The Trump administration pressured Indonesia into dropping deals to buy Russian-made fighter jets and Chinese naval vessels, part of a global effort to prevent its top adversaries from eroding the US’s military superiority.Indonesia recently decided against moving ahead with a plan to procure 11 Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets for about US$1.1 billion, according to an official familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the details of discussions remain private. As recently as…
South Korea’s coronavirus response is the opposite of China and Italy – and it’s working
For weeks, the graph charting new cases of Covid-19 in South Korea rose in a steep line – a literal illustration of the rapid, seemingly unstoppable spread of the coronavirus. Then the line began to curve.After announcing 600 new cases for March 3, the authorities reported 131 new infections a week later. On Friday, officials reported just 110, the lowest daily toll since February 21. The same day, the number of recovered patients, 177, exceeded new infections for the first time.President Moon…
Singapore billionaire Oei Hong Leong says Vancouver developer threatened ‘bodily harm’ in US$175 million lawsuit
It was a deal negotiated over fine wine and meals in luxury restaurants and mansions on both sides of the Pacific.But the 2015 agreement between Singapore billionaire Oei Hong Leong and Vancouver developer Terry Hui to jointly develop a trophy site that Oei owns in the heart of the Canadian city would collapse in legal acrimony, despite their decades-long friendship.Now, Oei is accusing Hui’s deputy of threatening “bodily harm”, in a C$245 million (US$175 million) lawsuit alleging that Hui…
As coronavirus becomes pandemic, scientists ask if lines on the map hold the key to contagion’s spread
The coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 125,000 people around the world is concentrated in a “corridor” across the northern hemisphere, researchers said, as more studies focused on how temperature and humidity could be used to predict the spread of the contagion.Despite worries that Southeast Asia may become a coronavirus hotspot after central China (where the Covid-19 outbreak started) because of their proximity and travel connections to the infection’s epicentre, more countries…
Coronavirus: Duterte announces lockdown of entire Metro Manila, may call on China for help
President Rodrigo Duterte has announced a month-long lockdown of the whole of Metro Manila as the Philippines looks to contain the spread of Covid-19, adding that he might call on China to help deal with the outbreak.Land, domestic air, and domestic sea travel to and from the National Capital Region will be suspended from Sunday to April 14, while mass gatherings have also been banned, according to local media.In a speech on Thursday night, Duterte also said Chinese President Xi Jinping had…
China-reliant Indonesia feels economic bite of coronavirus before its first cases emerged
At a freight forwarding company in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, rooms once piled high with alternators, diesel engines and audio equipment from China have emptied, to be replaced by similar products from Europe, the United States and Singapore.The reason? “China has halted its production” in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, said 24-year-old employee Erianti, who asked that her full name not be used.Before the outbreak, in an average month Erianti’s company would have orders for as…
In Indonesia, more young singles are turning to marriage without dating
Frustrated after a string of break-ups, Dwita Astari Pujiartati quit the casual romance circuit and turned to a growing trend among Indonesian singles – marriage without dating.The 27-year-old professor exchanged resumes with prospective suitors – helped by a Muslim cleric turned matchmaker – until she was contacted by a long-lost acquaintance who also wanted to give contactless dating a whirl.There was no hand-holding or kissing. The pair did not even meet in person for almost a year, chatting…
Anwar asks if Malaysia’s new cabinet is truly ‘clean’ as rights groups slam its lack of diversity
Malaysia’s reformist icon Anwar Ibrahim, until recently tipped to be the nation’s next prime minister, has questioned if the country’s new cabinet is truly free of corruption – even as activists come forward to criticise its reduced representation of women and ethnic minorities.Commenting on the 69-person line-up announced by new Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday, Anwar asked how the ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition’s cabinet and deputy ministers had been deemed “clean” in the first…
Southeast Asia at risk of missing coronavirus cases amid dengue outbreak: experts
The concurrent outbreaks of dengue and Covid-19 in Southeast Asia will pose new challenges for authorities and health care workers, with experts warning that new coronavirus infections could slip through the cracks.Their concerns were sparked by a March 4 report by Singapore-based doctors in medical journal The Lancet that pointed to the similarities between the mosquito-borne disease and the novel coronavirus – and how this could result in false-positive results for dengue.“Dengue and…
As Covid-19 spreads in Singapore, Chinese immigrants fear a repeat of mainland experience
Singapore’s handling of the deadly coronavirus outbreak may have won plaudits from experts around the world, but Tao, a Chinese immigrant in the city state, is hoping that authorities do even more.The 48-year-old recently lost his father to the Covid-19 illness caused by the virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan where some of his family and relatives live.“My father died of pneumonia in Wuhan two days after the city was closed off, so I know how scary, pervasive and lethal the…