Stand off

Real estate attracted most of the sum, US$145.1 million or 43 per cent of the total. It was followed by science-technology (US$57.5 million, 17 per cent) and processing-manufacturing industry (US$41 million, 12.1 per cent), reported Vietnam News Agency (VNA) according to the municipal Department of Planning and Investment. The southern economic hub lured only three new foreign investment projects worth US$115 million in January and February, it said, citing complex developments of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world as the reason. Up to 99.7 per cent of the new capital was channelled into real estate, with 29.6 per cent from Singapore and 70.1 per cent from the Netherlands. From the year’s beginning to Feb 20, Ho Chi Minh City saw 22 existing projects have US$53.3 million added to their registered capital. Foreign investors also spent US$169.5 million on capital contributions to or share purchase in local firms during the time, data showed. - Bernama ... » Learn More about Vietnam capital Ho Chi Minh City’s foreign investment stands at US$337.8mil

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Debold Sinas on Monday (March 8) said its simultaneous operations in Southern Tagalog that led to the killing and arrest of several activists were “legitimate.” The police raids on Sunday (March 7) led to the killing of nine people in the provinces of Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal. At least 15 people had been arrested and four escaped. “It’s a legitimate operation because they are covered by search warrants,” Sinas said. “If you only knew how hard it its to secure search warrants then you would understand you have to justify to the judge and bring new witnesses,” he told reporters, speaking in Filipino. “Those are legitimate operations covered properly by the documents issued by the court,” he said. Security forces, he said, had search warrants for cases of illegal possession of firearms and explosives charges. Activist groups called for an investigation into the police operations, which they said were ... » Learn More about Sinas: Police raids that killed 9 activists ‘legitimate’

ZAMBOANGA CITY: A Bangladeshi bulk carrier, the Akij Pearl, escaped pirates who tried to board the cargo vessel while sailing off Sibutu Island in the province of Tawi-Tawi near the Malaysian border, reports said. The incident, which occurred on March 3, was only reported on Sunday by the ReCAAP Information Sharing Center, which immediately issued a warning and urged ship master and crew to exercise extra vigilance when transiting the waters off Eastern Sabah and in the Sulu-Celebes Seas, in particular waters off Sibutu Island. ReCAAP stands for Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia. “While the bulk carrier was underway, an unidentified speed boat with three perpetrators on board attempted to board the ship. The master reported the incident to the Philippine Navy Littoral Monitoring Station,” it said. The 190-meter cargo vessel, built in 2005 by the Mitsui Tamano Engineering and Shipbuilding in Japan, departed the port of ... » Learn More about Bangladeshi boat evades pirates

AS the Philippines commemorates the 35th year anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo urged Filipinos to unite against the challenges of the times: The pandemic and the “constant threat” on the country’s democracy. Robredo said that until today, the “promise” of EDSA has yet to be completely fulfilled amid efforts to revise history for the benefit of a “powerful few.” “Today, 35 years after, we renew our faith in this fundamental truth of EDSA: That our people, standing united, can never be defeated. We affirm this truth, even as we acknowledge that the promise of EDSA has not yet been completely fulfilled,” she said in a statement on Thursday. “Our democracy, ever fragile, is still under constant threat. There are efforts to revise history for the personal agenda of a powerful few. We are still in the process of forging the nation we dreamt of, and fought for, on EDSA,” she added. Robredo asked Filipinos to embrace the ... » Learn More about On EDSA anniversary: Robredo urges unity vs pandemic, ‘constant threat’ on democracy

JOHANNESBURG: Confederation of African Football president Ahmad Ahmad's five-year ban from football has been reduced to two years, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said on Monday, ending his hopes of re-election this week. The ruling clears the way for South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe to replace him and become the organisation's eighth president in its 63-year history. Ahmad was banned from football for five years by FIFA in November and fined 200,000 Swiss francs after an ethics investigation by world soccer's governing body, which found the 61-year-old guilty of offering and accepting gifts and other benefits as well as of misappropriation of funds. On appeal, CAS on Monday reduced the ban to two years - meaning Ahmad cannot stand for re-election this week - and cut his fine to 50,000 Swiss francs. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Hugh Lawson) ... » Learn More about CAF president’s ban reduced but re-election hopes over

Police in Thailand are intensifying their efforts on tracking down criminals who run scam call centers and SMS smartphone scams. Cyber criminals send fake SMS messages to trick victims into replying back with their banking information. The widespread adoption of online payment methods in Thailand was highlighted by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society showing that the number of internet users in Thailand has leapt from about 18 million in 2009 to more than 50 million in 2020. More than one in five activities carried out on the internet involves a financial transaction of some kind. In early December, 29 Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) customers received an SMS after they contacted its call centre. The SMS told them to send back their 13-digit ID number and a one-time password (OTP). The scammers then reportedly used the ID number and OTP to sign up to a mobile banking app which they used to transfer funds from the victims’ accounts. The Money Trap Siam Commercial Bank ... » Learn More about Thai Banks Warn Over Call Center and SMS Smartphone Scams

While the summertime can prove a rather dry period for sports fans, this year the return of the oldest and most beloved sporting event in the world will mark a season of excitement instead. The Japan 2020 Olympics, held in its capital Tokyo, will run from July 24th to August 9th, with over 11,000 athletes ready to compete. The games are expected to bring a surge in betting across the country, with the various sports offering an alternative way to get involved with the games. It will surely be an exciting time for both punters and online bookmakers , who will look to capitalize on this massive event and its betting opportunities that the Japanese public isn’t accustomed to. Japan and betting In Japan, the only sports that its people are officially allowed to bet on are horse, bicycle, motorcycle and motorboat racing – with motorboat racing standing as the most popular one. On the streets, Pachinko remains a hot favourite for the Japanese people, with the game ... » Learn More about Betting Boom Expected for the Japan 2020 Olympics

BEIJING – The tariff war between Washington and Beijing poses one of the biggest challenges yet for Chinese President Xi Jinping, potentially exposing his political vulnerabilities at a time when the Chinese economy is already slowing. The U.S. effort to win concessions from China on strategic industrial policies has put Xi’s own prestige on the line. In this Wednesday, May 8, 2019, photo, a worker drives an electric cart past a display featuring the U.S. and Chinese flags in a special trade zone in Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong province. China said Thursday it will retaliate if President Donald Trump goes ahead with more tariff hikes in a fight over technology and trade, ratcheting up tensions ahead of negotiations in Washington. (Chinatopix via AP) It also has cast into question the ruling Communist Party’s social contract with the Chinese people: keeping authoritarian, one-party rule and ruling class privileges in exchange for delivering robust economic growth, ... » Learn More about Trade dispute with US a political challenge for China’s Xi

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (REUTERS) - Pope Francis said on Monday (March 8) that he decided to visit Iraq despite a rise in Covid-19 cases after much prayer and contemplation and suggested that God would protect those who came to see him from the virus. Speaking to reporters on the plane returning from his trip, Pope Francis also said he realised that some conservative Catholics would see his meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani as "one step from heresy" but that sometimes it was necessary to take a risk in inter-religious relations. The 84-year-old Pope, speaking while standing for about 50 minutes, said the trip, his first foreign visit in 16 months, had left him much more fatigued than previous ones. But he said he felt "reborn" after "feeling like I was imprisoned" by coronavirus restrictions. He added that "84 years do not come without baggage" and that he could not say if he would make fewer trips in the future. While mask and social distancing regulations were ... » Learn More about Pope defends Iraqi trip despite Covid-19 risk, says God will provide

TORUN, POLAND (AFP) - Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen, two of the rising stars of track and field, showcased all their incredible promise with imperious displays to win the pole vault and 3,000 metres at the European Indoor Athletics championships in Torun on Sunday (March 7). Coming up to four years since Usain Bolt retired, the athletics world has been long looking for a replacement worthy of the plaudits lauded on the multi-medalled Jamaican sprint legend. And in US-born Swede Duplantis and Norwegian track prodigy Ingebrigtsen, they might well have found two suitable substitutes in a sport in need of identifiable pin-ups. Ingebrigtsen, 20, defended his 3,000m title to claim a Euro indoor double after his controversy-ridden victory in the 1,500m on Friday, recording a personal best of 7min 48.20sec. It was almost a case of the Norwegian heading home with nothing after a dramatic 1,500m that saw him disqualified for stepping infield, only to be reinstated in ... » Learn More about Athletics: Rising stars Duplantis, Ingebrigtsen imperious at European indoor meet