NEW DELHI (THE STATESMAN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Japan has after decades of circumspection shown a willingness to directly call out Chinese behaviour that falls foul of the international order and to affirm its opposition to Beijing’s coercive and destabilising acts thanks, in the main, to the Joe Biden administration’s embrace of the Free and Open […]
SINGAPORE – Foreign worker levies for S Pass and work permit holders, including those for migrant domestic workers, will be waived for their stay-home notice (SHN) period from January to September this year, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Thursday (April 1). This is to help employers manage the increased costs associated with the […]
HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) – The Chinese company with the deal to distribute BioNTech and Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine in “Greater China” says it is willing to supply Taiwan, after the island suggested that Beijing blocked it from securing the shot. Speaking in an interview from Shanghai, Mr Guo Guangchang, the chairman of Fosun International – whose […]
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese big manufacturers’ sentiment improved to pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter and companies stepped up capital spending plans, suggesting the export-reliant economy was benefiting from a solid recovery in global demand.Slideshow ( 2 images )Confidence among big non-manufacturers also recovered from three months ago, underscoring the fading strains from the coronavirus pandemic, […]
TOKYO (REUTERS) – The famous pink cherry blossoms of Kyoto reached full bloom this year on March 26, the earliest date in the 12 centuries since records began, according to a Japanese university. The earlier flowering indicates climate change, said Yasuyuki Aono, a professor of environmental science at Osaka Prefectural University, who has compiled a […]
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – China on Wednesday (March 31) said it wanted a “democratic transition” in military-ruled Myanmar, but ruled out sanctions at a UN Security Council meeting. “China hopes that Myanmar will restore peace, stability and constitutional order as early as possible and continue to steadily advance democratic transition,” Ambassador Zhang Jun […]
Mae Hong Son province, Thailand – Villagers from Myanmar who say they have been forced by Thai authorities to return across the border after seeking shelter in Thailand are too afraid to return home but are running low on food. “We can’t be sure when the planes will come to our place,” community leader Naw […]
FILE PHOTO: Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem takes part in a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Blair GableOTTAWA (Reuters) – Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem, speaking in a newspaper interview, said on Wednesday he saw worrying signs that household indebtedness was worsening as housing prices continue to soar. Macklem […]
SINGAPORE – Recent talk of travel bubbles with destinations such as Phuket, Bintan, Australia and Taiwan has caused ripples of excitement among a travel-starved Singapore crowd. But when it comes to actual bookings, would-be travellers are taking a more measured approach. Travel agents The Straits Times spoke to said prospective customers are waiting for the […]
SINGAPORE – A 22-year-old permanent resident who is studying in the United Kingdom was the sole community Covid-19 case announced by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday night (March 31). He is asymptomatic and was detected when he took a Covid-19 pre-departure test on Tuesday in preparation for his return to the United Kingdom. […]