World news today: Heroin smuggler sentenced to death via Zoom call in Singapore

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Man sentenced to death via Zoom call in Singapore

A Malaysian man who was accused of “masterminding” a 2011 heroin deal was reportedly sentenced to death by hanging via a Zoom call.

Punithan Ganesan, 37, was the first person in Singapore to be given the death sentence over the video teleconference hearings during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the country’s Straits Times.

A spokesperson for Singapore’s supreme court said that the hearing was held on Zoom due to restrictions over the spread of coronavirus.

“For the safety of all involved in the proceedings, the hearing for Public Prosecutor v Punithan A/L Genasan was conducted by video-conferencing,” the spokesperson said.

Genasan was found to be complicit in trafficking heroin when he introduced two couriers to each other and telling one to drive into Singapore to meet the other, as reported by New York Post.

(Photo: MSN)

It was the first criminal case where a death sentence was pronounced by remote hearing in Singapore, the spokesperson added.

While rights groups have criticised the use of Zoom in capital cases, Fernando said he did not object to the use of video-conferencing for Friday's call since it was only to receive the judge's verdict, which could be heard clearly, and no other legal arguments were presented.

California-based tech firm Zoom did not immediately respond to a request for comment made via its representatives in Singapore. The Attorney General's Chambers, the public prosecutor, referred Reuters' questions to the Supreme Court.

Many court hearings in Singapore have been adjourned during a lockdown period that started in early April and is due to run until June 1, while cases deemed essential have been held remotely, according to NDTV.

California-based tech firm Zoom did not immediately respond to a request for comment made via its representatives in Singapore. The Attorney General's Chambers, the public prosecutor, referred Reuters' questions to the Supreme Court.

Pier 1 going out of business and closing all 540 stores

Pier 1, the seller of wicker chairs and scented candles, said it will go out of business and permanently close all 540 of its stores. The Texas-based company said Tuesday that it was unable to find a buyer for its business after filing for bankruptcy protection earlier this year.

Pier 1 will start going-out-of-business sales as soon as it can reopen stores that have been temporarily shut due to the coronavirus pandemic. The company joins other major retailers to since the disease erupted in the U.S. in March. Pier 1 traces to a single store in 1962 that sold beanbag chairs and love beads to hippies in San Mateo, California. It expanded to offer just about anything for the home, from lounge chairs to curtains, and it later adopted the logo: "From Hippie to Hip." At its height, Pier 1 had more than 1,200 stores.

(Photo: UPI.com)

Johnson& Johnson discontinues selling baby powder in the US

The well-known pharmaceutical Johnson & Jonhson has announced that it would cease selling its talcum-based baby powder in the US and Canada amidst rising lawsuits against the product’s safety from cancer patients. The move was claimed as “in large part to changes in consumer habits”.

The company said on Tuesday that it would allow existing bottles to be sold by retailers until they ran out. Baby powder made with cornstarch will remain available, and the company will continue to sell talc-based baby powder in other parts of the world, New York Times reported.

Johnson & Johnson will stop selling its talcum-based baby powder in the US and Canada. (Photo: Reuters)

Johnson & Johnson has often said that faulty testing, shoddy science and ill-equipped researchers are to blame for findings that its powder was contaminated with asbestos. But in recent years, thousands of people — mostly women with ovarian cancer — have said that the company did not warn them of potential risks that the company was discussing internally.

Even as it announced the withdrawal of its baby powder, the company said that it “will continue to vigorously defend the product” in court. But Johnson & Johnson acknowledged that demand for the talc-based version had slumped as consumer habits changed and concerns about the product spread.

According to the Guardian, J&J has faced tens of thousands of lawsuits from consumers claiming its talc products.