Q significa subdued

SYDNEY: Capital has been flowing out of emerging economies around the world, causing currencies and financial markets to fall. While tightening global liquidity was the initial catalyst, the threat from Donald Trump’s trade war and fear that "contagion" might spread from Turkey and Argentina have added fuel to the fire. Indonesia has found itself at the centre of such concerns in Asia. The Indonesian rupiah has fallen about 10 per cent since the start of the year and is now reaching lows not seen since the Asian Financial Crisis. This has prompted much concern in Jakarta, where the scars from that crisis still run deep and many know all too well that "contagion" is a real thing. Policymakers have thus reacted strongly, happy to crimp economic growth for the sake of greater stability. READ: Asian equities dive as emerging market fears add to trade woes CONCERNS OF CONTAGION OVERBLOWN But is Indonesia really at risk of "contagion"? The rupiah’s fall to date has not … [Read more...] about Commentary: Sliding Indonesia rupiah causes Jakarta jitters

COLOGNE: German police said on Monday (Oct 15) that they had subdued and detained a man who took a woman hostage in a pharmacy in Cologne's central train station. "The perpetrator is under control. Police measures are continuing," Cologne police wrote on Twitter just after 3pm after commandos had stormed the shop. "A female hostage has been lightly wounded and is being cared for," they added, calling on the public to keep their distance from the area. The hostage-taker also suffered injuries, a police spokesperson said, adding that the man's motives were not yet known. An AFP correspondent at the scene said he heard two stun grenade explosions as police stormed and secured the pharmacy. Several heavily armed officers from a special response unit were seen immediately afterwards running across the Breslauer Platz square, on the opposite side of the tracks from the city's famous twin-spired cathedral. Earlier on Monday, eyewitnesses had reported hearing shots and possible … [Read more...] about German police seize man who took woman hostage in Cologne train station

SINGAPORE: Singapore's August core consumer price index (CPI) stood at 1.9 per cent, unchanged from the previous month , the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said on Monday (Sep 24). Higher retail and food inflation had offset a moderation in services inflation, MAS said in a press release. The core inflation measure excludes changes in the price of cars and accommodation. Headline inflation edged up to 0.7 per cent year-on-year from 0.6 per cent in August, in line with expectations, as accommodation costs fell less sharply. Ms Selena Ling, head of treasury research & strategy at OCBC Bank, said that August's inflation data presents a temporary setback to hawkish expectations, but that they still anticipate the MAS core inflation to cross the 2 per cent handle soon "amid a relatively resilient domestic economy and notwithstanding the escalating US-China trade tensions". "At this juncture, the jury remains mixed on the Monetary Authority of Singapore's Monetary … [Read more...] about Singapore’s August core inflation at 1.9%; no change from July

SINGAPORE: An executive condominium (EC) site along Anchorvale Crescent received seven bids at the close of the tender on Friday (Sep 14), with just S$899 separating the two highest offers. The top bid of S$318,888,899 was submitted jointly by Evia Real Estate and Gamuda (Singapore), with the second highest offer of S$318,888,000 from CNQC Realty (Treasure) Investment. The 17,137-sq-m land parcel can yield a maximum of 550 units, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) said in a news release. "The top bid was only a hair's breadth higher than the second-highest bid, reflecting the neck-to-neck tussle to secure the site," said JLL national director of research and consultancy Ong Teck Hui. "After tendering for the Sumang Walk and Canberra Link EC sites previously and failing to secure them, Evia Real Estate and Gamuda seems to have redoubled its efforts in today’s tender by bidding more robustly at S$576.24 psf/pr. It is 3.2 per cent higher than the top bid of S$558.22 … [Read more...] about EC site at Anchorvale Crescent gets 7 bids, with the highest at S$318.9 million

SHIJIAZHUANG, Hebei: A 23-year-old man who tried to protect his mother from a snatch thief at a market in northern China was fatally stabbed on Saturday (Sep 8). According to a report from thepaper.cn, Mr Zhai Jiacheng had accompanied his mother to the Shijiazhuang vegetable market in Hebei province as she was threatened by a snatch thief just three days earlier at the same market. Mrs Zhai Caofang - who runs a village grocery store with her son - usually brings about 2,000 yuan (US$290) with her to the market, which she frequents regularly to purchase inventory. Mrs Zhai and her family - including her disabled husband, her son and his wife and two-year-old daughter - depend on their village store for a living. At the market, Mr Zhai saw the snatch thief try to grab his mother's bag and managed to push him away, according to thepaper.cn report. The attacker, a 31-year-old man, then took out a knife and approached them again. Using his body to protect his mother, Mr Zhai … [Read more...] about Chinese man fatally stabbed trying to protect mother from snatch thief