World

BEIJING : China's export growth likely lost steam in August amid weakening global demand, while imports were also seen slowing due to sluggish consumption and a property crisis, raising concerns about economic momentum, a Reuters poll showed on Monday. Exports in August were expected to have risen 12.8 per cent from a year earlier, according to the median forecast of 26 economists in the poll, after growing 18.0 per cent in July. The double-digit growth suggested booming exports remained one of the major drivers of the world's second-biggest economy, but analysts expect them to slow as surging inflation cripples overseas demand and China's zero-COVID policy disrupts production and business activity. "We see signs of slowing export momentum in August. Domestically, trade-related cargo th...

For the most part, residents of Asia-Pacific can travel again. But some are more confident about packing their bags than others. Travel confidence is "diverse and nuanced" in the region, according to a new survey commissioned by the travel website Booking.com. Some 11,000 people in the region were polled about their comfort levels and concerns, as well as their willingness to tolerate the types of disruptions that have become common since the pandemic began. The rankings The survey results were published in Booking.com's inaugural "Travel Confidence Index," which ranked the places in order of most to least confident. Key findings from the study include: No. 1: India According to the survey, Indians emerged as having the highest travel confidence. Some 86% of respondents indicated plans ...

SINGAPORE: A man who raped his 14-year-old daughter continued to do so after his wife had to undergo treatment for cancer. The 44-year-old man was on Monday (Aug 8) sentenced to 24 years' jail and the statutory maximum of 24 strokes of the cane. The victim's identity is protected by gag order, and the offender cannot be named as he is her biological father. He pleaded guilty to three counts of rape. Another eight counts of rape, molestation and sexual assault by penetration were considered for sentencing. The court heard that the man first sexually abused his daughter in May 2019, and this continued for several months. VICTIM PRETENDED TO BE ASLEEP In October 2019, while the rest of the family was asleep, the man entered the victim's bedroom and sexually assaulted the girl before rap...

The company is one of the employers who have participated in the SkillsFuture Work-Study Programme (WSP), an initiative that encourages organisations to develop their manpower pipeline by grooming local graduates. Under the WSP, participating employers offer structured training to fresh graduates from polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), as well as mid-career individuals who are enrolled in further studies at institutes of higher learning (IHLs) or SSG’s appointed private training providers. WSP trainees attend classes while also working with employers that offer mentorship, guidance and opportunities to hone their skills in real-world projects. The company benefits from having a ready source of trained talent to support business operations and growth, as well as ...

TUNIS: Japan will cooperate closely with African countries to promote "more resilient" economies, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the final session of an investment conference in Tunisia on Sunday (Aug 28). He also promised Japan would use its place on the United Nations Security Council next year to push for a permanent African seat on the world body, a day after announcing US$30 billion in public and private finance for the continent. Japan wants "to create an environment where African people can live in peace and security so they can develop", Kishida said, speaking via live video from Tokyo after testing positive for COVID-19 days earlier. Senegalese President Macky Sall, chair of the 55-member African Union, backed Kishida's call for the continent to have a seat on the UN Securit...

BRUSSELS : Jamaica's Shericka Jackson stormed to victory in the women's 100 metres at the Diamond League meet in Brussels on Friday, handing compatriot and twice Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce her first defeat of the season by one-hundredth of a second. Fraser-Pryce was quick off the blocks and looked well set to win her fourth Diamond League title of the season before Jackson reeled her in over the final 20 metres, winning with a time of 10.73 seconds. Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou was third (10.78). "It takes a lot of hard work to beat Shelley-Ann, she's a tough cookie to beat," Jackson said after her first win and fifth podium in the Diamond League this season. "Tonight I had a good execution ... probably not perfect but it paid off in the end." Fraser-Pryce, who pulled out o...

TOKYO: Japan international defender Hiroki Sakai said Urawa Red Diamonds' progress to the Asian Champions League final had vindicated his decision to return to the J1 League despite opposition from those closest to him. The 32-year-old played a key role in both of Urawa goals ahead of their penalty shoot-out win over South Korea's Jeonbuk Motors in a drama-filled semi-final at Saitama Stadium. Urawa's progress to February's continental showpiece comes 13 months after Sakai signed for the club having spent the previous nine seasons in Europe. "Last summer I came from Marseille to Urawa and in that moment nobody around me agreed with the decision, not my family or my agent", said Sakai. "So I needed this competition. We are still not champions but we can say we are the east Asian champion...

watch now Beijing's new trade blocks against Taiwan affect about 0.04% of their two-way trade, making them more political than economic. Beijing took action against Taiwan following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island earlier this month despite warnings from Beijing. That included suspensions of imports of Taiwanese citrus, frozen fish, sweets and biscuits and exports of natural sands to Taiwan. Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy, but Beijing considers the island part of its territory and a breakaway province. China says Taiwan has no right to conduct foreign relations and warned for weeks against Pelosi's visit. What trade numbers show Taiwan's exports to mainland China were worth $113 billion last year and its imports from China amounted to about $82 billion, excluding...

Let's get you up to speed with the day's stories. Google Chrome users should install the latest security updates immediately, following reports that hackers are exploiting a "high-severity vulnerability" flaw, the Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team (SingCERT) said on Friday (Aug 19). The high-severity vulnerability is "being exploited in the wild" and can be found in devices belonging to ordinary users. The issue is linked to "Intents", a feature that enables launching applications and web services directly from a page. Apple is warning of a flaw that is allowing hackers to seize control of iPhones, iPads and Mac computers, and is urging users to install emergency software updates. It released patches to fix what it described as a vulnerability that hackers already knew about ...

Singapore has come a long way in its fight against COVID-19, and is now learning to live with the virus, the Prime Minister said. “With each infection wave, we have managed the impact better,” he said, adding that the latest wave is now subsiding. “In many other countries, when a wave happens, cases shoot up furiously and then crash down suddenly, like a rollercoaster. And when cases shoot up like that hospitals come under a lot of pressure. “In Singapore, our waves grow as well as tail off more gradually. And this suggests we have been effective in slowing down disease transmission. We have spread out the impact and prevented our hospitals from being overwhelmed,” said Mr Lee, noting that Singapore has had fewer than 1,600 COVID-19 related deaths. “Every death is one too many. But if ...