SYDNEY (REUTERS) – Hundreds of passengers thronged Australian airports on Monday (April 19) as an open border system began with New Zealand, a pandemic milestone that allows Australian residents to fly there for the first time in over a year without having to quarantine for two weeks. Though most Australian states have allowed quarantine-free visits […]
SINGAPORE – The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is set to get a new home in Jalan Bukit Merah, located about 700m from its current building in Outram Road. Current plans show it will comprise a nine-storey laboratory block and a 13-storey office block – as well as three basement levels. Please subscribe or log in […]
SINGAPORE – In the race to get Singapore vaccinated against Covid-19 on schedule, technology has proven to be an invaluable tool. Behind each of the country’s 38 vaccination centres is a vast virtual infrastructure that captures, sorts and catalogues each jab to make the process as efficient as possible. This digital backbone includes built-in solutions […]
SINGAPORE – A 39-year-old Indonesian was the lone locally transmitted case of Covid-19 confirmed here on Sunday (April 18). He tested preliminarily positive for the B117 strain, which is reportedly more contagious. The man is a crew member on board a bunker tanker and had not disembarked from the vessel except to go for Covid-19 […]
Coming up with a design for a building that’s not only memorable but also architecturally sound is challenging at the best of times. Last year, tertiary students who took part in a competition to design such a building in the heart of Orchard Road had an unprecedented obstacle – they had to do so amidst […]
KABUL, Afghanistan — Farzana Ahmadi watched as a neighbor in her village in northern Afghanistan was flogged by Taliban fighters last month. The crime: Her face was uncovered. “Every woman should cover their eyes,” Ms. Ahmadi recalled one Taliban member saying. People silently watched as the beating dragged on. Fear — even more potent than […]
NEW DELHI (AFP) – Ajay Singh Yadav only managed a final video call with Raj Karan before his close friend became the latest of an alarming number of young Indians, including children, falling victim to the new coronavirus wave sweeping the country. Some doctors say the reason that under-45s are now vulnerable is that they […]
CANBERRA (BLOOMBERG) – Australian federal and state leaders will discuss ways to speed up the country’s coronavirus vaccination roll-out and shift to alternatives to the AstraZeneca inoculation in their upcoming meeting, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday (April 18). Current vaccine supplies are sufficient to cover initial stages of the programme currently under way, which […]
SINGAPORE – Tan Siew Ling has an uncanny ability to remember dates, reeling off with conviction days and months of events that she considers important. She reckons it is because she is blind. Referring to books or notes to jolt the memory is not an easy option. “I cannot just pick up something and read, […]
TOKYO – Japan will set bolder climate targets for 2030 next week and promote the adoption of renewable energy in developing countries, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said in what will be a marked policy shift for a country historically wedded to fossil fuel. The announcement came as Mr Suga and US President Joe Biden […]