BEIJING: The dire manners and uncivilised behaviour of some Chinese tourists abroad are harming the country's image, said a top official who lamented their poor quality and breeding, according to state-run media.Wang Yang, one of China's four vice premiers, singled out for condemnation talking loudly in public places, jay-walking, spitting and willfully carving characters on items in scenic zones....
WELLINGTON: New Zealand on Thursday announced a multi-million-dollar marketing drive to attract more foreign students -- especially from Asia -- to its universities.Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said the government had committed NZ$40 million in its new budget to promote New Zealand in key markets such as China, India, Southeast Asia and South America....
WASHINGTON: The US government wants states to crack down more on people driving under the influence of alcohol by lowering the permitted blood-alcohol limit.It is now at 0.8 gram of alcohol per litre of blood. The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday it should come down to 0.5. That would put the US in line with most other countries in the world....
SUBANG: Captain James Anthony Tan, the first Malaysian to fly solo around the world, recalled on his return home that flying with frozen fuel into fearsome thunderstorms was the scariest experience he had encountered during his 48-day flight.The 21-year-old captain encountered the thunderstorms when his aircraft had to fly into heavy rain and lightning while from Taiwan to Japan....
KATHMANDU: The annual rush to the hills by villagers keen to harvest a rare aphrodisiac fungus dubbed the "Himalayan Viagra" has emptied rural schools in Nepal and forced them to shut, a local official said Tuesday.Parents, students and even teachers have left home in pursuit of yarchagumba, a high-altitude caterpillar fungus which is eagerly sought for its reputed sexual enhancement....
NEW DELHI: Social stigma is harming attempts to combat cervical cancer in India where more women die annually of the disease than anywhere else in the world, a new report said Friday.More than a quarter of cervical cancer deaths worldwide occur in India, representing 72,825 a year according to the report by the US-based Cervical Cancer Free Coalition, although African nations have higher mortality rates....
CYBERJAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) urged the public to stop sending, sharing and posting ‘hate speech’ in the social media. MCMC chairman, Datuk Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi in a statement said: “As responsible citizens, we must be more sensitive and aware while communicating online. Think about the consequences and the feelings of our fellow brothers and sisters before posting comments or opinions in the social media."...
LONDON: Alex Ferguson will retire as Manchester United manager at the end of this season, the English Premier League champions announced Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on one of the most successful careers football has known.Ferguson, 71, has been in charge at Old Trafford for 26 years, guiding United to 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns....
NEW DELHI: Some of this city's metro commuters will be breathalysed to detect whether they are drunk under a pilot scheme planned by the state-run transport network, an official said Tuesday.Officers of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will use breathalysers to screen travellers in this Indian capital and identify those under the influence of alcohol, said CISF spokesman Hemendra Singh....
CYBERJAYA -- The Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC) would like to call on members of the public to stop spreading rumours that the telecommunications network coverage for voice and data will cease functioning."We're in touch with the telcos and everything is fine. We are monitoring together with all the major telcos to ensure that the networks will always be working," said MCMC Chairman, Datuk Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi. ...
