Singapore

Singapore’s foray into space: Boldly going where no little red dot has gone before
1Nov By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, Singapore, World

Singapore’s foray into space: Boldly going where no little red dot has gone before

The efforts of the country’s budding space industry are giving the Republic a larger stake in the space race than many people may think. The programme Why It Matters looks at the opportunities and obstacles. SINGAPORE: Over the past four years, Singapore-based start-up Transcelestial has made a device called Centauri, about the size of a shoe box. Its aim: To provide internet connectivity that is around 1,000 times faster, or more, than now. It just needs to connect to a satellite using laser communications — no, make that a global satellite network the company wants to put into space. Working from home at the speed of light, however, “isn’t even scratching the surface of the capability” of laser-linked satellites, says Transcelestial co-founder Rohit Jha. He is looking into connec...
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Thailand planning land and rail passageway, bypassing congested Strait of Malacca
30Sep By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, Singapore

Thailand planning land and rail passageway, bypassing congested Strait of Malacca

Discussions are underway in Thailand to construct two deep seaports on both sides of the country’s southern coast, which would be linked via rail and highway in hopes to shorten shipping time by bypassing the busy Strait of Malacca with a 100-kilometre highway and railway passageway.The latest proposal replaces the Kra Canal plan, which has been dropped on environmental grounds. That plan would have seen a canal crossing the skinniest point of the country, through the Isthmus of Kra just south of Phuket and Krabi, chopping around 1,200 kilometres off the shipping journey.The new project is expected to reduce shipping time by 2 days by bypassing the Strait of Malacca, which runs along Peninsular Malaysia’s south-west coast, before curving east past Singapore.However, the passageway is notor...
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Thailand studies Malacca bypass to link Indian and Pacific oceans
29Sep By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, Singapore

Thailand studies Malacca bypass to link Indian and Pacific oceans

With the Strait of Malacca becoming busier day by day, Thailand is looking of a way to construct a land passageway that would connect the Indian and Pacific Oceans, bypassing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.The Strait of Malacca is a narrow sea lane between Malaysia and Singapore and is currently the shortest sea route linking the Asia-Pacific region with India and the Middle East. About a quarter of the world’s traded goods pass through it each year.“The Strait has become quite congested,” Transport Minister Saksiam Chidchob said in an interview.“Using an alternative route through Thailand would cut shipping time by more than two days, which is very valuable for businesses,” he said.Thailand plans to build two deep seaports on either side of the country’s southern coasts, and li...
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Developer says ‘New City’ on Thai-Myanmar border part of BRI, despite China’s denials
29Sep By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Singapore, World

Developer says ‘New City’ on Thai-Myanmar border part of BRI, despite China’s denials

The Chinese developer of a “new city” project on the Myanmar-Thai border has insisted the project is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), despite the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar denying the claims.The project in Karen State, known locally as the Shwe Kokko New City after the village where it is located, was launched in 2017 by Yatai International Holdings Group (YIHG) after the company signed a deal with a local ethnic Karen armed group, the Border Guard Force (BGF).Locals have criticised the project over what they see as a lack of transparency, as well as confusion over the scale of construction and a growing influx of Chinese migrants. Also, suspicions have been aroused over possible illicit activity and concerns about the social impacts of casino businesses.From the beginning,...
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102 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, including 4 seamen and 4 unlinked community cases
6Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

102 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, including 4 seamen and 4 unlinked community cases

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 102 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Thursday (Aug 13), including five in the community and six imported infections, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). This brings Singapore's total number of cases to 55,497, with fatalities remaining at 27. Four of the imported COVID-19 cases reported on Thursday are seafarers who arrived in Singapore on a vessel from India on Aug 8. The four Philippine nationals, who are special pass holders, are also linked to another Filipino seafarer reported in Wednesday's update. The four men, aged between 24 and 33, had not disembarked from the vessel after arriving in Singapore, said MOH. They reported having symptoms between Aug 9 and 12 and were swabbed while on the vessel, where they had remained until their test results c...
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COVID-19 brings three-decade economic boom to a sudden halt in Vietnam
5Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
Market, Singapore, World

COVID-19 brings three-decade economic boom to a sudden halt in Vietnam

For the past three decades, Vietnam has known only good — or great — economic news. The nation’s consistent growth as an exporter, propelled by Communist leaders who began embracing market-oriented policies in the late 1980s, pushed many into the middle class. The coronavirus pandemic changed all that. With garment companies seeing orders slashed and other sectors hit with sudden export declines, Vietnam’s workers are enduring the downside of being tethered to the global economy. The economic slowdown in the U.S. and other markets Vietnam depends on for growth is being felt on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, as well as in villages and tourist centers. Le Thi Hoa, who sells pineapple and mango slices outside Ho Chi Minh City’s Ben Thanh Market in the heart of the commercial hub...
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Names of employers suspected of discriminatory hiring practices should be released: NTUC’s Patrick Tay
4Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

Names of employers suspected of discriminatory hiring practices should be released: NTUC’s Patrick Tay

SINGAPORE: The names of companies that are potentially biased in their hiring processes should be released, said a union leader, after the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that 47 firms have been placed on its Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) watchlist. On Wednesday (Aug 5), MOM released a statement saying that 47 employers had been placed on its watchlist of companies believed to have discriminatory hiring practices. The ministry did not name the companies. Most of them are from financial and professional services sectors, while the remaining come from a variety of sectors including those in administrative and support services, manufacturing and education firms as well. In a statement on Friday, the National Trades Union Congress’ assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay said t...
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COVID-19 has prompted stimulus measures, but Southeast Asian governments may be missing the chance to go green: Experts
4Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, Singapore, USA, World

COVID-19 has prompted stimulus measures, but Southeast Asian governments may be missing the chance to go green: Experts

Governments around the world are injecting money into their respective economies amid the pandemic. In Southeast Asia though, analysis shows little of those funds are being earmarked for green projects. BANGKOK: Earlier this month, a group of diplomats, politicians and journalists gathered at the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok to discuss an issue of global importance - how to manage a green recovery from COVID-19. This year was meant to be a critical year, they argued, for tackling climate change, where big decisions would be made and transformative policies imagined to avoid future calamity. Instead, they noted that major climate conferences had been postponed and a crisis of potentially staggering magnitude had drifted back to being tomorrow’s problem. The event, hosted by the em...
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Ships carrying ammonium nitrate to Singapore, port storage facilities inspected as part of regulations: MPA
4Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
Singapore, World

Ships carrying ammonium nitrate to Singapore, port storage facilities inspected as part of regulations: MPA

The dangers of the explosive material have been in the spotlight since the Beirut blast on Aug 4 which killed more than 170 people. SINGAPORE: Ships passing through Singapore ports occasionally carry ammonium nitrate, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Wednesday (Aug 12) as it outlined how the explosive chemical is regulated for safety. Vessels carrying ammonium nitrate have to inform port authorities of their cargo before arrival. They will only be able to unload or store the material when approval is given, MPA said in response to queries from CNA. "MPA carries out inspections on-board vessels to ensure that regulations are being complied with," it added. The dangers of ammonium nitrate have been in the spotlight since Aug 4 when 2,750 tonnes of the ch...
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Commentary: Singapore needs better public opinion polls to sharpen focus for national agenda
3Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, Singapore, World

Commentary: Singapore needs better public opinion polls to sharpen focus for national agenda

In a world of rapid seismic changes, we would need regular, published polls on public sentiments regarding policy matters to understand emerging gaps, says SUSS’ Leong Chan-Hoong. SINGAPORE: A new Cabinet was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday (Jul 25), with key ministries shored up with new faces from this election that would bring to bear their experience in public engagement and from the private sector. The new Cabinet has their job cut out for them. Singapore is now in the throes of a worldwide economic recession. COVID-19 has disrupted our strategic advantage in aviation, tourism and as a regional business hub. Gross domestic product (GDP) has contracted by 0.3 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020, while the second quarter saw a deeper dec...
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