Break 9th round facit

Japan's Naomi Osaka dismissed Jennifer Brady in straight sets to win the Australian Open in dominant style for her fourth Grand Slam title on Saturday. Osaka edged a tight first set but controlled the second to win 6-4, 6-3 in 77 minutes in front of thousands of fans at Rod Laver Arena. Third seed Osaka preserves her 100 percent record in Grand Slam finals after winning the 2018 and 2020 US Opens and the 2019 title in Melbourne. "We played in the semis of the US Open a couple of months ago and I told everyone that you're going to be a problem," Osaka told Brady at the trophy presentation. "And I was right. It's really incredible to me to see your growth over the past few months, it's really cool for me to see." The 23-year-old, who becomes only the third player after Monica Seles and Roger Federer to win their first four major finals, will now rise to second in the world rankings. Osaka, rated as the world's top-earning female athlete, saved two match points in the fourth ... » Learn More about Naomi Osaka beats Jennifer Brady to win Australian Open

WASHINGTON, D.C.: An exhausted Senate narrowly approved a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill on Saturday as President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies notched a victory they called crucial for hoisting the country out of the pandemic and economic doldrums. After laboring all night on a mountain of amendments — nearly all from Republicans and rejected — bleary-eyed senators approved the sprawling package on a 50-49 party-line vote. That sets up final congressional approval by the House next week so lawmakers can whisk it to Biden for his signature. The huge measure — its cost is nearly one-tenth the size of the entire US economy — is Biden’s biggest early priority. It stands as his formula for addressing the deadly virus and a limping economy, twin crises that have afflicted the country for a year. “This nation has suffered too much for much too long,” Biden told reporters at the White House after the vote. “And everything in this package is designed to relieve the suffering ... » Learn More about US Senate OKs $1.9T virus relief bill

YANGON: Police in Myanmar’s ancient former capital, Bagan, opened fire Sunday (Mar 7) on demonstrators protesting last month’s military takeover, wounding several people, according to witness accounts and videos on social media. At least five people were reported wounded as police sought to break up the Bagan protest, and photos showed one young man with bloody wounds on his chin and neck, believed to have been caused by a rubber bullet. Bullet casings collected at the scene indicated that live rounds were also fired. The city, located in the central Mandalay region, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of the more than 2,000 pagodas or their remnants still situated there, dating from the ninth to 13th centuries, when it was the capital of a kingdom that later became known as Burma and is now Myanmar. READ: Myanmar unions call for nationwide strike starting Monday: Statement Bagan is best known for being one of the country’s top tourist attractions, but it has ... » Learn More about Myanmar police fire on protesters in ancient former capital Bagan

Building on a relationship spanning two centuries, Thailand and the United States took an important step forward to work even closer together. Elevating our already strong and dynamic relationship over the Mekong River. On Friday, along with Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai and officials from the four other countries in the lower Mekong basin, the United States launched the new Mekong-U.S. Partnership, which will also build on decades of collaboration and $3.5 billion in U.S. assistance provided under the Lower Mekong Initiative over the past 11 years. In upgrading our efforts with the Mekong-U.S. Partnership, the United States will support even greater connectivity and development in the region for years to come. With more than $150 million in regional initiatives already in the pipeline, our cooperation through this partnership will also expand to include the full range of economic, security, governance, health, and environmental efforts – a fitting approach to collectively ... » Learn More about US Ambassador to Thailand: Building the Mekong River-U.S. Partnership

A cold storage facility is attached to the main building envelope and is usually covered in pre-fabricated insulated panels. After more than a year of battling against COVID-19, the much-awaited ending to the pandemic that caused global turmoil is finally starting to unfold. However, just as how the world walked on thin ice prior to the discovery of the COVID-19 vaccines, its presence now is causing another global challenge, which took the phrase “walking on thin ice” quite literally. ‘Deep freeze’ requirement The efficacy of vaccines is comparable to milk. Although both are needed to make our bodies stronger, they may also spoil when stored under inappropriate temperatures. The reason for this phenomenon? At least within the context of COVID-19, the vaccines use the messenger RNA (mRNA) to turn a person’s cells into “factories” that create a specific coronavirus protein. This protein then responds as if there is a real coronavirus infection, allowing the immune system to ... » Learn More about Vaccines and cold storage facilities in the Philippines

PETALING JAYA: World No. 85 pair Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong pulled off one of the biggest upsets at the Swiss Open when they sent world No. 12 Marcus Ellis-Chris Landgridge of England packing in the last 16 Thursday (March 4). Hang Yee-Eng Cheong fought from one game down to beat the Rio Olympics bronze medallists 10-21,21-15,21-15 in 72 minutes to reach their first-ever World Tour quarter-finals. "This is the biggest win of our career as we have never beaten such highly-ranked opponents previously. Of course, we're very happy and it's certainly a confidence booster!" said Hang Yee. "We've set ourselves a semi-final target for this tournament and we're now just one win away." Hang Yee-Eng Cheong will take on yet another formidable pair - world No. 15 Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark - Friday (March 5). "Having marched this far, we want to keep this good momentum going. We have another big test coming, but as long as we keep our spirits high and fight without ... » Learn More about Badminton: Hang Yee-Eng Cheong pull off biggest upset of career to reach Swiss Open quarter-finals

When the airlines, in particular, were asking the government to put their hands in their pockets for some relief funding in August last year, it was genuinely thought that international tourists would be coming back for the high season in December and January. At the very least local tourists and expats would head back to the skies over the traditional holiday break. And surely the Chinese would be back for Chinese New Year? As we know now, none of that happened. A resurge in cases started just south of Bangkok on December 20 last year, just before Christmas, kicking off another round of restrictions, pretty much killing off any possibility of a high season ‘bump’ for the tourist industry. Airlines slashed flights from their schedule, and hotels, which had dusted off their reception desks for the surge of tourists, shut their doors again. Domestically, the hotel business saw 6 million room nights in the government’s latest stimulus campaign fully redeemed. But the air ticket quota ... » Learn More about Turbulence ahead for Thailand’s aviation industry | VIDEO

OPINION by Bill Barnett As the final days of disruptive 2020 come screeching to an erratic end, hotel, and restaurant owners are peering into an unpredictable year ahead. Here in Thailand over the past week, the tourism industry has been shaken to its core over an uptick in Covid-19 cases and backroom speculation over fears of another round of lockdowns. (Restrictions, but not full lockdowns, have already been applied by a number of provincial governors, including in parts of Bangkok, Rayong, Nonthaburi and Pattaya) With domestic tourism being the only operating segment at present, the market reality is that the lag in vaccinations could take 9 to 12 months in 2021. We are now facing a situation that it’s highly unlikely a significant reopening of international travel will effectively gain traction until 2022. What’s more worrisome for hotels that have been trying to survive low-levels of occupancy over the past 6 months is that the combination of anti-travel sentiment and ... » Learn More about The case for temporarily closing hotel and restaurant operations

THE Philippine Golf Tour ushers in a new season, coming off a pandemic-disrupted year with an assembly of stars headlining the P2 million ICTSI Eagle Ridge Challenge at the Aoki course in Gen. Trias, Cavite, beginning on Tuesday, March 9. No less than four Philippine Open champions banner the stellar cast, led by Miguel Tabuena and Clyde Mondilla, who ruled the country’s premier championship at The Country Club in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Tabuena also reigned in the weather-shortened 2015 edition of the fabled event at Luisita. Frankie Miñoza, also a two-time Philippine Open winner at Riviera in 1998 and Wack Wack in 2007, makes himself available to provide class and prestige to the 72-hole championship while Angelo Que, the winner at Wack Wack in 2007, is also back on the hunt and ready to get into the Friday mix after he and Tabuena failed to seriously figure in the title hunt the last time out. Tony Lascuña and Ira Alido will also be coming into the event as the marked ... » Learn More about PH Open champs banner PGT cast

Thailand- The following is our weekly feature in which we ask our readers a news topical question and get their insight and opinions. We then share their feedback a week later and pick a variety of diverse and interesting responses. This week, we want to ask you what guidelines or rules should be set in place for Songkran 2021 in Pattaya after the Thai Government made the announcement last week that events would be allowed, although would require rules and guidelines. This was followed shortly after by the Pattaya Mayor stating Songkran, including the “Big Day” of April 19th would take place but that rules and guidelines were being planned, although water splashing was likely to be allowed but “toned-down” and with Covid-19 guidelines. We are asking, assuming the event goes ahead, which it seems that it will unless another round of Covid-19 infections breaks out in Chonburi, what rules and guidelines should take place? How should it be enforced? What would you ... » Learn More about Reader Talkback: What sort of rules/guidelines should take place for Songkran 2021 in Pattaya?