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☆ Singapore Hangs Man for Conspiring to Traffic 2 Pounds of Cannabis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Singapore on Wednesday executed a man convicted of conspiring to traffic about two pounds of cannabis, a punishment that human rights groups called grossly excessive with other countries around the world relaxing their stances on marijuana. The man, Tangaraju Suppiah, a 46-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced in 2018 for coordinating with two other men to import the cannabis in 2013. Singapore’s narcotics laws are some of the harshest in the world and mandate the death penalty for some drug trafficking offenses. Last year, the country executed 11 people, all for nonviolent drug offenses. Singapore has continued to use executions for drug-related crimes even though its neighbor and rival, Malaysia, recently ended its mandatory death penalty for serious crimes, including drug offenses.

☆ Contest for Children to Hunt Feral Cats Is Scrapped in New Zealand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A hunting contest in rural New Zealand where children were to compete to kill the greatest number of feral cats for a cash prize has been canceled after a backlash from animal rights organizations. New Zealand, an island nation, has aggressively tried to control invasive species from overwhelming its native wildlife. But culling feral cats remains divisive, and the planned hunt inflamed debate about the morality of the practice and how children should be taught about invasive species management. While New Zealanders broadly agree that feral cats need to be controlled, he said, “the issue is that it kind of touches on all these broader ethical issues: Should kids be the one killing cats? The cat-culling event was new this year, and it was open to children under the age of 14, with the winner receiving 250 New Zealand dollars, or about $155, according to Facebook posts by the North Canterbury Hunting Competition.

☆ Off-the-radar destinations every China visitor should consider
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

JingdezhenLarge chimneys, used for firing porcelain, dot the skyline of Jingdezhen city. gui yong nian/Adobe StockDubbed the porcelain capital of the world, Jingdezhen has been firing quality pieces of “white gold” for more than 1,700 years. For a crash course in the city’s porcelain history, visit the newly built and photogenic Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum of China. LinhaiLinhai's historic city wall stretches more than 6,000 meters in length. Food aside, travelers should leave time to admire this historic city that dates back more than 2,000 years.

☆ This is one metal investors can consider buying on dip 'at any chance' they get, according to an analyst
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The benchmark 62%-grade iron ore last traded at $126.80 per ton. Vincent Mundy | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFalling prices for global crude steel output could also contribute to lower iron ore prices. "Global crude steel output fell modestly in year-on-year terms last month ... The result was driven by a fall in steel output amongst most of the world's largest steel producers." World crude steel output recorded a 3.3% drop in January compared to the same period last year, according to the World Steel Association.

☆ Instacart Joins ChatGPT Frenzy, Adding Chatbot To Grocery Shopping App
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Instacart’s new search tool, “Ask Instacart,” will tap data from more than 1.5 million products stocked by some 75,000 grocery stores, said JJ Zhuang, the company’s chief architect. Mr. Zhuang described the software integration as “experimenting with what’s possible” using ChatGPT on Instacart’s app. OpenAI, a San Francisco-based software startup launched in 2015, has sought to expand its reach by easing the process of integrating ChatGPT software with outside apps. Microsoft Corp. , an OpenAI investor, last month added ChatGPT technology to its Bing search engine. Mr. Brockman said it is important for companies to consider the stakes involved in the way they plan to use ChatGPT technology.

☆ As China abandons zero-Covid, what will the economy look like in 2023?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And with the global economy now facing significant challenges, including energy shortages, slowing growth and high inflation, China’s reopening could provide a much-needed and timely boost. China’s historic property downturn and a potential global recession could also cause more headaches in the new year, they added. They expect China’s economy to contract by 0.8% in the first quarter of 2023, before rebounding in the second quarter. Trade had powered much of China’s economic growth earlier this year, as exports were boosted by rising prices of the country’s goods and a weaker currency. “But a looming global recession means they probably have further to fall over the next few quarters.”

☆ Russian Spacewalk Is Canceled Due to Coolant Leak
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian specialists are working to “evaluate the fluid and potential impacts to the integrity of the Soyuz spacecraft,” NASA said. The Soyuz arrived at the ISS in September, bringing Mr. Prokopyev, Mr. Petelin and the American astronaut Frank Rubio. It is scheduled to return the three to Earth in March and also serves as a “lifeboat” for the space station in the case of an emergency. Mr. Prokopyev and Mr. Petelin were planning to use Wednesday’s spacewalk to relocate a radiator from one module to another on the space station. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Asia markets fall amid recession fears; China to report trade data
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Abigail Ng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Aerial view of containers sitting stacked at the Qinzhou Port on August 15, 2022 in Qinzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Shares in the Asia-Pacific slipped on Wednesday after major U.S. indexes fell more than 1% each overnight as recession concerns weigh on markets. China's November trade data is predicted to show a sharp drop in exports and imports, according a Reuters poll. The Nikkei 225 in Japan was down 0.59% in early trade and the Topix also fell 0.44%. South Korea's Kospi shed 0.29%, and the Kosdaq was 0.58% lower.

☆ The New York Times is bracing for a historic mass walkout as union negotiations go down to the wire
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The historic work stoppage is set to go in effect at midnight on December 8 and last for an entire 24 hours. In effect, the public will get a glimpse of a world without much of The Times’ hard-hitting and informative journalism. And it is possible an agreement will somehow be struck before the work stoppage goes into effect. But NewsGuild spokesperson Wen Zhuang said there are no more planned sessions on the schedule, which would make it far more difficult to hammer out a last-minute agreement. And as Vanity Fair’s Charlotte Klein reported Tuesday, management is also working to find content to fill the paper during the day of work stoppage.

☆ Manufacturing orders from China down 40% in unrelenting demand collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

U.S. manufacturing orders in China are down 40 percent, according to the latest CNBC Supply Chain Heat Map data. HLS expects most carriers to extend their West Coast rates until December 14, holding at $1,300-$1,400 per forty-foot equivalent containers (FEU). The 2M Alliance of Maersk and MSC has suspended almost half of its U.S. West Coast services for December. is also impacting Vietnam, which has been booming as a manufacturing hub as more trade moved away from China. Canceled ocean sailings bound for Vietnam are up 50% for December.

☆ Some Twitter staff on H-1B visas and parental leave were fired in Elon Musk's pre-Thanksgiving purge, a former engineer says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Twitter engineer of three years said Elon Musk's "Twitter 2.0" team fired him before Thanksgiving. He said he was on a H-1B visa and many workers on "parental leave" had also been fired. Yiwei Zhuang, a software engineer of three years at Twitter, said his "employment is terminated immediately with no reason today by Elon's Twitter 2.0 team before Thanksgiving." Zhuang was one of roughly 700 employees on H-1B visas at Twitter prior to Musk laying off 50% of the company. Many H-1B workers were affected and are struggling to find roles to stay in the US.

☆ A man who won $30 million on the Chinese lottery says he'll keep it secret from his wife and child in case it makes them lazy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A man who won $30 million on the Chinese lottery says he won't tell his wife and child. The man – identified by local newspaper the Nanning Evening News as Mr Li – won 219.4 million yuan on the Guangxi Welfare Lottery on October 20. "I have not told my wife or kid," Li told the publication, per a translation by The South China Morning Post. A woman buys a ticket on a China Welfare Lottery vending machine in in Zhengzhou on April 14, 2022. After tax, he took home around 171.6 million yuan ($23.6 million), per the publication.

☆ China delayed the release of key economic data to avoid distraction amid the Communist Party Congress, not to conceal data, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China delayed the release of key economic data, including third-quarter GDP, scheduled for this week. The postponement of the data — GDP in particular — has raised speculation that the numbers are deliberately being hidden. "Beijing just wants everyone and the media coverage to focus on the Congress, not on economic data." While delays in monthly statistical data release are indeed "quite unusual," they are not unprecedented, according to Zhuang. However, it's the first time Beijing is delaying GDP data release.

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