Tharman begins visit to London and Davos
SINGAPORE• Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam has started a visit to London and Davos, Switzerland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The visit, which began yesterday and runs until next Monday, will also see him attending the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos.
Baidu executives called up over illegal content
SHANGHAI• China's Internet regulator has summoned executives at Baidu, operator of China's dominant search engine, to discuss illegal content in search results and online forums, the Cyberspace Administration of China said yesterday.
The content included pornographic and violent material and advertisements for unlicensed hospitals, the administration said.
REUTERS
Osaka adopts anti-hate speech ordinance
OSAKA• Japan's Osaka city assembly passed an ordinance that authorises the government to publicly disclose names of groups engaged in hate speech.
The ordinance's passage last Friday marks the first official crackdown on verbal racism bya major city in Japan.
XINHUA
Modi launches initiatives to support start-ups
NEW DELHI• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a string of initiatives yesterday to support its start-ups, including a 100 billion rupee (S$2.1 billion) fund and a string of tax and compliance breaks.
He said start-ups would not face compliance inspections for three years, and would benefit from cheaper and faster patent applications and a three-year income tax exemption.
REUTERS