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Ukraine holds new online conference on peace, calls for revised security system
World News

Ukraine holds new online conference on peace, calls for revised security system

An Ukrainian serviceman walks down a street in the frontline city of Bakhmut, Donetsk (file photo). Photo: ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff are calling for a new international security system to preclude future instances of armed aggression, as he addressed an online conference on securing peace following Russia's invasion. Andriy Yermak said 66 countries and international organisations had taken part in the conference, devoted to one point of the president's peace plan on ending the more than two-year-old war with Russia. The discussions focused on future instances of escalation and aggression. Zelensky planned to present to parliament this week a "victory plan" - a follow-up to the peace plan he drew up in late 2022 calling for the withdr...
Tokyo Metro IPO could drive Japan market as China listings dry up
Business

Tokyo Metro IPO could drive Japan market as China listings dry up

In Japan's biggest initial public offering in six years, Tokyo Metro raised 348.6 billion yen ($2.3 billion) after pricing its shares at 1,200 yen apiece, according to the company's regulatory filing on Tuesday.Miho Uranaka | ReutersTokyo Metro's initial public offering could drive momentum in the Japanese market and attract more companies into the country, analysts said, as China continues to lose steam.In Japan's biggest IPO in six years, Tokyo Metro raised 348.6 billion yen ($2.3 billion) after pricing its shares at 1,200 yen apiece, according to the company's regulatory filing on Tuesday.Reuters had reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter, that the IPO was more than 15 times oversubscribed. The stock is expected to be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Oct. 23."Everybo...
Russian rescued after 67 days adrift in waters fringing Pacific
World News

Russian rescued after 67 days adrift in waters fringing Pacific

Russian authorities said the vessel was discovered in the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk. File picture. Photo: AFP / Russia's Emergency Ministry Russian authorities said on Tuesday they had rescued a man whose tiny boat drifted for 67 days since August in waters edging the northwestern Pacific, but his brother and nephew died during the ordeal. Social media images showed a thin, bearded man wearing a hooded jacket and orange emergency vest in a catamaran-like sailboat flying a red flag from a small pole. "On Oct 14, a vessel was discovered in the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk," legal authorities in Russia's Far East said on the Telegram messaging app, referring to waters that sprawl over 1.58 mln sq km (610,000 sq miles). "Two people died, one survived," added the regional prosecutor's off...
Dutch government to reduce its stake in ABN Amro by a quarter
Business

Dutch government to reduce its stake in ABN Amro by a quarter

Jasper Juinen | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThe Dutch government on Tuesday said it will reduce its stake in lender ABN Amro by a quarter to 30% through a trading plan.Shares of the Dutch bank traded 1.2% lower at the market open and was last down 0.6% as of 9:15 a.m. London time.The Dutch government, which currently holds a 40.5% interest in ABN Amro, announced via its investment vehicle firm NLFI that it will sell shares using a pre-arranged trading plan set to be executed by Barclays Bank Ireland.ABN Amro was bailed out by the state during the 2008 financial crisis and later privatized in 2015. The government started reducing its shareholding in the firm last year.The banking sector has been in the spotlight of late, after UniCredit's move to take a stake in German lender Commerzbank sparke...
Fiamē expresses uncertainty over Manawanui salvage plans as Samoa prepares to welcome King Charles
World News

Fiamē expresses uncertainty over Manawanui salvage plans as Samoa prepares to welcome King Charles

Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa Photo: Samoa Government Samoa's Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa says a question mark hangs over whether work related to the Manawanui disaster will pause during King Charles' visit for the Commonwealth leaders' meeting. About 60 New Zealand Defence Force personnel and specialists are working alongside local authorities after the sinking of the Royal New Zealand Navy vessel on 5 October. Officials estimate that approximately 200,000 litres of diesel has leaked from the vessel. Fiamē told RNZ Pacific on Tuesday there are no talks of the Manawanui being salvaged this week, as leaders from 56 nations are set to gather in Apia for the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) next Monday. "There is a question that is being posed because whet...
Burger King wants a manager for $48K. Experts say foreign workers aren’t the answer
Politics

Burger King wants a manager for $48K. Experts say foreign workers aren’t the answer

A job listing at a Toronto-area Burger King has prompted observers and experts to wonder whether the temporary foreign workers program is being used to avoid paying higher salaries to Canadians. On Sept. 25, a Burger King in Mississauga, Ont., posted an opening for a restaurant manager position on the federal government’s online job bank.The post drew criticism from some social media users, who noted that underneath the posting, a banner reads, “This employer has applied for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to hire a foreign worker to fill labour or skills shortages on a temporary basis.”This means that the employer, unable to hire a domestic worker for the post, has requested permission from the federal government to open the position up to foreign workers.A spokesperson for Burge...
Influencer scammed out of thousands in crypto has a tip to avoid scams
Business

Influencer scammed out of thousands in crypto has a tip to avoid scams

Carly Rowena, a 37-year-old fitness instructor, was tricked into sending £5 716.60 worth of digital assets to a scammer who promised her sizable returns on her crypto.Carly RowenaCarly Rowena, a British fitness and wellness influencer, is embarrassed as she recalls being duped into handing over £5,700 ($7,450) worth of cryptocurrency in a scam."I was like, it was too good to be true, and I still fell for it," she told CNBC Make It.Rowena transferred the crypto to an Instagram account she believed belonged to a finance professional managing investments for a friend. But after discovering that her friend's account had been hacked, Rowena says she felt "stupid."Here, Rowena shares her story with CNBC Make It, including the red flags she now knows to watch for when navigating the online world....
Pioneering Australian journalist George Negus dies aged 82
World News

Pioneering Australian journalist George Negus dies aged 82

"Australian audiences loved not only his natural charm but also his intellectual curiosity for the world around him," the boss of the ABC says. Photo: National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Veteran journalist and broadcaster George Negus has died at the age of 82 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease, his family said in a statement Negus will be remembered as the founding host of Foreign Correspondent and a mainstay on 60 Minutes, Dateline and other watershed Australian news programmes He is survived by his wife Kirsty Cockburn, their sons Ned and Serge and grandchildren Veteran journalist and broadcaster George Negus has died at the age of 82 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease, his family said in a statement. The statement said Negus "passed away peacefully su...
Sumeet Vyas on directing the show Raat Jawaan Hai
Entertainment, Movies

Sumeet Vyas on directing the show Raat Jawaan Hai

It had been actor-writer Sumeet Vyas’ long-time dream to start directing. The opportunity presented itself when he met writer Khyati Anand Puthran at their kids’ playgroup. Their collaboration, Raat Jawaan Hai, is a story about three best friends who are new to parenthood. To Vyas, the Barun Sobti, Priya Bapat and Anjali Anand-starrer is about the smaller things in life. In conversation with mid-day, the first-time director talks about the SonyLIV show, his own experiences with parenthood, the interesting casting and more. Director Sumeet Vyas. Pics/Instagram, AFP Edited excerpt from the interview. After writing and fronting road trip shows and dark shows, what prompted you to direct something on parenthood and friendship?The show’s writer is Khyati Anand [Puthran]. It was a coincidence...
What you need to know about trachoma, a highly contagious bacterial infection
Health

What you need to know about trachoma, a highly contagious bacterial infection

Strong public health and community support has helped India to be free from trachoma -- a highly contagious bacterial infection that has been a major cause of preventable blindness worldwide, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.  From being the leading cause of blindness during the 1950s and 1960s, the World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared India “officially free from trachoma”. “This milestone comes after years of dedicated efforts by the government to protect the vision of millions, emphasising the importance of healthy eyesight for every individual,” the ministry said. According to the WHO, an estimated 150 million people worldwide are affected by trachoma and 6 million of them are blind or at risk of visually disabling complications. What is Trachom...