Latest news with #Lee
The Sun
17 minutes ago
- Business
- The Sun
ASEAN economic integration boosts regional financial independence
KUALA LUMPUR: Greater economic integration within ASEAN is driving efforts to establish an independent regional financial system, reducing dependency on external currencies and improving monetary stability, according to a Malaysian analyst. Lee Pei May, a political expert at the International Islamic University Malaysia, highlighted in an interview with Xinhua that these measures aim to mitigate financial volatility rather than target any specific country. The shift toward local currencies for intra-ASEAN trade will streamline cross-border transactions, expand market access for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and boost regional tourism. 'The push for the use of local currencies has been ongoing for some time, as it helps strengthen the economic integration of ASEAN member states -- an important goal that ASEAN seeks to pursue,' Lee explained. She noted that other regions are also reducing reliance on dominant foreign currencies like the US dollar due to external interest rate fluctuations and policy shifts that can destabilize exchange rates. Cross-border payments in local currencies offer faster, cheaper transactions while shielding businesses from external volatility. Lee emphasized the tourism sector as a key beneficiary, as travelers within ASEAN will no longer face the inconvenience of currency exchange. The Regional Payment Connectivity (RPC) initiative, initially involving Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines, has expanded to include Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, and Cambodia. 'The participation would bring about seamless cross-border transactions and boost tourism in the region,' Lee stated. Growing awareness of risks tied to US dollar dependency has accelerated ASEAN's push for financial resilience. 'In the past, certain currencies were viewed as stable, but due to increasingly unpredictable global developments, this perception is shifting,' Lee added. She warned that economic tools used to pressure policy differences could have adverse effects, reinforcing the need for regional financial safeguards.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Dan O'Reilly relishing chance to lead by example at Partick Thistle
Stuart Bannigan, Brian Graham and David Mitchell had over 700 appearances between them in red-and-yellow, and all three have departed Firhill this summer. It leaves 30-year-old O'Reilly as one of the seasoned veterans in the dressing room, and the centre-half is aware that there is more responsibility resting on his shoulders this term. Rather than shying away from it, though, it is a role the Irishman is relishing. "Sometimes I forget I'm one of the older boys now,' he said. 'There's no secret, we've lost Brian, Banzo and Mitch. That's a lot of experience and it's important other players step up. "We have to drive the standards. There's going to be a blend of youth and experience in the team. It's important the young boys have players around them that set the standards. "We definitely need to step up and I do see myself as one of those experienced heads. I try and lead by example on and off the pitch and hopefully that seeps into the younger guys. "There's going to be times when we're under pressure because of results and the likes of myself and Lee [Ashcroft] have to show the way." Ashcroft, in particular, will be expected to lead by example. The defender was yesterday named as the Jags' new skipper following Graham's move to Falkirk, while Bannigan - who had been at the club for 14 years - upped sticks and signed for Ayr United. (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) "Lee is a great choice,' O'Reilly said. 'I think he is a model professional and a leader. "I've loved playing with him and you know what you're going to get from him all of the time. He drives standards and he's a great captain to have at the club. "Obviously Brian was captain before and it is an important responsibility. Lee will take that on board. "We have a nice balance playing together. We communicate well and I think we're similar in some ways but different in others. "In terms of the spine of the team, I think we work well together. You need to always fight for shirt." Bannigan's exit has understandably felt a little surreal for everyone connected to the club. A modern-day Thistle legend who was seen as part of the furniture at Firhill, there is an entire generation of Jags supporters who have never seen a Thistle team without the midfielder on the books. O'Reilly admits that turning up to training - Thistle's players returned for pre-season last week - has been a little strange without Bannigan's presence. "It's tough, especially when someone has been there for such a long time,' he explained. "He knows no different than Thistle. So it's probably as strange for us as it is for him. "That's football though. You just have to get on with it. He was great for us last year, but him leaving presents opportunities to other players here. "I'm excited to see other people stepping up and I've already seen people taking on other roles in the squad." O'Reilly may well find himself taking on a new role this term. Thistle are in need of a vice-captain, after all, and as an experienced and reliable head, it would come as little surprise if the centre-back was given the nod. "Maybe! We'll see what happens,' O'Reilly grinned when the proposition was put to him. 'If it did happen, I'd be delighted. But I do try and lead all the time anyway. "It would mean a lot to get the armband on. There might be times when Lee is unavailable through injury or suspension and if the chance comes, I would love it."
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Is this the best Chinese food in Glasgow? I'm not so sure
Twenty minutes on the treadmill is surely a free pass for noodles and rice, right? I was a fan of this spot's previous incarnation as Salt & Chilli Oriental (also run by Lee), which had a relaxed street food feel and enormous portion sizes that would explain the pre-emptive exercise. The menu was short but sweet and no doubt driven by the city's enduring love affair with all things salt and chilli seasoning that sees restaurants and cafes sprinkle the stuff on everything from hash browns to 'haggis baws'. But Lychee is a different beast, vying to bring the cooler, more sophisticated vibes of its older sister restaurant, first established on Mitchell Street in 2015, to the Southside. While the interiors of the split-level venue on Kilmarnock Road have barely changed, the food offering is now hugely expanded, drawing inspiration from Chinese, Thai and Japanese cuisines. On a Wednesday evening, the place is busy with a mix of families, larger groups and couples. We're shown upstairs, where a tight fit between tables is just on the right side of cosy rather than cramped, before ordering a couple of soft drinks. On another occasion, I'd have been drawn to the cocktail section of Singapore Slings or Lychee Cosmos, which sit at a reasonable £8.50 each. There's a selection of salt and chilli dishes available at Lychee, so we're going for a portion of the squid starter (£7.50) to see if they've still got it, as well as Yuk Sung, spicy minced pork and chicken served with little gem lettuce leaves (£8.50). Though we've not requested them, a small bowl of prawn crackers arrives to munch on as we wait. Some early bonus points there. But, oh dear, that squid is looking awful peely-wally against cubes of green pepper and fiery chilli as our server approaches with the starters. Pictured: Starters of Salt and Chilli squid and Yuk Sung (Image: Newsquest) Close up, it's not much better. Whatever has happened between the journey from the kitchen to our table, there's not a hint of crunch left in these chunky strips of battered seafood slick with oil. There's a good hit of salt and chilli from a surface dusting of dry seasoning, but otherwise the spicy, moreish flavour fails to carry through to the rest of the plate. The Yuk Sung is more appealing. Mixed mince is firm and meaty, holding up in a bowl of soupy sauce that's to be spooned onto boats of lettuce leaves and eaten by hand. With the addition of pickled red cabbage, it's fun and fresh, if nothing more. My confidence in Lychee has been shaken slightly by the time the half-finished plates are cleared, but there's a lot of hope reserved for the main dishes. Pictured: Main dishes selected from the Specialities section of the menu at Lychee Oriental (Image: Newsquest) Both selected from the 'Specialities' section of the menu, the chicken claypot (£14.50) and roast duck (£18.50) are served in identical ceramic dishes. They won't win any prizes for presentation, but with this kind of food, looks don't matter all that much. It's all about the big, punchy flavours that emerge as you get stuck in. After a few spoonfuls of each, I'm still searching. Slices of duck are served with oyster sauce and mushrooms, while the claypot chicken, which sounded like the most adventurous of options on the menu, shares its red beancurd base with cloud fungus and Chinese sausage. The latter is my favourite of the pair, the delicate mushroom caps of cloud fungus and slivers of sausage adding intrigue and layers of texture where bland chicken pieces fall short. But there's not an awful lot that differentiates the taste of these two seemingly contrasting dishes aside from a hint of sweet nuttiness from the redbean. Come to think of it, I'm not sure that in a blind taste test they would be all that distinguishable from the sauce in the Yuk Sung starter either. Eaten with side dishes of wok noodles (£4.50) and egg-fried rice (£4.00), this trio could be from any local takeaway I've tried over the years, rather than a sit-down spot that aims to serve 'the very best Chinese food in Glasgow'. I wonder if we would have had more luck choosing from the crowd pleasers, like Hong Kong sweet and sour or crispy lemon chicken while picking out the best bits of mangetout and tofu skin from the leftovers. Read more: We'll remain seated a while after admitting defeat, but with no offer of a dessert menu, decide to forgo any sweets this time round rather than catching a server's attention. They've been incredibly attentive all night, so this feels like a small oversight rather than a real inconvenience, and we're keen to give them the table back as the restaurant starts to fill up. A quick check on social media later indicates that banana fritters could be the star of their sweet selection, so if that's your thing, be sure to hang around for pudding. I'm not sure what prompted chef Jimmy Lee's decision to transform his Salt & Chilli restaurant into a second Lychee branch, but as we leave, I feel a small pang of sorrow for the demise of a failsafe favourite. I suppose you never really do appreciate what you have until it's gone. Menu: It's a tantalising selection of dishes ranging from crowd pleasers like crispy lemon chicken to more adventurous claypot dishes. Plenty to choose from. 4/5 Service: Aside from a slight hiccup with the lack of dessert menu at the end, the team here is amiable and attentive. 4/5 Atmosphere: The upstairs of the restaurant is cosy, but there's not much room as bigger tables start to arrive. We never quite settle in before feeling we should vacate our seats. 3/5 Price: Lack of wow factor means £18.50 for the roast duck feels steep, but overall prices here aren't bad. They also run a set menu and lunch deals if you're watching your budget. 3/5 Food: I fully expected a knockout meal from Lychee Oriental, but found nothing to rave about in any of our dishes. 5/10 Total: 19/30 Lychee Oriental is located at 67 Kilmarnock Road in Glasgow.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Future Spartan RW drafted in first round of NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators
Michigan State hockey added Ryker Lee to the recruiting class and are expecting him to be a major contributor in the 2025-26 season. Before his time in East Lansing, Lee has been honored, getting selected No. 25 in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected by the Nashville Predators. A native of Wilmette, Illinois, Lee spent his prep career playing for the Madison Capitals of the USHL after being a member of Shattuck St. Mary's. He is a 6-foot-1, 185 pound forward right shot forward that is a 2006 born player. He is expected to be a top-6 forward for the Spartans in the upcoming season with high expectations. The first round NHL draft selection shows the prowess that the future Spartan owns. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner
Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Byron Buxton homers in the Twins' 4-1 victory over the Tigers
DETROIT (AP) — Byron Buxton homered and scored twice to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Friday night for their third straight victory. David Festa (2-2) pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter. Jhoan Durán pitched the ninth for his 12th save. Brooks Lee drove in a pair of runs for the Twins. Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Matt Wallner and Lee, then made it 2-0 an inning later on Buxton's long homer to left. The Twins made it 3-0 in the sixth. Reliever Brant Hurter replaced Gipson-Long with one out and a runner on first. After a wild pitch, Hurter walked Ty France before Lee hit an RBI single. Hurter then hit former Tiger Kody Clemens to load the bases, but Carlos Hernández replaced Hurter and got out of the inning when Harrison Bader struck out and Christian Vazquez grounded out. Buxton led off the seventh with a walk, stole second, took third on Trevor Larnach's groundout and scored on Willi Castro's squeeze bunt. The Tigers had two runners on in the seventh, but Dillon Dingler grounded into a force at third and Parker Meadows popped out, but they finally scored when Colt Keith tripled in the eighth and scored on Gleyber Torres' single. Zach McKinstry singled to put runners on the corners, but Griffin Jax struck out Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson to end the inning. Key moment The Tigers had a chance to rally after Torres got their second hit with two out in the sixth. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli replaced Festa with Danny Coulombe and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch countered with pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones. Baldelli won the duel, as Jones grounded to Lee at third for a force at second. Lee had prevented a bigger rally earlier in the inning, going behind the bag to field a Javier Báez grounder and make the play at first. Key stat The Tigers came into the game with a 21-5 record in series-opening games this season, including 12-1 at home. Up next Detroit RHP Casey Mize (7-2, 2.88) was set to face RHP Bailey Ober (4-5, 4.90) on Saturday. ___ AP MLB:
