Singapore’s economy grew for the first time after three consecutive quarters of contraction, in a sign the city state is recovering from last year’s pandemic-induced recession.But with tighter social distancing measures having been introduced this month amid a recent increase in domestic infections, analysts say it is unclear whether the growth in the first quarter of this year can be sustained.The Ministry of Trade and Industry on Tuesday said the economy grew 1.3 per cent between January and…
UN envoy Christine Schraner Burgener hopeful junta will allow her into Myanmar after seven-week wait
The UN special envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, said on Monday she still hopes to visit the country after seven weeks spent in the region waiting for the junta that staged a coup in February to allow her in.During a meeting in Indonesia at the end of April with the head of the Myanmar junta, General Min Aung Hlaing “didn’t say that he doesn’t want to speak with me any more,” the Swiss diplomat said at a virtual press conference in Bangkok, where she has spent most of her time…
UK rail review ‘real opportunity’ for significant reform
Plans to overhaul the UK railways under a new overarching public body offer a “real opportunity” for improved infrastructure, digital transformation and better passenger services, according to experts at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.
Review of UK R&D tax credits system begins
The UK government is conducting a wide-ranging review into the tax credits system for qualifying expenditure on research and development (R&D) activity.
New Zealand family urges Japan to stop restraining patients at psychiatric hospitals
Four years after a New Zealand teacher died in Japan, where he was restrained to a hospital bed for more than a week, his family remains committed in their campaign to call for the end of the practice they believe killed their son.Kelly Savage died in Yamato City Hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture on May 17, 2017, a week after suffering a heart attack and more than two weeks after he was hospitalised for mental health issues.His parents, Martha and Mike Savage, believe he died after suffering a…
Myanmar junta suspends more than 125,000 teachers for opposing coup
More than 125,000 schoolteachers in Myanmar have been suspended by the military authorities for joining a civil disobedience movement to oppose the military coup in February, an official of the Myanmar Teachers’ Federation said.The suspensions have come days before the start of a new school year, which some teachers and parents are boycotting as part of the campaign that has paralysed the country since the coup cut short a decade of democratic reforms.A total of 125,900 schoolteachers had been…
Climbing guide says at least 100 people infected with coronavirus on Mount Everest
An expert climbing guide said on Saturday that a coronavirus outbreak on Mount Everest has infected at least 100 climbers and support staff, giving the first comprehensive estimate amid official Nepalese denials of a Covid-19 cluster on the world’s highest peak.Lukas Furtenbach of Austria, who last week became the only prominent outfitter to halt his Everest expedition over virus fears, said one of his foreign guides and six Nepali Sherpa guides have tested positive.“I think with all the…
Coronavirus: Singapore reports first case of school-based transmission; Malaysia further tightens curbs
Singapore reported its first case of school-based Covid-19 transmission as an outbreak in the city state showed little signs of abating.A student at a local school contracted the virus after his classmate tested positive on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Ministry of Education on Saturday. Close contacts of both pupils have been placed under quarantine.Singapore reported 22 new cases of locally-transmitted infections on Saturday, of which eight are currently untraceable, the…
Coronavirus: India asks social media firms to remove references to ‘Indian variant’
India’s information technology (IT) ministry has written to all social media companies asking them to take down any content that refers to an “Indian variant” of the coronavirus, according to a letter issued on Friday which was seen by Reuters.The World Health Organization said on May 11 that the coronavirus variant B.1.617, first identified in India last year, was being classified as a variant of global concern.The Indian government a day later issued a statement saying media reports using the…
Strong customer authentication deadline extended again by FCA
Payment services providers operating in the UK have been given a further six months to implement ‘strong customer authentication’ (SCA) standards for e-commerce transactions. A backstop deadline for compliance of 14 March 2022 now applies.