Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Friday unveiled a fresh 35 billion ringgit (US$8.2 billion) stimulus package to fend off job losses caused by the coronavirus recession, adding to measures rolled out earlier in the year worth over US$61 billion.In a televised address, Muhyiddin refrained from directly addressing heated chatter about defections from his fragile administration to the former ruling coalition led by Mahathir Mohamad, but said trade conflicts and political unrest around…
1MDB trial: Najib Razak’s first case ends, verdict due on July 28
The first of Najib Razak’s five corruption trials wrapped up on Friday, with lawyers of Malaysia’s former prime minister making the final arguments that he had been duped by the fugitive billionaire Jho Low and other “rogue bankers”.The trial judge, Justice Mohd Nazlan Ghazali, is now expected to analyse some 2,000 pages of submissions before coming to a verdict on July 28.The case involves seven of the 42 criminal charges Najib is facing over his alleged role in the looting of some US$4.5…
In Singapore, foreign currency worth record US$19.2 billion deposited in April, due to Covid-19, HK protests and trade war
With the coronavirus pandemic causing financial markets to tank and a prolonged period of uncertainty ahead, investors have been flocking to keep their cash in Singapore, with bank deposits in foreign currencies reaching an all-time high of S$26.9 billion (US$19.2 billion) in April. In fact, such deposits have been steadily increasing since July, last year, data from the Monetary Authority of Singapore shows. Analysts said the ongoing political crisis in Hong Kong, which started as a series of…
Philippines’ war on drugs included ‘systematic extrajudicial killings with near impunity’ for police, UN report says
Tens of thousands of people in the Philippines may have been killed in the war on drugs since mid-2016, with “near impunity” for police and incitement to violence by top officials, the United Nations said on Thursday.The drugs crackdown, launched by President Rodrigo Duterte after winning election on a platform of crushing crime, has been marked by police orders and high-level rhetoric that may have been interpreted as “permission to kill”, it said.Duterte’s war on drugs is ‘large-scale…
Singapore’s Ho Ching sparks social media stir with US vs Hong Kong protests post
A cartoon shared on Facebook by the wife of Singapore’s prime minister, which contrasts President Donald Trump’s reaction to the ongoing protests against racism and police violence in the US with his comments on anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong, has become a talking point in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.Ho Ching, the wife of Lee Hsien Loong and who heads state investment firm Temasek, on Monday reposted a cartoon by Singaporean political cartoonist Heng Kim Song, which was…
Coronavirus: first Rohingya refugee dies in Bangladesh camps described as ‘ticking time bomb’
An elderly Rohingya refugee has become the first person to die from coronavirus in the world’s largest refugee settlement in Bangladesh, where there are fears the disease could spread fast due to overcrowding.The 71-year-old man died on May 31 while undergoing treatment at an isolation centre at the camps where over 1 million Rohingya live, said Bimal Chakma, a senior official of the government’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission.“Today we got the confirmation that he tested positive…
Coronavirus: South Korea grapples with new infection clusters a month after easing social distancing rules
South Korea is braced for a fresh wave of infections centred on the capital Seoul almost a month after coronavirus restrictions were eased, as health officials grapple with newly emerging clusters before some 1.8 million students are set to return to school on Wednesday. The country, which had reported 11,541 cases as of Tuesday, endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the Covid-19 disease outside China, but appeared to have brought it under control thanks to an extensive “trace, test and…
Singapore couple divorced after wife became obsessed with cats, husband left after one peed on him
A Singaporean woman’s sudden obsession with cats, which attracted complaints from neighbours and ended up driving her husband out of their home, has become grounds for divorce at a family court. In his decision issued on May 21, District Judge Sheik Mustafa Abu Hassan found that the couple’s 45-year marriage had broken down due to unreasonable behaviour and separation. The wife had contested her husband’s divorce application as she did not want their matrimonial home – a two-storey terrace…
Singaporean food photographer helps restaurants survive coronavirus lockdown by snapping fish soup and curry puffs
When the coronavirus pandemic forced Singapore into partial lockdown in April, Jeryl Tan watched his lifestyle photography business go downhill, his invoices declining 70 per cent. Instead, he has been offering free photography and styling services to help struggling eateries survive by tapping into the growing online market.“Photography in Singapore is expensive and … most businesses would have spent most of their initial capital and costs on rental, manpower and food,” the 28-year-old says. …
Coronavirus highlights Manila’s overcrowding as Philippine government offers to pay residents to leave
The coronavirus pandemic is giving Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte a reason to reduce overcrowding in Manila, which in recent decades has swollen into one of the most heavily populated areas on Earth.Duterte is offering cash and goods to induce city dwellers to move out of the greater capital region in an ambitious programme called “Back to the Province”, one of the most aggressive attempts in decades to lure Filipinos to the countryside.With the pandemic exposing how swift population…