Australian authorities warned people to stay indoors on Friday as a severe heatwave along the northwestern coast pushed temperatures to a blistering 50.7 degrees Celsius (123 degrees Fahrenheit), hitting a high last seen 62 years ago. Climate scientists and activists have raised alarm bells that global warming due to human-driven …
Read More »Citi to sell four Southeast Asia retail units to Singapore’s UOB for $3.65 bln
Citigroup has agreed to sell its consumer business in four Southeast Asian markets to United Overseas Bank (UOB) for S$4.915 billion ($3.65 billion). The proposed acquisition by UOB will be its biggest in two decades and double the group’s retail customer base in the four markets in Southeast Asia, where …
Read More »HCMC police arrest Malaysian woman for stealing $1,700 diamond ring
A Malaysian woman was arrested in HCMC Thursday for allegedly stealing a diamond ring worth over VND40 million ($1,760) from a jewelry shop. The District 1 police took in Ngee Cheng Abryanna, 21, for questioning. On Tuesday Ngee and her friend visited the jewelry store on Dong Khoi Street, and …
Read More »Mekong group urges better water management collaboration as record drought persists
The Mekong River Commission on Thursday called on China and Southeast Asian to better coordinate management of Mekong hydropower dams and reservoirs after three years of record low flows and extra dry conditions. The Mekong River’s flow dropped to the lowest levels in more than six decades from 2019 to …
Read More »China Evergrande set to rise 1.9 pct after bond payment extension
Shares of China Evergrande Group are set to open up 1.9 percent on Friday after the developer secured a crucial approval from onshore bondholders. The approval delays payments on one of its bonds as more developers race to avert defaults.That compared to a 1 percent drop in the benchmark Hang …
Read More »No Tet fireworks in HCMC
HCMC will not have its firework displays on Lunar New Year’s Eve this year, the municipal cultural department said Thursday. Vo Trong Nam, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, said fireworks will not be launched based on “instructions from the central government and …
Read More »US Supreme Court blocks Biden vaccine-or-test policy for large businesses
The US Supreme Court on Thursday (Jan 13) blocked President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses. This is a policy the conservative justices deemed an improper imposition on the lives and health of many Americans – while endorsing a separate federal vaccine requirement for healthcare facilities. Biden voiced …
Read More »Indonesian woman flogged 100 times for adultery, partner gets 15
An Indonesian woman was flogged 100 times Thursday in conservative Aceh province for adultery while her male partner, who denied the accusations, received just 15 lashes. Ivan Najjar Alavi, the head of general investigation division at East Aceh prosecutors office, said the court handed down a heftier sentence for the …
Read More »No Tet fireworks this year too, HCMC decides
HCMC will not have its firework displays on Lunar New Year’s Eve this year, the municipal cultural department said Thursday. Vo Trong Nam, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, said fireworks will not be launched based on “instructions from the central government and …
Read More »Long Covid a public health priority this year
The post-Covid syndrome, which occurs even among young, asymptomatic patients, is a major concern that is likely to affect public health and work performance in 2022, a health official says. In just a month and a half, the Gia Dinh People’s Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has received around …
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