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...

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...

Key issues as Malaysia gets set to go to the polls

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob called for an early election on Monday (Oct 10), to win a stronger mandate and stabilise a rocky political landscape that has persisted in the wake of the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal and covid crisis. Here are the key issues that will determine how Malaysians vote: Economy & inflation Rising prices and economic...

Woman in China runs into first love in cab after 10 years and they start over with kids from earlier marriages

The love story of a Chinese couple kept apart for a decade by money and distance has trended online after the pair revealed they had run into each other by chance and married at last. The woman, surnamed Weng, shared her story on Douyin earlier this month and said that her two children from her previous...

Will Japan’s food banks have enough to feed all the needy in coming weeks?

The neediest in Japanese society have muddled through the last couple of years, enduring the economic insecurity that has accompanied the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on jobs with the help of the nation's food banks. With Japan – and the rest of the world – apparently headed into recession as a result of the Ukraine war, there...

Ukraine vows to strengthen its armed forces after major Russian air strikes

Ukraine vowed to strengthen its armed forces after Russia launched its biggest aerial assaults on cities since the beginning of the war, forcing thousands to flee to bomb shelters and prompting Kyiv to halt electricity exports to Europe. Missiles hit targets across Ukraine on Monday (Oct 10) morning, killing 14 people and injuring scores, as they...

Malaysia PM Ismail raises prospect of early election

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he could propose a date for the dissolution of parliament in a Thursday (Oct 6) meeting with the country's monarch, though the palace played down the meeting as a regular weekly discussion. The palace said the two held a "routine" meeting to discuss government matters. Its statement did not...

Chinese education authorities back lessons in love for students

The Chinese education ministry has expressed support for classes to teach students the "correct view of love" and "vast and enthusiastic" activities on campus to promote the correct view of family life. The ministry made the comments in August in response to a National People Congress deputy's recommendation that family education should be made a compulsory...