SINGAPORE – Travellers from more countries, including Poland and Saudi Arabia, will be able to enter Singapore with fewer restrictions, after these countries were deemed to have lower risk of Covid-19 infections. These travellers will still need to be quarantined after arrival in Singapore. But they can serve shorter quarantine periods, or have the choice […]
SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Education announced on Saturday (Sept 18) that all primary school pupils will start full home-based learning (HBL) from Sept 27 until the end of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) on Oct 6. The ministry said this will also be the case at Special Education (SPED) schools offering the national […]
KABUL (AFP) – Relatives of the victims of a US drone strike that wiped out 10 members of an Afghan family in a “tragic mistake” demanded a face-to-face apology and compensation on Saturday (April 18). Ezmarai Ahmadi was wrongly identified as an Islamic State militant by US intelligence, which tracked his white Toyota for eight […]
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban have converted the Ministry of Women’s Affairs building into offices for the religious morality police, who once instilled dread in Afghanistan for their suppression of women and brutal enforcement of the militant government’s interpretation of Shariah law when it ruled two decades ago. The conversion of the building in Kabul, […]
When Mr Khaw Boon Wan retired from 42 years of public service in June last year, he knew exactly how he would spend his days. After sending two of his grandchildren to school, his mornings were devoted to taiji, brisk walking and spiritual development – chanting, meditating and reading Buddhist sutras. Afternoons were set aside […]
SINGAPORE – The market and hawker centre at Block 210 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 has been closed for deep cleaning and disinfection, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Saturday (Sept 18). NEA said it was aware that Covid-19 cases had been detected among stallholders and workers there. The agency told The Straits Times the […]
SINGAPORE – The number of Covid-19 cases here has risen faster than expected, but a high vaccination rate has prevented the healthcare system from being overwhelmed, Singapore’s director of medical services Kenneth Mak said on Friday (Sept 17). He also noted that the number of cases requiring oxygen supplementation or intensive care unit (ICU) treatment […]
SINGAPORE – After her wedding to a civil servant in May this year, Ms K.W. Kwan found photos of her big day splashed on the Instagram pages of the photographer she had engaged. When Ms Kwan, a finance executive, told him that her friend wanted a photo for a publication, he initially refused to provide […]
SINGAPORE -The Singapore Pawnbrokers’ Association (SPA) has raised $537,500 to fund a bursary scheme for Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) students. It was part of SPA’s activities to commemorate its 100th anniversary, which was postponed from last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A symbolic cheque was presented by SPA president Ho Khiam […]
MELBOURNE (REUTERS) – Australia was “upfront, open and honest” with France about its concerns over a deal for French submarines, its defence minister said on Sunday (Sept 19), as a new pact with the US and Britain continued to fuel a multinational diplomatic crisis. Australia ditched the 2016 deal with France’s Naval Group to build […]