Singapore

Japan’s post-Covid regional dilemma
21Jan By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Singapore, World

Japan’s post-Covid regional dilemma

Japan's post-Covid regional dilemma Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Koichi Hagiuda bumps fists with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in Bangkok on Jan 13 as they cement bilateral trade and ties. (Photo courtesy of Government House) Among the major powers that are moving forward with an eye on the post-pandemic era, when Covid-19 will eventually become an endemic with flu-like manageability, Japan is second to none. The visit last week by its minister of economy, trade, and industry (METI), Koichi Hagiuda, made front-page news in Bangkok, following similarly notable media coverage in Jakarta and Singapore. But while it has played a critical role in Asean's economic development and regional security, Japan's Indo-Pacific geostrategic environment has become adverse wi...
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A day away
20Jan By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

A day away

Spa treatment room. It may be the beginning of a new year, but I’m still suffering from ongoing pandemic and year-end celebration fatigue. Though with technology at our fingertips these days, that’s an easy fix. Enter DayAway, a hospitality start-up (mydayaway.com). The Singapore-based platform is the first online destination for exclusively-curated daytime experiences at the finest hotels in Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong, with further expansions on the horizon. DayAway was founded by marketing expert Martha Waslen and launched with the iconic Raffles Hotel Singapore as its first hotel partner. “The idea to launch DayAway, Asia’s first online destination for booking hotel experiences by the day, was born in Singapore in August 2020 at the height of the pandemic with the aim to become
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Khao Yai eyes export fillip with EU wine application
19Jan By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

Khao Yai eyes export fillip with EU wine application

Khao Yai eyes export fillip with EU wine application Khao Yai's GranMonte vineyard, which already sells some of its wine to Europe. Thailand is preparing to submit geographical indication (GI) applications in Europe for wine made in Khao Yai to increase wine exports. Vuttikrai Leewiraphan, director-general of the Intellectual Property Department, said the department expects to file the applications for Khao Yai wine in the EU by September this year. Four Khao Yai wineries registered for certification: GranMonte Vineyard and Winery, Village Farm, J&J Vineyard, and Alcidini. Khao Yai wines approved for GI must adhere to established winemaking standards, including the use of Vitis vinifera grapes grown only in the Khao Yai region, with no imported wine or other fruit juice added. A tota...
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Year of Turbulence
16Jan By Desk TeamNo Comments
Conflict, Opinion, Singapore, World

Year of Turbulence

Flying through the Covid cloud has been hard enough, and then there's the added drama of dealing with the lengthening shadow of China across the region. Pandemic drags on recovery: In the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, many Asian countries had enviable success, avoiding large-scale outbreaks and mass deaths. But the arrival of the more transmissible Delta variant this year and sluggish vaccine rollouts compounded by low availability sent cases surging. Combined with poor monitoring and easy movement among countries, often unofficially, Southeast Asia became a virus hotspot. The ballooning health crisis collided with churning political discontent in the case of Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. Economically, the new wave of infections, and attendant restrictions imposed to cu...
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CP chief upbeat despite inflation fears
14Jan By Desk TeamNo Comments
Politics, Singapore, World

CP chief upbeat despite inflation fears

CP chief upbeat despite inflation fears Mr Suphachai believes 2022 will be a good year for Thailand, which has the capacity to serve as a regional hub. The head of Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) says Thailand is on a quest to become a regional hub in several sectors despite concerns hyperinflation could affect the nation's economic growth in 2022. Hyperinflation worries stem from a combination of factors including US-China geopolitical tensions, the global food and energy crises, a potential cryptocurrency bubble, and massive ongoing capital injections into the world economy to keep it afloat during the pandemic, said CP chief executive Suphachai Chearavanont. But after weighing the pros and cons, Mr Suphachai believes 2022 will be a good year overall, especially for Thailand, as the king...
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Kim’s first decade: 3 US meetings, 2 dead relatives, 1 nuclear arsenal
13Jan By Desk TeamNo Comments
Conflict, Singapore, World

Kim’s first decade: 3 US meetings, 2 dead relatives, 1 nuclear arsenal

Kim's first decade: 3 US meetings, 2 dead relatives, 1 nuclear arsenal Unlike most of his counterparts, with no concerns over elections or term limits and age on his side, Kim Jong Un can expect to remain in office for decades. SEOUL: After 10 years in power, North Korea's once youthful Kim Jong Un is now one of the world's more experienced leaders, and will look to defy the West for decades to come with his nuclear arsenal, analysts say. Unlike most of his counterparts, with no concerns over elections or term limits and age on his side -- he is only in his late 30s -- Kim can expect to remain in office for decades, as long as his health holds up. It is a far different perspective to a democratic politician worrying about headlines every day, and Kim already has more experience in powe...
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Imran Khan hid his assets claims Pak ECP!
11Jan By Spost_adminNo Comments
Business, Politics, Singapore, World

Imran Khan hid his assets claims Pak ECP!

A new damning revelation has hit Pakistan’s polity in the new year. This time, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has revealed that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) had given false information on funding received from abroad and in fact, hid its real assets. The report of the ECP’s scrutiny committee has come like a bombshell to the party and its leader at a time when the Prime Minister stands isolated both domestically and internationally. According to the ECP report, the PTI did not report funds received to the tune of Pak Rupees (PKR) 310 million. Little wonder then that the opposition in Pakistan led by JeI chief Fazlur Rehman has called the PTI, a “party of thieves”. Fazlur Rehman states that according to the ECP report Imran Khan hid 5
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China aims to dominate East Asia
30Dec By News DeskNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore, World

China aims to dominate East Asia

In a recent congressional research Service (CRS) report highlights about the competition of US and China in East Asia region. A recently updated Congressional Research Service (CRS) report shines a new light on the scope of China-U.S. competition in the East Asia region. The 128-page report, authored by Naval Affairs Specialist Ronald O’Rourke, opens with an overview of U.S. interests in the South China Sea (SCS), East China Sea (ECS), and Yellow Sea. These waters, explains the author, border current and emerging U.S. partners, including Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The document lays out a series of core American policy goals guiding the U.S.-China competition in the SCS and ECS. These include, but are not limited to …fulfilling U.S. security commitments in
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Chinese spies in Taiwan’s military
28Dec By News DeskNo Comments
Asia, Business, China, Conflict, Singapore, World

Chinese spies in Taiwan’s military

TAIPEI: Hong Kong business man, Xie Xizhang is accused of espionage in Taiwan for China. For more than 20 years he has been doing this.   On one trip in 2006, Xie met a senior retired Taiwanese navy officer, Chang Pei-ning, over a meal, according to official documents accusing the pair of espionage. Chang would become one of Xie's agents, the documents allege, helping him penetrate Taiwan's active military leadership as part of a long-running Chinese operation to build a spy ring among serving and retired military officers. The Taiwanese officers and their families were allegedly lured by Xie's offers of all-expenses-paid trips abroad, thousands of dollars in cash payments, and gifts such as silk scarves and belts for their wives. In June 2019, counter-espionage officers moved ...
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Donations from LGBT ‘too risky’
18Oct By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, Singapore, World

Donations from LGBT ‘too risky’

Donations from LGBT 'too risky' The National Blood Centre said on Tuesday that it empathises with an appeal by the LGBT community regarding their right to donate blood but Thailand is not yet ready to relax the strict criteria for blood donors from this higher-risk group. The centre, which operates under the Thai Red Cross Society, issued a statement after Nikorn Chimkong, who serves as chairman of both the HIV Foundation Asia and Bangkok Rainbow Organisation, urged the society to broaden its scope to be more inclusive of these oft-marginalised groups, especially at a time when donated blood is in short supply. "The Thai Red Cross Society is committed to its mission and resolution to take care of people with compassion in line with the fundamental principles of the International Red Cro...
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