The new CEO of SASSA and the National Treasury are at loggerheads already over social grant reviews and verification processes …
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Tensions grow between SASSA and the National Treasury
Ratsada’s bold plan: Mayor unveils 7 key initiatives for growth
Jirayut Songyos, the newly elected Mayor of Ratsada Subdistrict Municipality, laid out an ambitious policy plan aimed at transforming his subdistrict into a stronger, more prosperous community. Following his certification by the Phuket Provincial Election Commission on June 4, Jirayut spoke to the Ratsada Subdistrict Municipality Council, outlining his commitment to work under the principles …
The story Ratsada’s bold plan: Mayor unveils 7 key initiatives for growth as seen on Thaiger News.
Galal Yafai reveals beatdowns he took from his older champion brothers knocked him into the fighter he is today
GALAL YAFAI reveals the beatdowns he took from his champion older brothers knocked him into the fighter he is today.
Yafai grew up as the youngest boxer in the household and admits it was constant civil war at home between older siblings Gamal and Kal.
He told SunSport: “My mum would come in screaming and shouting, we’d always end up fighting but I knew my place when you’re like ten years old or nine years old.
“Two-three years is a big difference. When they were 13-14 years old and I’m only just 10, it’s a big jump. So yeah, I knew my position. I used to get beaten up on a little bit!”
Despite taking his fair share of brotherly blows, Yafai admits the real wars came between Kal and Gamal.
He said: “They were closer in age and I think they felt sorry for me a little bit because I was a little bit smaller than them.
“They had the real big fights and my mum used to come out shouting and it was kind of like hillbilly style. It kind of helped us to get where we got to.
“Kal was always better than me, Gamal was always bigger and better so I don’t think I ever got the better of everyone really.
“I could hold my own, well I could hold my own when I got a bit older, but I think they took it easy on me.
“But they always helped me anyway, it helped in my career.”
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Yafai trained as a teenager and watched his older brothers become amateur champions – later replicating that success in the professional ranks.
The youngest of the pack only began boxing again at 18 but by 2021 he was Olympic champion after packing in his job working in a Land Rover factory.
Now he is undefeated and 9-0 as a pro – meanwhile ex-world champ Kal, 36, is retired and Gamal, 33, now coaches the younger generation.
But Yafai – who returns on Saturday against Francisco Rodriguez Jr in a bid to earn a shot at WBC and WBO champ Kenshiro Teraji – doubts brother Gamal will be part of his corner team – preferring he remains just a fan for now.
He said: “My coach Rob McCracken sorts all that out and I just like my brothers being there. They help me just being there and showing me support and having my back.
“My brother Kal’s been in my corner before as like a second in America. But as long as Rob’s in my corner and my brothers are there supporting me, yeah, I’m happy.”
Ivana Alawi Donates ₱50K Each to Sick Children, Urges Fans to Support PCMC
Ivana Alawi Touches Lives at Philippine Children’s Medical Center IVANA ALAWI – Actress and vlogger Ivana Alawi gave ₱50,000 in aid to several patients, aiming to ease the burden of their medical expenses. Kapamilya star Ivana Alawi recently paid a meaningful visit to the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC), offering financial support and bringing smiles ... Read more
The post Ivana Alawi Donates ₱50K Each to Sick Children, Urges Fans to Support PCMC appeared first on PhilNews.
Canelo Alvarez reveals why Terence Crawford is BETTER than Floyd Mayweather… but vows to learn from infamous loss
CANELO ALVAREZ believes Terence Crawford is a BETTER fighter than Floyd Mayweather – the man who handed him his first-ever loss.
The Mexican superstar was outclassed over 12 rounds by undefeated great Mayweather in 2013 – while only 23 years old.
Fast forward 12 years and Canelo once again faces another undefeated American in Las Vegas – this time Crawford.
The mega-fight – streamed on Netflix on September 13 – has drawn comparisons between Canelo’s fight with Mayweather over a decade ago.
But he said: “I think Crawford is better than Mayweather because he turns his guard to both sides, he’s more intelligent.
“I think he’s better than Floyd Mayweather. That’s what I think.”
Canelo bounced back from defeat to Mayweather – who retired at 50-0 in 2017 – to carve out a Hall of Fame career.
But the harrowing points loss is not the the only reason four-division champion Canelo improved so vastly.
He said: “I learned in every single fight not just in the Mayweather fight but I learned everything and for every fight.
“I’m gonna put all my experience there because I’m gonna need it.”
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Canelo, 34, defends the super-middleweight titles he regained by beating Cuban William Scull, 32, in May in Riyadh.
Crawford, 37, meanwhile returns for the first time since beating Israil Madrimov, 30, last August to win the 154lb WBA title.
He is unbeaten at 41-0 having won belts from lightweight to super-welterweight – now attempting to become undisputed champ at THREE weights.
And Canelo admitted: “He can use both guards. He can do everything he can counterpunch, move around, he’s a complete fighter.
“He’s gonna be a difficult fight but you know it’s nothing new for me.”
Cambodian tourist numbers to Thailand drop 48% due to closures
Cambodian tourist numbers visiting Thailand have significantly decreased by 48% this month due to border closures, impacting a market already experiencing a slowdown since the previous year. Despite this, Thai AirAsia has reported a strong load factor on flights from Bangkok to Cambodia. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), stated that …
The story Cambodian tourist numbers to Thailand drop 48% due to closures as seen on Thaiger News.
SC announces list of local testing centers for 2025 Bar Exams
MANILA – The Supreme Court’s (SC) Office of the 2025 Bar Chairperson (OBC) has issued the list of 14 local testing centers (LTCs) for the 2025 Bar Examinations. According to Bar Bulletin 3, signed on Friday by SC Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier, chairperson of the 2025 Bar Examinations, the LTCs were selected from various parts
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Bangkok police arrest trio for selling drug-laced e-cigarettes
Officers in Bangkok arrested a group yesterday for selling e-cigarette liquids laced with drugs online. The three suspects, 37 year old Netnapa, 46 year old Thanakorn, and 33 year old Pratchaya, were caught red-handed yesterday, June 20, with a large stash of illegal vaping liquids and equipment, sparking a serious drug trafficking investigation. The bust …
The story Bangkok police arrest trio for selling drug-laced e-cigarettes as seen on Thaiger News.
I’m a gardening pro – this is exact amount of seconds to water plants for during a heatwave & the best time of day
It’s been really hot this week and the plants are really feeling it.
High temperatures can cause wilting, leaf scorch, stunted growth and a reduced ability to photosynthesis.
There’ s all sorts of way you can reduce the pressure on the plants to cope.
If you’ve got plants in pots – move them into the shade – and group them together – so they give each other protection.
Water early in the morning before it starts getting really hot – so it doesn’t all evaporate – or if that’s not an option – when the sun’s gone down.
However morning is the best option – as slugs move around at night and love the damp soil.
It’s best to give them a really good soaking once or twice a week rather than a light water daily.
And experts reckon you should count to between 20 and 25 seconds as you water each plant – to make sure the water soaks down through the soil to the roots.
It’s not what we want – but there’s no problem with letting your lawn go brown – if it’s healthy it will cope – and the green will return when there’s a bit of rain.
Raise your mower’s cutting level and let the cuttings fall as mulch on the lawn – to keep in moisture.
Keep weeding – so they’re not competing with the plants you want in your outside space.
Save and store any rainwater to reuse in your garden. If you don’t have room for a water butt – just leave a few brightly coloured buckets around to catch any rain.
Or you could splash out on a dipping tank – which looks lovely and stories water.
You could also set up an irrigation system – although these are costly – but a leaky hose can work just as well.
Choose drought tolerant plants like Agapanthus, Lavender, Geums and hardy Geraniums.
Also in Veronica's Gardening Column this week...
The best new plants on the market - plus a competition to win a Lawncare flower bundle
A BRAND new cherry tree called Japanese Lantern has won the prestigious Horticultural Trade Association’s ‘Best In Show’.
From growers Frank P Matthews, based in Tenbury Wells, Worcs, the ‘Prunus Samaura Fugenzo’ was described as having ‘densely double-frilled flowers with white, pink, and green petals that deepen in colour as they age’. Plus it thrives across all regions of the UK and in a variety of soil types, except those that are heavily waterlogged. All plants that entered had to be new to the UK and introduced to the market within the last year.
The winners were…
Annuals, Tender Perennials:
LaBella Dahlia Grande Chocolate Rose – from Beekenkamp Plants
Cacti & Succulents:
Cotyledon Green Footprint – from Javado UK
Flowering Houseplants:
Cyclamen persicum Super Serie Dragon Deep Blue – from Profitplant BV
Foliage Houseplants:
Calathea ‘Velvet Glory’ – from Javado UK
Herbaceous Perennials:
Hosta ‘Silly String’ – from Darby Nursery Stock Ltd & Fairweathers
Shrubs (including Conifers):
Hydrangea Zeta Noir – from Bransford Webbs Plant Company & Darby Nurseries
Trees
Prunus Sumaura Fugenzo Japanese Lantern – from Frank P Mathews Ltd (BEST IN SHOW)
WIN!
Our friends at Johnson’s Seeds are offering TEN Sun Gardening readers a Wildflower lawncare bundle worth £25 each. The Lawn Seed combines slow growing grasses with UK native mowable flowers – a pollinators dream – plus there’s a tin of Celebration Wildflowers. To win visit www.thesun.co.uk/WILDFLOWERLAWN or write to Sun Wildflower Lawn Competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. July 5, 2025. T&Cs apply.
NEWS! Dragon’s Den OG Theo Paphitus has launched a new online garden centre at www.gardencentre.co.uk. Garden enthusiasts and pet owners can browse thousands of lines – from live plants and outdoor furniture, to turf, trellis and fences – with free delivery nationwide.
JOB OF THE WEEK Pinch out the tips of fuchsia to encourage more flowers. Pick sweet peas to get more blooms. Stake tall perennials like Goura, deadhead spent geraniums,
For more tips and news, follow me @biros_and_bloom
Thailand Weather Alert 2025: Heavy Rain and Thunderstorm Warning
Hello, dear reader, and fasten your seatbelts as we’re in for quite the meteorological roller coaster in Thailand today! Our friends at the Thai Meteorological Department have rolled out their ominous red carpet, ushering in a parade of lashing rains, rumbling thunder, and a dash of the unpredictable. As you’ve guessed, it’s weather warning time and, believe me, it’s a doozy! Today, Mother Nature has decided to showcase her flair across the north, east, and south of Thailand with epic downpours. The northeast might steal the show with weather conditions severe enough to make even the most die-hard raincoat enthusiasts think twice before stepping outside. The culprit? Well, it’s a classic case of meteorological mayhem – an intensified southwest monsoon conspiring with a wily low-pressure area from Vietnam. Let’s just say they’re having a bit too much fun together. If you’re a sea-lover hoping to set sail, you might want…
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