CNA938 documentary on cryptocurrency scams wins SOPA award - CNA

CNA938 producer Ernest Puey, who narrated the piece, said he was inspired to produce the programme after noticing a “staggering” rate of increase in cryptocurrency scams. 

“In 2018, cryptocurrency scams made up just 4 per cent of all reported fake gambling platform and investment scams. In 2020, almost three in every 10 were. Add to that the rising adoption among Singaporeans and the eye-watering gains seen in crypto markets, as well as how easy it was to create your own scam coin - all this made for an important story that I felt needed to be told.”

The programme features a cryptocurrency scam victim sharing his story, analysts who give a behind-the-scenes look at enforcement and recovery investigations, and a developer who created an unexpected viral hit in Singapore’s cryptocurrency space, the Umbrage Coin.

Said Mr Puey: "The (research) process also uncovered just how simple it was to commit fraud through cryptocurrencies and the challenge of regulating the space against bad actors who seek to exploit the anonymity and decentralised nature of cryptos. We found no less than a dozen tutorial videos on YouTube that offered a step-by-step guide on how to create these coins, market them, and siphon funds from victims.”

A key challenge was taking a niche area of the complex cryptocurrency market and making it accessible to a general news audience, Mr Puey said. “As one of the analysts in the radio documentary shared, even sophisticated market participants are struggling to get up to speed with the innovations and technology in the decentralised finance and cryptocurrency space,” he said.

He added that getting recognition for his work from SOPA was a “total shock and absolute honour”. “It's humbling to be standing among giants in the industry, many of whom have put far more than me on the line, in pursuit of the truth and to tell stories that change lives,” Mr Puey said.

“For CNA938, I'm proud that we broadcast award-winning content that pushes the envelope in radio journalism. This is affirmation that our station is at the cutting edge of reporting the pressing stories of the day to audiences both local and abroad.”

SOPA is a Hong Kong-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to pursuing excellence in journalism. Its awards recognise outstanding works of journalism over the past year in the Asia-Pacific region.

The SOPA awards were announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong. This year’s winners include the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, Reuters and Bloomberg.

The Wall Street Journal took home an award for Public Service Journalism for its coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in an entry titled “Of Unknown Origin” and Myanmar Now won the top regional Human Rights Reporting award for its coverage of people impacted by the Myanmar coup.

An international consortium of investigative journalists, The Washington Post and The Sunday Times of Sri Lanka was recognised with the Carlos Tejada Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting for their work on the Pandora Papers.

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2022-06-17 04:16:00Z
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Taiwan thanks World Cup organisers after China reference removed from fan IDs - CNA

TAIPEI: Taiwan's Foreign Ministry expressed thanks on Thursday (Jun 16) after organisers of the World Cup in Qatar removed a reference to China for Taiwanese visitors applying for an identification card that doubles as an entry visa.

All World Cup ticketholders must apply for the Hayya card used to identify fans, which also serves as their Qatar visa, but Taiwan's government expressed concern after discovering the online application system made no mention of the island.

It was subsequently listed as, "Taiwan, Province of China", terminology that equally angers Taiwan's government and many of its people.

However, late on Wednesday the system began listing the island simply as "Taiwan", complete with the Taiwanese flag.

It marks a rare victory for Taiwan, whose government and many of its people bristle at China's sovereignty claims.

Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou told reporters this was a "positive development", and expressed appreciation for the fast reaction by the organisers.

"We express our thanks and affirmation for this goodwill," Ou added.

The World Cup organisers have yet to comment on the change.

When asked about the complaints made to the Qatar World Cup organisers by Taiwan officials, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday he wished to reiterate that "Taiwan is part of China".

Taiwan competes at most international sporting competitions like the Olympics as "Chinese Taipei" to avoid political problems. It has not qualified for the Qatar World Cup, but soccer is popular in Taiwan.

Taiwan has never played at the World Cup finals and crashed out in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2022 tournament last year after losing all eight matches.

Taiwan has no diplomatic relations with Qatar, which, like most countries, only recognises China's government.

China, seeking to assert its sovereignty claims, has been stepping up pressure for countries and foreign companies to refer to Taiwan as part of China in official documents and on websites, often using the wording "Taiwan, Province of China", or "Taiwan, China".

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2022-06-16 04:04:00Z
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Taiwan World Cup fans likely to be listed as Chinese - CNA

Taiwan's representative office in Saudi Arabia, which oversees Qatar, has been trying to find out what was happening, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou.

"At present we are still awaiting a response from the relevant body in Qatar," she added.

Saeed Al-Kuwari, director of the Hayya programme for Qatar's World Cup organisers, told reporters he "believed" the card system was likely to list "China" as the nationality of Taiwan passport holders.

"Or maybe we will supply something specially for them," he added later, without elaborating.

Holders of Taiwanese passports should upload a copy of the document to the system without selecting a nationality from the drop-down menu, he said.

Organisers have programmed the optical character recognition system to collect the right data that is needed, he added.

"So, whatever nationality it will say, it's fine. It's going to be approved and he will enter the country based on this information."

Taiwan has no diplomatic relations with Qatar, which, like most countries, only recognises China's government.

China, seeking to assert its sovereignty claims, has been stepping up pressure for countries and foreign companies to refer to Taiwan as part of China in official documents and on websites.

Taiwan has never played at the World Cup finals and crashed out in the second round of Asian nations qualifying for the 2022 tournament last year after losing all eight matches.

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2022-06-14 10:53:00Z
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How Much Do Wall Street Banks (NYSE:GS, SIX:CSGN) Pay in China? Communists Ask - Bloomberg

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1. How Much Do Wall Street Banks (NYSE:GS, SIX:CSGN) Pay in China? Communists Ask  Bloomberg
2. China Warns Foreign Banks on Pay  finews.asia
3. Wall Street's China Problems Multiply  Bloomberg Markets and Finance
4. Watch Wall Street's China Problems Multiply  Bloomberg
5. View Full coverage on Google News

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2022-06-12 22:00:14Z
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Tasty name but no Big Mac: Russia opens rebranded McDonald's restaurants - CNA

BETTER THAN A BIG MAC?

The flagship Moscow restaurant is among 15 rebranded outlets that are initially opening in and around the capital on Sunday. Oleg Paroev, CEO of Vkusno & tochka, said the company was planning to reopen 200 restaurants in Russia by the end of June and all 850 by the end of the summer. 

"For three months we did not work," said Ruzanna, manager of a Moscow branch that is due to open in July. "Everyone is very pleased."

The chain will keep its old McDonald's interior but will expunge any references to its former name, said Paroev, who was appointed Russia McDonald's CEO weeks before Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb 24.

"Our goal is that our guests do not notice a difference either in quality or ambience," Paroev told a media conference in the restaurant. He said the chain would keep "affordable prices", though added that prices would likely rise due to inflation, but not higher than its competitors.

Siberian businessman Alexander Govor, the new owner of the chain, told Reuters that it would look to launch something similar to McDonald's flagship Big Mac.

"We don't have the right to use some colours, we don't have the right to use the golden arches, we don't have the right to use any mention of McDonald's," he told Reuters.

"The Big Mac is the story of McDonald's. We will definitely do something similar," he said. "We will try to do something even better so that our visitors and guests like this dish."

CEO Paroev added the company was looking for new suppliers of soft drinks as it runs down some stocks of Coca Cola, which is suspending its sales in Russia. Paroev said all but 2% of the chain's ingredients are sourced within Russia.

Not everyone was impressed.

Moments after the press conference finished a man stood up in front of the cameras holding a sign that read "Bring back the Big Mac". He was swiftly escorted out by restaurant staff.

NEW OWNER: I PAID SYMBOLIC SUM

Govor is one of many Russians snapping up assets as hundreds of Western firms flee. He said on Sunday that he paid a "symbolic" figure "far lower than market price" for McDonald's Russia. McDonald's, the world's largest burger chain, took a charge of up to US$1.4 billion following the sale.

Russian authorities have said the US group has the right to buy back its restaurants within 15 years - though Govor poured cold water on that possibility.

"They made it clear to me that they would not buy back," Interfax quoted him as saying.

McDonald's, which has said that Govor will retain the chain's tens of thousands of employees for at least two years, was not immediately available to comment further about the terms of the sale or its future Russian intentions.

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2022-06-12 08:43:00Z
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Dramatic footage of Hong Kong machete gang attack emerges - CNA

A machete-wielding gang attacked a rival group in one of Hong Kong's busiest nightlife districts in the early hours of Friday (Jun 10), with the clash leaving one man with a gunshot wound and two others injured, police said.

Dramatic dashcam footage, showing men armed with knives jumping out of a car and attacking a nearby vehicle before abruptly turning and fleeing, has been widely circulated.

Senior superintendent Tony Ho said the incident was a case of "retaliation" between two organised crime groups - known as triads - over the splitting of profits from criminal activities such as drug trade and illegal gambling.

"The incident was instigated by two triad groups, they have been at each others' throats for quite some time," Ho told reporters, adding that four men had been arrested.

Three cars belonging to one gang were waiting at a traffic light when they were attacked by at least eight assailants, Ho said, but the ambush was quickly repelled.

At least two shots were fired against the instigators, the superintendent added, though no details were given on the shooter's identity.

Earlier in the day, a section of the road near the popular Lan Kwai Fong area was cordoned off by armed officers, as they searched a Lexus with its side and front crumpled in for evidence.

VIDEO FOOTAGE

A dashcam video, whose location, timestamp and events match police descriptions of the clash, emerged Friday, though AFP was unable to trace the footage's exact origin.

The video shows a line of vehicles stopping at a traffic junction, when assailants brandishing machete-like knives spring out of a car that appears to be the Lexus left at the scene on Friday, and start attacking an adjacent white car.

As the men begin the assault, a black van positioned behind the white car rams into the attackers' car, hitting at least two of the assailants before speeding away from the scene.

Several other men with knives run into frame, but after pressing on with the attack for a few seconds, most of the perpetrators abruptly turn around and flee the scene.

Police received reports of the clash at 2.40am local time and arrived at the scene to find six men, all belonging to the group that started the attack.

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2022-06-10 06:59:47Z
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Food shortages are next global health crisis: Expert - CNA

LONDON: Growing food shortages may represent the same health threat to the world as the COVID-19 pandemic, a leading global health figure has warned.

Rising food and energy prices, in part sparked by the war in Ukraine, could kill millions both directly and indirectly, Peter Sands, the executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday (Jun 7).

"Food shortages work in two ways. One is you have the tragedy of people actually starving to death. But second is you have the fact that often much larger numbers of people are poorly nourished, and that makes them more vulnerable to existing diseases," he said.

He said efforts to improve pandemic preparedness should not make the "classic" mistake of concerning themselves only with crises that resemble the most recent threat the world has faced.

"It's not as well-defined as some brand new pathogen appearing with distinctive new symptoms. But it could well be just as deadly," he said.

The World Health Organization estimates that 15 million people may have died as a result of COVID-19.

Sands said investment was needed to strengthen health systems to help prepare for the repercussions of food shortages, which is part of the Global Fund's remit.

The Geneva, Switzerland-based fund is aiming to raise US$18 billion to boost health systems, fight the three core diseases in its title, and reverse setbacks caused by the pandemic. It has raised just over a third of its target for 2024-2026.

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2022-06-07 19:22:00Z
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