Good evening! Catch up on some of the main headlines on Thursday, July 23. Access to popular parks, beaches will be closed if too crowded; 2 bars suspended for violating safe distancing rules Over the past few weekends, crowds were observed at East Coast Park, with many in groups of more than five individuals and without […]
KUALA LUMPUR (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) – Malaysia on Friday (July 24) said US investment bank Goldman Sachs has agreed to a US$3.9 billion (S$5.41 billion) settlement with the government over the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal. The deal includes a US$2.5 billion cash payout by Goldman and a guarantee by the bank to return at least US$1.4 […]
SINGAPORE – A Covid-19 vaccine may become available in sufficient doses only towards the end of next year, the Health Ministry director of medical services Kenneth Mak said. He said Singapore is proactively working with vaccine developers, pharmaceutical companies and research institutions on research efforts into a Covid-19 vaccine. Discussions have also begun to ensure Singapore will […]
KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – All travellers coming into Malaysia will have to undergo mandatory quarantine upon arrival from Friday (July 24), said Senior Minister (Security) Ismail Sabri Yaakob. He said these travellers will have to enter designated quarantine stations for 14 days. “The ruling for compulsory quarantine starts today,” he said in a […]
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia is considering returning tax paid by companies to support them during the coronavirus pandemic, the country’s deputy finance minister said on Friday, as the government seeks to retune parts of its economic stimulus. Southeast Asia’s largest economy has budgeted 695.2 trillion rupiah ($47.81 billion) for its pandemic response, but some existing […]
(Reuters) – U.S. healthcare shares were largely unchanged before the opening bell on Friday, ahead of executive orders by U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at lowering drug prices. With a re-election race underway and the country hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, the White House has reportedly been considering tying drug prices to what consumers […]
NEW DELHI (REUTERS) – Indian and Chinese diplomats were set for more talks on Friday (July 24) to narrow differences on ways to pull back troops eyeballing each other across a disputed border in the western Himalayas, where 20 Indian soldiers died in a clash over a month ago. There were no shots fired during […]
(Reuters) – European shares fell on Friday as global sentiment soured after Beijing ordered United States to close its consulate in a Chinese city in retaliation to similar action from Washington. The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 1.9%, on track for its biggest one-day drop in a month, pushing it to a weekly loss for […]
SINGAPORE/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Australians’ deepening raid on their pension funds is driving a surge in debt repayments, which analysts say makes for a double-whammy on the domestic stock market and its dominant big banks as the country sinks into its first recession in a generation. The rush to withdraw retirement savings, under an emergency […]
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The safe-haven yen advanced to a one-month high on Friday as deteriorating Sino-U.S. relations heightened investor anxiety, while a surging euro put the beleaguered dollar on track for its worst week in a month. China has said it “must” retaliate after the U.S. ordered its Houston consulate to shut this week, amid […]