World

Hong Kong activist warns West to shun Chinese technology ties
2Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Hong Kong activist warns West to shun Chinese technology ties

ROME: Chinese businesses like Huawei Technologies pose a threat to the West, Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law said on a visit to Italy on Tuesday (Aug 25), shortly before the Italian foreign minister was due to meet China's top diplomat. Law, a former legislator, left Hong Kong last month after China imposed a new national security law on the territory that has been heavily criticised by the West. Law spoke to reporters in Rome shortly before Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio was due to meet Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi, with the pair expected to discuss the roll out of new generation 5G technology in Italy. Italy has not joined the United States in imposing restrictions on Huawei, but the company was excluded from a recent Telecom Italia tender to supply technology for ...
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Malaysia should not be ‘dragged and trapped’ between superpowers in South China Sea dispute: Hishammuddin
1Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, World

Malaysia should not be ‘dragged and trapped’ between superpowers in South China Sea dispute: Hishammuddin

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia must ensure it is not “dragged and trapped” in a geopolitical tussle between superpowers in its efforts to resolve disputes over the South China Sea, its Minister for Foreign Affairs Hishammuddin Hussein said on Wednesday (Aug 5). Mr Hishammuddin was speaking in parliament, answering questions from Members of Parliament (MPs) on the status of China’s demands for territory in the South China Sea and how this impacts Malaysia’s security and sovereignty. He outlined that his ministry is keen on resolving the dispute constructively through “appropriate diplomatic negotiations”, and highlighted two main issues facing Malaysia. “Firstly I do not want Malaysia to be dragged and trapped in a geopolitical tussle between superpowers,” said Mr Hishammuddin. “We must preven...
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Jobless because of SARS, she built a thriving hostel. Now with COVID-19, it’s closing
1Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
Market, Singapore, USA, World

Jobless because of SARS, she built a thriving hostel. Now with COVID-19, it’s closing

Last month, Viji Jagadeesh had only eight guests at Mitraa Inn, not even enough to cover the Internet bill. CNA Insider looks at how hostels like hers could face a wipe-out, in a series on micro SMEs beaten down or changed drastically by the coronavirus pandemic. SINGAPORE: During the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, Viji Jagadeesh lost her job when the accounting firm she was working in struggled with poor business. After being jobless for more than a year, she started a small outfit with 12 beds, offering short-term rental to budget travellers. Three years later, Viji opened hostel Mitraa Inn with 60 beds, riding the low-cost aviation boom which saw a spike in budget travellers in Singapore. Her business flourished and, over the years, became one of the ...
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UAE ends boycott of Israel, permits economic and financial deals
1Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

UAE ends boycott of Israel, permits economic and financial deals

A cargo plane operated by Etihad Airways prepares to land at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on June 9, 2020. The United Arab Emirates flew its first publicly announced flight to Israel on May 20, when Etihad sent medical supplies to help Palestinians cope with the coronavirus. The president of the United Arab Emirates has issued a decree canceling a law on boycotting Israel and allowing trade and financial agreements between the two countries, the UAE official news agency WAM reported on Saturday. The decree from UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan aims at "supporting bilateral cooperation in order to arrive at (the establishment) of bilateral relations," the agency said. The announcement comes as El Al Airlines plans to operate Israel's first direct flight between Tel ...
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Japan’s foreign minister to make official visit to Singapore from Aug 12
1Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

Japan’s foreign minister to make official visit to Singapore from Aug 12

SINGAPORE: Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu will make a three-day official visit to Singapore from Wednesday (Aug 12). He will call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana and be hosted to lunch by Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, said Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday. This will be Mr Motegi's first official visit to Singapore as foreign minister. It comes after Japan announced last month that it will proceed with discussions on the resumption of essential travel with 12 places, including Singapore. "Singapore welcomes the Japanese government’s decision to include Singapore as one of its partners to commence such negotiations," MFA had said on Jul 23. It added then that the establishment of a "reciprocal ...
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Government to mesh economic, social policies more tightly for post-COVID-19 world: Heng Swee Keat
1Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

Government to mesh economic, social policies more tightly for post-COVID-19 world: Heng Swee Keat

SINGAPORE: The Government will tighten coordination between its economic and social policies to ensure that Singaporeans can have access to jobs and opportunities in the post COVID-19 economy, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Friday (Aug 28). This is part of its efforts to more closely align different public policy areas to tackle the complex challenges and new opportunities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Vulnerable workers will receive additional support and social mobility will continue to be a feature of Singapore society, he said. To better understand the concerns of citizens and develop “more citizen-centric” policies, the Government is growing new capabilities in data analytics and citizen engagement, Mr Heng added in an addendum by the Prime Minister’s Of...
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10 arrested for dangerous riding after police probe video of PMD, e-bike riders on Sheares Avenue
31Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

10 arrested for dangerous riding after police probe video of PMD, e-bike riders on Sheares Avenue

SINGAPORE: Eight men and two women have been arrested for dangerous riding, after a video online showed a group of riders on personal mobility devices (PMD) and power-assisted bicycles (PAB) travelling with a motorcyclist along Sheares Avenue. The suspects are aged between 16 and 25, said the police in a news release on Monday (Aug 3), adding that they were alerted to the video on Jul 13. The video, posted on Facebook page SG Road Vigilante, shows several riders on major roads at night, including Sungei Road and Ophir Road. They were also seen riding up Benjamin Sheares Bridge towards Sheares Avenue. The video ends with them gathering at an open space. The police said the suspects were arrested between Jul 17 and Jul 20. Two PMDs, device parts of a PAB and mobile phones were ...
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25-year-old Black tech lead in Silicon Valley: I want to use my influence to combat systemic racism
31Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

25-year-old Black tech lead in Silicon Valley: I want to use my influence to combat systemic racism

This is part of CNBC Make It's series on what it's like to be Black in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley has long been a culture dominated by white men, with a fraught record of following up on commitments to fix its race problem, from major tech companies that have barely moved their numbers on diversity to a lack of funding for Black founders. Here, CNBC Make It spoke with Black professionals to hear their experiences. Already in his young career, Kyle Woumn, 25, has had disappointing experiences that are too typical for a Black techie in white Silicon Valley. While a computer science student at Georgia Tech, Woumn remembers being one of only one or two Black interns at cloud platform Twilio in San Francisco for two summers running. When he took a job there in 2017 he was one of about six...
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China uses tech as tool of repression to monitor citizens: US commission
31Aug mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Market, World

China uses tech as tool of repression to monitor citizens: US commission

According to a congressional commission of the US, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is committed to the production and use of technology that controls and surveys its population.Chairman Robin Cleveland and Vice Chairman Carolyn Bartholomew of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, in a joint statement, said that China's move to use technology as a tool of repression is "politically motivated to sustain the Party"."The Chinese Communist Party is committed to the production and use of technology that controls and surveys its population. The decision to use these tools of repression is politically motivated to sustain the Party," the statement read.Surveillance has become a booming business in China with number of tech start-ups moving in to meet the market demand with the go...
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Xi says China to step up efforts to fight ‘splittism’ in Tibet
31Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, World

Xi says China to step up efforts to fight ‘splittism’ in Tibet

SHANGHAI: China must build an "impregnable fortress" to maintain stability in Tibet, protect national unity and educate the masses in the struggle against "splittism", President Xi Jinping told senior leaders, state media said on Saturday (Aug 29). China seized control over Tibet in 1950 in what it describes as a "peaceful liberation" that helped the remote Himalayan region throw off its "feudalist" past. But critics, led by exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, say Beijing's rule amounts to "cultural genocide". At a senior Communist Party meeting on Tibet's future governance, Xi lauded achievements made and praised frontline officials but said more efforts were needed to enrich, rejuvenate and strengthen unity in the region. Political and ideological education needed to be streng...
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