Tuesday, 19 Nov 2024

Asia

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Nine Boys' Brigade members get President's Award for contributions to community

SINGAPORE – Tampines Meridian Junior College (JC) student Hareesh Shivaprakash rallied 22 of his classmates to bring cheer to orphanage children. The 18-year-old Boys’ Brigade (BB) senior cadet lieutenant, who has been with the youth organisation for about 10 years, worked with his classmates from February to collect more than 11 boxes of toys, stationery […]

US, Indonesia sign MOU on joint naval exercises and combating illegal fishing

JAKARTA – The United States and Indonesia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on maritime cooperation, including on joint naval exercises and combating illegal fishing, a problem Jakarta has been grappling with due to reports of occasional encroachment of its waters by Chinese and Vietnamese fishing vessels, among others. Both countries also signed two […]

Low risk of adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccine among young children: Janil Puthucheary

SINGAPORE – Amid parents’ concerns, Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary cited evidence showing that risks of adverse reactions are low, as he urged families to vaccinate their young children. Trials of the Pfizer vaccine conducted in the United States found that children aged five to 11 had fewer side effects compared with those aged […]

Malaysia amends Constitution to elevate status of Sabah and Sarawak

KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Parliament on Tuesday (Dec 14) passed a number of constitutional amendments to elevate the status of Sabah and Sarawak within the federation. The move comes just four days before legislative polls in Sarawak, the country’s biggest state. Four amendments were passed unanimously by all 200 lawmakers present, easily passing the […]

Foreign inflows into Asian bonds drop to 11-month low in November

(Reuters) – Asian bonds received their smallest foreign inflows this year in November, amid rising prospects of quicker unwinding of stimulus measures by the U.S. Federal Reserve and caution about economic uncertainties from the Omicron coronavirus variant.FILE PHOTO: A Thai investor walks past an electronic board displaying live market data at a stock broker’s office […]

Half a million quarantined as China export hub faces Covid-19 outbreak

BEIJING (AFP) – China’s economically important Zhejiang province wrestled on Tuesday (Dec 14) with a Covid-19 outbreak that has left half a million people quarantined and some districts under a business shutdown. Zhejiang, a major industrial and export hub on the country’s east coast, reported 44 of China’s 51 domestically transmitted coronavirus cases on Tuesday, […]

Singapore prepares for Omicron wave: What you need to know about new Covid-19 measures

SINGAPORE – Vaccination-differentiated safe management measures will be expanded to more settings in the new year, as Singapore anticipates a potential surge in local Omicron cases. The country is also pressing forward urgently with its booster vaccination programme and for more regular testing in the workplace and community, said the multi-ministry task force tackling the […]

Serial cheat given second corrective training for reoffending after earlier release

SINGAPORE – A serial conwoman who was sentenced to six years’ corrective training for cheating in 2010, only to reoffend after her release, was ordered to undergo corrective training for the second time on Tuesday (Dec 14). Chia Weven, 48, will now have to spend five years in jail. Corrective training is reserved for repeat […]

7.3-magnitude quake strikes Indonesia, tsunami 'possible'

JAKARTA (AFP) – A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Tuesday (Dec 14), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, as monitors warned of the possibility of hazardous tsunami waves. The USGS said the quake struck around 100km north of the town of Maumere at a depth of 18.5km in the Flores Sea at 0320 […]