Author: Starvision News Desk

Wellington, Aug 11 (IANS) New Zealand’s annual food prices were 9.6 per cent higher in July 2023 than in July 2022, the country’s statistics department said on Friday.Stats NZ said in July this year, the annual increase was due to rises across all the broad food categories measured, with grocery food prices up 11.9 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported.”While overall food inflation has slowed, it is comparable to the increases we saw in 2008 and 2011,” said Stats NZ consumer prices manager James Mitchell.”Increasing prices for fresh eggs, potato crisps, and six-pack yoghurt were the largest drivers within grocery…

Beijing, Aug 11 (IANS) At least 29 people have been killed in disasters triggered by the recent torrential rain in China’s Hebei province, while 16 people still remained unaccounted for, local authorities said on Friday.Torrential downpours and severe flooding have wreaked havoc across 110 counties, cities and districts in the province, reports Xinhua news agency.Infrastructure including transportation, power, communication and water facilities in the disaster-stricken areas suffered damage.The province had incurred a direct economic loss of 95.81 billion yuan ($13.38 billion), and the overall extent of the disaster was still being assessed and verified.As of Thursday, the flooding had affected…

Quito, Aug 11 (IANS) Six suspects arrested in connection with the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio and another accused who was shot dead are all foreigners, police have confirmed.The six armed suspects, all members of organised crime groups, were captured hiding in a house in Quito, the country’s capital, Xinhua news agency quoted a police report as saying.Describing the killing as “a political crime of a terrorist nature”, Interior Minister Juan Zapata confirmed all suspects are foreigners without revealing their nationalities.The minister noted that the police will continue investigating and seeking a motive for the crime.Villavicencio, the candidate…

Wellington, Aug 11 (IANS) The New Zealand government continues to close the gender pay gap by further promoting pay transparency, Minister for Women Jan Tinetti said on Friday.Around 900 entities nationwide with more than 250 employees will be required to publicly report their gender pay gap, and after four years, this will increase to almost 2,700 entities with more than 100 workers, Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying.”The reality is that women have different experiences in the workplace than men, and change is needed,” Tinetti said, adding that requiring companies to publish their gender pay gap will encourage…

New York, Aug 11 (IANS) The tide of illegal immigrants at the US southern border that has roiled the nation’s politics has reached New York City and a Pakistan-owned hotel is its hub earning the cash-strapped country $220 million.The Roosevelt Hotel that shut down in 2020 during the Covid pandemic and slipping into dereliction was commandeered by the city government to process asylum-seekers streaming in by the tens of thousands from the Republican states on the border with Mexico.As the city ran out of facilities to house them — and the city’s own homeless people — some migrants have camped…

Kathmandu, Aug 11 (IANS) In connection to a massive gold smuggling racket, Nepal Police on Friday arrested two more Chinese nationals from the Kathmandu airport while they were awaiting to board a flight to Beijing.Last month, the police confiscated one quintal of gold smuggled from Hong Kong and arrested some Chinese and Nepali nationals in connection.The final destination of the smuggled gold is believed to be India, according to the Nepal Police.The two Chinese nationals arrested on Friday were identified asLi Jialin and Li Fuyan.The two were in the black list of the Department of Revenue Intelligence for their alleged…

Kathmandu, August 11 ( IANS) Sunil Sharma, a Nepali Congress MP from Kathmandu, has been arrested for the alleged possession of fake academic certificates.Sharma was arrested on Thursday by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police.Nepal Police spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General Kuber Kadayat said the MP, elected from Morang-3 constituency, was arrested on the charge of fraud related to his educational certificatse. Sharma, also a medical professional who runs a hospital, was charged with a similar case about seven years ago. The ruling Nepali Congress has opposed his arrest. “He was arrested because he demanded the resignation of…

Rome. Aug 11 (IANS) The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in Italy stood at 5.9 per cent in July, down from 6.4 per cent reported in June, the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) said.In July, prices for transportation services, non-regulated energy goods, and processed food — all key parts of the inflation calculus — have shown a “deceleration”, Xinhua news agency quoted ISTAT as saying.According to the institute, the growth rate for transportation-related services slowed to 2.4 per cent in July from 4.7 per cent a month earlier, while prices for non-regulated energy services grew 7.0 per cent in July…

Colombo, Aug 11 (IANS) The Sri Lankan Navy announced that a Chinese warship has docked at the Colombo Port on a three-day formal visit to the island nation, almost a year after the visit of a controversial Chinese ship with ballistic missile and satellite tracking facilities.In a statement, the Navy said the warship, HAI YANG 24 HAO of China’s People’s Liberation Army, arrived in the capital city on Thursday.The 129 metre-long ship is manned by a crew of 138 and commanded by Commander Jin Xin. It will depart on Saturday, the statement added.In August last year despite security concerns raised…

London, Aug 10 (IANS) Troubled UK budget retailer Wilko has called administrators, putting more than 12,000 jobs at risk after it failed to agree a rescue deal, a media report said.The family-owned household and garden products retailer, which has about 400 stores, is expected to have to close dozens of outlets, leaving big gaps on high streets after weeks of talks with interested parties, The Guardian reported.Mark Jackson, the Chief Executive of Wilko, said: “We left no stone unturned when it came to preserving this incredible business but must concede that, with regret, we’ve no choice but to take the difficult…