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) Bangkok: Pennetta Comes Full Circle
BANGKOK, Thailand - With three titles and a Top 20 ranking, Flavia Pennetta was clearly one of the fast-rising stars in the game as of last year; but a left wrist injury snapped her momentum, forcing her out of action for over five months. It took her a while to rekindle the magic but over the last few weeks in Asia that magic began rekindling, and in Bangkok this past week the Italian announced her return to the winner's circle with a popular victory at the Tier III ptt Bangkok Open.Although she had put together some good weeks earlier in the year, most notably her run to the Acapulco final - the year had been largely inconsistent for Pennetta going into the Asian hardcourt season. A quarterfinal in Kolkata and back-to-back semifinals the next two weeks in Seoul and Tokyo gave her the boost she needed coming into the last leg of her journey. More>>
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) Rising Seas Threaten 21 Mega-Cities
BANGKOK, Thailand - Cities around the world are facing the danger of rising seas and other disasters related to climate change.
Of the 33 cities predicted to have at least 8 million people by 2015, at least 21 are highly vulnerable, says the Worldwatch Institute.
They include Dhaka, Bangladesh; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Shanghai and Tianjin in China; Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt; Mumbai and Kolkata in India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo and Osaka-Kobe in Japan; Lagos, Nigeria; Karachi, Pakistan; Bangkok, Thailand, and New York and Los Angeles in the United States, according to studies by the United Nations and others.
More than one-tenth of the world's population, or 643 million people, live in low-lying areas at risk from climate change, say U.S. More>> - (
) Canadian facing abuse charges in Thailand
A Canadian man serving as a teacher in Thailand is under arrest on sex abuse allegations, police said.
A senior police officer said Saturday that Christopher Paul Neil was arrested in Nakhon Ratchasima Province this week and could be charged soon with sexually abused several young Thai boys, the Thai News Agency reported.
Thai police were informed by the international police agency Interpol this month that the school teacher had previously been charged with sexual abuse in several countries across Asia.
Police said Neil was arrested in the home of a man who allegedly organizes sexual rendezvous between young Thai boys and foreigners.
While Neil has denied any involvement in such illicit encounters, Police Maj-Gen. Wimol Pao-in told TNA he was confident there was enough evidence for the court to find the 32-year-old guilty on molestation charges. More>> - (
) (AFX UK Focus) 2007-10-22 12:10 GMT: Thai exports jump 10.4 percent in September
BANGKOK (ThomsonFinancial) - Thailand's exports jumped 10.4 percent in September from the same time a year ago on steady European demand for hi-tech goods and agricultural products, the commerce ministry said Monday.Exports, the main driver of the Thai economy, totalled 13.27 billion dollars, while imports were up 7.4 percent at 11.31 billion dollars, resulting in a trade surplus of 1.96 billion dollars in the month.
"Even though our exports to our major markets, including Japan, were slightly down, shipments to Europe and India did very well in the month," Commerce Minister Krirk-krai Jirapaet told reporters.
The minister said global demand for agricultural and hi-tech products supported growth in September. Thailand is the world's biggest exporter of rice and also a major producer of cars, textiles, electrical appliances, and shrimp. More>>