Taliban push deep into Afghanistan's holdout Panjshir Valley
Taliban push deep into Afghanistan's holdout Panjshir ValleyThe Panjshir Valley is the last major pocket of resistance in Afghanistan against the Taliban. KABUL - Taliban fighters have advanced deep into Afghanistan's holdout Panjshir Valley, with resistance fighters saying they are keeping the Islamists at bay, but analysts warned they are struggling. "The Taliban army has been hardened with 20 years of war, and make no mistake, the Taliban trained an army," Roggio tweeted Sunday, adding that "the odds were long" for the Panjshir resistance. "The Taliban army was injected with a massive amount of weapons and munitions after the US withdrawal and collapse of the ANA" (Afghan National Army), he added. "It will be quite easy to verify a video showing Taliban within the Panjshir valley," Waters said.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 05:37 UTC
China tests new Myanmar trade route in boost to ties
China tests new Myanmar trade route in boost to tiesChina held a test run of a new overland trade route with Myanmar last month, in a show of support for its neighbour that has been hit with Western sanctions after a coup this year, the South China Morning Post reported. Around 60 containers were sent in the first trial of the China-Myanmar corridor last month, the Post reported. The test comes after the first visit to Myanmar by a Chinese high-level official, Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Sun Guoxiang, since a military junta seized power in February, the paper said. The new route could help boost trade with Myanmar and help link China with the Indian Ocean, the report said. China has been keen to increase its influence in Southeast Asia through its Belt and Road Initiative, and has invested heavily in transportation infrastructure in the region.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 05:03 UTC
El Salvador's Bukele gets greenlight to run for re-election
El Salvador's Bukele gets greenlight to run for re-electionSalvadoran President Nayib Bukele enjoys broad popularity but has been accused of authoritarian tendenciesSAN SALVADOR - El Salvador's top court has said that populist President Nayib Bukele would be allowed to run for a second term, despite the country's constitution prohibiting the head of state from serving two consecutive terms in office. The Supreme Court decision on Friday will allow Bukele to run for a second term in 2024 -- potentially making him the Central American nation's first president to serve more than five years in office since the 1950s. In its ruling, the court said a sitting head of state could seek re-election for a second term as long as they have not "been president during the immediately preceding period". However, that ruling did allow the head of state to run again in a subsequent election. Last year, Bukele dispatched troops to the country's parliament in a bid to pressure lawmakers.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 05:03 UTC
Phuket Sandbox generates B1,634m in two months
Phuket Sandbox generates B1,634m in two monthsA tourist takes a photo with the colourful letters spelling the name of the island displayed on a beach in Phuket. The revenue from tourism during the period was estimated at 1,634 million baht - including 565 million baht from accommodations, 376 million baht from goods and services, 350 million baht from food and drinks and 229 million baht from medical and health services. A report from the Phuket immigration office, the accumulated number of tourists from July 1-Sept 3 was 27,609. Of the total, 10,355 had left the country and 17,254 were still in the county, with 4,762 remaining in Phuket. Under the Phuket Sandbox programme, from July 1 vaccinated tourists are allowed to visit Phuket without quarantine.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 04:52 UTC
Marathon golds decided as 'most important' Paralympics wrap up
Marathon golds decided as 'most important' Paralympics wrap upMarathon events were decided on the final day of the Tokyo Paralympics on SundayTOKYO - Swiss wheelchair master Marcel Hug defended his marathon title on the final day of the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday, as organisers hailed the "most important edition" of the Games ever. Empty," said Hug, who won the sixth Paralympic gold of his career in a time of 1hr 24min 2sec. There was also gold for host nation Japan in the women's T12 marathon, with Misato Michishita coming home in a time of 3:00.50. Morocco's El Amin Chentouf won the men's T12 marathon, while China's Li Chaoyan took the honours in the men's T46. - 'Stronger than ever' -With the Games almost at a close, International Paralympic Committee chief Andrew Parsons declared the Tokyo Paralympics the "most important edition" in history.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 04:18 UTC
'Silver bullet' Hug completes golden Paralympics sweep in marathon
'Silver bullet' Hug completes golden Paralympics sweep in marathon"Silver bullet" Marcel Hug crosses the finish line to win the men's marathon T54TOKYO - "Silver bullet" Marcel Hug cemented his place among the all-time great Paralympic athletes when he defended his T54 marathon title on Sunday for his fourth gold at Tokyo 2020. Empty," said an exhausted Hug who captured the sixth Paralympics gold of his career on the final day of the Games. Hug completed a golden sweep in all four T54 events he entered in Tokyo -- 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m and the marathon. By contrast, Madison de Rozario had just a second to spare as she clung on to win the women's T54 marathon in a thrilling finish. The Australian wheelchair racer entered the stadium with a slender lead over Swiss great Manuela Schaer, who took silver, with Nikita den Boer of the Netherlands in third.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 01:52 UTC
Fashion Week returning to New York with in-person energy
Fashion Week returning to New York with in-person energyThe Michael Kors runway show in February 2019 during New York Fashion WeekNEW YORK - After a long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, New York is opening its Spring/Summer 2022 Fashion Week with the return of in-person runway shows featuring big names like Tom Ford and Altuzarra. The pandemic overshadowed the last two fashion weeks, in September 2020 and February 2021, as both were dominated by virtual runway shows. Steven Kolb, chief executive of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), says he sees room for both digital and in-person shows. - The Covid factor -Fashion Week this year overlaps with the Metropolitan Museum of Art's own fashion extravaganza, a high point of the city's social calendar, set for Monday. Meantime, the pandemic, by at least temporarily de-emphasizing in-person shows, has left some designers with mixed feelings.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 01:52 UTC
Djokovic moves on at US Open as top-ranked Barty ousted
Djokovic moves on at US Open as top-ranked Barty oustedSerbia's Novak Djokovic, chasing the first men's singles calendar-year Grand Slam in 52 years, advanced to the US Open fourth round on Saturday by defeating Japan's Kei NishikoriNEW YORK - Novak Djokovic moved within four matches of completing the first men's singles calendar-year Grand Slam in 52 years on Saturday while top-ranked Ashleigh Barty was ousted by a stunning fightback from American Shelby Rogers. World number one Djokovic defeated Kei Nishikori 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3, 6-2, taking his 17th consecutive victory over the Japanese star and improving to 18-2 in their overall rivalry. With a victory, Sock would be the lowest-ranked man into the US Open fourth round since 187th-ranked Ken Flach in 1987. The Swiss 11th seed will next face Polish seventh seed Iga Swiatek, last year's French Open champion, who beat Estonian Anett Kontveit 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Czech fourth seed Karolina Pliskova, this year's Wimbledon runner-up and a 2016 US Open finalist, beat Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-2.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 01:52 UTC
California winemakers take wildfire-fighting into their own hands
California winemakers take wildfire-fighting into their own handsRandy Dunn checks the hose on a fire truck he has purchased to protect his vinyard from California wildfiresNAPA (UNITED STATES) - Water tanks, fire trucks and helicopters: California's Napa Valley winemakers are buying their own equipment to protect their property and their pricey vintages from wildfires. That includes the world-renowned vineyards that dot central California, producing billions of dollars in wine every year. Dunn already owned a vintage 1946 fire truck -- old, but still functional -- and has just bought a newer one. Winemakers like Dunn know that they have to work hard to protect their land. "We've done a lot of work maintaining the forest undergrowth, I think that's really, really important, more so than owning fire trucks."
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 01:52 UTC
After 6 months on Mars, NASA's tiny copter is still flying high
After 6 months on Mars, NASA's tiny copter is still flying highNASA's Ingenuity helicopter, photographed on the surface of Mars by the Perseverance rover on June 15, 2021. And yet NASA's helicopter on Mars, Ingenuity, has completed 12 flights and it isn't ready to retire. The tiny helicopter has become the regular travel companion of the rover Perseverance, whose core mission is to seek signs of ancient life on Mars. By way of comparison, flying a helicopter on Mars would be like flying one in the thin air nearly 30km above Earth. Since then, Ingenuity has flown as high as 12 metres, and its last flight lasted two minutes and 49 seconds.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 01:52 UTC
From rescues to romance: Top moments at Tokyo's Paralympics
From rescues to romance: Top moments at Tokyo's ParalympicsTokyo's Paralympic mascot Someity was plastered across the city during the Games, which end SundayTOKYO - A secret evacuation from Kabul, a new British record and a post-race proposal -- there was no shortage of memorable moments at Tokyo's Paralympics, held after a year-long pandemic postponement. - Fencing's 'Bebe' defends title -Fencing icon Beatrice "Bebe" Vio, one of the world's best-known Paralympians, defended her Rio gold in scintillating form. "Not in my wildest dreams did I think we'd be coming away with a Paralympic gold medal," said Britain's Stuart Robinson. After her women's C4-5 road race victory in treacherous cool, wet and foggy conditions, Storey said she felt "a bit overwhelmed". "Now I have an additional motivation to carry on after the Games, always with him by my side."
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 01:41 UTC
Covid cases decline for 3 straight weeks
(Photo: Apichit Jinakul)Thailand logged 15,452 new Covid-19 cases and 224 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Sunday morning. The number of active cases in Thailand has fallen every day for the past three weeks. Since April 1, when the third wave of Covid-19 began, Thailand has treated 1,251,671 Covid-19 patients, 1,088,148 of whom have recovered to date. The kingdom’s all-time 24-hour high of Covid-19 fatalities was 312 recorded on Aug 18. Global Covid-19 cases rose by 477,575 in 24 hours to some 221 million.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 01:18 UTC
Boeing 787 Dreamliner deliveries not likely to resume until late October
Boeing 787 Dreamliner deliveries not likely to resume until late OctoberDreamliner deliveries were suspended for much of the past year, after Boeing uncovered manufacturing defects. NEW YORK - Deliveries of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, suspended since May, likely won't resume until the end of October amid disagreements with US safety regulators, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Dreamliner deliveries were suspended for much of the past year, including between last November and March, after Boeing uncovered manufacturing defects. According to the Wall Street Journal, Boeing held a meeting in August with Federal Aviation Administration officials, but the two sides could not agree on the method of quality-assurance for the Dreamliner. Boeing vowed to continue efforts to resume deliveries.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 00:22 UTC
Anonymous Myanmar photographer wins major photojournalism award
Anonymous Myanmar photographer wins major photojournalism awardA worker hangs photos for the exhibition 'Anonymous photographer in Myanmar' ahead of the 'Visa pour l'Image' international photojournalism festival in Perpignan, France. PERPIGNAN, France: A Myanmar photographer won the top award Saturday at photojournalism's biggest annual festival for his coverage of the troubled nation's pro-democracy protests and bloody military crackdown. Mikko Takkunen, the Asia photo editor for The New York Times, collected the prize on behalf of the photographer. Takkunen said the photographer dedicated the prize to his peers in his country who are working under extremely difficult conditions. The anonymous photographer said in a message that he was "on the streets every day since February 1.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 05, 2021 00:00 UTC
Cantlay leads Rahm by two at Tour Championship
Cantlay leads Rahm by two at Tour ChampionshipAmerican Patrick Cantlay has a two-shot lead heading into the final round of the US PGA Tour Championship. WASHINGTON: Patrick Cantlay drained a 23-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to stretch his lead to two strokes over top-ranked Jon Rahm Saturday at the US PGA Tour Championship. Rahm, who started the event four strokes behind Cantlay, had three birdies and a bogey in a two-under 68 that put him at 18-under par. Cantlay said his closing birdie was "big for momentum" as he chases the title and $15 million jackpot for the winner of the playoffs. Rahm said he was looking forward to a last-group duel with Cantlay -- but he wasn't discounting Thomas.
Source:Bangkok Post
September 04, 2021 23:37 UTC