Foxconn: iPhone maker hikes pay ahead of new model launch
Getty ImagesApple supplier Foxconn is ramping up efforts to recruit more workers for the world’s largest iPhone factory, ahead of the launch of a new model.
Foxconn says new workers at its plant in Zhengzhou, China will receive bonuses of up to 3,000 yuan ($424; £343) for at least 90 days of work.
Current employees who successfully refer a friend or family member will also qualify for an award, it says.
The iPhone 15 is expected to be launched in September.
It marks the latest move by the Taiwan-based manufacturer to improve benefits for its workers at the huge plant – known as iPhone City.
Foxconn employees who refer a new recruit will now receive 500 yuan if the person stays at the company for a month, a post seen by the BBC on the popular Chinese messaging app WeChat said.
The company did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.
Last year, hundreds of workers protested at the Zhengzhou plant over Covid restrictions and claims of overdue pay.
Videos, which were shared online in October, also showed people jumping a fence outside the Foxconn factory after it was locked down due to a coronavirus outbreak.
In November, Apple warned that shipments of the iPhone 14 would be delayed after Chinese officials locked down a district of Zhengzhou, where iPhone City is located.
The iPhone maker then recruited new workers with promises of higher bonuses.
However, one worker told the BBC that the contracts were changed so they “could not get the subsidy promised”, adding that they had been quarantined without food.
Foxconn said in response that “a technical error occurred during the onboarding process”, adding that the pay of new recruits was “the same as agreed (in the) official recruitment posters”.
The Zhengzhou plant employs more than 200,000 people, making Apple devices including the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
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Man prises crocodile’s jaws off his head at Australian resort
Getty ImagesAn Australian man has escaped with his life after being attacked by a saltwater crocodile while snorkelling at an exclusive Queensland resort.
Marcus McGowan, 51, has detailed how he managed to prise the predator’s jaws off his head, suffering lacerations.
He was airlifted to a nearby island hospital, and later flown to Cairns for further treatment.
Crocodile attacks are uncommon in Australia, but there have been several in recent months.
Mr McGowan said he was in the water with a group of people about 28km (17.3 miles) off Haggerstone Island near Cape York when he was bitten from behind.
“I thought it was a shark but when I reached up, I realised it was a crocodile. I was able to lever its jaws open just far enough to get my head out,” he said in a statement.
The crocodile – suspected to be a juvenile – came back for another go, he said, but he was able to push it away, suffering a bite to his hand.
Queensland’s environment department says it will investigate the incident, but “crocodiles in the open ocean can be difficult to locate as the animals often travel tens of kilometres per day”.
Haggerstone Island Resort describes itself as a “family-owned, exclusive luxury resort”. The entire island, some 600km north of Cairns, is available for hire at $7,600 (£4,063; $US4,979) a night.
Crocodiles are common in Australia’s tropical north, which has seen a series of attacks recently.
In February, rangers shot a 4.2m (13.4ft) crocodile that attacked a man and ate his dog at a remote boat ramp north of Cairns.
And earlier this month, the remains of 65-year-old fisherman Kevin Darmody were found inside a 4.1m crocodile on the nearby Kennedy River – the 13th fatal attack in Queensland since record-keeping began in 1985.
Under Queensland’s management programme, “problem crocodiles” are removed from areas where they threaten public safety and, in rare instances, euthanised.
Since crocodile hunting was banned in 1974, the state’s crocodile population has rebounded from a low of some 5,000 animals to around 30,000 today.
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Singaporean designer Gin Lee said obstacles remain, especially when it comes to making things locally.
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Citing research by the Ad-Hoc Committee on Systematic Hemp and Cannabis Resolution, Thailand’s Cannabis Future Network has urged three alliance parties not to reinstate the plant as a narcotic drug, as that would be like “getting the first shirt button wrong” and lead to more problems.
Prasitchai Nunual, the network leader, wrote on their Facebook fan page on Monday that before the election, this particular ad-hoc committee was set up to discuss removing cannabis from the list in an attempt to study the systemic usage of the plant.
According to Mr Prasitchai, the committee consisted of not only experts but also representatives of political parties, including the Move Forward Party (MFP), the Pheu Thai Party and the Prachachart Party, three of the seven allies that signed a working agenda on May 22.
With that said, the three parties’ attempt to, in his words, “change their agenda” on cannabis after the election, which included the reinstatement of cannabis as a narcotic drug, appeared contradictory in his view. He said that changing the agenda was done for the benefit of the parties, not the country, and, even worse, was not based on the evidence available.
“It is okay to go back on their words based on the committee’s earlier studies, but not based on public opinion or their personal political beneficiaries,” the post read.
Mr Prasitchai added that a shift in cannabis policy based on public opinion alone would be akin to “getting the first shirt button wrong”, which might result in an even worse situation later on. He suggested that they review the results of the study once again before thinking of reinstatement.
Meanwhile, cannabis growers in Khon Kaen also called for discussion before any changes are made.
Seangpirun Wongtawan, the owner of a cannabis shop in Khon Kaen, told the reporters that she was worried about vague legal regulations on cannabis, as they made it difficult for owners to keep up with and adhere to, particularly concerning plant registration.
She said she wished new regulations would focus more on medical applications of the plant as “growers have already invested large amounts in their products”.
Police chief seeks bribe claim truth
Wants probe into ‘highway cop racket’
National police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas has ordered highway police to investigate claims that drivers of overloaded lorries are not being arrested because they display special bribe-paid stickers.
Police spokesman Pol Lt Gen Archayon Kraithong said on Monday that Pol Gen Damrongsak wanted the Highway Police Division to get to the bottom of the allegations quickly.
Officers found involved in such bribery would face decisive action, including expulsion from the force.
The Highway Police Division earlier reported it regularly cooperates with the Land Transport Federation of Thailand and stops overloaded lorries, the spokesman said.
The national police chief would welcome any information from the public about the alleged racket so that the police could deal with it, Pol Lt Gen Archayon said.
Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, a Move Forward Party list MP-elect, recently posted on social media that he was compiling evidence about the alleged racket. He claimed overloaded trucks with special stickers were not being detained or the drivers arrested at weighbridges.
The stickers variously depicted rabbits, a smiling sun or Kung Fu Panda, and were available at a cost of thousands of baht per month, he said.
Pol Maj Gen Ekkaraj Limsangkat, commander of the Highway Police Division, said that an inquiry panel was set up to look into the claim, and tough action will be taken against any lorry operator involved in bribery. Officers implicated will also face legal and disciplinary action. He also admitted that police taking bribes had existed for a long time, and amending related laws is necessary to address the problem.
Under current laws, legal action will be only taken against drivers of overloaded trucks, not owners or operators of the business, which leads to repeated offences, Pol Maj Gen Ekkaraj said.
“We may have to amend the laws so that when a lorry is found carrying a load exceeding the legal limit, it will be confiscated,” he said.
“If the law is amended, tens of thousands of lorries are expected to be seized, and this measure should deter operators,” Pol Maj Gen Ekkaraj said.
Wichai Sawangkachorn, president of the Northeastern Transport Association, said such stickers had been used for the racket for a long time. He also claimed those involved also include politicians and senior officials.
She offers free classes to help low income kids learn how to read: âThey deserve the same opportunitiesâ
“In Singapore, many parents who can afford it are sending their children for enrichment classes to learn to read before primary school. So by the time kids enter primary one, by our estimates, 80 per cent would already know how to read simple sentences,” said the 38-year-old.
The remaining 20 per cent who cannot read come largely from underprivileged families, Lok observed.
“I want to minimise the gap between these two groups so that vulnerable children don’t enter primary school with a disadvantage,” she said.
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Should five to six-year-old kids be expected to be able to read? Lok said that a dyslexia intervention programme she attended in Portland, United States, noted that it was developmentally appropriate for seven to eight-year-olds to start reading.
“But in Singapore, this is not the case because it is so competitive,” she stressed. “Since 80 per cent of kids enter primary school knowing how to read, it is very hard for the 20 per cent who are lagging behind to catch up.”
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Fatalities linked to Covid drop
Covid-19-related deaths declined last week as the dominant strain is neither more transmissible nor more severe, according to the Public Health Department.
Permanent secretary Opas Karnkawinpong said on Monday there were 42 fatalities related to Covid-19 last week, down from 64 deaths the previous week.
“The [fatality] rate is starting to fall,” he said.
Most of the deaths were elderly people, those with underlying illnesses and pregnant women.
Deaths resulted from lung inflammation, respiratory failure and complications, including those related to chronic kidney disease.
“Most of them had not sought the vaccination advised by the health ministry. Some people had fears of side effects,” Dr Opas said.
“Vaccines reduce symptoms and fatalities. Young family members should take their elders for vaccination. However, sometimes it turns out that the children and grandchildren are the people afraid of side effects,” he said while recommending annual Covid-19 inoculation.
Dr Opas said that the XBB.1.16 strain was spreading in Thailand, but it was neither more transmissible nor more severe than other strains.
He said Covid-19 infections were rising more in Bangkok than in other provinces.
Most cases now were asymptomatic because of vaccination. A survey found that 90% of Thai people had Covid-19 antibodies from vaccination or infection, Dr Opas said.
“It may now be similar to other respiratory diseases which evolve. After infection, people have antibodies, and the disease tries to adapt for co-existence,” the public health permanent secretary said.
“It is a time of balance between humans and the disease.”
He said there was no shortage of hospital beds for Covid-19 inpatients. The bed occupancy rate for Covid-19 patients nationwide was 22%.