Flash flood hits the heart of Phayao

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PUBLISHED: 17 Sep 2024 at 10: 23

Flood-hit residents are evacuated to safe ground in Muang district of Phayao on Tuesday morning. (Photo: Muang Phayao municipal office)
On Tuesday morning, residents of the Muang region of Phayao are ushered to secure ground. ( Photo: Muang Phayao municipal office )

PHAYAO: Frequent over rainfall caused the Mae Ka Huai Khian torrent to flow in Muang area on Tuesday morning, leaving some residents, young and old, stranded on top floors and roofs.

The stream’s banks were reported in tambon Mae Ka of Muang region in Ban Huai Khian community. Overflow levels ranged from one to two feet, swamping some structures and vehicles.

Among the inundated parameters was the University of Phayao. Some kids hid on the roofs after escaping their flooded dorms.

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China says new US tariffs ‘compounding its mistakes’ – Asia Times

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After the United States finalized its tariff increases on Chinese goods, including electric vehicles ( EVs ), batteries, solar panels, metals, and medical tools, Beijing has pledged to take measures to protect Chinese firms ‘ interests. &nbsp,

Following Section 301 tariff investigations, the Office of the United States Trade Representative ( USTR ) announced on September 13 that it will continue with its previously proposed tariff increases on imports from China. &nbsp,

From September 27 this month, the US will establish a 100 % tax on EVs and a 50 % tax on solar cell, syringes and needles imported from China. It will also impose a 25 % tariff on China’s facemasks, battery parts ( non-lithium-ion batteries ) and lithium-ion EV batteries, critical minerals, ship-to-shore cranes and steel and aluminum products.

The US will start imposing a 50 % tax on Chinese-made health gloves and electronics starting in 2025. From the beginning of 2026, the US will impose a 25 % tariff on China’s lithium-ion non-EV batteries, natural graphite and permanent magnets, a 50 % tariff on facemasks and also a 100 % tariff on medical gloves. &nbsp,

These tax increases, which cover imports worth US$ 18 billion from China, have mostly been unchanged from those that the Biden administration announced on May 14.

The USTR stated on September 13 that it made its decision after taking into account public feedback and the recommendations of the Interagency Section 301 commission and other acceptable advisory boards. &nbsp,

China has consistently made significant representations to the US side regarding Area 301 tariffs, and the WTO has already determined that these taxes are against the rules, according to a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce. ” Instead of addressing this, the US has further increased tariffs on Chinese products, compounding its mistakes” .&nbsp,

The US Section 301 tariff increase, according to the spokesperson, is standard unilateralism and protectionism that drives up the costs of US imports while finally being borne by US businesses and consumers.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry released its 2024 Report on US compliance with the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) on September 12. The statement expressed grave concern about the US’s alleged misuse of Section 301 to impose tariffs on Chinese goods, claiming that the US “disrupts world business and provide chains”.

Additionally, it criticized the US for defaming the multilateral trading system, engaging in punitive trade bullying, imposing double standards on professional policies, and stifling the global commercial and supply chains by politicizating and using economic and trade issues by using a “tariff baton” under the guise of “de-risking.”

According to the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT ), Section 301 tariffs violate WTO guidelines and severely impair the trust of the relevant Chinese and US industries in long-term, stable cooperation.

Tech income

The Office of the USTR’s latest announcement said Chinese semiconductors that will be subject to a 50 % import tariff include diodes, transistors, photosensitive semiconductors, processors and controllers, integrated circuits ( memories, amplifiers and others ) and parts of integrated circuits and microassemblies. &nbsp,

But, CITIC Securities said the US price hikes will not have a big impact on China’s semiconductor industry. It said China’s export of semiconductors to the US amounted to 22.7 billion yuan ( US$ 3.2 billion ), or only about 1.65 % of China’s total exports of semiconductors of 13.78 trillion yuan in 2023. &nbsp,

Another analysts claimed that Taiwanese thermal product manufacturers are more affected by overcapacity than US tariff increases.

There has been hardly any immediate import of solar panels from China to the US in the past 12 years, according to Lu Jinbiao, deputy director of the expert council of the Beijing branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, who spoke to Yicai.com.

He claimed that since the US began an anti-dumping exploration into Chinese renewable batteries and units in October 2012, Chinese manufacturers have rerouted their production traces to Southeast Asian nations like Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos to avoid additional US tariffs.

In order to provide US providers more time to build their domestic production capacity, the Biden administration extended a tax deduction for renewable product producers in the four Southeast Asian nations by two years in June 2022. &nbsp,

After the deduction expired on June 6 of this year, US manufacturers of solar materials from the four nations are now required to pay an additional 14.25 % work. &nbsp,

Lu said some manufacturers of Taiwanese renewable energy might choose to relocate to the US to prevent additional tariffs while others might be in Southeast Asia. He claimed in an interview with Caixinglobal.com that the bigger issue in China’s thermal product sector is a price war brought on by overcapacity and fragile global demand. &nbsp,

He claimed that some Chinese thermal product manufacturers have since lost money as a result of the decline in silicon prices from 300,000 yuan per lot two years ago. He claimed that since the third quarter of last year, costs of solar chips, cell, and components have fallen by more than 50 %. &nbsp,

Longi Green Energy Technology, China’s thermal chip maker, reported a net loss of 5.2 billion yuan in the six month ended June 30 this year, compared with a net income of 9.2 billion yuan a month earlier. &nbsp,

A solar body manufacturer, TCL Zhonghuan Renewable Energy Technology, recorded a net loss of 3 billion yuan in the first quarter, compared to a 4.5 billion yuan earnings in the same time of last year. &nbsp,

Read: Germany invests more in foreign companies than China.

Following Jeff Pao on X: &nbsp, @jeffpao3

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This 25-year-old Singaporean is a contestant on a popular Chinese dating show

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If you are a fan of&nbsp, dating shows&nbsp, like&nbsp, Single’s Inferno&nbsp, and&nbsp, Love Island, you would probably have heard of China ‘s&nbsp, Let’s Fall in Love&nbsp, ( 我们恋爱吧 ), which sees a group of young singles getting to know each other in hopes of finding the One. &nbsp,

Those watching the seventh year of the real present, then known in English as&nbsp, Relationship, may have noticed a Singaporean in the mix&nbsp, when it first started airing on Sep 10.

Introducing himself as Chen Kang, the Singaporean participant, who goes by the handle&nbsp, @n_p_c_j&nbsp, on TikTok, shared a clip with the caption:” Pov: You’re the first true blue Singaporean on a Chinese variety show” .&nbsp,

Accompanying the message was a piece of his self-introduction, in which he shared he’s had three connections. He added that he believed in being a trustworthy individual who “does n’t know much about romance.” &nbsp,

When&nbsp, 8days. sg&nbsp, reached up to Chen Kang, he told us his name is Jaryl but declined to give us his title. ( It’s since been revealed as Tan. ) He calls himself Jay on the show because it’s simpler for his friends who do n’t speak English to pronounce him.

He is 25 and he graduated with a bachelor’s in business, global business, and advertising from the University of Sydney earlier this year. He is currently employed by the supply chain economy as a control trainee.

He even started a journey area, &nbsp, @offthegrid. sg&nbsp, on Instagram, where he hopes to join fresh visitors who are “looking to remove from information overload in living” and wish to engage on unique experiences.

Jaryl’s elegant Mandarin on the show has impressed some viewers.

When we brought this up, he said:” I’ve always spoken Mandarin at home. It really naturally started happening when I started hanging out with more Chinese students at university. You can show from the fact that I got used to it as my Chinese improves if you watch the episode,” he said. &nbsp,

Many viewers in the net even had a curiosity about how he first appeared on the show. &nbsp,

Replying to one post, Jaryl revealed that he received a text on&nbsp, Xiao Hong Shu, which we assume means he was scouted by the show’s manufacturers on the game.

No spoilers here, though, because he declined to provide more information about the collection process or the present in public during our conversation. &nbsp, Another&nbsp, TikTok clip&nbsp, sees Jaryl chatting with a feminine Chinese student, who expressed her interest in visiting Singapore. &nbsp,

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Singapore labour market expands in Q2, with growth coming solely from non-residents

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NON-RESIDENT EMPLOYMENT

While work permit holders increased, the numbers of S Pass and employment pass ( EP ) holders both fell.

MOM said the S Pass recipients ‘ decline, which mainly consisted of those in manufacturing, was in line with recent efforts to raise qualifying salaries and taxes and lower limits.

In addition to increased administrative and support services and general trade, EP holders increased in information and communications, specialized services, and financial and insurance solutions.

MOM reported that as companies adjusted their post-pandemic workforces and adapted to plan changes to improve the quality of the international labor, the total amount of S Pass and EP buyers decreased in the first quarter of 2024.

” With the business picking up, the number of higher-skilled foreign employees is expected to rise in the medium-term, if economic conditions remain good”, said the government.

JOB VACANCIES AND Layoff

The great number of job openings remained steady at 81 and 200 in June, despite strong labor demand in Q2.

Job vacancies exceeded the number of poor people’s employment in June, increasing to 1.67 in the ratio.

Unemployment rates improved in June ( 2.0 per cent overall, 2.7 per cent for residents and 2.8 per cent for citizens ) and the resident long-term unemployment rate stayed low at 0.8 per cent.

Cutbacks rose slightly to 3, 270 from 3, 030 in the first quarter, with rises in financial and insurance companies and retail business, but remained reduced total at 1.4 retrenched per 1, 000 employees.

However, the rate of re-entry to the workforce following retrenchment decreased from 59 % in the previous quarter to 55 %.

According to MOM, the re-entry price substantially increases with time based on the experiences of previous groups of retrenched workers.

More than 70 % of retrenched native workers in the first half of the year 2023 found work within 12 months of losing their jobs.

Companies cited restructuring or business organization as justifications for retrenchments.

” Layoff have decreased as regional external need outlook is anticipated to be resilient for the rest of 2024,” said MOM.” Recessations due to concerns of crisis or downturn in the market have decreased.

The government predicted that the labor sector speed would continue moving forward, with wages and employment growing in combination with economic growth.

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Singaporean actress Ann Kok reveals she was not supposed to be part of the Top 12 of Star Search 1993

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The Top 20 finalists were unveiled next week, and the season is finally upon us once more.

While we anticipate the next round of eliminations, which will happen on Nov 3, three of local showbiz’s most notable Star Search alums&nbsp, – Ann Kok, 51, Qi Yuwu, 47, and Vivian Lai, 47&nbsp, – spoke about their Star Search experience on the latest episode of# JustSwipeLah.

Speaking to sponsor Juin Teh, 34, who was a Star Search 2019 winner, the stars shared how they came to join the skill research in the first place. &nbsp,

” It was accidental. I was unhappy at work, but I felt I should give it a try”, said Ann. &nbsp,

Yuwu, who was living in Guangzhou at the time, claimed that he was in his final season of college at the time. I worked for a modeling firm. They gave me a contract for it. I did n’t know”, he added.

Vivian, who was also a scholar at that time, recounted:” I was the best in Mandarin in my school, and I followed my colleagues to join in the fun. At that time, the interviews took place at the old Television station]at Caldecott Hill], and the lane stretched from home all the way to the courtyard inside”.

She won the general adult title in Star Search 1999, which featured contestants from different nations. Yuwu, who was a finalist that same year, was the Guangdong ( China ) male champion. &nbsp,

Ann was the 1993 winner, and she placed second and next, both, behind Lina Ng and Ivy Lee. &nbsp,

” Was it really aggressive? Or was somebody buddies”? asked Juin. &nbsp,

Ann openly replied:” During my moment, it felt a little dynamic. At that time, I did n’t think of becoming an actress. Perhaps that was the wish of other candidates, so they would struggle harder”.

Ann then revealed she was n’t originally picked to be part of Star Search 1993’s Top 12 lineup. &nbsp,

I’ve heard that I actually did n’t make it into the Top 12. ] But ] someone pulled out for some reason”, she explained. &nbsp,

” You were a replace”? asked a startled Juin. &nbsp,

” Yes”! laughed Ann, before adding:” So I did n’t think too much about it. I do want to know why they chose me to fill [that position ] over so many others. Was it at strange? Or they really thought that I could be an actress … I do n’t know”.

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Myanmar flooding death toll jumps to 226

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Myanmar’s death toll from massive flooding in the midst of Typhoon Yagi has increased to 226, according to UN warnings that up to 630, 000 individuals may need assistance. More than a year ago, Yagi swept across northeastern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar, causing floods and landslides that have claimedContinue Reading

Money Talks Podcast: The big US stock sell-off – what happens now?

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Here is an extract from the discussion: &nbsp,

Andrea Heng:
We have to speak about Nvidia. This is the AI sweetheart, the king jewel in technology today. And for long, all we ever heard was Nvidia this, Nvidia that, Nvidia the unique. So during the sell-off,$ 279 billion wiped out from its inventory and… it was a report one time wipeout of any US business, of any US property. Is this a signal that the AI bubbles that people keeps speculating on is finally here?

Garett Lim:
I do n’t think so. Nvidia is undoubtedly a great and simple way to look at what’s happening in AI, but it’s not the only person in AI to use that term. And what’s actually been happening is that Nvidia’s current population is extremely obese. Not only institutions, but I may say retail since well. And… I believe Nvidia’s utilize wagers were also very high. Therefore, it’s likely that those who have borrowed yet more money to invest in Nvidia will need to leave ( as soon as possible ) when they experience such a shock. There were perhaps a lot of margin calling at the time, therefore.

But I also keep wanting to genuinely inform my listeners that you must put things into perspective. This time, as well as the previous month, Nvidia has had an incredible work. So to really just say,” Hey, is this the end of ( an ) AI rally because we’ve seen a 10 per cent or 15 per cent or 20 per cent fall in the stock price as of last week”, I think you probably would have to say,” Look, we’ve had a phenomenal run”.

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1 in 4 people has a flap-like hole in the heart – what can you do if you’re one of them?

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  • Decompression disease (DCS)

” Decompression nausea is a major issue for those who scuba dive because nitrogen bubbles can relieve when a diver resurfaces and cause a injury if these balloons cross the PFO,” said Asst Prof. Foo.

The DCS danger in outdoor fishermen has been reported at 3.6 situations per 10, 000 dives, and a four-fold increase in risk with PFO, according to Divers Alert Network. ” The overall risk of cerebral DCS is minimal, even in the appearance of a PFO”, noted the site.

  • Platypnea-orthodeoxia Syndrome ( POS )

PFO may also result to a rare condition known as platypnea-orthodeoxia disorder, said Asst Prof Foo, “where a reduction of oxygen absorption in the body is observed” when you go from an up to lying place.

Since there are no known systems, how is PFO typically identified?

It is frequently discovered incidentally, according to Dr. Kuntjoro, when a person undergoes an cardiomyopathy ( an ultrasound of the soul ), or a CT coronary angiogram for additional respiratory conditions.

The clinical evaluation to ask your doctor on, advised&nbsp, Asst Prof Foo, is the trans-oesophageal echocardiogram with bubble comparison. To visually assess the presence of a PFO, he said, “it involves inserting a tiny tube with an ultrasonic sensor down the throat.”

A transcranial delta is a good screening test, as stated Asst Prof Foo. This exam uses sonar to measure the blood flow in the brain and can identify any bubbles that might cross a PFO.

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