Us president

A woman takes pictures of Chinese and Hong Kong flags decorating a street, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the former British colony's handover to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong, China June 30, 2022. - A + A HONG KONG (June 30): Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday for events to celebrate 25 years since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule and the inauguration of the city's new leader John Lee. Xi's visit, via high-speed rail, is his first to the city since 2017 and the first known trip outside mainland China in over two years amid the Covid-19 epidemic. Xi, wearing a mask, stepped out of the train to be greeted by children and other people waving flowers and Chinese and Hong Kong flags, while chanting "Welcome, welcome, warmly welcome" in Mandarin. Outgoing leader Carrie Lam and her husband were among those who welcomed Xi at the train station. The city's streets had been festooned with red China flags and posters … [Read more...] about Chinese President Xi arrives in Hong Kong for handover anniversary

Foreign workers in Malaysia. (File photo by Zahid Izzani Mohd Said/The Edge) - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 30): The president of a Sabah-based party and another individual have been arrested for alleged involvement with a syndicate issuing data cards to people without citizenship, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin. He said the two suspects were arrested on June 22 in Subang Jaya near here. He said they were believed to have convinced the victims that the data cards would allow them to enjoy privileges and facilities granted to citizens. Speaking at a press conference in Bukit Aman here on Thursday (June 30), Hamzah said he tipped off Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani after being alerted to the scam by a foreigner. He said the police then formed a special unit to track down the syndicate, leading to the arrest of the suspects. "The two individuals also deceived their victims by promising them that blue identity cards … [Read more...] about Sabah party president among two nabbed over citizenship data card scam

- A + A (June 30): Incoming Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son of the nation’s ousted dictator, said he will focus on food sufficiency and Covid-19 pandemic recovery in an inaugural speech that paid tribute to his late father. “The role of agriculture cries for urgent attention,” Marcos said in Manila on Thursday (June 30) after taking his oath of office. “An agriculture damaged and diminished by unfair competition will have a harder time, or will have no prospects at all of recovery.” The new leader, who’s appointed himself the agriculture chief, said he would rebuild the nation’s economy to regain its position as a growth leader in the region. He pledged to fix shortcomings in pandemic response, and come up with plans to transform the economy and boost infrastructure. The former senator returns to the presidential palace where he spent his youth before his family fled in 1986, driven out by a popular uprising. His father’s two-decade rule was marred by … [Read more...] about Marcos Jr sworn in as president decades after father fled

AFP Manila, Philippines   ● Thu, June 30, 2022 2022-06-30 17:05 0 53ea05b5fe2e13733519dbf4e3351236 2 Asia and Pacific Philippines,Marcos-Jr,dictatorship,human-rights,RodrigoDuterte Free Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Thursday praised his dictator father's rule after being sworn in as the country's new leader, completing a decades-long effort to restore the clan to the country's highest office. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr, 64, won last month's elections by a landslide, securing the biggest victory since his father and namesake was ousted by a popular revolt in 1986. He succeeds the hugely popular Rodrigo Duterte, who gained international infamy for his deadly drug war and has threatened to kill suspected dealers after he leaves office. In the last act of reviving the family brand, Marcos Jr took the oath in a public ceremony at the National Museum in Manila in front of hundreds of diplomats, dignitaries and supporters. With his … [Read more...] about President Marcos Jr praises rule of dictator father

Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Charles John Brown. INQUIRER file photo / Tonette Orejas MANILA, Philippines — Archbishop Charles John Brown, the apostolic nuncio to the Philippines of the Holy See, offered well-wishes and praise to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, saying that the newly-inaugurated Chief Executive can count on his experience in governance in facing challenges. Brown said during his speech at the Vin D’ Honneur at the National Museum of Fine Arts right after the inauguration rites on Thursday that he and the rest of the Diplomatic Corps wish the President and the country all the best in terms of prosperity. And if there are challenges that Marcos’ administration would face, Brown said the President’s years of experience with government will prove to be useful. “There will certainly be challenges as there are for every administration. But, Mr. President, you bring to the Office of the Presidency an extensive experience of many years in governmental service and … [Read more...] about Papal Nuncio to new PH President: There’ll be challenges, but experience is your edge

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) will continue to push for the passing of the anti-hopping Bill as it has been a party that values honourable politics since its inception, says Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili ( pic ). The PBS president said although they had been in and out of the government and was also once an opposition party, it had never accepted "frogs" (party hoppers) before. “PBS has been against party hopping and will continue to push for the law to be passed and we hope our counterparts will also support it,” he said. Ongkili said there have been too many leaders who left PBS for their own gain and if the law was passed, it will make things difficult for those who want to switch allegiances. The push for the Bill was among several resolutions from the ongoing PBS Congress here on Thursday (June 30). The other resolutions were to continue pushing for state rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), protect the natives of Sabah, stop the influx of … [Read more...] about Ongkili: PBS to continue pushing for anti-hopping law

- A + A WASHINGTON (June 30): The U.S. government will provide $1 billion to neighborhoods that have been divided by highways, rail lines or other transportation infrastructure, officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation said on Thursday. The money aims to help repair the harm done from decades of road and rail construction that disproportionately displaced minority and low-income communities, officials said. Historians say local officials across the country often used the interstate building boom of the 1950s and 1960s to demolish what they regarded as "slum" neighborhoods near downtown business districts, paving over Black neighborhoods like Rondo in St. Paul, Minnesota or the 15th Ward in Syracuse, New York. Over the next five years, the Transportation Department will award grants through the new Reconnecting Communities pilot program to help undo some of that damage, through projects like covering over freeways or building pedestrian walkways over … [Read more...] about US to provide US$1b to reconnect neighborhoods divided by highways, rail

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 30): Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) has inked two collaboration agreements with Cisco International Ltd to co-invest in projects for 5G innovation and the digital acceleration of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The partnership is part of Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) programme, which is a strategic partnership with governments worldwide to accelerate their national digitalisation agendas. “The programme taps on the power of private and public partnerships across a variety of sectors, including national infrastructure, education, and smart businesses and communities, to bring digital solutions to national challenges,” Cisco said in a statement. TM said the partnership with Cisco focuses on three key pillars: digital transformation in the public sector — specifically education, which will be launched at a later date — digital transformation for service providers that focuses on 5G innovation, and digital transformation for … [Read more...] about TM partners Cisco to accelerate 5G innovation, digital acceleration of SMEs in Malaysia

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on June 20, 2022 - June 26, 2022. - A + A ALL eyes are on RHB Banking Group’s newly minted group managing director (MD) and group CEO Mohd Rashid Mohamad as he steers the fourth-largest banking group by assets forward in a tough operating landscape. “It’s very challenging, especially now in a fast-changing market environment, and as we face potential risks such as geopolitical and inflationary,” acknowledges Rashid in his first exclusive interview as group MD/CEO. Competition has intensified, given new entrants into the market, which are not just new banks but also technology companies that compete for the same pie. Rashid adds that this has partly affected the profitability of the industry, along with many other factors. He notes that banks globally no longer see “high ROEs” as before. For RHB Bank Bhd, its return on equity (ROE) in the past 10 financial years hit a high of 13.4% in FY2012 before … [Read more...] about Cover Story: RHB’s Game Plan in ‘fast-changing’ new normal

- A + A (June 30): All emerging Asian currencies were set for half-yearly losses on Thursday, with the South Korean won set to lose the most, as policy tightening by the US central bank and concerns over global economic outlook spurred selling in Asian assets. The won dropped 8.4% so far this year, while the Philippine peso and Indian rupee were on track to post half-yearly losses of 7.3% and 5.8%, respectively. Emerging markets in the six-month period were battered by capital outflows due to the US Federal Reserve kicking off its tightening cycle, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and inflation from higher commodity prices. Among local drivers, China's insistence on a zero-Covid policy also spurred selling as the country's repeated imposition of restrictions means a slower economic recovery for the region's largest economy. "The broader market ... they need some more convincing because I think at the back of their mind, they've still got this hesitancy due to the … [Read more...] about Asian currencies set for half-year losses on rate hikes, inflation woes