SINGAPORE – Budget carrier Scoot has modified one of its planes to carry only cargo from August. Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ low-cost arm, removed all the seats of one of its A-320ceo aircraft, doubling the aircraft’s cargo-carrying capacity to nearly 20 tonnes. “With many passenger aircraft sitting idle due to the pandemic, Scoot started operating cargo […]

SINGAPORE – Bilateral agreements that Singapore signed with other countries have not jeopardised employment opportunities for Singaporeans, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Sunday (Aug 23). In fact, they have opened doors to better jobs. Responding to criticisms about how free trade agreements or comprehensive economic cooperation agreements had caused Singapore to “sign […]

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Malaysia’s Prime Minister has asked for a comprehensive investigation into the case of a minister breaching a mandatory 14-day quarantine, saying no one is above the law. The government views seriously the alleged breach of quarantine rules by a minister, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. “The government has […]

Three women, two children and two men died when their vehicle struck the roadside bomb in Ghazni province. At least seven civilians have been killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, the latest violence in the country amid new uncertainties over the start of talks between the Taliban and the government. Three women, two […]

TOKYO (Reuters) – The dollar steadied against major currencies on Monday as traders looked to more data for a gauge on the health of the global economy and the Federal Reserve’s annual Jackson Hole retreat for guidance on the outlook for U.S. monetary policy. Sentiment for the greenback has improved somewhat due to supportive data […]

SINGAPORE – Strong familial ties can provide Singaporeans with the strength and resilience needed to tackle the challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, said President Halimah Yacob in a video message addressing the participants at the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) Family Bonding Day @ Home on Sunday (Aug 23). “Strong families are the cornerstone […]

DENPASAR (BLOOMBERG) – The Indonesian island of Bali will remain closed to foreign visitors for the rest of 2020 after the authorities postponed a plan to welcome back international tourists from Sept 11 as the coronavirus continues to spread. “The Indonesian government couldn’t reopen its doors to foreign travellers until the end of 2020 as […]

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Some of China’s largest banks are set to post their first drop in first-half profits since the global financial crisis, hit by a surge in bad debt and higher loan-loss provisions due to the coronavirus pandemic, analysts and official data indicate. The big five state banks including Industrial and Commercial Bank […]

SINGAPORE – A segment of the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) at Jalan Anak Bukit will undergo improvements after several vehicles were seen to have skidded out of control along that part of the highway. The segment, which is near Upper Bukit Timah Road, will see the road and road shoulder re-surfaced, lane markings broadened, the parapet […]

SYDNEY (REUTERS) – Australia recorded a further 17 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday (Aug 23) but infections in the hard-hit state of Victoria, the site of all the latest deaths, are showing a downward trend, the authorities said. Other than in Victoria, which accounts for over 80 per cent of Australia’s Covid-19 deaths due to […]