World

Israel’s foreign policies won’t change much even as a new coalition looks set to take power, ambassador says
10Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, USA, World

Israel’s foreign policies won’t change much even as a new coalition looks set to take power, ambassador says

A new coalition may soon take power in Israel, but that doesn't signal a change in the country's foreign policies, according to Israel's ambassador to Singapore. "As far as foreign policy is concerned, we're about to see a continuation of previous policies of the government," Sagi Karni told CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Wednesday. That means Israel will still want to maintain and expand the Abraham Accords, engage with the rest of the world, and "see a change" in Gaza, he said. Israel's parliament, the Knesset, will be voting on a new government on Sunday. If successful, the coalition led by opposition party leader Yair Lapid will feature tech millionaire Naftali Bennett as prime minister, replacing Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving head of government. The coalition includes a...
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What’s the best thing to do with your child tax credit?
10Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

What’s the best thing to do with your child tax credit?

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. In just a few short months, qualifying families will start receiving their monthly payments from the U.S. government through the 2021 Child Tax Credit. The monthly payments — $250 per child age 6 to 17 and $300 per child under 6 — are coming in advance of next year's tax season thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act. This influx of up to $3,000 total (or $3,600 for families with young children) in extra cash per child will make life easier for lots of American families this year. An additional $250 or $300 per month might be enough to make a noticeable dent in your fa...
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14 community cases, 1 dormitory resident among 24 new COVID-19 infections in Singapore
10Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

14 community cases, 1 dormitory resident among 24 new COVID-19 infections in Singapore

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 14 new COVID-19 community cases and one new infection in a migrant worker dormitory on Thursday (May 27). Twelve of these locally transmitted infections were linked to previous cases, all of whom had been placed in quarantine. The remaining three cases are currently unlinked, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). There were also nine imported cases. They were placed on stay-home notice or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. Seven are returning Singaporeans or permanent residents. In total, 24 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Singapore on Thursday. UNLINKED COMMUNITY CASES Two of the unlinked cases are community infections. The first unlinked community case is a 43-year-old Singaporean woman who works at GovTech. She was last at work on May ...
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Israel makes Tel Aviv exchange SPAC-ready, with focus on tech deals
10Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
Market, World

Israel makes Tel Aviv exchange SPAC-ready, with focus on tech deals

Israel has established rules to open up the Tel Aviv stock market for special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), aiming to join in a boom in these investment vehicles which have raised billions of dollars in the United States. TEL AVIV: Israel has established rules to open up the Tel Aviv stock market for special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), aiming to join in a boom in these investment vehicles which have raised billions of dollars in the United States. A SPAC is a shell company that raises money via an initial public offering, which is then used to buy a private firm. The company can then become publicly listed via the merger, providing an alternative to a traditional IPO. Global SPAC volumes hit US$286 billion in the first four months of this year, versus US$163 bill...
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Make-up’s ugly secret: The plight of India’s poor miners behind the beauty industry
10Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
USA, World

Make-up’s ugly secret: The plight of India’s poor miners behind the beauty industry

Mica is the mineral that gives a sparkle to an array of products, from eye shadow to lip gloss. But what consumers do not see is a deadly trade involving even children. The programme Undercover Asia investigates. JHARKHAND, INDIA: It sounds like an innocuous ingredient, a word among many hidden on the back of the packaging of your eye shadow palette. Mica: A mineral that can be ground down to make sparkly powders, and found in everything from eye shadow to lip gloss to foundation. Cosmetic companies value mica for its properties: Refractive, superfine and naturally occurring in different colours. It can be found all over the world, including India, which is known for having some of the world’s largest and finest deposits. But in India, there is a heavy price to pay for it, the progr...
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Israel faces greater dangers than Hamas
10Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
USA, World

Israel faces greater dangers than Hamas

Israel and Hamas have taken to open warfare yet again. The sense of deja vu, as the militant group’s rocket attacks on Israeli territory are met by retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza, is compounded by Western politicians repeating an old formula: “Israel has the right to defend itself.” That’s undoubtedly true. And yet it’s equally clear that Israeli actions are unlikely to deter Hamas. Nor will re-establishing military superiority over a technologically primitive enemy obscure Israel’s new and acute vulnerabilities. The shocking images of lynch mobs and street fighting between Arabs and Jews within Israel underscore the fact that the most formidable threat to the country’s present and future stability is now internal. About one in five Israelis are Arabs, the descendants of Palestinians who...
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Vietnam’s proposal to postpone SEA Games opposed by most member states: Malaysian Olympic council
9Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Vietnam’s proposal to postpone SEA Games opposed by most member states: Malaysian Olympic council

SINGAPORE: Eight out of 11 member states of the Southeast Asian Games Federation have objected to Vietnam's proposal to postpone the competition over COVID-19 fears, according to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM). The SEA Games Federation Office called a special meeting on Wednesday (Jun 9) to discuss the proposal, the OCM said in a statement. Vietnam is due to host the biennial SEA Games from Nov 21 to Dec 2. Earlier on Wednesday, Vietnamese media reported that the country had informed member states of its plans to postpone the Games to July 2022 due to the COVID-19 situation. "Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the region, it is the wish of the Organising Committee of Vietnam to host the 31st edition of the SEA Games in a safe and secure manner," OCM's statem...
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US stocks rebound following rout, bond yields edge down
9Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

US stocks rebound following rout, bond yields edge down

related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. 2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. NEW YORK/LONDON :U.S. shares rebounded on Thursday after falling for three consecutive days and benchmark Treasury yields edged lower as investors snapped up technology stocks and shrugged off worries over rising prices, for now. NEW YORK/LONDON -U.S. shares rebounded on Thursday after falling for three consecutive days and benchmark Treasury yields edged lower as investors snapped up technology stocks and shrugged off worries over rising prices, for now. By early morning, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.5per cent, the S&P 500 was up 1.4per cent, and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.3per cent. Yields on 10-year Treasuries, w...
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Football: Singapore resume 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with 4-0 loss to Palestine
9Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Football: Singapore resume 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with 4-0 loss to Palestine

RIYH: Singapore returned to World Cup and Asian Cup qualifying action after more than 18 months on Thursday (Jun 3) with a 4-0 loss to Palestine. The second round of joint qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in China has resumed after a lengthy delay caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Palestine raced to a three-nil lead in the first half at the King Fahd International Stadium, prompting Singapore head coach Tatsuma Yoshida to make a double substitution at the break. But he admitted his match decisions had not gone the way he wanted. “The boys tried, but in the first half, they were a bit nervous,” he said after the match. “I am really disappointed (as) they can do more (and) that we could not show our full potential. I think if we pla...
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The not-so-drastic truth behind climate change
9Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

The not-so-drastic truth behind climate change

This is the second of a five-part series on climate science. Part one is here. Dr Steven Koonin, who served as chief scientist in the US Department of Energy during the Barack Obama administration, recently raised a furor with claims that the public has been misled about what science actually tells us about ongoing climate change. Key facts are missing from media coverage and even from summaries provided to decision-makers, he says. According to Koonin, authoritative assessments by the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the central scientific body for world climate research – provide no basis for the widely propagated notion that climate change is leading to a global catastrophe. The results published by the IPCC and the official US National Climate Assessment suggest ...
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