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Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and President Joe Biden will express their deep concern about human rights violations in China in a joint statement to be released after a Japan-US summit next week, Japanese government sources said Saturday. The summit, scheduled for Friday in Washington, comes as the Biden administration ramps up criticism of China's treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region and actions concerning Hong Kong. Suga has said those issues must be addressed based on basic human rights principles. It would be rare for Japanese and US leaders to single out human rights issues in China in a joint statement. Tokyo and Washington are now arranging the wording of the planned statement. It is almost certain that China would express strong protest against such a statement as interference in its domestic affairs. While the United States and Europe have imposed sanctions on China over the Uyghur issue, Japan remains cautious about following suit. Suga will ... » Learn More about Biden-Suga statement to express concern about human rights in China

Naga Sadhus (Hindu holy men) take a holy dip in the waters of the Ganges River on the day of Shahi Snan (royal bath) during the ongoing religious Kumbh Mela festival, in Haridwar on April 12, 2021. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) NEW DELHI — Hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees flocked on Monday to take a holy bath in India’s Ganges river, even as the nation racked up the world’s highest tally of new daily coronavirus infections . With 168,912 new cases, India accounts for one in six of all new infections globally, although the figure is still well below the U.S. peak of nearly 300,000 new cases on Jan. 8. In the northern city of Haridwar, nearly a million devotees thronged the banks of the Ganges, a river many Hindus consider holy, to participate in the months-long ‘Kumbh Mela’ or pitcher festival. “The crowd here is surging…the police are continuously appealing to people to maintain social distancing,” police official Sanjay Gunjyal told Reuters at the site. By ... » Learn More about India’s daily coronavirus infections are world’s highest but crowds gather for festival

SHANGHAI: China shares dropped on Monday, weighed down by materials and transport stocks, as worries over policy tightening persisted on expectations of upbeat economic data due later this month. The blue-chip CSI300 index fell 1.7%, to 4,947.75, while the Shanghai Composite index shed 1.1% to 3,412.95. Leading the declines, the CSI300 materials index and the CSI300 transport index slumped 3.9% and 4.1%, respectively. Courier giant S.F. Holding Co Ltd fell 9.4%, following a 10% drop on Friday after flagging losses for the first quarter. China's first quarter economic growth data probably would beat market expectations, which could raise worries over a quick tightening of monetary policy, Huaan Securities said in a report. The market could also encounter challenges as much stronger-than-expected PPI could lead to marginal changes in monetary policy, the brokerage added. Ongoing Sino-U.S. tensions also affected sentiment. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on ... » Learn More about China stocks end lower as materials, transport firms weigh

SINGAPORE - Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam gave his take on several issues during a virtual dialogue at the Singapore Tech Forum on Thursday (Nov 19). The forum, a global industry and networking even in its third year running, is organised by the Singapore Global Network - a division of the Economic Development Board - and the Government Technology Agency (GovTech). Economic reconfiguration and China Contrary to what some might think, globalisation is not on the decline. Instead, what the global economy is seeing is a reconfiguration as a result of China's evolution, said Mr Tharman. He noted that the biggest trend was the evolution of the Chinese economy. “It is getting larger. (China is) having a much larger middle class consuming a lot more. (They) are having much more capabilities domestically, able to produce within China what was previously imported, and that might give the impression of some waning of globalisation. "But actually, it's the same story - it's ... » Learn More about Resilient hubs key for companies seeking stability amidst Covid-19: SM Tharman

Shares in tech giant Alibaba climbed more than six percent Monday as the ecommerce titan reassured investors that a record $2.78 billion antitrust fine imposed by China would have little impact on its operations. However, concerns that officials had not finished with a crackdown on the sector weighed on big-name firms including Tencent and JD.com. Ant Group, whose planned record-shattering $35 billion Hong Kong-Shanghai IPO was shelved late last year amid the Chinese crackdown on Big Tech, separately announced a restructuring plan but vowed to "ensure business continuity". Regulators slapped Alibaba with the penalty on Saturday after a months-long probe concluded it had been abusing its dominant market position. But in a conference call to investors on Monday, Alibaba's board suggested the fine marked the end of the investigation, with chairman Daniel Zhang saying the penalty  would not have a "negative impact" on business operations. The government has cracked down on major ... » Learn More about Alibaba shares soar as it plays down hit from record $2.78 billion fine

MANILA, Philippines — Strict quarantine rules in Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces of Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal will be eased slightly starting Monday up to April 30 as hospitals have committed themselves to provide more beds for patients with the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Sunday. President Rodrigo Duterte approved the less stringent modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) for Metro Manila and the four provinces — dubbed “National Capital Region (NCR) Plus” — from the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), even as COVID-19 cases continued to rise and swamp hospitals. Total detected cases surged to 864,868 after laboratory tests confirmed 11,681 new infections on Sunday, the third straight day of breaching the 10,000 mark, according to the Department of Health (DOH). The death toll climbed to 14,945 after 201 more fatalities were reported. More than 200 deaths had been reported daily in five of the ... » Learn More about Quarantine restrictions eased in Metro Manila, 4 adjacent provinces

BACOLOD CITY –– Amid requests for a stricter quarantine status, Negros Occidental will remain under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) until April 30. Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said he was informed that Negros Occidental could not revert to general community quarantine (GCQ) because its COVID-19 infections had not reached the required level for that classification. Interior Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III relayed to him the message that the COVID-19 average daily attack rate should be seven percent and above, and the two-week daily growth rate should be 200 percent to be considered at high risk. Densing said Negros Occidental’s average daily attack rate as of April 8 was at 1.97 percent, and its two-week daily growth rate was 107 percent which was considered moderate. Lacson, however, pointed out that the COVID-19 situation in the province had been alarming and that the number of infections was rising. “Why do we have to wait for 200 percent (growth rate) or a ... » Learn More about Negros Occidental remains under MGCQ despite rising COVID-19 cases

Brothers91/Getty Images via ETX Daily Up Streaming platforms often boast of having created sophisticated algorithms, which line up with the musical tastes of each user. No matter whether they like folk music, rock or even drill and “ethereal.” However, these recommendation systems are far from perfect, as highlighted by a recent study led by Christine Bauer from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Xavier Serra and Andres Ferraro from Pompeu Fabra University in Spain. These researchers found that recommendation algorithms neglect songs performed by female artists and promote the generation of playlists dominated by their male counterparts. Before coming to these conclusions, the researchers combed through the listening habits of 330,000 users over nine years. It turns out that only a quarter of the artists they used to listen to were women. But what is the reason for this apparent lack of interest in female musicians? The answer: the algorithms. Indeed, the researchers ... » Learn More about Does your playlist only contain tracks by male artists? Blame the algorithms

Steep inclines and sharp turns have become a thing of the past for motorists on Indonesia's Sumatra island after the first highway there opened last September. Travelling 360km on a completed stretch of the highway - between the busy Bakauheni seaport in the southernmost province of Lampung and Palembang city - took 10 hours, or six hours shorter than on normal roads. "Our rides are smoother now. We no longer have to experience sharp turns, and go up and down steep slopes," Mr Andika, who goes by one name, told The Straits Times. The 45-year-old owns a fleet of trucks transporting industrial equipment between the two locations. Mr Andika said the cost of operating and maintaining his vehicles has dropped by 30 per cent as he does not have to replace worn-out tyres and spare parts as often. The highway, known as the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road, is one of President Joko Widodo's key projects to overhaul critical transport infrastructure in the country. Costing 476 trillion rupiah ... » Learn More about Indonesia: Govt won’t let Covid-19 derail much-needed projects

SINGAPORE - FairPrice's charity arm has donated $20,000 and 100 hampers to self-help group Yayasan Mendaki to help low-income families in the Muslim community with school-related fees and buying of groceries. The supermarket chain will also be providing refreshments at its stores for Muslims to break their fast during Ramadan from April 13 to May 12, and has expanded its range of halal-certified products by almost 1,500 items. At the FairPrice store at Woodlands Civic Centre on Monday (April 12), Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower Zaqy Mohamad, who is also Mendaki deputy chairman, said: "I'm thankful FairPrice has been a strong partner of Mendaki. I'm heartened about their donation as it will benefit many of our low-income students and their families, especially during Ramadan when we also want to ensure households get good nutrition." The hampers donated by FairPrice Foundation include daily necessities like rice, oil and noodles. The $20,000 will be used for ... » Learn More about FairPrice supporting low-income families during Ramadan, expands range of halal products