7+ min ago (259+ words) Tuesday, 25 Nov 2025 BERLIN, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Germany's business sentiment slipped again in November, the second drop since September, adding to concerns that Europe's largest economy may face another year of stagnation. The ifo Business Climate Index fell to 88.1 points in November from 88.4 in October, the Munich-based ifo Institute said on Monday. Sentiment in services has improved, but confidence in manufacturing, trade, and construction all dropped. Retailers also reported a slow start to the Christmas season. The monthly survey of around 9,000 companies showed business expectations turning more pessimistic. "Businesses have little faith that a recovery is coming anytime soon," ifo President Clemens Fuest said. Manufacturers grew more cautious about the coming months, reversing the relative optimism they had in previous months, ifo Institute said. Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING Research, said the reversal in expectations reflects fading early-year optimism,…...

9+ min ago (152+ words) Tuesday, 25 Nov 2025 OSLO, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Norway and Brazil have vowed to step up joint efforts to halt deforestation and mobilize large-scale finance for forest conservation, the Norwegian government said on Monday in a release. In a joint statement issued during the UN climate conference COP30 in the Amazonian city of Belem, the two sides pledged to deepen collaboration and dialogue to halt deforestation and forest degradation and to strengthen biodiversity conservation. The two countries agreed to continue and reinforce their political and technical dialogue under the bilateral climate and forest partnership in the coming years, and to work with other countries to reduce deforestation and increase forest finance globally, the statement added. Norway is one of the traditional forestry nations in Northern Europe, with a high level of forest coverage and a well-developed wood-processing industry that plays an important role in…...

12+ min ago (501+ words) VIENTIANE: Laos is stepping up efforts to attract more investment from China's Yunnan province as the two sides work to strengthen trade, transport links and economic cooperation. This commitment was underlined at the 15th Meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee for northern Laos and Yunnan province, which took place in Vientiane on Monday (Nov 24), bringing together senior officials and business representatives from both countries. Speaking at the annual meeting, Standing Vice President and Head of Office of the Laos-China Cooperation Committee, Saengdeuane Sayasone, said the meeting was a golden opportunity for Laos to specify its investment priorities and hear directly from Chinese companies about their needs and expectations. She highlighted the country's political stability and its central location, bordered by five nations: China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Laos is also home to vast tracts of fertile land and significant potential…...

14+ min ago (248+ words) Humans are capable of both unspeakable cruelty and incomprehensible kindness in equal measure. Examples of both are all over social media as they make us either abandon hope or restore faith in the human race. Sadly, a video has gone viral of a homeless man being splashed with water and kicked for sleeping on the sidewalk outside a bank in Kuala Lumpur. The 37-second video apparently shows a security guard and another man splashing water and kicking the homeless man, who was lying on the sidewalk, in order to force him to leave. Did this really happen? According to AmBank, the incident took place recently outside their Taman Maluri branch in Cheras. "We are aware of a video circulating online regarding an unfortunate incident involving a third-party security guard and a man believed to be a cobbler mistreating a gentleman…...

14+ min ago (133+ words) A participant waves a flag as people from LGBTQ+ community and their allies parade the city to claim visibility and equal rights, in Cologne, Germany July 21, 2024. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch (Reuters) -EU countries must recognise a marriage between EU citizens of the same sex lawfully concluded in another member state, the bloc's Court of Justice said on Tuesday. The court said Poland had been wrong in not recognising a marriage between two Polish citizens in Germany on the ground that Polish law does not allow marriage between persons of the same sex. "Refusing to recognise a marriage between two Union citizens, is contrary to EU law because it infringes (the) freedom and the right to respect for private and family life," the court said. (Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)...

16+ min ago (160+ words) KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, has granted Royal Assent to 13 amendment Bills passed in the recent Dewan Rakyat session, says Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul. "I would like to inform this House that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has given Royal Assent to these Acts," Johari said in the Lower House on Tuesday (Nov 25). The list includes the Education (Amendment) Act, the National Registration (Amendment) Act, the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing (Amendment) Act, and amendments to several core energy-related laws, including the Energy Commission (Amendment) Act, the Electricity Supply (Amendment) Act and the Atomic Energy Licensing (Amendment) Act. Also given assent were the Whistleblower Protection (Amendment) Act, the Local Government (Amendment) Act, the Roads, Drains and Buildings (Amendment) Act, and the Poisons (Amendment) Act. The list also includes the Mandatory Attendance of Offenders (Amendment) Act,…...

27+ min ago (127+ words) Tuesday, 25 Nov 2025 ISTANBUL, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-three students in T'rkiye's northwestern province of Bursa were hospitalized after experiencing abdominal pain and nausea, local health authorities said on Monday. According to a statement issued by the Bursa Provincial Health Directorate on X, the 23 affected students from Soloz Primary School had consumed chicken schnitzel and pasta prepared by students of Erenler Girls' Vocational High School in the Orhangazi district. The statement said the affected children were taken to hospitals for treatment, adding that their overall condition was reported to be stable. Following the incident, teams from the district health directorate and the district agriculture and forestry directorate were dispatched to both schools to collect water and food samples and conduct an epidemiological investigation, it noted....

34+ min ago (449+ words) OSK Areca stands as the new benchmark of elevated elegance. NILAI: OSK Property is set to unveil OSK Areca with the opening of its new sales gallery, a freehold serviced apartment development that marks the group's debut in Nilai, Negri Sembilan. Positioned to bring together value, lifestyle and connectivity, OSK Areca is poised to elevate urban living in the fast-growing southern gateway to Greater Kuala Lumpur. Located on a 1.05ha parcel in Bandar Baru Nilai, OSK Areca will offer 944 serviced apartment units with practical layouts ranging from 1+1-bedroom to two-bedroom configurations sized between 592 and 753 sq ft. Prices are expected to start from approximately RM363,000. Each unit will come with one to two car parks and buyers may opt for a semi-furnished package. More than 30 curated lifestyle facilities will be available across multiple floors. The development is targeted for launch in the first…...

48+ min ago (254+ words) NAIROBI: Government agencies concerned must take immediate measures and action to help those affected by the floods, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Prime Minister said the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) has been instructed to do the maximum to help those affected. "Do whatever that is necessary to try and lift some of the burden," Anwar said to reporters at the end of his visit to Kenya. On the preparedness of the disaster management team, he said they have done their best to prepare for the situation. He said Nadma chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi held meetings months ahead to ensure all are in place to manage the floods when it happens. "Even before I left (for the trip to three African countries), I was briefed on a weekly basis about the expected…...

51+ min ago (126+ words) PETALING JAYA: Over 2,600 flood victims have been placed at temporary relief centres in Selangor as of Tuesday (Nov 25) morning. Read full story Floods: Over 2,600 evacuated to 20 relief centres in Selangor Tuesday, 25 Nov 2025 PETALING JAYA: Over 2,600 flood victims have been placed at temporary relief centres in Selangor as of Tuesday (Nov 25) morning. The state Fire and Rescue Department said in a statement that a total of 736 families (2,681 victims) have been placed at the 20 shelters opened in the state. It said the districts most affected by the floods since Monday (Nov 24) are Hulu Langat, Klang, Kuala Selangor, Sabak Bernam and Petaling. No shelters have been deactivated as of this morning, it added....