WASHINGTON — The goal of a diplomatic meeting set for Thursday seemed simple: Nail down a plan for a second summit between President Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. But finalizing the meeting itself — between Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, and one of Mr. Kim’s top compatriots — proved harder than […]
SINGAPORE – The Republic’s High Commission in Malaysia has described an online news article linking Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal as fake news and libellous. The Wednesday (Nov 7) article was carried on the website of The Coverage, which describes itself as a “social news network based in Malaysia”. […]
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. dollar edged lower on Wednesday, with some investors tiptoeing back into riskier assets after midterm elections split power in the U.S. Congress, giving Democrats greater ability to check any major initiatives from President Donald Trump. Traders pulled out of the safe-haven currency after the election results came in as […]
SINGAPORE (BLOOMBERG) – The world economy faces risks ranging from surging non-financial corporate debt to US fights with creditors and the potential for a new global dividing line. Those concerns dominated the second day of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore on Wednesday (Nov 7), where former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen warned the […]
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil prices fell on Wednesday, continuing their recent slide after surging U.S. crude output hit another record and domestic inventories rose more than expected. In early trade, prices had risen after a report that Russia and Saudi Arabia are discussing whether to cut crude output next year. Then the U.S. Energy […]
SINGAPORE – A lorry crashed into the centre divider of the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) on Wednesday (Nov 7), knocking down a lamp post and blocking an entire lane of traffic in the opposite direction. Footage of the incident circulating on messaging apps shows the lorry travelling in the leftmost lane of the four-lane expressway in […]
LONDON (Reuters) – Oil rebounded to $73 a barrel on Wednesday after falling to its lowest since August, supported by a report that Russia and Saudi Arabia are discussing whether to cut crude output next year. Russia’s TASS news agency, citing an unnamed source, reported that the two countries, the biggest producers in an OPEC-led […]
JAKARTA – Search efforts for the downed Lion Air jet have been extended once more in the hopes of recovering victims’ bodies and a second black box, while air crash investigators take a closer look at problematic “angle of attack” readings in a bid to unravel the mystery behind the deadly crash. Indonesia’s National Search […]
SINGAPORE – What started out as a joyful Chinese New Year outing ended in tragedy when a sleepy motorist momentarily closed his eyes, resulting in a crash that killed his mother. His father and his niece were also injured in the accident. Peh Boon Wee, 48, was fined $10,000 on Wednesday (Nov 7) and disqualified […]
LONDON (Reuters) – The dollar fell broadly on Wednesday against major currencies including the euro and the British pound as the outcome of a split U.S. Congress raised expectations that any major U.S. fiscal policy boost to the economy is unlikely for now. The greenback fell 0.6 percent versus the safe-haven Swiss franc CHF=EBS and […]