NEW DELHI (REUTERS) – Indian federal police have opened an investigation into Rolls-Royce Holdings, alleging the British-based engine maker and its Indian arm improperly used a third-party to conduct business with three Indian state-owned companies. In a report published on Tuesday (July 30), India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also said officials from the Indian […]

India’s parliament has approved a bill that makes the Muslim practice of “instant divorce” a criminal offence. “Triple talaq”, as it’s known, allows a husband to divorce his wife by repeating the word “talaq” (divorce) three times in any form, including email or text message. The Supreme Court declared the practice unconstitutional in 2017. Supporters […]

BENGALURU (Reuters) – The founder and largest shareholder of India’s biggest coffee-chain owner Coffee Day Enterprises (CODE.NS) went missing on Tuesday, with media reports citing a letter purportedly written by him that said he gave in to pressure from lenders and tax authorities. VG Siddhartha, the founder of the Cafe Coffee Day chain, was not […]

SINGAPORE – Significantly fewer youth under the age of 21 are getting hitched. Last year (2018), only 1.1 per cent of all marriages involved at least one person below the age of 21, down from 3.9 per cent in 2008. Specifically, the proportion of Muslim marriages involving minors have fallen sharply – from 8.6 per […]

SINGAPORE – Patients with dementia and delirium at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) are given a hand in staying safe – wearing special pairs of mittens designed by nurses there. Such mental conditions can often cause patients to become agitated or restless and pull out their tubes and catheters. In May last year, nurses from […]

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Sony Corp (6758.T) surprised the market by reporting on Tuesday a record first-quarter operating profit despite the slowing gaming business, as strong demand for multiple-lens camera systems for smartphones boosted sales of image sensors. Sony is benefitting from sales of more powerful smartphones at customers including Huawei Technologies, offsetting gaming weakness […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s markets watchdog has proposed banning financial advisers from getting paid only when a customer moves a pension pot, a practice known as contingent charging that it said cost consumers two billion pounds ($2.43 billion) a year. Lawmakers called for the ban last year after accusing the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of […]

HONG KONG (AFP) – Videos falsely claiming to show a Chinese military crackdown against pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong have flooded social media over the past week, according to an AFP investigation that has debunked multiple posts. The videos, which have been viewed millions of times, have compounded fears about China’s potential intervention into a […]

SINGAPORE – The police are investigating an online rap video allegedly containing offensive content that was made in response to a recent advertisement by e-payments website epaysg.com. The rap video, which The Straits Times understands features local YouTuber Preeti Nair and her brother, rapper Subhas Nair, was posted on Facebook and YouTube on Monday (July […]

MANILA — A wave of violence has struck the central Philippine island of Negros, where at least 20 people have been killed in recent weeks in attacks that rights groups have tied to President Rodrigo Duterte’s efforts to suppress critics and opponents. The latest attacks occurred on Saturday, when two people, a former town mayor […]