Crypto and ketamine: The murder that shocked South Korea

SEOUL: It reads like a K-drama plot: an ex-spy kidnaps a woman from an upscale district of Seoul over a crypto dispute, then kills her with drugs from a plastic surgery clinic. The case of purported spy-turned-hitman Lee Kyung-woo, who was sentenced to life in prison in October, has shocked South Korea, a safe and almost drug-free...

US agency will not reinstate $900 million subsidy for SpaceX Starlink unit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday reaffirmed its 2022 decision to deny SpaceX satellite internet unit Starlink $885.5 million in rural broadband subsidies. The FCC said the decision impacting Elon Musk's space company was based on Starlink's failure to meet basic program requirements and that Starlink could not demonstrate it could deliver...

Singapore uni students continue to rent out their hostel rooms illegally on social media platforms

SINGAPORE: Advertisements for campus accommodation at some local universities have appeared on Chinese social media platforms and Carousell recently, throwing the illegal practice back in the spotlight. Rooms at Nanyang Technological University hostels were being offered for short and long-term rentals on Chinese social media apps Xiaohongshu and WeChat. One advertisement was offering a room for S$350 (RM1,225)...

UK PM Sunak battles to unite divided party in pivotal week

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces the most dangerous moment of his premiership this week, when he is due to appear before a COVID-19 inquiry and must win a crunch vote in parliament on his plan to revive a policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Just over a year since he became prime...

Indonesian chains Kenangan Coffee and Fore Coffee brew up a storm in Singapore

JAKARTA/SINGAPORE: On its first day of operations in September, Kenangan Coffee at Raffles City Shopping Centre sold more than 1,500 drinks. This helped the Indonesian chain achieve its highest daily revenue at an outlet, said co-founder and chief executive Edward Tirtanata. Kenangan Coffee was founded in 2017 and operates more than 900 stores, most of them in...

Mother of jailed Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’ Guzman dies -local media

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The elderly mother of convicted Mexican crime boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has died after spending the last couple weeks in a private clinic, local media reported on Sunday. El Sol de Sinaloa, a major newspaper in the family's home state of Sinaloa, located in northwest Mexico, reported that Consuelo Loera was...

Australia plans to halve migrant intake, tighten student visa rules

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia on Monday said it would tighten visa rules for international students and low-skilled workers that could halve its migrant intake over the next two years as the government looks to overhaul what it said was a "broken" migration system. Under the new policies, international students would need to secure higher ratings on...

Thousands of tonnes of dead sardines wash ashore in northern Japan

TOKYO: Thousands of tonnes of dead sardines have washed up on a beach in northern Japan for unknown reasons, officials said Friday (Dec 8). The sardines and some mackerel washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, creating a sliver blanket along a stretch of beach about a kilometre (0.6...

China halts imports of koi fish from Japan

THE nation’s koi breeders lost their biggest export market after China did not renew the licences it had awarded to numerous farms there. The last of the licences expired in October, and Chinese authorities did not offer an explanation over the non-renewals, according to media reports. In the past, China had awarded licences – valid for three...

Suspect behind Philippine bombing arrested

MANILA: One of the suspects in a fatal Mindanao State University (MSU) bombing has been arrested and is now under the custody of authorities, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Friday (Dec 8). AFP public affairs chief Col Xerxes Trinidad identified the suspect as Jafar Gamo Sultan, who was arrested by joint elements...