MELBOURNE: A giant bushfire on the edge of Sydney, which has blanketed the city in smoke causing a spike in respiratory illnesses and the cancellation of outdoor sports, will take weeks to control but will not be extinguished without heavy rains, firefighters said. Thousands of weary firefighters, who have been […]
Reuters
HK police to take hard-and-soft approaches
BEIJING/HONG KONG: The Hong Kong police will use both “hard” and “soft” approaches when dealing with protests, Hong Kong’s police commissioner Chris Tang told reporters in Beijing yesterday. The police chief spoke ahead of a potentially large pro-democracy demonstration today and following nearly six months of sometimes violent protests in […]
Billie Eilish dominates 2019 on Apple Music
Newcomer Billie Eilish dominated Apple Music streams in 2019, scoring the top streamed album of the year with ‘When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’, Apple Music said on Tuesday. Eilish, 17, who burst onto the alternative pop scene this year and is nominated for four Grammy Awards in […]
Australia braces for winds amid bushfire threat
MELBOURNE: Australia braced yesterday for strong winds that began to whip up bushfires in two states, potentially adding to a toll of more than 270 homes destroyed and 2.5 million acres of land ravaged during the past week. The country’s weather bureau warned that winds and lightning strikes increase the […]
Quake damages homes, churches in Indonesia
JAKARTA: At least two people were injured and some churches and homes damaged after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Indonesia, although residents who had fled to high ground fearing a tsunami had started returning, the disaster agency said yesterday. The quake in the Moluccas struck late on Thursday and had […]
Huawei to give staff $286 mln bonus
SHENZHEN, China: Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies said yesterday it will hand out 2 billion yuan ($286 million) in cash rewards to staff working to help it weather a US trade blacklisting. The world’s largest telecoms equipment provider has said it has been trying to find alternatives to US hardware […]
China’s exports fall less than expected
BEIJING: China’s exports and imports contracted less than expected in October, providing some relief for the economy as Beijing tries to reach a partial trade deal with Washington. But even if a US-China trade deal is signed soon, economists say it is unlikely to help boost exports and manufacturing for […]
US firms walk a line at China expo
SHANGHAI: At trade shows in the United States, California-based Champion Power Equipment displays the faces of the tough-looking sportsmen that it sponsors against the backdrop of an American flag. At an import expo in China this week, the images of a pro bass fisherman, lumberjack, bull rider and NASCAR and […]
Billionaires’ wealth falls for first time in a decade
ZURICH: The world’s richest people became a little less well off last year, according to a report by UBS and PwC, as geopolitical turmoil and volatile equity markets reduced the wealth of billionaires for the first time in a decade. Billionaires’ wealth fell by $388 billion globally to $8.539 trillion, […]
Japan’s household spending rises at record fastest pace
TOKYO: Japan’s household spending rose at the fastest pace on record in September as consumers rushed to buy goods before a sales tax hike, though the test for the economy will be whether the higher levy will squeeze domestic demand in coming months. Household spending jumped 9.5 percent in September […]