World

SINGAPORE: Transport giant ComfortDelGro posted a net loss of S$6 million in the first half of the year amid "massive" destruction brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. With governments around the world imposing lockdowns and other restrictions to stem the spead of the outbreak, demand for taxi and public transport plunged, contributing to a 20.8 per cent fall in first-half revenue, said ComfortDelGro in a stock exchange filing. Group revenue came in at S$1.53 billion between January and June this year, compared with S$1.93 billion in the same period last year. "The first six months of 2020 have been nothing short of catastrophic," said ComfortDelGro chairman Lim Jit Poh. "If not for governmental reliefs, that loss would have been S$66.1 million," he said. In comparison, the group ...

SINGAPORE: Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday (Aug 4) agreed on the importance of ensuring that COVID-19 vaccines will be made available globally. Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said, in a telephone call that Dr Balakrishnan received from Mr Pompeo, the two discussed collaboration in the research and development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. They also talked about the possibility of leveraging the strong US commercial presence in Singapore, including in pharmaceuticals, said MFA in a press statement. The statement added: “Both sides welcome the new areas of bilateral cooperation in infrastructure and trade as well as customs facilitation which will increase bilateral trade and st...