TOKYO — Former employees of Seven-Eleven Japan Co.’s franchise stores on Wednesday gave vent to their anger and frustration on social media over the company’s handling of unpaid overtime wages.
Japan’s largest convenience store chain said Tuesday it did not pay a portion of overtime wages to at least 30,000 workers, totaling some 490 million yen ($4.5 million), after March 2012 due to a miscalculation in its payroll system. It said records only exist from that month onward.
Xinhua file photo of Spring Festival train commuters.
NANJING (Xinhua) — Railway police in east China said they have seized over 1,400 fake train tickets ahead of the country’s Spring Festival travel rush.
Railway police in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, said Wednesday they also arrested four suspects after busting three dens that produced and sold fake tickets.
The dens were scattered in the provinces of Henan, Zhejiang and Hunan. The tickets confiscated include semi-finished ones, police said.
The Nanjing railway police on Dec. 1 launched an action against offenses related to train ticket sales to ensure a good environment as train ticket sales for the travel rush will begin Thursday. A hotline has also been set up for the public to report scalping.
The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Jan. 25 next year. The 40-day travel rush, which will start Jan. 10, is estimated to see 440 million train trips, up 8 percent year on year.
Students are raising China's national flag and the flag of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) in an activity to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland in Macao, south China, Dec. 6, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Jinjia)
MACAO (Xinhua) — Every Monday morning, Macao’s Hou Kong Middle School holds a national flag-raising ceremony attended by all the teachers and the students.
The ceremony dates back to Oct. 1, 1949, when the school’s principal Du Nam raised the five-star red flag on the campus. The flag-raising ceremony has been held until today, which has become the common memory of all the teachers and students in Hou Kong Middle School.
Nowadays, the majority of primary and middle schools in Macao hold national flag-raising ceremonies every Monday morning. All schools, colleges and universities in Macao fly the national flags on important festivals.
National flag, national anthem and national emblem as a representative and symbol of the motherland are well known in Macao’s schools.
Macao has set up a series of laws and regulations to carry out education of national flag, national anthem and national emblem for students in schools.
According to the framework of curriculum for Macao’s schools by the government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), all of Macao students are required to know the national flag and national emblem, understand their basic meaning and sing the national anthem when at their primary schools.
Students of Hou Kong Middle School participate in a flag-raising ceremony marking the Chinese Youth Day in south China’s Macao, May 4, 2018. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)
To implement those regulations, Macao’s education authorities have worked with institutions from the mainland to publish textbooks for Macao students.
For example, Virtue and Citizen, published by Education and Youth Affairs Bureau of Macao and People’s Education Press, a famous Chinese publisher, has been used for years in Macao’s primary and middle schools and accepted gradually by more and more students.
In addition, Macao’s junior and senior middle schools have set Chinese history as a course in class and use textbooks published by People’s Education Press.
In recent years, the education sector in Macao has also encouraged the students to read books about China, providing extracurricular reading books for primary and middle schools students, as well as some kindergartens.
Those extracurricular books were jointly published by well-known publishing houses from the mainland and Macao’s institutions, or provided through exchanges and cooperation with the mainland.
In 2018, China’s Ministry of Education also gave such books to 77 schools in Macao as presents, 20 sets for each, including the books on Chinese history, the world history, and the Chinese culture such as ancient Chinese poetry and Chinese characters.
Macao’s education sector has always attached great importance to the promotion of traditional Chinese culture, and encourage the students to learn about the Chinese history and cultural traditions to have a broad perspective on their own country.
Students perform in an activity to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland in Macao, south China, Dec. 6, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Jinjia)
Many schools have extracurricular classes on traditional calligraphy, ancient poetry recitation, Chinese martial arts, Chinese ethnic instruments and other programs.
Macao’s Kao Yip Middle School has set up compulsory calligraphy courses in its primary and middle sectors, which has become one of its characteristics. Students often win prizes in calligraphy competitions at various levels.
He Cheng, the principal of Kao Yip Middle School, said that the school has been providing calligraphy education for a long time, and has carried out a wide range of extracurricular calligraphy activities, to guide students to understand the Chinese cultural tradition, feel the charm of the Chinese language, and promote their interests in and understanding about their country.
In addition, the Macao SAR government and social organizations also support and encourage students to visit the mainland, learn about its social conditions, and experience Chinese history and culture by themselves.
Education and Youth Affairs Bureau of Macao and relevant ministries and institutions of central government have held many summer camps and travel programs for Macao students to know more about their country by paying visits to universities, museums and historical sites in the mainland.
The bureau also plans to increase funding for the “Know the Motherland Study Tour” to include teaching staff to study the Chinese history and culture, so that teachers and students together can learn about China’s modern history and development.
At the beginning of 2016, the SAR government launched the One Thousand Talents program which targets middle schools, college and university students and young employees in Macao.
Each year, the program selects 1,000 youth to go to different provinces and cities in the mainland to carry out various learning and exchange activities. The theme of the activity covers fields such as history and culture, sports, scientific and technological innovation, youth entrepreneurship, as well as social work.
KAWASAKI — The Kawasaki city assembly on Thursday passed an ordinance bill imposing criminal penalties for hate speech, a first for Japan.
The new ordinance enacted in Kawasaki, to enter into force on July 1, bans discriminatory language and actions against those from countries or regions other than Japan in public spaces in the city near Tokyo. It makes repeat violations punishable by a fine of up to 500,000 yen ($4,600).
A file photo of US President Donald Trump. Image: Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Judiciary Committee took the first steps Wednesday evening toward voting on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, beginning a marathon two-day session to consider the historic charges with a lively prime-time hearing at the Capitol.
Democrats and Republicans used the otherwise procedural meeting to deliver sharp, poignant and, at times, personal arguments for and against impeachment. Both sides appealed to Americans’ sense of history — Democrats describing a strong sense of duty to stop what one called the president’s “constitutional crime spree” and Republicans decrying the “hot garbage’’ impeachment and what it means for the future of the country.
Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island asked Republicans standing by Trump to “wake up” and honor their oath of office. Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana responded with his own request to “put your country over party.” Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., shared his views in both English and Spanish.
One Democrat, Rep. Val Demings of Florida, told the panel that, as a descendant of slaves and now a member of Congress, she has faith in America because it is “government of the people” and in this country “nobody is above the law.” Freshman Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia emotionally talked about losing her son to gun violence and said that while impeachment was not why she came to Washington, she wants to “fight for an America that my son Jordan would be proud of.”
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said Democrats are impeaching because “they don’t like us,” and read out a long list of Trump’s accomplishments.
“It’s not just because they don’t like the president, they don’t like us,” Jordan added. “They don’t like the 63 million people who voted for this president, all of us in flyover country, all of us common folk in Ohio, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Texas.”
The committee is considering two articles of impeachment introduced by Democrats. They charge Trump with abuse of power for asking Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden while withholding aid as leverage, and obstruction of Congress for stonewalling the House’s investigation.
On Thursday, the committee will likely vote to send the articles to the full House, which is expected to vote next week. That could come after hours of debate over Republican amendments, though the articles aren’t likely to be changed. Democrats are unlikely to accept any amendments proposed by Republicans unified against Trump’s impeachment.
Democrats are also unified. They have agreed to the language, which spans only nine pages and says that Trump acted “corruptly” and “betrayed the nation” when he asked Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and the 2016 U.S. election. Hamstrung in the minority, Republicans wouldn’t have the votes to make changes without support from at least some Democrats.
The Wednesday evening session of the 41-member panel lasted more than three hours, with opening statements from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler opened the hearing by making a final argument for impeachment and urging his Republican colleagues to reconsider. He said the committee should consider whether the evidence shows that Trump committed these acts, if they rise to the level of impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors and what the consequences are if they fail to act.
“When his time has passed, when his grip on our politics is gone, when our country returns, as surely it will, to calmer times and stronger leadership, history will look back on our actions here today,” Nadler said. “How would you be remembered?”
Republicans are also messaging to the American people — and to Trump himself — as they argue that the articles show Democrats are out to get the president. Most Republicans contend, as Trump does, that he has done nothing wrong, and all of them are expected to vote against the articles.
The top Republican on the panel, Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, argued that Democrats are impeaching the president because they think they can’t beat him in the 2020 election.
Democrats think the only thing they need is a “32-second commercial saying we impeached him,” Collins said.
“That’s the wrong reason to impeach somebody, and the American people are seeing through this,” Collins said. “But at the end of the day, my heart breaks for a committee that has trashed this institution.”
Republicans are expected to offer an array of amendments and make procedural motions on Thursday, even if they know none of them will pass. The Judiciary panel is made up of some of the most partisan members on both sides, and Republicans will launch animated arguments in Trump’s defense.
Earlier Wednesday, Collins said the GOP would offer amendments but said they’d mainly be about allowing more time to debate.
“Remember, you can’t fix bad,” Collins said. “These are bad, you’re not going to fix it.”
In the formal articles announced Tuesday, the Democrats said Trump enlisted a foreign power in “corrupting” the U.S. election process and endangered national security by asking Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, including Biden, while withholding U.S. military aid as leverage. That benefited Russia over the U.S. as America’s ally fought Russian aggression, the Democrats said.
Trump then obstructed Congress by ordering current and former officials to defy House subpoenas for testimony and by blocking access to documents, the charges say.
Trump tweeted that to impeach a president “who has done NOTHING wrong, is sheer Political Madness.”
The House is expected to vote on the articles next week, in the days before Christmas. That would send them to the Senate for a 2020 trial.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he would be “totally surprised″ if there were the necessary 67 votes in the chamber to convict Trump, and signaled options for a swift trial. He said no decision had been made about whether to call witnesses.
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Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.
Booking a cheap hotel when you visit Bangkok doesn’t mean that you’ll be settling for less than you’re used to. Even if you book a cheap hotel in Sukhumvit near the Emquartier, one of the most upscale shopping malls in the city, you’ll still enjoy all the comforts of home.
This is because you get much more for your money when you book accommodations in Bangkok. The low prices charged by many hotels in Bangkok allow you to spend less on your accommodations and more on visiting all the sights of the city.
You can sample more of the foods and visiting the attractions of the city without worrying about budgeting your expenditures. You can also shop to your heart’s content. This is especially true if you’ve booked your accommodations in the exciting Sukhumvit area of Bangkok.
Explore the Upscale Sukhumvit Area of Bangkok
The Sukhumvit area of the city is one of the main shopping districts. The shopping district extends from the Siam Square to the On Nut BTS Skytrain stations.
The Phrom Phong BTS Skytrain station is about midway between them, and it’s here that you should book a cheap hotel in Sukhumvit near the Emquartier to enjoy all the attractions, colour and vibrancy that this area offers.
The Phrom Phong BTS Skytrain station is located right between two of the most prominent shopping malls in Bangkok, Emquartier and the Emporium. Surrounding these two landmarks are some of the best restaurants, eclectic shops, nightlife and the beautiful Benjasiri Park.
You can lose yourself for hours exploring all the colourful side streets and alleys of the surrounding area. This area is a popular residential area with Japanese ex-pats as well. With all the restaurants in the area that cater to the Japanese trade, it’s one of the best locations in the city to get an authentic bowl of ramen or eat a meal of fresh sushi.
The two shopping malls offer some of the most famous brand names and shops in the world of fashion, jewelry and luxury goods. You can spend some of the money you saved on the cost of your accommodations.
Your Gateway to Bangkok
By booking a cheap hotel in Sukhumvit near the Emquartier, you’ll also be able to easily access the entire city of Bangkok by the three rapid transit rail transport systems of the city, the BTS Skytrain, the MTR and the Airport Rail Link.
These rapid transit systems are all interconnected. This makes it easy to arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport and get to your hotel near Emquartier without ever having to sit in a taxi in Bangkok’s heavy traffic.
You’ll save time and money by using the city’s rapid transit network as your primary source of transportation while you visit Bangkok.
With the combination of booking a cheap hotel in Sukhumvit near the Emquartier and using the rapid transit systems of Bangkok, you’ll enjoy vast savings on your exciting visit to Bangkok. You’ll be able to spend more money on the fun things in life and less on the mundane necessities of travel.
A new beauty product,under the brand name MACY,has hit the market in Myanmar, as well as other CLMV countries. The foundation powder, recently introduced in early September, became an instant bestseller.
MACY magic puff is an all-in-one face powder mixed with concealer and other imported ingredients. Using a specific oil-controlling formula from France, fortified with pure glutathione extract from Switzerland, it provides coverage of blemishes while reflecting a perfect and smooth complexion.
High demand for MACY products has sparked a torrent of orders into Myanmar and other CLMV countries, namely Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, to satisfybeauty lovers who fell completely in love with MACY compact powder.
MACY has deployed a small-town marketing strategy that worked incredibly well. As a made-in-Thailand product, it was first marketed in neighbor countries and promptly became the talk of the town with soaring sales, proving that Thai products are highly regarded abroad, especially in the beauty market. MACY topped the bestselling list in Myanmar market. It was so popular there that Thai visitors bought and carried it back home, thinking it was a Myanmar brand. Actually, MACY was conceived by a Thai businesswoman: Mona Intarasonti, an expert in foreign marketing.
According to her, “Myanmar market is doing so well that supply almost went short. We have a lot of distributors there. There is also a lot of orders from other neighbor countries. In Thailand, we have just put it on the market, andwe are looking for additional business allies. I am available for marketing advice and would love to work with online vendors. Although we are still a new player in the Thai market, but from my experiences of more than a decade in the ASEAN market, MACY compact powder is the perfect answer for ASEAN women. It is waterproof and sweatproof. It magically conceals. The powder is exquisitely fine, a complete beauty solution in one package.”
The hot trend circulating through social media in neighbor countries led to continuous positive mentions and reviews of MACY compact powder. “We want to globalize Thai brands, because Thailand is a high-end makeup producer, offering Asia Pacific’s best innovation, and we are now welcoming distributors,” Mona Intarasonti clarified. The product is formulated with the best ingredients the world has to offer at the moment. MACY compact powder not only acts as a concealer while rendering a bright, smooth, and flawless complexion, it also contains a high UV protection quality. A naturally luminous look is guaranteed. Never too glaring or grayish. Best of all, it is the perfect match for ASEAN women’s skin condition.
A file photo of Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Election Commission ruled Wednesday that a popular opposition party broke the law by accepting an illegal loan from its head, a decision that could lead to its dissolution and unsettle the country’s politics.
The commission announced Future Forward Party chief Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit’s 191 million baht loan violated election laws, and said it will forward the case to the Constitutional Court, which could dissolve the party and force its lawmakers out of Parliament. The brief statement from the commission implied that it considered the loan to be a donation by referring to an article that limits legal donations to 10 million baht.
The commission must refer its motion to the court within 15 days.
Thanathorn’s party, which finished third in a March general election, has been an irritant to Thailand’s conservative establishment, in whose favor the courts have consistently ruled. The party is disliked by the officialdom only for its anti-military stance, but also because of its strong popularity.
The coalition government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha currently holds a shaky majority in Parliament, and the expulsion of Future Forward Party members would strengthen its position.
However, it could also energize Prayuth’s opponents, who believe that the March election was conducted under unfair rules implemented by the military regime he headed from a 2014 coup until earlier this year. They also feel the Future Forward Party is being unfairly targeted, contending that members of government parties have acted in a similar manner without punishment.
Party executives had no immediate reaction to the ruling.
Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club last week, Thanathorn said that the legal cases against him and his party were ”ïrrelevant” compared with an effort by the establishment to not allow “peaceful transitions through democracy to happen.”
“Nobody knows what could happen when people lost faith in the parliament system, where there is no hope left, where there is no possibility to win the power peacefully,”′ said Thanathorn. “The establishment, the junta, they seem certain that they could contain it, that they could control it. But many think otherwise. Many I talked to are not convinced. I think this is a very dangerous gamble.”
Political battles caused serious turmoil in Thailand from 2006-2014, including two coups and massive street protests involving contending groups, police and the military.
Thanathorn’s defense in the latest case against him was that the Political Parties Act makes no mention of loans. The law limits anyone from donating, giving money or assets in any form in excess of 10 million baht in any 12-month period, but it allows parties to conduct fundraisers and receive donations to finance their activities.
Prayuth told reporters Wednesday he had nothing to do with the process against Thanathorn, saying a ruling was solely under the court’s jurisdiction.
“I can confirm that I have never given any order or interfered with any legal process,” he said. ”I know what my role is, trust me.”
The Constitutional Court last month ruled that the 40-year-old Thanathorn could not keep his seat in the lower house because he had violated another election law barring owners of media companies from running for Parliament. Thanathorn said the company in which he had a share was defunct and he had divested his holding by the necessary deadline. If further investigation determines that he knowingly broke the law, he could face a ban from holding future political positions.
The Future Forward Party has been seeking to amend the country’s constitution — adopted during a period of army rule — to make it more democratic.
BANGKOK — Transparency activists on Wednesday condemned a remark by Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam, who implied that a politician can sidestep encroachment charges by simply handing the disputed lands back to the authorities.
Asked whether Phalang Pracharath MP Parina Kraikup would still face punishment after she agreed to hand over her 682 rai (109 hectare) land plot found to encroach on public lands reserved for impoverished farmers, Wissanu said he does not know the details, but suggested that the matter can be resolved when the land is returned.
“If it [the land] couldn’t be owned, then she has to return it,” Wissanu said. “Not every law uses the same principle.”
Earlier on Friday, Parina was given seven days to return the land to the Agricultural Reform Office after investigators confirmed that she had no right to own it.
Asked whether the government is trying to underplay legal complaints against Parina by shifting the focus to weaker punishments under the Agricultural Land Reform Act, Wissanu insisted that the government isn’t helping her.
“According to the law, the punishment for those who acquired [the land intended for farmers] is to return that land back to the government,” he said. “This punishment is better than criminal punishments which involve fines because it doesn’t cost the state a baht to prosecute.”
He then compared Parina’s case to the case of former Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, whose holiday home on Khao Yai Tieng was found to encroach into Khao Yai National Park. Gen. Surayud was later ordered to tear down the house without any criminal charges pressed against him.
Anti-corruption campaigner Veera Somkwamkid said Wissanu was twisting legal interpretation to suit his political gains.
“He has to defend Parina because it’s a part of Phalang Pracharath’s promise to clear out prosecuted MPs,” Veera said in an interview. “On top of that, the government is facing a razor-thin majority in the parliament. They couldn’t afford to lose Parina.”
The 682 rai land plot is part of the 1,700 rai (272 hectare) chicken farm owned by Parina. Different government agencies are taking legal action on different portions of the land, with another 46-rai (7.36 hectare) being declared by the Royal Forest Department as an intrusion on protected forest land.
If found guilty in the forest intrusion case, Parina faces up to 15 years in jail. But Wissanu’s hint that Parina will not be subjected to any criminal punishments riles up government critics, who say the law is not being applied evenly.
Opposition whip and Pheu Thai MP Suthin Klungsaeng said Wednesday the opposition is monitoring the case closely for government’s reaction, which he said could escalate into censure debate against a minister or even the entire cabinet.
Transparency activist Srisuwan Janya also slammed Wissanu’s comment, saying that “he shouldn’t act like he’s a court.”
“The deputy prime minister for legal affairs should uphold the values, enforcing the law without discrimination,” he said. “However, what we are seeing here is a government official who shamelessly said that not all the laws uphold the same principle.”
Srisuwan said he will file a complaint and legal suggestions to the Agricultural Land Reform Office for the agency to pursue further legal actions against Parina and other politicians who allegedly committed similar wrongdoings, though he wouldn’t disclose their names.
The Agricultural Land Reform Office and the Royal Forest Department said it would hold a meeting to decide which agency would take the lead in taking up criminal charges against Parina.
Oarsmen paddle their boat during the rehearsal for the Royal Barge Precession on the Chao Phraya River Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019. The Royal Barge Procession event is part of the coronation of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn and will be held on Dec. 12. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP
BANGKOK — His Majesty the King’s royal barge procession consisting of 52 ornately crafted river barges and 2,200 seamen will set sail down the Chao Phraya Thursday. Here’s where to watch the procession, which will be presided over by King Rama X and the Royal Family.
Thursday’s royal barge procession will set off at 3:30pm until 6pm, and the city has prepared 16 spots that people can watch for free, such as under the Rama VIII and Phra Pin Klao bridges on both sides of the river.
Spots on the eastern side of the river: Wat Rachathiwat Pier, under Rama VIII Bridge, Sam Phraya Park, Santi Chai Prakan Public Park, Thammasat University Tha Prachan campus, under Phra Pinklao Bridge, along Maha Rat Road, and at Nagaphirom Park.
Spots on the Thonburi (western) side of the river: at the end of Soi Charan Sanitwong 52, Rama VIII Park near the bridge of the same name, Phra Pin Klao Bridge Pier, under Phra Pin Klao Bridge, Chaloem Phrakiat 72th Year Park, Siriraj Hospital, and Wat Rakhang Khositaram.
Grandstands will be set up at Santi Chai Prakan Public Park, Thammasat, Nagaphirom Park, Rama VIII Park, Chaloem Phrakiat 72th Year Park, and Siriraj Hospital.
Bring your citizen ID or passport and hold it up on your right when passing through checkpoints in front of the spots. Be sure to dress in yellow, and refrain from dressing in black or other dark colors.
Prefer dining while watching royal barges? Contact your favorite riverside eatery along the river route above to see if they have any tables left.
With His Majesty the King and Queen Suthida onboard, the barges will depart Wasukri Pier and alight at Ratchaworadit Pier, where the monarch will continue toward the nearby Grand Palace by land procession. After performing religious ceremonies there, the Royal Family will return to Dusit Palace by motorcades.
To make way for the royal visit, roads around Sanam Luang and the Grand Palace will be closed from 4:30pm to 6pm (refer to map), and the Rama VIII and Phra Pin Klao Bridges closed during those hours
