BANGKOK: (Bernama) Thai police believe they have cracked down on a major scam syndicate that laundered over 5 billion baht (US$145,754,000) through fraudulent transactions, following the arrests of a Malaysian ringleader and his Thai wife. The Commander of the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) under the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Pol. Maj. Gen. Puttidej Bunkrapue, said...
IN A world where military power often defines a nation's strength, Iceland stands as an intriguing exception. Despite its small size and population, this island nation has opted out of maintaining a traditional military force. Could it be true that Iceland, a member of NATO, has no standing army? Verdict: TRUE Occupying merely 103,000sq km, Iceland is known to be...
SEOUL: Troops mobilised under the Dec 3 martial law decree brought with them thousands of rounds of live ammunition for their operations, reports revealed on Dec 17. The 707th Special Missions Group of the Army’s Special Warfare Command brought 3,960 live ammunition rounds, 1,980 blank rounds and 100 cartridges for stun guns when they were deployed...
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's ruling Liberals lost a special election in the western province of British Columbia, provisional results showed on Tuesday, deepening the political woes of beleaguered Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The minority Liberal government was rocked on Monday when Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland unexpectedly resigned, citing policy differences with the prime minister whom she...
(Reuters) - Police in Wisconsin on Tuesday were interviewing friends and family and examining the online presence of a 15-year-old girl to determine what drove her to open fire in a school classroom, killing a fellow student and a teacher before taking her own life. The shooter, identified by police as Natalie Rupnow who also went...
A retired California highway patrolman has stumbled into possession of a trove of unreleased Michael Jackson songs, which the world may never have a chance to hear. Gregg Musgrove, now a stay-at-home dad, procured the tapes after an associate purchased a storage unit in the city of Van Nuys that contained the recordings, according to American...
SINGAPORE: A Chinese national was offered a 30,000 yuan (S$5,600) reward if he came to Singapore to retrieve nearly $500,000 in cash and valuables that two burglars had earlier stolen. Food deliveryman Wu Jinxing, 28, who earned around 200 yuan a day, accepted the offer and arrived in Singapore on July 27. He then went to a...
HONG KONG: China announced on Tuesday (Dec 17) a relaxation of its visa-free transit policy, extending the permitted stay for eligible foreign travellers to 240 hours, or 10 days, from the original 72-144 hours, as authorities aim to lure more foreign visitors. The measure, which is effective immediately, was announced by the National Immigration Administration (NIA)...
TOKYO: Japan’s Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry plans to cover tuition and living expenses for select international students from Asia studying at medical schools in Japan. This is the first time that the ministry is attempting such an initiative, which it is undertaking with the aim of contributing to the international community and expanding the use...
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng are taking legal action against Bloomberg and other media outlets for publishing statements concerning their property transactions, which they consider libellous. The statements were first published in a Dec 12 Bloomberg article on good class bungalow transactions in Singapore...
