SHANGHAI: China’s largest shopping event is underway but most merchants and retail analysts expect flat or at best, tepid sales growth, noting consumers are still very much dispirited by the country’s economic woes. The Singles Day shopping extravaganza, which began last week, has morphed from an Alibaba event aimed at persuading single people to pamper … Read more
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s main farmers’ union said on Tuesday it would stage nationwide protests next month as a push to conclude a trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur countries deepens discontent that fuelled a farming crisis earlier this year. Anger at competition from cheaper imports, including from EU ally Ukraine, and a … Read more
SINGAPORE: Singapore kitefoiler Max Maeder is among the nominees for the inaugural Young World Sailor of the Year award at the 2024 World Sailing Awards. The 18-year-old is in a stellar vein of form, clinching bronze at the Paris Olympics, as well as winning the 2024 IKA KiteFoil World Series and the open event at the Formula Kite Youth European Championships. The male … Read more
BHUBANESHWAR, India: Schools in some parts of India’s eastern state of Odisha were ordered to shut and tourists asked to vacate the popular beach city of Puri, as authorities braced for a severe cyclonic storm that is expected to hit later this week. Cyclone Dana, currently over the Bay of Bengal, is expected to strengthen … Read more
KOTA KINABALU: Collective action is needed to stop the growing threat of plastic pollution, workshop participants here were told. Local Government and Housing Ministry deputy permanent secretary I Stanley Chong said addressing the problem was crucial to protect biodiversity, preserve the ecosystem and safeguard people’s health. “Marine species, like dolphins and sea turtles, suffer from … Read more
SINGAPORE: Mr Lee Hsien Yang said on Tuesday (Oct 22) that he is now a political refugee in the United Kingdom after seeking asylum protection in 2022. Citing the Singapore government’s “attacks” against him, Mr Lee, the younger brother of former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, said he sought asylum protection “as a last resort”. “I … Read more
JAKARTA: The United Nations refugee agency has appealed to Indonesia’s government to rescue a boat languishing off its western coast packed with more than 100 Rohingya refugees including women and children. The mostly Muslim ethnic Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar, and thousands risk their lives each year on long and dangerous sea journeys to try … Read more
KUALA LUMPUR: More frequent patrols will be conducted at locations that often receive complaints about smoking in prohibited places, says Deputy Health director-general Datuk Dr Norhayati Rusli. She said a total of 352 premises in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya were inspected under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852) from … Read more
Ms Kang from Singapore Polytechnic said the situation “forced us to think on our feet, be adaptable and patient, and rely on non-verbal communication such as hand gestures, drawings, and demonstrations”. Her team also learnt basic Laotian phrases, which helped build mutual respect and deeper connections with their hosts. Apart from language barrier issues, the … Read more
South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador on Monday (Oct 21) to criticise Pyongyang’s decision to send thousands of soldiers to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, the foreign ministry said, calling for their immediate withdrawal. In Pyongyang’s first such deployment overseas, about 1,500 North Korean special forces soldiers are already in Russia acclimatising and likely to … Read more
