SINGAPORE – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed the nation on Monday (Dec 14) to provide an update on the Covid-19 situation and the outlook for next year. Here are seven key takeaways from his speech: 1. Phase 3 of Singapore’s reopening will begin in two weeks’ time, on Monday, Dec 28. PM Lee said […]

SINGAPORE – Nine suspects, seven of whom have been arrested, are being investigated over their involvement in illegal remote gambling activities. More than $170,000 in cash was seized during an operation on Dec 9 and 10 by the Criminal Investigation Department. The suspects, four women and five men aged between 43 and 75, are believed […]

KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Malaysia’s opposition MPs have walked out from Parliament after three MPs currently undergoing home quarantine were allowed to participate in a Budget vote. The three MPs – Health Minister Adham Baba and M. Saravanan from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and P. Prabakaran from the opposition Pakatan Harapan […]

SINGAPORE – A total of 252 people have been arrested for various offences during a 16-day enforcement operation led by the Bedok Police Division. Most of the suspects were arrested for offences related to cheating and loan-sharking, while a small number were hauled up for drug offences and other crimes. The suspects, aged between 16 […]

SINGAPORE – Sunday’s (Dec 13) move to permit Covid-19 vaccines for Muslims here, regardless of its ingredients, was an executive decision made by Singapore’s Mufti, the highest Islamic authority here, due to the urgency of the situation. While religious guidances are typically made by the Fatwa Committee, the guidance over the Covid-19 vaccine released on […]

SINGAPORE – Besides leading Singapore’s Covid-19 effort at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Professor Leo Yee Sin also keeps herself updated on measures put in place at army camps to curb the spread of such diseases. Since January this year, she has been volunteering as the chairman of the Singapore Armed Forces Infectious […]

SHOGRAN, Pakistan (AFP) – Mohammad Naseem’s eyes shine while he shares the legend of a remote, alpine lake nestled among snow-capped Himalayan peaks as a rare crowd of onlookers hears one of Pakistan’s last “storytellers”. The story of Saif-ul-Malook – the winding saga of a brave prince who falls in love with a fairy – […]

SHOGRAN, Pakistan (AFP) – Mohammad Naseem’s eyes shine while he shares the legend of a remote, alpine lake nestled among snow-capped Himalayan peaks as a rare crowd of onlookers hears one of Pakistan’s last “storytellers”. The story of Saif-ul-Malook – the winding saga of a brave prince who falls in love with a fairy – […]

FILE PHOTO: Steam is emitted from factories at Keihin industrial zone in Kawasaki, Japan February 28, 2017. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese business sentiment improved for the second straight quarter in October-December, a key central bank survey showed on Monday, a welcome sign for the economy as it continued to emerge from the […]

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – A Nepali security guard working for Malaysia’s glove manufacturer Top Glove Corp is believed to have died of Covid-19. It is learned that Yam Narayan Chaudhary died on Saturday (Dec 12), after he was admitted to hospital on Nov 21. According to an online news portal, Yam had […]