Briefly

MIDDLE EAST

US carrier told to remain amid tension

The Pentagon said late on Sunday that US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz would remain in Middle East waters due to "threats from Iran", reversing a previous decision to order the warship back home. The statement by acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller runs contrary to a decision he made just three days earlier in which he ordered the aircraft carrier to transit directly home to complete a nearly 10-month deployment. The move also came as Iran marks the first anniversary of the US assassination of Iranian top military commander Qasem Soleimani.

SINGAPORE

Financial hub hit with worst slump

Singapore's economy suffered its worst annual contraction in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic hammered the city-state's vital trade and tourism sectors, official data showed on Monday. But the 5.8 percent decline was not as bad as feared－official forecasts had predicted a fall of up to 6.5 percent－as economic activity picked up with the easing of curbs. The financial hub plunged into its first recession since the 2008 global financial crisis in the second quarter when the government closed most workplaces as part of drastic measures to contain infections. Authorities last week began a vaccination campaign.

INDIA

At least 20 die in crematorium collapse

At least 20 people were killed in northern India on Sunday after a roof collapsed at a crematorium amid heavy rains, police said. Rescue workers spent hours searching the rubble for survivors of the collapse, which occurred in the city of Ghaziabad on the outskirts of New Delhi. Local media reported that 38 people were rescued, while at least 15 were injured and taken to hospital.

Agencies - Xinhua