Singapore

‘I’m old and dying, so what’s the point of getting vaccinated?’: Seniors in S’pore yet to get the Covid-19 jab
11Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

‘I’m old and dying, so what’s the point of getting vaccinated?’: Seniors in S’pore yet to get the Covid-19 jab

SINGAPORE - Diabetes and high blood pressure are already a part of 83-year-old Tay Seng Kee's life. And even though his son and daughter-in-law have been persuading him to get vaccinated against Covid-19, he does not see the use of doing so. With a hint of bitterness in his voice, the retiree, who declined to reveal his former occupation, told The Straits Times: "I'm already old and dying. So what's the point?" He is not alone in thinking this way. Despite being the first age group here to be offered Covid-19 vaccination, those aged 70 and above now have the lowest take-up rate, having been overtaken by even those who were offered the jab only last month. Seniors ST spoke to cited a variety of reasons for their reluctance to get vaccinated. Ms Coreen Tan, 70, said that she was not com...
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Bank of Thailand holds rate, cuts GDP forecast on Covid spike
11Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

Bank of Thailand holds rate, cuts GDP forecast on Covid spike

Bank of Thailand holds rate, cuts GDP forecast on Covid spike Monetary Policy Committee secretary and assistant governor of the Bank of Thailand Titanun Mallikamas (Photo: Bank of Thailand) The Bank of Thailand (BoT) held its key interest rate unchanged and cut its economic forecast a day after lockdown-like measures were extended to more of the country, with two dissenting members saying rates should be lowered even further. The BoT’s Monetary Policy Commitee voted four to two to hold the one-day repurchase rate at a record-low 0.5% for a 10th straight meeting Wednesday. The two dissenters called for a 25-basis point rate cut, the committee’s first split vote since May 2020. The central bank also cut its 2021 gross domestic product forecast to 0.7% growth, just two months after loweri
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New CDC data a ‘game-changer,’ warns head of Ontario science table
10Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

New CDC data a ‘game-changer,’ warns head of Ontario science table

Alarming new COVID-19 data from the U.S. suggests that vaccinated people with breakthrough infections can spread the Delta variant as easily as those who are unvaccinated — data the head of Ontario’s science table called a “game-changer” that underscores the need for continued indoor masking and higher vaccination targets than what policy-makers are currently aiming for. The data comes from a new paper by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the agency published in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). It was also referenced in a leaked CDC presentation, obtained and posted online by the Washington Post, urging health officials to start acknowledging “the war has changed” thanks to Delta, a strain even more transmissible than the viruses causing Ebola, the
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UK carrier group in Indo-Pacific
10Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
Conflict, Singapore, World

UK carrier group in Indo-Pacific

UK carrier group in Indo-Pacific Tomorrow, HMS Richmond will enter Thailand's territorial waters to conduct a maritime military exercise with the Royal Thai Navy. This will be the first visit of a Royal Navy ship to Thailand since HMS Daring visited in 2014, and the first engagement of the UK Carrier Strike Group with an Asean nation. HMS Richmond is part of the United Kingdom's Carrier Strike Group, the greatest concentration of maritime and air power to leave the UK in a generation. Led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, the largest and most powerful surface vessel in the Royal Navy's history on her first operational deployment, the group consists of nine ships, 32 aircraft, and 3,700 personnel. Whilst strong on our own, we are stronger with allies. The Carrier Strike Group will lead several Nato...
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Asean agrees on Brunei’s second foreign minister as envoy to Myanmar
10Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

Asean agrees on Brunei’s second foreign minister as envoy to Myanmar

Asean agrees on Brunei's second foreign minister as envoy to Myanmar Brunei's Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof (Kyodo photo) Asean foreign ministers agreed Wednesday on Brunei's Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof as the group's special envoy to Myanmar over the political turmoil in the member country, regional diplomatic sources said. Asean selects Brunei diplomat Erywan as special envoy to Myanmar Asean foreign ministers agreed Wednesday to appoint Brunei diplomat Erywan Yusof as the group's special envoy to member country Myanmar, where the military seized power six months ago. Myanmar's junta's approved Erywan's appointment during a 40-minute special online meeting, which came two days after the ministers held talks without reaching a formal conclusion. Leaders of the 10-mem...
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Carrying on the legacy of Coca
8Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
Business, Singapore, World

Carrying on the legacy of Coca

The third-generation operator of the celebrated sukiyaki chain is looking to evolve the business in light of the pandemic, but vows to stay true to its roots Ms Natalie says creativity is just as important as speed and accuracy to lure customers. Some people may think success in a family business is a bit like being handed a title on a silver platter, but it wasn't so for Natalie Phanphensophon, chief operating officer of Coca Holding International Co, a pioneer in the sukiyaki restaurant business in Thailand. Ms Natalie, 35, is a third-generation descendant of the family that owns Coca Holding. She is braving a spate of challenges related to continued outbreaks that have reshaped the restaurant industry. With a master's degree in food science from Reading University in the UK, Ms Nata...
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US defense secretary visits Vietnam, vows support for region
8Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

US defense secretary visits Vietnam, vows support for region

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is seeking to bolster ties with Vietnam, one of the Southeast Asian nations embroiled in a territorial rift with China, during a two-day visit starting Wednesday. In a speech in Singapore, his first stop in the region he is visiting for the first time as a member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet, Austin said Tuesday he was committed to pursuing a constructive, stable relationship with China, including stronger crisis communications with the People’s Liberation Army. But he repeated that Beijing’s claim to virtually the entire South China Sea “has no basis in international law” and “treads on the sovereignty of states in the region.” He said the U.S. continues to support the region’s coastal states in upholding their rights und
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Thousands of foreigners leave Indonesia amid COVID-19 crisis
7Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

Thousands of foreigners leave Indonesia amid COVID-19 crisis

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Thousands of foreigners have left Indonesia in recent weeks, airport records released Tuesday showed, apparently spurred by a brutal pandemic wave and a general shortage of vaccines, which have gone to high-priority groups first. Indonesia now has the most confirmed daily cases in Asia, as infections and deaths have surged over the past month and India’s massive outbreak has waned. Infections peaked in mid-July, with the highest daily average reported at more than 50,000 new cases each day. Until mid-June, daily cases had been running at about 8,000. Since early this month, nearly 19,000 foreign nationals have left through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the capital, Jakarta. The exodus increased significantly in the past three days alone, accounting fo
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Vaccinating seniors against Covid-19 will pave the way to a new normal in Singapore
6Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
Business, Singapore, World

Vaccinating seniors against Covid-19 will pave the way to a new normal in Singapore

SINGAPORE - "Instead of greeting an elderly person with 'Jiak ba buay', which means 'have you eaten' in Hokkien, ask them 'vax liao buay?', which means 'have you taken the vaccines?'" suggested my colleague. Whichever method or language you use, the point is to persuade others, particularly seniors who are at risk of becoming critically ill when infected, to get the Covid-19 vaccines. As the virus is now spreading among markets and food centres, infecting more seniors than expected, Singapore is going back to phase two (heightened alert) and determined to get more seniors vaccinated. It is to prevent a pandemic of the unvaccinated, a term used by the director of the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to warn of the situation there, as Covid-19 cases are once again ...
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US urges Asean to stand up to China
6Aug By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Singapore, World

US urges Asean to stand up to China

US urges Asean to stand up to China US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made it clear the US would like to see Asean stand up to China without choosing sides. At the same time, the US will engage with China in areas of common interests while is ready to stand up against the Middle Kingdom without flinching if its interests are threatened. The Biden administration believes these objectives can be achieved through integrated deterrence, which requires allies and friends to join together using existing capabilities and deploying them all in new and networked ways such as in information and cyber domains to create stronger deterrence. Mr Austin's speech at the 40th Fullerton Lecture in Singapore last week was well-crafted to assure Southeast Asian countries that the US will stay engaged w...
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