China’s Xi backs Fijian PM’s Pacific plan ahead of regional meeting
Xi Jinping, a top official from China, told Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka that he backed his” Ocean of Peace” plan at a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday ( Aug 20 ), days ahead of a summit for Pacific Island leaders in Tonga. China also pledged to strengthen trade relationsContinue Reading
‘Rotten-tail kids’: China’s rising youth unemployment breeds new working class
BEIJING: A rising level of “rotten-tail boys” is a situation that has created a new working group of “rotten-tail kids” by forcing millions of university graduates to accept low-paying jobs or even rely on their parents ‘ pensions. The term has become a popular social media term this month, drawingContinue Reading
Taiwan’s tech industry taps female talent pool amid labour shortage
FEW FEMALE EMPLOYEES
Female employees only account for about a third of the workplace in the tech sector, according to MediaTek Foundation executive director Cynthia Feng.
Female graduates make up an even smaller percentage of the workforce in the semiconductor industry and other relevant fields like electrical engineering and technological information, she continued, with 13 to 15 % of graduates in the semiconductor industry.  ,
According to research publications she has published, prejudices may have prevented females from working in the tech sector, she told CNA.  ,
Between the ages of 10 and 14 years old, women “lose involvement in mathematics and tech because of the perception of their roles in society or lack of confidence in their own skills,” she said.
Now, MediaTek’s female employees account for 20 per share of its entire workplace- a proportion it is looking to increase in a bid to improve innovation.
” Adding children’s opinions may help to find a more creative and complete solution to a problem,” she said.  ,
Additionally, it wants to hire more women to complete the gender gaps in the workforce because the tech sector is struggling with a talent shortage as a result of a declining birth rate and increased competition from foreign tech giants. More than 50 % of Taiwan’s technology companies are hiring, according to a recent study conducted by a neighborhood job bank.
Now, there are more than 100, 000 job opportunities merely for technicians.
Indian name Kamala associated with several deities – Asia Times
Since Vice President Kamala Harris first appeared on the federal stage, her name, which is a popular one for women in India, has attracted a lot of interest, particularly because of how it was pronounced.
The three-syllable word should be pronounced” Come-a-laa” ( Kamalā ), with the final long” a” signaling a feminine noun in Sanskrit. It is frequently pronounced with stresses on the first or second phrase in the United States.
However, the language of” Kamala” is the least exciting thing about this lovely title, which is only one of many thoughts in Sanskrit for the glowing, fragrant, large-petaled pink flowers, or Nelumbo nucifera, that is prevalent in the Indian continent. As a professor of South Indian religions, I’d like to describe the deep imagery and the many interpretations of the krishna, or flower, which are shared by different belief traditions in the continent.
The’ samantha’ in American literature
In some American like poems, the broad, shapely eyes of gorgeous women are compared to the flower, while in religious literature it is the God’s eyes that invite the comparison.
The analogy is not confined just to the eyes but can be used to compliment the beauty, warmth and brightness of a partner’s or the divine’s experience, feet or hands. The ninth-century Tamil writer, Nammalvar, in his large album, the” Tiruvaymoli”, uses the parallel to illustrate the beauty of the lord Vishnu:
You are perfect illumination
You are unsullied intellect
that neither flower nor wilts.
You are all. You rule it all.
If the lovely angels ‘ lord is the king.
worships you, wo n’t it dim
the brightness of your flower feet?
In some cases, passion, whether spiritual or individual, is described as a flower that blooms in the day, responding to the heat and radiance of the sunlight. At evening, the flower closes its petals, little as one might retreat in the presence of the beloved. Similarly, the flowers can be expressive of need and intimacy, drawing a bee to sip from its nectar.
The lotus, as whole flower or even a single curved petal, is a pervasive motif in Indian art. A famous 18th-century Indian miniature painting depicts the divine couple, Radha and Krishna, facing each other, clothed entirely in lotuses.
The lotus’s divine symbolism
Most significantly, the kamala, or lotus, is closely associated with Sri-Lakshmi: the goddess of sovereignty, auspiciousness, fecundity, wealth and good fortune, who is worshiped by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains.
In fact, Kamala is simply another name for Sri-Lakshmi. This goddess either holds her hands in her hands or sits on a fully blooming lotus while holding them in her hands.
She will frequently be adorned in a garland of lotuses in Southern Indian Hindu temples because of how closely connected she is to this flower.
Lakshmi’s divine husband, Vishnu, is also closely connected to this flower. Brahma, the god, is born a lotus from his navel, who in turn gives birth to the entire universe.
Although Sri-Lakshmi is most clearly associated with the lotus, Jainism and Buddhism integrate the bloom in other ways. The lotus may be held in one’s hand by Hindu, Jain, and Tara, a male Buddhist deity, and other figures. The sixth great teacher of the Jain tradition, Padmaprabhu, is named after a lotus, with “padma” being another name for the flower. In the Jain, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions, the lotus occasionally serves as a pedestal for the divine being.
In all cases, the lotus is rarely a bud. Almost always it is a lush, open bloom. This speaks to its profound significance as a sign of wisdom and the awakening of one’s knowledge from ignorance’s torpor. The symbolism of the kamala is derived from the fact that the lotus blooms in swampy waters but is left unharmed by the dirt around it. Similarly, enlightenment and wisdom arise and blossom from the murk of desire and attachment. But when one attains wisdom, like the lotus, one remains above and untouched by the dirt of deluding ignorance.
That is why the kamala is always pictured and described not as a bud, suggesting only potential for wisdom, but as a large, open, unfurled flower.
Kamala Harris ‘ name serves as a reminder of its significance in these religious customs. A lotus by another name may be referred to as still a lotus, but as these traditions demonstrate, it is much more.
At the University of California, Davis, Archana Venkatesan is a professor of comparative literature and religious studies.
This article was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Australia approves US$13.5 billion project to export solar power to Singapore
The government’s acceptance comes as the center-left state ramps up clean energy initiatives even as the opposition alliance proposes building nuclear plants to remove coal-fired power by 2050, in a nation where nuclear power is now prohibited. SunCable, owned by businessman Mike Cannon-Brookes, said the endorsement was” a vote ofContinue Reading
Groups to hold digital economy safety forum
PUBLISHED: 21 Aug 2024 at 07: 12
Late this month, the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC ) and its Asean Plus Three rivals may hold a conference to discuss ways to protect people in the online business after it was discovered that Thais lost 65 billion baht annually to internet scammers over the past three years.
On Tuesday, TCC Secretary-General Saree Aongsomwang announced that the TCC would coordinate with the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations and the Indonesian Consumers Foundation to organize the Asean 3 Conference Thailand 2024 on the subject of” Consumer Protection in the Digital Economy and AI.”
The celebration will be the first Asean meeting on the subject and will be attended by consumer protection organizations from Asean, comprising Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand and the and three places– South Korea, China ( including Hong Kong ) and Japan.
In an effort to protect consumers using e-commerce and artificial intelligence ( AI ) platforms, the conference aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and information between Asean 3 consumer protection organizations and foster partnerships between them and related private and public organizations in Thailand. The Bangkok Hotel Amari Don Muang Airport did host the event on August 29 and 30.
Ms. Saree claimed that the rapidly expanding modern economy and AI are important for innovation and people’s daily lives, but also pose a number of risks to users.
According to her, Thai people have lost 65 billion baht yearly, or 180 million baht normal, to internet fraudsters over the past three years.
According to TCC data, 1, 386 modern scams took place in the first half of this year, a large proportion of them on well-known online platforms like Facebook, Lazada, and Line.
” The future seminar… will be another one of our resources for finding prospects to provide better protection for users”, Ms Saree said.
Suphalak cat breed gains global recognition
PUBLISHED: 21 Aug 2024 at 06: 37
According to the Facebook Page of WCF Thailand, the Suphalak feline species has been designated as an international species by the World Cat Federation (WCF).
The Trade Association of Registered Cats ( ARC ) presented a proposal to recognize the Suphalak breed, an ancient Thai cat breed, at the WCF General Assembly 2024 in Germany.
An ARC national thanked the WCF judge, the Pedigree Registration Commission, as well as all WCF trees who supported ARC in this regard.
Making approval requires collecting factual information about the type, its characteristics, and genetic info to establish the breed standards.
Svetlana Lalovic, a WCF prosecutor with a focus on Thai cat species, was instrumental in gathering data and crafting a plan to get recognition for the Suphalak type.
ARC even thanked Chayaphon Phucharoenyos, its leader and its President, Pattamaporn Themeeyawet, for helping improve a method to accept the species.
7-Eleven: Japan convenience store giant targeted by rival chain
Getty ImagesWhen the owner of 7-Eleven announced this week that it had received a buyout offer from a Canadian rival it triggered shockwaves in Japan.
A foreign company has previously purchased a Chinese business this size.
Generally, companies from Japan were more likely to purchase international organizations.
7-Eleven is the world’s biggest pleasure keep chain, with 85, 000 stores across 20 countries and territories.
And it’s been particularly successful in promoting itself as a fast, affordable, and delicious meals option in places like Japan and Thailand where there is already a lot of that.
” We have more outlets than McDonald’s or Starbucks”, the chief executive of Seven &, i Holdings, Ryuichi Isaka, told BBC News before the company received the merger present.
Around a third of those 85, 000 retailers are in Japan, while there are almost 10, 000 in the US.
A major player
In contrast, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard, which operates the Circle K ring, has nearly 17, 000 shops in 31 countries and territories. More than half of its stores are located in North America.
The approach valued Seven &, i at more than$ 30bn ( £23bn ) before news of the preliminary offer emerged.
7-Eleven’s stock jumped by over 20 % on Monday, before giving up some of those increases the following morning.
Analysts credit the Chinese currency’s relative weakness in relation to the US dollar and other main currencies for making Seven &, i more affordable.
According to Manoj Jain from Hong Kong-based wall account Maso Capital, efforts by the Chinese government to promote mergers and acquisitions appear to be working in addition to the yen’s failure.
Getty Images7-Eleven has been willing to capitalise on the reputation of the meal it sells- a wide range, including wheat balls, hamburgers, cooked pasta, cooked chicken and dumplings.
In Japan, stores like 7-Eleven are well-known with tourists looking for cooking comforts, while comfort businesses are where people go to get a bar of chocolate or a bag of biscuits in an emergency in much of the world.
The ring has become a social media hit in Asia thanks to these 7-Eleven food.
One of the best things to do in Thailand is to visit a 7-Eleven, where the ham and cheese toastie has become a TikTok reach has even been promoted.
American singer Ed Sheeran is one of the stars who has helped raise the profile of 7-Eleven. A picture of him attempting snacks from a Thai shop went viral.
Allow TikTok content?
As the business was pressured to buy some of its assets and concentrate on the 7-Eleven product, Mr. Isaka has been aiming to replicate that success in the US and European areas.
The company has been updating its method to allow for more locations to follow the Japanese retailers ‘ practices.
According to Mr. Isaka,” we discovered that stores that sell new food are attracting numerous more shoppers.”
” We want to grow with great value, not only increase the quantity. We want to ensure that customers are satisfied, boost the profits of each shop, and expand the number of locations, he continued.
National stems
Seven &, i has also been on a shopping spree. In January, it bought more than 200 stores in the US from petrol station chain Sunoco for around$ 1bn ( £770m ).
In April, it bought again more than 750 businesses from a operator in Australia.
For most of its nearly century-long past 7-Eleven was an American company.
It launched in 1927 with the sale of ice blocks to keep refrigerators nice before stocking essentials like eggs, milk, and bread.
At the time, the shops were empty between 07: 00 and 23: 00- hence the name.
Seven &, i HoldingsAs the company expanded, 7-Eleven started offering companies outside the United States.
In 1974, Asian financial firm Ito-Yokado struck a deal to start the country’s earliest 7-Eleven. In 1991, it bought a 70 % stake in the chain’s US parent company.
The founder of Ito-Yokado, Masatoshi Ito, who died in 2023 at the age of 98, is often credited with transforming 7-Eleven into a global empire.
Ito-Yokado was renamed Seven &, i Holdings in 2005 with the “i” in its name being a nod to Ito-Yokado and Mr Ito, who was by then the company’s honorary chairman.
Now, as the the company decides whether it will remain under Japanese ownership or return to its North National stems, experts are wondering whether more of Japan’s big firms could become takeover targets.
According to Mr. Jain, there is now a “greater determination of Asian boards and management teams to accept international approaches and be sympathetic to international approaches.”
More foreign investors may now be urged to follow their interests in Chinese businesses, he continued.
China’s telecom, education, healthcare open to FDI – Asia Times
After experiencing a sharp decline in foreign direct investment ( FDI), China has made the decision to open up its telecommunication, educational, and healthcare services sectors to foreigners.  ,
On Monday, a conference of the State Council headed by Chinese Premier Li Qiang reviewed and approved four papers that aim to aid the nation in attracting foreign investment.
The documents include the 2024 model of a set of specific operational measures, or a bad list, for international investment entry. China will further relax restrictions on foreign funding, as suggested by the bad list, by removing all barriers to entry to manufacturing and accelerating the expansion of sectors like telecommunications, education, and health care.
” The latest State Council administrative meeting decided to improve the country’s services industry by encouraging the cross-border flows of necessary resources such as talent, capital, technologies and data”, Zheng Wei, a researcher with Shanghai-based China Outsourcing Institute, a research unit operating under the Ministry Commerce, told the Economic Information Daily in an interview.
” The opening up of the communications, education and healthcare areas, which are fairly delicate business, demonstrates China’s resolve to proactively open up its business to the world”, Zheng said. China may take more drastic measures to boost its opening and boost foreign investors ‘ trust in the nation in the future.
When China began to open its market in the 1980s, it first relaxed restrictions on foreign investment in its production industry.  ,
International businesses in the automobile industry had to form 50-50 joint ventures with Chinese companions to operate their businesses there. However, this limitation has been lifted since 2022.  ,
For national security reasons, China has never opened up its telecom, education and healthcare service sectors, which are still controlled by state-owned-enterprises ( SOEs ). Beijing is anticipated to gradually comfortable regulations in these sectors.
China has no plan to open up its defence, energy and internet companies in the small or medium name, according to most watchers.
FDI and employment
The State Council’s latest decisions came after China’s FDI fell 29.1 % to 498.9 billion yuan ( US$ 69.5 billion ) in the first half of this year from a year ago.  ,
China’s overseas direct investment ( ODI) increased by 16.6 % to US$ 72.62 billion as many Chinese manufacturers had to expand their production overseas in order to lower costs or avoid new tariffs imposed by the West.  ,
China needs to increase its international funding because its job market has n’t yet provided ample opportunities for younger people.  ,
According to the National Bureau of Statistics ( NBS ), China’s youth unemployment rate increased to 17.1 % in July, the highest level since the new system of record-keeping began last December. In June this year, the number was merely 13.2 %.  ,
In June 2023, the youth unemployment rate reached a record high of 21.3 %, said the NBS.
China had been halting accounts of its children unemployment rate for the majority of the second quarter of 2023. It stated that its procedures for calculating were being revised. In February this time, the NBS said the children work level, calculated with a new approach, was 14.9 % for last December.
Up until a considerable increase in July, the figure had been floating at about 14 % in the first quarter of this year. According to Chinese authorities, the rise was attributed to a rise in the number of recent graduates in the summer.  ,
Praising Deng once?
A five-year program that aims to modernize Chinese companies and advance economic reforms was adopted on July 18 as the 20th Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee’s next plenary session came to an end.  ,
CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping stated on July 30 that the Chinese economy is “facing more adverse effects from changes in the external environment while effective domestic demand remains insufficient.”
In a letter on the same day, Xi also demanded from Hong Kong businesspeople to encourage investment in mainland China and support the country’s reform and expansion. However, Hong Kong tycoons ‘ responses have remained lukewarm so far.  ,
The official theoretical journal of the CCP, Qiushi, published two articles on August 16 to thank former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping for his contributions to the reform and resurgence of the Chinese economy in the 1980s.  ,  ,
The two opinion pieces also said Deng had stabilized China’s relations with the United States, Soviet Union, Japan and Britain.  ,
The two Qiushi articles are intended to use Deng’s reputation to unite the CCP, which is currently led by Xi, according to a comment from Ming Jing News, a Canadian-based Chinese news website. The article’s authors claimed that because they only serve as reminders to party members to support Xi’s economic reforms, they are not politically incorrect.  ,
Capital outflow
Beijing wants to attract foreign investors to boost its FDI, as well as take steps to prevent any panic-selling in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets. China has stopped releasing daily data on overseas fund flows starting on Monday.  ,
Chinese officials had already made hints in April that they would reduce real-time information on northbound foreign funds moving from Hong Kong to the stock markets of mainland China. They made the choice at the end of July.  ,
Some analysts believe Beijing intends to lessen the high-frequency data-induced market volatility and shift investor attention to longer-term indicators, such as the People’s Bank of China’s quarterly reports on financial assets held by foreign entities.  ,
They claimed that the move will reduce China’s cross-border capital flow transparency and that it will not address the root of the issue, which was brought on by global investors ‘ shaky confidence in the Chinese economy.
Chen Hongbing, the chairman of Anhui Meitong Asset Management Ltd., stated to Taiwan’s UDN.com that investors view the daily data of northbound fund funds as an indicator of overall market sentiment. He claimed that stopping the release of the data might help to stop speculative activity and lessen market volatility.
Some individual investors feel unfair that brokerage firms can still use their own data to monitor and forecast market trends while they ca n’t access real-time data right now.  ,
Read: Property crisis still haunts China investment, consumption
Follow Jeff Pao on X:  , @jeffpao3
Everest’s Sherpas fear their homeland is at risk of washing away
Laxman AdhikariSitting at an altitude of around 3, 800m ( 12, 467ft ) is Thame, a small Sherpa village in Nepal’s Everest region.
It is home to some record-holding Sherpa climbers, including Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first man to climb Mount Everest along with adventurer Edmund Hillary.
However, after a glacial lakes burst its banks on August 16, the town was engulfed by snowy flood waters, displacing around 60 people and destroying more than a few residences and hotels, as well as a university and medical facility.
Around 300 of the village’s residents are now asking themselves whether it is also safe to live there any more as a result of the event.
” We are also shocked,” the statement says.
No injuries or fatalities were reported, but Sherpa residents said they were fortunate that the flood occurred during the daytime, when everyone was alive and the alerts arrived immediately.
” If this had happened at night time, between 200 to 300 people would have lost their lives”, Ang Tshering Sherpa, past president of Nepal Mountaineering Association said.
” We are still in shock, and we are still crying when we (villagers ) talk to each other”, said Yangji Doma Sherpa, a native of Thame who was born in the village.
The bigger issue is whether this area is currently safe to live in. People do n’t feel safe because this flood has shown that we are currently in an even more dangerous situation.
Another rural residents have experienced similar hardship.
” Some components of our town were wiped away by the storm, but we managed to run up the hill,” said Pasang Sherpa at Tok Tok town, which is a walk downhill from Thame in about two days.
” Brochures and debris were swept down by the then watery and bubbly river, turning it into a dark brown.”
I am also shaken because the look and the tone were thus spooky. I’ve found refuge in a local village, and I’m considering whether or not I should always go back to Tok Tok.
Locals claim that a large portion of the risk may be reduced if proper monitoring were in place for glacial lake located inland of human settlements.
While a dozen rivers have drawn the attention of experts and authorities, they added, the rest are basically ignored.
Nevertheless, disaster planning is non-existent in many townships.
A few settlements downstream of the Imja glacial lakes have been taught how to operate in the event of a flood, according to Ms. Doma Sherpa.
” But there has been no instruction in our community anymore”.
Four incidents occurred in the Dudhkosi valley valley near Everest out of the more than a dozen glacial lake outbursts that have been documented in Nepal over the past 50 years.
One incident occurred upstream of Thame in 1985, when a big avalanche slammed into the Dig Tsho glacier river and created a storm that topped the bridge. A hydroelectricity plant downstream was destroyed by the flood, which also caused more than$ 3 million in damage.
Khumbu Pashanlhamu Rural MunicipalityLittle lakes, great dangers
Not a problem that only affects Thame, the lack of checking is not one-sided by it.
In the Himalayas, there are hundreds of ice and glacial lakes, but only a small percentage of those in the Mountain region are monitored and equipped with premature flood warning systems.
Global warming is also accelerating glacier dissolving, which could cause lake to overflow.
A study conducted by the University of Leeds in 2021 found that over the past few decades Himalayan ice have lost snow ten times more quickly than the regular price since their development, which dates back 400 to 700 years.
According to a study that was published in the Nature book in 2022, South Col Glacier on Mount Everest may have lost half of its size since the 1990s as a result of heat.
Imja Lake, which is located below Mount Everest, was drained in 2016 after authorities discovered it was in risk of overflowing and flooding nearby communities, trekking trails, and roads.
However, according to experts, several new rivers have formed in recent years, while others have expanded and joined forces to be larger people.
The destabilization of the native scenery, which is caused by fast-retreating ice, adds to the risk by creating more floods and avalanches that you put into the lakes and cause them to burst, further aggravating the situation.
Officials claim to have monitored around 20 glacial rivers in the Nepali Himalayas and have listed them as dangerous, but the two that burst on August 16 were none mentioned in that list nor closely monitored by authorities.
The damage is so great, according to Mr. Tshering Sherpa,” but they were the smallest people, and no one cared about them.”
” Think what might occur if the great ones suddenly burst out. In the Mountain area, there are many of them.
A helicopter inspection by Nepal’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority ( NDRRMA ) revealed there were a total of five small glacial lakes close to the source of the flooding. One of them had half burst, another had burst fully.
Which means that the three different lakes at the same place was burst out at the same time, according to Ms. Doma Sherpa.
” Now that people know that, they do n’t feel safe anymore. We are mainly concerned about older people because of their accessibility issues.
Khumbu Pashanlhamu Rural MunicipalityCut off from the outside world, exactly?
Visitors claim that some damages caused by floods are then irreparable, and the effects of global warming on Himalayan glaciers and lakes have only grown worse since then.
The Thame River’s course changed as a result of Friday’s storm, which changed while it used to pass through the Khumbu valley’s left bank. It now flows right through the town, claiming nearly half of the land.
” Much of the remaining property today is full of dust and rock”, Ms Doma Sherpa said.
” This is not the same as rebuilding the homes that the earthquake destroyed.” What can you create on when you have no property left?
The only electricity station in the area that provides energy to the area has also been damaged by the storm.
After the catastrophe, which caused the place to stop working, mud and debris accumulated in the reservoir.
” As a result, energy source has been cut off, and because of that telecom techniques were also not functioning”, Mingma Sherpa, head of a junior team at Namche, a big tourist spot near Thame, said.
Since the crisis struck, the region has been completely disconnected from the outside world. This is quite frightening”.
” This catastrophe has shown how uncomfortable and vulnerable we are,” said one of the people who had been worried about slow commencement effects of climate change, such as dwindling water resources.
State leaders are aware of the concerns of the area.
The power is then assembling a team of experts to” studie the risks posed by the three remaining lakes downstream of Thame town and determine whether the upstream settlement places are safe to live in or not,” according to Anil Pokhrel, mind of NDRRMA.
” We are even working on disaster risk reduction in the region”, she added.
Members of native Sherpa areas, but, say they’ve seen more talk and less motion over the years when it comes to dealing with challenges from glacial lakes outbursts.
” We hear all great ideas, especially during meetings, and soon the ideas are forgotten”, Ms Doma Sherpa said.
” But we ca n’t forget what this flood has done,” he says, adding that there are lakes nearby that can cause disasters for us at any time.