Asia12345
Sultan of Johor expresses reservations about proposed design of Singapore-Johor rail link
The bridge of the Rapid Transit System (RTS) rail track will disrupt the city skyline along the Johor Straits due to its height, he said in an exclusive interview with the New Straits Times. The Sultan of Johor has expressed reservations on the proposed design of the Rapid Transit System (RTS) rail track connecting Singapore and Johor Baru in Malaysia. In the exclusive interview with the New Straits Times (NST) published Tuesday (Aug 8), Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said that while he welcomed the project he disagreed with the overallRead More
NDP 2017: Themed MRT trains to run until Aug 27
The NDP-themed trains will run until Aug 27, 2017. (Photo: Land Transport Authority) SINGAPORE: Four National Day Parade (NDP)-themed MRT trains were launched on Monday (Jul 17) morning to celebrate this year’s National Day. The trains will run on the North South-East West lines, the North-East Line, the Circle Line and the Downtown Line until Aug 27, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA). image: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/image/9038370/0x0/919/1381/a9aed5ed94c551a20a39616978d3011e/vh/ndp-train-5.jpg The NDP-themed trains will run until Aug 27, 2017. (Photo: Land Transport Authority) Photos posted on Facebook by LTA showed the interior of a themed trainRead More
Maid who stole $54k in items gets 12 months in jail
32-year-old caught after posting pictures online of herself with employer’s valuables An Indonesian maid stole a Chopard ladies’ watch worth $35,000, a Celine snakeskin handbag that cost $7,500 and a pink Hermes crocodile skin wallet worth $10,000 from her businesswoman employer – and thought she got away with it. Then, 11 months later, she posted pictures of herself flaunting the stolen items on Instagram while she was working for another employer in Singapore. But her previous employer, Madam Lisa Lee, learnt of this from her sister and informed the police.Read More
Lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam fined S$6,000 for contempt of court over Facebook post
File photo of lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam. (Photo: Eugene Thuraisingam LLP) SINGAPORE: Upset and demoralised on the day before his client was to be executed for drug trafficking, lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam put up a Facebook post in May scandalising the judiciary. He alleged that judges – whom he called “million dollar men” – had “turned blind” to a law that is “cruel and unjust”, and were more concerned with acquiring wealth and material things. For that post, Thuraisingam was on Monday (Aug 7) fined S$6,000 for contempt of court. “The statementRead More
Japan marks 72 years since Hiroshima atomic bomb
People praying at Hiroshima’s Memorial Cenotaph yesterday for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing. Japan is the only country to have suffered atomic attacks, which claimed 140,000 lives in Hiroshima.PHOTO: REUTERS TOKYO • Japan yesterday marked 72 years since the world’s first nuclear attack on Hiroshima, with the nation’s traditional contradictions over atomic weapons again coming into focus. The anniversary came after Japan sided last month with nuclear powers Britain, France and the United States to dismiss a United Nations treaty banning atomic weapons, which was rejected by criticsRead More
Committee recommends Founders’ Memorial to be at Bay East Garden
Gardens by the Bay – Bay East. (Photo: Gardens by the Bay/Facebook) SINGAPORE: The Founders’ Memorial committee on Monday (Aug 7) recommended that the site should be located at Bay East Garden, and be opened to the public by 2025 – in time for Singapore’s 60th year of celebrations. The 15-member committee submitted its report to the Government after two years of outreach to more than 32,000 people, which included six key findings in addition to the recommendation of the location and time of opening, according to the press release.Read More
Hong Kong’s MTR faces $3.5m fine for 10-hour train delay
Hundreds of thousands of commuters left stranded by system breakdown HONG KONG • Rail service provider Mass Transit Railway (MTR) faces a fine of over HK$20 million (S$3.5 million) after a service disruption of over 10 hours, reportedly due to a computer glitch, left hundreds of thousands of commuters stranded. The disruption along the Kwun Tong line began shortly after 11am last Saturday, when trains between Lam Tin and Ngau Tau Kok Stations were forced to travel slowly because of a signalling fault, Hong Kong daily Sing Tao reported onRead More
Halimah Yacob: First female Speaker could make history again if elected as President
Speaker of Parliament and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Halimah Yacob. (File photo: TODAY) SINGAPORE: Mdm Halimah Yacob, who on Sunday (Aug 6) formally announced her intention to run in the upcoming Presidential Election, has been in public service for 40 years – in her words “a very long time”. Her career began in 1978 with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), where she served in various roles including director of the Women’s Development Secretariat, director of the Legal Services Department and Executive Secretary of the United Workers of Electronics andRead More
ASEAN foreign ministers express ‘grave concerns’ over North Korea’s missile tests
Opening ceremony of the 50th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum MANILA: Southeast Asian foreign ministers expressed “grave concerns” on Saturday (Aug 5) about rising tensions on the Korean peninsula stemming from long-range missile tests by North Korea. “These developments seriously threaten peace, security and stability in the region and the world,” said a joint statement by ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Manila. “In this regard, we strongly urge the DPRK to immediately comply fully with its obligations under all relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” it said, referringRead More
One last look at Singapore’s Raffles Hotel before it closes
Specially curated guided tours by National Heritage Board and the hotel will be held from now until Aug 12. Raffles Hotel, the grand old dame of Singapore. (Photo: Raffles Hotel) SINGAPORE: Throughout his 45-year tenure at the Raffles hotel, Leslie Danker has met, among many others, the legendary Hollywood actor John Wayne, been introduced to Queen Elizabeth II and taken a photo with pop star Michael Jackson. But Mr Danker’s face lights up the most when talking about the history of the iconic hotel. “I have been at Raffles HotelRead More
Australia sends navy ships, divers after aircraft crash, three US Marines missing
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Marine MV-22B Osprey aircraft land on the deck of the USS Bonhomme Richard amphibious assault ship off Sydney MELBOURNE: The Australian government said on Sunday it would deploy its armed forces to assist in recovery efforts after the U.S. Marine Corps suspended a search for three Marines missing since their aircraft crashed off Australia’s northeast coast a day earlier. The Marine Corps said earlier they had shifted from a search-and-rescue effort to a recovery operation, which could last several months, and had notified the next-of-kin of theRead More
Indonesian military officer orders that forest burners be shot
File photo of men putting out a forest fire in Indonesia. (Photo: AFP) JAKARTA: A military official in the Indonesian province of Jambi said on Saturday (Aug 5) he has ordered that anyone who deliberately sets fire to forest areas be shot, as authorities struggle to contain fires that cause choking smoke in the region. Five Indonesian provinces have declared emergencies because of forest fires, according to Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB), with the number of hotspots steadily increasing in many areas over the past week. The BNPB isRead More
The NDP 2017 funpack, unveiled
The funpack given out during the 2017 NE show. (Photo: Chan Luo Er) SINGAPORE: This year’s National Day Parade (NDP) funpack is one of the lightest in NDP history at about 1.5kg – and will include fewer items that can do more, organisers said on Monday (Jul 17). One of the items in the pack is a clap banner which is also a fan. When smacked against a palm, it produces a clapping sound; it can be spread out, too, to use as a banner. The move to reduce the numberRead More
Western Union armed robbery: Suspect charged, to be remanded for further investigations
The Western Union branch at Ubi Avenue 1 was cordoned off after a robbery. (Photo: Monica Kotwani) SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man accused of robbing a Western Union remittance outlet along Ubi Avenue 1, was charged with armed robbery on Saturday (Aug 5). Hashim Hamzah, 58*, allegedly robbed 28-year-old Hankum Porntip, a female employee of the branch, at knifepoint on Tuesday, leaving the outlet with over S$4,000. He was seen on CCTV footage wearing a helmet and mask at the time. The suspect subsequently fled on a bicycle with a bag containing moreRead More
Uber knowingly bought 1,000 unsafe cars and leased them to drivers in Singapore
A man arrives at the Uber offices in Queens, New York. (File photo: Reuters/Brendan McDermid) SINGAPORE: Ride-hailing company Uber bought and leased Honda Vezel cars to its drivers even though the model had been recalled due to a fire risk, a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Thursday (Aug 3) claims. The model was recalled by Honda in April 2016 for an electrical component that could overheat and catch fire. WSJ said according to internal Uber emails and documents it reviewed and interviews with “people familiar with Uber’s operations inRead More
Britons rape trial: Second accused also says woman consented to sex
SINGAPORE: The second of three British men accused of gang-raping a Malaysian woman at Carlton Hotel in Singapore last year said the 22-year-old did not resist. In fact, “she was very sexually aroused”, Vu Thai Son said in a statement to police on Sep 11, 2016 read out in court on Friday (Aug 4). Vu, 24, said he had gone into his friend Richard Ahn’s room to brush his teeth. CCTV footage showed Vu entering the room at about 4.25am. According to Vu, the woman had asked him “what (are)Read More
Too strong, too fast: Singapore dollar strength may not last, say analysts
The Sing dollar has gained more than 6 per cent against the greenback year to date, making it one of the top performing Southeast Asian currencies alongside the Thai baht. However, analysts expect it to give up some of its gains soon. SINGAPORE: The Singapore dollar has been one of the strongest Southeast Asian currencies in 2017, defying expectations with a year-to-date gain of 6.1 per cent against the greenback. But most analysts say this uptrend may have run its course. DBS Bank’s senior currency strategist Philip Wee, for one,Read More
Singapore’s GIC, Canadian fund to invest US$1b in American talent agency WME-IMG
UFC Bantamweight fighter Bethe Correia (left) throwing a punch at Jessica Eye. (Photo: UFC) SINGAPORE: Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) have agreed on a US$1 billion (S$1.36 billion) joint investment into American talent agency WME-IMG, the latter announced on Thursday (Aug 3). Terms of the deal were not disclosed. WME-IMG represents a diverse roster of artists across platforms like film, television, music, books, digital and theatre. Its brands and events include the Ultimate Fighting Championship, The Miss Universe Organisation and New YorkRead More
Shell station armed robbery: 48-year-old man charged
The Shell petrol station at 219 Upper Bukit Timah Road where an armed robbery was reported. (Photo: Leong Wai Kit) SINGAPORE: A 48-year-old man was charged on Wednesday (Aug 2) for robbing a Shell petrol station at knifepoint in broad daylight. Visvanathan Vaduvelu, a Singaporean, allegedly took off with S$1,193 in cash from the petrol station at 219 Upper Bukit Timah Road on Monday, after threatening an employee with a kitchen knife and ordering her to place money from the cash register in a plastic bag. He has been charged withRead More
Fewer workplace fatalities in first half of 2017
Construction workers from Bangladesh and India attend a briefing before starting work at a construction site in Singapore March 24, 2016. (File photo: REUTERS/Edgar Su) SINGAPORE: Fewer workers died in workplace accidents in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year, the Manpower Ministry and the WSH Institute said in a press release on Wednesday (Aug 2). There were 19 workplace fatalities from January to June, down from 24 in the second half of 2016 and 42 in the first half of 2016. The manufacturing sectorRead More