Gas-rich Turkmenistan facing worst economic crisis in 30 years, coupled with rights concerns, UK think-tank reports. Foreign governments and investors must stop courting gas-rich Turkmenistan, “a country teetering on the edge of catastrophe”, according to a new report by the London-based Foreign Policy Centre. Turkmenistan, second to North Korea in the scale of its isolation […]
NEW DELHI (BLOOMBERG) – India and Russia have agreed on a new payment method through their national currencies for multi-billion-dollar defence deals, in a bid to avoid risks created by the US threat of sanctions and banking restrictions. The arrangement would enable India to pay the first instalment soon for two warships that Russia is […]
MANILA (XINHUA) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law that penalises catcalling, wolf-whistling and other forms of gender-based street harassment against women and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The document, also known as the Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act, was signed into law in April, but was […]
SINGAPORE – Cell therapy, where living cells are harnessed to treat diseases such as cancer and autoimmune disorders, is slated to be the next generation of medicine. But before vials of these medicinal cells can reach hospitals, challenges in cell manufacturing, such as safety, efficacy and cost, must be addressed through further research and development. […]
LONDON – The euro remained within its recent trading range against the dollar on Monday, its progress capped by expectations for a dovish European Central Bank meeting next week and after investors turned more bearish on the currency. Foreign exchange markets were quiet on Monday and volatility low ahead of major central bank policy meetings […]
SINGAPORE – The entire public service will have to conform to a common cyber security framework to safeguard citizens’ personal data, beginning with 13 new measures developed after a spate of breaches in the past year. These cyber security measures, some of which are being put in place, aim to make databases unusable if they […]
(Reuters) – European shares inched higher on Monday, tracking gains in Asian markets on encouraging factory output and retail sales data from China, which provided some respite from worries about slowing global growth. The upbeat data showed that the world’s No.2 economy may be stabilizing, but economic growth slowing to its weakest pace in at […]
SINGAPORE – A Malaysian odd-job worker who killed a colleague in 1986 in a fight over $1,000 evaded arrest for 30 years, and even returned to Singapore a few times over the years, the High Court was told on Monday. In 2006, with technological advances, Arumugam Veerasamy was linked to the crime through his fingerprints […]
TAIPEI (REUTERS) – The mayor of Taiwan’s southern port city Han Kuo-yu on Monday (July 15) won the opposition party’s hotly contested nomination for the 2020 presidential election, posting a direct challenge to President Tsai Ing-wen who is seeking re-election. The China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) said Kaohsiung mayor Han beat other four contenders in a national […]
BEIJING (Reuters) – China is expected to report on Monday that economic growth slowed to its weakest pace in at least 27 years in the second quarter, reinforcing the case for more stimulus as a bruising trade war with the United States drags on. Policymakers are likely to ratchet up support measures to prevent mass […]