, according to the health ministry.

SpaceX to launch private, all-civilian crew into Earth orbitElon Musk's company is set to launch four people into space Wednesday, on a three-day mission that is the first to orbit the Earth with exclusively private citizens. WASHINGTON: SpaceX is set to launch four people into space Wednesday on a three-day mission that is the first to orbit the Earth with exclusively private citizens on board, as Elon Musk's company enters the space tourism fray. The SpaceX flight has been chartered by American billionaire Jared Isaacman, the 38-year-old founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4 Payment. The exact price he paid SpaceX hasn't been disclosed, but it runs into the tens of millions of dollars. The SpaceX Crew Dragon will be flying further than the orbit of the International Space Station.

Pope to meet Slovak Jews after warning on anti-SemitismPope Francis is on his first foreign trip since an operation in July. BRATISLAVA: Pope Francis prepared to meet with members of Slovakia's remaining Jewish community on Monday, a day after warning of "the threat of anti-Semitism still lurking" in Europe and beyond. On Monday, he is due to meet Slovak President Zuzana Caputova and a number of political, religious and civil society leaders. - 'Fuse' of anti-Semitism -During his visit to Hungary on Sunday, the pope referred to the ongoing "threat of anti-Semitism". During his visit to Hungary, Pope Francis met the country's anti-migrant Prime Minister Viktor Orban before calling on believers to be "open and considerate".

Britney Spears' high energy pop burst onto the global stage in the late 1990sLOS ANGELES - Pop princess Britney Spears on Sunday announced her engagement to her boyfriend Sam Asghari via social media. Spears, 39, showed off a diamond ring in an Instagram micro-video post and wrote "I can't f***ing believe it!!!!!!!" By her side in the video is her boyfriend -- now fiance -- Sam Asghari, whom she turns to and kisses on the cheek. Spears and Asghari met in 2016 when they co-starred in a music video for her single "Slumber Party." That led to her being placed under a court-ordered conservatorship largely governed by her father, Jamie Spears.

Australian watchdog blocks Qantas-Japan Airlines dealAustralia's competition regulator has blocked a deal between Qantas and Japan Airlines. SYDNEY: Australia's competition regulator on Monday definitively blocked a pricing, code-sharing and scheduling deal between Qantas and Japan Airlines, saying the arrangement would hurt consumers. The deal would have seen the two airlines coordinate on how much fares would cost, as well as flight schedules. Qantas expressed "disappointment" at the decision, saying the deal would have helped "ensure a faster and sustained recovery from COVID". Qantas last month reported revenues had fallen Aus$12 billion (US$9 billion) in the last financial year as travel dried up.

"The logistics industry does not see 2022 as having any less disruption in supply chains than in 2021," Price told AFP in an interview. "Some of those costs are going away," said Price, who said 2022 shipping rates would be increased by 2.8 percent on average, well below the 10-year average. In 2021, UPS raised prices between 4.0 and 5.5 percent, depending on the market. Apparel company Lululemon Athletica said coronavirus restrictions forced closure of factories in Vietnam, which account for one-fifth its inventory. Price expects to hold UPS's price increases to the 2.8 percent level as more aspects of the supply chain normalize.

12,583 new Covid cases, 132 deaths MondayA health worker conducts a Covid-19 test on a baby in Klong Toey district, Bangkok, on Sunday. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)Thailand logged 12,583 new Covid-19 cases and 132 more deaths during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Monday morning. On Sunday, 16,304 Covid-19 patients left hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus. Since April 1, when the third wave of Covid-19 began, Thailand has treated 1,365,893 Covid-19 patients, 1,220,732 of whom have recovered to date. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,394,756 Covid-19 cases, with 1,248,377 complete recoveries so far.

Thana BoonlertLocated in front of the Chinatown Rama theatre in Bangkok, Ouan Pochana has sold guay jub (rolled rice noodle soup) for over 50 years. Famous for peppery clear broth, the dish is served with crispy pork belly, internals, egg, and small patonggo (fried dough). Adulwitch said his late father worked for an uncle who sold noodle soup in Yaowarat. Jae Jook has sold yentafo (pink noodle soup) in Samut Prakan's Paknam for over 30 years. Adulwitch Tangsupmanee inherited Ouan Pochana, which has served guay jub (rolled rice noodle soup) in Yaowarat for over 50 years.

Ruangroj Poonpol, KBTG Chairman and Kubix Chairman of the Board. Kasikorn Business-Technology Group (KBTG) is preparing to enter the digital asset market through Kubix Digital Asset, an initial coin offering (ICO) portal, with an aim to become the leader in the investment development sphere. Kubix strives to enhance confidence in the digital asset market by converting tangible assets with real-world value into tokens in order to decrease risks from volatility. In operating Kubix, KBTG seeks to utilise Kasikornbank's investment knowledge and experience, combining it with the company's strength in financial technology. KBTG also forged a partnership with the Stock Exchange of Thailand to establish the Thai Digital Asset Platform, working towards realising this ecosystem.

Some food manufacturers may face a shortage of raw materials, limiting their export capacity, he said. KEEP UP YOUR GUARDThe FTI stressed the need to protect the export sector against an outbreak as it is the main driver for Thailand's reeling economy. The most important tool to guard the export sector against Covid-19 is a faster public vaccination scheme, he said. The FTI is worried spread could eventually affect the export sector," he said. Real sector exports (excluding gold, oil-related products and weaponry) also continued to soar by 25.4% from July last year.

More factories opting for automationMs Duangjai says automation and robotic systems can save on production costs and increase competitiveness. The spread of the pandemic, economic difficulties and cheaper technology are likely to encourage industrial factories to apply more automation and robotic systems in their production. According to Duangjai Asawachintachit, secretary-general of the Board of Investment (BoI), automation and robotic systems can save on production costs and increase competitiveness for entrepreneurs. Promoted projects that upgrade to automation are eligible for an exemption on import duties for machinery and a three-year corporate income tax exemption on the revenue of existing projects. The corporate income tax exemption cannot exceed 50% of the investment capital, excluding the cost of land and working capital.

Exim Bank to sell B3bn of bad loans to asset managerExport-Import Bank of Thailand (Exim Bank) plans to sell 2.5-3 billion baht of non-performing loans (NPLs) to an asset management corporation to strengthen its financial status, says bank president Rak Vorrakitpokatorn. The Bank of Thailand also introduced measures to help banks provide debt relief and financial assistance to clients, said Mr Rak. Exim Bank is tackling the NPL problem by helping clients restructure debt to prevent them from being classified as NPLs. The cabinet recently approved Exim Bank increasing its capital by 4.2 billion baht to 17 billion. He said Exim Bank targets average annual loan growth of 11%, which should result in its outstanding loans growing to 213 billion baht by 2025.

"A national strategy to tackle changing technologies, geopolitics, global warming, health and economic inequality is essential," he said. According to Mr Somjai, China is challenging Taiwan and Japan in building power in the South China Sea. Mr Somjai said other important issues include health and economic inequality, as well as rapid assistance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). "The government and private sector must cooperate more closely to cope with the changing economic structure. According to Mr Somjai, despite these myriad challenges, the Thai economy is expected to manage growth this year after a 6.1% contraction last year.

"China's property developers -– and their creditors –- appear to be approaching a reckoning," said analysts at Capital Economics in a note. They warned Evergrande is "close to collapse" with large losses looming for banks, bondholders and home buyers. Total liabilities had swelled to 1.97 trillion yuan (US$305 billion), the embattled group said last week, warning of the risk of default. Evergrande threw itself into mass development, building in-demand apartments across China and capitalising on its rapid wealth accumulation. In 2010, Xu bought the then-embattled Guangzhou football team, renaming it Guangzhou Evergrande and pouring money into world-class players and coaches.