
Trump says no plans to extend tariff pause after Jul 9
US President Donald Trump dashing hopes of an extension to a 90-day pause on tariffs. He has said he plans to stick to the Jul 9 deadline. The UK is the only nation to have struck a deal so far, while a temporary truce is in effect with the US and China. Mr Trump said he will start sending out letters to notify trading partners of their tariff rates. With just 10 days to go, Asian nations are racing against the clock to hammer out an agreement. Nick Harper reports from Washington DC.

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CNA
41 minutes ago
- CNA
Jail for former CEO who gave MOM false information to get work passes for his companies' foreign investors
SINGAPORE: In exchange for investment funds, the former chief executive officer of a building solutions company agreed to apply for employment passes for two foreigners under his firm and its subsidiaries. While doing so, he submitted false statements to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in relation to the hiring of the two foreigners. Chu Sau Ben, 59, who helmed Libra Group Limited, was sentenced to a five-week jail term on Monday (Jun 30) after pleading guilty to a charge under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Two other charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing. He served as director of Libra Group Limited, Libra Engineering and Libra Building Construction from 1997 until 2020 and was also CEO and executive chairman of these companies at the time of the offences. Through its subsidiaries, Libra Group Limited mainly provided mechanical and electrical engineering services as a sub-contractor such as the installation of air-conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems. In 2018, his companies began facing financial difficulties and he sought funds from investors in a bid to expand the business overseas. The next year, he was introduced to a woman named Wang Jie, a director of Hai Sin International, which was in the business of helping clients buy over, invest in or start businesses in Singapore. It also engaged in programmes in China to persuade foreigners to invest in Singapore. Wang told Chu that she would be able to introduce people who could invest in his companies, but in return, he would have to pledge part of his shares in his companies to these people in addition to applying for employment passes for them. Chu agreed. Wang is facing similar charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and her case is pending before the courts. She referred two foreigners by the names of Liu Lei and Chen Bingchuan to Chu. Both foreigners had no intention of working in Singapore and just wanted to legalise their entry and residence in the country. Chu's companies received S$2 million (US$1.6 million) from Chen and no less than S$1 million from Liu in exchange for applying for their work passes. Chu agreed to apply for an employment pass for Liu under Libra Engineering and Liu pre-paid S$360,000 to Wang for his purported monthly salary of S$10,000 a month for 36 months. On Aug 15, 2019, a declaration form for Liu's employment pass was submitted to MOM. This form falsely stated that Liu would be employed by Libra Engineering as a regional project manager. The form was signed by Libra Engineering's general manager under Chu's instructions. Liu's employment pass was approved, but investigations showed that he was never employed and never performed any work for the company. Chu and Liu did not keep in contact and Chu did not know what Liu was doing. MOM's prosecutors Amos Tan and Khong Zi-Wei sought six to eight weeks' jail for Chu. They said that Chu's offence "involves the very mischief that the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act seeks to prevent" and that he allowed a foreigner to obtain a work pass without any intention for the person to work for the employer declared in the pass. "At the outset, the accused's intention ... was for the sole purpose of receiving financial gains," the prosecutors added in calling for a deterrent sentence. They also said that the offences were discovered only around two years later and after comprehensive investigations by MOM, which highlighted the difficulties in detecting the crime.


CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
China sanctions former Philippine senator on maritime claims
BEIJING/MANILA: China sanctioned former Philippine senator Francis Tolentino on Tuesday (Jul 1) and barred him entry, citing "egregious conduct" on matters such as the disputed South China Sea, a day after the end of his six-year term. Tolentino, who lost his bid for a second term in midterm elections, had canvassed on his efforts to bring in laws last year defining the country's sea lanes and maritime zones, which China opposed. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry accused some Filipino politicians of making "malicious remarks and moves" that hurt ties between the two nations. "The Chinese government is firmly resolved to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests," the spokesperson added in a statement. The sanctions prohibit Tolentino from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, the ministry said. "No foreign power can silence me or weaken my resolve to uphold our sovereignty," Tolentino said in a statement, calling the sanctions a "badge of honour" and vowing to pursue his fight for "what rightfully belongs" to the Philippines. China's claims in the South China Sea, a conduit for $3 trillion in annual ship-borne commerce, overlap with the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal voided Beijing's sweeping claims as having no basis in international law, a decision China rejects.


CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Mind Your Money - Plugging the cybersecurity talent gap without adding headcount
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