PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Former Malaysia premier Najib Razak says he is lucky that the Internal Security Act (ISA) has been abolished and that he has not been charged with sodomy pending trial on the 1MDB-linked charges he faces. “It is very clear that the Pakatan Harapan government is using all the […]
TAIPEI (AFP) – A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the western coast of Taiwan on Monday (Nov 26), the US Geological Survey said, and was felt hundreds of kilometres away in Hong Kong. The quake hit around 100km off the island of Pinghu in the Taiwan Strait, at a depth of 13km at 7.57am. There were […]
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The dollar rose versus its major peers on Monday, as investors sought shelter in safe haven currencies as fears of a global growth slowdown and U.S.-Sino trade tensions sapped risk appetite. The greenback and the yen, both considered safe haven currencies advanced as traders fear that last week’s capitulation in oil prices […]
The drubbing that Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took in Saturday’s local elections shows that the Taiwanese reject President Tsai Ing-wen’s separatist policies, said a Chinese official, an interpretation echoed by Chinese state media. But some Chinese experts said the polls focused on bread-and-butter issues and the results do not show a shift in […]
Repeat drug abusers who do not commit crimes might no longer face mandatory jail terms, but this does not mean that the authorities’ stance towards drugs has softened, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Amrin Amin. He noted that detention time in the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) as well as the period of supervision […]
SINGAPORE – The ChildAid 2018 concert opened on Sunday night (Nov 25) with three upbeat numbers including Abba’s Dancing Queen from the 1970s, with performers paying tribute to the evolution of pop music from the 1960s. Jointly organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times, the concert raises money for two different funds for […]
TORONTO (Reuters) – Competition for deposits among Canada’s biggest banks is heating up for the first time since the global financial crisis, leading to higher funding costs that could crimp profit growth in their domestic businesses over the next two years, analysts say. The emerging price war adds to risks clouding the outlook and will […]
SINGAPORE – The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said on Saturday night (Nov 24) that it is looking into a video of children allegedly throwing stones at a cat in Hougang. Footage of the incident, which lasts about 10 seconds, was uploaded on Facebook group Roads.sg on Saturday. It begins with two boys […]
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China has given the go-ahead for two more foreign financial institutions to set up local subsidiaries, the country’s banking and insurance regulator said in a notice on Sunday, bringing the total number of approvals to 12. German insurer Allianz (ALVG.DE) will be permitted to establish China’s first foreign insurance holding company, and […]
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Italy and the European Commission will work in the coming days to bring closer their positions on Italy’s 2019 draft budget, which the EU executive says breaks EU laws by not reducing the country’s huge public debt. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker met on Saturday evening with Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte […]