Social media praised a delivery driver named “Hero Rider,” who was filmed parking his motorcycle and rushing to the aid of a 4-year-old who suddenly crossed the road.
Police Chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas also praised Pirapong Chumpolwadee, 31, on Tuesday for abandoning his motorcycle and rush to save a toddler from being hit by a car in time. Pirapong was honoured under the programme “do good get awarded” insisted by the police force.
The incident occurred on Sawai Pracharat Rd. in Lam Luk Ka Klong 4 district, opposite Yamsaard School in Pathum Thani province, on March 6. The surveillance camera of a housing estate recorded the whole scene.
Local media reported that the person at the scene was Peerapong who was on a delivery job. He parked in front of a housing estate and then heard a security guard shout in fright that a child was crossing the road. He turned to see the child, abandoned the motorbike and ran to bring the child to the road island. Fortunately, the car stopped in time.
The child ran with joy to the guard who was across the street to buy something and was about to go back. The child and the watchman know each other because the child is the son of the lawnmower of the housing complex.
Peerapong said that his motorbike was fine, but the two cups of coffee he was supposed to deliver to the customer were damaged. When he explained the situation to the shopkeeper, he made up the two cups of coffee free of charge.
Peerapong Chumpolvadee, the Hero Rider and the boy’s aunt
“I am glad that the child is safe. I am proud and impressed that social media has praised me. I read every comment all night. Thank you so much. But when my girlfriend heard the story, she cried all night because she was afraid the car would not stop in time and run over me and the child,” Peerapong said.
Wandee, 41, a Cambodian worker who was the child’s aunt, said she was at work when she heard security shouting that her grandchild was running past her. She was so shocked that she rushed to the road and saw that the rider was already holding her grandchild. Everything happened so fast, she added, thanking the rider.
Two bars of the Toblerone Swiss chocolate are shown, at front is the new style 150 gram bar showing the reduction in triangular pieces, in the background is the older style 360 gram bar. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
GENEVA (AP) — The makers of Toblerone are stripping images of Switzerland’s famed Matterhorn and the Swiss flag from the packaging of the milk-chocolate treat as they move some production to Slovakia.
Mondelez International of Deerfield, Illinois, which owns the Swiss-born brand, said Monday that it’s in the process of adapting the packaging of Toblerone products to conform with strict rules in Switzerland about how products qualify for the coveted “Swissness” moniker — perceived by some as a standard of quality.
“The redesign of the packaging introduces a modernized and streamlined mountain logo that is consistent with the geometric and triangular aesthetic,” Mondelez spokeswoman Livia Kolmitz said in an email.
In June, the company announced plans to outsource production of some Toblerone chocolates later this year to Bratislava, the Slovak capital — where wages and the cost of living are far lower than in wealthy, expensive Switzerland.
The packaging change affects 35- and 50-gram (1.2- to 1.8-ounce) bars that will be made in Slovakia: Larger, 100-gram “tablets” will still be produced in Bern, the Swiss capital, the company says.
A law on “Swissness” of products was adopted in 2017 and aims to protect the cachet of Swiss manufacturing. When it comes to foods, two criteria have to be met: At least four-fifths of the raw materials that go into the product have to come from Switzerland, and the processing that gives a product its “essential characteristics” must be carried out in Switzerland.
The chocolate bar, made of honey and almond nougat, is distinctive for its triangular “peak” shape that evokes a mountain range and matching triangular packaging — sold in scores of countries and duty-free shops around the globe.
Toblerone has already been produced in other countries — notably late into the last century. The treat was invented 115 years ago by Swiss confectioner Theodor Tobler, with the brand name a fusion of the family name and the Italian word “torrone” — nougat.
Mondelez has already run into blowback from its changes to Toblerone in the past: A move years ago to widen the gaps between the chocolate peaks — reducing the weight of the bars but keeping the price the same, known as “shrinkflation” — fanned outrage in Britain, where the change mostly took effect.
From left, Jonghyun Hwang (CEO, SPC Samlip), Heesoo Hur (Executive Vice President, SPC Group), Tanit Chearavanont (CEO – Makro Thailand), and Saowaluck Thithapant (Group CEO – Makro Business) take a commemorative photograph during ‘Siam Makro – SPC Partnership Meeting to Collaborate on Bakery Business in Thailand’ in COEX InterContinental Hotel, February 2023 (Photo=SPC Group)
Siam Makro announced on March 6 that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SPC Samlip, a South Korean leading food company based in Seoul.
The companies plan to explore possibilities to establish joint venture to implement bakery production and distribution business in Thailand, and operate in-store bakery shops to produce and distribute packaged bakery products at retail and wholesale channels under Siam Makro in Thailand and Southeast Asia. The company also plans to provide a wide range of business expertise including product development, product management, and quality control.
The signing ceremony between Siam Makro and SPC Samlip held at Inter Continental Seoul COEX in February. The key members of each company’s management team, including Tanit Chearavanont (CEO – Makro Thailand), and Saowaluck Thithapant (Group CEO – Makro Business), Jonghyun Hwang (CEO of SPC Samlip), Heesoo Hur (Executive Vice President of SPC Group) were present at the ceremony.
SPC Samlip, a global comprehensive food company of Korea’s No.1 bakery conglomerate SPC Group, manufactures and distributes bakery, including a variety of packaged bakery and dessert products, and food products including processed meat, beverages, fresh food and HMR, for B2B and B2C customers. The company also operates other related businesses such as food distribution service, F&B storesoperation, and concession. SPC Samlip is the exclusive operator of Californian sandwich brand ‘Eggslut’ in Korea. Its annual sales in year 2022 was 2.5 billion USD
Family members, accompanied by monks and fellow mourners, release the ashes of Duangphet Phromthep in a makeshift boat along with soccer balls and some of his prized possessions into the Mekong River in Chiang Rai Province Thailand, Monday, March 6, 2023. Duangphet was one of the 12 boys rescued from a flooded cave in 2018. He died in the U.K. last month. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
CHIANG SAEN, Thailand (KAWEEWIT KAEWJINDA Associated Press) — Family members, monks and friends watched from a boat Monday as the ashes of one of the 12 boys rescued from a flooded cave in northern Thailand in 2018 were released into the Mekong River. Seventeen-year-old Duangphet Phromthep died last month while attending a sports academy in England.
Duangphet’s ashes floated away in a makeshift vessel, along with soccer balls and some of his prized possessions, in an area of the river in Chiang Rai, the country’s northernmost province, where the borders of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet known as the Golden Triangle.
The makeshift boat with the ashes of Duangphet Phromthep and soccer balls, are seen in the Mekong River as his family released it into the river, in Chiang Rai Province Thailand, Monday, March 6, 2023. Duangphet was one of the 12 boys rescued from a flooded cave in 2018. He died in the U.K. last month. (AP Photo /Sakchai Lalit)
His body was cremated in a Buddhist ceremony in England in accordance with his family’s wishes.
Phra Khru Prayut Chetiyanukarn, abbot of the province’s Wat Phra That Doi Wao temple who led the Buddhist funeral procession, said the location is where people often scatter the ashes of their family members. He said the Golden Triangle “is believed to contain a Naga that helps protect and takes care (of the dead) for us.”
Family members, accompanied by monks and fellow mourners, prepare to release the ashes of Duangphet Phromthep in a makeshift boat into the Mekong River in Chiang Rai Province Thailand, Monday, March 6, 2023. Duangphet was one of the 12 boys rescued from a flooded cave in 2018. He died in the U.K. last month. (AP Photo /Sakchai Lalit)
Nagas are serpent-like mystical creatures that are revered according to Thai Buddhist beliefs. The Mekong River is one of Asia’s longest, spanning almost 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles), and runs through several countries including China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.
Duangphet, known as Dom, was found unconscious in his room on Feb. 12 at Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicestershire in central England. He died in a hospital two days later.
The cause of death has not been released to the public by coroners, but police said it was not believed to be suspicious.
Family members hold the portrait of Duangphet Phromthep and ashes before releasing his ashes into the Mekong River in Chiang Rai Province Thailand, Monday, March 6, 2023. Duangphet was one of the 12 boys rescued from a flooded cave in 2018. He died in the U.K. last month. (AP Photo /Sakchai Lalit)
Buddhist prayer sessions for Duangphet took place over the weekend at Wat Phra That Doi Wao in his hometown of Chiang Rai after his ashes arrived from Britain on Sunday.
The temple is less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Tham Luang cave, where Duangphet and 11 of his “Wild Boar” soccer teammates and their coach were trapped for more than two weeks before being safely guided out by expert cave divers in a miraculous effort that captured global interest.
Adul Sam-on, a former teammate who was trapped with him in 2018, arrived in Chiang Rai on Monday from New York, where he is studying, to say his final goodbyes to Duangphet, one of his closest friends.
Adul Sam-on, a member of the Wild Boars soccer team rescued from a flooded cave 2018, talks to a reporter in front of the ashes of late Duangphet Phromthep at Wat Phra That Doi Wao temple in Chiang Rai province Thailand, Monday, March 6, 2023. The ashes of Duangphet Phromthep in a makeshift boat were scattered into the Mekong River Monday. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
“Even though today was the last day of the ceremony, I’m happy I made it,” Adul said. “We were so close. We were just like brothers.”
Duangphet was described by his friends and coaches as a talented and determined soccer player.
“He was so good at football both technically and mentally,” said Anucha Ratchacote, 17, a former teammate of Duangphet at Vachiralai Bee School in Chiang Mai. “He wanted to play for the national team and I think he was good enough.”
FILE - Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
A year after Will Smith smacked him on the Academy Awards stage, Chris Rock finally gave his rebuttal in a forceful stand-up special, streamed live on Netflix, in which the comedian bragged that he “took that hit like Pacquiao.”
The 58-year-old comedian on Saturday night performed his first stand-up special since last year’s Oscars in a much-awaited sequel that had all the hype — and more — of a Manny Pacquaio prizefight. “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage,” streamed live from the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, marked Netflix’s first foray into live streaming. But it was also a long-awaited comedy counterpunch to Academy Awards infamy.
Rock, performing in all white and with a Prince medallion around his neck, immediately touched on last year’s Oscars while riffing on “wokeness,” hypersensitivity and what he called “selective outrage.”
“You never know who might get triggered,” said Rock. “Anybody who says words hurt hasn’t been punched in the face.”
But Rock then launched into a series of wide-ranging topics examining contemporary issues, including virtue signaling, high-priced yoga pants, the Duchess of Sussex, the Kardashians, abortion rights, the Capitol riot and what he called America’s biggest addiction: Attention.
“We used to want love, now we just want likes,” said Rock.
Rock, who also riffed on how he’d respond if his father transitioned to a woman (he would support him, Rock said), made clear “Selective Outrage” was not going to be just a Will Smith show. Only occasionally did Rock’s material dovetail with the 2022 Oscars, like it did when Rock joked about the oddity of Snoop Dogg becoming such a venerated pitch man for advertisers.
“I’m not dissing Snoop,” said Rock. “The last thing I need is another mad rapper.”
This image released by Netflix shows promotional art for “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage” a comedy special streaming live on March 4. (Netflix via AP)
But an hour into his set, Rock closed the special with a torrent of material about the notorious Academy Awards moment.
“You all know what happened to me, getting smacked by Suge Smith. Everybody knows,” Rock said. “It still hurts. I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears.”
While Smith has apologized and repeatedly spoken about the incident since last March, Rock has avoided all the usual platforms where celebrities often go to air their feelings. He never sat down with Oprah Winfrey, and turned away the many media outlets that would have loved to land an exclusive in-depth interview.
“I’m a not a victim, baby,” said Rock. “You will never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying. You will never see it. Never going to happen.”
But Rock did use his encounter with Smith to shape and enliven his second stand-up special for Netflix. Some of his best material was on their physical differences.
“We are not the same size. This guy does movies with his shirt off,” said Rock. “You will never see me do a movie with my shirt off. If I’m in a movie getting open-heart surgery, I got on a sweater.”
“He played Muhammed Ali,” added Rock. “I played Pookie in ‘New Jack City.’”
Ultimately, Rock suggested he was just caught in the crossfire in Smith’s relationship with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. It was a joke that Rock told about Pinkett Smith that prompted Smith to stride on stage and strike Rock. The comedian on Saturday referenced Pinkett Smith’s earlier confessions of having an “entanglement” with another man while married.
“I did not have any entanglements,” said Rock. “She hurt him way more than he hurt me.”
“I love Will Smith,” added Rock. “Now I watch ‘Emancipation’ just to see him get whooped.”
Before dropping his microphone and holding his arms up triumphantly, Rock left the crowd with one last zinger. Rock said the reason why he didn’t physically retaliate at the Oscars was because “I got parents.”
“And you know what my parents taught me?” he said. “Don’t fight in front of white people.”
Netflix added pre- and post-show bookends of star-studded live programming with, as host comedian Ronny Chieng said, “every comedy legend who owes Netflix a favor.” Bono lent a opening introduction. Dana Carvey and David Spade hosted the after-show. Paul McCartney, Tracy Morgan, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld and one of last year’s Oscar hosts, Wanda Sykes, all added pre-taped messages. Arsenio Hall guaranteed Rock’s set would cause Smith to smack his television set.
For much of the past year, Rock has been touring new material in a long string of performances as part of his Ego Death tour. The shows, which had been announced before the 2022 Oscars, have featured performances with Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart.
On the road, Rock has often worked in jokes and reflections on the slap. Rock first broke his public silence about the slap three nights after the Oscar ceremony, last year in Boston. “How was your weekend?” he asked the crowd. He added that he was “still kind of processing what happened.”
After plenty of processing, Rock retook the cultural spotlight just a week before the March 12 Oscars, where the slap is sure to revisited by this year’s host, Jimmy Kimmel. In the aftermath of last year’s events, Smith resigned his membership to the film academy. The academy board of governors banned Smith from the Oscars and all other academy events for a decade.
At the annual luncheon for nominees held last month, motion picture academy president Janet Yang voiced regret about how the incident was handled, calling the academy’s response “inadequate.” Bill Kramer, the academy’s chief executive, has said the academy has since instituted a crisis communications team to prepare for and more rapidly respond to the unexpected.
“Selective Outrage” is Rock’s second special for Netflix, following 2018’s “Tamborine.” They’re part of a two-special $40 million deal Rock signed with the streamer in 2016.
As new as the live “Selective Outrage” was for Netflix, it was hard not to notice a few familiar things about it.
“You’ve got to give it to the tech companies for inventing something that existed for decades,” said Chieng. “We’re doing a comedy show on Saturday night … live. Genius.”
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
“Photharam Grilled Banana”, known for its sweet, soft, sticky and charcoal-scented grilled bananas, is located on the corner of Song Praphat Street, in front of Photharam Shop, Photharam district, Ratchaburi.
The shop has been open for 19 years and has become a trademark of the area, so much so that there is a saying that if you have not visited Photharam Grilled Banana, you have not yet arrived in Photharam.
Poj Reungthep, 56, the owner of the shop, said he used to work as a leather sewer in Bangkok until the business collapsed. He returned to his hometown of Photharam. During that time, his younger brother, who owned a grilled banana shop at Mahachai Market in Samut Sakhon, brought him grilled bananas as a gift and told him to visit if he wanted a recipe.
At first, Poj did not pay much attention to the grilled bananas and left them in the refrigerator for almost a month before eating them. He found that the grilled bananas still had a good aroma and a soft and sticky texture.
The taste was still just right. He decided to visit his younger brother and learn how to grill a banana. He returned and opened his own shop.
The secret of delicious grilled bananas starts with choosing good bananas from Samut Songkhram. Then these bananas need to be soaked in saline solution before being grilled on the charcoal stove.
It is important to note that the fire must not be too hot and the griller must constantly turn the bananas so that they are cooked evenly. The griller must not forget to cut out some burnt parts. The grilling takes about 20 – 30 minutes.
For the syrup, Poj uses coconut sugar, coconut water and pandan. He boils them in a gentle fire so that the syrup remains constantly warm. This method improves the smell.
The sale of grilled bananas at 20 baht for 7 bananas.
The shop is open Mon-Thu and Thu-Fri from 6 am to 1 pm.
Facebook Page: “Photharam Grilled Banana” [กล้วยปิ้งโพธาราม] Tel: 0924062654 and 0804324009
American tourist Rodric W. Carkhuff, 34, who was in the video of him being slapped and handcuffed by a security guards at the Club Khaosan, was paid 50,000 baht in reparation by the club on Sunday, March 5. He said the incident didn’t affect his good feelings towards Thailand and Thai people, however.
Carkhuff, who was an English-language teacher in Thailand for two years and returned as tourist, visited the popular nightclub on Khao San Road, with his younger brother and two women.
He was handcuffed by two security guards, taken to a separate room, accused of stealing, slapped thrice and said at one point was threatened with a long knife. He said he thought the bottled water was complimentary after he ordered a drink.
The incident was recorded by a Thai woman and posted a video clip on social media on Saturday night, February 25, 2023.
After the video went viral, the cops summoned the two bouncers to document the miscommunication between the guards and the customer. They also asked the foreigner to the station.
While the club issued a “deepest apologies” on February 26. The club noted that the security staff involved in the incident has been relieved of duty from the company effective immediately.
Statement of the Club Khaosan
Now two security guards, Thongchai, 30, and Kritsada, 40, were charged with assault, carrying weapons and holding a person against their will, despite the latter saying he tried to prevent his colleague from assaulting Carkhuff. Six bouncers and a manger also were fired by the club as a result.
Five poachers who killed and skinned two Bengal tigers inside the Thong Pha Phum National Park between 8 and 11 January 2023 were sentenced to 8 years and 18 months imprisonment by the Thong Pha Phum Provincial Court.
However, as the plaintiffs pleaded guilty, the court halved the sentence for each plaintiff to 3 years and 21 months and ordered them to pay 750,000 baht in compensation.
All five defendants were found guilty of attracting or taking wild animals from their territory or behaving in any harmful manner towards wild animals, as well as of firing shots, which are divisible offences.
The court considered the circumstances of the case and the officer’s report on the investigation of the five plaintiffs. It ruled that all five plaintiffs, whose families and they themselves live in a community near the forest where the incident occurred, should be protected over their forest and natural resources.
Therefore, the plaintiffs’ justification for the suit, that it was filed out of anger that Bengal tigers had eaten their cattle and in defense of their property, was not the right decision. It is also a severe problem and obviously an illegal act. It also endangers the environmental system and imbalances nature.
The court also held that all the five accused had processed four guns, other firearms and additional equipment seized by the officials to prove that all the five accused could live in the forest for an extended period of time and had the plan to hunt wild animals.
The officials found the carcass of the two Bengal tigers in perfect condition: a single coat from head to tail. Moreover, their flesh and bones had been smoked to prevent rotting, showing that all five accused were trying to process or profit from the carcass.
The court held that all five accused were aware of the high-priced trade in the carcass of the Bengal tiger. Therefore, the five accused did not act only out of anger or to defend their property.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, right, bows after delivering his state of the nation address during the opening session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
BEIJING (AP) — After a decade in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s shadow, Li Keqiang is taking his final bow as the country’s premier, marking a shift away from the skilled technocrats who have helped steer the world’s second-biggest economy in favor of officials known mainly for their unquestioned loyalty to China’s most powerful leader in recent history.
After exiting the ruling Communist Party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee in October — despite being below retirement age — Li’s last major task was delivering the state of the nation address to the rubber-stamp parliament on Monday. The report sought to reassure citizens of the resiliency of the Chinese economy, but contained little that was new.
Once seen as a potential top leader, Li was increasingly sidelined as Xi accumulated ever-greater powers and elevated the military and security services in aid of the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” Li’s lack of visibility sometimes made it difficult to remember he was technically ranked No. 2 in party.
Li “was a premier largely kept out of the limelight by order of the boss,” said Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the London University School of Oriental and African Studies and a longtime observer of Chinese politics.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, bottom left, walks behind Chinese President Xi Jinping as they arrive for the opening session of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
In an era where personal loyalty trumps all, the fact that Li wasn’t seen purely as a Xi loyalist may end up being “the main reason why he will be remembered fondly,” Tsang said.
For most of his career, Li was known as a cautious, capable, and highly intelligent bureaucrat who rose through, and was bound by, a consensus-oriented Communist Party that reflexively stifles dissent.
As governor and then party secretary of the densely populated agricultural province of Henan in the 1990s, Li squelched reporting on an AIDS outbreak tied to illegal blood-buying rings that pooled plasma and reinjected it into donors after removing the blood products, allegedly with the collusion of local officials.
While Li was not in office when the scandal broke, his administration worked to quiet it up, prevented victims from seeking redress and harassed private citizens working on behalf of orphans and others affected.
FILE – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, center, wears a mask as he speaks with medical workers during the start of the COVID pandemic at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province, Jan. 27, 2020.. (Li Tao/Xinhua via AP, File)
But Li also cut a modestly different profile, an English speaker from a generation of politicians schooled during a time of greater openness to liberal Western ideas. Introduced to politics during the chaotic 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, he made it into prestigious Peking University, where he studied law and economics, on his own merits rather than through political connections.
After graduation, Li went to work at the Communist Youth League, an organization that grooms university students for party roles, then headed by future president and party leader Hu Jintao. Higher office soon followed.
Among the largely faceless ranks of Chinese bureaucrats, Li managed to show an unusually candid streak. In a U.S. State Department cable released by WikiLeaks, Li is quoted telling diplomats that Chinese economic growth statistics were ‘‘man-made,’’ and saying he looked instead to electricity demand, rail cargo traffic, and lending as more accurate indicators.
Though no populist, in his speeches and public appearances, Li was practically typhonic compared to the typically languorous Xi.
Yet, he largely failed to make effective use of the platforms he was given, unlike his immediate predecessors. At his sole annual news conference on the closing day of each congressional annual session, Li used up most of his time repeating talks points and reciting statistics. Throughout the upheavals of China’s three-year battle against COVID-19, Li was practically invisible.
Li, who hailed from humble backgrounds, had been seen as Hu’s preferred successor as president. But the need to balance party factions prompted the leadership to choose Xi, the son of a former vice premier and party elder, as the consensus candidate.
The two never formed anything like the partnership that characterized Hu’s relationship with his premier, Wen Jiabao — or Mao Zedong’s with the redoubtable Zhou Enlai — although Li and Xi never openly disagreed over fundamentals.
“Xi is not the first among equals, but rather is way above equal,” said Cheng Li, an expert on the Chinese leadership at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. Ultimately, Li was a “team player” who put party unity foremost, he said.
FILE – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang helps make way for the injured at the earthquake zone in the town of Longtoushan in Ludian County in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Aug. 4, 2014. (Yao DaweiXinhua via AP, File)
Meanwhile, Li’s authority was being gradually shrunk, beginning with a reorganization of offices in 2018. While some may have wished Li had been more “influential or decisive,” the ground was crumbling under his feet as Xi shifted more of the powers of the State Council, China’s Cabinet, to party institutions, Cheng Li said. That shift to expanded party control is expected to continue at the current congress meeting on an even greater scale.
At the same time, Xi appeared to favor trusted long-time brothers-in-arms such as economic adviser Liu He and head of the legislature Li Zhanshu, over Li, leaving him with little visibility or influence
His departure leaves major questions about the future of the private sector that Xi has been reining in, along with wider economic reforms championed by Li and his cohort. His expected replacement, Li Qiang, is a crony of Xi’s from his days in provincial government, best known for his ruthless implementation of last spring’s monthslong COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai.
“Li Keqiang has been associated with a more economics-focused take on governance, which contrasts strongly with the ideological tone that Xi has brought to politics,” said Rana Mitter of Oxford University.
“Li may be the last premier of his type, at least for a while,” Mitter said.
Li may be remembered less for what he achieved than for the fact that he was the last of the technocrats to serve at the top of the Chinese Communist Party, said Carl Minzner, an expert on Chinese law and governance at New York’s Fordham University and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Politically, Xi’s authoritarian tendencies risk a return to Mao-era practices where elite politics become “yet more byzantine, vicious, and unstable,” Minzner said.
Li’s departure “marks the end of an era in which expertise and performance, rather than political loyalty to Xi himself, was the primary career criterion for ambitious officials seeking to rise up to higher office,” he said.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores his side's fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool brought Manchester United crashing down to earth in a stunning 7-0 rout in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday.
Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah all struck twice and Roberto Firmino scored the other, with six of the goals coming in an explosive second-half performance.
Manchester United’s head coach Erik ten Hag leaves the pitch after the the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Sunday, March 5, 2023. Liverpool won the match 7-0. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
The defeat was Erik ten Hag’s heaviest as United manager and seriously hampered his four-pronged pursuit of trophies, with a Premier League title challenge now looking increasingly unlikely.
Liverpool, meanwhile, took advantage of losses for top four rivals Newcastle and Tottenham on Saturday to strengthen its own bid to qualify for the Champions League.
Gakpo opened the scoring in the 43rd minute after Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford had missed chances to put United ahead.
Nunez struck in the 47th and Salah Gakpo made it 3-0 in the 50th.
With United looking to get back into the match, Liverpool went on the rampage.
Salah made it 4-0 in the 66th and Nunez struck again in the 75th.
It was 6-0 when Salah scored in the 83rd and Firmino stepped off the bench to score in the 88th.
Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, left, and Mo Salah challenge Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Jon Super)Manchester United’s Casemiro catches the ball as he reacts with teammates after they conceded the third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Jon Super)Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, second right, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side’s fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Jon Super)The scoreboard shows Liverpool leading 7-0 during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
For Liverpool, it was the wildest of dreams.
For Manchester United, the worst nightmare in what has been such a promising first season in charge for manager Erik ten Hag.
It was United’s worst competitive defeat in more than 90 years, having lost by the same scoreline on three previous occasions — the last time coming in 1931 against Wolverhampton.
The result also eclipsed Liverpool’s previous best victory against arguably its fiercest rival, which was a 7-1 win in 1895.
“A few months ago everyone thought it was a good moment to play Liverpool — you can’t say it publicly but everyone thought it — because they felt we were struggling a lot,” manager Jurgen Klopp said. “But now it is less of a good moment, we look much more like ourselves. It is important that everyone knows we are here and we are still alive.”
A landmark win could be the launchpad for a powerful finish to the campaign for Liverpool, a push for Champions League qualification and possibly more.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, must hope his players respond in the manner they did after humbling losses against Brentford and Manchester City this season, which sparked impressive undefeated runs.
A four-pronged trophy pursuit now looks highly unlikely, with third-place United 14 points adrift of league leader Arsenal. But after winning the League Cup last week, Ten Hag’s side remains in contention for the FA Cup and Europa League, in what still has the potential to be a triumphant campaign.
Not that the Dutchman was in the mood to look for the positives in the immediate aftermath of what was also his worst-ever defeat as a manager.
“That for me is unprofessional,” he said. “I’m really disappointed and angry. We let our fans down. As a squad, as a team, you cannot allow this.
“You have to stick together and support each other and fight for each other. You have to defend. We didn’t do that and for me that is really unprofessional.”
Ten Hag has endured his share of tough days in his first season in charge of the 20-time league champions.
United lost 4-0 to Brentford in only the second game of the campaign and was beaten 6-3 in his first Manchester derby.
“I know this team will reset and we have to bounce back and we have shown in the past we can,” he said.
Klopp has had his own problems this term as his team has struggled to cope with the departure of Sadio Mane last summer.
Until recently, even a Champions League qualifying top-four finish looked in doubt, with Liverpool suffering bruising losses to Brentford, Brighton and Wolverhampton since the start of 2023.
This win, however, closes the gap to fourth-place Tottenham to three points with a game in hand.
It was also evidence of a growing understanding between Liverpool’s new-look attack as Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah all scored twice, with Roberto Firmino adding the other.
“It was one of the best performances for a long, long time. Everybody saw how good the boys can be,” Klopp said. “No one was doubting Darwin’s future impact. Cody plays in the most difficult area in the pitch against a man-marking side, which is super tricky. Mo is Mo.”
With fourth place now in sight, Liverpool fans might yet dream of an unlikely comeback in the Champions League round-of-16 game against Real Madrid later this month.
While European champions Madrid lead 5-2 after the first leg at Anfield, this was the type of performance to make the Merseyside club believe anything is possible.
Klopp’s assessment of Sunday’s game was concise: “Freak result, top performance.”
RECORD-BREAKING SALAH
Salah became Liverpool’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League with 129 goals in 205 appearances.
The Egypt international surpassed Robbie Fowler’s Premier League tally with his second goal.
“It’s very special, I can’t lie. This record was in my mind since I came here,” Salah told Sky Sports.
Salah earlier in the week became only the second Liverpool player after Ian Rush to score 20 goals for a sixth successive season.
