Business is good, but Nguyen Van Khanh is nervous. The vice-chairman of Ho Chi Minh City’s shoes and leather association might be expected to count among the so-called winners of the United States’ trade war with China, especially as Vietnam’s trade with the US has intensified in the past year.Its exports to the US surged past US$25 billion in the first five months of this year, a 36 per cent jump from the same period last year – and footwear is Vietnam’s third-most-important export to the US,…
South Koreans want to avoid Muji, Daiso and Nintendo, but brand confusion could undermine any boycott of Japanese goods
South Korean social media has been awash with calls for a boycott of Japanese goods ever since Tokyo announced a curb on exports of hi-tech materials to its East Asian neighbour earlier this month.On Thursday, “boycott” remained the top tending keyword on Twitter in South Korea, with hashtags like #BoycottJapan calling on the nation’s consumers to stop buying Japanese-made products and engaging with Japanese brands.A survey of 501 people carried out by Korean research firm Realmeter on July 11…
Singapore unveils army of multilingual cleaning robots in bid to spruce up city
Hundreds of “friendly” robots that speak multiple languages and sing are being rolled out across hi-tech Singapore, to help clean the city state’s hotels, shopping malls and government buildings.They scrub, mop, vacuum and sweep autonomously, and can entertain by rapping in English.The robots speak all four of multi-ethnic Singapore’s official languages – English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil – plus Japanese and “Singlish”, a local patois that mixes English with words from the myriad local…
Meet Nor ‘Phoenix’ Diana, Malaysia’s hijab-wearing wrestler pinning down men
A hijab-wearing, diminutive Malaysian wrestler known as “Phoenix” cuts an unusual figure in the ring, a female Muslim fighter taking on hulking opponents in a male-dominated world.Dressed in flame-patterned trousers, a black and orange hijab and top, Nor Diana uses sophisticated moves to throw and pin down her larger rivals in front of hundreds of cheering spectators.Standing just 155 centimetres (five foot, one inch) tall and weighing 43 kilograms (six stone, 10 pounds), her speed and agility…
Duterte slams critics as he invokes Philippine-US defence pact over South China Sea dispute
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out at his detractors on Wednesday, accusing them of pushing him to war with Beijing over disputes in the South China Sea, as he invoked a defence treaty with the United States.“Now, I’m calling America, I am invoking the Philippine-US pact. I would like America to gather all their Seventh Fleet in front of China,” Duterte said in a television interview.He added that he would go on board with his critics, including Supreme Court Senior Associate…
In Indonesia, reporting sexual harassment can get a woman jailed – as Baiq Nuril Maknun’s case shows
An Indonesian woman who received a six-month jail sentence for recording a lewd phone call from her boss has been given a reprieve by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, in a case that has highlighted how women in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation struggle with legal recourse in cases of sexual harassment.Baiq Nuril Maknun, 41, a school administrator from the city of Lombok, an hour’s flight from Bali, is now waiting for the Indonesian parliament to approve Widodo’s decision.If it is…
Indonesian airline Garuda sues YouTube reviewer Rius Vernandes for mocking handwritten in-flight menu on social media
An Indonesian YouTube personality said on Tuesday he had been sued by national airline Garuda over a social media post about a handwritten business-class menu.Rius Vernandes, a popular vlogger, posted an Instagram video showing the menu written on a piece of notebook paper on Saturday with the caption: “The menu is still being printed, sir.”The post went viral and prompted Indonesian social media users to mock the airline. Rius said he has received a summons from the police in connection with…
Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad confirms US$240 million seizure from Chinese pipelines firm
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad confirmed on Monday his government’s seizure of US$240 million from a state-linked Chinese firm appointed to build two now-stalled pipelines worth more than US$2.3 billion, saying the government was “entitled to get back the money” as the project had been cancelled.“I don’t see why the Chinese would be unhappy about it, we are not taking back money for work they have done, only work they have not done,” Mahathir told reporters, adding that before its…
Philippines’ top senator attacks Iceland over abortion after call for UN investigation into drugs war
The Philippines’ highest-ranking lawmaker said on Monday that a UN resolution to probe the country’s bloody war on drugs should be ignored, and its chief backer Iceland investigated instead for human rights abuses in allowing abortion.“They have more unborn babies that they have aborted or killed. There are more killings in abortion than the drug pushers who are fighting the police,” Senate President Vicente Sotto told ANC news channel.The Nordic nation lacks moral grounds to lecture the…
Dozens dead in Nepal after monsoon rains lead to floods, landslides
Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 45 people in Nepal in the past few days, with more deaths reported across the Himalayan border in India, officials said on Sunday.At least 31 others are missing in Nepal, either swept by swollen rivers or buried by mudslides since delayed monsoon rains began pounding the region Friday, Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Centre said.The Centre said nine key motorways remained blocked by floods and mudslides and attempts…