Hi all, In today’s bulletin: Two Asian countries decide to proceed with AstraZeneca vaccines despite controversies; Myanmar’s new leader asks Thai PM for help on democracy; Philippines decides to beef up naval presence in South China Sea; World Economic Forum’s founder shares insights on Singapore meeting; Ill-fated Indonesian plane’s automatic throttle problems, and more. Reading this […]
TOKYO (Reuters) – As the coronavirus pandemic stokes fears of deflation, the Bank of Japan is facing changes in its board that could tip the balance in favour of aggressive monetary easing and test the limits of its already stretched policy tool-kit.FILE PHOTO: A security guard walks past in front of the Bank of Japan headquarters […]
NEW YORK (NYTIMES) – For months, China resisted allowing World Health Organisation experts into the country to trace the origins of the global pandemic, concerned that such an inquiry could draw attention to the government’s early missteps in handling the outbreak. After a global uproar, the Chinese government finally relented, allowing a team of 14 […]
SINGAPORE – Jurong Island will be a sustainable energy and chemicals park by 2030 as part of Singapore’s push to make industrial production processes and energy usage greener and improve energy efficiency. The Republic also aims to develop itself into a sustainable tourism destination as well as a carbon services hub and a centre for […]
SINGAPORE -There was an overall decrease in physical crimes reported last year, with theft and housebreaking reaching a 36-year low amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Figures released by the police on Tuesday (Feb 9) showed that the overall crime rate edged up by 6.5 per cent owing to the increase in scams. However, theft and its […]
SINGAPORE – Visitors on the opening day of the River Hongbao festivities were treated to a spectacle of lanterns and floats to kick off their Chinese New Year celebrations. The lanterns, which lit up Gardens by the Bay on Wednesday night (Feb 10), include an 18m-tall God of Fortune display next to a golden ox, […]
JAKARTA (REUTERS) – Indonesia’s air accident investigator will brief relatives of the 62 victims of last month’s Sriwijaya Air crash in Jakarta on Wednesday morning (Feb 10) ahead of the release of a preliminary report in the afternoon, a family member told Reuters. The briefing follows one held for families on Tuesday in Pontianak, the […]
SAMUT PRAKAN (AFP) – Organising protests, gathering supporters and distributing posters of their beloved leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar workers in Thailand are adding to a chorus of dissent against a coup that has upended their home country. Thailand’s economy is reliant on millions of low-wage labourers – mostly from neighbouring Myanmar – who […]
SEOUL (REUTERS) – South Korea on Wednesday (Feb 10) said it would grant its first approval for a coronavirus vaccine to AstraZeneca, and will allow use in people 65 years or older, despite advisory panels’ warning of a lack of data on its efficacy for the elderly Regulators will grant AstraZeneca’s vaccine emergency authorisation under […]
SINGAPORE – A 22-year-old Bangladeshi construction worker is the sole case from migrant workers’ dormitories reported on Wednesday (Feb 10). There were also 14 imported cases confirmed by the Ministry of Health (MOH), taking Singapore’s total to 59,747. The construction worker’s earlier tests from rostered routine testing (RRT) – the last being on Jan 24 – […]