SINGAPORE The Chinese banking sector's non-performing loan (NPL) ratio was at 1.65% at the end of the third

Engineers at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant were due to start releasing wastewater on Thursday in an operation that Japan insists is safe but which has...

Ron DeSantis has wrapped up his first tour of early-voting states that took him to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. At a campaign event in New Hampshire, there was a bizarre moment when a woman interrupted the governor’s speech to claim that her son’s murder was being covered up by the state of Florida. Video captured the unidentified woman being escorted out of the event by security as she threw a DeSantis hat to the ground and pulled out one supporting Donald Trump. The incident came hours after Mr DeSantis snapped at a reporter who persisted in asking him why he was posing for pictures with local voters but not taking their questions. “Are you blind?” Mr DeSantis snarled, insisting he was making himself available. The exchange was leapt upon Mr Trump, who branded his top 2024 rival “angry” at a Fox News town hall event in Iowa on Thursday evening. Back in the Sunshine State, a federal judge disqualified himself from overseeing a court case brought against Mr DeSantis by Disney. The governor is also facing mounting criticism over a sweeping new immigration law coming into effect on 1 July. Read More DeSantis lashes out at reporter on New Hampshire campaign visit: ‘Are you blind?’ Woman interrupts DeSantis speech to claim her son’s murder was covered up in Florida DeSantis says ‘petty and juvenile’ Trump can thank his own behaviour for 2020 loss

Policymakers at the Federal Reserve are feeling optimistic that a rise in long-term Treasury yields could finally put an end to the past 19 months of historic interest rate hikes meant to tamp down inflation.

The Department of Energy is making a push to strengthen the U.S. battery supply chain — the minerals and parts that go into batteries

Atlanta Braves fans showed their disdain for a pivotal call by throwing debris on the field on Saturday, and the Braves manager isn't having it.

Animal welfare advocates are suing to stop Wisconsin's new wolf management plan

Female workers who produce Fifa merchandise for events such as the Women’s World Cup have endured pay below minimum wage, verbal abuse, unpaid overtime and threats of job loss if they fall pregnant, according to a new report by human rights researcher Equidem. Equidem has criticised Fifa for not taking action on a situation that seems to go against the advances the tournament has been responsible for, and president Gianni Infantino has been urged to extend “that progress to addressing the harms its women workers experience”. Equidem has put its report into the context of the litany of migrant labour abuses that occurred due to the men’s World Cup in Qatar and asked why there has been no update from a human rights subcommittee that was supposed to be set up to assess the legacy of that event, raising questions about Fifa’s expressed commitment to improving working conditions. The report features interviews with women workers in factories in Bangladesh that make official merchandise for Fifa events, and involves distressing testimonies including verbal abuse and the illegal denial of worksite childcare and maternity leave. Equidem heard several stories of women denied freedom of association. “We have a daily target to reach,” one worker said. “The supervisor fixes our daily target. I make 60-80 pieces per hour. I can only go to the restroom after finishing my hourly target. When a lot of work piles up, they don’t let us go anywhere. They verbally abuse us. I work for 10-12 hours a day at my sewing machine. Today, my supervisor told me to give 80 pieces per hour, but it was quite difficult to make 80 pieces. I made 60 pieces per hour. He shouted at me several times. “I can’t keep my son with me. I work between eight and 12 hours every day. Who will look after him? I searched for someone to leave my son with when I went to work, but I did not get anyone. We don’t have a childcare room in our factory. My son lives in Dhaka with my mother-in law and father-in-law.” Workers described a common practice of being told they would lose their jobs if they became pregnant during the first two years of employment. One woman employed as a sewing machine operator explained: “When I started working here, the factory doctor told me not to have babies for the first two years. I was told that after completing two years, I can have children. If I get pregnant before that, I will have to resign. They will not give me any leave.” Some workers spoken to by Equidem reported that they did not get paid any maternity leave at all, even though they are supposed to be legally entitled to four months, making it a clear violation of Bangladeshi law. Equidem’s CEO Mustafa Qadri states: “After the Men’s World Cup this past year in Qatar, FIFA pledged to set up a human rights subcommittee that would assess the legacy of the 2022 tournament, although there has been no further update as to the status of that assessment, nor its learnings. Equidem urges FIFA to extend its expressed commitment to improving working conditions to women workers in their apparel supply chains. "Yet, the world has seen significant advances in pay parity for women players, including making the Women’s World Cup more professional, ensuring equal regulations and conditions, and fair distribution of prize money to players. The United States team, after years of negotiations, public battles, and court filing won an equal pay deal that makes them one of the best-paid national teams in the world. "The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 brings with it many positive improvements for its players, and it is crucial that FIFA extends that progress to addressing the harms its women workers experience. FIFA has the power, money, and resource to address this at the systemic level, and we will keep monitoring their global supply chains until it does. “This movement toward gender parity within FIFA, signals a heightened commitment within the organisation to fair conditions for women players—on par with their male counterparts. This should extend to all women, not just those under the stadium lights.” A Fifa spokesperson said: “FIFA has stringent labour rights requirements for companies producing FIFA-licensed goods and takes any allegation of labour rights abuse in its supply chain very seriously. FIFA is in contact with both Equidem and the respective companies to further investigate the matter.” Read More Fifa urged to make human rights key consideration for World Cup 2030 host ‘Matter of when not whether’ UK hosts Women’s World Cup – sports minister Kevin De Bruyne says new approach to added time ‘doesn’t make any sense’ How much added time? Football’s new guidelines and the impact they will have Raphael Varane says players’ opinions ignored over ‘damaging’ new guidelines

By Safiyah Riddle Record-breaking heat waves across the U.S. forced small businesses to close early in July, according

The majority of Spain’s World Cup winning team – although with the notable exception of Jenni Hermoso – have been selected for upcoming fixtures against Sweden and Switzerland, but it remains unclear whether the players have ended their international boycott following the resignation of Luis Rubiales. Last week, a group of 39 players released an open letter demanding further changes at the Spanish Football Association before they would return to international duty, after their World Cup triumph in Sydney was overshadowed by the fallout that followed Rubiales’ unsolicited kiss on the lips of forward Hermoso. Spain’s World Cup-winning manager Jorge Vilda was replaced amid the furore, with newly-appointed coach Montse Tome announcing her first squad since taking charge. Her selection included 15 of the 23 players who were in their World Cup squad, as well as two star players, Barcelona’s Mapi Leon and Patri Guijarro, who had boycotted the tournament after previously voicing concerns over playing conditions. Tome would not reveal whether she had spoken to the players before she made her selection, which comes ahead of Spain’s match against Sweden on Friday. However, the coach explained that Hermoso had not been selected because it was the “best way to protect her” following the events that followed Spain’s 1-0 win against England in the World Cup final on 20 August. The core of Spain’s World Cup-winning team have been called up, which includes 21 of the 39 players who signed an open letter demanding further changes following the exits of Rubiales and Vilda. An original group of 81 players had initiated the boycott in response to Rubiales’ unwanted kiss of the lips of Hermoso in Sydney. Rubiales only resigned on 10 September, after Hermoso filed a criminal complaint against him for alleged sexual assault. Read More Spain’s World Cup players to continue boycott despite Luis Rubiales’ resignation Spain players demand FA overhaul and continue national team boycott Watch Luis Rubiales arrive at Spanish court over Women’s World Cup kiss

Newcastle striker Callum Wilson has agreed a one-year contract extension with the Premier League club. The 31-year-old, who has been the Magpies’ top scorer for the past three seasons, is now committed to the Magpies until 2025. The England international has scored 40 goals in 79 league games since arriving from Bournemouth in 2020. That places him fifth on the club’s record Premier League goalscorers chart and with just eight more he would move up into second, behind only Alan Shearer. Wilson told the club’s website: “I’m delighted to extend my time here. “It’s a fantastic football club, I’ve been welcomed ever since I came through the door and now the club’s going in a fantastic direction and on a journey so it’s nice to commit my future to being a part of that. “We’ve got some great things to look forward to and I think being around here, the city, fanbase, is what players dream of so I can’t wait to be around for the next few years. “When I first joined the club, I had ambitions to come back to the Premier League having been relegated with Bournemouth and over the first few interviews I mentioned Europe and I mentioned getting to 100 Premier League goals. “They were ambitions of mine and they still are. I’m close to get into the ‘100 club’ and also becoming the second all-time Premier League scorer for Newcastle would be an amazing achievement, having looked up to Shearer for many years. “There’s so many fantastic names that have been before me at Newcastle – goalscorers who have worn the number nine – and it’d be nice to join them in the record books during my time here.” Wilson’s contributions helped Newcastle finish fourth in the Premier League and reach the Carabao Cup final last season. Manager Eddie Howe, who previously worked with Wilson at Bournemouth, said: “We’re very pleased because Callum has been an integral part of our success. “He’s an outstanding person, an outstanding footballer and I’m delighted he’s going to be with us for longer. “He’s an incredibly motivated person and I’ve never seen Callum not motivated to score goals. I think that’s a great thing for a striker.”

The win-streak ended at seven games for the Tampa Bay Rays after an 8-4 loss to Nathan Eovaldi and the Texas Rangers yesterday. Tampa Bay is now 47-20 and Texas is 41-22 heading into the rubber match at Tropicana Field today. Both offenses have had their chance to shine, but we could see a bit of a ...