Monday, 14 Jul 2025

Asia

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Malaysian flight stewardess jailed in Australia for smuggling heroin

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – A Malaysian flight attendant caught smuggling heroin worth millions in her undergarments last year has been put behind bars in Australia. The Australian County Court on Thursday (Oct 8) sentenced Zailee Zainal to nine years and six months in jail. The 40-year-old mother of three will be eligible […]

An Afghan Boy’s Rape and Death Prompt a Rare Response: Arrests

KABUL, Afghanistan — It started as a dispute between boys: Naseebullah Barakzai, 13, was irked when a neighbor boy stole fruit and ripped limbs from his family’s pomegranate tree, and he shoved the younger boy to the ground, relatives say. Just two days later, Naseebullah was dead, and his village, in the southern Afghan province […]

An Afghan Boy’s Rape and Death Prompt a Rare Response: Arrests

KABUL, Afghanistan — It started as a dispute between boys: Naseebullah Barakzai, 13, was irked when a neighbor boy stole fruit and ripped limbs from his family’s pomegranate tree, and he shoved the younger boy to the ground, relatives say. Just two days later, Naseebullah was dead, and his village, in the southern Afghan province […]

Dollar slips and yuan soars as investors eye Biden presidency

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The dollar drifted toward a small weekly loss on Friday, while the Chinese yuan soared to a 17-month high, as investors wagered on a Joe Biden presidency and on more U.S. stimulus spending.FILE PHOTO: George Washington is seen with printed medical mask on the one Dollar banknote in this illustration taken, March […]

Dual flu-Covid nasal spray vaccine to start trial in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) – An experimental dual vaccine for both influenza and the new coronavirus delivered via a nasal spray will enter human studies in Hong Kong next month, a top infectious diseases doctor said. The early-stage clinical trial will enroll about 100 adults, said Yuen Kwok-Yung, chair of infectious diseases in the University of […]

Close to 80,000 people receive financial aid through ComCare in the past year

SINGAPORE – More people received financial assistance from the Government in the past year, with about 78,600 individuals benefiting from the various ComCare schemes, said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on Friday (Oct 9). According to the MSF’s ComCare Annual Report, there was an about 4 per cent increase in the number […]

Singapore, UN to cooperate on checklist for countries to implement cybersecurity norms

SINGAPORE – Singapore will cooperate with the United Nations to come up with a checklist of the steps that countries will need to take to implement a set of norms on cybersecurity and responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran, announcing this on Friday (Oct 9), underscored the importance of […]

China tourism rebounds over Golden Week but still below last year

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (REUTERS) – Chinese domestic tourism saw a robust rebound over the just-ended Golden Week holiday, encouraged by China’s success in stamping out the novel coronavirus, although levels were still well short of last year. Tourism sites were visited by 637 million domestic tourists over the eight-day National Day holiday that started Oct 1, which […]

Hong Kong performers long for the stage as coronavirus pandemic drags on

HONG KONG (AFP) – Hong Kong’s performing arts community has been brutally hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which has left theatres empty and stage lights cold – and there is little hope on the horizon even as entertainment venues begin to reopen. The same pain felt by performers in Broadway and the West End is […]

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Oct 9

Trump refuses ‘waste of time’ virtual debate with Biden, who announces solo event instead The debate format was changed “to protect the health and safety of all involved”, according to the organiser. READ MORE HERE Singapore restarting cruises: Boost for economy, but not plain sailing It may sound like a good way to help the […]