TOKYO – Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide now commands the International Space Station (ISS), having lifted off to space last month on board a spacecraft built commercially by American company SpaceX. This carries tremendous symbolism. Mr Hoshide, 52, is only the second Japanese astronaut to lead the ISS. His voyage on board a commercial craft also […]
YANGON (REUTERS) – Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in person at a court hearing on Monday (May 24) for the first time since her government was overthrown by the military in a Feb 1 coup, her lawyer said. Ms Suu Kyi looked in good health and held a face-to-face meeting with her legal team […]
SINGAPORE – New flats with shorter leases and limiting their resale only to the Housing Board (HDB) are some suggestions being looked at for future public housing projects in prime locations, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Monday (May 24). Another idea is to impose a longer minimum occupation period (MOP) on home owners […]
MELBOURNE (REUTERS) – Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Sunday (May 16) that the government will stick to plans to start reopening the country only from the middle of next year, as pressure mounts on the ruling conservatives to end the international border closure. “We will follow the medical advice that has served us very […]
TAIPEI (AFP) – Taiwan hit out at China on Monday (May 24) over its continued exclusion from a crucial annual gathering of World Health Organisation (WHO) members which starts this week and is focused on averting the next pandemic catastrophe. The 74th World Health Assembly (WHA), which kicks off on Monday, will arguably be one […]
SINGAPORE – The Government made 1,260 requests to Facebook for information covering 1,630 accounts from July to December 2020, nearly triple the number over the same period in 2019 and exceeding the total from all other Asean nations. Facebook said it complied with 83 per cent of these requests, producing at least “some data” in […]
TOKYO (REUTERS) – Japan opened mass inoculation centres on Monday (May 24) as it races to vaccinate most of its elderly population before the start of the Tokyo Olympics. The centres in Tokyo and Osaka will vaccinate thousands of people every day, giving a boost to Japan’s sluggish inoculation drive as officials battle a fourth […]
NEW DELHI (THE STATESMAN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will complete two years of its second term in office on May 30. He will be entering his eighth year as Prime Minister. What does his report card say? The year 2021 was a mix of hits and misses. Modi himself said that […]
SINGAPORE – In less than a month, the Covid-19 cluster at Changi Airport has swelled to more than 100 people, including airport workers whose jobs did not require them to interact with passengers, family members of front-line staff and visitors. It is now the largest active cluster in Singapore, and accounts for four of the […]
SINGAPORE – Two people have tested positive for Covid-19 during a mandatory testing exercise for residents and visitors of Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8. Nine cases were earlier identified by the Ministry of Health (MOH), bringing the total number of cases to 11 people across at least four different households so far. Although four of […]