SINGAPORE – With the Covid-19 pandemic, public transport ridership fell last year as expected, a slide which broke a trend of consecutive rises in the previous 15 years. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Wednesday (Feb 10) that average daily ridership for buses and trains fell by 34.5 per cent to 5.04 million – an […]
BANGALORE – Twitter and the Indian government are lurching towards a showdown on free speech over the ongoing protests by farmers. On Jan 31, scores of prominent Indian Twitter accounts were suddenly blocked in the country on the orders of the central government. These included the accounts of news site Caravan and actor Sushant Singh, as […]
BANGKOK (BLOOMBERG) – Thai pro-democracy groups have vowed to intensify their protests calling for monarchy reform and a new Constitution, a day after a Bangkok court sent four of their leaders into pre-trial detention on royal defamation charges. Thousands of demonstrators gathered on Wednesday (Feb 10) in central Bangkok for a second day to demand […]
SINGAPORE – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will deploy more safe distancing ambassadors (SDAs) and enforcement officers (EOs) to ensure that safe management measures are complied with at tourism businesses this Chinese New Year. Operating capacity for attractions in Singapore remains capped at 65 per cent, and visitors are encouraged to book their slots in […]
SINGAPORE – Mr Koh Boon Hwee, chairman of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) board of trustees, will be stepping down on March 31, said the university on Tuesday (Feb 9). Mr Koh, who held the post for 28 years – longer than any other university chairman here – will be succeeded by National Arts Council […]
NEW YORK (REUTERS) – North Korea maintained and developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes throughout 2020 in violation of international sanctions, said a UN diplomat with knowledge of a confidential report given to Security Council members on Monday (Feb 8). The report by independent sanctions monitors said Pyongyang “produced fissile material, maintained nuclear facilities […]
SINGAPORE – A new set of hygiene practices on handling raw fish has been developed for importers, food processors, transport operators, and restaurants, as people gear up for Chinese New Year feasting. The authorities said they developed the guidelines with the food industry to minimise the risks of bacterial and parasitic contamination of ready-to-eat raw […]
BANGALORE – A passenger who arrived at Tiruchirappalli International Airport on Sunday (Feb 7) had recovered from a recent infection of Covid-19 and was issued a Fit to Fly Health Certificate after being assessed by a doctor in Singapore, a spokesman for Sats said on Monday. This was in response to a report in India that […]
One by one, the chatroom participants took the digital microphone as thousands quietly listened in. A Chinese man said he did not know whether to believe the widespread reports of concentration camps for Muslims in the far western region of Xinjiang. Then a Uighur woman spoke up, calmly explaining that she was certain of the […]
MANDALAY (AFP, REUTERS) – Myanmar’s military ruler Senior General Min Aung Hlaing will address the country on television on Monday night (Feb 8), state TV reported, as nationwide protests against his coup last week intensified. The junta leader would “address the current situation of the country”, the announcement said, in what would be his first remarks […]