TAIPEI – The Taiwanese government has big plans to make Taiwan bilingual in 10 years, but the project to raise English proficiency has drawn flak for being too ambitious, and has sparked concerns that it will dilute attention on the island’s indigenous languages. “Bilingual by 2030” aims to help the younger generation connect with the […]
KABUL (REUTERS) – The death toll from flash floods in Afghanistan rose to 150 on Thursday (Aug 27) as survivors and rescue workers combed through the debris of more than 1,500 homes that were destroyed to the north of the capital, Kabul. Authorities moved more than 900 families out of areas of mountainous Parwan province […]
SINGAPORE – From Sept 1, firms applying for new Employment Passes (EPs) for foreign professionals will need to pay them at least $4,500, up from $3,900 now. The qualifying salaries for older and more experienced candidates in their 40s will also be raised so that they remain around double the minimum salary for the youngest […]
(Reuters) – A cautious mood prevailed in European equity markets on Thursday as investors looked ahead to the U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s outlook on monetary policy. The pan-European STOXX 600 index slipped 0.3%, with banks .SX7P being the biggest drags after HSBC (HSBA.L) fell 2.2%. The British bank came under fresh U.S. criticism […]
SINGAPORE – There were 77 new coronavirus cases confirmed as of Thursday noon (Aug 27), taking Singapore’s total to 56,572. They included two community cases, both Singaporeans, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). There were also five imported cases, who had been placed on stay-home notices upon arrival in Singapore. More details will be announced […]
SINGAPORE – A Briton who had taught in Singapore for more than 30 years was sentenced to nine months’ jail on Thursday (Aug 27) after he pleaded guilty to consuming methamphetamine, also known as Ice. Christopher David Burge, represented by Withers KhattarWong lawyers Chenthil Kumarasingam and Adeline Goh, committed the crimes in September 2018. He […]
NEW DELHI (THE STATESMAN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – It was China that reported the first case of coronavirus. It is now the turn of Hong Kong, under China’s ever-increasing control, to report the first confirmed case of re-infection of a person previously thought cured of the virus. Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have said, […]
SINGAPORE – A man used a knife to slash his victim’s face, causing a possible permanent disfiguration, before he laughed and ran away. The attacker, Wong Kian Hong, also told Mr Eric Poh, 31, to look at his own face after the assault on Oct 3 last year He was caught in a police raid […]
SINGAPORE – A team of doctors and researchers in Singapore has started a cardiac research programme to better understand why some patients who are hit hard by Covid-19 also suffer heart damage, and how to prevent this from happening. The National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS) team aims to recruit 100 Covid-19 patients as mounting […]
SINGAPORE – A team of doctors and researchers in Singapore has started a cardiac research programme to better understand why some patients who are hit hard by Covid-19 also suffer heart damage, and how to prevent this from happening. The National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS) team aims to recruit 100 Covid-19 patients as mounting […]