Pioneering skydiver Felix Baumgartner dies while paragliding in Italy
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15 hours ago
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Scheffler on brink of Open glory, leads Li by 4 shots
Scheffler on brink of Open glory, leads Li by 4 shots Scheffler is 18 holes away from clinching his maiden victory at the Open Championship. Photo: Reuters It may be Rory McIlroy's homeland, but it's once again shaping up to be Scottie Scheffler's week. Scheffler is one round away from his fourth major championship in four years after opening up a four-stroke lead at the Open Championship on Saturday in Portrush, Northern Ireland. Scheffler posted a workmanlike 4-under-par 67 at Royal Portrush to get to 14-under 199, with China's Li Haotong (69) his closest pursuer at 10 under. On a day where the majority of the field shot under par -- and six of the top eight players made at least one eagle -- Scheffler kept his round bogey-free to remain in the driver's seat. "I think the card could look stress-free, but I had two really nice par saves on the back nine that were key," Scheffler said. "I made a nice 8-ish footer on 11, another one on 14, so two really important putts I felt like. I think anytime you can keep a clean card around a major championship, you're going to be having a pretty good day." Matt Fitzpatrick played in the final pairing with Scheffler and hung with him for much of the front nine before settling for an even-par 71. He's alone in third at 9 under, and he and Tyrrell Hatton (8 under) hold outside chances at being the first Englishman to win the Open since 1992. The fans in Northern Ireland would rather see their native son McIlroy charge from six back to capture an emotional major triumph. McIlroy's eventful day featured a bizarre shot that unearthed another golf ball buried in the rough; he buried a 56-foot eagle putt one hole later on his way to a 66. Tied with McIlroy and Hatton (68) at 8 under are Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup and Harris English, each of whom shot 68 Saturday. Defending Open champion Xander Schauffele carded two eagles in a round of 66 and sits in eighth at seven-under. Li, a 29-year-old with four wins on the DP World Tour, has only one top-10 major finish in his career -- third place at the 2017 Open. He will be the first man from China to play in the final Sunday pairing at a major, and he'll do so alongside the undisputed best golfer in the world. "I'm actually quite looking forward to it," Li said. "Four shots behind, kind of like play for second, especially play with world No. 1. I just try to play my best out there and hopefully make something happen." Scheffler has held the 54-hole lead at a major three times. He converted those leads into victories at all three. "This is why we work so hard is to have opportunities like this, and I'm excited for the challenge of tomorrow," he said. "Winning major championships is not an easy task, and I've put myself in a good position. Going into tomorrow I'm going to step up there on the first tee and I'm going to be trying to get the ball in the fairway, and when I get to the second shot I'm going to be trying to get that ball on the green. There's not really too much else going on." (Reuters)
RTHK
20 hours ago
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34 dead as tourist boat capsizes in Ha Long Bay
34 dead as tourist boat capsizes in Ha Long Bay Millions of people visit Ha Long Bay each year, drawn by the Unesco World Heritage Site's blue-green waters and rainforest-topped limestone islands. File photo: Reuters A tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam's Ha Long Bay capsized in a storm on Saturday afternoon, leaving at least 34 people dead, according to state media reports, as rescuers scrambled to locate the missing. The vessel was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members when it capsized in the Unesco World Heritage site because of sudden heavy rain, the VNExpress news site said. Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, it said. "Border guards rescued 11 people and recovered 34 bodies," it added. Rescue efforts were set to continue into the night to find the eight still missing. Ha Long Bay office worker Tran Trong Hung told AFP the storm started in the afternoon. "The sky turned dark at around 2pm (0700 GMT)," he said. There were "hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorm and lightning", he said. One of the rescued, a 10-year-old boy, told state media outlet VietnamNet, "I took a deep breath, swam through a gap, dived, then swam up. I even shouted for help, then I was pulled up by a boat with soldiers." Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences to the families of the deceased and called on the defense and public security ministries to conduct urgent search and rescue. Authorities would "investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations", a statement on the government website said. Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, was quoted by VNExpress as saying that the thunderstorms in northern Vietnam were not caused by the influence of Tropical Storm Wipha in the South China Sea. Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting its blue-green waters and rainforest-topped limestone islands each year. Last year, 30 vessels sank at boat lock areas in coastal Quang Ninh province along Ha Long Bay after Typhoon Yagi brought strong wind and waves. (AFP)
RTHK
21 hours ago
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Marc Marquez wins Czech MotoGP sprint race
Marc Marquez wins Czech MotoGP sprint race Ducati rider Marquez celebrates his 11th sprint victory in 12 races. Photo: Reuters Marc Marquez overtook fellow Spaniard Pedro Acosta on the penultimate lap to win the Czech MotoGP sprint race on Saturday and stretch his championship lead. Spanish factory Ducati rider Marquez won the 11th sprint out of 12 this season to raise his tally in the championship standings to 356 points. The 32-year-old leads his younger brother Alex by 95 points and third-placed Italian teammate Francesco Bagnaia by 156. Factory KTM rider Acosta, 21, came home second ahead of Italian Enea Bastianini on a KTM-Tech3. Starting from second spot on the grid, Marquez quickly eased past polesitter Bagnaia, still in the opening lap. Acosta shot ahead from the third row at the start, passing Bagnaia halfway through the race to get just behind Marquez. He glided into the lead moments later as Marquez slowed down in uncertainty over tyre pressure. "I saw that the pressure was not enough. I tried to push some laps on the brakes, but I saw that was too much risk. I decided to wait," said Marquez. It took the six-time MotoGP champion a while to warm the tyres up and take the lead back with a swift overtake early into the last but one lap. "When I saw that the pressure was inside the rules, then I pushed the last laps," Marquez said. Battling a forearm injury earlier in the season, Acosta relished his podium finish. "It was the darkest beginning of the season of my life, and being on the podium again is super nice," Acosta said. Bastianini was equally happy with third, a week after sitting out the German GP over food poisoning. "It's incredible to be here. Now we are here to enjoy that podium, my first one with the KTM," he said. Reigning world champion Jorge Martin returned to the sport with an 11th spot. Martin sat out the first three races following two pre-season crashes, and when he returned at Qatar in April, he crashed heavily again and missed the next seven races. Marquez won the last four grand prix, taking the honours in both the sprint and the main race each time, and he will be looking to add another perfect weekend at Brno. He is eyeing his seventh MotoGP world title – and first since 2019 – that would put him level with the legendary Valentino Rossi. (AFP)
