World

SINGAPORE: Twenty-four community cases were among 52 new COVID-19 infections reported in Singapore as of noon on Friday (May 14), said the Ministry of Health (MOH). This is the highest number of new daily COVID-19 cases since Jan 30, when 58 cases were reported. Twenty of the new community cases are linked to previous cases, of which 13 have been linked to the Changi Airport cluster. Among them, 16 cases have already been placed on quarantine earlier. Four cases are currently unlinked. CHANGI AIRPORT CLUSTER GROWS A principal at a language school is among the 13 new cases linked to the cluster at Changi Airport. There is also a Singaporean who works as an administrative staff member at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The other cases include a service officer who works at N...

Billions in developing countries remain unprotected, but advanced economies can do more to share vaccines more equitably, says Mohamed A El-Erian. CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts: The proper functioning of any interconnected economic system depends on trust. And a global system that has been designed by advanced economies requires a significant level of buy-in from the developing world. Both become even more important as more developing economies, led by China, gain systemic importance. With the world trying to recover from the massive economic shock brought by COVID-19, the mishandling of the global vaccine rollout has weakened trust in the international system that emerged after World War II. Combined with memories of the 2008 global financial crisis, which originated in the advanced ec...

In this article 3690-HK A Meituan food delivery worker on motorcycle in the rain in Futian Central Business District, Shenzhen, China. FroggyFrogg | iStock Editorial | Getty Images GUANGZHOU, China — Meituan has seen around $38.96 billion wiped off its value in the past two weeks as Beijing turns its regulatory scrutiny on the Chinese food delivery giant. On April 26, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) opened an investigation into "suspected monopolistic practices" of Meituan. It's only the second antitrust investigation into a domestic technology firm. Alibaba was the first to fall into the crosshairs and ended up being fined 18.23 billion yuan ($2.8 billion) as a result. The market regulator is looking at an alleged practice where Meituan forces merchants to choo...

Brian Kemp, governor of Georgia. Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg | Getty Images They will forgo a cumulative $4.7 billion in assistance, according to the report. The governors of Arizona, Georgia, Ohio and South Dakota — which weren't included in the analysis — also announced they would exit the federal programs. Their withdrawal would impact about 1.1 million more people, according to a CNBC analysis of Labor Department data issued Thursday. (Gig workers and the long-term unemployed would not lose benefits entirely in Arizona; they'd only lose the $300 supplement, according to an official at the state labor agency.) The federal programs in question have been in place since the CARES Act was passed in March 2020. Montana was the first state to opt out of the federal aid, on May 4. "It's abs...

SINGAPORE: A remisier who misappropriated S$128,000 over six years from an elderly client was given about 16 months' jail on Tuesday (May 18) after the victim's son, a lawyer, lodged a police report. Tan Chee Lok, 66, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal breach of trust as an agent and one of criminal breach of trust. Another four charges were considered in sentencing. The court heard that Tan was a remisier with Lim & Tan Securities at the time of the offences between 2010 and 2016. He was tasked with servicing trading accounts maintained by clients and helping them execute their share orders. He earned a commission from every transaction. The victim, a 87-year-old housewife, had a trading account with Lim & Tan Securities. Whenever she wished to buy shares, she would call Ta...

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. SINGAPORE: The mandatory online theory test for e-scooter and e-bike riders will be kept affordable, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor in Parliament on Tuesday (May 11). For the first three months, the test will cost S$5. If the person fails on their first attempt, they can take the test for free a second time. "This is a discounted rate to encourage greater test take-up. Subsequently, the test will be chargeable at $10 for each attempt," said Dr Khor. Tests fees will be kept affordable to "minimise the financial impact" on riders of such devices, in particular those who ride for work, she said. The test...

It’s time to put to rest the myth that using coal, which Indonesia’s economy now relies on, can be a long-term resource for the country’s energy needs, says Greenpeace's Tata Mustasya. JAKARTA: Indonesia’s coal industry is running out of options. The pot of money for coal power is drying up. On Apr 22, South Korea announced it will no longer provide financial support for overseas coal projects. China seems to be the only country willing to provide the immense financial aid that Indonesia’s bloated coal industry needs to keep going. East Asia has historically been the source of finance for Indonesia’s coal industry, where pro-coal market controls and state support for intensive coal mining have made fossil fuels cheap and abundant. Coal makes up almost 40 per cent of the country’s en...

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. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped to a record high for the sixth consecutive session on Monday as investors bet on interest rates staying low to help a still-fragile U.S. economy, which in turned dragged the U.S. dollar to a 2-1/2-month low. NEW YORK: The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped to a record high for the sixth consecutive session on Monday as investors bet on interest rates staying low to help a still-fragile U.S. economy, which in turned dragged the U.S. dollar to a 2-1/2-month low. Oil prices pared earlier gains as concerns that rising COVID-19 cases in Asia will dampen demand outweighed the impact of the shutdown o...

FLAGSTAFF, Arizona: The Navajo Nation has by far the largest land mass of any Native American tribe in the country. Now, it's boasting the largest enrolled population, too. Navajos clamoured to enrol or fix their records as the tribe offered hardship assistance payments from last year's federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. That boosted the tribe's rolls from about 306,000 to nearly 400,000 citizens. The figure surpasses the Cherokee Nation's enrolment of 392,000. But it, too, has been growing, said tribal spokeswoman Julie Hubbard. The Oklahoma tribe has been receiving about 200 more applications per month from potential enrollees, leaving Navajo's position at the top unstable. The numbers matter because tribes often are allocated money based on their number of...