Sunday, 6 Oct 2024

Asia

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Iranian official says oil-for-goods deal planned with South Korea

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran and South Korea are working to set up a mechanism to barter South Korean goods for Iranian oil exports, an Iranian trade official was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA on Saturday, as Tehran seeks ways to sidestep U.S. sanctions. “According to the plan, goods will be given […]

Bug behind recent food poisoning cases?

More than 400 people suffered food poisoning in three separate incidents this month, leading an MP to say a bug could have been a cause. While food hygiene lapses could have been the cause, Dr Chia Shi-Lu, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, said the scale of the food poisoning cases and the […]

China's import-export value passes 2017 level as of mid-November: customs

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The total value of China’s imports and exports already exceeded the full-year figure for 2017 as of mid-November, China’s customs administration said Saturday. The General Administration of Customs said in a statement on its website that as of mid-November, the total value of imports and exports had risen nearly 15 percent, compared […]

‘My parents were told to swap me for a boy’

When Nargis Taraki became the fifth girl born to her parents in Afghanistan, her parents were told they should swap her with another baby in the village. Now 21, she has made it her life ambition to prove they were right to keep her. Nargis now campaigns for women’s education and empowerment in her home […]

Yuletide glitter at Gardens by the Bay

A seven-storey-tall light sculpture called the luminarie mirror maze is among the highlights of this year’s Christmas Wonderland Yuletide fair. Other highlights include an outdoor skating rink, a light and sound show, carnival games and a festive market. The annual event, which kicked off yesterday at Gardens by the Bay, will run until Dec 26. […]

South Korea November exports grow less than expected as Trump-Xi summit eyed

SEOUL – South Korean exports sustained growth in annual terms in November but missed expectations, official data showed on Saturday, as the first drop in shipments to China in over two years underlined cooling global demand. Exports by Asia’s fourth-largest economy grew 4.5 percent last month from a year earlier, missing market expectations as sales […]

India’s homegrown rival to WhatsApp

It’s a weekday afternoon in India, and some eight million people are venting about love and heartache on a popular local social network. “Sometimes, I feel everyone in India is going through a breakup,” says Farid Ahsan, one of the founders of ShareChat, India’s fastest growing social media platform in local languages. Scroll through the […]

European shares cautiously dip ahead of G20 meeting

LONDON (Reuters) – Weakened in morning trading by poor data from China, European shares closed lower on Friday ahead of Saturday’s crucial G20 talks between U.S. President Trump and China’s Xi Jinping over trade. The pan-European STOXX 600 ended the session down 0.3 percent and on a 1.2 percent loss over the month after a […]

Modi’s arrival ‘announced with Apu meme’

An Argentine news channel has come under fire for displaying an image of the Simpsons character Apu as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Buenos Aires. Cronica TV used the headline “Apu arrives” as the Indian PM’s plane touched down for the G20 summit. Some say the portrayal of the Indian shopkeeper is racist. […]