QuickCheck: Does France have 13 time zones?

There are 195 countries worldwide, so some people naturally assume that most nations have a single time zone. This is only true to a certain extent, though. Take Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, for instance. According to research, 23 countries have more than one time zones. But is it true that France has the most time zones in...

Sai River bursts banks to flood Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district

BANGKOK: Two days of heavy rain apparently under the influence of Tropical Depression Yagi caused the Sai River to burst its banks and flood several villages in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district on Tuesday (Sept 10) morning. The district has been hit with heavy downpours since Sunday, when Yagi was downgraded into a tropical depression over...

China woman proud to be grandma at 36, slammed for prioritising children over son’s education

BEIJING: A woman in China proudly became a grandmother at the age of 36 after her 18-year-old son welcomed his first child, igniting a heated debate across the country about early marriage and parenthood. The young grandmother, surnamed Liu, hails from Huizhou city in southern China’s Guangdong province and works in the interior decorating industry. On Aug...

Prabowo completes whirlwind tour of Asean countries ahead of inauguration

JAKARTA: Defence Minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto has completed a high-profile diplomatic tour of five Asean nations a little over a month before his inauguration as the country’s new leader in October, a move seen by many as a way to bolster the country’s influence within the region amid rising tensions. The tour started on Thursday...

UK pay growth cools, keeping BoE on track for another rate cut

LONDON: British pay growth cooled in the three months to July to a more than two-year low and employment shot higher, according to data on Tuesday which is likely to keep the Bank of England on track to cut interest rates again before the end of the year. British average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, were 5.1%...

Singapore’s CPF urges foreign contributors to withdraw savings after account closure

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board has called on all foreigners who have previously contributed to the social security scheme to transfer out their savings following their accounts being closed automatically in April. The board said to date, the majority of 300,000 non-Singapore citizens (non-SCs) and non-permanent residents (non-PRs) whose accounts were closed have yet...

China woman proud to be grandma at 36, slammed for prioritising children over son’s education

BEIJING: A woman in China proudly became a grandmother at the age of 36 after her 18-year-old son welcomed his first child, igniting a heated debate across the country about early marriage and parenthood. The young grandmother, surnamed Liu, hails from Huizhou city in southern China’s Guangdong province and works in the interior decorating industry. On Aug...

Philippine Senate probes fund flows in ex-mayor Alice Guo’s bank accounts

MANILA: The dismissed Philippine mayor being linked to money laundering faced questions at the Senate on Monday (Sept 9) about billions of pesos that went into her bank accounts, and how these are linked to a China-focused online gambling hub. Ex-Mayor Alice Guo appeared again before a Senate panel, less than a week since she was...

AI capability gap in defence sector affects Malaysia, developing nations, says Mohamed Khaled

SEOUL: The disparity in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, especially in the defence sector, poses a significant disadvantage for Malaysia and other developing countries, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin. He said this gap is evident in various defence-related fields, such as surveillance, cyber warfare and autonomous systems. "I believe that this gap will leave developing...

Fugitive Teves next following arrest of Guo, Quiboloy: Local govt chief

MANILA: Authorities are now focusing on taking former Congressman Arnolfo Teves (pic) into custody, following the arrest of dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and fugitive televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, according to Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief Benjamin Abalos Jr. Abalos revealed in Dubai as he revealed his plan to present Quiboloy at a press...