SYDNEY – The cost for Singtel to make up for one of Australia’s worst data breaches risks wiping out more than one-quarter of its annual profit. Optus, Singtel’s Australian mobile phone business, last week revealed that hackers had accessed the personal information of as many as 9.8 million customers – over one-third of the population. Some […]
UNITED NATIONS – Despite the many crises of the past two years, e-government strategies have been advanced although many countries and municipalities have fallen short in providing adequate online services, according to a new UN survey whose results were released on Wednesday. The 2022 edition of the E-Government Survey shows that Denmark, Finland and South Korea […]
In this file photo taken on Sept 07, 2020, a road sign directs traffic towards the Nord Stream 2 gas line landfall facility entrance in Lubmin, north eastern Germany. (ODD ANDERSEN / AFP) OSLO – Sweden's coast guard discovered a fourth gas leak on the damaged Nord Stream pipelines earlier this week, a spokesperson told […]
People hold up placards at a protest in front of the parliament building in Budapest, Hungary on Sept 28, 2022. (ATTILA KISBENEDEK / AFP) BUDAPEST – More than 1,000 Hungarians protested on Wednesday against a change in abortion rules that took effect on Sept 15, which women's rights groups say would "humiliate" and torment women […]
This handout picture taken and released by the Turkish Defence ministry press office on Aug 3, 2022, shows an inspection delegation member inspecting the Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni carrying 26,000 tonnes of corn from Ukraine, off the coast of north-west Istanbul. (TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTRY / AFP) ROME – The head of the United Nations […]
SYDNEY – The cost for Singtel to make good customers exposed to one of Australia’s worst data breaches risks wiping out more than one-quarter of its annual profit. Optus, Singtel’s Australian mobile-phone business, last week revealed hackers accessed the personal information of as many as 9.8 million customers – over one-third of the population. Some […]
SINGAPORE – Shares of Sats plunged sharply to a two-year low after the stock resumed trading on Thursday morning, following news of the company’s deal to buy the world’s largest air cargo handler for $1.64 billion. The ground handling and catering provider announced on Wednesday it will acquire Paris-based Worldwide Flight Services (WFS). The combined entity’s […]
SINGAPORE – Innovation within and collaboration among nations can ensure that the global economy comes out of the current economic crisis intact, said Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Thursday. Speaking at the Milken Institute’s Asia Summit 2022 at the Four Seasons Hotel, Mr Tharman said there are no quick fixes for the crisis the world […]
SINGAPORE – The South Korean authorities have asked two cryptocurrency exchanges to freeze some US$65 million (S$93 million) worth of Bitcoin linked to entrepreneur Do Kwon, the founder of the company behind two now-collapsed digital coins. Kwon is the founder of Terraform Labs, the company behind algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD, or UST, and its sister token […]
Members of an election commission count ballots after voting during a referendum at a polling station in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Sept 27, 2022. (PHOTO / AP) MOSCOW/KYIV — The Kremlin on Tuesday announced the results of referendums held in four regions to determine whether they want to become part of Russia. Authorities in Zaporizhzhia said […]
A health worker receives a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Francistown, Botswana, on March 26, 2021. (MONIRUL BHUIYAN / AFP) GABORONE / MOSCOW – Wearing masks is no longer mandatory in Botswana, announced an official press release on Wednesday. All other remaining COVID-19 protocols, like social distancing in schools and requirements for vaccination […]
A flooded street is seen in downtown as Hurricane Ian makes landfall in southwestern Florida, in Fort Myers, Florida, US on Sept 28, 2022. (MARCO BELLO / REUTERS) VENICE, Florida – Hurricane Ian plowed into Florida's Gulf Coast with catastrophic force on Wednesday, unleashing howling winds, torrential rains and a treacherous surge of ocean surf […]
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission building in Brussel on June 16, 2022. (KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP) BRUSSELS – The European Commission has warned EU countries that a broad cap on gas prices could be complex to launch and pose risks to energy security, amid calls from countries for Brussels to step in […]
Rescue workers clear the debris at the scene where a woman was found dead after a Russian attack that heavily damaged a school in Mykolaivka, Ukraine, Sept 28, 2022. (LEO CORREA / AP) KYIV/WASHINGTON/ANKARA – The Ukrainian president's office has unveiled a mechanism for the country’s post-conflict reconstruction named the Fast Recovery Plan, the government-run […]
A commercial plane takes off after sunset from Geneva Airport in Geneva on July 18, 2019. (FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP) MONTREAL, Canada – Some 2,000 delegates from 167 countries gathered in-person and virtually on Tuesday at the Montreal headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization for its 41st assembly which highlights net-zero emissions, post-COVID resilience […]
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna pose for a photograph during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sept 27, 2022. (UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE VIA AP) KYIV – Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday met with visiting French Foreign Affairs Minister […]
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen arrives for the second day meeting of the European Union special summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct 2, 2020. (EUROPEAN UNION / HANDOUT VIA XINHUA) BRUSSELS / COPENHAGEN – The EU on Wednesday rushed to ramp up security safeguarding the bloc's energy infrastructure in response to what it called acts […]
NEW YORK – Not long after dropping out of college to pursue a career in cryptocurrencies, Ben Weintraub woke up to some bad news. Mr Weintraub and two classmates from the University of Chicago had spent the past few months working on a software platform called Beanstalk, which offered a stablecoin, a type of cryptocurrency […]
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration is alarmed over the market turmoil triggered by the new British government’s economic programme and is seeking ways to encourage Prime Minister Liz Truss’ team to dial back its dramatic tax cuts. Officials inside the US Treasury Department are concerned about the volatility in financial markets and potential spillovers to the […]
LONDON – Britain’s central bank resorted to buying bonds again on Wednesday in an emergency move to reduce the chaos in British financial markets that was triggered last week by the tax and spending plans of new British Prime Minister Liz Truss. The slump in government bond prices – and the subsequent surge in yields […]