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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/us-canada/40020568

Crews in Florida race to rescue those trapped by Hurricane Ian

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

Emergency crews raced on Thursday to reach stranded Florida residents as Hurricane Ian trained its sights on the Carolinas after cutting a coast-to-coast path of destruction across Florida, leaving behind deadly floodwaters, downed power lines and widespread damage.

Ian, one of the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S. mainland, flooded Gulf Coast communities and knocked out power to millions before ploughing across the peninsula to the Atlantic Ocean, where it regained strength ahead of another anticipated landfall in South Carolina on Friday.

Florida’s death toll remained uncertain amid scattered reports of casualties.

More than 2.6 million homes and businesses in Florida remained without power. Governor Ron DeSantis said that Lee and Charlotte counties, home to more than 900,000 people, were “basically off the grid.”

Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina were bracing for impact, as Ian – which weakened to a tropical storm during its trek across Florida – returned to hurricane strength by 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT), with maximum sustained wind speeds of 75 miles per hour (120 km per hour), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The storm was churning off Florida’s eastern coast, about 240 miles (540 km) south of Charleston, South Carolina. A hurricane warning was in effect for approximately 230 miles (370 km) of coastline from the South Carolina-Georgia border north to Cape Fear, North Carolina.

Ian blasted ashore in Florida at the barrier island of Cayo Costa on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour (241 km per hour).

The storm transformed Florida’s southwestern shoreline, dotted with sandy beaches, coastal towns and mobile home parks, into a disaster zone as Ian swept seawater into waterfront homes.

By midday on Thursday, residents in hard-hit areas like Venice, located in Sarasota County about 75 miles (120 km) south of Tampa, hunted for family and friends while rescue crews worked to reach people trapped in flooded homes.

The search for loved ones was made more difficult as cellphone services were often cut.

In Punta Gorda, a town directly in the hurricane’s path, trees, debris and power lines covered roadways, though many buildings remained standing, having withstood the storm’s onslaught better than many had feared.

Biden also approved a disaster declaration, making federal resources available to the counties impacted by the storm.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/asia-pacific/40020565

South Korea banks on massive cabbage warehouses to avert kimchi crisis

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

Workers at a factory in South Korea work fervently at a production line processing kimchi, the beloved national dish made using fermented cabbage or other vegetables.

But despite the bustle, South Korea’s kimchi makers are facing problems due to a climate change-induced shortage of cabbages which has sent prices rocketing this year. Business is also being exacerbated by cheaper offerings from Chinese competitors who don’t have s cabbage shortage.

Ahn Ik-jin, chief executive of kimchi maker Cheongone Organic, is one such company struggling to purchase enough cabbages due to the high prices. Storage units at his factory have been all but empty. Ahn has sourced some inferior-quality cabbages to keep production going. Still, he has had to raise its business-to-business kimchi prices by two-thirds to 5,000 won ($3.50) per kilogram as a result.

“We used to produce 15 tonnes of kimchi a day but now we are only producing 10 tonnes or less,” he said. “We need measures for a smooth supply of good quality cabbages.”

Such is the sense of crisis surrounding the spicy pickled side dish eaten daily by many Koreans and central to Korean identity. To help ease the situation, the government recently laid out plans to construct two massive cabbage storage facilities by 2025 with an investment of 58 billion won ($40 million).

At 9,900 square metres each, the facilities to be built in the rural counties of Goesan and Haenam will combine, be equivalent to three soccer pitches in size.

The storage complexes will be able to store 10,000 tonnes of cabbages and pickle 50 tonnes of cabbages daily, said Lim Jeung-guen, deputy director of the agricultural ministry’s food industry promotion division, adding that more complexes could be built if the first two work out well.

South Korea’s local kimchi industry has been on a slippery slope for quite some time. Chinese imports, often priced at about a third of locally made kimchi, have surged over the past two decades to account for 40% of the local market for commercially made kimchi.

Add in weak cabbage harvests over recent years and much of the industry has just crumbled. Last year, almost half of South Korea’s 1,000-odd kimchi makers either shut down permanently or temporarily or were reporting zero sales, according to a study by Korea Rating & Data.

Korean kimchi makers are hoping the government’s plan will at least prevent home-grown producers from losing further ground.

The country’s kimchi exports surged 10.7% to $160 million last year, riding a wave of interest in Korean culture propelled by the likes of boy band BTS and Netflix’s dystopian drama “Squid Game”.

Domestically, however, the concern is also growing that the cabbage shortage will also torpedo the tradition of ‘Kimjang’ — the making and sharing of kimchi among families, friends and communities, often conducted in but not limited to November.

“I normally make kimchi myself but the cost of ingredients has gone up so much,” says Kim Sook-kyung, 72, as she bought ready-made kimchi at a supermarket in Seoul.

According to an official at the Hanaro Mart supermarket chain, sales of ready-made kimchi have climbed 20% since August compared to the same period a year earlier.

Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/asia-pacific/40020545

Foreign students in S korea overstaying after dropping out of school: Report

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

About two-thirds of foreign students who dropped out of school have been staying in Korea without a valid visa, according to a report.

The report released by independent lawmaker Rep. Min Hyung-bae on Wednesday said that 67.2 per cent of students who dropped out of school in Korea were staying without a valid visa as of last year, while a total of 10,335 foreign students dropped out of school in 2021.

Min received the data from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice.

More students are staying in Korea illegally after coming to study. The number has been on increased from 1,419 in 2018 to 2,883 in 2019 and 4,692 in 2020. The number increased nearly fivefold over three.

Of the students, 65.2 per cent were from Vietnam, 14.4 per cent from Uzbekistan, 7.02 per cent from Mongolia and 4.2 per cent from China.

More foreign students have been dropping out of school, too. In 2021, 10,335 foreign students left school without finishing their degrees. That number was 9,867 in 2020, 8,596 in 2019 and 5,756 in 2018.

Among universities, Kyung Hee University saw the largest number of foreigners leaving school midway, marking 712, followed by 292 students from Sangmyung University, 244 from Sejong University and 238 from Yongin University. Incheon University topped the list among national universities with 151 students dropping out.

The increase could be in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and limited flights.

With the virus crisis restricting overseas travel, the number of foreigners illegally staying in Korea has gone up overall.

According to the Korea Immigration Service, 395,068 foreigners were here without legal visa status as of July, which is 19 per cent of the country’s total foreign population of over 2 million.

Some fail to leave Korea due to the strict penalty system.

Foreigners who have illegally stayed in Korea have to pay a fine when leaving the country which can go as high as 30 million won ($20,800). If they fail to pay the fine, reentry into Korea is limited to one to 10 years.

Im Eun-byel

The Korea Herald

Asia News Network

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/asean/40020542

Illegal ‘dental school’ raided in Malaysia

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

The small cockroach-infested salon provided dental courses to customers before issuing certificates and a starter kit to help kickstart their business.

“I know it is wrong but I see many people doing it, so what’s the problem if I want to look for pocket money?” says a beautician who had her centre busted for allegedly offering illegal dentistry services and training.

Acting on The Star’s tip-off, a team of enforcers from the Health Ministry raided the beautician’s hair salon in Setapak yesterday and confiscated dental probes, dental fillings and nickel-titanium wire that is commonly used for braces.

The authorities also confiscated a desktop that has records of certificates believed to have been issued to those who came for various illegal courses including veneer, whitening drip and platelet-rich plasma injections.

Health Ministry dental officer Dr Taufik Firdaus – who acted as the lead raiding officer – said a preliminary investigation found that the beautician, who denied having any helper, was not registered with the Malaysian Dental Council.

The small cockroach-infested premises that she was operating from was also found to be unregistered. The raid took four and a half hours.

“We received a complaint … that the premises have been providing illegal dental treatments, hence we conducted our investigation before the raid.

“We found dental materials that can be used as evidence. The case will be charged under Section 4(1) of the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act,” Dr Taufik told the media after the raid.

Section 4(1) states that no person shall establish, maintain, operate or provide a private medical clinic or private dental clinic unless it is registered under Section 27.

The Star in July reported about the same premises that was found to have been providing a handful of dental courses before issuing worthless certificates to its “students”.

The short courses, mostly just a few hours long and ranging between RM1,500 and RM3,000, also provided students with a starter kit to help them kickstart their own business including mobile dental services.

The Star’s journalist who attended this beautician’s veneer course was given, among others, a polishing gadget, veneer composite, LED light, bonding agent, etchant gel, mouth retractor and other instruments, some of which are only sanctioned for use by medical practitioners.

Meanwhile, the 36-year-old beautician, who remained calm during the operation, claimed that she acquired her skills from an Indonesian woman who also provided a one-day course.

“Locals are not that skilful, so I went to her class in Danau Murni, Taman Desa in Kuala Lumpur. It cost me about RM3,600 for a day course.

“After that, I set up my own business because there were a lot of requests. Also, many are doing it (providing veneer services) so I tried it myself just so that I could earn money as a single mother.

“I know it is wrong, but many are doing it, so what’s the issue if I want to look for pocket money?” she said, adding that she was doing it as a part-time job.

She admitted to giving her students a “participatory certificate” upon finishing their courses.

“The certificates are for those who wish to learn … I will assess them when they learn and see if they can do it,” she said.

The Star

Asia News Network

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/europe/40020528

War putting Ukraine’s food culture at risk, cuisine ambassador warns

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

THE NATION

Apart from the impact on lives and property, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is placing the country’s food culture at risk, the ambassador of Ukrainian cuisine warned.

During a Ukraine Embassy event at The Emerald Hotel in Bangkok, Yurii Kovryzhenko said Ukraine had plentiful food varying from region to region, such as mushrooms in the west and fish in the south.

He said the uniqueness of Ukrainian dishes is “retaining the taste of ingredients and using a few spices such as salt, pepper and garlic”.

“Whether baking or boiling, we always try our best to ensure the taste does not change,” he said.

Kovryzhenko noted that the food culture between Ukraine and Russia is different due to contrasting weather patterns, so Russian food ingredients are not similar to those of Ukraine.

He explained that Ukraine’s cuisine culture began more than 1,000 years ago and its food can be “difficult” to prepare in terms of cooking time and technology.

“For instance, it usually takes 24 hours to cook borscht soup, starting from up to seven hours just to make broth and about two hours for cooking.

“Each household usually cooks about 5-6 litres of borscht soup, refrigerates it overnight and eats it the next day,” he went on to say.

Kovryzhenko said he tasted Thai food at a local restaurant before participating in the embassy event.

“I do not know how to describe it, but I love it!” he declared.

Kovryzhenko dearly hoped the event would enable Thais to get to know more about Ukraine’s food culture and not just the war.

The cuisine ambassador has the distinction of graduating from a number of leading cooking schools in Europe.

He has several world-class awards under his belt – such as the Global Chef Award in 2017, Ambassador of Taste for Global Gastronomy in 2021 and 2022, and Gold Medal Best of Gastronomy in 2021.

THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/us-canada/40020532

Clinton talks Putin, Malala talks Iran at Variety’s Power of Women Gala

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay led the honorees at the annual gathering in Beverly Hills, California, joined by key female role models including Nobel peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

The event is held to mark the achievements of women across society, including politics, entertainment and philanthropy.

But as protests grip Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and demonstrators clash with authorities, former U.S. Secretary of State and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said she was impressed by Iranian women protesting.

“The regime there can only stay in power by limiting the rights of everyone, but particularly oppressing women. That is one of their justifications based falsely on theocracy. And I’m very impressed by and proud of the Iranians, particularly the Iranian women who are in the streets, who are throwing off the hijab, because that should be a choice, not a mandate, and who are speaking up for their rights. And I just hope that they’re able to create enough space so that they are given much more opportunity to live full lives as free as possible,” Clinton told Reuters.

Her sentiments were echoed by Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who came to the world’s attention after being shot by a Taliban gunman in retaliation for campaigning in favour of girls’ education.

“Women’s rights are still denied in so many parts of the world. And it’s the simple and basic right of deciding what to wear. It should be a woman’s decision, what she chooses to wear. She should not be told, you know, wear a hijab or don’t wear a hijab. She should not be told that you know, that it’s up to the state to decide how she should dress”, Malala told Reuters, adding: “I really admire the work that women are doing right now. They’re standing up for their right. And I hope that their voices are heard. And it is just amazing. I’m really in awe of their courage and bravery.”

Aside from Iran, Clinton also had scathing words about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the situation currently playing out in Ukraine.

“I am encouraged by what we’re seeing in Ukraine now because it’s clear that Putin is desperate. This mobilization that he announced is backfiring. Several hundred thousand Russian men have fled Russia. Others are avoiding being drafted. And sadly, the ones who are being rounded up are being sent to the front with little to no training, little to no equipment,” she said, adding: ‘This has to end, and the best way to end it is to defeat him.”

Ava DuVernay was one of the entertainment world’s big attendees of the night. The filmmaker, producer and publicist is seen as one of the leading black women behind the scenes in Hollywood and is a fierce champion of women in key roles in the industry. Her series, ‘Queen Sugar\, which was Executive Producer by Oprah Winfrey employed 42 female directors over the course of its seven seasons. For her, the pace of change in Hollywood towards putting women in top roles needs to be faster:

“Hopefully, little by little, you start to infect people with that idea of more kinds and cultures and colours of people being at the table. And if we don’t, then folks are going to go out and build their own tables as we did”, DuVernay told Reuters.

Away from politics, Chelsea Clinton stood next to her mother to talk about how much their latest TV project, ‘Gutsy,’ which they worked on together, put women at the heart of it. The show sees the pair go on adventures with what Apple TV calls ‘some of the world’s boldest and bravest women’:

“I knew that it would be meaningful work to be able to kind of take our platform and give the chance to share and amplify stories of women. We’re also very proud that all of our directors for each episode of ‘Gutsy’ on Apple TV Plus is a women. Our showrunner’s a woman. Our chief grip was a woman. Most of our camera and sound light people were women. So it was not only about the stories we were telling, it was how we were telling them. And also there was a lot of fun. So when you say it was sort of double the gutsiness, it also was double the fun,” she said.

But there’s still a lot of work to be done for women too, said actress Fran Drescher:

“There are areas where women are really making great strides. And then there are things like Roe v Wade reversing. And you wonder, what universe are we living in that anybody in their right mind can think they can legislate a woman’s body?” she said.

Reuters

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Singapore food vendors launch first hawker centre in New York

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

A Singapore-style hawker centre has opened in New York for the first time, bringing flavours from the Southeast Asian island’s mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and other cultures to an American food court.

Urban Hawker, in midtown Manhattan, features 17 vendors handpicked by the food hall’s curator, KF Seetoh, with 11 coming directly from hawker centres in Singapore. Each stall specializes in a well-known dish such as chilli crab, oyster omelettes, Hainanese chicken rice or nasi lemak, a fragrant rice dish.

“I came across Singaporeans who had been living in the United States in New York for like 20, 30, 35 years, and they still miss Singapore food,” said Seetoh.

“Street food in Singapore is not something you burn or deep fry. It’s fairly complex. They take six hours just to prepare a meal to get it ready at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m.”

The idea for the food hall was born when Seetoh met late U.S. celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain in 2013 in Singapore at a street food event. Bourdain was enthusiastic about the idea of a New York hawker market.

Seetoh later approached Eldon Scott, president of Urbanspace, a property manager who curates immersive public markets, who quickly agreed.

“The amazing thing about him saying yes was that he’s never been to Singapore,” Seetoh said.

Seetoh hopes this hawker centre will be the first of many in the country.

“It’s just like exporting grandmother’s deliciousness, the food that I grew up with,” he said.

Customer Julie Lee, on her third visit, raved about Hainan Jones’ chicken over rice. “Everyone should give it a try. So much flavour, so tender,” she said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/europe/40020522

Pound stabilising after BoE moves to purchase govt bonds

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

THE NATION

The pound sterling is stabilising after the Bank of England (BoE) announced on Wednesday that it would buy as much government debt as needed to restore order after new Prime Minister Liz Truss’s tax-cut plans triggered financial chaos.

According to Reuters, the pound jumped the most since mid-June on Wednesday, pulling the euro along.

Sterling was 0.51 per cent lower at $1.0831, returning some of the previous session’s 1.41 per cent rally.

The BoE announced it would keep purchasing government bonds until October 14 to achieve financial stability.

“The bank will carry out temporary purchases of long-dated UK government bonds from September 28,” the BoE said in a statement. “The purpose of these purchases will be to restore orderly market conditions. The purchases will be carried out on whatever scale is necessary to effect this outcome. The operation will be fully indemnified by HM Treasury.”

The sale of government bonds caused the 30-year gilt yield to increase to more than 5 per cent for the first time in 20 years.

The bank’s executive had postponed gilt sale operations that were due to commence next week.

The UK government’s tax-cut plans last week, including remedial measures for households and the business sector amid increasing energy prices, led to widespread worry about the UK’s financial status.

Meanwhile, Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng came out in support of the BoE’s action.

His spokesperson said: “The government will continue to work closely with the bank in support of its financial stability and anti-inflation objectives.”

THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/europe/40020514

UK finance minister Kwarteng not to step down: Treasury source

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

THE NATION

Britain’s finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng is not resigning and there will be no reversal of economic policy, a Treasury source said on Wednesday, confirming an earlier report by Sky News.

According to Reuters, Kwarteng’s tax-cut plans, on top of an energy bill bailout – all funded by a huge increase in government borrowing – have triggered financial market chaos.

Kwarteng sought to reassure investment bank executives in a meeting described by attendees as nervous, and two senior Bank of England (BoE) officials pulled out of public events scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

One source at the meeting said Kwarteng had asked the assembled finance bosses what they could do to calm markets.

Meanwhile, the BoE on Wednesday sought to quell the firestorm in Britain’s bond markets, saying it would buy as much government debt as needed to restore order after new Prime Minister Liz Truss’s tax cutting plans triggered financial chaos.

The BoE will now buy up to £5 billion (204 billion baht) a day of British government bonds of at least 20 years’ maturity starting on Wednesday and running until October 14.

Its announcement, which represented a sudden reversal of plans to sell bonds it had amassed since the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, immediately pushed down borrowing costs.

The BoE said it would return to its plan to sell bonds at the end of October.

THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/world/asean/40020510

Vietnam downgrades Typhoon Noru, but warns of flood risks

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

Vietnam on Wednesday downgraded Typhoon Noru to a tropical depression, but warned residents to stay on alert because of the risks from flooding and landslides caused by heavy rain, the government said.

The storm made landfall in the early hours of Wednesday with wind speeds reaching 117kph (72mph) in the province of Quang Nam, home to the historic city of Hoi An and resort of Danang, the weather agency told state media.

More than 100,000 households with 400,000 people have been evacuated as of Tuesday. About 11,000 foreign tourists and 7,000 domestic visitors are staying in the city.

The government also said local authorities had instructed nearly 58,000 boats with 300,000 laborers to move to safe shelters.

Around 300 houses in the coastal province of Quang Tri had their roofs blown off late Tuesday as the wind began picking up speed.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but photographs posted on social media and on state media showed downed trees and mudslides blocking roads.

Noru killed at least 10 people in the neighbouring Philippines after it made landfall on Sunday night, flooding farmland and communities and damaging crops, mainly rice.

Vietnam is also vulnerable to destructive storms and flooding because of its long coastline. Natural disasters – predominantly floods and landslides triggered by storms – killed 139 people and injured 150 others in the country last year, official data showed.

Reuters