Cinmpring kici

Minggu, 07 April 2024

US, China Have Stabilized Relations Over Past Year, Yellen Says - Bloomberg

The US and China have put their bilateral relationship on a “more stable footing” over the past year, which has not meant ignoring differences or avoiding tough conversations, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday.

Both countries have to responsibly manage the complex relationship, and to cooperate and show leadership in addressing urgent global challenges, Yellen told Li in Beijing following her visit to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

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2024-04-07 09:29:14Z
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US, China need 'tough' conversations, Yellen tells Chinese Premier Li - CNA

BALANCED GROWTH

On Saturday, in Guangzhou, the southern export hub, Yellen and her main economic counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, agreed to launch a dialogue focused on "balanced growth." Yellen said she intends to use the forum to advocate for a level playing field with China to protect US workers and businesses.

"As the world’s two largest economies, we have a duty to our own countries and to the world to responsibly manage our complex relationship and to cooperate and show leadership on addressing pressing global challenges," Yellen told Li.

The Economist Intelligence Unit forecasts China's battery manufacturing capacity will outpace demand by a factor of four by 2027, as its EV industry continues to grow.

Beijing’s support for battery-powered rides has helped homegrown champions like BYD and Geely grab share in the world’s biggest car market, and turn China into the world’s largest auto exporter.

But rapid growth has also meant China has created excess manufacturing capacity that could be between 5 and 10 million EVs per year, according to consultancy Automobility.

Still, far from curbing investment in manufacturing, China has doubled down on Xi's new mantra of unleashing "new productive forces", by investing in cutting-edge technology, including EVs, commercial spaceflight and life sciences - areas where many US firms hold advantages.

Throughout her visit, Chinese state media have pushed back against Yellen's message on excess capacity.

State news agency Xinhua said on Saturday that talking up "Chinese overcapacity" in the clean energy sector created a pretext for protectionist policies to shield American companies.

Suppressing China's EV-related industries will not help the US grow its own, Xinhua said, expressing hope that more headway could be made during Yellen's visit to break down barriers hindering mutually beneficial cooperation.

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2024-04-07 04:45:00Z
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Sabtu, 06 April 2024

'Not giving up': Taiwan races against time to rescue missing and stranded earthquake victims - The Straits Times

A woman gets out of a van at a temporary rescue command post after being rescued from the Taroko National Park in Hualien on April 5. PHOTO: AFP

Rescuers searching the Taroko National Park for survivors. PHOTO: AFP

Rescuers evacuating people from the Tianxiang area inside the Taroko National Park on April 5. PHOTO: AFP

HUALIEN, Taiwan – Rescue efforts are still under way to reach some 340 people who remain stranded in the mountains in rural Hualien county, three days after Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years toppled buildings and triggered landslides.

The authorities have said that all of those stranded are judged to be safe with access to food and water, though they were cut off after massive boulders damaged roads and blocked tunnels.

Meanwhile, rescuers are racing against time amid constant aftershocks and poor weather conditions to locate six missing people, including a Singaporean couple. The two have not been seen since disembarking from a tour bus in the county’s Taroko Gorge on the morning of the quake on April 3.

In a statement on April 6, Taiwan’s Immigration Agency said the authorities were in contact with the couple’s families.

The death toll from the 7.4-magnitude earthquake, which struck at around 8am in the waters off the eastern coastal county, rose to 13 after three bodies were found on a walking trail. More than 1,000 others were injured.

On April 6, helicopters from the National Airborne Service Corps flew into cut-off areas of the national park to airlift dozens of stranded tourists to safety.

They include those who had been staying at the luxury Silks Place Taroko hotel, located deep within Taroko Gorge.

“The subsequent aftershocks were very large and serious,” a pastor identified only as Mr Zhou told reporters upon arriving at the gorge’s rescue command centre after he was rescued. “I felt very nervous when I was sleeping.”

The centre was abuzz with activity when The Straits Times visited on April 6, with rescue workers from multiple counties setting up work stations and conducting initial health checks for evacuees. A bus unloaded 13 tourists of various nationalities, several smiling with relief. They declined to be interviewed.

A rescue helicopter brings people back from a mountainous area in Taroko National Park in Taiwan on April 6. PHOTO: REUTERS

Taiwan has been rattled by more than 600 aftershocks since the initial quake, some of which were strong enough to trigger phone alerts warning the public to stay calm and seek cover.

The aftershocks, on top of occasional fog and wet weather, have hindered rescue efforts, said Taiwan’s fire department, which was forced on April 6 to suspend plans to use heavy machinery to lift massive boulders in areas more susceptible to landslides.

However, rescuers managed to airdrop boxes of food and supplies to a group of pupils and teachers stuck at an elementary school that could not be accessed by road.

“Rescuers are not giving up,” said Taiwanese Vice-President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim, who called them the “true heroes of a resilient Taiwan”.

The relatively low number of deaths from such a powerful earthquake is attributed to lessons learnt from the 7.6-magnitude quake in 1999 that killed 2,400 people.

These include government mandates on stricter building codes, as well as widespread public disaster education on the earthquake-prone island.

“The news keeps reporting how other countries are impressed with our earthquake preparedness, but it’s just what we’ve been taught to do since we were young,” said Hualien resident Hsiao Yo-juan, noting that “everyone naturally takes cover” during a quake.

Most of the victims of the April 3 earthquake were killed outdoors by falling rocks or landslides while hiking or driving.

The death toll could have been much higher had the quake occurred just one day later, when many travellers would have been on the road to kick off a four-day long weekend for Children’s Day and the Qing Ming Festival, when families gather to honour the departed.

In central Hualien City, demolition work continued for the heavily tilting Uranus building, a 10-storey mix of shops and flats that has become one of the most recognisable images of the quake.

A resident, who wanted to be known only as Ms Lin, sobbed as she watched cranes claw through the brick walls of her former home.

“I knew there was no way to salvage the building, but it’s still heartbreaking to watch,” she told reporters. “But I’m not complaining. I’m very lucky to be alive.”

Just as fortunate are a Singaporean engineer and his girlfriend, who escaped barefoot from their shaking third-floor accommodation in Hualien City when the earthquake struck.

With the help of some locals, the couple managed to leave the city for Kaohsiung, where they secured a flight home to Singapore.

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2024-04-06 14:33:00Z
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Singapore will ensure mussels are not imported from Port Dickson, Malaysia: SFA - The Straits Times

The mussels were found to contain a biotoxin from several species of algae, which have increased due to the recent hot weather. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE – Singapore is restricting the supply and sale of mussels found in the waters off Port Dickson in Malaysia.

In a statement on April 6, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said it has received confirmation from the Malaysian Department of Fisheries (DOF) that mussels harvested in the Port Dickson area have been contaminated with biotoxins and are not safe for consumption.

On April 2, eight cases of food poisoning, believed to have been caused by the eating of mussels, were reported in the resort town. The victims had headaches, numbness in the hands and feet, and muscle weakness.

The SFA is working with importers to verify the sources of their mussels. No biotoxins have been detected in seafood imports including mussels over the past few weeks, it added.

Mussels here are imported from countries such as China, Malaysia, Japan and Vietnam.

According to statistics from the SFA, in 2021 a quarter of Singapore’s seafood imports came from Malaysia, the most of any country.

The SFA will continue to monitor the situation and check on water quality in farming areas, as well as work with importers to ensure that mussels are not imported from Port Dickson.

The DOF earlier warned against consuming the mussels, and also against eating other similar shellfish, such as lokan or lala, until they are certified safe.

DOF deputy director-general of management Wan Aznan Abdullah said tests found that the mussels harvested in the Port Dickson area were contaminated with the Prorocentrum, Alexandrium and Pseudo-nitzschia algae species.

Mussels, a type of bivalve, are filter feeders, said the SFA. This means they feed by taking in water and filtering out organisms.

Bacteria, viruses and toxins can accumulate in their bodies and can pose a food safety hazard, and this is normally resolved through proper handling or cooking.

But the cooking process might not destroy all the biotoxins.

Consumers should avoid harvesting and consuming shellfish from the wild, as these could contain biotoxins that cannot be removed by cooking.

The SFA said: “Consumers should always purchase shellfish from SFA-approved businesses, and avoid consuming raw or undercooked bivalves, especially for the young, elderly, immunocompromised or pregnant.”

According to Mr Wan Aznan, preliminary investigations pointed to the recent hot weather as a reason behind a dramatic increase in the algae population.

“The prolonged hot weather helps the algae grow rapidly, causing the level of biotoxins to increase drastically as well,” he said.

He added that tests showed that bivalves farmed and fished in other states, such as Melaka and Johor, are safe to eat.

“Only the ones harvested in Port Dickson are not safe to eat for now,” he said.

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2024-04-06 06:05:00Z
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Jumat, 05 April 2024

Dogs, boars engage in a brutal standoff in a controversial West Sumatra tradition - CNA

SIKALADI, Indonesia: The residents of the otherwise quiet town of Sikaladi woke up one February morning to the buzzing chatter of more than a hundred men and the constant barking of their four-legged friends.

A wild boar was spotted a few days earlier, munching on some peanuts at a farm at the top of a thirty-metre hill overlooking the small agrarian town of 1,500 people, located on a meandering country road in the mountainous interior of Indonesia’s West Sumatra province.

Members of the Indonesian Boar Hunting Association (PORBI) caught wind of the sighting and immediately told its members to gather at the foot of the hill with the sole purpose of hunting down the swine.

That day, the hunters had been flocking to Sikaladi since 8am. One by one, they came with their motorcycles which were fitted with metal cages on both sides to transport their four-legged companions. The more affluent hunters arrived in their pickup trucks, capable of hauling between four to eight dogs at a time.

“It’s thrilling to see our dogs chase down a boar, the commotion, the barks, the cheer of friends,” Mr Sumantri, a construction worker who said he has been hunting boars since he was a boy, told CNA. Like many Indonesians, the 51-year-old goes by one name.

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2024-04-05 22:00:00Z
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4.8-magnitude earthquake rattles New York, New Jersey - The Straits Times

The quake’s epicentre was in Lebanon, New Jersey, about 80km west of Manhattan. PHOTO: AFP

A screen at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shows a news alert of a magnitude 4.8 earthquake in New York City, on April 5. PHOTO: REUTERS

An emergency alert of an earthquake is seen on a cellphone in New York City on April 5. PHOTO: REUTERS

NEW YORK – A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck the New York City region on April 5, shaking buildings and surprising residents in an area that rarely experiences notable seismic activity.

The quake’s epicentre was in Lebanon, New Jersey, about 80km west of Manhattan, at a depth of 4.7km, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. It struck shortly after 10.20am local time (10.20pm in Singapore).

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre initially measured the quake at 5.5-magnitude on the Richter scale.

The earthquake was felt across the region, including in New York City, New Jersey, northern Pennsylvania and western Connecticut, according to Reuters journalists and social media.

No major damage was reported, but New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned of the possibility of aftershocks at a news conference. Engineering teams are inspecting roads and bridges.

“This is one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast in the last century,” she said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference that no injuries had been reported but urged city residents to take cover under furniture, in a doorway or next to an interior wall if they feel any aftershocks.

“New Yorkers should go about their normal day,” he said.

Ms Charita Walcott, a 38-year-old resident in the Bronx borough of New York, said the quake felt “like a violent rumble that lasted about 30 seconds or so”.

“It was kind of like being in a drum circle, that vibration,” she added.

The New York Police Department said it had no immediate reports of damage, but sirens could be heard all over the city.

In Brooklyn, buildings shook, rattling cupboard doors and fixtures, a correspondent with Agence France-Presse reported.

At the United Nations, which has its headquarters in New York, a Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza was temporarily paused after the tremor.

“Is that an earthquake?” said Save the Children representative Janti Soeripto, who was speaking at the time.

“You’re making the ground shake,” Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour quipped.

The iconic Empire State Building reported on its X account: “I AM FINE.”

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Ms Madison Darnell, a buyer at De Janeiro, a women’s clothing boutique in Times Square, said she felt shaking in her store for about 30 seconds.

“It just felt like a subway was going through,” she noted.

The US Federal Aviation Administration paused flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, La Guardia Airport, John F. Kennedy Airport and Teterboro Airport as of 11am.

A beeping emergency alert was sent to New Yorkers’ phones at 11.02am alerting them to the earthquake and urging them to remain indoors and call 911 if injured. That was more than 35 minutes after the earthquake hit.

James Pittinger, mayor of Lebanon, New Jersey, near the quake’s epicenter, said there were no reports of injuries or significant damage but that people were unnerved.

“I was sitting in my home office when things started to fall off the walls and shelves,” Pittinger said. “It was a crazy experience.”

The US Geological Survey recorded the epicentre at 7km north of Whitehouse Station in New Jersey. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM USGS

President Joe Biden spoke with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy about the earthquake, and the administration will provide assistance if needed, the White House said in a statement.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the state had not identified any life-threatening situations but was nonetheless reviewing all vulnerable infrastructure.

“This is one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast to occur in the last century,” she said, adding that New York was taking the review “extremely seriously”.

A comparable earthquake struck the East Coast on Aug 23, 2011. That tremor – centred in Mineral, Virginia, north of the state capital of Richmond – was measured at 5.8-magnitude.

It caused US$200 million (S$270 million) to US$300 million in damages and affected landmarks like the National Cathedral and the Washington Monument.

Data from the USGS showed that this latest quake is the third-strongest within 400km of New York City since 1950. REUTERS, AFP

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2024-04-05 14:54:44Z
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Two Singaporeans reported missing after Taiwan quake - CNA

SINGAPORE: Two Singaporeans are missing in Taiwan after Wednesday's (Apr 3) massive earthquake.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Friday that the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei is in close contact with local authorities on the matter.

“MFA and the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei have been in contact with the next-of-kin and are rendering consular assistance. We continue to monitor the situation closely,” MFA said.

It was reported on Thursday that eight Singaporeans were among 71 foreigners rescued after they were trapped in quake-hit Hualien.

Two of them suffered light injuries, MFA said on Friday, adding that the ministry has contacted all e-registered Singaporeans in the regions affected by the earthquake.

“Our Trade Office in Taipei continues to be in close touch with the Taiwanese authorities as rescue and relief efforts continue,” MFA said.

“We express our appreciation to the Taiwanese authorities for the quick assistance and support they have extended.”

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2024-04-05 09:49:00Z
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