BANGKOK (AFP) – A Thai tycoon accused of poaching wildlife in a national park lost his final appeal on Wednesday (Dec 8), in a long-running saga that drew public outrage over the elite’s perceived impunity. Construction magnate Premchai Karnasuta was arrested in February 2018 when park officials found guns, animal carcasses – including that of […]
LONDON (REUTERS) – Britain is considering approving limited government attendance at the Beijing Olympics that would stop short of a full diplomatic boycott, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday (Dec 8). An outright ban on ministerial and diplomatic representation at the Winter Games remains a possibility, the report said. A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson […]
SINGAPORE – Parents will soon get more help in levelling up their mental health knowledge and cyber wellness so that they can talk openly and constructively with their children about mental well-being issues. Recognising that parents want to help their children in this aspect, the Ministry of Education (MOE) plans to provide parents with toolkits […]
SINGAPORE – Low-income families who need some cash to pay the rent, medical bills or school fees can steer clear of illegal moneylenders and borrow from a community lending pilot programme from early next year. The social policy experiment, which does not give out financial aid nor microloans, will be funded by a $2.94 million […]
KUALA LUMPUR (REUTERS) – Malaysia will decide by January whether to continue with its plan for a single wholesale 5G network, after Reuters reported concern from mobile carriers over pricing and transparency. Malaysia’s proposed centralised 5G network has met resistance from major operators, who have yet to sign up to the government plan, according to […]
SINGAPORE – Singapore “remains deeply concerned about recent developments in Myanmar”, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Tuesday (Dec 7), in response to media queries over recent events. The Republic is also “disappointed by the lack of tangible progress in the implementation of the Asean Five-Point Consensus”, the MFA said […]
BEIJING (AFP) – The United States has announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics to protest China’s human rights record, particularly its handling of Muslim minorities that Washington considers a form of genocide. Here is what the move means. What is a “diplomatic boycott”? Under the boycott, the Biden administration will not send […]
SINGAPORE – Local company Camtech Diagnostics has been making and selling antigen rapid test (ART) kits for Covid-19 since late last year – but not in Singapore. While Camtech Diagnostics and another local manufacturer SG Diagnostics produce such kits here, they have not been able to get approval from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for […]
SINGAPORE – Saliva testing has recently been approved for use here as an option for Covid-19 pre-departure tests. Local biomedical start-up Lucence has started working with clinics and telemedicine providers to offer saliva testing for those travelling overseas, The Straits Times has learnt. ST has contacted the Ministry of Health for more information. Travellers are […]
SYDNEY (REUTERS) – A nascent recovery in Asia-Pacific international travel demand has been set back by the Omicron variant as governments tighten rules, but airline bosses say they hope any backward moves will be short-lived. International passenger traffic in Asia-Pacific was at just 5.4 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in October, the lowest of any […]