Increased minimum wage

The problem is that most of the budget will be spent on one-time expenditures without any contribution to the advancement of the economy. Welfare budgets aimed at promoting public health and curbing unemployment will reach a whopping 200 trillion won next year. It would be much better if the money was spent taking care of the vulnerable class, overcoming our alarmingly low birthrate and creating jobs for the elderly. But the Moon Jae-in administration wants to spend money on creating 1.03 million public jobs — a 10 percent increase from this year — for senior citizens. The government is putting 21.3 trillion won into so-called Korean New Deal projects to help foster digital and green economies along with ratcheting up our social safety net. The colossal projects are already under fire for being replicas of earlier government projects. Besides, the projects have a plethora of loopholes and some are just plain wacky- sounding. These are far from what the Moon administration touted as … [Read more...] about Stop the spending

Two thirds of Black British women have experienced painful side effects – including burnt scalps and hair loss – from using hair relaxers, new research has revealed. A study of 1,024 Black British women aged 25-44, conducted by feminist group Level Up and Black hair care company Treasure Tress, found that over 95 per cent of Black British women do not trust big beauty brands to sell them safe products. Some 97 per cent of respondents believe hair products containing lye – also known as sodium hydroxide – should be banned. The survey, the first of its kind in Britain, sought to understand Black women’s experiences of hair relaxers, uncovering some startling experiences of ailments developed following use of such products. Hair relaxers that contain lye, a harsh chemical used in drain unblockers, have been linked to a range of health problems among Black British women including breast cancer, hormone imbalance, asthma, fibroids and fertility problems. … [Read more...] about Majority of Black British women suffer side effects from hair relaxers such as burnt scalp, study finds

Donald Trump may have boasted about the size of his, ahem, nuclear button in a now infamous tweet aimed at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but no such button exists. Unlike the big red button depicted in movies, the protocol to direct a nuclear strike is somewhat different—although the president appears not to be aware of this . "North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the "Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times." Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!" the president tweeted on Tuesday. There is no button. In fact, there is a nuclear "football," which contains military plans and communication tools that can be used by the president in the event that he—and only he—wants to order a strike. The football is carried near the president at all times by a military aide. Inside is a phone with a secure line to the Pentagon. … [Read more...] about There is no big red button: Here’s how Donald Trump could order a nuclear strike

Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger has said Ukraine should accept giving up part of its territory to reach a peace deal with Russia, and end the now three-month-long war immediately. Talking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday, 98-year-old Kissinger said that failing to restart negotiations with Russia and continuing to antagonize Moscow could have disastrous consequences for Europe's stability in the long term. "Negotiations need to begin in the next two months before it creates upheavals and tensions that will not be easily overcome," he said. "Ideally, the dividing line should be a return to the status quo ante. Pursuing the war beyond that point would not be about the freedom of Ukraine, but a new war against Russia itself." Kissinger, who served under the administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in the 1970s, warned against dragging on the war, and pressed for negotiations. The former secretary of state said Russia has … [Read more...] about Henry Kissinger: Ukraine should give up territory to Russia to reach peace

The deliberately vague U.S. position on its willingness to defend Taiwan isn't gone, Joe Biden told reporters on Tuesday, 24 hours after pledging a military intervention if the democratic island were to be attacked by China. The president answered "no" when asked in Tokyo whether his calmly spoken commitment to defend Taiwan had broken the policy known as "strategic ambiguity," which for more than 40 years has seen past presidents and officials purposely skate around the question of possibly deploying American forces to the Taiwan Strait. "The policy has not changed at all. I stated that when I made my statement yesterday," Biden said, according to reporters covering the final day of the first Asia tour of his presidency. The policy Biden referenced on Monday was the U.S.'s "one China" policy , which recognizes the legitimacy of the Chinese government in Beijing, but acknowledges—rather than recognizes or accepts—the position that Taiwan is part of China . Among the … [Read more...] about Joe Biden says no change in U.S. ambiguity on Taiwan defense

The downside of taking a vacation? Missing your pets, of course. But Cristy Alfaro from San Francisco has it all figured out. Recently sharing a trip to El Salvador with her 2-year-old Yorkshire Terrier Kobe, Alfaro told us about the pair's adorable trip. Alfaro has family in El Salvador and tries to visit them every year. "It's a lovely place to visit and take you out from your routine," she told Newsweek : "I have Kobe as an emotional support for my stress. He's been trained since he was 2 months old, but I decided to take him with me as a regular pet because I didn't want to deal with doctor's appointments, because of the situation with COVID it takes days to get appointments and the doctor's letter has to be up-to-date to travel with emotional support." Not wanting to leave him alone and stress either of them, Alfaro decided to take him with her. In a series of adorable pictures, Kobe can be seen waiting in the airport wearing a Hawaiian shirt and backpack, and later … [Read more...] about Adorable Yorkshire Terrier goes on holiday wearing Hawaiian shirt, backpack

A video showing a girlfriend's "petty" reaction to her boyfriend not doing any chores at home has gained viral attention online. Shared on TikTok on Thursday, the video—that has now received over 5 million views—was posted by couple Sarah and Bobby who use the handle sarahandbob241. In the video, Bobby says: "I appreciate I don't do any chores in the house, and this has been acknowledged in the past, but I feel like this is a message because she's made her side of the bed and left my side." Throughout the now-viral video, the text overlay reads: "When your girlfriend is working at pettiness level 100." Showing a beautifully made half of the bed and another that is still un-made, the video has left viewers in stitches. One viewer wrote: "I need to start doing this," while another said: "She's got a point. Not going to lie, I've done the same thing." In a 2022 paper, University of Utah associate professor Daniel Carlson analyzed surveys from the 1990s and early 2000s to break … [Read more...] about Man shares girlfriend’s tactic to make him do chores: “Pettiness level 100”

NEW DELHI: The maximum temperature in the Capital breached the 49-degrees mark on Sunday making it the hottest day of the season. A weather station in Mungeshpur in north-west Delhi recorded the highest — 49.2 degrees Celsius — and one in Najafgarh recorded a maximum of 49.1 degrees Celsius during the day. Delhi continues to reel under a severe heatwave caused by hot and dry westerly winds. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast some respite from the rising temperatures on Monday, with a possibility of a thunderstorm in the city. At Safdarjung, the official weather station of the city, the maximum temperature settled at 45.6 degrees Celsius, which was five degrees above the normal for the season and the highest temperature recorded so far this year. On May 27, 2020, Safdarjung recorded a maximum of 46 degrees Celsius. The highest ever temperature in the month was recorded on May 29, 1944, when the mercury touched 47.2 degrees Celsius. Other parts of the … [Read more...] about Daytime temperature breaches the 49-degrees mark in Capital

PUTRAJAYA: The move to halt chicken exports from June 1 will be reviewed once the country's supply becomes stable, says Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (pic). He said a total of 3.6 million birds were exported to several countries every month including Singapore, Vietnam and Pakistan and the government's intervention as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Monday (May 23), was to ensure domestic supply was adequate. Ronald explained that the country was currently facing a shortage of chicken due to several factors as informed by the industry, including disease and weight that did not meet standards to be marketed. "The poultry and egg industry is an industry that should meet the needs of the country because we have achieved 100% in self-sufficiency level (SSL) for poultry and eggs (previously)," he told the media at the ministry's Aidilfitri open house here on Tuesday (May 24). He said the government had intervened … [Read more...] about Chicken export ban to be reviewed once domestic supply stabilises, says Kiandee

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Some poultry sellers here said they may have to shut their stalls temporarily when Malaysia halts its exports of chickens in June, while others expect a price hike of about 10 to 30 per cent. Meanwhile, consumers The Straits Times spoke to said they are not worried and will turn to other meats or buy frozen chicken from other countries. Malaysia announced on Monday (May 23) that the country intends to stop exporting chickens in June. Poultry sellers at Bedok North Market and Food Centre, Tiong Bahru Market and Geylang Serai Market told ST on Tuesday morning that the move will heavily impact their business. These are stall operators who mainly get their chicken supply from across the Causeway. Singapore imported about 34 per cent, or close to 73,000 tonnes, of its chicken supply from Malaysia in 2021. Yeow Wei Min, 61, who runs a chicken stall at 216 Bedok North Market and Food Centre, said the impending halt of chicken … [Read more...] about Singapore poultry sellers may shut stalls as Malaysia halts chicken exports