British man under SHN who left hotel room without mask to meet fiancee among 3 people to be charged

aseanpr 15 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - One man chose to spend time with his fiancee, another wandered around Geylang and went to work. Both were supposed to be isolated and completing stay-home notices, and are set to charged on Friday (Jan 15) with allegedly breaching the requirements. In one case, a Singaporean man - Abdul Rahman Mohamed Hanafiah, 71 - returning from Batam took public transport, spent time at various public places and went back to work during his stay-home notice, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Friday. In another, a British man - Nigel Skea, 52 - serving his stay-home notice at The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore in Marina Bay left his room on the 14th storey without wearing a mask on three occasions on Sept 21 last year. On the last occasion, his fiancee - Agatha Maghesh Eyamalai, 39 - was with him. To meet her, he left his room at about 2am and took the stairs to the 27th storey where her room was located. She was not subject to a stay-home notice and had booked a different room in the same hotel. Agatha will be charged with abetting Nigel's breach of his stay-home notice requirements. Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman, who returned to the Republic on March 17, did not go ...

Concord Adex Unveils Toronto’s Mystery Bridge Suite

indie 15 1 月

3 minutes

TORONTO, Jan 15, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - It's a lair fit for Mr. James Bond himself. The long-awaited Bridge Suites (https://concordbridgesuites.com/), Concord's iconic addition to the Toronto skyline, is finally unveiled. Globally recognized as an architectural feat, the Bridge Suites were built into Parade's SkyBridge at the foot Canoe Landing Park in Toronto, Ontario and have been a source of curiosity throughout the city - and the world - since inception.As the country's highest (and largest) suspended residence, the jaw-dropping Bridge Suites are an engineering and architectural marvel. The 450 tonne, 40 metre structure that took over 14 hours to lift into place is no longer a mystery. Its unique outlook suspended in the sky allows for unobstructed vistas to Lake Ontario in one direction and miles of city views to the other."Rarely in a city can you point in the sky and say definitively, 'I live there," however, the uniqueness of this residence makes it very hard to miss," said Isaac Chan, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Concord Adex. "The Bridge Suites have long sparked intrigue from Torontonians and we're excited to pull back the curtain and finally give everyone the ...

Should I get the Covid-19 vaccine? What you need to know

aseanpr 15 1 月

0 min

Toyota to pay record $238m fine for decade of US emissions violations

elean 15 1 月

4 minutes

NEW YORK (NYTIMES) - Toyota Motor is set to pay a US$180 million (S$238 million) fine for long-standing violations of the Clean Air Act, the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan announced on Thursday (Jan 14), the largest civil penalty ever levied for a breach of federal emissions-reporting requirements. From about 2005 to 2015, the global automaker systematically failed to report defects that interfered with how its cars controlled tailpipe emissions, violating standards designed to protect public health and the environment from harmful air pollutants, according to a complaint filed in Manhattan. Toyota managers and staff in Japan knew about the practice but failed to stop it, and the automaker quite likely sold millions of vehicles with the defects, the attorney's office said. "Toyota shut its eyes to the noncompliance," Audrey Strauss, the acting US attorney, said in a statement. Toyota has agreed not to contest the fine. Eric Booth, a spokesman for the automaker, said that the company had alerted the authorities as soon as the lapses came to light, and that the delay in reporting "resulted in a negligible emissions impact, if any." "Nonetheless, we recognize that some of our repor...

When will US interest rates rise? Fed chief says ‘no time soon’

elean 15 1 月

3 minutes

WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) - With the incoming administration of US President-Elect Joe Biden pushing for more economic stimulus and with multiple coronavirus vaccines already approved, some investors have been wondering whether the Federal Reserve might soon start to ease off its support for the economy. Jerome Powell, the central bank's chairman, made it clear on Thursday (Jan 14) that the US central bank would be cautious in doing so - and that action was anything but imminent. During a webcast question-and-answer session, Mr Powell said it would take time for the US economy to recover from the pain of the pandemic era. "When the time comes to raise interest rates, we will certainly do that," he said. "And that time, by the way, is no time soon." Currently, dire short-term conditions - surging virus deaths, high unemployment, and partial state and local economic lockdowns - contrast sharply with the longer-term outlook. Economists think that the economy might come roaring back later in 2021 as vaccines allow normal life to resume and consumers spend money they saved during the pandemic. That split has led some investors to worry that the Fed might speed up its plans to reduce the pace...

US stocks dip as market awaits Biden stimulus plan

elean 15 1 月

2 minutes

NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street stocks finished a choppy session modestly lower on Thursday (Jan 14) as the market awaited details of President-elect Joe Biden's stimulus package after digesting disappointing labour data. Biden is set to unveil later on Thursday a proposal for a third major fiscal package in the wake of coronavirus restrictions imposed over the last 10 months. The announcement comes as data showed applications for unemployment benefits rose sharply in the first week of 2021, with a surge of 181,000 - the biggest increase since the coronavirus pandemic began in March - bringing the total close to the one million level not seen since August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at 30,991.52, down 0.2 per cent. The broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.4 per cent to 3,795.54, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index slid 0.1 per cent to 13,112.64. Despite the employment data, the latest in a string of mixed or poor economic indicators, equity markets remain near all-time highs as investors look ahead to a better 2021 economy thanks to coronavirus vaccines. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell predicted the US could see a boost of "exuberant spending" after the pandemic, addin...

China exports beat forecasts with 18.1% growth in December

elean 15 1 月

3 minutes

BEIJING • Chinese exports grew by more than expected last month, Customs data showed yesterday, as coronavirus disruptions around the world fuelled demand for Chinese goods even as a stronger renminbi made exports more expensive for overseas buyers. A robust domestic recovery also spurred Chinese appetite for foreign products last month, with import growth quickening from the month prior and beating expectations in a Reuters poll. Exports rose 18.1 per cent last month from a year earlier, slowing from a 21.1 per cent jump in November but beating expectations for a 15 per cent rise. Imports increased 6.5 per cent year on year last month, topping a 5 per cent forecast and picking up pace from November's 4.5 per cent growth. Buoyant exports helped drive an impressive rebound in China's manufacturing sector last year, as the pandemic wreaked havoc abroad. China is expected to be the only major economy to have seen positive growth last year. Exports grew 3.6 per cent over the full year and imports fell 1.1 per cent. While the pandemic will bring challenges, a reviving global economy and a steady recovery in China's domestic economy provide a foundation for China to maintain trade growth...

Sumitomo to close S’pore crude, fuel oil trading desks in March

elean 15 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE • Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp plans to close its crude and fuel oil trading desks in Singapore at the end of March and will relocate the trading functions to its Tokyo headquarters, a company spokesman said yesterday. The company will also exit its bunker fuel blending business in the city state, the largest global bunkering port, he said, without giving further details. The moves, reported by Reuters on Wednesday, come after stricter emissions standards imposed by the International Maritime Organisation starting last year reduced opportunities to compete through blending to produce bunker fuels. Market competitiveness and company strategy, among other factors, led to the decision to downsize its Singapore operation, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Sumitomo's Singapore unit Summit Energy & Resources, previously known as Petro Summit, will continue its oil trading business until the end of March, and the transition will be completed in April, said the source. Employees were told of the decision on Monday. Sumitomo has two crude and fuel oil traders and six bunkering traders, both Japanese and local. The Japanese employees will likely relocate b...

SDK to increase capacity of aluminum substrate for hard disks

ruth 15 1 月

3 minutes

TOKYO, Jan 14, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; TOKYO:4004) will increase its capacity to produce aluminum substrate for HD media through consolidated subsidiary Showa Denko HD Yamagata K.K. (SHDY), raising the group's production capacity by 30% and thereby strengthening its hard disk (HD) business.SDK's policy decision to increase supply capacity and diversify and strengthen its supply chain has been qualified by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) as eligible for subsidy under the government's "Program for Promoting Investment to Strengthen Supply Chains in Japan ".With the launch of 5th generation mobile communication (5G) service, the spread of the Internet of Things (IoT), the penetration of telework, and the development and expansion of digital transformation, the volume of data communication is expected to continue to increase dramatically. As a result, the demand for hard disk drives (HDDs) for data centres has been growing significantly. As most of our supply capacity is concentrated in Malaysia, it is necessary to secure a more stable supply chain against the spread of the new coronavirus worldwide.In order to solve this problem, we have decid...

NEC Concludes Contract to Supply the Palau Cable 2 (PC2) Optical Submarine Cable

ruth 14 1 月

3 minutes

TOKYO, Jan 14, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) announced the signing of a contract with the National Submarine Cable Utility Belau Submarine Cable Corporation (BSCC) of the Palau Republic (Palau) for the Palau Cable 2 (PC2) optical submarine cable construction project. PC2, with a total length of approximately 110km, will connect Palau with a large-capacity submarine optical cable that connects Southeast Asia and the U.S. mainland. This cable is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2022.PC2 adopts the latest optical wavelength multiplexing transmission system of 100 gigabits per second (100Gbps), and as an addition to the first optical submarine cable laid by NEC in Palau in 2017, ensures the redundancy of Palau's network, realizes highly reliable communications, and responds to the increasing demand for communications, thereby contributing to further economic development in Palau.This project is being implemented under a buyer's credit (export finance) loan agreement by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) with BSCC. The loan portion from SMBC is insured by Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (...

Self-driving road sweepers deployed in public road trials at 3 places in Singapore during off-peak hours

aseanpr 14 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Driverless road sweepers have been deployed to clean limited areas at one-north, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and CleanTech Park at Jurong Innovation District as part of trials launched on Wednesday (Jan 13) . If the trials, expected to run till July, are successful, these "autonomous environmental service vehicles" (AESVs) will pave the way for pilot deployment on roads during off-peak hours - as soon as the early 2020s. The trials commenced on Wednesday after the National Environment Agency (NEA) said two AESV prototypes have successfully demonstrated their features. The proof-of-concept trials of the AESVs will be conducted progressively, starting with off-peak timings such as weekends and evenings, in designated small-scale environments at one-north, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and CleanTech Park at Jurong Innovation District. In adherence to the Land Transport Authority's safety framework for autonomous vehicle trials, both AESVs will at all times have a safety driver on board who is trained to take immediate control of the vehicle if required. Operation of the AESV prototypes are also monitored in real-time from a command centre by an off-site...

Man jailed for beating up his mother after she refused to reveal her ATM card’s PIN

aseanpr 14 1 月

5 minutes

SINGAPORE - A man attacked his elderly mother with her walking stick after she refused to disclose the personal identification number (PIN) of her automated teller machine (ATM) card. He even threatened to cut all of the 77-year-old's fingers with a knife. She was so badly injured that she only crawled out of bed the next day. Adrian Yap Yin Leung, 56, was sentenced to jail for five years and three months on Thursday (Jan 14). He pleaded guilty to one count each of voluntarily causing hurt to his mother while robbing her and subsequently failing to report to the police for investigations. One other charge of possessing a false Singapore passport was taken into consideration during sentencing by District Judge Ronald Gwee. On Oct 16, 2018 at about 11pm, Yap and his mother, Madam Eunice Tsang Siew Geok, were in the unit she was residing in. Court documents do not state if they were living together. Wanting to withdraw money from his mother's POSB account for his own use, Yap asked her for the PIN of her ATM card. When she refused to tell him, Yap hit her multiple times with her walking stick. He also kicked and stamped on her body, pulled her hair and threatened to cut all of her fin...

Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve’s Sustainable Peatland Farmer Field School

pandora 14 1 月

3 minutes

Central Kalimantan, INDONESIA, Jan 14, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - In November 2020, Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve conducted training sessions aimed at strengthening the capacity of Farmer Groups (KT). The goal of these sessions was to help farmers improve their skills in cultivation and agriculture through our Peatland Farmer Field School (Peatland-FFS). The sessions were attended by 2 Farmer Groups: Harapan Jaya from Jahitan Village, and Hijau Bakung Permai from Baung Village. HARAPAN JAYA Farmer Group and the preparation of an area of 0.5 ha, Jahitan Village HIJAU BAKUNG PERMAI Farmer Group with land preparation covering an area of 17 x 50 meters, Baung VillageThis activity is a continuation of the Peatland-FFS training program held in September 2020, conducted by Rimba Raya in collaboration with the National Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG). The farmer group from Rimba Raya working area participated at that time. Aside from focusing on improving farming skills, participants were trained in preparing their land for agricultural development without the use of traditional 'slash and burn' methods.During our most recent training sessions, Rimba Raya encouraged farmers to build on th...

Hume MRT shell station to be fitted out by JSM Construction Group at $34m

aseanpr 14 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Hume MRT station on the Downtown Line will be fitted out and made operational by JSM Construction Group at a contract value of $34.3 million, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Thursday (Jan 14). Works on the station are targeted to be completed in 2025, as announced in 2019, 12 years after the Downtown Line first started running in 2013. A shell station structure for Hume was already completed in 2015 and JSM Construction Group has been tasked to build the station entrance and the ventilation shaft, and carry out other fitting-out works. Hume station is located in Upper Bukit Timah Road between Hillview and Beauty World stations. It will serve many big condominiums in the area such as Hume Park 1, Hume Park 2, Parc Palais, The Hillside and Hillview 128. The more than 20,000 residents in the area have been lobbying for works on the station to begin for about two years, with the Government previously saying that developments in the area and ridership growth did not yet warrant the opening of the station. Last year, it was revealed that works would begin in the fourth quarter of 2020. The delay in awarding the civil contract was possibly due to the time framew...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Jan 14

aseanpr 14 1 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Thursday, Jan 14. Trump becomes first US president to be impeached twice All 222 House Democrats and 10 Republicans voted to charge Trump with incitement of insurrection. READ MORE HERE Trump denounces political violence after being impeached His message comes as violent demonstrations were anticipated across the United States this week. READ MORE HERE 26 ill, including 5 in hospital, after eating food from Eng’s Heritage at Northpoint City The restaurant had its licence suspended after customers suffered gastroenteritis symptoms. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Pinkish-purple waters at Sentosa South Cove waterway after dead fish found near banks Marine experts identified rabbitfish, moonyfish, batfish and leatherjacket fish among the dead fish. READ MORE HERE Worker from India found to have Covid-19 during routine testing, first dorm case in S'pore since Dec 15 The man stays at Seatown Dormitory in Tuas and started work in the construction sector on Jan 6. READ MORE HERE askST: Can WhatsApp and Facebook read my messages or listen in to my calls? WhatsApp has clar...

US asks Tesla to recall 158,000 vehicles for touchscreen failures

elean 14 1 月

3 minutes

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Wednesday (Jan 13) asked Tesla to recall 158,000 Model S and Model X vehicles over media control unit (MCU) failures that could pose safety risks by leading to touchscreen displays not working. The auto safety agency made the unusual request in a formal letter to Tesla after upgrading a safety probe in November, saying it had tentatively concluded the 2012-2018 Model S and 2016-2018 Model X vehicles "contain a defect related to motor vehicle safety." Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment but it must respond to NHTSA by Jan 27. If it does not agree it must provide the agency "with a full explanation of its decision." It is unusual for the agency to formally demand a recall. Automakers typically voluntarily agree to a recall if sought in discussions by regulators. The agency said it sought the recall after considering "Tesla's technical briefing presentation ... and evaluated Tesla's assertions." NHTSA added that "during our review of the data, Tesla provided confirmation that all units will inevitably fail given the memory device's finite storage capacity." NHTSA said other a...

StanChart’s Singapore-based investment banking head is top CEO contender: FT

elean 14 1 月

2 minutes

LONDON (REUTERS) - Standard Chartered's investment banking head Simon Cooper has emerged as the internal contender to replace chief executive officer Bill Winters, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday (Jan 13), citing people familiar with the matter. Mr Cooper is now the "heir apparent" after the outperformance of his advisory and trading unit last year during the Covid-19 pandemic, the report said. Standard Chartered declined to comment on the report. Mr Cooper, who is currently based in Singapore, may be returning to the bank's headquarters in London, the FT reported, adding that there have been informal discussions about naming him as deputy CEO. The report said the bank's chairman Jose Vinals is also considering external candidates for when Mr Winters eventually departs and that the board is conducting its normal "market-mapping" exercise to monitor all potential options. Mr Winters, who is a former JPMorgan banker, won plaudits from investors during his first three years at the lender from 2015 to 2018 when he repaired its balance sheet and overhauled its lending culture. Mr Cooper joined Standard Chartered Group as CEO of its corporate & institutional banking division in...

GIC-backed lender Affirm almost doubles in debut after $1.59 billion IPO

elean 14 1 月

3 minutes

NEW YORK (Bloomberg) - Affirm Holdings almost doubled in its public market debut, the latest multibillion-dollar technology company to start trading significantly higher than its initial public offering price. Shares of the San Francisco-based company, which provides installment loans to online shoppers, closed up 98 per cent to US$97.24 in New York trading after rising as much as 110 per cent earlier on Wednesday (Jan 13). The company sold 24.6 million shares at US$49 each in Tuesday's IPO to raise US$1.2 billion (S$1.59 billion), pricing the stock above a range that had already been increased. Affirm closed Wednesday with a market value of more than US$23 billion. The company has a fully diluted valuation of almost US$30 billion, including options and restricted stock units, according to Bloomberg calculations. Airbnb and DoorDash each soared above their IPO prices when they went public in December, showing the appetite for tech listings - especially among retail investors -- and raising questions about how the deals were priced. Airbnb currently trades about 150 per cent higher than its listing at a market value of more than US$100 billion, while DoorDash is up about 94 per cent...

US Q1 budget deficit surges to record US$573 billion amid pandemic

elean 14 1 月

2 minutes

WASHINGTON (AFP) - As spending remained high amid the coronavirus pandemic, the US budget deficit surged by 61 per cent in the first three months of the 2021 fiscal year, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday (Jan 13). Spending compared to the prior year grew by US$213 billion (S$282.6 billion) from October to December, driving the budget gap to US$573 billion and setting quarterly records, a senior Treasury official told reporters. The deficit for the 2020 fiscal year exploded, jumping more than 200 per cent to an all-time high of US$3.1 trillion, which was more than double the prior record. The first quarter pace will keep the deficit well below that level in the future, but President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to push for trillions of dollars in new measures to help struggling families and boost the economy. US government expenditures increased last year due to the mammoth programs Congress approved to help workers and businesses hit by the Covid-19 shutdowns. However, spending tapered later in the year as some programs lapsed while lawmakers worked to pass a new relief package, and the Treasury official said the impact of a US$900 billion measure approved December 27 will ...

Sea acquires Indonesian bank to gain fintech foothold

elean 14 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE (BLOOMBERG) - Singapore's Sea Ltd, the tech start-up that's become South-east Asia's most valuable company, has acquired Indonesia's Bank Kesejahteraan Ekonomi, according to people familiar with the matter. Sea has gained full control of the Jakarta-based lender, better known as Bank BKE, after buying stakes from existing shareholders Danadipa Artha Indonesia and Koin Investama Nusantara through its subsidiary Turbo Cash Hong Kong, said the people who asked not to be named as the matter is private. The move accelerates the company's ambition to establish itself as a leader in financial technology and services across its region, much as it has done with mobile gaming and online shopping. Sea raised almost US$3 billion (S$3.98 billion) in a stock offering last month, saying it intends to spend the proceeds on business expansion. Representatives of Sea and Bank BKE declined to comment. Bank BKE began operations in 1992 with the primary goal of supporting the welfare of civil servants, according to its website. South-east Asia's biggest internet companies are all vying for a share of a growing digital banking arena. Sea secured a licence to open a digital bank in Singapore in...

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