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US V-P Kamala Harris welcomed at Istana, to hold press conference with PM Lee Hsien Loong

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1 minute

SINGAPORE - The Star-Spangled Banner played as United States Vice-President Kamala Harris was formally welcomed to the Istana by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday morning (Aug 23). The marching band then played Singapore's national anthem, Majulah Singapura, before both leaders inspected the guard of honour. They then entered the 152-year-old building, where Ms Harris was presented with a spray of orchids named after her in a trademark show of Singapore's orchid diplomacy. The hybrid plant, named the Papilionanda Kamala Harris, has light purplish pink flowers, adorned with prominent pink spots and tessellations and a magenta lip. Following this, Ms Harris paid a call on President Halimah Yacob and then had a private meeting with PM Lee. Ms Harris and her delegation will also meet a delegation of Singapore ministers at the Istana before the Vice-President holds a joint press conference with PM Lee. More on this topic Related Story A warm welcome to Kamala Harris Related Story US V-P Kamala Harris to meet President Halimah and PM Lee during visit to S'pore

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MOH to track sale of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccination slots, take action if needed

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Enforcement action will be taken against people who exploit others by selling their Sinovac-CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccination slots. Responding to queries from The Straits Times on Sunday (Aug 22), a spokesman at the Ministry of Health (MOH) said: "Individuals with booking slots should not exploit the situation and take advantage of people who want to be vaccinated." MOH said it will watch out for any such acts of selling vaccination slots and "will proceed to take enforcement action where warranted". Last Wednesday, checks by ST found four bidders on consumer e-marketplace Carousell offering between $50 and $80 to buy the slots. One of the bidders said his family member is unable to receive messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna vaccines, under the national vaccination programme due to a medical reason. The Sinovac vaccine is not included in Singapore's national vaccination programme. MOH said it has not received any complaints related to the online posts. It is unclear if any transaction has taken place. Under the Special Access Route framework, the Government has allocated 170,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine to 31 ...

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Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Aug 23

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2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Monday, Aug 23. US Vice-President Kamala Harris kicks off 3-day visit to S'pore She will be here until Tuesday afternoon, when she will head to Vietnam before departing the region on Thursday. READ MORE HERE 2 more people in S'pore die of Covid-19 complications They are the 11th and 12th people to have died of Covid-19 complications in August. READ MORE HERE Finding the true global toll of the Covid-19 pandemic Experts estimate that actual Covid-19 deaths could be over 10 times the published numbers. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news JTC cordons off area around industrial building in Bedok after parts of concrete roof fall Work is under way to remove some concrete pieces that are still dangling from the roof of the four-storey building. READ MORE HERE Why your newspaper is late A major disruption to SPH’s IT system on Sunday held up our newsroom’s online operations and print production process for most of the day. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. READ MORE HERE Malaysian PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob invites rival leaders to join Covid-19 effort In his maiden spe...

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US Vice-President Kamala Harris arrives in Singapore

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2 minutes

SINGAPORE - United States Vice-President Kamala Harris touched down in Singapore on Sunday (Aug 22) and kicked off an official visit to South-east Asia - her first outside the Americas since being sworn into office in January. Ms Harris arrived on Air Force Two at about 10.50am at Paya Lebar Air Base. She will be in Singapore until Tuesday afternoon, when she will head to Vietnam before departing the region on Thursday. She was received at the airbase by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. Ms Harris was accompanied by more than 20 staff and security officers. All of them were wearing face masks, in line with Covid-19 safe management measures. Last Thursday, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said Ms Harris will be subject to regular Covid-19 testing and a controlled itinerary to keep her visit to Singapore safe. Ms Harris, who left the US on Saturday, remained on board Air Force Two when it stopped in Anchorage, Alaska, to refuel and Japanese capital Tokyo, said the White House. Ms Harris, 56, will begin a flurry of formal engagements on Monday with a call on President Halimah Yacob at the Istana, followed by a meeting and joint press conference with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. An o...

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Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Aug 22

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2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, Aug 22. NDP 2021: A parade to lift spirits The show featured virtual dance routines, video clips and animated films that tugged at the heartstrings. Also, check out the photo gallery in this newsletter. READ MORE HERE Why the surge in Covid-19 deaths in S'pore, and what it means for the future The short answer is the Delta variant, which is now infecting people in the community here, says senior health correspondent Salma Khalik. READ MORE HERE Covid-19 hits Hougang Avenue 8 again but experts say such outbreaks are the new normal The cluster, which has grown to eight cases, involves a Giant supermarket in Block 683. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Singapore's Covid-19 travel lane with Germany: Should you go? ST assesses pandemic life in the European powerhouse to help you decide. READ MORE HERE Demands from backers dim hopes of PM Ismail picking a 'pandemic Cabinet' He faces the immediate and daunting task of bringing a worsening outbreak under control. READ MORE HERE Don't demonise the vaccine-hesitant Create space for more conversations to understand the...

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Why the surge in Covid-19 deaths in S’pore, and what it means for the future

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12 minutes

SINGAPORE - Ten people have died from Covid-19 this month, even as more than three in four people here have been fully vaccinated. Against this, we had 37 deaths between January last year, when Covid-19 arrived in Singapore, and July 2021. Over that period, more than 64,000 people were diagnosed with the disease. So why has the number of deaths surged, even as vaccination rates here have gone up? The short answer is the Delta variant. This variant, which is now infecting people in the community here, spreads two to four times more easily compared with the original wild-type virus. People who are infected with the Delta variant have very much higher viral loads, and vaccines do not work as well against it, though they do still give fairly high levels of protection. Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the National University of Singapore Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said: "The surge in deaths is because more people are getting infected in Singapore, given the outbreaks we had in July that regrettably happened in community locations such as wet markets that are frequented by seniors." Added Professor Dale Fisher, a senior infectious diseases consultant at the National University...

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S’pore doctor who worked in Afghanistan for 18 years worries for friends there

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4 minutes

SINGAPORE - In March last year, Dr Wee Teck Young left Afghanistan for Singapore after almost 18 years in the country. But he has continued to stay in touch with friends there, and of the 40 people he has been messaging regularly since the Taleban retook Kabul last Sunday, only a few have dared to leave their homes. "So many people there are petrified. They are afraid that someone will kill them, or kill their family," said Dr Wee on Wednesday. The 52-year-old doctor moved to the Bamiyan province in Afghanistan in 2004 to provide healthcare and other volunteer work for an international public health non-governmental organisation. He moved to Kabul about seven years later. Dr Wee became such a part of the local community that they named him Hakim, which means local doctor. Dr Wee, who is single, came back here when the pandemic began, to be closer to his parents and because the outbreak of the disease in Kabul made it unsafe to remain. But not a day goes by that he does not think of the friends he left behind. He tries to provide them emotional support through voice and video calls on secure channels. "At least with the Internet, we get to stay connected," he said. One of his friend...

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Green vehicles add power to the fight against climate change

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7 minutes

Nearly a million vehicles ply Singapore’s roads today, releasing around 6.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2)-equivalent each year, over a tenth of the city-state’s total emissions. Less than 0.5 per cent of these are electric vehicles (EVs). But momentum is building for a green transport revolution. By 2040, Singapore aims to have driven all vehicles running on fossil fuels through an internal combustion engine (ICEs) off the road. Given the 10-year certificates of entitlement, this means from 2030, all new cars will have to run on cleaner energy. They will have to be either electric, hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell ones. And diesel cars and taxis — which emit the, even more, pollutive PM2.5 — will not be sold from 2025. Singapore is clearly pushing hard to boost the use of electric vehicles. Last year, it had a target to have 28,000 EV charging points around the island by 2030, which doubled to 60,000 earlier this year. What is driving the shift? Singapore is not alone in its drive to push EV adoption, but it has lagged behind other global cities over the past decade. Norway’s Oslo, for example, went from 75 per cent of new private vehicle sales being diesel in 2010 to 75 per c...

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Singapore contributes 100,000 doses of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine to Brunei

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1 minute

SINGAPORE - Singapore has contributed 100,000 doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine to Brunei, as part of bilateral efforts to tackle the pandemic. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday (Aug 21) in a statement that Singapore High Commissioner to Brunei Heng Aik Yeow handed over the vaccines to Brunei Health Minister Mohd Isham Jaafar on Thursday. "This contribution is part of both governments' intent to deepen cooperation and extend mutual support to combat this pandemic together," said the ministry. Singapore has met its target to have 70 per cent of the population fully vaccinated by National Day on Aug 9. As at Friday, 77 per cent of the nation's population have received both doses. Around 27 per cent of Brunei's population of around 433,000 people have been vaccinated as at Aug 17, according to statistics from Reuters. More on this topic Related Story Changi Foundation, airport partners donate 1,380 oxygen concentrators to Indonesia to fight Covid-19

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S’pore’s National Day Parade 2021: What to expect and how to catch it live

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The postponed National Day Parade will be held on Saturday (Aug 21), starting at 6.05pm. The parade and ceremony segment will feature the popular fighter jet aerial displays and the landing of Red Lions parachutists, while the show segment will focus on the Singapore Spirit in a display of the country's identity, resilience and can-do attitude. The parade will be live-streamed on the official NDPeeps Facebook and YouTube accounts. This year's show - helmed by creative director Boo Junfeng - has been kept under wraps, without the usual national education shows and previews that were previously open to the public. It will be hosted by Joakim Gomez, Eswari Gunasagar, Fauzie Laily and Patricia Mok, and feature about 600 live performers - a mere 30 per cent of the cast size at the last NDP held at the Marina Bay floating platform in 2018. Stars who will perform include Inch Chua, Alemay Fernandez, Mandopop duo The Freshman (comprising Carrie Yeo and Chen Diya), Benjamin Kheng, Nick Zavior and Yung Raja. This year's theme song, The Road Ahead, will be performed by singers Linying, Sezairi Sezali, Shabir Tabare Alam and Shye-Anne Brown. There are two other original NDP songs t...

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Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Aug 21

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2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Saturday, Aug 21. Unvaccinated 82-year-old S'porean dies of Covid-19; 10th death in August Two new clusters were also uncovered - one of them is at a FairPrice supermarket in Kallang Bahru, with four cases. READ MORE HERE The race for home-grown Covid-19 vaccines The Straits Times sizes up some of Asia's leading vaccine candidates that are undergoing clinical trials. READ MORE HERE Malaysia's fight against corruption seen tied to new PM Ismail Sabri's political strength Several Umno leaders, who are backing Mr Ismail's candidacy as PM, are facing a raft of graft cases. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news A warming Earth: What does it mean for life in the Lion City? The UN climate science body's latest report has sounded the alarm bells for humanity. How will climate change affect S'pore? READ MORE HERE UN climate report: How much hotter can it get in Singapore in your lifetime? Find out what Singapore is doing about climate extremes and other key challenges flagged by the UN IPCC report. READ MORE HERE S'pore will stay open to the world, continue to welcome foreign co...

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Covid-19 vaccine by Arcturus and Singapore’s Duke-NUS in phase 2 trials

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4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Three different Covid-19 messenger RNA vaccines which may have reduced side effects when administered are being developed with Singapore's involvement in their clinical trials. Developed by United States-firm Arcturus Therapeutics, the three vaccine candidates can be given at a much lower dose than the mRNA vaccines now available - such as those by Pfizer and Moderna - because of the "self-amplifying" mRNA technology they use. Each dose of the Arcturus vaccine contains five micrograms of vaccine, compared to 30 mcg in the Pfizer vaccine and 100 mcg in the Moderna vaccine. The first vaccine, known as ARCT-021, targets the wildtype, or original Sars-CoV-2 virus, and was developed together with the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. Local phase two trials, administered by SingHealth's Investigational Medicine Unit, are still ongoing. The two newer vaccines - ARCT-154 and ARCT-165 - target the four variants of concern, Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. The local clinical trials will evaluate the vaccines' safety and immune response against the variants, and as possible booster shots for people who have received the Pfizer vaccines, said Associate Professor Jenny Low, the uni...

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Students’ artwork on display at exhibition to mark National Day

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The creative works of more than 400 schoolchildren have been put up at the National Museum of Singapore to commemorate National Day through stories of the Covid-19 pandemic and the country's history. This is a selection from some 120,000 entries submitted by the public and 170 schools, with pledges and wishes for the nation, to go into a digital time capsule that is on display. Gallery organiser Our Heart For Singapore (OHFSG) had asked contributors to write and draw about their experiences during the pandemic, or after speaking to seniors in the community about the challenges they have faced over the years. Members of the public can visit the exhibition - which comprises a photo wall and a display of selected entries - for free. Using their mobile devices, visitors can register to take part in a roughly 45-minute challenge that encourages them to browse through the exhibition to finish tasks. Many students submitted drawings of their favourite local delicacies, locations, or their impressions of Singapore in the past based on the experiences of seniors they spoke to. Inez Chai, a Secondary 2 student from CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School, said her grandmother told her abo...

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Singapore High Commissioner to the UK rebuts Economist article on race relations in Singapore

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3 minutes

SINGAPORE - An Economist article on race relations and racial harmony in Singapore has drawn a rebuttal from Mr Lim Thuan Kuan, Singapore's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. In a letter published on the magazine's website, Mr Lim stated that readers of the article titled Imperfect Harmony would not have guessed that Singapore was born as an independent country precisely because its leaders refused to countenance a political arrangement based on the dominance of one race. He added that, having separated from Malay-majority Malaysia in 1965, the easiest path for founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his colleagues would have been to base their political legitimacy on the Chinese majority in Singapore. "Rather, against the odds and with great courage, they insisted on building a multiracial polity." Mr Lim was responding to the article published on July 31, which said that Chinese chauvinism has deep roots in Singapore, and characterised tensions between the races here as having "simmered for decades". The Economist wrote that minorities here are marginalised, that successive Prime Ministers having been Chinese, and that Chinese privilege continues to be sustained. "The gove...

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Former addicts, experts discuss substance abuse on National Addictions Awareness Day

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4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Mr Thomas Koh turned to alcohol and drugs as a teenager to cope with family violence and childhood abuse. Now 46, he began abusing drugs at 15 as an easy way to escape the traumatic home environment. The addiction lasted into his late thirties and affected his marriage as well as his relationship with his siblings. He said: "What started off as recreational use of drugs later became a daily occurrence. By my late thirties, I had hit my lowest point. I had health issues and faced bankruptcy and divorce. I contemplated suicide but I could not bring myself to do it. I wanted to live." With support from a family member, Mr Koh took his first step towards recovery by admitting himself to a hospital for treatment to overcome his addiction. Mr Koh is paying it forward as an assistant counsellor at the National Addictions Management Service (Nams) at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). He told his story in a virtual talk show on Friday (Aug 20), during an event for National Addictions Awareness Day. The National Addictions Awareness Day aims to raise awareness about addictions and promote science-based intervention for recovery. Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthu...

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Former SMRT employee and two others charged in corruption cases involving over $54,000

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2 minutes

SINGAPORE - While working as an assistant buyer for SMRT, a 43-year-old man allegedly took bribes of more than $54,000. Soh Choon Heng was one of three individuals charged with corruption on Friday (Aug 20). The other two, from whom Soh is said to have taken bribes, are Yong Ming Jun, 39, and Wong King Mooi, 47. Soh and Yong are Singaporeans and Wong is a Malaysian. Yong was the director of Euro Bremse, a company selling and supplying motor vehicle spare parts and accessories, at the time of the alleged offences. Wong was then the director of CEE Technologies, a company dealing with electrical works. Soh, now described as a former SMRT employee, is said to have got at least $24,450 in bribes from Yong between 2016 and last year. He is also accused of receiving at least $28,700 in bribes from Wong between 2017 and 2019. The bribes from both Yong and Wong were allegedly given to Soh as a reward for providing them with information on quotations made to SMRT by other vendors. Soh allegedly received at least $900 in bribes from another individual, Lee Won Jong, in 2015 for a similar act. Court documents state that Lee was the director of Alturan at that time. An online search shows the ...

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Landscape workers to see annual wages rise by 6.3% on average under Progressive Wage Model

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6 minutes

SINGAPORE - Landscape maintenance workers will see their minimum basic wages rise by 6.3 per cent a year on average, over six years, after proposals by a tripartite committee on the landscape industry wage ladder were accepted by the Government on Friday (Aug 20). The wage increases will take effect over six years from July 1, 2023, and benefit more than 3,000 Singaporean and permanent resident landscape workers across 358 companies. They are also more than double the 3 per cent annual wage increases previously recommended in 2018 under the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for the industry, that were subject to review. This means a landscape worker, who currently earns a base wage of $1,550, would see this increase to $1,650 next July, after a $100 pay hike announced in 2018 . With the latest increases, the same worker's base wage will rise to $1,750 in 2023 and reach $2,385 in 2028. The PWM is a ladder that sets out minimum pay and training requirements for workers at different skill levels. It is part of efforts to ensure that wages of Singapore workers increase along with the skills, productivity and job responsibilities of employees in the sector. The new set of wage increases were...

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2 men to be charged for breaching SHN requirements

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2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Two men will be charged in court on Friday (Aug 20) for breaching their stay-home notice (SHN) requirements and thereby exposing others to the risk of Covid-19 infection. On April 30, Thanasegaran Elancharan, 26, and Yeo Ee Kai, 25, arrived in Singapore from the Dominican Republic and were served with SHNs from April 30 to May 21. The two Singaporeans were each informed by an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer that they were not allowed to leave their individual rooms in the dedicated facility or have visitors for the duration of their SHN. The two men were subsequently brought to the same dedicated facility in Orchard and assigned different rooms to serve their SHN. On May 11, Thanasegaran allegedly left his room on several occasions and was found loitering in the common corridor without wearing a face mask. The two men also allegedly agreed for Thanasegaran to visit Yeo in the latter's room. Yeo allowed him to enter his room, with Thanasegaran remaining there for about 1½ hours. Those who breach SHN requirements are liable to prosecution under the Infectious Diseases Act, the Infectious Diseases (Covid-19 - Stay Orders) Regulations 2020, or both. Firs...

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MOM reviewing advisory on Covid-19 vaccination for workers; aim is for more to be vaccinated

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2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Covid-19 vaccination guidelines for workers are being reviewed, with the aim to get more people protected against the coronavirus. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) told The Straits Times that it is reviewing an advisory issued last month, which states that employers may make vaccination a requirement for staff in higher-risk settings. MOM said on Thursday (Aug 19) that it is finalising the updated advisory which will be issued soon. "In light of the (Covid-19) multi-ministry task force announcements on the vaccinate or regular test regime in selected sectors, the tripartite partners are reviewing the advisory, with a view to further drive up vaccination rates so that our workplaces remain safe," said a spokesman. MOM was responding to queries following budget carrier Jetstar Asia's announcement that it will require all staff to be vaccinated by Oct 1. Under the earlier advisory released on July 2, MOM, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) had said that employers should not make Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for staff. They may, however, make vaccination a requirement at the point of recruitment or advertisement ...

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Singapore navy takes part in naval exercise to boost regional maritime security against terrorism, piracy

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2 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has joined 20 other countries in a naval exercise led by the United States Navy as part of efforts to beef up regional responses against maritime terrorism and piracy threats in South-east Asia. The 10-day exercise, which will end on Friday (Aug 20), features simulated drills, such as ship-boarding in the waters of the straits of Malacca and Singapore, and the South China Sea. The exercise, which started in 2002, is in its 20th edition. This year's exercise comprises a three-day maritime security webinar followed by a sea phase. The webinar brought together experts to discuss and exchange best practices to deal with maritime security threats in South-east Asia. The at-sea components of the sea phase were coordinated through the combined exercise headquarters set up at the Changi Command and Control Centre in RSS Singapura-Changi Naval Base. Noting the transnational nature of maritime threats, the RSN's Information Fusion Centre (IFC) and its attached international liaison officers led the exchange of real-time information sharing in order to coordinate the operational responses of participating aircraft and ships out at sea. Establis...