Work from hoe

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta responds to queries during the Question-and-Answer session of the Foreign Policy for Small States lecture series, organised by the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) at the IDFR Auditorium in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Aug 9, 2022. (Bernama pix) - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 9): Malaysia and New Zealand are a powerful demonstration of how small states can work together bilaterally, regionally and globally in dealing more effectively with the current global and regional geopolitical challenges, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said. Both countries served together on the United Nations (UN) Security Council in 2015-16 and worked closely in another area, disarmament and arms control. “We also cooperate on international law issues, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.  Last year New Zealand joined others in setting out our legal position on the South China Sea, in support of … [Read more...] about Malaysia and New Zealand have demonstrated how small states can work together

Some climate researchers and economists are suggesting Americans should work less in order to protect the environment, according to The Washington Post. Academics and economists say working only four days a week benefits the climate because people will consume 20% less energy and produce a 12.1% lower ecological footprint by reducing their day-to-day activities, according to The Washington Post. They use European work standards as an example for Americans to follow, and cite COVID-19 lockdowns as an example of people benefiting the environment by not working. A University of Massachusetts Amherst study predicts that if work hours were reduced by 10%, ecological footprint, carbon footprint and carbon dioxide emissions could drop by 12.1%, 14.6% and 4.2% respectively. This is because an extra day off work will give people more free time to adopt “environmentally friendly” habits and “get used” to a lower consumption lifestyle, suggested Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center … [Read more...] about Researchers Suggest Americans Should Work Less To Help The Climate

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 9): Apple has partnered with Ambank, Maybank and Standard Chartered Malaysia to offer its mobile payment services to Malaysian customers. “Customers with Visa and Mastercard cards from banks including AmBank, Maybank and Standard Chartered Bank can now use Apple Pay, with American Express cards to be available with Apple Pay later this year,” the consumer electronic company announced on its website on Tuesday (Aug 9). "Merchants such as KFC, Maxis, Machines, McDonald’s, Mydin, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, U Mobile, Uniqlo, Village Grocer and Watsons — and apps and websites including Shopee, Sephora, Atome and Adidas — now offer customers the ability to pay with Apple Pay." Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet Jennifer Bailey said the company is delighted to bring Apple Pay to Malaysia, providing an easier, safer and more secure way to pay with iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac. “Our customers in Malaysia will benefit from using … [Read more...] about Apple jumps onto Malaysia’s mobile payment bandwagon

- A + A BEIJING/SYDNEY (Aug 9): China's aviation regulator is seeking industry feedback on special conditions for the home-grown C919 aircraft, it said on Tuesday, in a sign that certification of the narrow-body jet designed to rival Airbus and Boeing is edging closer. In dozens of technical documents, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has set out special conditions for the C919 in areas like flight envelope protection and flight operations under icing conditions, according to a statement on its website. Special conditions are additional airworthiness standards prescribed by the regulator when current regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards due to novel or unusual design features. Aviation regulators in the United States and Europe also regularly issue such conditions on new Airbus and Boeing jets as part of the certification process. The CAAC has invited public comment on the C919 special conditions over the next 15 … [Read more...] about China seeking industry feedback on home-grown C919 jet as certification nears

Supporters await a convoy carrying US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi outside the Grand Hyatt hotel in Taipei, Taiwan, on Tuesday, Aug 2, 2022. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan on Aug 2 evening, in defiance of Chinese threats, a trip that would make her the highest-ranking American politician to visit the island in 25 years. - A + A (Aug 9): House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s swing through Asia aimed to convey the US’s “strong and unshakable” support for the region. It ended up leaving many countries in stunned silence, as China conducted unprecedented military drills around Taiwan. The shockwaves from the highest-level US visit to Taiwan in a quarter century are still reverberating around the region days after she flew back to Washington. China’s military has extended exercises designed to show an ability to encircle the island and cut off the Taiwan Strait, one of the world’s busiest trade routes, days after launching missiles that likely flew over Taipei … [Read more...] about Pelosi trip hinders Biden effort to galvanize Asia against China

Peter Bergen is CNN's national security analyst, a vice president at New America and a professor of practice at Arizona State University. Bergen's new paperback is "The Rise and fall of Osama bin Laden." from which this article is, in part, adapted. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN) In 1961, after a CIA-backed invasion of Cuba failed spectacularly, President John F. Kennedy said of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, "Victory has 100 fathers and defeat is an orphan." Peter Bergen Last week, President Joe Biden took a victory lap when he announced that the US had tracked down and killed its most wanted terrorist, al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was living in a house in Kabul, Afghanistan. Don't expect a similar celebration on August 30, the first anniversary of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which ended the longest war in American history. Any realistic assessment of that action shows that it … [Read more...] about Opinion: Biden’s Afghanistan exit decision looks even worse a year later

Gene Seymour is a critic who has written about music, movies and culture for The New York Times, Newsday, Entertainment Weekly and The Washington Post. Follow him on Twitter @GeneSeymour . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN) Nobody trusts my ability to forecast the future, least of all me. Nevertheless, I feel fairly safe in predicting that WNBA star Brittney Griner will not serve all nine years of her sentence by a Russian court for drug possession and smuggling. Gene Seymour It's not that much of a stretch to imagine this coming true, especially when recapping the basis for that charge: two vape cartridges of hashish oil found in Griner's luggage at a Moscow airport in February. Nine years? For two cartridges? The maximum sentence is 10 years , and at least Griner didn't get that. Those with long enough memories can't help but think of the incredulous … [Read more...] about Opinion: What happens next to Brittney Griner is beyond our control

Julian Zelizer, a CNN political analyst, is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author and editor of 24 books, including, " The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: A First Historical Assessment ." Follow him on Twitter @julianzelizer . The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN) President Joe Biden delivered a bold speech on Thursday night , calling for a ban on assault weapons and other gun policies, including strengthening background checks and enacting new "red flag" laws. "Enough, enough," he told the nation, urging Congress to take action after a slew of mass shootings rocked the country. "We can't fail the American people again." The speech comes at a difficult moment for Biden. The administration is facing multiple escalating crises, which are slowly undermining his leadership and political strength. There's the Russian war in Ukraine, inflation and stock market turbulence, mass … [Read more...] about Opinion: How Biden can avoid Carter’s one-term presidential fate

Washington (CNN) After months of internal debate, the Biden administration has offered to exchange Viktor Bout , a convicted Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year US prison sentence, as part of a potential deal to secure the release of two Americans held by Russia , Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, according to people briefed on the matter. These sources told CNN that the plan to trade Bout for Whelan and Griner received the backing of President Joe Biden after being under discussion since earlier this year. Biden's support for the swap overrides opposition from the Department of Justice, which is generally against prisoner trades. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that "so far, there is no agreement on this issue." Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that the US presented a "substantial proposal" to Moscow "weeks ago" for Whelan and Griner, who are classified as wrongfully detained. Speaking at a press … [Read more...] about CNN Exclusive: Biden administration offers convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner, Whelan

(CNN) Data obtained by CNN from New York's largest health-care provider indicates you're very unlikely to become severely ill with Covid-19 if you're under age 60, up to date on your Covid-19 vaccines and don't have underlying health problems, backing up a government plan expected to be announced this week that will ease up on coronavirus restrictions . If you're young, healthy and vaccinated, "you're going to be in a pretty good place," said Dr. William Schaffner, a vaccine adviser to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "You're going to be well-protected." CDC expected to ease Covid-19 recommendations, including for schools, as soon as this week The data from Northwell Health shows that of the nearly 2,000 people hospitalized there for Covid-19 in May, June and July, about 80% were over 60. Nearly 90% had an underlying health problem such as hypertension or diabetes. Vaccination status was also critically important. … [Read more...] about Under 60, healthy, vaccinated and boosted? ‘You’re in a pretty good place’ with Covid-19