Police recover more than 40,000 stolen Bluey coins
Police in Australia say they have recovered around 40,000 limited-edition coins based on the hit children’s television show Bluey.
It was reported in July that 63,000 of the coins – produced by the Australian Mint – had been stolen from a warehouse in Western Sydney, about two months before they were due to enter circulation.
Authorities recovered 40,061 coins on Tuesday after a raid on a property about 6 miles (10km) from the storage facility.
Earlier that day, 27-year-old Christina Vale had been arrested and charged with breaking and entering and disposing of stolen property, police say. She was the third person arrested over the alleged theft.
The coins, which are worth A$1 ($0.65; 50p) a piece, were stolen two months before their planned release. New South Wales Police said they had previously been selling online for 10 times their face value.
Shortly after the theft was reported, NSW Police launched a special investigation into the incident codenamed Strike Force Bandit – after Bluey’s father.
In August, they arrested 44-year-old Steven Nielsen, who was an employee at the warehouse, and 44-year-old Nassar Kanj, who they say acted as his accomplice in the alleged heist.
Police will now argue in court that Ms Vale was the pair’s getaway driver.
The gold-coloured coins are known as Bluey dollarbucks – which is how money is referred to in the cartoon – and feature images of characters from the show.
The hit series, about the Heeler family of dogs, is made by Brisbane-based animation firm Ludo with BBC Studios and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Bluey has been a huge international success and is now broadcast in more than 60 countries including the UK, the US and China.
It was streamed for more than 20 billion minutes on Disney+ in the US last year, putting it in the country’s top 10 streaming programmes for minutes viewed.
There are more than 150 episodes of Bluey across three seasons, and a Bluey-themed “interactive experience” is opening in Brisbane next month.
The stolen coins are different from a collectable set of Bluey currency that caused a frenzy when it went on sale by the Royal Australian Mint in June this year.
Vietnam says Saudi Aramco wants to invest in oil refining, petrol distribution
HANOI: Oil giant Saudi Aramco wants to invest in the oil refinery sector and petroleum distribution in Vietnam, the Southeast Asian country’s government said late on Tuesday (Oct 29). The announcement came after a meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Saudi Aramco’s chief executive officer Amin Al-Nasser inContinue Reading
Starred-chef Jay Fai denies she’s retiring, closing her restaurant
PUBLISHED : 30 Oct 2024 at 10:33
Michelin-star chef Supinya “Jay Fai” Junsuta has denied reports she plans to close her celebrated restaurant in Bangkok next year, saying she may be old but remains very healthy and cooks up to 15 hours a day.
She told ThaiNews that the reports were wrong. A reporter had earlier asked her if she had any thoughts about retiring, pointing out she was already in her 80s.
“Then I said I had a project in mind. From that one answer, the stories grew,” Jay Fai said. “Not yet. Next year I will remain in business. I won’t quit.”
The seven-time Michelin star winner also said she had a long-term schedule to cook in many other countries and it was evident she would not retire in the near future.
Although 81-years-old, Jay Fai said, she was still fit and she stood and cooked for up to 15 hours a day when her restaurant was open. Her Michelin-star restaurant on Mahachai Road in Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok opens four days a week, from Wednesday to Saturday.
The spurious reports of her planned retirement and the restaurant’s closure next year prompted Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to say she intended to dine there before it closed.
Jay Fai said she would be greatly honoured to welcome the prime minister to her small eatery.
Star-chef Jay Fai denies she’s retiring, closing her restaurant
PUBLISHED : 30 Oct 2024 at 10:33
Michelin-star chef Supinya “Jay Fai” Junsuta has denied reports she plans to close her celebrated restaurant in Bangkok next year, saying she may be old but remains very healthy and cooks up to 15 hours a day.
She told ThaiNews that the reports were wrong. A reporter had earlier asked her if she had any thoughts about retiring, pointing out she was already in her 80s.
“Then I said I had a project in mind. From that one answer, the stories grew,” Jay Fai said. “Not yet. Next year I will remain in business. I won’t quit.”
The seven-time Michelin star winner also said she had a long-term schedule to cook in many other countries and it was evident she would not retire in the near future.
Although 81-years-old, Jay Fai said, she was still fit and she stood and cooked for up to 15 hours a day when her restaurant was open. Her Michelin-star restaurant on Mahachai Road in Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok opens four days a week, from Wednesday to Saturday.
The spurious reports of her planned retirement and the restaurant’s closure next year prompted Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to say she intended to dine there again before it closed.
Jay Fai said she would be greatly honoured to welcome the prime minister to her small eatery.
Clementi HDB murder: Family of accused assailant hires lawyers for him
SINGAPORE: A man accused of murdering a 41-year-old man at a Housing Board block in Clementi has hired a team of lawyers.
Toh Chee Hong, who faces a capital charge of killing Mr Khoo Chin Wah Winson on Oct 21 at Block 311B Clementi Avenue 4, appeared briefly in court on Wednesday (Oct 30).
Lawyers Josephus Tan, Cory Wong, Devlin Mohyong and Silas Siew from Invictus Law told the court that they had been recently engaged by Toh’s family to defend him.
The prosecution said investigations had been completed and asked for Toh to be remanded for psychiatric assessment, to see if he suffers from any abnormality of mind.
The defence did not object.
The case was adjourned to Nov 20 for further mention.
This development comes two days after the police took Toh back to the scene of the alleged crime on Monday morning.
Canada alleges Indian minister Amit Shah behind plot to target Sikh separatists
The Canadian government alleged on Tuesday (Oct 29) that Indian Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah, a close ally of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was behind the plots to target Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. The Indian government has dismissed Canada’s prior accusations as baseless, denying any involvement.Continue Reading
‘It’s good to have nerves’: Pro gamer Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz on Counter-Strike tournament finals
To play the game, you must understand the way your teammates think and their behaviours. Are you as attuned to each other in real life?
Definitely a big part of building a solid team is getting to know each other, spending time outside the game.
I would say that even though we are a relatively new team playing together, we are quite close. A lot of the guys on the team have known each other for a long time.
It’s about getting to know each other outside the game, but also inside of the game. And it takes time to learn the thought process that’s going on in different situations.
How would you say your personality outside the game differs from – or is similar to – the way that you play the game?
Oh, that’s hard. I’d say it correlates quite well. At least inside of the game, I like to be vocal and take some of the important decisions.
Outside of the game, we don’t really do much other than play video games. So I don’t feel like I change character when I go into the game.
If you were not a professional gamer, though, what do you think you’d be doing?
Probably would have gone to law school. It’s just in the family. It’s a bloodline thing.
Indonesia Investment Authority and DB Investment Partners form $1bn partnership | FinanceAsia
The Indonesia Investment Authority (INA) and investment firm DB Investment Partners (DBIP) have formed a partnership, through an Investment Framework Agreement (IFA), to help Indonesia’s economic development.
INA and DBIP will collaborate by leveraging each other’s market access and investment expertise to deploy at least $1 billion within the next five years.
This joint investment initiative is looking to address needs across capital structures and strategic sectors in Indonesia or with an Indonesian nexus, according to a statement.
INA and DBIP will also cooperate to support eligible projects in Indonesia through knowledge and network sharing initiatives to help Indonesia’s sustainable economic development. Both parties are seeking to invest “in innovative financial solutions within key sectors”, according to a media statement.
The investment framework has been developed to cater to the complex and evolving capital needs within the market.
Ridha Wirakusumah, chief executive of of INA, stated, “This partnership enables us to leverage DBIP’s premier platform while we bring our local knowledge to the table, enhancing our joint investment strategy. This allows us to tailor investments that are not only strategic but also diverse, reflecting the dynamic needs of Indonesia’s growing economy.”
Wirakusumah added: “Through this collaboration, we seek to harness DBIP’s proven capabilities to meet the dynamic needs of Indonesia’s growing economy, and each investment is carefully designed to create bespoke solutions that address needs across capital structures and strategic sectors in Indonesia.”
Raheman Meghji, chief investment officer of DBIP, said: “The Indonesian economy has tremendous growth potential and we look forward to playing our part in the story going forward.”
DB Investment Partners (DBIP) is a Deutsche Bank Group company and a global private capital investment firm, which is independently authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
FinanceAsiia has reached out for more information about the partnership.
¬ Haymarket Media Limited. All rights reserved.
Commentary: Najib Razak’s 1MDB apology and the art of redemption in politics
REDEMPTION IN POLITICS
Redemption in politics is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. A successful strategy lies in the ability to capitalise on the mistakes of others while simultaneously navigating one’s own controversial legacy. It requires a nuanced understanding of historical context, collective memory and the public’s appetite for a good story.
Whether through heartfelt apologies, nostalgia-laden returns, or unapologetic defiance, the strategies employed will invariably speak to a profound understanding of human dynamics – an acknowledgement that, ultimately, voters not only seek leadership free of missteps but also crave authenticity amidst the inevitable failures from simply being human.
As Najib navigates his path to redemption, seeking to reclaim his stature within a political environment that has drastically shifted, he faces formidable challenges. However, with Malaysia’s ever-changing political landscape, and with the possibility of serving the rest of his sentence in house arrest, Najib may find renewed opportunities ahead.
As for the rest of Malaysia, the electorate will continue wrestling with the complexities of forgiveness and accountability.
Dr Sophie Lemiere is a political anthropologist who specialises in Malaysian politics, and has held research and teaching positions in major universities across Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia. She is currently Adjunct Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, as well as Research Fellow at College de France in Paris. She is the founder of SoCO, a political consulting firm in Kuala Lumpur.
China: US high-tech investment ban to hurt global supply chain – Asia Times
The Chinese government expressed diplomatic discontent to the United States after the Biden administration finalized a set of rules to restrict American individuals and companies from investing in China’s three high technology sectors.
The Final Rule, which aims to implement the Executive Order signed by US President Joe Biden in August 2023, will limit US investments in the semiconductor, artificial intelligence and quantum computing sectors in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, the Treasury Department said Monday. The rules will take effect on January 2.
US investors will also be required to inform the Treasury about their investments in some less advanced technologies that may lead to the threat to the national security of the US, according to the Treasury Department.
“China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the United States’ announcement of investment restriction rules against China,” Lin Jian, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said in a media briefing on Tuesday.
Lin said China has lodged representations with the US and will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.
“It once again shows that American politicians seek their own political interests, undermining normal investment and trade, the free market and economic order. This will harm the global supply chain,” Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said Tuesday.
“This harms the interests of others,” he said, as well as those of “the US as a nation, its people and its companies. They will reap what they sow.”
The Hong Kong government on Monday issued a policy statement, which clearly sets out the government’s policy stance and approach to promote the development of AI adoption by the financial services sector.
Prohibited and notifiable transactions
Washington’s Final Rule, officially called “Addressing US Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern,” specifically directs the Treasury Secretary to issue regulations that prohibit US persons from engaging in certain transactions involving certain technologies and products that pose a particularly acute national security threat to the US.
It prohibits US investment in transactions related to China’s development of:
- electronic design automation software, certain fabrication and advanced packaging tools; the design, fabrication, or packaging of certain advanced integrated circuits; and supercomputers;
- quantum computers and production of critical components, certain quantum sensing platforms, and quantum networking and quantum communication systems;
- any AI system designed to be exclusively used for, or intended to be used for, certain end uses; any AI system that was trained using a specified quantity of computing power, and trained using a specified quantity of computing power using primarily biological sequence data.
If the transactions in the three categories are not covered by the prohibited transaction definition, US investors will be subject to the notification requirement.
”US investments are often more valuable than their capital alone, because they can also include the transfer of intangible benefits,” said the Treasury Department’s Office of Investment Security (OIS).
“Intangible benefits that often accompany US investments and help companies succeed include: enhanced standing and prominence, managerial assistance, access to investment and talent networks, market access, and enhanced access to additional financing.”
The OIS said certain investments by US persons into a country of concern can be exploited to accelerate the development of sensitive technologies or products – including military, intelligence, surveillance, or cyber-enabled capabilities – in ways that negatively impact the national security of the US.
”The US has taken frequent actions to suppress and slow the rapid growth of China’s high technology sectors,” Li Haidong, director of Center for American Studies, China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.
“This deviates from the United States’ basic stance of maintaining stable relations with China, and also deviates from the American public’s hope that political elites will focus their energy on domestic issues, instead of creating external conflicts,” Li said.
His comments came ahead of the US presidential election, which will take place on November 5.
AI computing power
On August 9 last year, President Biden signed an Executive Order to declare a national emergency to address the threat to the US posed by countries of concern that seek to develop and exploit sensitive technologies or products critical for military, intelligence, surveillance or cyber-enabled capabilities.
On June 21 this year, the Treasury Department proposed a set of rules on outbound investment screening. It said it would set the AI computing power thresholds for a prohibited transaction and a notifiable transaction.
The Final Rule now sets the AI computing power’s speed threshold for a prohibited transaction at 1025 floating point operations (FLOPs) for an AI system generally, and at 1024 FLOPS for an AI system using primarily biological sequence data.
It also sets the threshold for a notifiable transaction involving the development of AI systems at 1023 FLOPS. All these thresholds are the lowest in the government’s proposed ranges, meaning that the Final Rule has broad coverage.
Jack Clark, former policy director of OpenAI, writes in his blog that the notifiable threshold general-purpose AI systems is set at 1026 FLOPS in the US and 1025 FLOPS in the European Union.
To illustrate what this means in practice, he said H100 SXM, Nvidia’s latest graphic processing unit, can train AI systems at different speeds but the cost for training at a speed of 1026 is 10 times that for 1025.
He said A100, a slower AI chip, can also run at a speed of 1026 but it would cost even more.
He said the 1025 threshold in the EU will eventually hit more companies than regulators anticipated.
Read: Beijing: new Treasury rules amount to ‘decoupling’
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