World

SEOUL — South Korea issued a quarantine alert over the reported case of the African swine fever (ASF), the interior ministry said Monday, reported Xinhua.

The ASF case was confirmed on Sunday night at a pig farm in Yeoncheon county, Gyeonggi province, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

It marked the fifth case this year, with the previous one reported in July.

The quarantine authorities issued a red alert across the country, giving a 48-hour standstill order for pig farms and relevant facilities in Yeoncheon and surrounding areas until 8.00 pm local time (1100 GMT) on Tuesday.

The authorities sent a quarantine team to strengthen disinfection around and control access to the Yeoncheon pig farm while culling the affected pigs. — BERNAMA-XINHUA

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SENTIMENT among US small businesses edged higher in August, led by the most favorable sales expectations in six months as owners grew more sanguine about the health of their companies.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) optimism index advanced 0.5 point to 100.8, the highest level since January, according to data out on Sept 9. Four of the 10 components that make up the gauge improved and two were unchanged.

A net 12% of owners expect higher retail sales volumes in the next three months, up six points and contributing the most to the increase in the overall optimism index, NFIB said.

When asked to rate the overall health of their business, 68% of owners said it as either excellent or good, up from last month, while 31% said it was either fair or poor, down from July.

While the NFIB said higher import duties may be starting to impact pricing, the net share of small businesses that raised prices dropped to 21%, the lowest reading of the year. Fewer firms also said they expect to boost prices in the next three months.

A net 34% of owners expect better business conditions, down two percentage points from a month earlier but still elevated.

A net 14% said now is a good time to expand their business, also down two points from July when it was the largest share since January.

The group’s uncertainty index fell by four points to 93 last month, but that was still the 11th highest reading in more than 51 years, according to NFIB.

The decline was due to a decrease in uncertainty about financing expectations and planned capital expenditures, according to NFIB. — Bloomberg

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ALPHABET Inc’s Google cloud computing division has up to US$106 billion (RM446.84 billion) in commitments from existing customer contracts that it has yet to fulfill, according to the division’s CEO Thomas Kurian.

At least 55%, or US$58 billion, is expected to turn into revenue earned by the company over the next two years as those services are delivered, Kurian said on Sept 9. “It’s growing faster than our revenue,” he added.

“So not only are we growing revenue, but we’re also growing our remaining performance obligation.”

Alphabet is among tech companies racing to build out data centre capacity in order to serve growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) processing.

Kurian made the comments at Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference in San Francisco, where he presented insights into Google Cloud’s strategy in the rapidly expanding cloud computing and AI markets.

He highlighted the unit’s proprietary chip development and software expertise as Google Cloud’s advantages in AI infrastructure, generative AI models and data processing capabilities.

The cloud division generated revenue that jumped 32% to US$13.6 billion in the second quarter, Alphabet said in its most recent earnings report in July. In that same report, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google Cloud had achieved an annual revenue run rate over US$50 billion. — Bloomberg

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CHIPOTLE Mexican Grill Inc and Khosla Ventures llc are among investors providing a fresh round of funding for a start-up that makes fertiliser from ground almond shells.

Nitricity, founded by Stanford University graduates, announced on Sept 9 that it has raised US$50 million (RM210.77 million) to scale production of its organic and vegan fertiliser and expand across the US and into Europe.

The company is targetting organic farmers amid heightened concerns over the environmental and health impact of agrochemicals, a movement boosted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.

“Our goal is to reduce emissions, promote healthy soils and help farmers improve yields,” said Nicolas Pinkowski, co-founder and CEO.

“There’s a lot of concern right now in the US about chemicals in and on foods. More and more people care not just about getting enough calories every day, but about making sure what they eat is healthy and safe.”

Conventional synthetic fertilisers are based on a centuryold process that’s heavily reliant on fossil fuels.

Producing fertilisers accounts for some 5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Farmers overapplying them in their fields can cause nitrogen-laden runoff that pollutes water and the air.

Nitricity uses almond shells, which are rich in nutrients such as potassium.

The company first combusts the shells, then “brews” them in water, creating what it calls Ash Tea.

The product is made using clean energy and production costs vary with the price of electricity.

Overall, Nitricity said its emissions are at least 92% lower than those of some other conventional fertilisers.

The liquid is sent to farmers who dilute it and apply it to the soil.

The company is trying to compete with fertilisers derived from manure, which bring heightened food safety risks, Pinkowski said.

Production costs are competitive with commercially available organic fertilisers, though the company didn’t share pricing specifics.

Nitricity said that Ash Tea increased yields by up to 30% in field trials.

Almond shells are abundant in California, the world’s top grower and where Nitricity is based.

The state generates an estimated 850,000 tonnes of almond waste a year. — Bloomberg

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JAKARTA – In removing Indonesia’s finance minister and U-turning on protester demands, the leader of Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is scrambling to restore public trust while seizing a chance to install loyalists after deadly riots last month, experts say.

Demonstrations that were sparked by low wages, unemployment and anger over lawmakers’ lavish perks grew after footage spread of a paramilitary police vehicle running over a delivery motorcycle driver.

The ensuing riots, which rights groups say left at least 10 dead and hundreds detained, were the biggest of Prabowo Subianto’s presidency and the ex-general is now calling on the public to restore their confidence in his government.

He vowed tough action on the officers who ran over 21-year-old Affan Kurniawan, backtracked on lawmaker housing allowances, and on Monday removed five ministers, including respected finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

“We can read this as damage control after the wave of public anger, especially at… the misdirected budget efficiency,” Rani Septyarini, a researcher at the Center of Economic and Law Studies, told AFP.

Prabowo has focused on expensive social mega-projects funded by widespread budget cuts that already roused protests in February. His flagship policies include a free meal programme and a new sovereign wealth fund.

But his new finance chief Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said Wednesday he would inject an unprecedented $12 billion into the economy to spur growth and calm simmering public anger.

“Prabowo sees this problem as something that needs to be anticipated seriously,” said Airlangga Pribadi Kusman, political analyst at Airlangga University.

“He wants to prevent further social damage.”

Consolidating power

Prabowo surged to victory in last year’s election and maintained a high approval rating of more than 80 percent 100 days after entering office in October, according to polls.

But the protests turned increasingly angry against the country’s political elite, with mobs burning buildings and looting politicians’ homes.

“This shows that the public has a real, legitimate problem with this administration,” said Airlangga.

Yet the Indonesian leader has used the reshuffle to replace officials linked to popular predecessor Joko Widodo, more commonly known as Jokowi, with his own people.

Sri Mulyani served for eight years under Jokowi, while new finance minister Purbaya is close to key government economic adviser Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan — an ex-military colleague of Prabowo.

“Prabowo is using the moment to slowly consolidate his political power by erasing Jokowi’s influence,” said Virdika Rizky Utama, a political researcher at think tank PARA Syndicate.

State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said on Monday the replacements were the right people for the job.

The presidential palace did not respond to an AFP comment request.

To win back public trust, experts say Prabowo — former son-in-law of late dictator Suharto — needs to address an expanding wealth gap and weakening democracy in a nation long known for dynastic politics which only emerged from autocracy in the 1990s.

“What we need is the determination from the president, a political will, and real progress,” said Airlangga.

‘Closest circles’

But in installing loyalists to oversee budget and security, Prabowo appears to be trying to uphold his flagship programmes, rather than change course.

“Putting trust in people who are well-known becomes key to securing (his) policies,” said Wasisto Raharjo Jati, political analyst at the National Research and Innovation Agency, who added those hired were from Prabowo’s “closest circles”.

“Prabowo will be more comfortable moving forward if his flagship programmes are handled by trusted figures.”

Yet it’s still unclear if Prabowo’s new hires are up to the job of making life better for Indonesians.

While Sri Mulyani had stints at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Purbaya is a relatively unknown finance professional who immediately lauded Prabowo’s ambitious growth goal of eight percent annually as achievable.

“Their competence, experience, and technological skills must still be demonstrated,” said Wasisto.

Some say Prabowo should change course on his social projects as the country grapples with stagnant wages and rising unemployment.

“If the corrections are half-hearted… the perception of justice will worsen, and the social pressure will continue,” said Rani.

The conciliatory moves and a call for calm appear to have bought Prabowo time.

But without addressing the root of the public’s anger, analysts say another inflammatory incident could ignite bigger protests.

“This will be a time bomb,” said Virdika.

“If things pile up, it will blow up.” –AFP

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KATHMANDU – Nepal’s new leader vowed Sunday to follow protesters’ demands to “end corruption” as she began work as interim prime minister, after “Gen Z” youth demonstrations ousted her predecessor.

Sushila Karki, the 73-year-old former chief justice, has been tasked with restoring order and addressing protesters’ demands for a corruption-free future ahead of elections in six months.

Protests, sparked by a ban on social media and feeding into long-standing economic woes, began on Monday and quickly escalated, with parliament and key government buildings set ablaze.

“We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation,” Karki said in her first public comments since taking office on Friday.

A fifth of people in Nepal aged 15-24 are unemployed, according to the World Bank, with GDP per capita standing at just $1,447, in the Himalayan nation of 30 million people.

“What this group is demanding is the end of corruption, good governance and economic equality,” she added.

‘From the streets’

Karki held a minute’s silence on Sunday for those killed in the unrest, before meetings began in the key government complex of Singha Durbar — where several buildings were set on fire during mass protests on Tuesday.

At least 72 people were killed in two days of protests, and 191 injured, the government’s chief secretary Eaknarayan Aryal said Sunday, increasing an earlier toll of 51.

It was the worst unrest since the end of a decade-long civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.

The appointment of Karki, known for her independence, came after intense negotiations by army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel and President Ram Chandra Paudel, including with representatives of “Gen Z”, the loose umbrella title of the youth protest movement.

Thousands of young activists had used the Discord app to name Karki as their choice of leader.

“The situation that I have come in, I have not wished to come here. My name was brought from the streets,” Karki said.

Parliament has been dissolved and elections set for March 5, 2026.

“We will not stay here more than six months in any situation, we will complete our responsibilities and pledge to hand over to the next parliament and ministers,” she added, in a speech to the nation.

Ordinary Nepalis said they were hopeful the government would bring change — but were aware the challenges were heavy.

“This government’s list of responsibilities and issues to address isn’t easy,” said grocery shopkeeper Satya Narayan, 69, in Pharping village, about an hour outside the capital.

“It also needs to ensure unity and harmony in the country by taking all sections along”.

‘Challenging times’

President Paudel, who swore Karki into office, said late Saturday that “a peaceful solution has been found through a difficult process”.

Soldiers have scaled back their presence on the streets, where they had been deployed in large numbers after the protests.

But more than 12,500 prisoners who escaped from jails during the chaos are on the run, and present a daunting security headache.

Regional leaders have congratulated Karki, including Nepal’s two giant neighbours, India and China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi supported “peace, progress and prosperity” in Hindu-majority Nepal, while Beijing’s foreign ministry said it wanted to “push China-Nepal relations steadily forward”.

Buddhism is the country’s second-largest religion, and the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, wished Karki “every success in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of Nepal in these challenging times.” –AFP

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TOKYO — The share of Japan’s population aged 65 or older reached a record 29.4 per cent, the highest among nations with populations of over 40 million, the government estimated Sunday, Kyodo News reported.

Of the 36.19 million elderly in the rapidly ageing country, those with jobs rose for the 21st straight year to a record 9.3 million, Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said, as it marks Respect for the Aged Day on Monday.

The ratio means one in seven workers in Japan is elderly. The industrial safety and health law, revised in May, requires companies to enhance working conditions for senior employees, as the risk of work-related injuries increases with age.

While Japan’s population aged 65 or older totalled 15.68 million men and 20.51 million women, the combined figure was 50,000 fewer than the previous year, the ministry said.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research projects Japan’s senior population will climb to 39.28 million in 2040, or 34.8 per cent of the total, underscoring demographic pressures as the 1971-74 second baby boom generation enters old age.

Among countries with populations of 40 million or more, Italy trails Japan with 25.1 per cent aged 65 or older, followed by Germany at 23.7 per cent.

Japan showed a particularly high rate of people aged 75 or older at 17.2 per cent, compared with other nations with large senior populations, according to the government.

The ministry also said most elderly workers in 2024 were part-time or contract employees, with many employed in wholesale and retail businesses. — BERNAMA-KYODO

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IRAN’S top security body warned that European threats to reinstate UN sanctions on the country could hinder efforts to restore international inspections at Iranian nuclear facilities.

In a statement on Sunday, the Supreme National Security Council — Iran’s chief security and foreign policy body — said Tehran had agreed to submit reports on its nuclear sites to the International Atomic Energy Agency under an agreement that could pave the way for the Vienna-based agency to resume site visits. 

But it said “those arrangements will be suspended” if there’s “any hostile action” against Iran and its nuclear facilities, “including the reinstatement of Security Council resolutions that had been closed.”

The Council warned previously that Tehran might respond by withdrawing from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. 

Iran blocked international access to its nuclear sites after US and Israeli strikes in June hit three of its key facilities, saying that sharing information about the program could expose its infrastructure to further attacks.

The move prompted the UK, France, and Germany to trigger a mechanism that could snap back UN sanctions by Sept. 28 if Tehran fails to show it’s taking concrete steps to resolve the standoff.

Iran and the IAEA reached an initial breakthrough in Cairo last week, announcing an agreement that could reopen the path to inspections. Subsequently, the European trio reiterated that Iran must account for its uranium stockpile and engage in talks with the Trump administration before the threat of UN sanctions can be lifted. –BLOOMBERG

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PARIS — New French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has abandoned his predecessor’s controversial plan to scrap two public holidays, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

“I want those who work to be spared. That is why I have decided to reverse the planned abolition of two public holidays,” Lecornu said in an interview with local media published on Saturday.

He added that alternative measures are needed to restore the state’s finances.

Starting next week, consultations will be held on decentralising the French administration, streamlining government agencies and transferring more responsibilities to local councils, Lecornu said.

He also proposed merging or abolishing certain government bodies and revoking lifetime privileges granted to former Cabinet members.

“Reforms are not always just ‘for others’; that creates mistrust,” he said.

France, the second-largest eurozone economy, now has the third-highest debt ratio in the European Union at 114 per cent, after Greece and Italy.

The country’s budget deficit recently reached 5.8 per cent, well above the EU limit of 3 per cent of economic output.

And with around €3.3 trillion (US$3.8 trillion), France has the highest debt in the European Union.

Amid the budget crisis, Fitch Ratings downgraded France’s credit rating on Friday, likely raising borrowing costs for French sovereign debt.

Fitch cited France’s high and rising public debt and the limited prospects for economic reforms due to domestic political polarisation and instability. The agency noted that France has seen three different governments since mid-2024, highlighting the volatility.

“We are paying for the instability,” Lecornu said in the interview.

He warned that higher interest rates for debt servicing would directly impact state finances and affect citizens and businesses alike. “In this situation, a stable financial course must be found – that is also a question of sovereignty.”

On Monday, former prime minister François Bayrou lost a parliamentary confidence vote after less than nine months in office, stepping down as head of the minority government.

Macron then appointed Lecornu, who had been the defence minister. –BERNAMA-dpa

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THE UK government defended its ill-fated decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington as pressure grows on Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his handling of the affair following the envoy’s ouster. 

Business Secretary Peter Kyle on Sunday told Sky News that at the time of the appointment in December, the government believed it was worth the risk. Mandelson was a “singular talent” who helped Britain navigate the most difficult period in trans-Atlantic ties, he also said to the BBC. 

Still, the minister conceded that the government didn’t know the full extent of the former envoy’s ties with the late pedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein, and wouldn’t have appointed him, had they been aware. 

“Retrospectively, if we had known the information that we know now, it was highly unlikely that he would have been appointed,” Kyle said. 

The depth of Mandelson’s ties to Epstein were revealed last week in a cache of 18,000 emails obtained by Bloomberg News. After initially defending Mandelson on Wednesday, Starmer on Thursday removed the envoy from his post after the publication of the Bloomberg story.

Kyle on Sunday was questioned over Starmer’s initial backing of Mandelson as well as the vetting process conducted before his appointment in December. Downing Street has insisted that it didn’t have access to the full emails when the prime minister offered his support to Mandelson on Wednesday.  

“There was a thorough vetting process,” which was conducted in the same way it would have been for all external appointments, Kyle said.

Still, questions over the appointment remain. Bloomberg reported on Saturday that there was frustration in Downing Street that Mandelson hadn’t been entirely honest with them about the extent of his relationship with Epstein when he was appointed, and with how quickly he gave them full details of Bloomberg’s investigation.

The uproar over Mandelson threatens to cast a shadow over the upcoming state visit by President Donald Trump this week, which No. 10 has been keen to tout as a triumphant reset of UK-US ties. 

“This is a government that is delivering, we are turning a corner,” Kyle said, pointing to the planned investments by American financial firms in Britain. –BLOOMBERG

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