KUSU ISLAND (Singapore): On Singapore’s tiny Kusu islet, legend has it that a giant turtle turned itself into an island to save two sailors. A century after a Chinese temple was opened on its shores, pilgrims are still flowing in, seeking good fortunes. Tens of thousands of Taoist, Buddhist and
JAKARTA: The candidates for next year’s Indonesian presidential election were set Wednesday, with septuagenarian former special forces general Prabowo Subianto and his running mate, the president’s son, seen as the frontrunners. Nearly 205 million eligible voters can cast their ballot on February 14, with the winner set to succeed President
SAN FRANCISCO: Google parent Alphabet and computing colossus Microsoft Tuesday reported that quarterly profits climbed on demand for cloud computing enhanced with artificial intelligence. “Google Cloud missed consensus revenue expectations on slowing growth, and we believe consistent with the view that newer (generative artificial intelligence) workloads will take time to
FRANKFURT: German business sentiment improved slightly in October, a survey showed yesterday, but analysts warned the Israel-Hamas conflict posed new risks as Europe’s top economy struggles to emerge from a downturn. The Ifo institute’s closely watched confidence barometer, based on a survey of 9,000 companies, rose to 86.9 points from
NEW YORK: Global stock markets slid Friday on worries that an expected ground invasion of Gaza by Israel would spark a wider conflict in the Middle East. Wall Street stocks declined Friday, as investors looked to lower their risk going into the weekend. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.9 per
BRECHIN (United Kingdom): Three people died in Scotland and England and families were trapped in flooded homes Friday as Storm Babet moved east after pounding Ireland and headed for Scandinavia. The UK’s Met Office issued a rare red severe weather warning for parts of eastern Scotland. Police said the body
HANOI: Vietnam’s VinFast has grand ambitions of selling its electric vehicles in the United States and Europe to compete with the likes of Elon Musk’s Tesla, but it is struggling to find buyers for its cars at home. Backed by Vingroup, Vietnam’s biggest conglomerate, Vinfast has enormous brand recognition in
ISLAMABAD: Three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif arrived back in Pakistan Saturday after four years of self-imposed exile, primed to make a political comeback ahead of elections. The South Asian nation is facing overlapping security, economic and political crises ahead of polls already pushed back to January 2024, with Sharif’s primary
NANTOU COUNTY (Taiwan): A Taiwanese couple decked out in a tux and gown embrace in front of a mountain of trash in an unorthodox wedding photo — one the environment-conscious bride hopes will discourage her guests from generating unnecessary garbage. Greenpeace campaigner Iris Hsueh and her fiancé are having their “environmentally
SAO PAULO: Football superstar Neymar has a torn ligament and meniscus in his left knee and will have to undergo surgery after being injured during Brazil’s 2-0 loss to Uruguay, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said. The 31-year-old, who joined Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain in August,
