Chinese zoo denies allegations star attraction is a man in a sun bear costume - The Straits Times

This is not the first time a zoo in China has grabbed the headlines for eyebrow raising exhibits.

In 2019, Yancheng Wild Animal World in Changzhou, a city in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province, sparked controversy after asking its workers to dress as gorillas, reported British newspaper Daily Mail.

The bizarre sight of two zookeepers jumping around the gorilla enclosure in full-body costumes was spotted by a parent.

The zoo defended itself, and said that the “human gorillas” were a special programme designed to entertain tourists on April Fool’s Day. It added that it had not expected the arrangement to cause misunderstanding from visitors.

And in 2013, CNN reported that a zoo in Luohe, Henan, tried to pass off a large hairy dog as a lion.

A visitor told Beijing Youth Daily that when she and her son approached the cage marked “African lion”, they were greeted not by a mighty roar, but a bark.

The furry beast turned out to be a Tibetan mastiff.

Other animals in the park were similarly mislabelled, Beijing Youth Daily reported, with another dog in the wolf cage, and a white fox on display in the leopard enclosure.

The park told CNN that the animals had been substituted for various unspecified reasons, and would be returned to their rightful places.

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2023-07-30 09:25:00Z
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Putin says Russia does not reject talks with Ukraine - CNA

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday (Jul 29) that an African initiative could be a basis for peace in Ukraine but that Ukrainian attacks made it hard to realise.

He was speaking at a press conference after meeting African leaders in St Petersburg on Friday and hearing their calls for Moscow to move ahead with their plan.

"There are provisions of this peace initiative that are being implemented," he said.

"But there are things that are difficult or impossible to implement."

Reuters reported in June that African mediation in the conflict could begin with confidence-building measures followed by a cessation of hostilities agreement accompanied by negotiations between Russia and the West.

Putin said that one of the points in the initiative was a ceasefire.

"But the Ukrainian army is on the offensive, they are attacking, they are implementing a large-scale strategic offensive operation ... We cannot cease fire when we are under attack."

On the question of starting peace talks, he said, "We did not reject them ... In order for this process to begin, there needs to be agreement on both sides."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected the idea of a ceasefire now that would leave Russia in control of nearly a fifth of his country and give its forces time to regroup after 17 grinding months of war.

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2023-07-29 23:31:02Z
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As Khanun forms, China warns of third typhoon in three weeks - CNA

BEIJING: Chinese forecasters on Saturday (Jul 29) warned of the approach of Tropical Storm Khanun, which is expected to rapidly gain typhoon strength and strike China's densely populated coast sometime next week.

Khanun, now more than 1,000km east of the Philippine archipelago in the Pacific, may make landfall in China's economically important Zhejiang province as early as Tuesday, Chinese forecasters said.

Typhoons are common in China, often threatening big cities. As many as 150 Chinese cities suffer from flooding each year due to inadequate drainage systems, disrupting local economies and even claiming lives.

As the Western Pacific enters its peak typhoon season in August and September, scientists warn storms could grow more frequent and violent due to global warming. Khanun would be the third typhoon to hit China after the powerful Doksuri on Friday and Talim just a week earlier.

Global average sea surface temperatures hit 21 degrees Celsius in late March and remained at record levels for the time of year throughout April and May. In the Florida Keys last week, the surface ocean temperature soared to abnormally high levels.

Temperatures on land have also smashed records this year as heatwaves ravaged much of the Northern Hemisphere - from Canada and the United States to the Mediterranean, India and China.

A remote township in northwest China endured temperatures of 52.2 degrees Celsius earlier this month, setting a new record for the country.

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2023-07-29 14:51:27Z
CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9raGFudW4tZm9ybXMtY2hpbmEtd2FybnMtdGhpcmQtdHlwaG9vbi10aHJlZS13ZWVrcy0zNjYzOTYx0gEA

Malaysian police tracking down suspect who hurled stones at PAS headquarters - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain confirmed on Saturday (Jul 29) that they have received a report in connection with a man hurling stones at the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) headquarters, causing the glass wall to break.

He said the incident occurred at the headquarters at Jalan Raja Laut at 5.30am and police are tracking down the suspect with the help of the Kuala Lumpur City Hall.

"The suspect, who was riding a motorcycle, had made some noise before hurling the stones at the glass wall of the building," he said during a special media conference on Saturday, in conjunction with the state elections in Bukit Aman. 

"Guards on duty in the building witnessed the incident. Police are tracking the suspect and ... we will track him down soon."

He added that the authorities are reviewing the close-circuit television cameras in nearby areas to assist in their investigations to identify the suspect.

The case is being investigated under Section 427 of Malaysia's Penal Code for committing mischief, he said.

Earlier on Saturday, PAS lodged a police report after one of the glass walls in its headquarters was broken by stones hurled by a man just a few hours before the nomination process for six state elections began.

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2023-07-29 09:56:59Z
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Japan set for largest ever minimum wage hike after panel proposal - CNA

TOKYO : A Japanese government panel recommended on Friday that the national average minimum wage be raised by 41 yen ($0.29) an hour to 1,002 yen, the biggest hike ever in value terms, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida makes wages a key focus of his policies.

The health ministry panel's annual recommendation serves as the nationwide standard for minimum wages.

"I welcome this outcome," Kishida told reporters.

"Raising wages, as I've repeatedly said, is one of the most important challenges for the Kishida administration."

Kishida and the Bank of Japan are hoping that wage hikes can be sustained so that they generate more consumer spending that decisively lifts the world's third-largest economy out of decades of stagnation.

Minimum wages are set by the government, while in the annual round of spring wage negotiations, corporate management and labour unions negotiate directly over salaries.

Japan's largest labour organisation, Rengo, said this month that major companies had agreed to average pay hikes of 3.58 per cent this year, the highest level in three decades.

($1 = 140.3500 yen)

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2023-07-28 14:27:10Z
CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYnVzaW5lc3MvamFwYW4tc2V0LWxhcmdlc3QtZXZlci1taW5pbXVtLXdhZ2UtaGlrZS1hZnRlci1wYW5lbC1wcm9wb3NhbC0zNjYyMjM20gEA

Tesla set up Malaysian headquarters due to political stability by unity government: PM Anwar - CNA

Over the past four years, Malaysia has been rocked by political instability following the fall of the 22-month Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in 2020, triggered by the Sheraton Move. The two following administrations lasted 17 months under Muhyiddin Yassin and 15 months under Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Despite Mr Anwar’s claim of political stability, Muhyiddin has criticised the unity government as being “hopeless” and “fragile”. 

According to a Free Malaysia Today report on Jun 29, Muhyiddin - who is also the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman - said that the biggest concern affecting the unity government is its stability.

“There is no stability. It’s fragile. It can collapse at any time. This is the reality,” he reportedly said, adding that, unlike PN, Mr Anwar’s unity government was fractured.

“We (PN) don’t have any problems; PH has a lot of internal problems. BN (Barisan Nasional) faces the same issue. When it comes to (fighting with) DAP (Democratic Action Party), it’s not even internal, it’s out in the open.” 

The unity government comprises Mr Anwar’s PH coalition - of which DAP is a component party - and the previous ruling BN coalition, among other parties.

Separately, Mr Anwar said on Thursday that the opening of Tesla’s headquarters in Malaysia will create thousands of job opportunities for the younger generation. 

“When he comes (and) opens offices, companies and factories for the new electric vehicles, we can take tens and thousands of our children to work (there),” he said. 

On Jul 14, Mr Anwar said that he welcomed the electric vehicle maker’s decision to invest in Malaysia and stated the government’s support for the opening of the Tesla head office in Selangor.

This after a 25-minute meeting virtual meeting with Musk that was attended by Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil and SpaceX senior director Lauren Dreyer. 

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2023-07-28 08:12:00Z
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Typhoon Doksuri makes landfall in China's Fujian province after battering Taiwan - CNA

BEIJING: Typhoon Doksuri made landfall in China's southeastern Fujian province on Friday (Jul 28) morning, after it battered Taiwan and cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes. 

The typhoon arrived in the city of Jinjiang at about 10am local time, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

It is expected to continue in a north-westerly direction with a gradually weakening intensity.

Across the Taiwan Strait, the typhoon toppled trees and cut power in the island's south, prompting authorities to shut businesses and schools for another day. 

Doksuri is categorised as the second-strongest typhoon level by Taiwan's weather bureau.

A "hurricane-force-wind" alert was also issued in the Taiwanese islands of Penghu and Kinmen, where residents were warned to brace for gusts of more than 155kmh.

The storm had cut power to more than 186,000 homes across Taiwan and downed hundreds of trees in the major port city of Kaohsiung, which was also on alert for landslides and floods. Rainfall of more than 1m was recorded in the mountainous eastern and southern parts of the island.

More than 300 domestic and international flights were suspended and railway services between southern and eastern Taiwan were halted.

A ferry sank near the Philippine capital of Manila after passengers alarmed by strong winds rushed to one side of the boat, overturning it. As many as 36 people have been killed this week during Doksuri's transit off the northern Philippines.

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2023-07-28 03:57:54Z
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