Singapore

Public transport satisfaction dips in 2020, MRT safety scores largest improvement: Survey
9Feb By Team FPNo Comments
Market, Singapore, World

Public transport satisfaction dips in 2020, MRT safety scores largest improvement: Survey

SINGAPORE: Overall satisfaction with public transport dipped in 2020, with MRT safety and security scoring the largest increase, the Public Transport Council (PTC) said on Friday (Feb 7). The percentage of people who said they were satisfied with public transport was 97.6 per cent, lower than the high of 99.4 per cent in 2019. According to PTC, percentage satisfaction levels are measured based on the proportion of respondents whose overall satisfaction rating for public transport services was 6 and above on a 10-point scale. Satisfaction with public transport, bus, and MRT services over the past 5 years. (Graphic: Public Transport Council While the proportion of satisfied commuters dropped in 2020, the mean satisfaction score remained at 7.8 for the second consecutive year, due to ...
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Geylang Serai Hari Raya Bazaar to be held online on new digital platform due to COVID-19 outbreak
5Feb By Team FPNo Comments
Asia, Singapore, World

Geylang Serai Hari Raya Bazaar to be held online on new digital platform due to COVID-19 outbreak

SINGAPORE: The annual Geylang Serai Hari Raya Bazaar will continue to be held online this year, said the People's Association (PA) on Wednesday (Jan 13). "In view of the evolving COVID-19 situation, physical bazaars and trade fairs, which traditionally attract large crowds, will not resume," said PA in a media release, adding that for residents' safety and wellbeing, the Geylang Serai bazaar will continue to be held online and on a new digital platform. The bazaar will take place from Apr 9 to May 13, and will be a "celebration of the Malay/Muslim culture and heritage, with varied food and lifestyle experiences for Singaporeans from all walks of life to enjoy", the association said. "Similar to last year, the online experience will enable many residents to learn new skills and enj...
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COVID-19 batters Asia’s already-struggling democracies
3Feb By Team FPNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore, World

COVID-19 batters Asia’s already-struggling democracies

Over the past 15 years, democracy across Asia has regressed. Although the region still has strong democracies like South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, many other leading Asian democracies and countries with democratic potential have slid backwards, turning into near-autocracies or outright authoritarian states. While Thailand had been one of the freest states in Asia in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it has suffered two military coups in the past decade and now is run by a parliamentary government that took power after a seriously flawed election in 2019. Bangladesh had built itself into a shaky but increasingly vibrant democracy by the early 2010s, but in the past decade has deteriorated into a de facto one-party regime, with opposition activists, civil society leaders and journalists jailed...
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Asia’s rise doesn’t necessarily mean the West’s decline
3Feb By Team FPNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore, World

Asia’s rise doesn’t necessarily mean the West’s decline

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a growing geopolitical perception of Asia’s rise and the decline of the West. To a large extent, East Asian countries have managed to control the number of infections and particularly the number of virus-related deaths proportional to population. By contrast, case totals are between 50 and 100 times higher in Europe and the United States. Even in Germany, which has put up the best fight against the virus in Europe, the COVID-19 fatality rate is almost 20 times higher than that of Japan or South Korea. While the pandemic has dealt a devastating blow to economic activity in both the East and West, East Asia has a much easier path to recovery. China is acting as an engine of growth. Japan has seen an increase in capital investment (including planned i...
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China adopts law giving coastguards power to fire foreign vessels in disputed waters
25Jan By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Singapore, World

China adopts law giving coastguards power to fire foreign vessels in disputed waters

China’s top legislative body, the National People's Congress Standing Committee, has passed a law that gives power to its coastguard to fire on foreign vessels and demolish structures built in disputed waters.Although it is yet to be ascertained whether the law will be applied to all waters claimed by Beijing but the move is expected to escalate tensions between China and its neighbours in the East and South China Seas.The law was passed on Friday and empowers the coastguard to use "all necessary means" to deter threats posed by foreign vessels in waters "under China's jurisdiction". It will also allow the coastguards to launch pre-emptive strikes without prior warning if commanders deem it necessary.Under the new bill, coastguard personnel can demolish structures built or installed by oth...
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Two WHO team members stopped from entering China after failed coronavirus test
14Jan By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Singapore, World

Two WHO team members stopped from entering China after failed coronavirus test

China on Thursday blocked two members of the 13-member World Health Organisation (WHO) team from travelling to the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan after they failed the coronavirus antibody test in Singapore.The WHO first tweeted that the international team of 13 scientists examining the origins of the virus that causes Covid-19 arrived in Wuhan.The experts were to begin their work immediately during the two-week quarantine protocol for international travellers.Later, in a separate tweet, WHO said that two members of that team remain in Singapore after they were "tested positive for IgM antibodies".IgM antibodies are among the earliest potential signs of a coronavirus infection and false positives are also possible with such tests."Two scientists are still in #Singapore comp...
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Japan to play placeholder role in Asia as Biden gets his house in order
11Jan By Team FPNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore, World

Japan to play placeholder role in Asia as Biden gets his house in order

When U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy gets the boot on Jan. 20, it will be replaced by Joe Biden’s more outward-looking and cooperative approach in Asia — one in which Japan is widely expected to play an integral part. As Washington looks warily at China’s rise, it will aim for Japan to play a placeholder role as the Biden White House focuses immediately on reining in the coronavirus pandemic that has left about 340,000 dead in the U.S. “They’ll have no choice but to take care of that damage first,” a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity. “This will be less about (the Asia-Pacific region) being lowered in priority than about repairing that damage.” In the meantime, Tokyo “will continue to act as a ‘placeholder’ for the incoming adm...
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Trial to import electricity from Malaysia a ‘useful first step’ as Singapore prepares to connect with regional grid: Experts
8Jan By Team FPNo Comments
Asia, Market, Singapore, World

Trial to import electricity from Malaysia a ‘useful first step’ as Singapore prepares to connect with regional grid: Experts

SINGAPORE: A trial which will see Singapore import electricity from Peninsular Malaysia will be a "useful first step" in preparation for further moves to connect to the regional power grid, said experts. Announced in late October, the trial will see Singapore import 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity from Malaysia for two years. This will make up about 1.5 per cent of Singapore’s peak electricity demand. The move is part of Singapore's plan to strengthen the "regional grid architecture", said Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing in a keynote speech delivered at the opening of the Singapore International Energy Week in October. “This will allow the region to share the clean energy sources that different countries may have, and we’ll start this with Malaysia," he said. "Once ...
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Up to 1 billion people in Asia to face lethal heatwave conditions by 2050 due to climate change: Report
20Dec By Team FPNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore, World

Up to 1 billion people in Asia to face lethal heatwave conditions by 2050 due to climate change: Report

BANGKOK: Up to 1 billion people in Asia could live in areas experiencing lethal heatwaves by 2050 as a result of worsening climate change, according to a new report by consulting firm McKinsey Global Institute (MGI). The modelling in the report outlines that severe heat is just one of the major risks forecast for the continent under RCP8.5, a worst-case scenario situation that could result without collective action to reduce carbon emissions. Without vastly improved action to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, Asia is expected to see temperature rises of more than two degrees from pre-industrial levels. While much of the risk lies in subcontinental Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Southeast Asia would also face more frequent, dangerous heat conditions, ...
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Police beacon prototypes on trial to enhance SPF operations in secluded areas
19Dec By Team FPNo Comments
Singapore, World

Police beacon prototypes on trial to enhance SPF operations in secluded areas

SINGAPORE: Authorities are rolling out trials for new standalone devices that allow people to contact the police remotely. Known as police beacons, two prototypes will go on trial for a year from this month, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) said in a joint news release on Friday (Dec 11). The prototypes will be deployed at the Punggol Waterway Park Connector and the Sengkang Riverside Park Connector. “The police beacon aims to enhance police presence, increase accessibility to emergency services and improve police response to those in need of police assistance in locations that are quieter and more secluded,” SPF and HTX said. The new police beacon is being trialled at Punggol Waterway Park Connector and Sengkang Riverside Park Conn...
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