World

MUNICH : Battery power may be the frontrunner to become the car technology of the future, but don't rule out the underdog hydrogen. That's the view of some major automakers, including BMW and Audi, which are developing hydrogen fuel-cell passenger vehicle prototypes alongside their fleets of battery cars as part of preparations to abandon fossil fuels. They are hedging their bets, calculating that a change in political winds could shift the balance towards hydrogen in an industry shaped by early-mover Tesla's decision to take the battery-powered road to clean cars. Global auto hub Germany is in sharp focus. It is already betting billions on hydrogen fuel in sectors like steel and chemicals to meet climate targets, and closely-fought elections this month could see the Greens enter the co...

Australia’s competition regulator on Monday denied approval for an agreement between Qantas Airways Ltd. and Japan Airlines Co. to coordinate flights between Australia and Japan, saying it would reduce competition when coronavirus travel restrictions are lifted and international travel resumes. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in a statement that the proposed agreement would not only remove competition between the two top competitors but also make it difficult for other airlines to operate routes between Australia and Japan. “Preserving competition between airlines is the key to the long-term recovery of the aviation and tourism sectors, once international travel restrictions are eased,” said Rod Sims, chair of the ACCC. Qantas and JAL together flew some 85% of pa...

China on Wednesday implemented a revised law to strengthen the power of its maritime safety authorities, amid concern that the move could escalate tensions with other countries, including Japan, in nearby waters. As Beijing claims that the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea are part of its territory, the amended Maritime Traffic Safety Law could target Japanese vessels navigating around the uninhabited islets, called Diaoyu in China. In February, China also enforced a controversial law that allows its coast guard to use weapons when foreign ships involved in illegal activities in Chinese-claimed waters do not obey orders, making Sino-Japanese relations more fragile over maritime security. The latest revision was enacted in late April at the Standing Committee of...

The United States, Britain and Australia said on Wednesday they would establish a security partnership for the Indo-Pacific that will involve helping Canberra acquire nuclear-powered submarines, as Chinese influence over the region grows. Under the partnership, announced by President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the United States and Britain will provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines. In a three-way virtual announcement from each of their capitals, the leaders stressed Australia will not be fielding nuclear weapons but using nuclear propulsion systems for the vessels, to guard against future threats. "We all recognize the imperative of ensuring peace and stability in the ...

SINGAPORE: Over the course of two weeks, a 55-year-old man called his ex-wife multiple times while she was sleeping at night and left voice messages for her on WhatsApp, ignoring her demands for him to stop. On Wednesday (Aug 25), 55-year-old Lim Cher Huat was sentenced to two weeks' jail and a S$2,000 fine after pleading guilty to one count each of stalking, causing damage to property, and fighting in a public place. Five other charges were taken into consideration. Lim and his ex-wife commenced divorce proceedings in late 2017, with the Family Justice Courts issuing a Personal Protection Order against Lim in December that year. The divorce was finalised around March 2018, with Lim moving out of the marital home shortly after. In December 2018, Lim’s ex-wife lodged a police report sta...

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Wednesday detailed a long list of problems that he believes need resolution in order for the stock market to overcome its recent malaise and build meaningful momentum. "We don't just need a handful of these positives before I can start feeling better about this situation, we need almost all of them. If we get them, the market will soar, but if we don't, then the next few weeks could be as brutal as advertised," the "Mad Money" host said. Cramer has said he's currently "neutral" on the market during what is a historically tough month for equities. All three major U.S. stock indexes are in the red for September, despite finishing higher Wednesday. Here's Cramer's recipe for how market sentiment and stocks can go meaningfully higher: 1. Positive jobs picture "We need so...

SINGAPORE: Singapore remains committed to engaging and cooperating with the new Malaysian government to seek "win-win" outcomes, said Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday (Sep 13). Speaking in Parliament, Dr Balakrishnan noted that Singapore and Malaysia will always be closely intertwined and interdependent. "We are committed to engaging and cooperating with the new Malaysian government to seek win-win outcomes for the long term. And this is especially important, so that both our countries can recover and emerge stronger from the current COVID pandemic situation," said Dr Balakrishnan. "And I'm confident that our bilateral cooperation will continue to expand for the mutual benefit of citizens on both sides." Dr Balakrishnan was responding to questions from Members...

SEOUL : South Korean biotech firm GL Rapha expects to win regulatory approval from Russia to export Sputnik Light coronavirus vaccines this month, its chairman said, paving the way for the first overseas production of the shot to ease a supply shortage. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which markets Sputnik V and single-dose version Sputnik Light abroad, plans to produce around 700 million doses overseas this year. But production got off to a slow start and growing domestic demand constrained supply from Russia, disrupting both shots' global rollout plan and allowing rival vaccine makers to fill the gap in several markets. "Everything is pretty much ready and we continue to produce the vaccine as we wait for Russia to validate our production process," GL Chairman Whang Jae-gan...

Myanmar’s shadow government, formed by opponents of military rule, called for a revolt against the junta on Tuesday, setting out a strategy that included action by armed militias and ethnic forces as well as urging bureaucrats to leave their posts. Duwa Lashi La, the acting president of the National Unity Government (NUG), said in a speech that the shadow government, which is made up of members in exile or in hiding, was declaring a state of emergency. Myanmar’s military toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, triggering a wave of protests by pro-democracy supporters and hundreds of deaths as security forces tried to quell the demonstrations. Some opponents of military rule have formed armed groups under the banner of the People’s Defense Forces, and have forged al...

HANOI: Vietnam has pushed back a plan to re-open the resort island of Phu Quoc to foreign tourists until November, after failing to meet targets for inoculating residents due to insufficient vaccine supplies, state media reported. The Southeast Asian nation, which is currently shut to all visitors apart from returning citizens and investors, has been struggling to speed up inoculations to help contain a spike in COVID-19 cases driven by the Delta variant in recent months. Authorities had initially planned to allow vaccinated foreign tourists to start returning to Phu Quoc in October to revive the tourism sector and prop up the economy. "We have to inoculate residents here for herd immunity but vaccine supplies are falling short," the state-run VTC newspaper quoted Huynh Quang Hung, the ...