Asia

Returning Singaporeans, PRs will need to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours before departure
15Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China, World

Returning Singaporeans, PRs will need to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours before departure

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans and permanent residents will soon be required to present a valid negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken within 72 hours before they depart for Singapore, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday (May 26). From 11.59pm on May 29, all Singaporeans and permanent residents, except those who have stayed in lower-risk countries and regions in the last 21 days before departure to Singapore, will have to present the negative test result. Only then will they be allowed to board their flight or ferry to Singapore, said MOH. The lower-risk countries and regions are Australia, Brunei, mainland China, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Macau. "All travellers will also be required to present their valid COVID-19 PCR test result at the air, sea and l...
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China’s exports up 28%, imports hit decade-high
15Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China, Market, World

China’s exports up 28%, imports hit decade-high

BEIJING: China's exports rose 27.9 per cent in May while imports grew at the fastest pace in more than a decade as the global economy powers back from the COVID-19 crisis, official data showed on Monday (Jun 7). Demand for China's goods has bounced after economically painful lockdowns last year due to the pandemic, and as vaccines are rolled out across much of the world. The figures are also boosted by last year's low base of comparison when the coronavirus was spreading rapidly. Exports from the world's second-largest economy posted strong growth but came in lower than expectations of 32 per cent. "To be honest, that is a cracking number by anybody's standard and shows that global demand remains robust," said OANDA's Jeffrey Halley. In May, import growth hit its highest rate sinc...
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EU to impose new sanctions on Myanmar junta, companies
14Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, World

EU to impose new sanctions on Myanmar junta, companies

JAKARTA: The EU will impose a new round of sanctions on Myanmar's military junta and its economic interests in the coming days, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell told Reuters on Thursday (Jun 3). In an interview in Jakarta after meetings with Southeast Asian diplomats, Borrell said the fresh sanctions from the EU would be the third batch introduced since the military ousted Myanmar's democratically-elected government on Feb 1. "There is a third row of sanctions in preparation that will be approved (in) the coming days (targeting) personnel of the military junta and also the entity that represents the economic interests of the military," he said. Since the coup, EU sanctions have frozen assets or applied travel bans on 21 military and civilian members of Myanmar's junta. Europea...
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Searches for crypto exchanges currently blocked in China
14Jun By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China, Market

Searches for crypto exchanges currently blocked in China

The Chinese government has possibly censored the internt as users are unable to search for popular crypto exchanges.Keywords searches for online trading platforms including Binance, OKEx and Huobi on popular internet services such as Baidu, Sogo, Zhihu, or Weibo are yielding no results. Other media outlets including CoinDesk first reported the possible blockage.The Chinese government has recently renewed a regulatory crackdown on crypto mining and trading, helping send Bitcoin down about 45% since its peak in April.The exchanges that appear to be impacted are some of the largest in the digital-asset world, with Asia-based users being among the earliest adopters. Binance is the world’s biggest crypto platform, with $30 billion in trading volume in the last 24 hours, according to CoinMarket...
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Oil steadies after sell-off as US stockpiles rise less than expected
14Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, Market, World

Oil steadies after sell-off as US stockpiles rise less than expected

Oil prices fell on Thursday after a slump in the previous session, as rising U.S. stockpiles added to concerns about a hit to demand from surging coronavirus infections in Asia and possible U.S. rate hikes. TOKYO -Oil prices steadied on Thursday after a two-day slump, reflecting the world's mixed economic recovery from the pandemic, with U.S. demand expected to keep rising, while a second coronavirus wave raging in India has led to more curbs on movement. Brent crude was up 18 cents, or 0.3per cent, at US$66.84 a barrel by 0527 GMT, having fallen 3per cent on Wednesday. U.S. oil gained 37 cents, or 0.6per cent, to US$63.73 a barrel, after a 3.3per cent drop in the previous session. "U.S. gasoline demand is holding up well ahead of the driving season," ANZ Research said in a note. Al...
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Is bone-breaking surgery to grow taller worth the risk?
13Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, World

Is bone-breaking surgery to grow taller worth the risk?

Limb-lengthening surgery for cosmetic reasons is in demand in India, but it does not always end well, the programme Undercover Asia finds out. DELHI: Hoping to propel his career to greater heights, sales consultant Amit (not his real name) underwent surgery to break his bones and make himself taller. At 1.6 metres, he felt everyone towered over him. With a new job in the United States lined up, he decided to take his chances with orthopaedic surgeon and height-gain specialist Amar Sarin. “There are moments when you feel that there’s no need, and why do you go through all the hassle?” said Amit, 36, who did not want to be identified. “Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong … time will tell. But for your own self-confidence, I think a couple of centimetres shouldn’t hurt.” He had wires in...
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China touts success building a Tibet less focused on religion
13Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China, USA, World

China touts success building a Tibet less focused on religion

China’s top leader in Tibet lauded the progress his country has made developing the region, touting an ethnic-assimilation campaign that has fueled international accusations of human rights abuses. “More and more believers have been trained from pursuing a good afterlife to living a good life in this life, and religion has been increasingly compatible with a socialist society,” Wu Yingjie, the Communist Party chief of Tibet, said at a press briefing in Beijing on Saturday. Wu also listed a wide array of ways the ruling party has transformed the region where most people are Buddhist — from building schools and paved roads to improvements in health care — as China marks the 70th anniversary on Sunday of an agreement giving it control of the region. The event puts a renewed focus on Tibet ...
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Stocks set record highs as bond yields slide
13Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, Market, World

Stocks set record highs as bond yields slide

U.S. bond yields fell to three month lows and a broad gauge of Asian shares rose on Friday as investors saw enough one-off factors in U.S. consumer price data to back the Federal Reserve's conviction that rising inflation will be transitory. NEW YORK/LONDON: European shares, the S&P 500 and an index of global stock performance scaled new peaks while yields on U.S., Japanese and European government debt fell on Friday as investors embraced the easy monetary policies of major central banks. Investor sentiment rose in Europe after the European Central Bank raised its growth and inflation projections on Thursday, and also renewed a pledge to keep stimulus flowing. The pan-regional STOXX Europe 600 index rose 0.7per cent to a record close, posting its sixth straight session of gains and ...
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Thai museum unveils 1,000-year-old artefacts returned from US
12Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, World

Thai museum unveils 1,000-year-old artefacts returned from US

BANGKOK: Two ancient sandstone artefacts believed to have been stolen from Thailand during the Vietnam War were unveiled on Monday (May 31) at a Bangkok museum, greeted with a fanfare of traditional dancers and an elaborate worship ceremony. The temple support beams - which were returned on Friday - boast exquisite carvings of the Hindu deities Indra and Yama that date back to the late 10th or 11th century. They had been on display for decades at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, and their repatriation to Thailand followed a yearslong investigation by the US Department of Homeland Security. On Monday, museum staff carefully unpacked the artefacts under the watchful gaze of Culture Minister Itthiphol Khunpluem as Thai traditional music played. "These two lintels are evidence of ou...
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Dollar falls, equities gain as Fed calms inflation worries
12Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, Market, World

Dollar falls, equities gain as Fed calms inflation worries

World equity markets made gains while the U.S. dollar hit new lows against major currencies on Tuesday after Federal Reserve officials reaffirmed a dovish monetary policy stance that eased inflation concerns. NEW YORK: World equity markets made gains while the U.S. dollar hit new lows against major currencies on Tuesday after Federal Reserve officials reaffirmed a dovish monetary policy stance that eased inflation concerns. Investors weighed the Fed's soothing words that put to rest tapering worries for the time being and helped to drive the dollar to four-and-a-half-month lows. The benchmark 10-year Treasury note also hit two-week lows and was at 1.56per cent in afternoon trading, down from 1.608per cent late on Monday. The yield curve flattened for a fourth straight session, as pa...
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