- Sri Lanka votes in first poll since economic collapse
- Feminist author warns of abortion disaster if Trump wins US election
- US city of Flint still reeling from water crisis, 10 years on
- Arsenal's mean defence faces acid test to shut out Man City again
- Late surge lifts Thailand's Jeeno to LPGA Queen City lead
- DeChambeau says PGA's Ryder Cup decision 'just the start'
- Alcaraz defeated on Laver Cup debut
- Postecoglou embraces 'struggle' to make Spurs a success
- Nice hand 'ashamed' Saint-Etienne 8-0 Ligue 1 mauling
- Boeing CEO says ending strike 'a top priority'
- Stock markets mostly fall after Fed-fueled rally
- Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
- No doctor necessary: US okays nasal spray flu vaccine for self-use
- Gurbaz, birthday boy Rashid lead Afghanistan to 177-run rout of South Africa
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
- Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
- Gurbaz century takes Afghanistan to 311-4 in 2nd ODI
- Central banks face 'difficult balancing act': IMF chief
- McLaren's Norris sets Singapore pace as struggling Verstappen 15th
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload fears
- Paris Olympics sports equipment moves to new homes
- 'Happy' Kinghorn relishing life at Toulouse
- Norris sets Singapore pace as Verstappen only 15th
- 8 dead in Israeli strike, source says Hezbollah commander killed
- Germany to bid to host women's Euro 2029
- Portugal brings deadly forest fires under control
- Postecoglou defends Solanke after slow start to Spurs career
- US nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen to power Microsoft
- Arteta urges Arsenal to take next step in Man City showdown
- Stock markets fall after Fed-fuelled rally
- Top Hezbollah commander 'killed' in Israel strike
Ready, set, roll! Thai joint contest kicks off in Bangkok
Stoners might have a reputation for moving at a glacial pace, but it was full steam ahead at the inaugural Cannabis Cup Thailand competition on Saturday.
Thailand removed cannabis from its list of banned narcotics in June, opening the way for a flurry of dispensaries and stalls, and for very enthusiastic puffers to enjoy a smoke without fear of prosecution.
At a small rooftop cannabis cafe in Bangkok, revellers gathered to compete for three Cup prizes: fastest joint roller, most creative joint, and best Thai cannabis variety -- judged by the crowd who were all handed five joints on arrival, voting for their favourite throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
"It's just super fun," said 31-year-old organiser Matita 'Mameaw' Promjai.
Hundreds of applicants for the inaugural speed rolling competition had been whittled down to just 10, she explained.
"They are very nervous," Mameaw said. "Everyone's hands shake."
Each competitor would roll a small and large joint as quickly as they physically could, closely watched by a knowledgeable -- if increasingly relaxed -- crowd.
"I'm just trying my best," said competitor Klaus, who gave only his first name, as he shambled up to the table to take his turn with a giant countdown clock behind him.
"THREE-TWO-ONE, GO!" shouted the MC as the 23-year-old scrambled to get his two joints done, banging the bell and stopping the clock on 1 minute and 44 seconds.
"It's a really great experience, it's really fun," he said. "There's some fierce competition."
In the back, self-professed "big time" smoker Nicky West, 52, was watching with a lazy smile.
"Really good, well-crafted," he said, gesturing with an intricately-tattooed hand towards the latest competitor's efforts.
"You're really good, then you get up on that stage with all those people watching you and against the clock," West said.
"I take my hat off to them," he added.
As the afternoon turned to evening, and with the winner lost in a cloud of increasingly dense smoke, the party looked set to roll late into the night.
- Educational rolling -
But the event had a more serious aspect too, Mameaw explained.
The hasty government roll-out lifting cannabis restrictions has left many people in the dark -- unsure about the benefits, unclear on the legality and unwilling to welcome the change.
"So that's why I try to make a community to educate people," she said.
While the educational aspect is important, Mameaw said with a happy grin that her desire for the event was pretty straightforward.
"I'm a stoner, that's why," she said.
J.Oliveira--AMWN