Singapore

Living with COVID; Singapore strategy raises concerns, hope

SINGAPORE (AP) — Living through the coronavirus pandemic in Singapore, Joys Tan followed the rules that helped the city-state keep its cases low: keeping her distance from others, wearing a mask and getting herself vaccinated.

Nobody in her family had contracted the virus, and it was with confidence that she had dinner at her godmother’s house earlier this month, even with infections rising rapidly, fueled by the delta variant, as the government pushed ahead with a strategy of “living with COVID” as an endemic disease with a gradual relaxation of restrictions.

Russia and ASEAN will focus efforts on digital transformation amid pandemic

SINGAPORE, September 15. /TASS/: Russia and the member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) intend to focus on trade and investment cooperation, digital transformation, and sustainable development, an official at the headquarters of the regional bloc of the organization told TASS on Wednesday.

This provides for a roadmap for trade and investment cooperation between Russia and ASEAN for the period 2021-2025. The changes to the roadmap were approved following the results of the 10th meeting of the ministers.

Top Chinese, Singapore officials meet to reaffirm ties

SINGAPORE (AP) — China’s top diplomat met Tuesday in Singapore with the wealthy city-state’s prime minister, reaffirming the importance of trade and diplomatic ties between the two countries.

In a Facebook post, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he had a “productive and candid” discussion with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi covering international and regional developments.

“Singapore welcomes China’s continued contribution in our part of the world, and will continue working with China to build a more harmonious and peaceful world,” Lee wrote.

Covid-19: 755 travellers from Germany, Brunei received Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Passes – CAAS

SINGAPORE, Sept 3 (NNN-CNA) — A total of 735 people from Germany and 20 from Brunei Darussalam have received Vaccinated Travel Passes to come to Singapore on the first day of application, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Thursday (Sep 2).  

As of Wednesday at 11.59pm, 301 of the passes issued for Germany were to short-term visitors and 434 to long-term pass holders.

For Brunei, 18 were issued to short-term visitors and two to long-term pass holders, said CAAS in the media statement. 

The passes are for travel between Sept 8 and Oct 7.

Singapore: Politics has no place in COVID-19 origins tracing, says WHO chief scientist

SINGAPORE, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chief scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO) Soumya Swaminathan has called for an evidence-based global scientific effort to understand COVID-19 origins, a Singaporean media outlet reported.

"I think politics has absolutely no place in this because the science behind this is going to be important for all of us, regardless of which country we live in," said Swaminathan in an interview with CAN, an English-language news channel based in Singapore on Aug. 23.

Asian stocks mixed ahead of possible Fed guidance

SINGAPORE (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed Friday as investors awaited more guidance on the U.S. Federal Reserve’s easing plans.

The moves in Asia follow a pullback on Wall Street after the deadly attacks on Afghan civilians and U.S. troops at the Kabul airport on Thursday.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 lost 0.3% to 27,651.51 while the Kospi in South Korea added 0.3% to 3,139.00. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong was 0.6% higher at 25,559.56.

USA: Harris rebukes China in major speech on Indo-Pacific

SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a sharp rebuke to China for its incursions in the South China Sea, warning its actions there amount to “coercion” and “intimidation” and affirming that the U.S. will support its allies in the region against Beijing’s advances.

Harris meets with Singapore officials to begin Asia visit

SINGAPORE (AP) — The White House on Monday announced a series of new agreements with Singapore aimed at combating cyberthreats, tackling climate change, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and alleviating supply chain issues. The announcements coincide with Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to the region, as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to counter Chinese influence there.

Asian stocks retreat on lack of direction from Fed, pandemic

SINGAPORE (AP) — Asian stock markets retreated Thursday after U.S. central bank policymakers made no firm decision on when to unwind their support measures for the economy.

Regional indices tracked losses on Wall Street. The lack of a directive from the Federal Reserve fueled worries over surging coronavirus infections caused by the delta variant, and the pandemic’s impact on consumer spending and jobs growth.

World stocks up with eye on economic releases

SINGAPORE (AP) — World stocks mostly rose Friday ahead of more economic releases that could hint at how the delta variant is affecting growth.

France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.2% to 6,895.50, while the DAX in Germany added 0.3% to 15,985.45. Britain’s FTSE 100 picked up 0.4% to 7,223.49 in early trading.

Wall Street was set for a muted open. Futures for the broad S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, to 4,457.50 and 35,437.00 respectively. Both indices had closed at record highs for the third-straight day on Thursday.

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