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Generations of women sustain Kelantan's famed Siti Khadijah Market

Women make up more than 90 per cent of traders at Siti Khadijah Market, one of Kelantan’s best-known attractions. Pasar Siti Khadijah as seen from above in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The market is one of Malaysian state's most well-known places for tourists to visit. (Photo: CNA/Fadza Ishak) Afifah Ariffin & Samuel Ng 23 Oct 2026 05:12PM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST KOTA BHARU, Kelantan: Every morning, 80-year-old Fatimah Farik opens her small clothing stall at Siti Khadijah Market, greeting customers and fellow traders she has known for decades. The market's oldest trader is the fourth generation in her family to make a living through commerce, a tradition she has no intention of giving up. "I've loved trading since I was young," she said. "It started with my father, then my mother, my brother and now me. CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Fatimah's story reflects a defining feature of Kelantan's best-known market, where women make up more than 90 per cent of traders and continue to play a central role in the Malaysian state's economy. Around 1,300 businesses operate at Siti Khadijah Market, selling everything from traditional Kelantanese food and snacks to clothing, textiles and household goods. According to the Bumiputera Petty Traders Association of Pasar Siti Khadijah, the market's range of offerings and its predominantly female traders make it a popular draw for tourists.

Generations of women sustain Kelantan's famed Siti Khadijah Market
North America
CNBC Economy

Analysis: Everyone expects the Fed to hold rates in October. Kevin Warsh could surprise us all

Traders are betting overwhelmingly that the Federal Reserve won't raise interest rates when it meets later this month. But that judgment rests in part on assumptions about how the Fed communicates that may no longer hold under its new chairman. Kevin Warsh has left room to maneuver toward a hike, should he choose to use it. To be clear, Warsh said outright at an International Monetary Fund event in Bangkok Friday morning that he wasn't signaling a decision one way or the other. His remarks nonetheless reinforced a judgment in the markets that the Fed would pause its rate increases, with the futures market assigning a 15% probability to an October hike as of Friday morning. That judgment follows remarks by other Fed speakers, including the chair's traditional top lieutenants, who indicated they were comfortable holding. There are good reasons for investors to expect the Fed to wait. But there is also a case in the inflation data that Warsh could invoke to push the Federal Open Market Committee toward an increase on Oct. 28. Investors are overlooking that case based on longstanding past experience with the Fed. But the chairman has repeatedly rejected the convention of telling markets what he plans to do before the committee meets. That raises the possibility that investors are dangerously complacent about the probability of a rate hike in October. That complacency rests on a few bases. One is that the chairman's top lieutenants speak for him, or at least wouldn't contradict him in public. That was true in the past, but may not be so anymore. In recent weeks, both Fed Vice Chairman Philip Jefferson and New York Fed President John Williams gave remarks that indicated they see little urgency in raising interest rates. The markets quickly repriced in favor of a hold in October. Warsh, Jefferson and Williams make up an informal decision-making team atop the Fed known as the troika. Warsh could arguably coordinate with the troika even if he doesn't believe in communicating his own views. But outsiders can't be certain that traditional conventions surrounding the public statements of the New York Fed president and the Fed vice chair have survived the leadership transition. Another assumption is that Warsh broadly accepts the FOMC's view of the economy. "The world has broadly conformed to our expectations," Warsh said in Bangkok of the economy since September. That can be read as saying that relatively hot inflation readings from the consumer and producer price indexes in recent days don't disconfirm the view expressed in the Fed's most recent Summary of Economic Projections released at the conclusion of the September meeting. At the time, the median Fed official believed there would be one more rate hike in 2026 — which left room to pause in October and raise again in December. But Warsh went out of his way at the September press conference to disclaim the SEP. "Those aren't my forecasts," he told a reporter. Warsh set out his own idiosyncratic reading of the economy in detail at a closely watched speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, at the end of August. It described the economy as growing strongly, with inflation a greater worry than the jobs market. Warsh's strongly hawkish views then set up the FOMC to unanimously raise interest rates in September. That hawkish position relied heavily on what he sees as loose credit conditions. The Chicago Fed's National Financial Conditions Index has risen about 0.05 points since Jackson Hole but remains negative, indicating financial conditions have tightened but remain loose overall.

Analysis: Everyone expects the Fed to hold rates in October. Kevin Warsh could surprise us all
Europe
BBC Business

UK government to make Jackdaw gas field announcement

The UK government is expected to announce a long-awaited decision on whether to approve the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea. It is widely believed in Westminster that Jackdaw will be approved but that a decision on the Rosebank oil field off Shetland will not yet be made. The question of whether to approve the two sites has become hugely politically significant and has been delayed for several months. Multiple Whitehall sources have told BBC News the government would make an announcement on Jackdaw on Wednesday morning with the Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh expected to address MPs in the afternoon. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has spoken repeatedly of the need for a "flexible" approach to energy and is believed to be in favour of drilling more where licensing already exist in the North Sea. Labour's 2024 manifesto pledged not to issue any new oil and gas licences in the North Sea but to honour existing ones such as Jackdaw. Jackdaw, about 150 miles (241.4km) east of Aberdeen, is a gas field which its operators say could be connected to the UK network within months. Rosebank, about 80 miles (128.7km) north-west of Shetland, is Britain's largest untapped oil field, which would also produce some gas. The controversial fields have been the subject of years of debates, legal wrangling and public consultations, with arguments from both industry bodies and environmentalists being weighed up by the UK government. Licences for the fields were granted by the Conservative UK government in 2022 and 2023, which sparked legal challenges from environmental groups. The Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled last year that Rosebank and Jackdaw had been unlawfully approved because the government had failed to take into account the climate impact of burning extracted oil and gas from the sites. Environmentalists insist more drilling would be unconscionable, and hamper efforts to cut planet-warming carbon emissions as deadly heatwaves and extreme weather affect people across the globe.

UK government to make Jackdaw gas field announcement
North America
CNBC Finance

Airport attacks put aviation in crosshairs of geopolitical conflicts

Deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia's second-busiest airport over the past week are highlighting how conflicts in the Middle East are upending air travel on a larger scale. Aviation is increasingly in the middle of these sprawling clashes as threats and outright attacks have forced airlines to quickly cancel flights throughout the Middle East for days, weeks and, in some cases, months. Some carriers might redeploy planes that would be going to some Middle East destinations like Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Doha, Qatar, to other locations altogether. "It's a new paradigm. Civil aviation is being directly targeted and it has not been the case in the last couple of decades," said Mark Zee, founder of OpsGroup, an independent aviation safety group whose members include pilots, dispatchers, airline employees and others. The Saudi airport attacks, claimed by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, were the deadliest in the country in more than a decade. Over the weekend, at least 13 people were killed and more than 300 injured when a projectile hit terminals at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh, officials said. Other attacks have included drones. "Historically, airport security is focused on preventing unauthorized access to aircraft and the airport, not defending airspace," said Jeff Price, a professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver's Department of Aviation and Aerospace Science and an airport management consultant. The threats to aviation are forcing officials to rethink how to protect blind spots in these major public spaces. "There is this established way to deal with kind of more conventional weapons such as missiles. It's very expensive, but there is a way," said Gulnaz Ukassova, UAE-based security director of information and analysis at risk management firm International SOS. "There is still no sort of foolproof way to deal with the threat posed by drones. The technology, obviously, is constantly evolving." King Khalid International Airport has been shut down for much of this week, and some carriers suspended operations there, citing safety concerns. CEOs of major oil companies also pulled out of an energy conference in the country. Delta Air Lines, meanwhile, was less than two weeks away from launching an Atlanta-Riyadh route, the first nonstop commercial flight between the the two countries operated by a U.S. airline, according to the carrier. But late Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration warned U.S. carriers about safety-of-flight risks when flying in or over Saudi Arabia. On Monday morning, Delta said it would postpone the route's debut until March. The new Delta route comes as Saudi leadership seeks to boost tourism to the country, part of the kingdom's Vision 2030 plan to diversify the economy from oil and attract international investment. Air traffic in Saudi Arabia had been increasing rapidly. Scheduled growth in airplane seats in the market is up more than 23% this year from 2023, though the rise has recently slowed, according to aviation-data firm Cirium.

Airport attacks put aviation in crosshairs of geopolitical conflicts
North America
CNBC Economy

The latest inflation data is expected to show price increases are accelerating

Wednesday's closely watched reading on consumer prices could show intensifying inflationary pressures as energy costs keep climbing. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect the headline consumer price index for September to rise 0.6% for the month and to increase 3.6% compared with a year ago. That 12-month number would signal that the rate of price growth is accelerating and moving further from the Federal Reserve's goal of 2%. So-called core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, is expected to increase 0.2% from August and 2.5% on a 12-month basis. While that would mark a slight slowdown from the prior month, it would be an uptick in year-over-year inflation. Oil-related prices could drive the headline figure even higher, said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, a tax firm. Energy costs have been among the biggest drivers of inflation since the U.S. war with Iran began earlier this year. President Donald Trump last week announced loosened diesel restrictions on Russia in a bid to juice the global oil trade, though analysts don't believe it will meaningfully bring down prices. Prices for Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, climbed more than 14% in September, bringing its third-quarter advance to about 42%. Brent prices on Tuesday traded around $105 per barrel. "We've got real upside risk on the September CPI," Brusuelas said. "Typically, when we have these moves in inflation, everyone's models undershoot the actual outcome." Sticky oil prices could also push up costs for items in other, non-energy categories, according to Robert Sockin, chief U.S. economist at asset manager PGIM. In this scenario, it would become harder for the Fed to write off the energy prices surge as a short-term shock that won't necessitate interest rate increases. After announcing its first increase in three years last month, the Federal Reserve signaled in its minutes from that meeting that it will likely have to hike rates again. Fed funds futures traders anticipate the central bank will next lift rates at its December policy meeting, according to CME's FedWatch tool. "The list of reasons to hike rates in our view is long," Sockin said. "Ultimately, we have low confidence in the timing of the Fed's next move, but more conviction on the direction of travel." Wednesday's release is the last reading on CPI before November's midterm elections, which could determine whether the Republican party will keep total control in Washington. Economic confidence across political affiliation has fallen this year, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment data. Compared with Democrats, Republican and independent voters have posted steeper declines in sentiment since the start of 2026, the data shows.

The latest inflation data is expected to show price increases are accelerating
Europe
The Guardian

US judge dismisses sexual abuse lawsuit from Sam Altman’s sister

Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, speaks at the UN headquarters in New York on 23 September 2026. Photograph: Lev Radin/ShutterstockView image in fullscreenSam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, speaks at the UN headquarters in New York on 23 September 2026. Photograph: Lev Radin/ShutterstockSam AltmanUS judge dismisses sexual abuse lawsuit from Sam Altman’s sisterAnn Altman, the Open AI CEO’s sister, accused her brother of repeatedly sexually abusing her over two decades ago A judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Sam Altman’s sister against him on Tuesday. Ann Altman accused the OpenAI CEO of repeatedly sexually abusing her more than two decades ago, which he has denied. In dismissing Ann Altman’s ⁠lawsuit, the US district judge Zachary Bluestone wrote that she had refused to appear for an independent medical examination despite warnings ⁠that failure to do so would result in the case’s dismissal. Laura Politi, ​a lawyer for Ann ‌Altman, did not immediately respond ‌to a request for comment. Santos Perez, a lawyer who previously ‌represented Ann Altman in the case but withdrew this month, said in a statement: “I am no longer authorized to comment on this case but I continue to believe in Annie.” Ann Altman brought her lawsuit ​in St Louis, Missouri, federal court in January 2025. Ann Altman accused her brother of sexually abusing and raping her between 1997 and 2006 at their family home in suburban Clayton, Missouri, starting when she was three ⁠and he was 12. She said the last acts of sexual ​abuse and ​rape occurred when Sam Altman ​was an adult. He is now 41. The Altman family ​has said Ann ‌Altman has mental ​health challenges and ​received financial support. Sam Altman has said she began accusing him on social media of sexual abuse after the family rejected her demands for more funds. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453 or visit their website for more resources and to report child abuse or DM for help. For adult survivors of child abuse, help is available at ascasupport.org. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International

US judge dismisses sexual abuse lawsuit from Sam Altman’s sister
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

DPDP Act explained: Why news publishers say India’s data protection law could hurt journalism

The Supreme Court has sought the Centre’s response to a petition challenging the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and the DPDP Rules, 2025. The association, which represents 21 prominent news organisations, has said that the law, which carries no exemption for journalism, could cripple news gathering and dilute the citizen's right to information. The law, passed by Parliament in August 2023, is the first comprehensive legislation on the protection of digital personal data. It requires any entity processing personal data, termed a "Data Fiduciary", to do so either with the consent of the individual concerned or for a limited set of "legitimate uses" listed in Section 7 of the DPDP Act, which provides for the legitimate uses of data. It says a Data Fiduciary may process personal data of a Data Principal for any of the following uses, namely: "(a) for the specified purpose for which the Data Principal has voluntarily provided her personal data to the Data Fiduciary, and in respect of which she has not indicated to the Data Fiduciary that she does not consent to the use of her personal data." The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified the accompanying Rules on November 13, 2025, with implementation to be staggered over 18 months. At the heart of the challenge is the absence of any carve-out for news reporting, which finds no place either among the legitimate uses in Section 7 or the exemptions in Section 17. Section 17 lists out instances where personal data protection does not apply and they include legal claims where personal data is processed to enforce a legal right or claim. It also includes judicial and regulatory functions where courts, tribunals or legally authorised bodies process personal data as necessary to perform their judicial, quasi-judicial, regulatory or supervisory functions. Earlier versions of the law, in 2018, 2019 and 2021, had carried such an exemption. According to the publishers, this means a reporter writing about a person may first need that person's consent. The Rules lay down how consent, notices and breach reporting are to work in practice. Among the most contested is Rule 23, framed under Section 36 of the Act, which allows the Centre, acting through an authorised person, to require any Data Fiduciary or intermediary to furnish information and also bar them from disclosing that such a request was made.

DPDP Act explained: Why news publishers say India’s data protection law could hurt journalism
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Jubilant Ingrevia Q2 net profit surges 60% to ₹111 cr

Speciality chemicals major Jubilant Ingrevia Ltd on Tuesday reported a 60 per cent rise in consolidated net profit to ₹111.43 crore in the September quarter of the current financial year. The company had posted a consolidated net profit of ₹69.47 crore in the corresponding quarter of the preceding fiscal, Jubilant Ingrevia said in a regulatory filing. Its total revenue from operations during the second quarter of FY27 increased to ₹1,394.23 crore against ₹1,120.73 crore in the year-ago period, it added. Total expenses in the quarter under review stood higher at ₹1,255.25 crore, compared to ₹1,038.60 crore a year ago, the company said. The company signed a deal to acquire a 40 per cent stake in ZettaOne Technologies in Q2 FY27, according to the regulatory filing. Commenting on the company's performance, Shyam S Bhartia, Chairman, Jubilant Ingrevia Ltd, said, “We are pleased to report sustained strong growth momentum in Q2 FY27... Our quarterly Ebitda has more than doubled in three years, reflecting the successful execution of our Pinnacle strategy and disciplined cost management. This momentum was also reflected in our strong H1 performance, with revenue increasing by 25 per cent and Ebitda by 44 per cent.” “We are delighted to have signed an agreement to acquire a 40 per cent stake in ZettaOne Technologies Limited, marking our entry into the EDMS (electronic document management system) space, which will help us in offering an integrated value proposition to our customers in electronics/semicon sectors,” he added. Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Jubilant Ingrevia Q2 net profit surges 60% to ₹111 cr
North America
CNBC Finance

Nike's India campus is a long-term growth bet amid turnaround

The retailer, which has been struggling to revive its business and regain momentum under CEO Elliott Hill, is hoping the world's most populous country can help it turn the page on its performance. As it reported its fiscal first-quarter earnings on Oct. 1, the company announced it will create a new global campus in Bengaluru, India, as part of its growth strategy. Hill wrote in a letter to employees that the new facility would be a "long-term investment" to help position Nike for success. "India is already an important growth market and manufacturing hub for Nike, with strong capabilities and access to talent," Hill wrote. The new campus is expected to open in the next few years and span corporate roles across the organization, including the namesake Nike brand, Jordan Brand and Converse. Nike plans to discuss its India campus in detail at its investor day next month. In a statement to CNBC, a Nike spokesperson said expanding into India is a "natural" next step for the company as it looks to grow its global presence. "As participation in running, basketball, football, fitness and other sports continues to grow across India, we see an opportunity to better serve athletes through stronger local capabilities, consumer insights, and innovation," the spokesperson said. India will be the world's third-largest retail market by 2030, according to Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries. Its e-commerce market was valued at $159.25 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach $332.94 billion by 2031, according to IBEF, a business advocacy organization created by the Indian government. Nike has endured a yearslong slump and is trying to right its business under Hill's turnaround plan. Nike also announced this month that it would lay off workers across the company as part of what it has dubbed its Pace strategy, which includes supply chain changes and reorganization of the company's geographic segments. Nike expects the effort to deliver approximately $2.5 billion in savings through fiscal 2031. Nike's decision to invest further in India as part of its comeback comes as the sportswear company sheds revenue in another critical international market: China. Though its fiscal first-quarter North America revenue came in just above Wall Street expectations, Hill said that performance wasn't enough to offset pressures abroad. Nike has been particularly struggling in the Greater China market, where its revenue dropped by 26% in its fiscal first quarter. It's part of what experts have said is a broader trend of American companies losing relevance and traction to domestic brands as the once-lucrative market matures. On a call with analysts earlier this month, Hill said the company was taking "deliberate actions" to strengthen its China business, though he said those effects will take time to materialize. Hill said the company plans to refresh its physical retail, spearhead a digital cleanup and create higher quality experiences for consumers. The Nike spokesperson told CNBC the company is "deeply committed" to China and sees the region as one of its "most important long-term growth markets," even as Nike expands its presence in India.

Nike's India campus is a long-term growth bet amid turnaround