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Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Climate
- Straits Times
Chongqing residents seek shelter as heatwave hits China's southwest
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox People ride paddle boards on the Jialing River amid a red alert for heat in Chongqing, China July 31, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura CHONGQING, China, August 1 - Temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) have broiled Chongqing, a metropolis in China's southwest known for its fiery hotpot restaurants and cyberpunk cityscape, pushing some locals to cope with the increasingly hot weather in innovative ways. "It's getting hotter and hotter," said Liu Fengying, 60, a local resident. As afternoon temperatures soared on Thursday, Liu avoided the heat by playing card games and sharing snacks with friends among around 100 retirees sheltering in the air-conditioned chill of a subway entrance. "Aside from coming here, there's really no other way to avoid the heat. Last night, even with the AC set to 17 degrees C, it was still hot and wouldn't cool down." Record heat across China has strained its power grid as demand surges to new all-time highs, now in excess of 1.5 billion kilowatts, with records broken four times just in July. After daily peaks exceeding 40 C for a week, Chongqing elevated its heat-wave warning to the highest level - a red alert - on Thursday, with 21 out of its 38 districts forecast to hit up to 43 C. A peak of 44 C is projected for Sunday. Historically, daily peaks in the city of nearly 32 million people have rarely exceeded 39 C in July, which is already very hot by global standards. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump modifies reciprocal tariffs ahead of deadline; rate on Singapore likely to remain at 10% Singapore PM Wong to deliver National Day message on Aug 8 Singapore Data breach involving Cycle & Carriage Singapore customer details under probe Business CAD probing Tokenize Xchange operator; firm's director charged with fraudulent trading Singapore More than $1.7 million lost in scams using fraudulent mobile apps Singapore Man charged over kicking woman's face in Teck Whye Lane flat, leading to her death Life The Projector leaves Cineleisure, returns to Golden Mile Tower Singapore 3 men charged over living on the earnings of prostitution Since the start of May, the number of days the city recorded temperatures exceeding 35 C this year was double the historic average. But some Chongqingers remain unfazed - for now. Xie, 79, one of dozens of swimmers who gathered at a tributary of the Yangtze as the sun started to set on Thursday, cools down with regular swims in China's longest river. "Chongqing has always been a furnace city, but we have the river to cool down," he said before diving off a two-metre tall river bank in his underwear. On the same night, Qiu Xianhui, 36, came with friends to eat hotpot, Chongqing's famously spicy broth, at a restaurant in one of the city's old bomb shelters, where the air cools naturally. "We're locals, so we're used to 40-plus degree weather. We've seen it all," he said. REUTERS
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
CAD probing Tokenize Xchange operator; firm's director charged with fraudulent trading
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE - The Singapore police are investigating the company operating cryptocurrency trading platform Tokenize Xchange and the firm's director has been charged in court for fraudulent trading. In a joint statement on Aug 1, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Police's Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) said Amazing Tech – the operator of cryptocurrency platform Tokenize Exchange – along with its related entities, is under investigation for potential offences, including fraudulent trading under the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018. The authorities also said that Hong Qi Yu, a director of Amazing Tech and the founder and chief executive of Tokenize Xchange, was charged in court on July 31 with fraudulent trading under the same Act. The offence carries a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment, a fine, or both. Police said that investigations are ongoing. Tokenize Xchange said on July 20 that it will shut down the business following an MAS decision not to grant it a licence to offer digital payment token services here. It was previously operating under an exemption. The firm told The Straits Times then that its customers in Singapore can no longer buy or sell cryptocurrencies on its platform, and may only transfer their cryptocurrency holdings to other exchanges, where they can convert them to cash and make withdrawals. It also said that users can continue to withdraw cash directly from the exchange based on the Singapore dollar value of each user's portfolio, which includes both fiat and cryptocurrency holdings. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump modifies reciprocal tariffs ahead of deadline; rate on Singapore likely to remain at 10% Singapore PM Wong to deliver National Day message on Aug 8 Singapore Data breach involving Cycle & Carriage Singapore customer details under probe Singapore Man charged over kicking woman's face in Teck Whye Lane flat, leading to her death Singapore 'For one last time, let's go home': Tears, laughs as last scheduled Jetstar Asia flight touches down Life The Projector leaves Cineleisure, returns to Golden Mile Tower Singapore 3 men charged over living on the earnings of prostitution Business OCBC Q2 profit drops 7% to $1.82b as interest rates fall, to pay lower interim dividend MAS said it received several customer complaints in mid-July against Amazing Tech over delays in processing withdrawals of monies and digital payment tokens. The central bank said it asked the company to address these concerns and to return customers' monies and tokens in an 'orderly manner', including by topping up any shortfalls in customer accounts. Through its subsequent engagements with the firm, MAS said it found indications that Amazing Tech did not have sufficient assets to meet customer claims, and may not have segregated customer assets from its own. It also found signs that the company may have made false representations to MAS about the segregation of customer assets when applying for a Major Payment Institution licence. MAS then referred the matter to the Commercial Affairs Department for investigation. ST has contacted Amazing Tech and the police for comments .
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
More than $1.7 million lost in scams using fraudulent mobile apps
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The police said that there were at least 32 cases of investment and job scams using fraudulent mobile apps reported since January 2025. SINGAPORE - Victims have lost about $1.72 million after falling prey to investment and job scams that involve fraudulent mobile apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. At least 32 such cases have been reported since January 2025, police said in an advisory on Aug 1. In this scam variant, scammers would approach victims through social media platforms such as Facebook, as well as communications and dating apps, such as LinkedIn and Tinder. Scam victims were also approached using investment advertisements listed on social media. After building rapport with victims, the scammers then introduced fake investment or job opportunities to them. Victims were told to download and set up accounts on fraudulent mobile apps such as Dyreka, M Tree PE, Saftools and Tik StoreB2B on the app stores. Under the guise of investment or purchasing goods to set up a business, victims would be instructed to transfer money to the scammer's bank accounts or cryptocurrency wallets, police added. The police said that these transactions included the Singapore dollar, foreign fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies. Some victims would be given small profits to encourage them to deposit more money into these fraudulent investments or online businesses, police said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump modifies reciprocal tariffs ahead of deadline; rate on Singapore likely to remain at 10% Singapore PM Wong to deliver National Day message on Aug 8 Singapore Data breach involving Cycle & Carriage Singapore customer details under probe Singapore Man charged over kicking woman's face in Teck Whye Lane flat, leading to her death Singapore 'For one last time, let's go home': Tears, laughs as last scheduled Jetstar Asia flight touches down Life The Projector leaves Cineleisure, returns to Golden Mile Tower Singapore 3 men charged over living on the earnings of prostitution Business OCBC Q2 profit drops 7% to $1.82b as interest rates fall, to pay lower interim dividend Victims would realise they had been scammed only when they could not withdraw their money, or when the scammers became uncontactable. Members of the public should be cautious when making investment decisions and adopt precautionary measures, the police advised. These include setting up security features, such as activating privacy functions on devices, to prevent unknown users from adding someone into chat groups. Suspicious messages, phone numbers and website links can be checked with the ScamShield app, by calling its hotline at 1799, or by visiting Before making investment decisions, ask the company as many questions as needed, the police advised. If the company cannot or avoid answering, check the company, its owners, directors, as well as management members to assess the authenticity of investment opportunities, the police said. The credentials of the company and its representatives can be checked using resources, including the Financial Institutions Directory, the Register of Representatives, and the Investor Alert List. These are available on the Monetary Authority of Singapore's website . Members of the public should download apps only from official app stores, and should also check for user reviews and ratings. They should also download anti-malware scanning apps.
Straits Times
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
China says US withdrawal from Unesco not the behaviour of a ‘responsible country'
Find out what's new on ST website and app. China said it has always firmly supported the work of Unesco. BEIJING - China said it regretted on July 23 the United States' decision to withdraw from the UN cultural and education agency Unesco. 'This is not the action that a responsible major country should take,' foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said. 'China has always firmly supported the work of Unesco,' he added. The United States said on July 22 it would quit Unesco , best known for establishing world heritage sites, claiming it was biased against Israel and promoted 'divisive' causes. US President Donald Trump also ordered the country's withdrawal from Unesco in 2017 during his first term. President Joe Biden later re-established membership. This latest withdrawal will take effect in December 2026. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore's domestic recycling rate drops to all-time low of 11% Singapore HDB launches 10,209 BTO and balance flats, as priority scheme for singles kicks in Singapore Local buyers are key to recovery of prime district condo market Singapore New online channel for public to report illegal ride-hailing services Singapore Ex-Tanjong Pagar United footballer charged with assault after Singapore Premier League match in Feb Singapore COE prices for cars mostly unchanged; premium for commercial vehicles up 2.9% Life The Projector will resume daily screenings at Golden Mile Tower. Is it exiting Cineleisure next? Singapore Cyclist charged after hitting elderly pedestrian, killing him Since taking office, Mr Trump has indicated he would pull the United States out of several multilateral institutions – including the World Health Organisation and the Paris climate agreement – and has launched punishing trade tariffs against allies and foes alike. China, meanwhile, has sought to promote itself as a responsible major power by expressing support for the United Nations and other international bodies. 'This is already the third time that the US has withdrawn from Unesco, and it has long been in arrears with its membership fees,' Mr Guo told reporters on July 23. 'We call on all countries to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism and take concrete actions to support the international system with the UN at its core,' he said. AFP
Straits Times
23-07-2025
- Straits Times
Sota parent portal taken down for urgent patching following global cyberattack alerts
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The attacks started on July 18, and are specifically targeting school-managed installations, Sota said. SINGAPORE - The School of the Arts (Sota) has taken down its parent portal for urgent patching on Jul 23 after it identified a severe server vulnerability that is being actively exploited in a global cyberattack campaign. In a message sent to parents via the Parents Gateway app on the morning of July 23, the school said: 'We are taking this critical step in response to an active and severe vulnerability identified in the third party server infrastructure supporting the portal. 'This vulnerability is currently being actively exploited in a global cyberattack campaign, which has already compromised organisations worldwide, including government agencies and multinational campaigns.' The attacks started on July 18, and are specifically targeting school-managed installations, Sota said in its message. The unnamed third-party service provider is aware of these reports concerning their server customers, said the school. 'To safeguard our systems and data against this critical threat, we are initiating an immediate and mandatory patching process for all school-managed servers that support our parent portal,' Sota said in the message. 'We are working diligently to complete the patching and restore full service as quickly and safely as possible.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore's domestic recycling rate drops to all-time low of 11% Singapore HDB launches 10,209 BTO and balance flats, as priority scheme for singles kicks in Singapore Local buyers are key to recovery of prime district condo market Singapore New online channel for public to report illegal ride-hailing services Singapore Ex-Tanjong Pagar United footballer charged with assault after Singapore Premier League match in Feb Singapore COE prices for cars mostly unchanged; premium for commercial vehicles up 2.9% Life The Projector will resume daily screenings at Golden Mile Tower. Is it exiting Cineleisure next? Singapore Cyclist charged after allegedly hitting elderly pedestrian, killing him The Straits Times has contacted Sota, Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of Singapore, and the Ministry of Education for more information. On July 22, CSA issued an alert notifying users of Microsoft SharePoint to update to the latest version of the software. 'Administrators are strongly advised to upgrade their on-premise Sharepoint Server with the latest emergency update provided by Microsoft,' said CSA. These vulnerabilities affect on-premises installations of Microsoft SharePoint Server Subscription Edition. Affected software include Microsoft SharePoint Server 2019 and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2016. SharePoint 2010 and 2013 may also be affected by these vulnerabilities, said CSA in its notice. 'For SharePoint servers that do not currently have a patch or are unable to apply them immediately, Microsoft recommends that customers install the latest SharePoint security updates, enable Microsoft AntiMalware Scan Interface integration in SharePoint, and deploy Defender AV on all SharePoint servers,' said CSA. US National Nuclear Security Administration was among those breached by a hack of Microsoft's SharePoint document management software, Bloomberg News had reported.
