Singapore Archives - Page 23 of 27

Bangladeshi Muslims form human chain, protest to show solidarity with Uyghurs

16Nov

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Bangladeshi Muslims form human chain, protest to show solidarity with Uyghurs

A protest rally and human chain was held on 12.11.20 at Dhaka National Press Club by Islamic scholars and Ulemas under the banner of ‘Uyghur Muslim Rights Council’ (Uyghur Musalmaner Odhikar Parishad) demanding political and religious rights for the persecuted Uyghur minority Muslims in Xinjaing Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. The Uyghur Muslims are persecuted by the Chinese government and they are not allowed to practice their Islamic faith by the Communist government of China. The demonstration was part of Bangladeshi Muslims showing solidarity with their fellow Uyghur Muslims. Colorful placards depicting atrocities perpetrated by the Chinese, demolition of ancient Mosques to construct public toilets, weeping Uyghur women being paraded to detention centers, enforced birth control

TraceTogether check-in at venues is better, (cyber) safer

11Nov

By Desk TeamNo Comments

TraceTogether check-in at venues is better, (cyber) safer

SINGAPORE - By the end of the year, Singapore will be switching to a new Covid-19 management tool: TraceTogether-only SafeEntry. This system is more effective for contact tracing and provides better cyber hygiene, making the switchover a no-brainer. TraceTogether-only SafeEntry combines what are now two separate systems: TraceTogether, to identify those in close contact with Covid-19 patients; and SafeEntry - which digitally checks in visitors at most venues - to determine which premises have been visited by those infected with the coronavirus. Once the integrated TraceTogether-only SafeEntry system is fully rolled out, no one will be able to use their phone cameras or the SingPass mobile app to scan the SafeEntry QR code to enter cinemas, restaurants, workplaces, schools and shopping m...

Shoplus: Thailand leads in Q2 social growth

11Nov

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Shoplus: Thailand leads in Q2 social growth

Shoplus: Thailand leads in Q2 social growth Thailand saw the biggest second-quarter growth in social commerce across Asean, while strong social media engagement has played a monumental role in boosting live commerce in the country, says Shoplus, an artificial intelligence-powered social selling service by Taiwan-based iKala. "Thais spend an average of 4-5 hours a day on social media, the highest in the world. People tend to share information and engage with others online, which plays a part in driving live social selling to grow rapidly. This is a huge change in how people are shopping," said Kimmy Chen, general manager of Shoplus. Shoplus provides a one-stop service solution, including AI-live selling, AI-based chatbots and AI-messenger plug-ins for commerce merchants across multi-devi...

Hard hit by virus, airlines push for tests over quarantines

8Nov

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Hard hit by virus, airlines push for tests over quarantines

FRANKFURT - What will it take to get people flying again? International air traffic is down 92 per cent this year as travellers worry about catching COVID-19 and government travel bans and quarantine rules make planning difficult. One thing airlines believe could help is to have rapid virus tests of all passengers before departure. Scattered experiments on improving safety are under way around the world, and a UN organization is leading talks to set guidelines. There is a lot at stake. With no end in sight to the pandemic, the near total halt to international travel will hinder economies as they try to bounce back from recession and return to normal levels of business activity. Millions of jobs - at airlines, airports and travel related businesses such as hotels and restaurants - are affe...

7Nov

By Online DeskNo Comments

Is China on ‘Backfoot’?

China seems to have put into action one of the dictums propounded by Sun Tzu in the Art of War, viz. ‘Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak’. China’s weakness came to the fore when it failed to effectively handle the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan in its initial stages and was caught on the backfoot with the US, Australia and other countries blaming it and seeking an investigation. So then, what did China do? Rather than adopting a remorseful demeanor, China portrayed itself as ‘strong’ by displaying an aggressive attitude. Not only did the Chinese diplomats turn into ‘wolf warriors’, taking on all those who questioned Beijing, but the Chinese Communist Party regime also came harsh on Hong Kong, displayed belligerence in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea and

Second Covid-19 trial paused within 24 hours over safety concerns

6Nov

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Second Covid-19 trial paused within 24 hours over safety concerns

Second Covid-19 trial paused within 24 hours over safety concerns A transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient, captured and coloured. WASHINGTON: Two late-stage Covid-19 medical trials have been paused in the space of 24 hours over potential safety concerns, the latest setbacks to scientists in the long fight against the pandemic. US pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly on Tuesday suspended its Phase 3 trial of its lab-produced antibody treatment in hospitalized patients over an unspecified incident. A day earlier, the American pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson temporarily halted its Phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine trial due to an unexplained illness in a study participant. J&J's research head Mathai Mammen told investors Tuesday it was a "...

S’pore cyber-security capabilities to be enhanced: Janil Puthucheary

5Nov

By Desk TeamNo Comments

S’pore cyber-security capabilities to be enhanced: Janil Puthucheary

SINGAPORE - Singapore is ramping up research and innovation efforts to strengthen its cyber-security capabilities, with Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Janil Puthucheary announcing an upcoming collaboration between the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and Israel's Tel Aviv University on Thursday (Oct 8). The joint grant call, which comes under the National Cybersecurity R&D (NCR) programme, is the second with Tel Aviv University. It will see Singapore's researchers work with their Israeli counterparts in challenging areas, such as the security for smart cities and the Internet of Things (IoT), from later this year. The grant call is open to all researchers from local institutes of higher learning and research institutes. The CSA is also taking over t...

Thailand declares emergency after unprecedented protest

30Oct

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Thailand declares emergency after unprecedented protest

BANGKOK - Thailand’s government declared a strict new state of emergency for the capital on Thursday, a day after a student-led protest against the country’s traditional establishment saw an extraordinary moment in which demonstrators heckled a royal motorcade. After the pre-dawn declaration, riot police moved in to clear out demonstrators who after a day of rallies and confrontation had gathered outside Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s office to push their demands, which include the former general’s resignation, constitutional changes and reform of the monarchy. Several top leaders of the protest movement were taken into custody, with one later declaring on his Facebook page that he had been denied access to a lawyer and was being forced onto a helicopter and taken to a city in the co

Singapore PM’s defamation suit against blogger begins

29Oct

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Singapore PM’s defamation suit against blogger begins

Singapore PM's defamation suit against blogger begins Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrives at the High Court for a defamation hearing against blogger Leong Sze Hian in Singapore on Tuesday. (Reuters photo) Singapore's prime minister testified in court Tuesday at the start of his defamation suit against a blogger who shared an article on Facebook linking the leader to a corruption scandal. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong accuses Leong Sze Hian of spreading false claims about him over the article relating to the money-laundering scandal at state fund 1MDB in neighbouring Malaysia. Critics say the case is the latest example of the tightly-regulated city-state's government being heavy-handed and seeking to silence dissent online. Singapore's leaders have frequently turned to ...

India, Japan ink major military logistics support agreement amid tensions in LAC

4Oct

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

India, Japan ink major military logistics support agreement amid tensions in LAC

In their annual summit on September 9, India and Japan inked a landmark agreement that will allow their militaries to access each other's bases for logistics support at a time when Chinese military is flexing its muscle in the Indo-Pacific region.On 9 September, India and Japan in their annual summit inked mutual logistics support arrangement (MLSA).The mutual logistics support arrangement (MLSA) was signed by defence secretary Ajay Kumar and the Japanese ambassador to India Suzuki Satoshi, a defence ministry spokesperson said.Japanese ambassador Satoshi also tweeted “Great pleasure to sign the agreement concerning reciprocal provision of supplies and services between #JSDF and the #IndianArmedForces. Hope the agreement will further promote cooperation between them. #JapanIndia.”The MLSA a