GEAR MAG

By Panarat Thepgumpanat

BANGKOK, Jan 15 (Reuters) - A crane collapsed onto a road near Thailand's capital on Thursday, crushing two vehicles and killing two people a day after a similar accident in the northeast caused the derailing of ​a train and the deaths of 32 passengers.

Thailand's transport minister said construction firm Italian-Thai Development PCL, whose crane fell onto ‌the train in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province a day earlier, was also involved in the crane accident near Bangkok.

Thursday's incident took place in Samut Sakhon province, where ‌the crane, which was being used in building an elevated highway, fell onto the road beneath and crushed two cars, according to local police, who said two people were also injured.

SERIES OF FATAL CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS

It was the latest in a series of fatal accidents caused by construction projects in Thailand, several involving Italian-Thai, including the collapse of a partially-built Bangkok tower last year that killed at least 89 people during ⁠a 7.7-magnitude earthquake and led to charges of ‌negligence against 23 people, its president among those.

Italian-Thai declined to immediately comment on the latest incident and did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Images from the scene showed a mangled green crane ‍and huge pieces of concrete that had crushed the vehicles below. Video from news outlet Thai Rath showed cars reversing to avoid the wreckage amid a cloud of dust from the collapsed concrete.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who was once president of his family's construction firm Sino-Thai Engineering & Construction, said ​two incidents showed it was time for more action to ensure safety.

"We have to fix the law," said Anutin, who had ‌visited the site of the train disaster in the northeast on Wednesday.

"Instead of telling agencies to do this or that, we have to have a meeting and we will have to do something."

Thailand, Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy, has been undergoing significant infrastructure development, from elevated highways and high-speed rail lines to major expansion of its elevated rail network in Bangkok.

'OVER AND OVER AGAIN'

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said it was crucial to determine whether these were caused by accidents or other factors.

"The incident happened over and over again. It was caused ⁠by the same contractor," he said during a talk show interview with ​Channel 3 television, referring to Italian-Thai.

"I am confused about what is happening to the ​company."

Authorities said an investigation into Wednesday's accident in the northeast was ongoing.

As well as the 32 fatalities, 66 of the 195 passengers on the train were also injured after a crane involved in building structures for ‍an elevated high-speed rail project collapsed ⁠onto an existing train line below.

The cross-country high-speed rail project will connect to China through Laos. The government said last year that more than a third of construction had been completed in the segment connecting Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, with the whole line to Nong Khai at ⁠the border with Laos ready by 2030.

Italian-Thai, a firm founded in 1958 by Italian and Thai partners, in a statement said it accepted responsibility for compensating ‌families of those impacted by the train derailment.

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Additional reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Orathai Sriring; ‌Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by David Stanway and Toby Chopra)

By Jun Yuan Yong and Xinghui Kok

SINGAPORE, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong stripped Pritam Singh of his post as Leader of the Opposition on Thursday, saying his position had become untenable after ​his conviction for lying to parliament.

The move, the first of its kind in Singapore, comes after parliament ‌decided in a vote on Wednesday that Singh of the opposition Workers' Party was unsuitable to continue in the post given his "dishonourable and unbecoming" conduct ‌after a lying conviction.

Wong in a statement said the decision was necessary to uphold the rule of law, as well as the dignity and integrity of parliament.

"Having considered the matter carefully, I have decided that Mr. Singh's criminal convictions, taken together with Parliament's considered view of his unsuitability, make it no longer tenable for him to continue... Mr. Singh's designation as the ⁠LO will therefore cease with immediate effect," Wong ‌said.

The Leader of the Opposition is designated by the head of government and not provided for in the constitution or parliament's standing orders.

Despite the parliamentary vote, it was entirely up to ‍Wong whether to remove Singh from the role.

The post comes with certain privileges and duties, such as staff support and an additional allowance, as well as access to confidential government briefings, especially in the event of a national crisis or emergency.

Wong said he has asked ​the opposition party to nominate another lawmaker not embroiled in the lying scandal to serve as the next ‌leader of the opposition, which he described as an "important position in our parliamentary democracy".

Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, a political scientist at Nanyang Technological University, said he did not think removing Singh from the post would have a big impact.

"The only substantive things he would be losing are his allowance, which won't affect the party, and speaking time," he said.

Singh will remain a lawmaker and the leader of his party.

The Workers' Party said it would study the letter sent by Wong to its ⁠central executive committee.

"We will deliberate on its contents carefully through our ​internal processes and respond in due course," it said.

In February, a Singapore ​court found Singh guilty of giving false testimony to a parliamentary committee in 2021 about a fellow party member, Raeesah Khan, who admitted to lying in a parliamentary speech about an account of ‍her accompanying a sexual assault ⁠victim to make a police report.

Singh was Singapore's first leader of the opposition and was appointed after the 2020 election, when his party gained five seats in parliament, bringing its total to 10.

In 2025, the People's ⁠Action Party won its 14th consecutive election by taking 87 of 97 seats up for grabs to extend its unbroken six-decade rule. The Workers' ‌Party won the remainder and Singh was reappointed as leader of the opposition.

(Reporting by Xinghui Kok and ‌Jun Yuan Yong; Editing by Martin Petty and David Stanway)

SYDNEY, Jan 15 (Reuters) - A severe storm in Australia's Victoria state triggered flash ​flooding on Thursday, forcing the country's famed ‌Great Ocean Road to close, sweeping cars out to ‌sea and cutting power to thousands.

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* Authorities have issued an emergency warning for townsalong the Great Ocean Road, a popular tourist destination famousfor ⁠its scenic ‌coastal views * The emergency warning said "very dangerous conditions arebeing caused by a ‍severe thunderstorm and flash flooding" * It urged residents to move indoors and shelter away fromfloodwaters * A large ​stretch of the Great Ocean Road has ‌been closed inboth directions * Local media reported cars have been swept into the oceanand 6,500 homes are without power * Rescue crews are assisting with people who became trappedin vehicles ⁠after floodwater inundated caravan parks, ​the StateEmergency Service told ​ABC Radio Melbourne * The weather bureau recorded 166 millimetres (6.5 inches)of rain since 9 ‍a.m. in ⁠the nearby Mount Cowley area * It comes days after the Great Ocean Road was ⁠closed due tobushfires that started amid an intense summer ‌heatwave

(Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney; ‌Editing by Michael Perry)

American superstars young and old could clash in the second round of the Australian Open after the draw was made Thursday in Melbourne.

Coco Gauff, 21, and Venus Williams, 45, were set on a collision course.

Williams, ranked 576th in the world, received a wild card so she can appear at the Australian Open for the first time since 2021. Her first-round foe will be 68th-ranked Olga Danilovic of Serbia.

Although she has seven career major championships, Williams has never won the Australian Open. Her best results in Melbourne were final-round appearances in 2003 and 2017, when she lost to her sister Serena Williams each time.

Gauff, who is seeded third, posted her best Australian Open performance in 2024, when she reached the semifinals. The two-time major champion will oppose No. 91 Kamilla Rakhimova of Uzbekistan in the first round.

Another U.S. player, ninth-seeded Madison Keys, will open the defense of her first Grand Slam championship by facing 90th-ranked Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine. Keys' section of the draw features a possible third-round match against No. 22 Leylah Fernandez of Canada and a potential fourth-round match vs. No. 6 Jessica Pegula of the United States.

Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the runner-up to Keys in 2025, will open vs. No. 118 Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah of France.

On the men's side, two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy, seeded second, begins the event by opposing No. 93 Hugo Gaston of France.

Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz of Spain will begin against a home-country favorite as he meets No. 80 Adam Walton of Australia.

Fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, faces No. 71 Pedro Martinez of Spain in the first round. Djokovic is on Sinner's half of the draw, setting up a possible semifinal -- if each wins his first five matches.

--Field Level Media

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Madison Keys lost in the Adelaide International quarterfinals to rising Canadian talent Victoria Mboko on Thursday, less than a week away from the start of herAustralian Open titledefense.

The 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 loss to Mboko followed last week's quarterfinal lossin the Brisbane Internationalto top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who she beat at Melbourne Park last year for her first Grand Slam singles title.

Keys was thedefending championat Adelaide.

No. 8-seeded Mboko broke Keys early en route to winning the first set, but couldn't compete with Keys' big serve in the second. Keys, seeded second at the WTA 500 event, had eight aces in the match, including six in the second set.

Mboko won 75% of her first-serve points in the third set and converted the lone breakpoint available to her. She'll now face Kimberly Birrell of Australia in the semifinals.

Mboko was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year afterwinning the National Bank Open in Montrealand raising her ranking from No. 333 at the start of the season to No. 18.

The Australian Open begins on Sunday. Keys has been drawn to face Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine in the first round of the year's first major. Mboko will open against Emerson Jones of Australia.

AP tennis:https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Koa Peat achieved his first game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds and Tobe Awaka scored a career-high 25 points to help No. 1 Arizona hold off visiting Arizona State 89-82 Wednesday night at Tucson, Ariz.

Peat finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds after making all seven of his shots from the field in the second half.

Arizona (17-0, 4-0 Big 12) used a stretch of 11 straight made field goals to pull away to a 75-63 lead with 7:01 left.

Arizona State (10-7, 1-3) responded with a 6-of-7 stretch from the field, including two 3-pointers by Noah Meeusen, to cut the lead to 83-79 with 1:37 left.

The Sun Devils' Maurice Odum made a 3-pointer while being fouled with 55 seconds left, but missed the free throw and Arizona led 85-82.

Jaden Bradley, who finished 12 points, four assists and no turnovers, made a jumper with 27 seconds left to increase the lead to 87-82.

After Odum missed a 3-pointer, Awaka was fouled with 19 seconds left and he made both free throws to secure the win.

Awaka made all eight of his free-throw attempts and was 8 of 11 from the field.

Odum finished with 23 points and seven assists to lead Arizona State. Massamba Diop added 16 points and six rebounds in the loss.

Peat had more turnovers (three) than made field goals (two) in the first half. In the second half, he had 16 points behind his 7-of-7 shooting from the field.

The game was tied seven times and neither team had a lead of more than six points in the first half.

Arizona State led 39-38 at halftime after committing only one turnover and producing nine assists on its 15 made field goals in the half.

Awaka reached 15 points in the first half on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.

A 9-3 run by Arizona put the Wildcats ahead 51-46 with 15:50 left in the game, but Arizona State answered with a 7-1 stretch that included a 3-pointer and jumper by Odum.

--Field Level Media

By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Hate speech and gun control laws proposed by the Australian government in the aftermath of the Bondi Beach mass shooting were criticised by conservative opposition and Greens parties on Thursday, putting in question whether ​they can pass.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has recalled Parliament from its summer break to sit next Monday and Tuesday with the hope ‌that a combined bill that authorises a gun buyback and lowers the bar for hate speech prosecutions would be voted on.

Albanese was criticised for not acting quickly enough in ‌announcing a public inquiry into the Bondi massacre, but has now been criticised for rushing complex legislation.

On Thursday, Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley, who previously urged Albanese to act quickly, said the bill was "unsalvageable" after prominent conservative lawmakers said it threatened free speech. She urged Albanese to allow more time to consider new laws.

The December 14 shooting in Sydney that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration sparked nationwide calls to tackle antisemitism. Police say the alleged ⁠gunmen were inspired by the Islamic State militant ‌group.

Ley criticised the bill for not targeting "radical Islamic extremist hate preaching without impinging on free speech."

The bill exempts preachers who quote from or discuss religious texts, which the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said could pose a loophole that ‍allows antisemitism.

The National Party, which partners with the Liberals in opposition, criticised the government for combining gun control measures, which it opposed, and hate speech in the same bill.

"This should have been a moment of national unity," Albanese said in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio interview on Thursday. The government is prepared to consider ​amendments to the bill, he added.

Labor holds a majority in the lower house of Parliament and is negotiating with the Greens party for ‌support for the bill in the Senate.

The Greens said on Thursday it would not support the bill over concerns at the impact on political protest and changes to the migration act.

Greens leader Larissa Water said the party also wants hate speech protections broadened beyond race to cover Islamophobia.

"We need to ensure these laws cannot be weaponised to shut down legitimate political protest. Labor must make it crystal clear that criticism of Israel's actions, just like those of Russia, China or Australia, will not be criminalised," she said.

Universities, and a United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter ⁠Terrorism, Ben Saul, have also raised concerns the bill could limit freedom of ​expression.

NEO-NAZI GROUP DISBANDS

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said since the draft law was released on ​Tuesday, a neo-Nazi group that was flagged as a concern by intelligence agencies disbanded to avoid prosecution, which he said showed the effectiveness of the bill.

In addition, a Muslim prayer hall in Sydney linked to a cleric who was ‍found by a court to have made ⁠intimidating statements about Jewish people said it would shut down.

An expert in constitutional law, Anne Twomey, said the proposed law could be challenged in the High Court for impinging on political communication. The proposed offence of promoting racial hatred carries a five-year prison sentence.

Daniel ⁠Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the reform would make it easier to prosecute hate crimes because incitement of an audience would no longer need ‌to be proved in court.

In a statement, the council said the bill should be passed, even though it had "serious shortcomings."

(Reporting ‌by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus and Michael Perry)