Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, launches Shopee Mi Took Yang (Shopee Has Everything), in line with its latest Shopee Summer Sale, according to its press release.

With Shopee Summer Sale, users can enjoy over 5 million deals from more than 1,000 leading brands including Unilever, P&G, Sabina, Pepsico, Philips, and Foremost, from today until May 30.

In line with the campaign, Shopee also launched Shopee Mi Took Yang, a guarantee that users will be able to find whatever they need on Shopee. If users are unable to find a product they are looking for, Shopee will provide cashback of up to 100%.1 In addition, Shopee will run a contest where users with the top number of successful claims will stand a chance to win a gold bar.

Shopee sifted through its data of 30 million Thai users and found an increased demand for products related to summer activities during the months of April and May. For instance, sunglasses and sunscreen purchases on Shopee doubled in the past month, while swimsuit purchases tripled in the same period. Cooling fans proved to the most sought after, with an 18 times increase in demand observed.

Agatha Soh, head of Marketing, Shopee Thailand, said, “In the past few years, we noticed a trend of increased summer related product purchases during this period of the year. To cater to this trend, we launched the Shopee Summer Sale so users can save more as they shop for their summer needs. Consumers today also demand greater convenience; they expect to find and purchase everything they need within one platform. The introduction of Shopee Mi Took Yang reflects our confidence that Shopee is able to provide our users a holistic shopping experience.”

Other key highlights of the Summer Sale include:

● Cash on Delivery (COD): In line with the huge popularity of COD in Thailand, Shopee will run special promotions for COD payments, allowing users to enjoy greater cost savings as they shop for their summer needs. For example, Shopee will release discount vouchers of up to 50% everyday at noon across all product categories.

● ZAAP HARD SALE: To deepen offline engagement, Shopee presents the ZAAP HARD SALE, where over 300 Instagram-famous shops will set up booths at BCC Hall, Central Ladprao from 11 to 12 May only. Shoppers can enjoy up to 90% discounts at the event.

For more information about the Shopee Summer Sale, please visit https://shopee.co.th/m/summer-festival-sale. Download the Shopee application for free via App Store or Google Play.

Kim Jong Nam, the estranged relative of Kim Jong Un and once seen as heir apparent to the North’s leadership, died in agony after having his face smeared with a banned nerve agent as he waited at Kuala Lumpur airport in February, 2017.

The sensational killing made headlines around the world, and sparked a furious diplomatic row as Seoul accused Pyongyang of an elaborate plot to murder a figure who had spent years in exile and been critical of his family’s rule.

Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam and Indonesian Siti Aisyah were arrested after being spotted on CCTV approaching Kim but always denied murder. The women insisted they were tricked into carrying out the hit by North Korean agents who said it was a reality TV show prank and fled Malaysia after the killing.

    They went on trial, but in March prosecutors dropped the murder charge against Aisyah after diplomatic pressure and she flew home.

Then last month they withdrew murder charges against Huong, who pleaded guilty to a reduced count of “causing injury” and was told she would be released in May at the end of her sentence.

More than two years after her arrest, the 30-year-old former hair salon worker was freed from prison outside the Malaysian capital at about 7:20 am (2320 GMT Thursday), her lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik told AFP.

Journalists waiting outside the jail saw a van and a car with tinted windows race past, and a court official at the scene also confirmed Huong had been released.

She was expected to head to an immigration office in administrative capital Putrajaya to sort out documentation, before flying to Vietnam in the evening.

“She’s very happy,” Hisyam said. “She’s definitely looking forward to going home.”

    – ‘True killers escaped justice’ –

While there is relief for the women, no one else is in custody over the murder and those behind the plot are unlikely to ever be punished.

“The assassins have not been brought to justice,” said Hisyam, adding the women’s legal teams consistently argued that four North Koreans who fled Malaysia after the killing, and were charged in absentia, were the real murderers.

The women were arrested after they were captured on airport CCTV cameras walking up behind Kim as he waited for a flight, and one was seen clasping her hands over his face.

Kim, who fell from grace in the North after a bizarre attempt to visit Tokyo Disneyland, died shortly afterwards, his face smeared with poison.

The women, who faced death by hanging if convicted of murder, went on trial in October 2017 but the case was slow-moving due to the large number of witnesses and appeals from the defence teams.

The defence stage of the trial had been due to get under way in March before prosecutors suddenly dropped charges against Aisyah, 27, following intense diplomatic pressure from the Indonesian government.

Vietnam then stepped up pressure for Huong’s murder charge to be dropped and at the start of April prosecutors offered her the lesser charge, paving the way for her release.

Pyongyang has never admitted to killing Kim Jong Nam — it claims the dead man was a North Korean citizen called Kim Chol, and that the accusations are an attempt to smear it.

The assassination sparked a furious row between North Korea and Malaysia, previously one of nuclear-armed Pyongyang’s few allies, and prompted both countries to expel each other’s ambassadors.

Ties have improved in recent times however with Malaysia saying it plans to reopen its embassy in Pyongyang, which was closed shortly after the murder.

The man, whose identity is not known, did not consume any alcohol but, to his surprise, had failed his breathalyser test.

A clip on Chinese news platform Pear Video later revealed that he had eaten too many durians instead.

The man from Rudong country in the eastern province of Jiangsu was shown in the April 17 clip pleading with police officers.

According to Pear Video, the man went through a follow-up blood test, which proved that he had no alcohol in his system. Curious, the police department later carried out an experiment of their own.

An officer measured his blood alcohol level after eating the fruit and found the recording was 36mg per 100ml.

The legal limit for blood alcohol concentration in China is 0.02 per cent or about 20mg per 100ml, according to the BBC.

A couple of minutes later, the officer repeated the breathalyser test and a negative reading was shown.

In the Pear Video clip, viewers were also warned against other kinds of products that could result in a positive breathalyser result, such as mouthwash and lychee.

While some Chinese social media users were amused that durians could have such an effect, others wondered if the police had wasted their resources on such a minor incident.

User LionHeartFY said: “The poor man did not do anything, but had to be injected by a needle and have a vial of his blood taken. I think they owe him a box of durians.”

The decision to designate the JeM chief came three months after the ghastly terror attack on CRPF convoy in Pulwama district of Kashmir carried out by the JeM.

The proposal was earlier blocked by China, which lifted its “technical hold” on Wednesday making it a huge diplomatic win for India.

In a message, Akbaruddin said that it is a significant outcome for India because “we have been at it for several years”.

“The first effort was made in 2009. More recently, we have been persistent, diligent and, in a subterranean manner, making all our efforts towards this goal. Today that goal stands achieved,” he said.

Thanking US, UK and France besides the countries in and outside the council which supported India’s effort at “not tolerating a terrorist”, Akbaruddin especially mentioned the Permanent Representative of Indonesia “who was instrumental in ensuring that the process went smoothly and in accordance with our agreed understandings”.

“All in all, this has been a happy and good day for those who would like to pursue the approach of zero tolerance for terrorism,” he added.

It is important to note that Beijing’s decision to lift the technical hold came just over a week after Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale met China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in China.

Gokhale had during his visit held “regular bilateral consultations” with Yi as well as Executive Vice Foreign Minister of China Le Yucheng and Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou.

The proposal on which China had placed its hold was moved by France, UK and the US.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had on Tuesday said that “positive progress” has been made to designate Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN but had declined to give any timeline on the issue.

The remarks came days after President Xi Jinping met Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at Beijing.

“We support the issue of listing of Masood Azhar which should be resolved through political consultation within the framework of 1267 Committee. We think that is also the consensus of the overwhelming majority of the members of the Council. At present, the relevant consultations are underway in the 1267 Committee and positive progress has been made,” said Shuang, adding, “We believe in the joint efforts of all parties. This problem can be properly solved.”

The MEA had earlier said that New Delhi has shared all evidences of terrorist activities of JeM and its chief Maulana Masood Azhar with China regarding the terrorist leader’s 1267 listing.

“It’s now for the 1267 Sanctions Committee and other authorised bodies of UN to take a decision on listing of Masood Azhar,” the MEA was quoted as saying by ANI.

“India will continue to pursue all avenues to ensure that terrorist leaders who are involved in heinous attacks on our citizens are brought to justice,” the MEA said.

Masood Azhar is the chief of JeM, which carried out a series of terror attacks on India including the 2001 Parliament attack, the January 2016 Pathankot terror attack and the September 2016 Uri terror attack. The most recent attack was the 14 February Pulwama terror attack which killed 40 CRPF personnel.

According to ANI, Azhar was put under house arrest at Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, post the Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike at Balakot and has been recently shifted to a safe house in Islamabad.

The Melbourne couple immediately called police when they discovered bags containing the white powder in the parcel on Wednesday, a police spokesman said.

The package contained what police said were 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of AU$ 10 million (US$7 million).

Police subsequently searched a house in another part of Melbourne where they found 20 more kilograms of the drug and arrested a 21-year-old man.

He was charged Thursday with importing a marketable quantity of a controlled drug and was due to appear in court later in the day, police said.

Police asked that the unwitting couple who helped catch the man not be identified by the media out of concern for their safety.

The small Southeast Asian nation has become a transit point in the illicit trade in ivory, which typically arrives from Africa and is sent on to major Asian markets such as China and Vietnam.

Officials torched 3.92 tonnes of tusks and ivory products seized at Malaysia’s ports and airports between 2011 and 2017, said Xavier Jayakumar, the minister for water, land and natural resources.

The massive stash, destroyed in an incinerator, was worth an estimated 13.3 million ringgit ($3.2 million), he said.

The global trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after populations of the African giants dropped from millions in the mid-20th century to around 600,000 by the end of the 1980s.

Ivory and other rare animal parts are prized for their use in traditional medicine in some Asian countries, despite the fact there is no scientific proof of their medical benefits.

Seizures of animal parts occur frequently across Asia. Earlier in April, Singapore found over 25 tonnes of pangolin scales in two separate seizures just days apart.

The pangolin is the world’s most heavily trafficked mammal.

The new features were introduced in a revamped Facebook app as the embattled social network embarks on a new strategy emphasizing private communications and small groups.

“As the world gets bigger and more connected, we need that sense of intimacy more than ever,” Zuckerberg said as he opened the F8 developer conference for the social networking giant.

“That’s why I believe the future is private.”

The new app made available to US users Tuesday aims for a new direction for Facebook: it eliminates the blue background and offers a range of new ways to connect, in line with Zuckerberg’s vision to move away from the “digital town square” to a “digital living room.”

Facebook’s shift comes response to criticism over failing to curb misinformation and manipulation of the platform used by 2.3 billion people, and missteps on its handling of private user data.

“It can be hard to find your sense of purpose when you are connected to billions of people at the same time,” Zuckerberg told the developers gathered in San Jose, California.

“Privacy gives us the freedom to be ourselves.”

The redesigned application, to be followed by a new Facebook website, symbolizes changes in how Facebook runs its business, Zuckerberg said.

“I know we don’t exactly have the strongest reputation on privacy right now, to put it lightly,” he said. “But I am committed to starting a new chapter for our product.”

– Dogs and politics –

Changes announced Tuesday put groups at the center of the experience and add dating, friend-making and events features intended to promote people getting together in real life, Facebook’s new app head Fidji Simo told AFP ahead of F8.

The redesign is meant to make it easier for users to take part in communities, whether based on friendships, family ties or common interests, according to Simo.

“It’s definitely part of Mark’s bigger vision,” she said.

The new design gives users more options for private and group connections.

While counterintuitive, Facebook sees the change as potentially bringing people with opposing political viewpoints together rather than separating them in “filter bubbles.”

“We are seeing that groups can bridge people across dividing lines,” Simo said.

“If you are a dog lover, you will find people who are dog lovers across all divides, political or otherwise,” she added.

A “Meet New Friends” feature being gradually rolled out will let users opt in to getting acquainted with others interested in fresh connections within shared communities.

An “Events” tab will expedite making real world, local plans with online friends.

– Hidden crushes –

Facebook also announced it is expanding a dating feature to 14 more countries including the Philippines, Singapore, Brazil and Chile.

A new feature called “Secret Crush” will let people signal which friends they are interested in romantically on a private crush list — only letting the object of their fancy know if the feeling is mutual.

“We think there is a lot of potential in developing these relationships,” Simo said.

“It’s all built with privacy in mind, and with the goal of building meaningfully long-term relationships and not just hookups.”

The ability for people in small groups to be able to communicate securely and privately is seen as essential to making the social network more intimate.

There are tens of millions of active groups on Facebook, and more than 400 million people belong to groups at the social network.

– Leaner, faster Messenger –

Separately, Facebook unveiled a Messenger app overhaul that makes the mobile software leaner, faster and more of an energy miser.

“We rewrote practically all of the code from scratch,” head of Messenger Stan Chudnovsky told AFP.

“We made Messenger the fastest private communication hub on the planet.”

Features built into the new Messenger app, used by some 1.3 billion people, build on the social network’s broader vision of small-group-sharing in “virtual living rooms,” according to Chudnovsky.

Facebook also announced its Portal video call device would be available internationally — starting with Canada in June, and Europe later this year — and would allow calls over the WhatsApp messaging platform.

Meanwhile, the Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest headsets, starting at $399, will begin shipping on May 21, expanding Facebook’s move into virtual reality and gaming, the company said.

LucasFilm and Oculus Studios will have a “Star Wars” themed “Vader Immortal” virtual reality game ready when the Quest launches, putting players face to face with the master of the dark side of the Force.

Naruhito officially became emperor at the stroke of midnight but the process was formalised with a brief ritual on Wednesday morning that was off-limits to female royals — even his wife Masako.

The emperor entered the Imperial Palace’s Pine Room in formal Western clothing, including a heavy gold chain of office, accompanied by male family members including his brother Akishino.

The 59-year-old was presented with the items his father Akihito relinquished a day earlier: sacred imperial treasures of a sword and a jewel, as well as the seal of state and his personal imperial seal.

The sole woman invitee allowed to attend was the only female member of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet.

The ceremony took place on the first day of the new imperial era of Reiwa, meaning “beautiful harmony”, which will last throughout Naruhito’s reign.

Shortly afterwards, Empress Masako arrived by car at the palace in a diamond-studded tiara to join Naruhito for his first address to the nation as its 126th emperor.

He will also make a public appearance on Saturday when he will again speak to the people of Japan.

But the pomp and ceremony will wait until October 22 when he and Masako will appear in elaborate traditional robes for a ceremony in the palace before parading through the streets of the capital to be congratulated by a host of world leaders and royals.

Naruhito will greet his first foreign head of state as emperor later this month, when US President Donald Trump visits Japan to meet the new monarch.

– Balancing act –

The Oxford-educated Naruhito faces the delicate balancing act of continuing his father’s legacy of bringing the monarchy closer to the people while upholding the centuries-old traditions of the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Like his popular father Akihito, he has warned of the need to remember World War II “correctly,” without downplaying Japan’s early 20th-century militarism.

He has also spoken of the need to modernise the royal family, and vowed when he married Masako — who left behind a promising diplomatic career — to protect her “at any cost”.

She has struggled however to adjust to palace life, including being subjected to enormous pressure to produce a male heir, and has suffered stress-induced “adjustment disorder” for much of their marriage.

The couple have one child, a 17-year-old daughter called Aiko, who cannot inherit the throne because she is female.

In a statement released on her birthday in December, Masako pledged to do her best despite feeling “insecure” about becoming empress.

In the candid statement, she said she was recovering and could “perform more duties than before”, crediting the “powerful support” of the public.

Naruhito is ascending the throne in a very different Japan to the one his father took over when he became emperor in 1989.

Then, Japan ruled the world economically, its technology was the envy of every industrialised nation, and its stock market was at highs unlikely to be matched again.

– Symbol of Japan –

At the height of the bubble, Japanese investors were snapping up paintings like Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and US landmarks including the Rockefeller Center in Manhattan as “money was dripping off trees” — in the words of one former banker.

But following a “lost decade” after the bubble burst, Japan is still locked in a battle against deflation and sluggish growth while its population ages rapidly and many rural areas suffer from depopulation as young people move to cities.

Akihito’s abdication, the first in 200 years, has resulted in an unprecedented 10-day public holiday for the famously hard-working Japanese, with many taking advantage of the break to travel.

But despite the holiday exodus, and steady driving rain on Tuesday night, crowds still gathered at Tokyo’s famous Shibuya crossing at the clock struck midnight to welcome the Reiwa era.

“The emperor was a good person… He was the symbol of Japan,” said Rika Yamamoto, a 24-year-old company employee sheltering under an umbrella on the crossing.

“I hope the new emperor will carry on the kindness the old emperor had.”

Political parties across the spectrum also welcomed the new emperor — including the Communist Party, whose official platform considers the monarchy incompatible with democracy.

The party said it “celebrates the new emperor’s accession” and that it expected Naruhito to be a “symbol of the people”.

He swore to “act according to the Constitution… while always turning my thoughts to the people and standing with them”.

Naruhito also said he would “reflect deeply on the course” taken by his popular father Akihito, who was seen as having brought the world’s oldest monarchy closer to the people, especially during natural disasters.

“When I think about the important responsibility I have assumed, I am filled with a sense of solemnity,” said Naruhito, 59, who took the throne after Akihito’s abdication, the first in more than 200 years.

Naruhito promised to “bear in mind the path trodden by past emperors” and devote himself to “self-improvement”.

He is expected to follow his father’s modern style but faces a delicate balancing act in also upholding the ancient traditions of the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Replying on behalf of the people, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: “We are determined to create a bright future for a proud Japan filled with peace and hope at a time when the international situation is changing dramatically.”

The US State Department’s Under Secretary of Political Affairs, David Hale, who will be in Myanmar from today until Friday said the conditions in Rakhine are not safe enough for refugees to return.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed last year to let thousands of the refugees return home, but the Rohingya have been resisting repatriation due to fears for their safety.

Hale said he would discuss the situation with the authorities in Nay Pyi Taw to ensure that the refugees are not forcefully repatriated. He will also raise concerns over allegations of human rights abuses committed by senior officials, he said. Washington has already imposed sanctions against the officials and will step up measures, he added.

The senior diplomat, who also discussed the issue with his Thai counterparts Tuesday, called on the Kingdom, in its capacity as Asean chair, to join the US in efforts to solve the Rakhine crisis.

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai had said recently that as Asean chair, his shuttle diplomacy between Myanmar and Bangladesh over the past months, aimed to ensure the safe return of refugees and improve the situation in Rakhine.

Asean and Thailand have been working on the issue from a humanitarian standpoint and have refrained from putting pressure or sanctions against Nay Pyi Taw.

Commenting on the Thai political situation, Hale said the US supported Thailand’s return to an elected civilian government and expected a credible, transparent post-election process. “Our interest is to make sure that the processes are transparent. We want Thailand to be strong, with an election that reflects the will of the people,” he told journalists at a press briefing in Bangkok.

He is visiting Thailand and Myanmar as part of his Asian tour, which also took him to Indonesia on Monday. He heads for Tokyo next week.