Class 3A No. 1 Greensburg traveled to Evansville for the North Basketball Showcase Saturday. In the Lady Pirates’ opener, Greensburg faced No. 2 Silver Creek. The Lady Dragon battled to the end, but Greensburg made the plays and free throws at the end to hold off Silver Creek 66-59. After a 4-4 tie in the first quarter, Greensburg outscored the Lady Dragons 11-5 to lead 15-9 after the first eight minutes of action. In the second quarter, Greensburg increased the lead to 10 points on three occasions at 19-9, 26-16 and 28-18. With Greensburg leading 30-22, Silver Creek closed the second quarter on a 6-0 run to close the half trailing by just two points, 30-28. Silver Creek was able to keep that momentum in the early part of the third quarter. The Lady Dragons took a 3-point lead at one point. Leading 46-45, Greensburg went on a 7-0 run to end the quarter with the Lady Pirates leading 53-45. Greensburg scored the first two of the fourth quarter to make it a 9-0 run and a 10-point advantage. The Greensburg lead was at 10 at 55-45, 57-47 and 59-49 before Silver Creek made a final push. The Lady Dragons cut the deficit to 59-57 and then to 61-59 before three free throws and a late bucket by Greensburg sealed the 66-59 victory. For the Lady Pirates, Claire Larrison scored 23 points to go with seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. Mylie Wilkison added 18 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Leah West finished with 11 points and three rebounds. Aly Powers had six points, six rebounds and three assists. Mary Harmon finished with four points one rebound and a team-high five assists. Emma McQueen had two points two rebounds and three assists. The Lady Pirates took on Princeton Saturday evening and moved to 10-0 with a 68-52. Greensburg led 16-7 after the first quarter and 30-17 at the half. The lead was stretched to 49-32 after three quarters. Greensburg shot 56 percent from the field and 74 percent from charity stripe. Greensburg scored 36 points in the paint and dished out 21 assists as a team. For the Lady Pirates, Larrison stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and one steal. Wilkison tallied 15 points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal. West added 14 points, two rebounds one assist and one steal. Harmon had eight points, three assists and four steals. Powers added eight points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals. McQueen had two points, four rebounds and one steal. Kahlen Adams scored two points and Emma Kuntz had one rebound and one assist. Oldenburg 45 South Decatur 27 The Lady Twisters picked up a road win at South Decatur 45-27 to improve to 7-1 on the season. The Lady Cougars drop to 5-5 heading into Thursday’s game at Hauser. Makayla Somers led the Lady Cougars in scoring with seven points. Paige McQueen and Makayla Puckett were next for South with six points each. Raegan Benge scored four points. Taylor Somers and Dalilah Martin both had two points. Taylor Somers grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Makayla Somers added six rebounds. Puckett and Martin both had two rebounds. Puckett dished out a team-high three assists. McQueen and Makayla Somers both had two assists. Makayla Somers led South with three steals. Batesville 50 Shelbyville 43 The Lady Bulldogs picked up win No. 7 on the season with a 50-43 win at Shelbyville. Batesville led at every quarter break en route to the victory. For the Lady Bulldogs, Marlee Obermeyer tallied 14 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Kaylin Kathmann finished with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal. Madely Haskamp added a double double: 10 points, 12 rebounds and two assists. Sydney Campbell had eight points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. Sophie Gesell contributed six points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Nora Wiedeman added two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Lydia Haskamp had one rebound and one steal. Batesville hosts Lawrenceburg Tuesday. Bishop Chatard 44 Rushville 30 The Lady Lions traveled to Bishop Chatard Saturday and were defeated 44-30. Both teams are 4-4 on the season. Trisha Morgan led the Lady Lions in scoring with 10 points and added three rebounds and two steals. Carly Senour finished with eight points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal. Leonie Boyer tallied seven points, eight rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. Charlotte Caviness had two points, two rebounds and one assist. Kelsey Morgan added two points, one rebound and one assist. Makenna Ripberger had one point, three rebounds, one block and one steal. Mikayla Herbert had one rebound and one assist. Gracie Buzzard had five rebounds and one steal. Audrey Angle grabbed two rebounds. The Lady Lions host Whiteland Wednesday. EIAC Friday Lawrenceburg 37, Richmond 21 Saturday Batesville 50, Shelbyville 43 Connersville 61, Hamilton Heights 38 Greensburg 66, Silver Creek 59 Greensburg 68, Princeton 52 Bishop Chatard 44, Rushville 30 Jac-Cen-Del 60, South Dearborn 53 MHC Friday Englewood 82, Southwestern 14 Triton Central 75, Waldron 45 Saturday Hauser 53, Crothersville 30 Knightstown 47, Edinburgh 40 Oldenburg 45, South Decatur 27Thailand is in the middle of a demographic crisis of unprecedented proportions: with its birth rate ranking among the lowest in the world, the kingdom is at risk of seeing an irreversible decline that will see its population shrink by 50% in just a few decades. Recent figures published by Chulalongkorn University's Sasin School of Management say Thailand -- where the national birth rate has declined by 81% over the past 74 years -- is third globally in terms of declining birth rates. Only South Korea (-88%) and China (-83%) saw bigger drops in birth rates over the same period, while Japan -- long seen as the epitome of demographic decline -- performed slightly better at -80%. If the trend is not reversed, the kingdom's population could shrink by half, from about 66 million people to about 33 million, in just 60 years, according to the study. The implications of this decline extend far beyond mere academic concerns. A rapidly ageing population will dampen economic growth, strain healthcare systems and undermine Thailand's competitiveness on the global stage. Failure to act decisively today risks triggering a domino effect. The acute demand for labour could lead to an uncontrolled influx of foreign workers, which in turn could trigger social, economic and security challenges, destabilising the entire nation. These concerns aren't new; in fact, experts have been urging the government to act for years. Despite their repeated urgings, Thailand still do not have a comprehensive set of policies to address the situation. Past governments placed too much focus on short-term, populist policies that neglect to address the root cause of the demographic crisis. It is time for the government to start looking at the population decline as a top priority. This issue transcends political cycles and requires long-term cooperation from all stakeholders. Establishing a dedicated ministerial-level organisation to focus exclusively on reversing this trend is no longer optional, but essential. Addressing the crisis requires an integrated approach that combines tax incentives, subsidies for families with children, and targeted campaigns to promote having children, particularly among the younger generations. The government must also reduce the costs associated with raising children, from healthcare to education, while working to improve household incomes. Past administrations have introduced subsidies for first cars and houses. The current government should consider a similar financial incentive for couples to have children, making it the cornerstone of a broader, long-term family planning initiative. Thailand's 20-year strategic plan must also be revised. More investment in automation technology will help ease the pressure posed by a shrinking workforce. However, they cannot replace the need for human capital. As such, the education system also be adapted to equip future generations with the skills needed to remain competitive. Thailand can learn from other nations experiencing a similar decline. Singapore, for one, has rolled out extensive financial incentives, while the introduction of family-friendly policies in France has helped improve fertility rates. Adapting these strategies to fit Thailand's context could prove to be the answer that the country needs to solve its demographic woes. Unless the government acts now, Thailand's stability and prosperity may be in jeopardy.
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Douglas Trustees haggle over records lawsuit billPresident Joe Biden pledged another 600 million US dollars (£472 million) on Wednesday for an ambitious multi-country rail project in Africa as one of the final foreign policy moves of his administration. Mr Biden told African leaders the resource-rich continent of more than 1.4 billion people had been “left behind for much too long”. “But not anymore,” Mr Biden added. “Africa is the future.” Mr Biden used the third and final day of a visit to Angola – his long-awaited, first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president – to travel to the coastal city of Lobito and tour an Atlantic port terminal that’s part of the Lobito Corridor railway redevelopment. Mr Biden described it as the largest US investment in a train project outside America. The US and allies are investing heavily in the project that will refurbish nearly 1,200 miles of train lines connecting to the mineral-rich areas of Congo and Zambia in central Africa. The corridor, which likely will take years to complete, gives the US better access to cobalt, copper and other critical minerals in Congo and Zambia that are used in batteries for electric vehicles, electronic devices and clean energy technologies that Mr Biden said would power the future. China is dominant in mining in Congo and Zambia. The US investment has strategic implications for US-China economic competition, which went up a notch this week as they traded blows over access to key materials and technologies. The African leaders who met with Mr Biden on Wednesday said the railway corridor offered their countries a much faster route for minerals and goods – and a convenient outlet to Western markets. “This is a project that is full of hope for our countries and our region,” said Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, whose country has more than 70% of the word’s cobalt. “This is not just a logistical project. It is a driving force for economic and social transformation for millions of our people.” The leaders said the corridor should spur private-sector investment and improve a myriad of related areas like roads, communication networks, agriculture and clean energy technologies. For the African countries, it could create a wave of new jobs for a burgeoning young population. Cargo that once took 45 days to get to the US – usually involving trucks via South Africa – would now take around 45 hours, Mr Biden said. He predicted the project could transform the region from a food importer to exporter. It’s “something that if done right will outlast all of us and keep delivering for our people for generations to come,” he said. The announcement of an additional $600 million took the U.S.’s investment in the Lobito Corridor to 4.0 billion dollars (£3.15 billion).
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