South Korea’s spy agency has told officials that North Korea’s ambassador to Italy has disappeared. The announcement follows unconfirmed reports that Pyongyang’s top diplomat in Italy had sought asylum from an unidentified Western country. Jo Song-gil, the acting North Korean ambassador to Rome, is the son and son-in-law of high-ranking North Korean officials. The last […]
BANGKOK (BLOOMBERG) – For the second year in a row, some of the planet’s most toxic smog has choked Bangkok. The Thai capital’s air turned gray and thick in recent days, particularly during mornings, as seasonal weather changes prevented pollutants such as exhaust fumes and factory smoke from dissipating. Periodically, the air was worse than […]
SINGAPORE – Two cars caught fire in separate incidents in Yishun and Bukit Batok on Wednesday (Jan 16) and Thursday. No injuries were reported in both cases. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to the first incident at an open-air carpark near Block 349 Yishun Avenue 9 at about 9.50pm on Wednesday. The flames […]
DONGGUAN/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Wang Zhishen was thrilled when Danish shipper A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) gave him two months’ paid leave, relishing the chance to spend time with his wife and daughters in China’s remote northwestern Gansu province. But his euphoria over what he thought was an unexpected bonus quickly turned to despair when Maersk fired […]
SINGAPORE – A 34-year-old man appeared in court on Friday (Jan 18) after a woman was found dead in a Woodlands flat a day before. M. Krishnan is accused of murdering Ms Mallika Begum Rahamansa Abdul Rahman, 40, between 10pm on Wednesday and 1.37am on Thursday. He allegedly committed the offence in a unit on […]
Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Friday, Jan 18. Tougher measures planned to strengthen copyright Meanwhile, there will be new enforcement measures to prevent the import and sale of set-top boxes used to access content from unauthorised sources. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO With the changes, creators will see their rights protected more […]
A piece of graffiti found at a monorail station in Tokyo, Japan, could be the work of British artist Banksy, say local officials. The drawing bears resemblance to a famous Banksy painting “Umbrella rat”, which similarly pictures a rat parachuting with an umbrella. It is not clear when the work was painted but officials said […]
New laws will be tabled in Parliament some time this year to ban the sale of media streaming boxes with “add-on” services that help consumers to access pirated content. This clarity comes on the heels of a three-year review by the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (Ipos) of Singapore’s […]
BEIJING (REUTERS) – Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will visit the United States on Jan 30 and 31 for the next round of trade negotiations with Washington, China’s commerce ministry said on Thursday (Jan 17), confirming earlier reports of the planned talks. Mr Liu’s scheduled visit follows lower-level negotiations held in Beijing last week aimed at resolving a […]
Filipinos and members of the Chinese community in the Philippines yesterday welcomed a three-vessel Chinese naval escort as it docked in Manila for a five-day friendly visit. The visiting ships – missile frigates Wuhu and Handan, and supply ship Dongpinghu – were making their last port call after completing their escort mission in the Gulf […]