World

WASHINGTON - Attorney General William Barr defended the aggressive federal law enforcement response to civil unrest in America as he testified for the first time before the House Judiciary Committee, pushing back against angry, skeptical Democrats who said President Donald Trump’s administration is unconstitutionally suppressing dissent. The hearing, held Tuesday as the late civil rights icon John Lewis lay in state steps away outside the Capitol, highlighted the wide election-year gulf between the two parties on police brutality and systemic racism in law enforcement. Massive protests have sparked unrest across the nation following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, and calls for police reform are growing louder. But Barr said “violent rioters and anarchists h

First there was the Zoom boom, followed quickly by Zoom fatigue. Then everyone became a gamer, inviting visitors to their virtual islands and sending friends digital gifts. There were raves, meetings, meditations and movie nights, all of which took place on the internet. Now, months later and with no sign of the virus’ end in sight, it seems we’ve reached the taking-to-strangers online stage of boredom and isolation. Omegle, a website that pairs random visitors through video and text chat, has spiked in popularity over the last four months. (“did i miss something why is everyone on omegle?” one person recently tweeted.) The site is similar to the once wildly popular Chatroulette, which is also experiencing a renaissance of sorts, in that it is free, requires no registration and promises

Makro launches novel concept for home dwellers The Fresh @ Makro store at Ease Park community mall targets customers who prefer cooking at home during the pandemic. Siam Makro, the operator of Makro cash-and-carry stores, has launched a new concept store to cash in on a business opportunity from the pandemic. Siriporn Dechsingha, the company's chief corporate communication officer, said with many people staying home during the pandemic and higher demand from end users, the company in June introduced the Fresh @ Makro store at Ease Park community mall, Ram Intra KM 4. The Fresh @ Makro store applies concepts used at Makro's cash and carry stores, food services, eco and food outlets. The store offers mainly fresh food items, taking up 70% of the total space of 800 square metres, targeti...

Indonesia is eagerly anticipating the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in November, believing the China-led trade pact could pave the way for more economic activity and a stronger recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it appears to have lost enthusiasm for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), another trade deal that some Southeast Asian countries have joined and others, including Thailand, are considering. The main reason is that the CPTPP no longer includes the United States, a major market with which Jakarta would like to do more business. "The planned signing of the RCEP in November would have a significant impact on the post-pandemic economic recovery in the region," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi ...

NICOSIA, Cyprus - Cyprus doesn’t expect to see this year more than 20%-25% of the record 3.97 million vacationing visitors the Mediterranean island nation welcomed in 2019 because the coronavirus pandemic has so far shut out its key tourist markets, the country’s deputy tourism minister said Wednesday. Savvas Perdios said tourism-generated revenue will fall accordingly this year, and he warned that the industry may experience a longer-lasting impact from the pandemic than other sectors of Cyprus’ economy. “People are likely be more cautious about travelling overseas,” Perdios told The Associated Press. Tourism directly contributes more than 13% to Cyprus’ 22 billion-euro ($26 billion) economy. But Perdios said there’s a silver lining to the gloomy forecasts as tourism arrivals are expec

Before all this, every Canadian had their own version of Canada Day. Maybe it was a barbecue, a fair, a parade. Maybe it was just a day off, finally. Maybe it was on Parliament Hill, or in your backyard, unless you didn’t have a backyard; then maybe you could join the crowd, all carrying little Canadian flags, to see the fireworks. But this is the pandemic year, and our collective experiences have been atomized as we were kept apart, together. So now our most common Canada Day experience may be this: how much can you pretend that everything’s the same? Unlike everything else, the pandemic has touched all of our lives at once. Not equally, of course, but universally. The pandemic split a nation of many Canadas into individual Canadas; for most of us, the country was smaller than ever befo

Tensions soar as US orders China consulate shut The Chinese flag flies over its consulate in Houston -- which the US has ordered closed, in the latest row between Beijing and Washington. HOUSTON - US-Chinese relations, already tense over the coronavirus pandemic and Beijing's crackdown in Hong Kong, deteriorated once again Wednesday as Washington ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston within 72 hours. China slammed the US move, which came one day after the unveiling of a US indictment targeting two Chinese nationals for allegedly hacking hundreds of companies worldwide and seeking to steal virus vaccine research. "We're setting our clear expectations for how the Chinese Communist Party is going to behave," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a visit to Denmar...