‘My landlord is threatening to kick my family out’: How high HDB flat rents have created greed and what tenants can do

Some time ago, we mentioned a possible loophole that HDB flat landlords might use to drive out tenants. That’s especially worrying in the current high rental environment, where some landlords may feel “stuck” with a cheaper lease signed a year or two before. It also doesn’t help when you see your neighbours renting out for much higher...

Woman repeatedly punches and hits maid’s eyes, causing her to go blind

Over a period of six months, a woman abused her Indonesian domestic helper by punching her repeatedly and using a clothes hanger to hit her eyes, causing her to permanently lose sight in both eyes. Ummi Kalsum Ali, 43, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to six charges, including voluntarily causing grievous hurt to a maid and ill-treating...

‘Still angry’: As Malaysians lose faith in politics, will new faces offer hope?

At a Kuala Lumpur tea stall, Kamal, a civil servant in his mid-40s, said his vote this time would be driven by "disgust" over the politicking and infighting that has riddled Malaysia since its last election in 2018. The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government collapsed less than two years into a five-year mandate given by that election...

A Singles Day without livestream superhosts leaves Alibaba in a quandary

When Alibaba kicks off its Singles Day extravaganza on Monday (Oct 24), it will for the first time in years not be headlined by its two mega sales stars, casting a pall over China's biggest shopping event and leaving brands guessing how well they will do. The event, which the e-commerce giant has built up from a...

Cyclone lashes Bangladesh killing 9, flooding low-lying areas

A cyclone roared into the Bangladesh coast on Tuesday (Oct 25), killing at least 9 people, destroying houses, uprooting trees and disrupting road, power and communication links, officials said. Mass evacuations before Cyclone Sitrang made landfall on the west coast helped save lives but the full extent of the casualties and damage would only be known...

Russian TV presenter says sorry but faces probe for call to drown Ukrainian children

A Russian TV presenter apologised on Monday (Oct 24) for calling for Ukrainian children to be drowned, as Russia's state Investigative Committee said it was probing his remarks. In a show last week on state-controlled broadcaster RT, presenter Anton Krasovsky said Ukrainian children who saw Russians as occupiers under the Soviet Union should have been "thrown...

Former actor James Lye joins Standard Chartered bank in senior role

Standard Chartered on Thursday (Oct 20) announced the appointment of James Lye as its global head of international banking with effect from Nov 1. In this newly created role, Lye will be based in Singapore where he will lead the group's international banking team and drive "focused execution to turbocharge the bank's international banking business". He will...

Malaysia to go to polls on Nov 19

Malaysia will hold a general election on Nov 19, its election commission said on Thursday (Oct 20), in a contest that the ruling graft-tainted party hopes would strengthen its hold on power. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolved parliament on Oct 10th and called for snap polls, saying an election would end years of political instability. Candidates will have to file...

Beijing steps up Covid-19 measures as cases quadruple

China’s capital Beijing has dialled up measures to stop Covid-19, strengthening public checks and locking down some residential compounds after a quadrupling of its case load in recent weeks, just as a key Communist Party congress entered full swing. The city of 21 million people on Thursday reported 18 new locally transmitted cases for the previous...

15 out of 100 people reinfected with Covid-19, Ong Ye Kung cautions another wave

Fifteen out of 100 people here with Covid-19 have been infected previously, and this could amount to another wave if the number of cases climbs in the coming days. Giving the figures on Monday (Oct 10) night, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said the authorities are monitoring whether the nation is experiencing another big wave of...