US: The latest version of Apple’s CarPlay software will allow you to buy gas directly from your dashboard as early as this fall, advancing the company’s efforts to transform your car into a marketplace for products and services. CarPlay users will soon be able to pay petrol without having to insert or use a credit card thanks to a new …

MALAYSIA: Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said that the government’s Special Task Force on Jihad Against Inflation will work to keep Malaysia’s inflation rate low and manageable to protect the well-being of Malaysian families. Annuar, the chairman of the task team, said they will focus on all prices of goods and services that could contribute to a rise in the …

THAILAND: On Thursday, the Bank of Ayudhya Pcl (BAY) of Thailand stated that it has agreed to pay $155.3 million for Nomrua’s Thai securities subsidiary. Bank of Ayudhya, Thailand’s fifth-largest bank by assets, is 76.7 percent owned by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group in Japan. The Thai central bank must approve the deal, according to BAY. Krungsri Bank, Thailand’s fifth-largest bank …

HONG KONG: On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first visit since Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement was quashed, claiming that the city had been “reborn of fire.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hong Kong is an opportunity for the Communist Party of China to demonstrate its power after massive protests in the city in 2019 prompted Beijing to …

MANILA: On Wednesday, Manny Pacquiao paid a visit to FC Barcelona’s home stadium, Camp Nou. President Joan Laporta and Vice President Rafa Yuste welcomed Filipino boxing legend Emmanuel “Manny” Dapidran Pacquiao to FC Barcelona on Wednesday. After spending some time at the Camp Nou, Pacquiao decided to explore the museum, dressing room and other facilities in the presence of Laporta, …

US: This comes after R. Kelly was convicted last year on federal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking stemming from his long-term efforts to exploit the fame of victims he sexually abused and was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Wednesday by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Defense attorneys argued that prosecutors’ request …

US: Dermatologists MB Sulzberger and SH Zaidems published on the psychological impact of acne in 1948. Even after more than seven decades, their words still ring true. In addition to being a medical skin disease, acne has a negative impact on mental health. Acne treatment for some ladies is as simple as applying concealer or a pimple patch and going …

MANILA: Several decades of work have culminated with the swearing-in of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as president of the Philippines on Thursday (Jun 30). Following his father’s overthrow in a popular uprising in 1986, his son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. won last month’s elections by an overwhelming margin. Duterte, who acquired worldwide notoriety for his lethal drug war and has promised …

SINGAPORE: Singapur’s Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said he has no reservations about Singapore’s drug trafficking policy, which includes the death penalty, on Wednesday (Jun 29). “Clear evidence” shows that capital punishment works as a deterrence, according to him. While speaking with Stephen Sackur for HARDtalk, Mr. Shanmugam discussed Singapore’s drug policy and use of capital punishment in …

NEW YORK: For her role in helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually assault adolescent girls, Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in jail. Between 1994 and 2004, the 60-year-old British socialite recruited and groomed four young women into having sex with Epstein, who was then her boyfriend. She was found guilty in December. In the eyes of the public, the …