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Singapore — Pope Francis on Thursday urged political leaders in Singapore, a leading global financial hub, to seek fair wages for the country's million-plus lower-paid foreign workers. In likely the last major speech of an ambitious 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania, the 87-year-old pontiff expressed concern for Singapore's rapidly aging population and its migrant workforce, centered in the construction and domestic services industries. "I hope that special attention will be paid to the poor and the elderly ... as well as to protecting the dignity of migrant workers," the pope said in an address to about 1,000 politicians and civil and religious leaders. "These workers contribute a great deal to society and should be guaranteed a fair wage," he said. There were 1.1 million foreigners on work permits in Singapore who earned less than S$3,000 ($2,300) per month as of December 2023, including 286,300 domestic workers and 441,100 workers in the construction, shipyard and process sectors, government data shows. Many of the migrant workers come from nearby countries such as Malaysia, China, Bangladesh and India. Many also come from the Philippines, a majority Catholic country. A Singapore NGO that provides services for migrant workers, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, welcomed the pope's remarks, saying they were in "full agreement" with his call for fair wages. Singapore's workforce ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Concern for migrants has been a common theme for Francis. Earlier on his trip, he asked leaders in Papua New Guinea to work for fair wages as that country becomes a major target of international companies for its gas, gold and other reserves. 'Example to follow' Francis' speech came after private meetings with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the country's parliament building, where the pope was presented with a white orchid plant, a new hybrid that was named in his honor. Francis praised Singapore's efforts to confront climate change, calling them a model for other countries. Singapore's government says rising sea levels due to global warming could have major implications for its low-lying coastline and it is planning to spend S$100 billion ($77 billion) over the course of the century on the issue. "Your commitment to sustainable development and the preservation of creation is an example to follow," the pope said. Francis, who has prioritized trips to places never visited by a pope, or where Catholics are a small minority, is only the second pope to visit Singapore, following a brief 5-hour layover by the late John Paul II in 1986. Singapore, with a population of 5.92 million, is plurality Buddhist, with about 31% of people identifying with that faith. The Vatican counts about 210,000 Catholics in the country, although that number is higher if foreign workers are included. There are also strong Muslim, Hindu and Taoist communities, and Francis praised Singapore as "a mosaic of ethnicities, cultures and religions living together in harmony." Hong Kong presence Francis celebrated a Mass the Vatican said drew some 50,000 people to Singapore's national sports stadium, a venue that has also hosted performers such as Taylor Swift, who played six concerts there in March. People queued outside the stadium, under tight security measures, at least five hours before the start of the event. Connie Rodriguez, a Filipino Catholic in Singapore, said it was "overwhelming" to see the pope. "You really feel so blessed," she said. Francis toured the stadium at the beginning of the event in a white golf cart decorated with the Vatican seal. He greeted dozens of schoolchildren, babies, and disabled people. He also took a few selfies. Among those who attended the Mass, which featured a prayer in Mandarin, were Catholics who traveled from Hong Kong for the event, including the territory's archbishop, Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan. The Vatican is currently renegotiating a controversial deal with China over the appointment of Catholic bishops in the country, which is up for renewal in October. Francis' 12-day tour has also included stops in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor. He returns to Rome on Friday. ($1 = 1.3039 Singapore dollars)

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A billionaire stepped out for the first private spacewalk Thursday, teaming up with SpaceX on the daring endeavor hundreds of kilometers above Earth.  Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and his crew waited until their capsule was depressurized before popping open the hatch. Isaacman emerged first, joining a small elite group of spacewalkers who until now had included only professional astronauts from a dozen countries.  "Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, it sure looks like a perfect world," said Isaacman.  The commercial spacewalk was the main focus of the five-day flight financed by Isaacman and Elon Musk's company, and the culmination of years of development geared toward settling Mars and other planets.  All four on board donned SpaceX's new spacewalking suits to protect themselves from the harsh vacuum. They launched on Tuesday from Florida, rocketing farther from Earth than anyone since NASA's moonwalkers. The orbit was reduced by half — 740 kilometers — for the spacewalk.  This first spacewalking test, expected to last about two hours, involved more stretching than walking. The plan called for Isaacman to keep a hand or foot attached to it the whole time as he flexed his arms and legs to see how the new spacesuit would hold up. The hatch sported a walker-like structure for extra support.  After about 15 minutes outside, Isaacman was replaced by SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis to go through the same motions.  Each had 3.6-meter tethers but no intention of unfurling them or dangling at the end unlike what happens at the International Space Station, where astronauts routinely float out to do repairs at a much lower orbit.  More and more wealthy passengers are plunking down huge sums for rides aboard private rockets to experience a few minutes of weightlessness. Other have spent tens of millions to stay in space for days or even weeks. Space experts and risk analysts say it's inevitable that some will seek the thrill of spacewalking, deemed one of the most dangerous parts of spaceflight after launch and reentry but also the most soul-stirring.  This operation was planned down to the minute with little room for error. Trying out new spacesuits from a spacecraft new to spacewalking added to the risk. So did the fact that the entire capsule was exposed to the vacuum of space.  Scott "Kidd" Poteet, a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot, and SpaceX engineer Anna Menon stayed strapped to their seats to monitor from inside. All four underwent intensive training before the trip.  Isaacman, 41, CEO and founder of the Shift4 credit card-processing company, has declined to disclose how much he invested in the flight. It was the first of three flights in a program he's dubbed Polaris; this one was called Polaris Dawn. For SpaceX's inaugural private flight in 2021, he took up contest winners and a cancer survivor.  Until Thursday, only 263 people had conducted a spacewalk, representing 12 countries. The Soviet Union's Alexei Leonov kicked it off in 1965, followed a few months later by NASA's Ed White. 

MORGAN CITY, La. — Francine weakened Thursday after striking Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, sent storm surge rushing into coastal communities and raised flood fears in New Orleans and beyond as drenching rains spread over the northern Gulf Coast. The tropical storm was forecast to be downgraded to a tropical depression as it churned northward over Mississippi, the National Hurricane Center said. Some 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters) of rain were possible in parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, with up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) possible in some spots in parts of Alabama and Florida, forecasters said, warning of the potential threat of scattered flash flooding as farflung as Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; and Atlanta. Francine slammed the Louisiana coast Wednesday evening with 100 mph (155 kph) winds in coastal Terrebonne Parish, battering a fragile coastal region that hasn't fully recovered from a series of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021. It then moved at a fast clip toward New Orleans, pounding the city with torrential rains. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. TV news broadcasts from coastal communities showed waves from nearby lakes, rivers and Gulf waters thrashing sea walls. Water poured into city streets amid blinding downpours. Oak and cypress trees leaned in the high winds, and some utility poles swayed back and forth. "It's a little bit worse than what I expected to be honest with you," said Alvin Cockerham, fire chief of Morgan City about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from where the storm's center made landfall. "I pulled all my trucks back to the station. It's too dangerous to be out there in this." Power outages in Louisiana topped 390,000 early Thursday in Louisiana, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us, with an additional 46,000 outages reported in Mississippi. Sheltering at her mother's home just outside Morgan City, Laura Leftwich said blasts of wind had swept away two large birdhouses outside. She had a generator powering an internet connection so she could video chat with friends, holding her computer to a window to show them water overflowing in the street. If the storm had been any more intense, "I wouldn't have the guts to look outside," said Leftwich, 40. "It's a little scary." The sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Francine drew fuel from exceedingly warm Gulf of Mexico waters, strengthening to a Category 2 storm before landfall. It weakened late Wednesday to a tropical storm. In addition to torrential rains, there was a lingering threat of spin-off tornadoes from the storm Thursday in Florida and Alabama. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said the National Guard would fan out to parishes impacted by Francine. They have food, water, nearly 400 high-water vehicles, about 100 boats and 50 helicopters to respond to the storm, including for possible search-and-rescue operations. Since the mid-19th century, some 57 hurricanes have tracked over or made landfall in Louisiana, according to The Weather Channel. Among them are some of the strongest, costliest and deadliest storms in U.S. history. Morgan City, home to around 11,500 people, sits on the banks of the Atchafalaya River in south Louisiana and is surrounded by lakes and marsh. It's described on the city's website as "gateway to the Gulf of Mexico for the shrimping and oilfield industries." President Joe Biden granted an emergency declaration to help Louisiana secure expedited federal money and assistance. Landry and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves also declared states of emergency. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said it distributed more than 100,000 sandbags to the southern part of the state and the Department of Education reported a number of school district closures for Wednesday and Thursday.

Seoul — South Korea approved the construction of two nuclear reactors on its east coast Thursday, reversing a previous administration's anti-nuclear policy as Seoul now works to expand its atomic energy capabilities. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved permits to build the Shin Hanul 3 and 4 reactors after it "confirmed the safety" of the project in southeast Uljin city. "No factors have been found at the reactor construction site that could cause geological disasters such as subsidence or ground collapse," it said. Each reactor will have a capacity of 1.4 gigawatts, and they are scheduled to be built by 2033. Seoul sought to phase out nuclear energy under the leadership of Moon Jae-in, whose government aimed to make South Korea completely nuclear-free by 2084. But since Yoon Suk Yeol took office in 2022, his government has ambitions to increase the share of power generated from nuclear energy to 36 percent by 2038, up from the current 30 percent. The new reactors will "contribute to the development of cutting-edge technologies such as AI by providing a stable supply of clean and reliable energy," said Sung Tae-yoon, Yoon's chief of staff for policy. The development could also "help the country secure reactor construction bids overseas," he told reporters. The approval came eight years after Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Company first submitted the permit request. The process was suspended in 2017 amid the then-government's push to reduce the country's dependence on nuclear energy. Thursday's decision was criticized by Korean activist group Energy Justice Actions as an "irresponsible move that threatens the safety of the people, in opposition to the global trend towards an energy shift" towards renewable resources. The two new reactors will be Uljin's ninth and tenth, the group said, calling such a concentration a "global rarity."

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Jakarta — Indonesian President Joko Widodo will from Thursday spend the final weeks of his term in the country's planned new capital, Nusantara, amid doubts about the continued pace of development of his flagship $32 billion megaproject. The massive infrastructure undertaking on the island of Borneo has suffered a series of setbacks, including construction delays, land issues, and a lack of foreign investment. This June the two top officials overseeing Nusantara abruptly resigned. Jokowi, as the outgoing leader is known, reiterated on Thursday that it could be decades before Nusantara is finished. "It could take 10, 15, or even 20 years," Jokowi told top military and police officials during a meeting in Nusantara's recently completed eagle-shaped palace. "Moving to the new capital is not only about moving to a new building, palace or location," he added. "But is a change of mindset and working patterns." Intended to ease the burden on the congested, polluted and densely populated current capital Jakarta, the parliament in 2022 passed a law to move its capital. But ahead of the Oct. 20 inauguration of president-elect Prabowo Subianto and Jokowi's eldest son, vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, doubts have grown about Nusantara's future viability. Analysts say the development of Nusantara is unlikely to continue at the same breakneck speed in the next administration. Prabowo, who ran on a platform of continuing Jokowi's policies, is expected to prioritize his own signature $28 billion "free nutritious food program" targeting malnutrition and stunted growth in schoolchildren across the world's fourth-most populous nation. Jokowi told officials on Thursday that Prabowo had promised to speed up construction. Located on the eastern side of Borneo island, Nusantara is about 1,200 km from Jakarta. Nusantara's presidential palace and its first hotel were recently completed, while housing for state officials, an airport and toll roads are still under way. On Friday Jokowi is expected to hold his second cabinet meeting in Nusantara and may announce several new investments. 

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HANOI, Vietnam — Nearly 200 people have died in Vietnam in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi and 128 are missing as flash floods and landslides take their toll, state media reported Thursday. Vietnam's VNExpress newspaper reported that 199 people have died while more than 800 have been injured. In the capital, flood waters from the Red River receded slightly but many areas were still inundated with water neck-high in some places. In Hanoi's Tay Ho district, people waded through muddy brown water above their knees to make their way along one street, some still wearing their bicycle and motorcycle helmets after abandoning their vehicles along the way. A few paddled along the road in small boats as empty water bottles, a plastic foam cooler and other flotsam drifted by; one man pushed his motorbike toward drier ground in an aluminum sloop. Pedestrians hiked up their shorts as high as possible to avoid being soaked by the wake caused by a delivery truck powering its way through the water. Bakery owner Mai Anh evacuated the area with her family to shelter with her parents, but returned Thursday to check on her shop and found more than half a meter of water still inside. "I can't do business with the flood like this," she said. "The goods in my shop are all destroyed." The flooding in Hanoi has been reportedly the worst in two decades. Residents started evacuating the area Tuesday as the flood waters rose, and power and drinking water have been cut since Wednesday. The flood waters damaged the doors to Hoang Anh Tu's home, from which he operates a beer shop. Though he and his family were able to relocate to his parents' house, they have had to take turns guarding the building. "It's very difficult," he said. "We haven't even been able to assess the damage because the flood came so fast." Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit the Southeast Asian country in decades. It made landfall Saturday with winds of up to 149 kph. Despite weakening on Sunday, downpours continued and rivers remain dangerously high. The death toll spiked earlier in the week as a flash flood swept away the entire hamlet of Lang Nu in northern Vietnam's Lao Cai province Tuesday. Hundreds of rescue personnel worked tirelessly Wednesday to search for survivors, but as of Thursday morning 53 villagers remained missing, VNExpress reported, while seven more bodies were found, bringing the death toll there to 42. Floods and landslides have caused most of the deaths, many of which have come in the northwestern Lao Cai province, bordering China, where Lang Nu is located. Lao Cai province is also home to the popular trekking destination of Sapa. On Monday, a bridge collapsed and a bus was swept away by flooding, killing dozens of people. The steel bridge in Phu Tho province over the engorged Red River collapsed, sending 10 cars and trucks along with two motorbikes into the river. The bus carrying 20 people was swept into a flooded stream by a landslide in mountainous Cao Bang province. Experts say storms like Typhoon Yagi are getting stronger due to climate change, as warmer ocean waters provide more energy to fuel them, leading to higher winds and heavier rainfall.

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KYIV, Ukraine — After spending years in what she described as "boring, sedentary" roles in the offices of several Ukrainian companies, Liliia Shulha landed her dream job as a truck driver with Ukraine's leading retailer, Fozzy Group. "I always dreamed about big cars. Instead of (playing with) dolls, I drove cars when I was a child," she told Reuters. "Now the situation is such that they take people without experience and they train. I was lucky," said Shulha, 40, wearing a company uniform in front of a large truck. As the war with Russia drains the labor force, businesses are trying to cover critical shortages by hiring more women in traditionally male-dominated roles and turning to teenagers, students and older workers. With millions of people, mostly women and children, abroad after fleeing the war, and tens of thousands of men mobilized into the army, the jobs crisis could endanger economic growth and a post-war recovery, analysts say. Ukraine has lost over a quarter of its workforce since Russia's invasion in February 2022, central bank data showed. Nearly 60% of businesses said finding skilled workers was their main challenge, an economy ministry survey of over 3,000 companies showed. "The situation is indeed critical," said Tetiana Petruk, chief sustainability officer at steel company Metinvest, one of Ukraine's largest employers with a workforce of about 45,000. It has about 4,000 vacancies. "The staff deficit that we feel has an impact on our production," Petruk told Reuters in an online interview. "We are not the only ones who feel the staff shortages, all companies in the regions feel that, including our contractors." Reuters spoke to representatives of nine Ukrainian companies, from big industrial firms to retail groups and small private entrepreneurs. All said staff shortages and a growing mismatch of skills were big challenges. Businesses said they were changing recruitment and business practices, automating, rotating existing staff and expanding their job descriptions, re-hiring retirees and offering more benefits, especially for younger workers. They also have had to increase wages. The average monthly wage now is about $470 compared to about $350 a year ago. "There is a noticeable shift away from gender and age bias in candidate selection as employers adjust criteria to attract needed employees," said the Kyiv School of Economics. "This trend also extends to entrepreneurship, where the share of female entrepreneurs is growing significantly." More women Male-dominated industries are more affected by staff shortages, the central bank said. The construction sector, transport, mining and others have all suffered because of military mobilization, for which men aged 25 to 60 are eligible. To keep the economy running, the government provides full or partial deferrals for critical companies. In the energy and weapons production sectors, 100% of staff are eligible for draft deferral. In some other sectors, firms can retain 50% of male staff. But the process to secure deferral is long and complicated. As the government toughened mobilization rules this year, the number of men preferring informal employment - allowing them to stay off public data records - grew, some enterprises said. In the agricultural southern region of Mykolayiv, women are being trained as tractor drivers. Women are also increasingly working as tram and truck drivers, coal miners, security guards and warehouse workers, companies say. "We are offering training and jobs for women who have minimal experience," said Lyubov Ukrainets, human resources director at Silpo, part of Fozzy Group. Including Shulha, the company has six female truck drivers and is more actively recruiting women for other jobs previously dominated by men, including loaders, meat splitters, packers and security guards. The share of female employees is growing in industries such as steel production. Petruk said female staff accounted for about 30-35% of Metinvest's workforce and the company now hired women for some underground jobs. Metinvest was unable to provide comparative figures for before the war. Some other women are unable or unwilling to join the workforce because of a lack of childcare. Shulha, who works 15-day stretches on the road, has moved back in with her parents to ensure care for her 14-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter. Young people Businesses and economists expect labor market challenges to persist. Employers are turning their attention to young people by offering training, job experience and targeted benefit packages. Metinvest, which previously focused on students, is now increasingly working with professional colleges, Petruk said. Silpo is more actively hiring teenagers for entry-level jobs in supermarkets and has launched a specialized internship program for students. Mobile phone operator Vodafone repackaged its youth program, creating an opportunity for about 50 teenagers in 12 cities to get their first job experience. "We want to offer the first proper experience of the official job to this young audience. Another objective is to build a talent pool," said Ilona Voloshyna of Vodafone Retail. "Also we want to understand the youth," she said in a Vodafone shop in Kyiv as six teenagers consulted with visitors. The government and foreign partners have launched several programs to help Ukrainians reskill. "We provide the opportunity for everyone at state expense to obtain a new profession which is in demand on the labor market, or to raise their professional level," said Tetiana Berezhna, a deputy economy minister.

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Gaborone, Botswana — Botswana and an American biotech firm, Ginkgo Bioworks, have partnered to conduct pathogen surveillance at the country’s entry points. Health officials say the proactive move is meant to safeguard public health as the world faces emerging disease threats. Botswana introduced mpox screening last month for travelers at its entry points. In a statement Wednesday, Ministry of Health spokesperson Christopher Nyanga said a pathogen-monitoring program is critical to detecting similar emerging health threats. Dr. Mbatshi Mazwiduma, a public health expert, said the pathogen-surveillance program will complement existing strategies to prevent disease threats. "The initiative by the Ministry of Health is a very welcome development in the sense that it is at least demonstrating that they are both embracing traditional methods of surveillance and disease detection plus at the same time, they are looking at other innovative ways of disease detection," he said. Through the collaboration, Boston-based Gingko Bioworks will work with the Ministry of Health to collect and monitor travelers’ samples. Nasal swabs will be used to collect the samples. Nyanga said testing will be done on a voluntary, anonymous basis. "Although participation in this initiative is entirely voluntary, travelers are encouraged to participate because this early detection of pathogens is meant to safeguard the health of all citizens, visitors and residents of this country," he said. "The samples collected will be kept anonymous. The data collected from the samples will be vital in strengthening the country's robust health system and response to public health threats and emergencies." But Mazwiduma said voluntary participation in the pathogen-monitoring program could hinder effective disease detection. "Perhaps if non-invasive, non-intrusive, the technique should be compulsory because it ensures that the number of people who comply to sample acquisition is increased and, therefore, you can actually rapidly achieve suitable sample sizes for you to be able to ensure that you do not miss any patients, but also more importantly that it allows you to improve your validation of these particular technologies," Mazwiduma said. Botswana and Gingko Bioworks previously collaborated in a 2022 pathogen-monitoring program to detect new and emerging COVID-19 variants. During the same year, Botswana was credited with the discovery of COVID-19 variant omicron.

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