Saturday, 28 Sep 2024

Asia

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Thai anti-junta party hits back at fresh legal troubles

BANGKOK (AFP) – A Thai anti-junta party hit back on Saturday (July 20) against accusations it is attempting to “undermine the constitutional monarchy”, a day after the popular movement was hit with fresh legal troubles. Billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit’s youth-oriented Future Forward Party has been hit by more than a dozen legal cases since its success […]

Carlos Ghosn sues Nissan-Mitsubishi in the Netherlands: paper

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Carlos Ghosn has launched a court case in the Netherlands against Japanese carmakers Nissan Motor (7201.T) and Mitsubishi Motors (7211.T), who ousted him as chairman of their alliance last year on charges of embezzlement, Dutch newspaper NRC reported on Saturday. Ghosn is seeking 15 million euros ($16.8 million) in damages from the […]

Russian ex-beauty queen refutes reports of divorce from former Malaysian King

KUALA LUMPUR – Former Russian beauty queen Oksana Voevodina said she is still married to former Malaysian King, Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan, days after news emerged that the couple had divorced following a whirlwind romance. “I have not been given any admonition of divorce,” she told Malaysian news portal Malaysiakini. “I was in Russia […]

South Korea targets lawmakers in latest anti-graft proposal

SEOUL (BLOOMBERG) – South Korea is seeking to ratchet up penalties against lawmakers who increase their wealth by leveraging secrets obtained in office. A bill that slaps up to sevens years imprisonment or a 70 million won (S$81,000) fine will be submitted to parliament for legislation by the end of this year, according to the […]

Thai farmers on the cash trail with snail slime

NAKHON NAYOK, Thailand (AFP) – Giant snails inch across a plate of pumpkin and cucumber in central Thailand, an “organic” diet to tease the prized collagen-rich mucus from the molluscs, which to some cosmetic firms are now more valuable than gold. The snails at Phatinisiri Thangkeaw’s farm were once the scourge of rice farmers, loathed […]

For the perfect cuppa, tech firm's scanner leaves nothing to chance

Local start-up teapasar has devised a faster and more economical way to authenticate and identify plant-based food and drink. The food-tech’s ProfilePrint portable scanner was unveiled yesterday at the Singapore Tea Festival, held at Jewel Changi Airport. The scanner can analyse and verify any dried plant-based product, but the company is now focusing on tea […]

BOJ's Kuroda says he disagrees with modern monetary theory

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda on Friday denounced an economic philosophy that encourages the use of government spending as a primary policy tool to boost employment. Speaking on a panel at an academic conference in New York, Kuroda said he disagrees with Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). He did not discuss […]

US had 'very good talk' with China; in-person talks may follow, says Trump

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – US President Donald Trump said on Friday (July 19) that US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin had a very good talk with his Chinese counterpart, amid signals from China that officials could soon meet face-to-face in their bid to end a yearlong trade war. Officials from the world’s two largest economies spoke by […]

A rally and a redirect: why the markets are so focused on the Fed

NEW YORK (Reuters) – When New York Fed President John Williams talked about the need to “vaccinate the economy” on Thursday, markets listened. And when the New York Fed itself spoke up later to clarify his remarks, investors were again all ears. In fact, as the U.S. central bank nears what is expected to be […]

Mahathir tells PKR to stay focused on pledges to public

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told the largest party in his government yesterday not to be distracted from fulfilling its pledges and responsibilities to the public after a fractious week for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), whose leaders are split over gay sex allegations levelled against its deputy president Azmin Ali. “We must ask ourselves whether we […]