Singapore Archives - Page 25 of 27

29Aug

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Navy on defensive over sub plan

Royal Thai Navy top brass hold a press briefing at the force's headquarters in Bangkok on Monday to defend the purchase of two more submarines worth a massive 22.5 billion baht from China. Apichit Jinakul The Royal Thai Navy has defended its planned procurement of two more submarines worth a massive 22.5 billion baht from China, and accused the Pheu Thai Party of exploiting the issue for political gain. The government and navy are under fire after a House subcommittee last Friday approved the purchase. The public outcry over the submarine procurement forced the navy to hold a media conference on Monday. The topic #PeopleSayNoToSubs (in Thai) has been among the top hashtags since the budget got the nod from the subcommittee. During Monday's press briefing at the navy headquarters in Ban...

Singapore to allow general travel to Brunei, New Zealand; travellers to take heed of border measures in these countries

29Aug

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Singapore to allow general travel to Brunei, New Zealand; travellers to take heed of border measures in these countries

SINGAPORE - Singapore will allow general travel to Brunei and New Zealand, as well as for students studying overseas from Sept 1. However, those intending to visit Brunei and New Zealand are advised to check the entry requirements imposed by these countries, and take the necessary precautionary measures, the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19 said on Friday (Aug 21). Students studying overseas at institutions where distance-learning is not offered as an option by the school will also be allowed to travel, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong. Singapore is also relaxing its border controls, so that visitors from Brunei or New Zealand, who have remained in the country in the last consecutive 14 days prior to their visit to Singapore, will not have to serve a stay-home notice whe...

28Aug

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Beyond exceptional

Piaget's latest flights of fancy are inspired by the tropics and overseen by Asiaphile Christophe Bourrié Christophe Bourrié had long been interested in luxury watches and jewellery as he did a thesis on this industry for a master's degree in corporate finance at Paris Dauphine University. The white gold Secret Cenote cuff watch is set with diamonds and sapphires that echo the blues and greens of tropical vegetation. Last summer, he eventually landed in the business at Piaget, where he's a member of its executive committee and global director for high-jewellery and exceptional creations. Bourrié's previous experiences included working for his family's wine company and private banking. He's actually very familiar with the Asian market since he was based in China, Singapore and Hong Kong

Asia Today: Philippine capital’s virus lockdown to be eased

25Aug

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Asia Today: Philippine capital’s virus lockdown to be eased

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to ease a mild coronavirus lockdown in the capital and four outlying provinces to further reopen the country’s battered economy despite having the most reported infections in Southeast Asia. Most businesses, including shopping malls and dine-in restaurants, and church services will be allowed to partially resume on Wednesday with masks and social distancing required. Duterte shifted metropolitan Manila and the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal, a region of about 25 million people, back to a mild lockdown two weeks ago after groups of doctors warned that hospitals were being overwhelmed again by COVID-19 patients and pleaded for a “time out.” The Philippines has reported more than 164,000 cases, in

Repairman charged with murder of Singapore businessman’s wife

24Aug

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Repairman charged with murder of Singapore businessman’s wife

Repairman charged with murder of Singapore businessman's wife Suspect Theeraphol Duangkrathok, 26. Arrested on Thursday and charged with stabbing to death a 29-year-old woman, a wife of a Singaporean businessman, at her house in Nakhon Ratchasima on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo: Prasit Tangprasert) NAKHON RATCHASIMA: An air-conditioning repairman was arrested on Thursday and charged with stabbing to death the Thai wife of a Singaporean businessman at her house in Muang district. Police found Theeraphol Duangkrathok, 26, of Chaiyaphum province, hiding in a rough shelter in a paddy field in Nong Bunmak district. The suspect allegedly confessed to having killed Natrika Shibahara, 29, at her two-storey house in Muang district of this northeastern province on Tuesday afternoon. The woman was ...

Southeast Asian artists unite for webinar

23Aug

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Southeast Asian artists unite for webinar

Contemporary performing artists from 11 Southeast Asian countries are coming together to reveal the actual circumstances they are experiencing amid the Covid-19 pandemic during "Under The SEA", the first online seminar series, which runs every Saturday at 2pm until Oct 17. Organised by the Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (Bipam), the seminar was originally brainstormed and planned for a usual full-scale meeting but later the organisers found it absurd to have certainty during one of the most uncertain times in modern history. Instead, the organisation focused on how other performing artists in neighbouring countries are coping and created an online platform to make the virtual round-table discussions accessible. The webinar series involves almost all Southeast Asian countr...

New Trump book to reveal letters with Kim

23Aug

By Desk TeamNo Comments

New Trump book to reveal letters with Kim

New Trump book to reveal letters with Kim The personal relationship between Trump and Kim has been a key driver of recent diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang. (AFP photo) SEOUL: Kim Jong Un said his relationship with Donald Trump was like a "fantasy film", according to the publishers of a new book on the US president set to unveil 25 private letters exchanged between the two leaders. The relationship between the pair has been a key driver of recent diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang, veering from mutual insults and threats of war to a declaration of love from Mr Trump. Investigative journalist Bob Woodward obtained messages between the two leaders "that have not been public before" for his upcoming book, according to Simon & Schuster. In the letters, "Kim describes the ...

US, Australia seek new military cooperation in face of China

23Aug

By Desk TeamNo Comments

US, Australia seek new military cooperation in face of China

US, Australia seek new military cooperation in face of China US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listens while Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne speaks during a press conference. WASHINGTON: The United States and Australia said Tuesday they will expand military cooperation as tensions soar with China, presenting a common front between the allies. Going ahead in Washington with annual talks despite the coronavirus pandemic, Australia's foreign and defense ministers offered clear, if more mildly stated, support for a hawkish shift on China by President Donald Trump's administration. "The United States knows the threats that you and the rest of the free world face. And the United States stands with you in our unbreakable alliance," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the Australian ...

20Aug

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Infofed adds online events to services

Infofed adds online events to services Bangkok-based e-sports startup Infofed has diversified into the online events business, citing the impact of the pandemic, and aims to raise Series A funding by the end of 2020. Newzoo, a global games and e-sports market research firm, downgraded the world's e-sports market in terms of sales of tickets and souvenirs from US$122 million to $107 million this year. The revenue outlook from e-sports media rights was downgraded from $185 million to $176 million, and that from sponsors was revised down from $637 million to $615 million. "We faced cancellation of offline e-sports events during the pandemic and lockdown," said Jirayod Theppipit, chief executive and founder of Infofed, which owns Thailand E-sports Arena on Ratchadaphisek Road. "And we nee...

More infectious coronavirus mutation may be ‘a good thing’: expert

20Aug

By Desk TeamNo Comments

More infectious coronavirus mutation may be ‘a good thing’: expert

More infectious coronavirus mutation may be 'a good thing': expert A lab technician places a face mask through a particulate filtration efficiency tester during a media tour of a Setsco laboratory that tests surgical masks in Singapore on Tuesday. (AFP photo) SINGAPORE: An increasingly common mutation of the novel coronavirus found in Europe, North America and parts of Asia may be more infectious but appears less deadly, according to a prominent infectious diseases doctor. Paul Tambyah, senior consultant at the National University of Singapore and president-elect of the International Society of Infectious Diseases, said evidence suggests the proliferation of the D614G mutation in some parts of the world has coincided with a drop in death rates, suggesting it is less lethal. "Maybe that...