Singapore authorities Friday ordered Facebook to correct an article on a fringe news site containing “scurrilous accusations” of election rigging, ramping up their use of a controversial law against misinformation. The social media giant, which has previously expressed concerns about the legislation, did not respond to requests for comment and the article was still on […]

Oil prices tumbled Friday on expectations OPEC next week won’t take aggressive action to boost oil prices, while global equities pulled back on trade war worries.  Both the US and European benchmark contracts for oil fell ahead of the December 5 meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in Vienna where analysts expect […]

by Olga Shylenko with Anna Malpas in Moscow Ukraine has lashed out at Apple for showing the annexed Crimea peninsula as part of Russia, saying the US tech giant did not “give a damn” about the pain of the Ukrainian people. Russian lawmakers said on Wednesday that Apple had complied with a demand from Moscow […]

The parent company of Premier League champions Manchester City has been given a global record sports valuation of £3.73 billion ($4.8 billion) after US equity firm Silver Lake acquired just over 10 percent of the company on Wednesday. Silver Lake have signed a definitive agreement to make a £389 million ($500 million) investment in City […]

by Sam Reeves Companies that make top brands including Kit Kat chocolate and Dove soap may face fines if they fail to buy more green palm oil under new rules aimed at improving the controversial industry’s environmental sustainability. Green groups cautiously welcomed the move from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a watchdog that […]

Chinese online retail giant Alibaba surged Tuesday as it drew back the curtain on a Hong Kong listing the firm described as a vote of confidence in the embattled city. The long-delayed trading day got off to a glitzy start with chief executive officer Daniel Zhang joined on stage at a stock exchange ceremony by […]

Britain has agreed to take back 42 containers of plastic waste illegally exported to Malaysia, officials said Monday, as several Asian nations push back against becoming the world’s trash dump. Southeast Asia has been flooded with plastic from more developed nations such as the US and Australia since last year when China — which boasted […]

Jakarta’s ex-governor, who was jailed for nearly two years on controversial blasphemy charges, was tapped Friday to oversee executives at Indonesian energy firm Pertamina, media reports said, after it was hit by graft scandals. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, will reportedly serve as head of state-owned Pertamina’s six-member board of commissioners. The appointment […]

Adolf Hitler would have been able to put anti-Semitic advertisements on Facebook had the social network existed in the 1930s, according to British comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen.  The 48-year-old “Ali G” star singled out the US tech giant during a searing broadside Thursday against social media companies amplifying hatred and violence as part of […]

Singapore hanged a Malaysian heroin trafficker on Friday, despite appeals from his homeland to stay a “heart-wrenching” execution that critics said was too extreme for a low-level drug mule. The city-state, known for strict enforcement of laws and low crime rates, steadfastly maintains that capital punishment is an effective deterrent against crime despite appeals from […]

by Esther Chan / Rachel Blundy Murder disguised as suicide. A secret massacre at a subway station. Impending ‘terrorist’ attacks: false news online is amplifying fear and confusion in Hong Kong as months of pro-democracy unrest turns increasingly violent in the real world. Using half-truths, carefully-edited video, and selective reporting, both the pro-democracy and pro-Beijing […]

Almost 700 Chinese nationals were arrested in Malaysia when authorities raided a building and busted a major online investment scam operation, immigration officials said Thursday. With a fairly open visa regime and relatively developed telecommunications infrastructure, Malaysia has become a hotspot for foreigners looking to set up centres to run online scams. Some suspects attacked […]

Officials in one Indonesian city have hatched a plan to wean children off smartphones — by giving them their own fluffy chicks to raise. Around 2,000 four-day-old chicks will be handed out to pupils at elementary and junior high schools in Bandung in the coming weeks in an attempt to distract the kids from their […]

Emirates Airline said Monday it would buy 50 Airbus 350-900 widebody aircraft in a deal worth $16 billion, with delivery to begin in May 2023. “I am happy to announce we are purchasing 50 Airbus 350 for $16 billion,” the carrier’s chairman and CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum told reporters at the Dubai Airshow. […]

Japan’s Z Holdings, formerly Yahoo Japan, will merge with mobile chat app operator Line, the firms said Monday, in a bid to boost the customer base for their digital services. Mobile operator SoftBank Corp, the parent of Z Holdings (ZHD), and South Korea’s Naver, Line’s parent company, agreed the merger of ZHD and Line, SoftBank […]

by Erwan Lucas Gamers were counting down to Tuesday’s launch of Google’s feature-rich, on-demand offering Stadia. But is its bang as big as its much-advertised buck? AFP had a chance to gain a first impression at the web behemoth’s Paris office in advance of the launch as Google bids to raise the bar to new […]

by Rob Lever Governments around the world are increasingly using social media to manipulate elections and monitor their citizens, in a worrisome trend for democracy, a human rights watchdog said Tuesday. An annual report on online freedom by the nonprofit group Freedom House found evidence of “advanced social media surveillance programs” in at least 40 […]

Two restaurants in Bangkok have each earned a pair of coveted Michelin stars, the first time the leading guide has awarded the accolade to local establishments offering Thai cuisine. Located in Bangkok, the restaurants Sorn and R-Haan were upgraded from their previous one-star rating in the third edition of the “Michelin guide in Thailand”, unveiled […]

by Rob Lever / with Thomas Urbain in New York Michael Bloomberg’s likely run for the presidency would create a hornet’s nest of practical and ethical problems for his company, which as one of the world’s biggest news organizations would be thrust into coverage of its owner. A campaign could set up unusual challenges for […]

by Haeril Halim Indonesian Mirnawati once ate rice with every meal, but its link to diabetes convinced her to join a growing movement to quit a staple food in the third biggest rice-consuming nation on Earth. As World Diabetes Day is held Thursday, the Southeast Asian nation is struggling to tackle a disease that affects […]

by Danny Kemp Investigators looking into the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine released intercepted phone calls on Thursday showing close links between “high-ranking” Russian officials and rebel suspects facing trial over the crash. The international probe said the communications raised questions about the possible involvement of top officials in Moscow in the deployment of […]

Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday it signed up 10 million subscribers for Disney+ within a day of launching its new streaming television service. The company said in a statement it has seen “extraordinary consumer demand” and “has already reached a major milestone, achieving a remarkable 10 million sign-ups since launching.” The news comes despite a launch […]

China’s economy betrayed further signs of strain on Thursday with data showing a sharp slowdown in consumer spending and factory production while investment growth hit a record low as the trade US war takes its toll. The readings are the latest to give a headache to leaders in Beijing, who are battling the tariffs row […]

Google plans to launch a checking account service next year in a collaboration with Citigroup and a credit union in Silicon Valley, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. In a project code named Cache, Google is working on a system that will host checking accounts clearly bearing the brands of the financial institutions, which […]