Friday, 15 Nov 2024

Asia

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More than 600 fines issued for Covid-19 safety breaches in first quarter

SINGAPORE – A bespectacled elderly man sat below a block of flats in Tiong Bahru, poring over a newspaper – without a mask on. He was alone, and did not seem to be bothered that he was unmasked even though there were a few other people around on a recent weekday morning. When approached by […]

Ex-businessman conned via WhatsApp text from scammer impersonating friend

Mr Peter Ong (not his real name) is no stranger to receiving suspicious calls claiming that he had parcels to collect from the post office, or that his phone had a problem that needed fixing by his telecom service provider. But the retired businessman, who is in his 70s, never entertained them. “It’s obvious that […]

Indian economy at risk as Covid-19 pandemic shrinks country's middle class

NEW DELHI – When Mrs Manisha (who uses only her first name) was hospitalised with Covid-19 last month, the family thought it would be only for a few days. But the 58-year-old’s health started deteriorating even as medical bills have continued to mount, pushing the family increasingly deeper into a financial crisis. Please subscribe or log […]

Religious leaders cannot be ambivalent on jokes harming women: Singapore Mufti

SINGAPORE – There is a need to re-educate the Muslim community here on unacceptable behaviours, and Islamic religious leaders must take firm action against miscreants, said Mufti Nazirudin Mohd Nasir on Wednesday (June 2). Dr Nazirudin, who is Singapore’s highest Islamic authority here, had strong words for the Muslim community during a virtual Hari Raya […]

Evening Update: Today's headlines from The Straits Times on June 2

Good evening! Catch up on some of the main headlines on Wednesday, June 2. MOH approves special access to Sinovac vaccine through private healthcare sector This follows WHO’s announcement that it had approved the vaccine for use under its Emergency Use Listing. READ MORE HERE 26 builders ordered to stop work for not using SafeEntry […]

South Korea's business leaders call on President Moon Jae-in to free jailed Samsung boss

SEOUL (REUTERS) – Leaders of South Korea’s largest conglomerates urged President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday (June 2) to pardon Lee Jae-yong, the jailed vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, to maintain the country’s edge in the chip industry. The plea was made during a luncheon between Mr Moon and the chiefs of four major business empires – […]

AstraZeneca commits to Thai vaccine doses amid supply anxiety

BANGKOK (REUTERS) – Drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Wednesday (June 2) it will soon provide Thailand with 1.8 million doses of its locally manufactured Covid-19 vaccine, the first of multiple batches this month, just days out from the launch of the country’s mass vaccination drive. The announcement in a joint statement by AstraZeneca and Siam Bioscience, a firm […]

Beware of scam using WhatsApp accounts hacked through voicemail, warn police

SINGAPORE – Scammers have come up with a new way to cheat people with a gold bar scheme using compromised WhatsApp accounts, the police warned on Wednesday (June 2). They added that the accounts can be hacked using a voicemail method. In this new scam variant, the crooks pretend to be a friend of a […]