WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday (May 22) stepped up threats to strip Hong Kong of special trading privileges as it led Western nations in anger over China’s proposed national security law. US lawmakers are pressing for tough action over Hong Kong, which has become the latest front in soaring […]
Day: May 22, 2020
LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to reduce Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s 5G network in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. Johnson has asked officials to make plans to reduce China’s involvement in British infrastructure to zero by 2023, the […]
WASHINGTON: The United States said on Friday (May 22) it would add 33 Chinese firms and institutions to an economic blacklist for helping Beijing spy on its minority Uighur population or because of ties to weapons of mass destruction and China’s military. The US Commerce Department’s move marked the Trump […]
GENEVA: South America has become “a new epicentre” of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization said Friday (May 22), following a surge in the number of COVID-19 infections. “In a sense, South America has become a new epicentre for the disease. We have seen many South American countries […]
WASHINGTON: The U.S. Transportation Department said late Friday it had granted tentative approval to 15 airlines to temporarily halt service to 75 U.S. airports because of the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines must maintain minimum service levels in order to receive government assistance but many have petitioned to stop service to airports […]
BANGKOK: Thailand has given businesses another year to comply with a new personal data protection law due to the impact of the coronavirus crisis on their preparations. The Personal Data Protection Act became law in May last year with a one-year transition period. It was intended to imitate the European […]
WASHINGTON: A range of business groups have made an 11th-hour appeal to US President Donald Trump as he weighs whether to restrict temporary work visas, warning of negative economic consequences if he blocks the flow of skilled foreign workers into the United States. More than 300 US companies, business associations […]
PARIS: France is to allow the resumption of religious gatherings after a two-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, but worshippers will have to wear face masks, the French interior ministry announced. The ministry said late on Friday (May 22) that it would issue a decree setting out the new […]
LONDON: Britain, Australia and Canada on Friday (May 22) said they were “deeply concerned” at China’s plans for a new security law in Hong Kong. The foreign ministers of the three countries joined growing global opposition to the move by Beijing to reduce Hong Kong’s separate legal status. They pointed […]
SINGAPORE: Pre-school and primary school students will each be given a face shield and hand sanitisers as they prepare to head back to the classroom from Jun 2. All pre-school teachers and staff members will also receive face shields and an oximeter, as part of an initiative by Temasek Foundation […]