TOKYO (BLOOMBERG) – Japan is seeking to conclude months of talks on a broad post-Brexit trade deal with the UK later Friday (Sept 11) when top negotiators speak via a video conference. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who has led Tokyo’s team on the pact, told reporters in Tokyo he will be speaking with UK […]
SYDNEY (REUTERS) – Australia opposes the release of an Afghan soldier, jailed for killing three of its military personnel in 2012, as part of a prisoner transfer deal to help usher in peace talks in the war-torn country, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Friday (Sept 11). Six prisoners sought by the Taleban left Kabul […]
SEOUL (REUTERS) – South Korea posted a slight uptick in the daily number of its coronavirus cases on Friday (Sept 11) even as infections from a church and a political rally that sparked a second wave of outbreaks ease. The Korea Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported 176 new cases as of midnight Thursday, […]
(Reuters) – Karen Karniol-Tambour, director of investment research at Bridgewater Associates, has complained to the hedge fund’s management after learning she has been paid less than some male counterparts, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. Karniol-Tambour made a formal complaint to Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio and Chief Executive Officer David McCormick, asserting that men […]
KABUL (AFP) – Long-delayed peace talks between the Taleban and Afghan government negotiators will begin on Saturday (Sept 12) in Qatar, officials said, marking a potentially momentous milestone in Afghanistan’s 19-year-old war. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Doha for the opening of the US-backed negotiations, as President Donald Trump seeks to honour […]
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The head of US forces in South Korea, General Robert Abrams, said on Thursday (Sept 10) he does not expect to see any “lashing out” from North Korea during upcoming celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the founding of Kim Jong Un’s ruling party. “There are people suggesting that perhaps there will […]
NEW YORK (AFP) – A flawless 102-carat oval diamond will head to auction on Oct 5 in Hong Kong at Sotheby’s. The auction house has not given an official price estimate for the egg-shaped stone of exactly 102.39 carats, which has the highest colour grade, D, for a white diamond and is rated Type IIA […]
AMBALA, INDIA (AFP) – India’s Defence Minister hailed the formal commissioning on Thursday (Sept 10) of the country’s first new French Rafale jets as a “strong message” to its adversaries, amid an escalating border row with China. The first five of a US$9.4 billion (S$13.10 billion) order for 36 Rafale aircraft formally entered service following […]
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s relative success in managing the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a gradual re-opening of its borders to medical tourism, as the country prepares to make a comeback as the world’s top spot for such travellers. The country’s governing body for medical tourism, The Malaysian Health Tourism Council (MHTC), is proposing to […]
SYDNEY (XINHUA) – Australian researchers have developed a new software to help tackle the problem of mutations in the Covid-19 virus, and guide the development of more effective vaccine to fight the virus. On Wednesday (Sept 9), the team from Melbourne University revealed a new software program, dubbed Covid-3D, which harnesses genomic and protein information […]