Prince William awards the Earthshot Prize to 5 winners and credits the finalists for giving hope
An Indian maker of solar-powered dryers, a soil carbon marketplace and groups that work to make electric car batteries cleaner, restore Andean forests and deter illegal fishing were awarded the Earthshot Prize at a ceremony in Singapore.
Prince William says deeper global cooperation can win the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking
Britainโs Prince William says seven countries _ Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, Britain and the United States _ have committed at a wildlife summit to deepen their intelligence-sharing and other cooperation to combat money laundering by international gangs engaged in the illegal wildlife trade.
911 call shows bizarre circumstances of F-35 ejection: 'Not sure where the airplane is,' pilot says
A military pilot whose advanced fighter jet went temporarily missing over the weekend is heard repeatedly requesting an ambulance in a perplexing 911 call from the South Carolina home where he had parachuted to safety.
Gold, watches and other luxury items totaling $1.75B seized in Singapore money laundering scheme
Singapore police say they have uncovered more luxury watches, gold bars and other assets from a massive money laundering scheme that was busted last month, bringing the total amount of assets seized or frozen to $1.75 billion.
G20 finance chiefs meeting in India address global challenges like climate change and rising debt
Finance ministers from the Group of 20 nations meeting in India are set to address critical global economic challenges, including the threat posed by climate change and rising debt among low-income countries.
China defends buzzing American warship in Taiwan Strait, accuses US of provoking Beijing
Chinaโs defense minister has defended sailing a warship across the path of an American destroyer and Canadian frigate transiting the Taiwan Strait, telling a gathering of some of the worldโs top defense officials in Singapore that such so-called โfreedom of navigationโ patrols are a provocation to China.
One Good Thing: A Singapore skyline view for migrant workers
Migrant worker Natarajan Pandiarajan, right, enjoys the view on board the Singapore Flyer attraction in Singapore on March 7, 2021. He is among at least 20,000 migrant workers who will be treated to rides by members of the public and businesses. Migrant workers are getting a bird's eye view of Singapore, with the public's help. But the migrant workers riding the Singapore Flyer attraction did not mind. Migrant workers have accounted for most of Singapore's 60,000 reported cases.
Vaccinations start without rush in Australia, parts of Asia
Elsewhere in Asia, Thailand, which has seen only 83 virus deaths, has yet to start vaccinations. That is part of the Thai governmentโs plan that has so far secured 2 million doses from Sinovac and 61 million doses from AstraZeneca. AdVietnam, which has recorded 35 deaths, announced last week that it will receive 5 million vaccine doses by the end of February and hopes to start inoculations as early as the beginning of March. Cambodia, which has yet to report any virus deaths, received its first shipment of 600,000 vaccine doses from China on Feb. 7, part of 1 million doses Beijing donated. In Singapore, which has reported 29 virus deaths, some 250,000 residents, including healthcare workers and other front-line workers, had been vaccinated as of last week, according to health officials.
The Latest: 2 Chinese cities urge people to stay at home
Laura Kelly said Thursday that inmates will be vaccinated after health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. The governor warned Friday that initially, the supply of vaccines available to people other than health care workers and nursing home patients will be very limited. The announcement came as many local officials argued it was time to distribute the vaccine beyond health care workers. The governorโs plan came as the stateโs new COVID-19 cases continue to rise and ICU beds are nearly full. Shots also are still being given to health care workers, first responders and staff and residents at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
One company's quest for an antibody drug to fight COVID-19
(Regeneron via AP)On a Saturday afternoon in March as COVID-19 was bearing down on New York City, a dozen scientists anxiously crowded around a computer in a suburban drug companyโs lab. This was the start of a drug that would, eventually, go into the arms of a U.S. president and others fighting off COVID-19. Unlike chemicals that are simply mixed in a lab, antibodies are coaxed from living cells. Regeneronโs two-antibody drug is unique: One came from a COVID-19 survivor in Singapore and the other from the companyโs genetically modified mice. Blood from the mice and patients contains B cells, and each makes a specific antibody thatโs carried on its surface.
'External source' causes oil tanker blast off Saudi Arabia
The apparent attack on the oil tanker marks the fourth assault targeting Saudi energy infrastructure in a month. The attack on the Singapore-flagged BW Rhine, which had been contracted by the trading arm of the kingdom's massive Saudi Arabian Oil Co., marks the fourth assault targeting Saudi energy infrastructure in a month. The explosion comes after a mine exploded and damaged a ship off Saudi Arabia last month. Saudi Arabia recently accused the Houthis of dumping mines into the southern Red Sea, which could be carried toward Jiddah. A stepped-up campaign of drone-boat attacks deeper into the Red Sea likely would do the same.
Asian stocks rise ahead of US economic data amid virus fears
BEIJING โ Asian stocks rose Monday as investors looked ahead to quarterly U.S. economic data amid unease about anti-coronavirus curbs on business and wrangling over the American presidential election. Investors looked ahead to third-quarter U.S. economic growth data due out Wednesday after Wall Streetโs benchmark S&P 500 index ended last week down as rising infection numbers collided with optimism about a possible vaccine. He noted U.S. economic data are โbeginning to wobble a bit.โThe Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.6% to 3,397.32 while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 0.2% to 26,388.89. Those hopes have been tempered by the reality of the weeks or months required to test, produce and distribute a possible vaccine even if it is successful. Also Monday, Singapore revised up its third-quarter economic growth to a contraction of 5.8% over a year earlier, an improvement from the previous estimate of a 7% drop.
Spike in cases delays Singapore-Hong Kong travel bubble
HONG KONG โ Singapore and Hong Kong on Saturday postponed the start of an air travel bubble meant to boost tourism for both cities, citing a spike in infections in the Chinese territory as a โsober reminderโ of risks to public health. Hong Kong reported 43 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, including 13 untraceable local infections. Hong Kong has confirmed a total of 5,561 cases, including 108 deaths. Originally, only people landing in Hong Kong were to be required to be tested. But we think it is better to defer from a public health standpoint,โ he wrote.
Volunteers spend Sundays to help Singapore's less fortunate
Members of the volunteer group conduct weekend door-to-door visits to deliver goods or provide services to people in need. Singapore's partial lockdown as the coronavirus was spreading in April left her fretting over how the blind, bedridden and elderly living alone would cope. Her core team of volunteers met urgent needs โ plumbers, handymen and people who could dispense medicine or tap on government resources. The informal network she founded, Keeping Hope Alive, has toiled tirelessly for over two decades to reach Singaporeโs less fortunate in different neighborhoods. Once the residents' most-pressing needs were identified, the volunteers acted immediately โ installing bicycle bells on wheelchairs, trimming nails, cleaning bed bug-infested homes, and checking if household items need replacement.
Asia Today: Hong Kong, Singapore OK quarantine-free travel
Secretary for Food and Health, Sophia Chan, left, and other officials attend a press conference in Hong Kong Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. Hong Kong and Singapore will launch an air travel bubble at the end of the month, allowing travelers in both cities to visit the other without having to serve quarantine. The bubble will be suspended for two weeks if either Hong Kong or Singapore reports a seven-day moving average of more than five untraceable coronavirus infections, according to the Hong Kong government. โHong Kong and Singapore are similar in terms of epidemic control. However, the exemption from quarantine is only one-way, and Hong Kong residents travelling to the mainland must still serve 14 days of quarantine on arrival.
Asia Today: SKorea reports 110 cases, half in Busan hospital
South Korea reported on Thursday more than 100 new cases of the coronavirus, half of them linked to a hospital in Busan. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)SEOUL โ South Korea has reported 110 new cases of the coronavirus, half of them linked to a hospital in Busan. โ Australiaโs prime minister says his government is giving priority to reopening air services to Japan, Singapore and South Korea. He described Japan and South Korea as โtwo countries that have done particularly wellโ in dealing with the pandemic. Both Hong Kong and Singapore closed their borders earlier this year, banning short-term visitors from entering as they fought to reduce coronavirus infections.
Asia Today: September was India's worst month of pandemic
India is expected to become the coronavirus pandemic's worst-hit country within weeks, surpassing the United States. (AP Photo/R S Iyer)NEW DELHI โ India on Thursday reported 86,821 new coronaviruses cases and another 1,181 fatalities, making September its worst month of the pandemic. India is expected to become the pandemicโs worst-hit country within weeks, surpassing the United States, where more than 7.2 million people have been infected. The government also said India's 28 states can decide on reopening of schools and coaching institutions gradually after Oct. 15. However, evacuation flights will continue to and from the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Japan and several other countries.
The Latest: US extends ban on cruise ships through October
(AP Photo/YK Chan)WASHINGTON โ Federal health officials are extending the U.S. ban on cruise ships through the end of October amid reports of recent outbreaks of the new coronavirus on ships overseas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that it was extending a no-sail order on cruise ships with the capacity to carry at least 250 passengers. In the 24 hours since 10 a.m. Tuesday, the state reported 1,048 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 88,555. Oklahoma is in the red zone for virus cases, meaning 101 or more new cases per 100,000 population, with a rate of 201 new cases per 100,000. The number of reported coronavirus cases in the state increased by 980 on Wednesday and there were 13 additional deaths due to COVID-19, the health department said.
Police in one country are using drones to enforce social distancing
Police in Singapore have taken an extraordinary step to ensure people are following social distancing rules. In a 3 1/2-month trial, police have used 22-pound pilotless drones, developed by Israelโs Airobotics, as a way to enforce social distancing and contain the spread of COVID-19, according to Reuters. Airobotics CEO Ran Krauss told Reuters the company is simply helping police maintain normal operations, specifically related to COVID-19. โThe pandemic created a situation where it might be difficult for police to maintain,โ Krauss said. The trial continues on in the social distancing aspect, according to Airobotics, and Krauss said the company is in talks with other cities to deploy drones.
Pakistan warns TikTok video service, blocks Bigo Live app
ISLAMABAD Pakistan has threatened China's TikTok and blocked the Singapore-based Bigo Live streaming platform, citing what the regulating authority called widespread complaints about immoral, obscene and vulgar content on the apps. The move was promptly decried by Pakistani rights activists who saw it as a potential precursor to an even greater censorship in this conservative Muslim nation. In a statement, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority said the content on the two platforms could have extremely negative effects on the society in general and youth in particular, without elaborating. TikTok has especially grown in popularity among the country's young, which make up nearly 70% of the 220 million population, Ahmad said. The regulating authority insists the move is about content deemed offensive.
On summit anniversary, North Korea vows to build up military
FILE - In this June 12, 2018, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, in Singapore. On the two-year anniversary of the leaders first summit, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon said the North would never again gift Trump with high-profile meetings and concessions he could boast as foreign policy achievements unless it gets something substantial in return. But negotiations faltered after the United States rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of the Norths nuclear capabilities at Kims second summit with Trump in Vietnam in February 2019. The North in recent months conducted short-range missile tests while also dialing up pressure on South Korea. North Korea has suspended virtually all cooperation with South Korea in recent months while pressuring Seoul to defy U.S.-led international sanctions and restart inter-Korean economic projects that would breathe life into the Norths struggling economy.
The Latest: 3 more F1 races canceled because of virus
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___Formula One races in Azerbaijan, Singapore and Japan have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers say the long lead times required to construct street circuits in Singapore and Azerbaijan made it impossible to host those races during a period of uncertainty. The Japanese Grand Prix in October was canceled because of ongoing travel restrictions. F1 had already announced a revamped schedule that confirmed the first eight races of the 2020 season. It is planning to have from 15-18 races in total.
Singapore sentences drug suspect to death at Zoom hearing
KUALA LUMPUR Singapore sentenced a drug suspect to death at a court hearing held on the videoconferencing app Zoom because of the city-state's coronavirus lockdown, in a decision slammed by a human rights group as callous and inhumane. The Singapore court ruled that Genasan, 37, was involved in drug trafficking in October 2011. Singapore applies the death penalty to a range of offenses including drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, waging war against the government and use of firearms. Human Rights Watch said the death penalty is already cruel and inhumane, and the use of Zoom to announce it made it worse. Its death penalty adviser, Chiara Sangiorgio, said Singapore is only one of four countries that currently execute people for drug offenses.
Singapore overtakes US as world's most competitive economy
SINGAPORE - Singapore has knocked the United States out of the top spot in the World Economic Forum's annual competitiveness report. Singapore pushed the world's largest economy down to second place this year, with the Asian city state scoring top marks for its infrastructure, health, labor market and financial system. And while the United States lost out to Singapore overall, "it remains an innovation powerhouse," the report said. Singapore and Vietnam put up strong performances this year partly thanks to the US-China trade war. The report noted that the two Asian economies "appear to be benefiting from global trade tensions through trade diversion."
The world's best bar for 2019 revealed
New York's Dante in Greenwich Village has been named the world's top bar. NEW YORK - New York real estate may be plummeting, but there's one spot in Greenwich Village where space remains at a premium: Dante, a 104-year-old hostelry that's just been voted top of the World's 50 Best Bar list for 2019. "We could not be more honored to be named #1 World's Best Bar at the most prestigious of awards ceremony here in London," Linden Pride, owner of Dante, told CNN Travel. Masa Urushido's Katana Kitten, a Japanese-style bar in the West Village, helmed by Masa Urushido, was awarded Best New Opening. Singapore led the way in Asia, with six entries in all, including Atlas, named Best Bar in Asia.
Sebastian Vettel's win leaves Ferrari teammate frustrated
The German, who had started in third, benefited from a strange Ferrari strategy which saw him leapfrog teammate Charles Leclerc, who had begun in pole position. First of all big congratulations to the team," said Vettel, who said he was surprised to come out ahead of the field. Ferrari tensionDespite the race doing no favors for team cohesion, Ferrari can enjoy its first one-two since 2017. There were, however, no huge celebrations between its two drivers after the race with Leclerc still visibly frustrated with how it ended. Leclerc and Verstappen are both tied on points in third, 32 points further adrift.
Thick smog from Indonesian forest fires reaches hazardous levels
He added that "99% of the forest and land fires occurred due to human factors." Singapore and Malaysia have both choked in a dense haze all week as a result of the fires, with air quality reaching unhealthy levels. Schools in parts of Indonesia's smog-hit Sumatra and Borneo islands have also shut, with air quality considered "hazardous" to health in several areas. Hazardous levels of pollutionDuring Jokowi's visit to Pelalawan, air pollution exceeded 300 micrograms per cubic meter -- levels considered hazardous on the Air Quality Index (AQI), according to the country's Antara news agency. The unusually high AQI levels in the region have been linked to smoke from the Indonesian fires, according to the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC).
Top ten safest cities to visit in 2019
The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2019 Safe Cities Index (SCI) has ranked 60 destinations across the world in terms of their digital security, health security, infrastructure and personal safety. No big shocks there, these cities also made up the top three in the two previous SCI rankings, conducted in 2015 and 2017. While analyzing a city's resilience, the Safe Cities Index looked at the emergency services available in the city, transport facilities, catastrophe insurance, disaster-risk development and cyber-security preparedness. Cities don't have to be rich to be safe, the report says, although it acknowledges that cities in developing countries tend to appear lower down the list. The world's safest cities for 2019, according to SCI:1.
5 of the world's biggest economies at risk of recession
CNNNEW YORK - Five big economies are at risk of recession. "The common feature is the weak global backdrop," said Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics. The International Monetary Fund last month cut its forecast for global growth this year to 3.2%, the weakest rate of expansion since 2009. The bond market is flashing warning signs and more than a third of asset managers surveyed by Bank of America expect a global recession in the next 12 months. "All of this is consistent with our view that global growth is slowing rather than collapsing.
Singapore seizes tusks from 300 elephants
The ivory seizure is the largest ever made in Singapore. (CNN) - Singapore stopped a shipment of almost 9 tonnes (9.9 US tons) of ivory, the largest seizure of its kind in the nation's history. There were also 11.9 tonnes (13.1 US tons) of pangolin scales among the illicit cargo, the third such shipment to be intercepted in Singapore this year. Authorities say the ivory, with tusks from nearly 300 elephants, is worth $12.9 million; the pangolin scales, estimated to have been taken from around 2,000 Giant Ground Pangolins, would fetch around $35.7 million. The seizure takes the total weight of pangolin scales stopped in Singapore to 37.5 tonnes (41.3 US tons) in 2019 alone.