World

KL LRT collision: Full service resumes as track repairs completed
15Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
USA, World

KL LRT collision: Full service resumes as track repairs completed

KUALA LUMPUR: The Kelana Jaya Light Rail Transit (LRT) line has returned to full service following the conclusion of repair works on the tracks damaged by a head-on collision on Monday (May 24), Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said. "I wish to announce that recovery works have been done up to the Public Land Transport Agency's (AP) strict requirement levels, that I can announce that the train service, which was previously forced to use a single track due to the incident, can resume operations on dual track," he said in a press conference at the KLCC station on Friday (May 28). A head-on collision involving two trains on Monday had left more than 210 passengers injured. Trains were subsequently running on a single track in seven stations in downtown Kuala Lumpur as recovery and re...
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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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Here’s what happens if you default on your student loans
14Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Here’s what happens if you default on your student loans

Select’s editorial team works independently to review financial products and write articles we think our readers will find useful. We may receive a commission when you click on links for products from our affiliate partners. For many student loan borrowers, the amount they pay toward their debt each month is not insignificant. In fact, the average monthly student loan payment is currently $393, which can be an overwhelming expense if you're struggling to make ends meet. But fall into the habit of missing your student loan payments and you run the risk of your loans eventually going into default, which has major repercussions. The process of going into default on your federal student loans starts as soon as you miss a payment. These are the three steps that lead to defaulting: The first da...
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High costs and logistical issues: The challenges of greening Singapore’s older buildings
14Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

High costs and logistical issues: The challenges of greening Singapore’s older buildings

SINGAPORE: A concrete grey exterior bearing signs of age gives away the fact that The Adelphi, at the heart of City Hall, is not the newest building on the block. But housed within this retail and office development, built in 1985, are modern energy systems that have bagged it numerous top accolades. The building overhauled its chiller plant and fittings a few years ago, helping it cut back on 137 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year – the annual output of 714 four-room public housing flats. This has also helped it save about half a million dollars in energy costs each year, said Sanjay Samnani, the treasurer of the building’s management corporation (MCST). Getting to this stage was no small feat. As an existing building, it could only be retrofitted with the permission ...
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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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Commentary: Variants versus vaccines is becoming the new COVID-19 race
14Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Commentary: Variants versus vaccines is becoming the new COVID-19 race

New variants emerge from large, uncontrolled outbreaks. This is why vaccinating people is an urgent priority, says Duke-NUS Medical School’s Professor Gavin Smith. SINGAPORE: Variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may be outpacing vaccination progress in many parts of the world, fuelling fears of new outbreaks. Scientists around the world are tracking these variants to understand whether some spread faster than others, how they might affect our health and how effective current vaccines might be against them. Evidence is now emerging that some mutations can make a virus spread more easily, while other mutations are associated with a reduction in how effective a vaccine might be in preventing infection. But even if vaccine efficacy is lowered against certain variants...
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Twitter CFO Ned Segal says e-commerce is becoming more important for the company
14Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Twitter CFO Ned Segal says e-commerce is becoming more important for the company

Twitter CFO Ned Segal said Tuesday that e-commerce will be more important for the social media company as it continues to build out direct response advertising products. "You should be able to click and buy something on Twitter," Segal said at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Virtual Conference. "We've come to appreciate that people do a lot of research on Twitter before they buy something." Segal explained that users go to Twitter to hear what experts have to say about products like phones and shoes. Users also could feel compelled to make spur-of-the-moment decisions to buy products as they chat about major events, like the Super Bowl, in real-time on Twitter. "These are all great opportunities for us to connect existing advertisers and new advertisers with ...
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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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Commentary: Sinovac use sparks new spat in politically split Thailand
13Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, World

Commentary: Sinovac use sparks new spat in politically split Thailand

Widespread distrust of the Prayut government is aggravating Sinovac hesitancy in the country, says an analyst. BANGKOK: Thailand is suffering through the third – and the most serious – wave of COVID-19 infections that has surged since early April. As of May 27, the total infections since Apr 1 topped 112,354, with 785 related deaths. The more virulent variants first identified in India and South Africa have been detected, prompting the Prayut Chan-o-cha government to speed up the vaccine rollout. AstraZeneca and Sinovac are the two vaccines currently in use. The government has secured about 117,000 imported AstraZeneca shots, with another 61 million shots in local production. The first batch of these – about 1.7 million doses – will be distributed by June. Up to 6 million Sinovac d...
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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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