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Malaysia reports 16 new COVID-19 cases, including 3 imported infections
World

Malaysia reports 16 new COVID-19 cases, including 3 imported infections

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported 16 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday (Jun 21), taking the national total to 8,572. Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there were no new fatalities, with the death toll remaining at 121. Of the 16 new cases, three were imported infections while 13 were locally transmitted. The imported cases comprise two Malaysians and one permanent resident. Of the 13 locally transmitted cases, nine were non-Malaysians while the remaining four were Malaysians, Dr Noor Hisham said. Regarding the nine non-Malaysian patients, six were from the Pedas cluster in state of Negeri Sembilan while two were close contacts of a case from a cleaning services company cluster in Selangor. The remaining case was an individual from the Tawau Temporary Detenti...
SIA rolls out enhanced COVID-19 safety measures as travel set to take off again
Singapore, World

SIA rolls out enhanced COVID-19 safety measures as travel set to take off again

SINGAPORE: Enhanced safety measures for Singapore Airlines (SIA), SilkAir and Scoot flights are being rolled out to protect passengers and crew amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the airlines announced on Sunday (Jun 7). This comes as travel is set to pick up again, with the resumption of more flights this month and transit operations recommencing at Changi Airport. From Monday, passengers on all SIA Group flights will be given a kit with a surgical mask, anti-bacterial wipes and hand sanitiser when they travel, said SIA in a news release. An enhanced cleaning process has also been implemented for aircraft and lounges, said the national carrier. SIA said it was also looking to trial an ultra-violet light cleaning procedure on the ground for its lavatories before every flight. Passe...
U.S. aircraft carriers hold joint drills after ASEAN lambastes Beijing over South China Sea
Singapore, World

U.S. aircraft carriers hold joint drills after ASEAN lambastes Beijing over South China Sea

Two U.S. aircraft carriers kicked off joint exercises in the Philippine Sea on Sunday, a day after Southeast Asian leaders delivered some of their strongest remarks opposing Beijing’s claim to virtually the entire South China Sea on historical grounds. The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Groups began the drills to bolster the United States’ “responsive, flexible, and enduring commitments” to mutual defense agreements with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, the Navy said in a statement. The dual carrier exercises also came exactly a week after the Nimitz and another carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt conducted their own joint operations in the area. It is rare to see three U.S. aircraft carriers operating at the same time in the Western Pacific and even more unusual...
As China’s global media influence grows, so does the pushback
World

As China’s global media influence grows, so does the pushback

The Chinese Communist Party and various Chinese government entities have long sought to influence public debate and media coverage about China around the world, a trend that has accelerated in recent years. Over the past month, a number of news reports and investigations, often by local journalists, have highlighted new evidence of how Chinese government-linked actors impact global information flows via propaganda, censorship, surveillance and control over infrastructure. In response, various governments and technology firms have taken steps to undermine the negative effects CCP influence has on media and internet freedom. This article calls attention to some of these new developments. In Southeast Asia, Thailand’s cash-strapped media companies are increasingly relying on Chinese state me...
Oil prices slide on concerns about patchy demand recovery, record US stocks
World

Oil prices slide on concerns about patchy demand recovery, record US stocks

Oil prices fell in early trade on Thursday on worries about slow demand growth with coronavirus cases rising, U.S. crude stockpiles hitting an all-time high and the U.S. Federal Reserve projecting recovery from the pandemic would take years. MELBOURNE: Oil prices fell in early trade on Thursday on worries about slow demand growth with coronavirus cases rising, U.S. crude stockpiles hitting an all-time high and the U.S. Federal Reserve projecting recovery from the pandemic would take years. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures erased gains from Wednesday, falling as low as US$38.42 a barrel. The benchmark contract was down 2.2per cent, or 86 cents, at US$38.74 at 0031 GMT. Brent crude futures fell 2.0per cent, or 85 cents, to US$40.88 a barrel, also giving up gains from W...
Football: Marseille ‘not for sale’ amid reports of Saudi interest
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Football: Marseille ‘not for sale’ amid reports of Saudi interest

MARSEILLE: French giants Marseille are "not for sale", the club's president Jacques-Henri Eyraud insisted Saturday (Jun 27) following reports of a mega Saudi-backed bid to buy the former European champions. "Olympique de Marseille is not for sale," said Eyraud. "I thank those who have shown a financial interest in OM, but we are not interested in selling." Eyraud was speaking following reports of a 700 million-euro (US$785 million) bid to buy the club from a consortium fronted by Mourad Boudjellal, the high-profile former owner of leading French rugby outfit Toulon, but backed by Saudi investors. The offer would reportedly see 300 million euros going towards the purchase of the club, with another 200 million euros going towards clearing debts and 200 million euros more destined to b...
TSMC says could fill order gap if unable to sell chips to Huawei
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TSMC says could fill order gap if unable to sell chips to Huawei

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd's planned factory in the United States is "definitely in line with" the company's interests, Chairman Mark Liu told investors on Tuesday. HSINCHU, Taiwan: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) could quickly fill any order gap should U.S. restrictions against Huawei Technologies Co Ltd prevent sales to the Chinese firm, the company's chairman said on Tuesday. TSMC's clients include Huawei's chip division HiSilicon. However, the U.S. blacklisting of Huawei over security concerns and trade disputes with China has left the world's biggest contract chipmaker exposed to diplomatic developments between two countries where it also has production bases. The company last month unveiled plans for a US$12 billion plant in the United States ju...
Video shows abusive taming of baby elephant for Thai tourism
World

Video shows abusive taming of baby elephant for Thai tourism

BANGKOK: Footage of a distressed baby elephant jabbed by bullhooks at a Thai camp to tame it before joining the tourist industry has been released by conservationists in an appeal to end the practice. The footage, taken on a hidden camera last year and published Wednesday (Jun 24) by UK-based animal rights group World Animal Protection (WAP), shows what they say is the forced separation of a two-year-old female elephant from her mother. The distraught calf is confined to a small space known as the "crush box" and held by chains and ropes for days as she struggles to escape. Calves are repeatedly jabbed with a bullhook, a long rod with a sharpened metal tip, to get them to understand basic commands, sometimes causing bleeding. About 3,000 domesticated elephants work in Thailand's ...
Two health-care stocks could be best way to ride the sector’s moves back to records
World

Two health-care stocks could be best way to ride the sector’s moves back to records

Health-care stocks have been among the best performers since the market bottomed in March. The XLV health care ETF now sits less than 3% below its January record. Mark Tepper, president of Strategic Wealth Partners, is backing one of the stocks as the sector makes its way back to highs. "My favorite would be Bristol-Myers," Tepper told CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Wednesday. "Bristol Myers has lagged the health-care sector by about 6% this year. The reason I like it is it is a pure play on cancer -- let's not forget cancer is still the number one medical problem in the world." Tepper said a rebound in cancer screening and treatment as the coronavirus pandemic eases should benefit Bristol-Myers. The stock's fundamentals also appeal to Tepper. "The valuation is cheap. The stock is trading...
China set to complete Beidou network, rivalling GPS in global navigation
World

China set to complete Beidou network, rivalling GPS in global navigation

BEIJING: The Chinese Beidou navigation network will be complete this month when its final satellite goes into orbit, giving China greater independence from US-owned GPS and heating up competition in a sector long dominated by the United States. The idea to develop Beidou, or the Big Dipper in Chinese, took shape in the 1990s as the military sought to reduce reliance on the Global Positioning System (GPS) run by the US Air Force. When the first Beidou satellites were launched in 2000, coverage was limited to China. As use of mobile devices expanded, China in 2003 tried to join the Galileo satellite navigation project proposed by the European Union but later pulled out to focus on Beidou. In the age of the iPhone, the second generation of Beidou satellites went operational in 2012, co...