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HONG KONG – A Hong Kong court on Jan 29 ordered China Evergrande Group, the world’s most indebted developer, to be liquidated.
The move could send shockwaves through already-fragile Chinese capital and property markets. Such a process could be complicated, with potential political considerations, given the many authorities involved.
What happens after the order to liquidate?
Once a liquidation order is issued, a provisional liquidator and then an official liquidator will be appointed to take control and prepare to sell the developer’s assets to repay its debts.
The liquidators could propose a new debt restructuring plan to offshore creditors holding US$23 billion (S$30.8 billion) of debt in Evergrande if they determine the company had enough assets or if a white knight investor appeared. They would also investigate the company’s affairs and could refer any suspected misconduct by directors to Hong Kong prosecutors.
Evergrande could appeal a liquidation order, but the liquidation process would proceed pending appeal.
Shares in Evergrande and its listed subsidiaries were suspended from trading after the liquidation order. Listing rules require a company to demonstrate a business structure with sufficient operations and asset values.
How much might creditors recover?
Evergrande cited a Deloitte analysis during a Hong Kong court hearing in July that estimated a recovery rate of 3.4 per cent if the developer were liquidated.
However, after Evergrande said in September its flagship unit and its chairman Hui Ka Yan were being investigated by the authorities for unspecified crimes, creditors now expect a recovery rate of less than 3 per cent.
Evergrande’s dollar bonds were bid at around one cent on the dollar on Jan 26.
Most of Evergrande’s assets have been sold or seized by creditors, leaving its two units listed in Hong Kong – Evergrande Property Services Group and Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group. Their combined market capitalisation had dropped to US$973 million as at Jan 26.
A liquidator could sell Evergrande’s holdings in the two units, although it might be difficult to find buyers.
After a liquidation, the liquidator could take control of Evergrande’s subsidiaries across mainland China by replacing their legal representatives one by one, a process that could take months or years.
Insolvency experts said it would be a challenge for the liquidator to change the representatives as Guangzhou, where Evergrande is based, is not one of the three Chinese cities that mutually recognise liquidation orders with Hong Kong.
Even if a liquidator were to take possession of the units that have onshore projects, many of these have already been taken over by creditors, frozen by courts, have little value left or are even in negative equity because of falling property prices.
How big a blow is this to China’s property market?
While a winding-up of the developer, with US$240 billion of assets, would send shockwaves through already-fragile capital markets, experts said it would not offer a blueprint on how liquidation might unfold for other embattled developers.
Given the sheer size of Evergrande’s projects and debt, the process would involve many authorities and political considerations.
Completing ongoing home construction projects will be a top priority for the company, the sector and the government. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/business/what-happens-next-after-china-evergrande-ordered-to-wind-up
| 2024-01-29T04:59:20Z
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SINGAPORE – Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has received approval from the authorities to develop a fourth tower, paving the way for a planned expansion of the integrated resort to be carried out.
According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) data for commercial projects with development approvals as at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, MBS was given the green light for a hotel and retail development next to its current three towers on an empty plot that is flanked by Bayfront Avenue, Sheares Avenue and Sheares Link.
URA’s data, released on Jan 26, indicates that the new tower will have 153,100 sq m of hotel space over 587 rooms and 12,185 sq m of retail space.
MBS previously announced in April 2019 that its fourth tower would house 1,000 all-suite rooms.
Asked about the discrepancy in room numbers, MBS declined to give more information.
The integrated resort, which opened in April 2010, currently has a gross floor area of 581,400 sq m, including about 1,850 rooms and suites and about 74,000 sq m of retail and dining space.
On Jan 24, parent company Las Vegas Sands (LVS) said in its earnings presentation for the fourth quarter of 2023 that “the budget and timing of the MBS expansion are subject to revision based upon the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and other factors”.
LVS added that project costs are expected to “meaningfully exceed” the initial US$3.3 billion (S$4.5 billion) estimates – inclusive of land – that were made in 2019, due to “inflation, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, higher labour and material costs, and other factors”.
Design, development and programming work for the fourth tower “remain ongoing, with a focus on increasing the leisure and business tourism appeal of Singapore and MBS”, LVS said.
It was reported in March 2023 that MBS had been given until April 8, 2024, to commence construction for the expansion – the second extension of a construction deadline under a development agreement LVS signed with the Singapore Tourism Board in April 2019.
MBS now has until April 8, 2028, to complete its fourth tower, on land it has leased until August 2066.
The tower is to comprise all-suite rooms, and will be accompanied by a live performance arena that seats at least 15,000 spectators, as well as additional Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) capacity and luxury retail offerings.
A sky roof with a swimming pool and “other tourist attractions” will top the new tower, said LVS.
URA’s approval of MBS’ development plans follows the agency’s approval in the third quarter of 2023 of an expansion to Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).
RWS has permission from URA to erect a hotel and retail development at Sentosa Gateway, comprising 66,995 sq m of hotel space over 700 rooms, and 21,243 sq m of retail space.
RWS’ parent company Genting Singapore said in November 2023 that the waterfront development’s construction will begin in 2024, and that its board had approved an investment of about $6.8 billion to expand and rejuvenate the integrated resort, up from the $4.5 billion it had originally committed in April 2019.
In the first 11 months of 2023, Singapore received 12.37 million visitors, about twice the 6.31 million who visited in 2022.
Annual visitorship hit a record 19.12 million in 2019, a number the country has yet to return to since the pandemic.
Separately, the Ministry of Education was in the last quarter of 2023 granted development approvals for an office and retail development in North Buona Vista Drive.
The development is to have 58,627 sq m of office space and 762 sq m of retail space. ST has asked the ministry, whose building is located at 1 North Buona Vista Drive, for more information on the project.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/mbs-gets-ura-approval-to-build-587-room-fourth-tower-down-from-previous-1000-room-plan
| 2024-01-29T04:59:31Z
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SYDNEY - Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite credited injured pride for West Indies' extraordinary upset of Australia in Brisbane on Sunday and said the Caribbean islanders needed more test cricket if they were to continue their revival.
West Indies were once the most feared team in the test game but expectations have lowered over years of decline, and Brathwaite's touring squad were given little chance of success when they arrived in Australia to play the World Test Championship winners.
Those expectations were lowered still after a 10-wicket mauling in the first test in Adelaide but, spearheaded by young quick Shamar Joseph, they staged a remarkable turnaround to beat their hosts by eight runs in a Gabba thriller on Sunday.
Brathwaite said comments by former Australian pace bowler Rodney Hogg had cut particularly deep.
"Rodney Hogg said we were pathetic and hopeless, so that was our motivation. I want to ask him: 'Are these muscles big enough for you?'" he retorted in the post-match ceremony on Sunday.
"We wanted to let him know that we heard him," Brathwaite added in his news conference. "We planned well as a group, but we saw his words and that was extra motivation for us as well.
"Test match cricket is never easy ... when you have a guy disrespecting West Indies, and us players that are playing, it is hurtful."
It was a first test win for West Indies over the men in the baggy green caps since 2003 and the first in Australia since 1997.
Brathwaite said it was essential that West Indies had more opportunities to play the longest format of the game if they were to build on the Brisbane triumph.
"I do believe we should be playing more test cricket more consistently," Brathwaite said.
"That's my cry. I always believe the more you play, especially when it's (matches) close together, you learn as batsmen and bowlers.
"So this is a message for whoever it may be that we need more test cricket."
Perhaps the best news for Brathwaite was that young quick Joseph, who played through the pain to take a match-winning 7-68 at the Gabba and was named Man of the Series after his first two tests, was committed to the format.
"It's my dream to play test cricket for West Indies," he told reporters.
"There will be times when T20s might come around (but) I will always be available to play test cricket for West Indies, no matter how much money comes towards me.
"I will always be here to play test cricket." REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/hurt-drove-brisbane-miracle-but-west-indies-want-more-tests
| 2024-01-29T04:59:41Z
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Ancient Weapon Holly Releases March 8 for PS5, Switch, and PC - News
by William D'Angelo , posted 3 hours ago / 330 ViewsPublisher and developer Acquire, and publisher Aniplex announced the tense roguelike action game, Ancient Weapon Holly, will launch for the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on March 8. It will also launch at a later date for the PlayStation 4.
View a trailer of the game below:
Read details on the game below:
Holly, a humanoid weapon sealed deep within a labyrinth due to its potential to cause humanity’s downfall, swears vengeance upon humans after awakening from a slumber that spanned thousands of years.
Experience a tense roguelike action game where you protect the source of your stolen power, the altar. Destroy gates that block your way and aim to clear stages. Use the magic stones you acquire to evolve Holly and expand the altar to deepen your strategies.
Story
Long ago, when humans were still developing advanced civilizations, a war engulfed the world.
Among the multitude of weapons created, an autonomous weapon resembling a young girl was completed. Her arms could crack the earth like a whip, demolish any building in her path, and her red eyes mercilessly killed people one after another.
This girl was named “Holly” by the people, and due to her overwhelming power, she was sealed deep within the earth.
After tens of thousands of years, the only emotion Holly felt upon awakening from her slumber in the dark magic ruins was an insurmountable hatred for humans.
Even though her weapon functions have degraded and she can now only slightly damage the ground or walls, Holly’s vendetta against the world above has just begun.
Intense Combat
In the dungeons, a moment’s hesitation can be deadly. Breath-taking, intense combat awaits you. Face enemies with overwhelming strength and seize the fleeting moments of opportunity for strategic battles.
Strategically Lure Enemies into Pitfalls
Break the ground and block the enemy’s path. This is your way to survive. Predict the enemy’s movements, create pitfalls, and capture them all. Strategic foresight, rather than straightforward combat, is essential in this game.
Exhilarating Action of Burying Enemies in Pitfalls
Lure enemies into pitfalls and bury them with your own hands. The thrill of this moment is one of the game’s main attractions.
Deepen Strategy with Holly’s Evolution and Altar Unlocking
Defeat enemies to acquire enhancement items. Use these items to evolve Holly and unlock the altar’s functions! Experience a deepening of strategies as you play. With a skill tree format, a variety of enhancements are possible based on your strategy.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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https://www.vgchartz.com/article/459755/ancient-weapon-holly-releases-march-8-for-ps5-switch-and-pc/
| 2024-01-29T06:30:02Z
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Eextraction Dungeon Crawler Dungeonborne Announced for PC - News
by William D'Angelo , posted 3 hours ago / 269 ViewsDeveloper Mithril Interactive has announced extraction experience dungeon crawler, Dungeonborne, for PC via Steam. An open alpha will be available from February 2 to 12 as part of Steam Next Fest: February 2024.
View the announcement trailer below:
Read details on the game below:
Dungeon Crawling, Evolved
At its core, Dungeonborne is an extraction experience dungeon crawler in which players band together in small groups or play solo to seek treasure on the backdrop of a gritty gothic setting overrun by monsters and other adventurers. Sharp tactical wit, team composition and terrain understanding will all contribute towards success as adventurers are thrust into dangerous situations with nothing but a sword and a dream.
The traditional dungeon crawler experience is further enhanced by features outside of the established genre, including:
- The “extraction” mechanic, giving players the option to finish their adventure and safely secure their loot, or venture further to seek more at the cost of losing it all should they perish. This is further enhanced by the addition of a safezone that shrinks with time, adding a layer of battle royale pressure and influencing decision making as adventurers attempt to escape with their haul.
- An array of player classes that are highly specialised, from household fantasy classes such as Rogue and Priest that embody traditional genre tropes to more specialized options such as the Pyromancer and Cryomancer that rain destruction and freeze enemies in place, or the Death Knight class built around imprisoning enemies and manipulating the battlefield..
- Environmental combat, from utilizing high ground, shadows and traps to gain advantage, to transforming into a mimic chest and ambushing greedy opponents. Combat is further enhanced by a flask and potion system that allows players to utilize alchemic concoctions to either heal themselves or deal damage to their foes.
- Extensive crafting and enhancement systems that further improve loot that players acquire, deepening and expanding buildcrafting.
- An in-game auction house that allows players to sell items they’ve acquired on their latest adventure, or buy other players’ weapons and armor before venturing out again
A Forsaken Realm Where Treasure Awaits
Dungeonborne is set in a bleak, medieval world lined with gothic spires and monsters hiding in dark corners. The forsaken realm players find themselves in has a soul of its own, resurrecting the dead to raise arms once more and protect the treasures and riches that players seek.
Brave adventurers will storm castle ramparts and raid treasuries in elaborate environments built in Unreal Engine 5. To deepen immersion, Dungeonborne will also feature stereoscopic spatial audio creating subtle, almost illusory sounds of footsteps, the creaking of a door and other background sounds. Watchful players will notice these subtle audio cues, and sharp minds will use this knowledge to their advantage.
Freeze and Burn, Slay and Raise
Drawing heavily on its RPG inspiration, Dungeonborne features a range of classes and races to choose between. Human and undead will be available in the upcoming open alpha with more to follow, allowing players to combine different archetypes and experiment with team compositions as they venture within.
The player classes of Dungeonborne expand outside of genre traditions, too. Aside from traditional class tropes such as rogues, priests and fighters, additional specialized classes that will be available include:
- Cryomancer, a mage versed in ice magic that can conjure snowstorms to slow enemies, or encase themselves in a protective ice barrier if danger draws near.
- Swordmaster, a master of warfare that can rain psionic blades on their opponent, dealing massive damage.
- Pyromancer, a wizard well versed in the art of fiery destruction, capable of casting pyroblasts and burning everything in their vicinity to a crisp.
- Death Knight, an undead warrior brought to life by necromancy capable of gripping foes with spectral chains and pulling them towards their doom.
Craft Your Tools of Destruction, or Accumulate Wealth
On top of class-specific spells and attacks, Dungeonborne’s crafting and trading systems further advance the dungeon crawler combat by adding extra layers. Once players emerge from the dungeon, they can set about selling their haul off at the in-game auction house and filling their coffers, re-equipping it for their next adventure or enhancing it altogether. Every piece of loot has its value, whether it can be broken down to crafting resources and used on other pieces of equipment or further enchanted.
Steam Next Fest Open Alpha
Players keen to experience Dungeonborne for themselves are invited to participate in a limited demo of the game that will be part of Steam Next Fest, officially launching on February 2 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CET up until February 12 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CET. For more information about the open alpha, check out the official Dungeonborne Steam page.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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https://www.vgchartz.com/article/459756/eextraction-dungeon-crawler-dungeonborne-announced-for-pc/
| 2024-01-29T06:30:10Z
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Hogwarts Legacy Sales Top 24 Million Units - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted 2 hours ago / 407 ViewsPublisher Warner Bros. Games has told Variety the open-world action RPG, Hogwarts Legacy, has sold over 24 million units worldwide. As previously stated, Warner Bros. Games says Hogwarts Legacy was the best-selling video game worldwide in 2023.
As the game nears its one-year anniversary it was revealed the PlayStation-exclusive content for the game will be coming to other platforms this Summer, along with more updates and features.
"As we near the one-year anniversary of Hogwarts Legacy, we wanted to let our community know that the Hogwarts Legacy PlayStation-exclusive content will be available on other platforms later this summer, along with additional updates and features for the game," reads a tweet from the official Hogwarts Legacy Twitter account. "Stay tuned in the coming months for more details on what’s coming to Hogwarts Legacy this year."
As we near the one-year anniversary of Hogwarts Legacy, we wanted to let our community know that the Hogwarts Legacy PlayStation-exclusive content will be available on other platforms later this summer, along with additional updates and features for the game. Stay tuned in the…
— Hogwarts Legacy (@HogwartsLegacy) January 26, 2024
Hogwarts Legacy released for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC in February 2023, for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in May 2023, and for the Nintendo Switch in November 2023.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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https://www.vgchartz.com/article/459757/hogwarts-legacy-sales-top-24-million-units/
| 2024-01-29T06:30:18Z
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Cliff Bleszinski is 'Down to Consult' on Gears of War - News
by William D'Angelo , posted 2 hours ago / 322 ViewsCliff Bleszinski, the creator and director of the original Gears of War trilogy, has released a statement via Twitter about his desire to return to the franchise he created and Microsoft would be "smart" to enlist him from a "PR standpoint alone."
"Look, we've been over this a million times re: Gears," said Bleszinski. "I'm down to consult. Give my two cents. Crickets. I understand that Gears will always be an enormous part of my legacy. I appreciate and respect that.
"That said, MS/Coalition haven’t hit me up. OK. It is what it is. If they were smart, they’d enlist me for my input because just from a PR standpoint alone it would be gold. But nothing. Ah well. It is what it is. So be it."
Bleszinski last worked on the Gears of War franchise in 2011 as a designer on Gears of War 3.
A statement. pic.twitter.com/Hvpq9IsQW2
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) January 27, 2024
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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https://www.vgchartz.com/article/459758/cliff-bleszinski-is-down-to-consult-on-gears-of-war/
| 2024-01-29T06:30:25Z
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MANILA - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Jan 29 said talks on maritime cooperation between his country and Vietnam would be one of the cornerstones forged in a strategic partnership with its Southeast Asian neighbour.
"We hope to strengthen this aspect during my visit to promote peace and stability in our region," Mr Marcos said in a statement before leaving for Hanoi for a two-day state visit.
Mr Marcos is expected to meet Vietnam's top officials and work on agreements on coastguard cooperation and rice supply. Vietnam is a major rice exporter and the Philippines is one of the world's biggest importers of the grain.
Mr Marcos said he hopes his visit would bring their relations to greater heights and “usher in a new era of friendship and cooperation”, with talks on trade, investment, education and tourism, as well as “regional and multilateral issues of concern”.
Vietnam and the Philippines have overlapping claims in the South China Sea, but have generally friendly relations compared to the heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over disputed waters.
Ties between the Philippines and China have deteriorated this past year, coinciding with a tougher stand by Manila and overtures by Mr Marcos to forge stronger military relations with the United States.
The South China Sea, a conduit for more than US$3 trillion (S$4 trillion) in annual ship-borne commerce, is claimed almost entirely by China via a U-shaped line policed by its vast coastguard fleet, which cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague said China's claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/philippines-marcos-says-maritime-cooperation-a-cornerstones-in-vietnam-visit
| 2024-01-29T06:31:08Z
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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s King has called for political stability at the end of his five-year reign, which saw his deep involvement in picking three prime ministers between 2020 and 2022.
The unprecedented intervention by the constitutional monarch in politics followed dizzying crossovers by MPs, after Umno-led Barisan Nasional was toppled from power in the 2018 general election for the first time since the country’s independence in 1957.
“There were challenging times during my reign,” said Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah in a group interview on Jan 3 with selected media.
“I feel that I have tried to do the best I can to stabilise the country’s political scenario, even though not drastically, but at least to retain harmony and stability until now,” said the 64-year old king, who is also the ruler of Pahang state.
When asked about the latest purported plot to topple the government, dubbed the “Dubai Move” as its opponents allegedly met in that city, the King said: “I don’t know if there is any truth in it or not.
“Let’s move on. The government should govern the country. Don’t politicise (things) so much. They should focus on developing the country and uniting the people. Let’s not be too parochial and narrow-minded.”
He said it was important to have a stable country and government to attract foreign investors.
“We can’t afford to have an unstable government. We want investors, who can create jobs. Stability is very important. We can’t continue to fight. We want to develop our country,” he said.
“If you change the government every year, it doesn’t guarantee you anything. That is a fact.”
Malaysia’s Constitution follows the Westminster model, with the monarch playing a largely constitutional role, and acting on advice from the ruling government.
The king, however, is allowed to pick whoever he believes will command a majority in the 222-strong Parliament.
Under a system unique in the world, hereditary rulers of nine of Malaysia‘s 13 states take turns to become the Agong, or king, for a five-year term.
The other four states – former British protectorates of Penang, Melaka, Sarawak and Sabah – are led by governors.
Sultan Abdullah was appointed the 16th Malaysian king on Jan 31, 2019, after the previous king, Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan, abdicated after just three years.
On Jan 31, 2024, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor, 65, will become the new king.
The fall of Umno in the May 2018 general election led to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad becoming prime minister for the second time – this time as chief of a new ruling alliance led by Pakatan Harapan (PH).
But Dr Mahathir resigned on Feb 24, 2020 amid infighting within the PH alliance, forcing Sultan Abdullah to intervene to pick a new prime minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who leads Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
Another political turmoil erupted in August 2021, with the king forced to become a referee again to choose an MP whom he believed would command a majority in Parliament. The person was then Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who became the shortest-ruling premier at 15 months.
And following an inconclusive November 2022 general election that again threatened to descend into political chaos, the king picked Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the prime minister.
That was just over 14 months ago.
In the interview, Sultan Abdullah urged Malaysians to give PM Anwar time to rule.
“It is not easy to gauge any government in one year’s time. There will be weaknesses here and there. What the PM is trying to do is to reduce all the legacy problems. You can’t do it in a year. We need to give it time to see its strengths and weaknesses.”
“We already have a democratic process, an election every five years. So let the government rule for four to five years, not just change it after a year.”
Recounting what happened after the 2022 general election, Sultan Abdullah said he had wanted all the parties to form a stable administration in the form of a unity government.
“There was no single majority. So what I did was to offer (the plan) to all the parties. I began with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Tan Sri Hadi Awang (of Perikatan Nasional) but they rejected it outright. So what choice do I have?”
He said he had met with whoever was the prime minister weekly – a total of 157 times over the last five years – for about an hour each time to discuss the country’s affairs.
Sultan Abdullah also navigated the country through the Covid-19 pandemic amid the change of prime ministers, and the ensuing state of emergency.
Elaborating on the role of the royal institution, he said it was important to uphold and strengthen it.
“The royal institution is very important for this multi-racial multi-religious country. It must be upheld for the sake of the nation and the future generation. The institution must be strengthened. Not (for the king) to be idolised but to remain as a protector of the people and the administration.”
School students should be taught about the role of the monarchy while the royal rulers must also know their responsibilities, he said.
“It takes two to tango. I am not saying I am perfect. I am reminding myself and others to help the people. Meanwhile, the people should get closer to the royal institution, not avoid it. It is their right.”
On relations with close neighbour Singapore, Sultan Abdullah said: “I had four PMs under my reign, they have settled a lot of issues, whether big or small. Most of the issues have been settled in principle.
“In terms of the relationship between government and government, it has always been good, and people to people, we welcome Singaporeans to Malaysia. There are a lot of Singaporeans coming to Johor, cross-border. And that helps the economy in Johor.”
Also at the interview was Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, who said: “And we love Singapore as well.”
During his five-year reign, Sultan Abdullah has emerged as a popular figure with a casual style of ruling, often shunning protocol when meeting ordinary Malaysians. Pictures of him handing out meals to journalists camping outside the Istana gates during the political crises, and queueing behind others to buy food at KFC endeared him to many people.
Among the most memorable times for him were meeting regular Malaysians and taking wefies, he said, adding that they gave him the impetus to carry out his duties.
Tunku Azizah is known for her culinary skills and charities such as the Tunku Azizah Fertility Foundation. She is frequently seen at flood relief shelters, cooking food for displaced victims.
A tour of Borneo which the king and his family undertook in September 2023 saw massive crowds waiting to meet them.
On Jan 17, 2024, a special news bulletin read by the royal couple was aired on TV3, drawing praises from netizens.
“He takes his job seriously. His job in life is only to serve the people. He sets aside everything else,” Tunku Azizah said of her husband.
“I can’t disturb him when he is reading the Cabinet papers, he reads them until he gets neck pain.”
Said Sultan Abdullah: “It is not as easy as one thinks to be a king.”
He has compiled seven notebooks on his observations during his reign.
“I am an avid reader, and I delved into the country’s administration matters. I found it very interesting,” he added.
With his family now slated to return to their home state of Pahang, he hopes that his legacy as king will be remembered fondly.
“I may not be the king of Malaysia after January, but I can be the king of all of your hearts,” said Sultan Abdullah.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/let-s-move-on-malaysia-s-king-calls-for-political-stability-at-the-end-of-five-year-reign
| 2024-01-29T06:31:19Z
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JOHOR BAHRU - A Malaysian petrol station owner pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here to two charges of allowing a foreign-registered vehicle to fill up 250 litres of diesel on two occasions each in 2023, a quantity higher than what is allowed under the law.
Soraya Md Tamyes, 38, claimed trial after the charges were read out in front of Judge Datuk Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim on Jan 29.
On the first charge, Soraya violated the regulation on the prohibition and control of the sale of petrol and diesel by a retail licence holder of a gas station operator dated June 17, 2022.
The regulation allows the sale of diesel of not more than 20 litres to foreign vehicles, including motorcycles, in a single receipt within a day.
Soraya allegedly sold 250 litres of diesel to a Singapore-registered bus on May 19, 2023, at 11.04am at a petrol station in Jalan Kempas Baru, Tebrau.
The act is a violation under Regulation 12A of the Supply Control Regulations 1974, which is punishable under Section 22(1) of the Supply Control Act 1961.
It carries a maximum fine of RM1 million (S$284,000), a maximum jail sentence of three years, or both, upon conviction.
On the second charge, Soraya had allegedly sold another 250 litres to the same bus at the same location at 10.34am on May 30, 2023.
The case was prosecuted by Johor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Sabiq Muhamad Subri, while Soraya was not represented.
The court has set Feb 28 for the next mention. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysian-petrol-kiosk-owner-claims-trial-to-letting-singapore-registered-bus-pump-500-litres-diesel
| 2024-01-29T06:31:29Z
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LOS ANGELES – American pop music icon Taylor Swift is reportedly ready to make a lightning trip from Japan in February to see boyfriend Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Swift and Kelce, both 34, exchanged a lingering on-field embrace on Jan 28 after the reigning champion Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 to book their fourth trip in five years to the National Football League’s (NFL) championship extravaganza, which will be held on Feb 11 in Las Vegas.
American pundit Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and NFL.com, citing unnamed sources, said Swift will be there – even though she has an Eras tour performance in Tokyo the night before the big game.
In a video posted on X – formerly Twitter – before the Chiefs-Ravens game, Rapoport explains the international travel maths, reckoning Swift can finish a performance in Tokyo, hop on a plane and make it to Vegas “just in time to party”.
Her presence would pump up the volume on what is already one of the biggest annual events on the American calendar.
Swift has smashed industry records in 2024 with her tour, which is estimated to bring in almost US$2 billion (S$2.7 billion) along with a film of the musical cavalcade.
Amid her blossoming romance with Kelce, the Chiefs’ superstar tight end, she has also found time to attend a string of NFL games, bringing America’s most popular spectator sport a new wave of fans as her hundreds of millions of social media followers trace her every move.
From her first appearance at a game in Kansas City in September – when she sat in a luxury box with Kelce’s mother, Donna, fueling rumors of a romance – the NFL has unapologetically embraced the Swift phenomenon.
“The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we’ve leaned into in real time,” the league said in a statement responding to early criticism of the breathless coverage surrounding Swift’s arrival on the NFL scene.
“It’s an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we’ve seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport,” it said.
By the time the American Football Conference (AFC) Championship game rolled around on Jan 28, Swift had become a regular presence at Chiefs games.
Her celebration with Kelce and the rest of the team provided a joyous end to a week in which artificial intelligence-generated fake porn images purporting to be of Swift sparked outrage. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the images “alarming”.
One of the images was seen some 47 million times on X before being removed. As of Jan 28, the platform was still not allowing searches of Swift’s name.
There were still plenty of posts, however, about Swift and the Super Bowl, most of them illustrated with the tender post-game moment she shared with Kelce.
Kelce caught 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, surpassing the legendary Jerry Rice in the record books for most all-time post-season catches.
Swift was by Kelce’s side as he hoisted the AFC Championship trophy, quoting not his sweetheart but the Beastie Boys when he yelled: “You’ve gotta fight for your right to party!” AFP
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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/mad-dash-taylor-swift-will-have-to-speed-across-globe-to-see-travis-kelce-in-super-bowl
| 2024-01-29T06:31:39Z
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THE NETHERLANDS – At a distance, I think I am looking at a brook with amazingly blue water. But as I approach, I realise it is a swathe of hyacinths cleverly planted between trees and shrubs.
Hyacinths are top-heavy and tend to bend or droop, but these are rising so perkily, I think there must be pins next to the flowers to prop them up. I have heard that the gardeners of Keukenhof in the Netherlands are so fastidious, they would do things like that.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/travel/a-stream-of-hyacinths-springtime-garden-in-the-netherlands-is-tulip-filled-too
| 2024-01-29T06:31:50Z
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Today in Pictures, Jan 29, 2024
Italy’s Jannik Sinner winning the Australian Open tennis tournament, a couple kissing in the mist in Venice, and other photos from around the world in Today in Pictures.
Desmond Foo
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https://str.sg/gGPe
Italy's Jannik Sinner posing with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after his victory against Russia's Daniil Medvedev during their men's singles final match on day 15 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Jan 28.
PHOTO : AFP
A couple kissing in the mist at Piazza San Marco in Venice late on Jan 27. The 2024 Venice Carnival will take place from Feb 3 to 13 and will celebrate the Orient "Marco Polo's Amazing Journey".
PHOTO : AFP
Pedestrians walk across a street on a foggy winter morning at the outskirts of Amritsar, India on Jan 27.
PHOTO : AFP
This image grab taken from AFPTV footage shows Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" (La Joconde) painting doused in soup after two environmental activists from the collective dubbed "Riposte Alimentaire" (Food Retaliation) hurled food at the artwork, at the Louvre museum in Paris, on Jan 28.
PHOTO : AFP
A masked reveller wearing a period costume poses during the pre-opening of the carnival in Venice on Jan 27.
PHOTO : AFP
Pavel Kolmakov of Kazakhstan warms up on the course during the 2024 Waterville Freestyle World Cup freestyle skiing competition on Jan 27.
PHOTO : AFP
Demonstrators hold a canvas with a detail of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso's masterpiece "Guernica" depicting a mother, and wave a giant Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people under the slogan "SOS Gaza", on La Concha beach in the Spanish Basque city of San Sebastian on Jan 28.
PHOTO : AFP
Men dressed in costumes participate in the International Festival of the Masquerade Games in Pernik, Bulgaria, on Jan 27.
PHOTO : REUTERS
An aerial shot shows bullet trains at a maintenance base in Nanjing, China on Jan 26. The world's largest annual human migration is expected to set a new record of 9 billion passenger trips during the 40-day travel peak for China's Spring Festival.
PHOTO : EPA-EFE
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| 2024-01-29T06:32:00Z
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SINGAPORE – Sixteen people were charged in court on Jan 29 for corruption and cheating offences. They include employees from The British Council, Sephora Asia, Fei Siong Food Management, SMRT’s business arm Stellar Lifestyle and ComfortDelgro’s advertising arm Moove Media.
Low Lee Soon, a 61-year-old arts director of Moove Media, is accused of accepting bribes worth $160,000 in the form of cash loans from Xu Zhiping, 38, who is a shareholder of advertising firms Channelbytes, Channelink and Multiverse Media.
Xu had allegedly conspired with Jane Hong Hoe Chun, 53, who is director of the three advertising companies, to advance their business interests with Moove Media and ComfortDelGro Corporation. Their charge sheets do not state the contracts the companies were involved in.
While investigating Low, Xu and Hong, the Corruption Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in a statement on Jan 29 that it discovered offences involving another 13 individuals who were charged on Jan 29.
They include Muhammadd Fauzi bin Abdul Rahman, 41, who is said to have accepted bribes worth around $506,107 from Xu, Hong, Lee Lian Hiang – a 55-year-old director of BuildCool Engineering – and Tan Han Leong – a 44-year-old director of Secured Retail Solutions – between March 2019 and January 2022.
Muhammadd Fauzi was a store planning manager of Pan Pacific Retail Management Singapore at the time.
In November 2021, Muhammadd Fauzi also allegedly cheated Hong of $500 by deceiving her that ChannelBytes needed to hire a security guard to replace a television at DonDonDonki’s Tampines store, which was under his company’s management, when there was no such need.
Tan Ming Yean, 42, an employee of Stellar Lifestyle, is accused of accepting bribes worth $7,212 from Xu to advance the business interests of Channelbytes and Channelink with Stellar Lifestyle.
Low Kim Yong, a 44-year-old assistant project manager at Sephora Asia, is said to have accepted cash bribes worth $32,518, and a used Microsoft laptop from four individuals to advance their business interests with Sephora. The four are Xu, Lee, Tan Han Leong and Tan Chee Heng, 64, who is director of Design Delta.
Lee Kok Keong, 50, director of resources at The British Council – the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities – allegedly received cash bribes worth $100,300 from Lee Lian Hiang and Ong Seck Cheng, director of Encompass Construction.
Tan Han Leong allegedly conspired with Moh Jun Hao – a 45-year-old sales consultant at Secured Retail Solutions – to give cash bribes worth around $5,000 to Benjamin Ting Ping Lin – a 34-year-old IT executive at Fei Siong Food Management – and two other employees from co-working space provider Found8 and Fish & Co. Restaurants.
Ting is also accused of giving $500 to an individual as an inducement to prevent the individual from exposing the corrupt dealings between Fei Siong and Secured Retail Solutions.
Lee Lian Hiang allegedly gave bribes worth $12,800 to Au Yong Siong Fatt, 49, and Juraimee Ab Hamid, 48, to advance the business interests of BuildCool Engineering with Civil Service Club and Home TeamNS, respectively, between 2018 and 2021.
Au Yong was an external consultant at the Civil Service Club and Juraimee was a senior operations executive at Home Team NS (Bukit Batok) at the time.
In September 2020, Lee Lian Hiang also allegedly conspired with Tan Wee Meng, a project supervisor at BuildCool, to give Juraimee falsified quotations to mislead Home TeamNS into believing that Triple L Aircon and Triple L Aircon & Engineering had bids for projects when they did not.
All 16 individuals were charged under the Prevent of Corruption Act, which carries a maximum punishment of a $100,000 fine and a five-year jail term for each offence.
Those convicted of cheating can be fined and sentenced to up to three years’ jail.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/16-charged-with-corruption-in-relation-to-advertisement-and-servicing-contracts
| 2024-01-29T06:32:10Z
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SINGAPORE - A teacher failed to keep a proper lookout while driving a car, resulting in a collision with an elderly motorcyclist who suffered injuries including rib fractures.
David Chang Hao Hsi, 45, a teacher at CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School at the time of the accident, was fined $2,300 on Jan 29 after he pleaded guilty to causing hurt to another person while driving without reasonable consideration for other road users.
He was also disqualified from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for 15 months.
Chang had failed to keep a proper lookout while making a left turn from the slip road of Lorong 1 Toa Payoh into Lorong 6 at around 6.45am on Feb 24, 2022.
Chang’s car then encroached into an elderly motorcyclist’s path and a collision occurred between the two vehicles.
Defence lawyer Foo Ho Chew said that Chang took the 75-year-old rider to hospital and the victim was warded for three days.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said that it takes a serious view of staff misconduct and will take disciplinary action against those who fail to adhere to its standards of conduct and discipline.
Its spokesperson added: “MOE will follow up with disciplinary proceedings, if need be, after the court case has concluded.”
In his mitigation plea, Mr Foo told the court that the weather was stormy at the time of the accident.
He said: “The unlit surroundings and the heavy rain beating against the windscreen caused visibility to be very poor indeed... Under the circumstances, our client was moving very cautiously and slowly forward.
“He could only see up to a short distance of a few metres in the front, side and back.”
Mr Foo also said that after the accident occurred, Chang got out of his vehicle to help the motorcyclist and took him to the hospital.
Chang had accompanied the victim until his admission was settled, added the lawyer.
The court heard that the teacher, who is remorseful, has since sold his car and had decided to not go behind the steering wheel of a car again.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/teacher-fined-23k-over-road-accident-that-left-elderly-motorcyclist-with-multiple-fractures
| 2024-01-29T06:32:21Z
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SINGAPORE – An 80-year-old driver lost control of her car and crashed through the fence of a police station in Clementi on Jan 27.
In response to queries, the police said they were alerted at about 5.55pm to an accident involving a car that was believed to have skidded at 6 Lempeng Drive.
That is where the Clementi Police Division Headquarters and Clementi Neighbourhood Police Centre were relocated on Oct 31, 2023. The headquarters moved from 20 Clementi Avenue 5 to make way for the construction of the Cross Island MRT Line.
The driver and her 80-year-old male passenger were conscious when taken to the National University Hospital.
A nearby resident, who wanted to be identified only as Mr Su, told Shin Min Daily News that he had heard the sound of brakes screeching, followed by a loud noise.
Mr Su, 56, said that Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicles arrived at the scene in under five minutes.
The driver was rescued quickly, but SCDF officers took at least 15 minutes to get the passenger out, he added.
A photo submitted by Mr Su to the Chinese-language evening daily shows a stationary black car on a grass patch at the police station, with police and SCDF officers around it.
The fence appeared to be temporarily repaired with metal sheets, Shin Min said.
Police investigations are under way.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/elderly-woman-crashes-car-through-fence-at-clementi-police-division-hq
| 2024-01-29T06:32:31Z
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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said Marcus Rashford's absence for their FA Cup fourth-round fixture against Newport County was an "internal matter" after the Premier League club said the forward "was not well enough" to be in the squad.
United said in a statement before their 4-2 win that the 26-year-old England international had "stayed at Carrington to train as he recovers".
"He reported ill and the rest is an internal matter," Ten Hag said on Sunday. "It is an internal matter. As I said, we will deal with it. I will deal with it."
Rashford, United's Player of the Year in the last campaign, has four goals and six assists in all competitions this season. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/rashford-absence-an-internal-matter-says-ten-hag
| 2024-01-29T06:32:42Z
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WASHINGTON - Complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian discrimination and hate in the U.S. rose by about 180% in the three months after Oct. 7 following Hamas' attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent assault on Hamas-governed Gaza, an advocacy group said on Monday.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Rights advocates have noted a rise in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian bias in the U.S. and elsewhere since the eruption of war in the Middle East. Among incidents in the U.S. that raised alarm were a November shooting in Vermont where three students of Palestinian descent were shot and the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American child in Illinois in October.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said on Monday it has received 3,578 complaints during the last three months of 2023, amid what it called "an ongoing wave of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate."
The figure is a 178% rise from complaints in the same period from a year earlier.
Complaints of employment discrimination led the list with 662 instances; hate crimes and hate incidents were reported 472 times; and education discrimination 448 times, the organization said.
Earlier this month, the Anti-Defamation League said that in the three months after Oct. 7, U.S. antisemitic incidents rose by 360% compared to the prior year.
CONTEXT: US SECURITY ALERTS
The U.S. government recently issued security guidance for faith-based communities amid heightened antisemitism and Islamophobia since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas that killed 1,200, and Israel's subsequent military retaliation in Gaza that the local health ministry says has killed over 26,000 Palestinians or more than 1% of Gaza's 2.3 million population.
The U.S. Justice Department is monitoring rising threats against Jews and Muslims amid the conflict. President Joe Biden has condemned antisemitism and Islamophobia. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/anti-muslim-incidents-jump-in-us-amid-israel-gaza-war
| 2024-01-29T06:32:52Z
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DUBAI - Iran carried out the death sentences of four people on Monday that it says were linked to an Israeli intelligence operation, after the Supreme Court rejected their appeal, Iranian state media reported.
The defendants were accused of illegally entering Iranian territory from Iraq's Kurdistan region to carry out a bombing operation in an Isfahan-based factory producing equipment for Iran's Ministry of Defence.
Their operation was meant to take place in the summer of 2022 on behalf of Israel's Mossad and was averted by Iranian intelligence, according to the reports.
Iran and Israel are longtime foes and are currently locked in a row over Iran's nuclear programme. Israel accuses Iran of backing militant attacks against it, while Iran says Israel has carried out a number of killings of Iranian officials and scientists. Israel does not confirm nor deny such actions. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/iran-executes-four-people-it-says-are-linked-to-israeli-intelligence-state-media
| 2024-01-29T06:33:02Z
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HONG KONG - China's Supreme Court and Hong Kong's Department of Justice said on Monday that they signed an arrangement on the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgements in civil and commercial cases effective immediately in both places.
The arrangement reduces the need for parties to re-litigate the same dispute in the mainland and Hong Kong courts, reducing the risks, legal costs and time usually associated with the cross boundary enforcement of such judgements, Hong Kong's Department of Justice said in a statement.
It is unclear how the reciprocal recognition and enforcement arrangement would work in practise as there has been no previous precedent with the mainland.
Hong Kong is the only jurisdiction to have an arrangement with the mainland on reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgements with such a wide coverage, it said.
The move comes as Hong Kong prepares to enact a new round of national security laws this year known as Article 23 that is expected to further tighten China's grip, and include counter-espionage legislation that could strengthen official control over foreign institutions.
When Hong Kong reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Beijing promised the city a high degree of autonomy including the right to free speech and protest.
Western critics say Beijing has reneged on those promises amid the current national security law crackdown that has been used to arrest over 280 pro-democracy activists and politicians including leading China critic Jimmy Lai.
Lai's trial has become a diplomatic focal point and a key test for the financial hub's judicial independence and freedoms, with diplomats including those from the U.S., Britain, the European Union, Canada and Australia in attendance.
Justice Secretary Paul Lam said that the new civil and commercial arrangement showcased the unique advantages enjoyed by Hong Kong under the "one country, two systems" formula that the city is governed under.
It will make the option of choosing Hong Kong with its common law system which the "international business community is familiar with and have confidence in, as the jurisdiction to resolve any contractual dispute more attractive," knowing that a Hong Kong judgement may be recognised and enforced all over the mainland, Lam said.
"This will be conducive to enhancing Hong Kong's status as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre. It may also make investors and business people from other countries more ready to explore investment and business opportunities on the mainland." REUTERS
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| 2024-01-29T08:03:19Z
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SYDNEY - Papua New Guinea is in early talks with China on a potential security and policing deal, Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko told Reuters, weeks after deadly riots in the South Pacific nation's capital.
Amid jostling between Washington and Beijing for influence in the Pacific, the biggest Pacific Islands nation, Papua New Guinea (PNG), has previously said Australia and the United States are its security partners, while China is an important economic partner.
China approached PNG in September with an offer to assist its police force with training, equipment and surveillance technology, Tkachenko said in an interview with Reuters on Monday. Talks continued last week.
"We deal with China at this stage only at economic and trade level. They are one of our biggest trading partners, but they have offered to assist our policing and security on the internal security side," Tkachenko said.
PNG will assess if the Chinese offer duplicates security and policing assistance already being offered by Australia and the United States, he said.
"It is still in early stages of negotiation with our Commissioner of Police and our Minister of Internal Security," he said.
"They have offered it to us, but we have not accepted it at this point in time."
China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China is a "strong economic partner" of PNG, and the two nations formed diplomatic ties in 1975, Tkachenko said.
PNG signed a A$200 million ($132 million) security deal with Australia last month to boost policing, and days later Prime Minister James Marape told an investment conference in Sydney that he had not held talks with China on security when he visited Beijing in October.
PNG had chosen Australia and the United States as security partners, he said.
Riots in the PNG capital Port Moresby earlier in January left at least 16 dead, with major retail stores burnt and looted, after police held a strike over pay. Marape's government called in the PNG defence force to restore order, but didn't seek Australia's help.
China's embassy complained to PNG over the safety risk to Chinese citizens living in Port Moresby.
PNG struck a Defence Cooperation Agreement with the United States during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in May, giving the U.S. military access to PNG ports and airports.
Tkachenko said PNG would not do anything to jeopardise its defence and security relationships with Australia or the U.S., and was not a "fence-sitter".
Riots in neighbouring Solomon Islands in 2021 saw China strike security and policing pacts with Manasseh Sogavare's government a year later, alarming Washington and Canberra.
Australia's Pacific Minister Pat Conroy pledged A$35 million in policing assistance to neighbouring East Timor on Monday during an official visit, amid concern in Canberra that Beijing is again aggressively targeting the police and security sectors in the Pacific.
Conroy will on Tuesday visit Nauru, which switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing this month. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/china-papua-new-guinea-in-talks-on-policing-security-cooperation-minister
| 2024-01-29T08:03:30Z
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TAIPEI - A pilots’ union late on Jan 28 reached a deal with Taiwan’s Eva Airways to avert a strike that had been threatened over the crucial Chinese New Year holiday in a dispute over salaries and working conditions.
Taoyuan Union of Pilots said last week its members had voted to authorise a strike after accusing Eva of not raising salaries enough and employing too many foreign pilots.
The union, which represents mostly long-haul pilots, had raised the prospect of striking over the week-long Chinese New Year holiday starting February.
After talks facilitated by the government, the union said it had reached a four point agreement with the airline, with Eva agreeing to raise salaries and hire foreign pilots only if there is a “special need”.
Eva, in a statement to the Taiwan stock exchange, said it had reached a “consensus” with the union and confirmed it had signed the agreement.
Eva shares closed 4.9 per cent higher on Jan 29, outperforming the broader market’s 0.7 per cent gain.
Employee salaries and benefits will continue to be improved in the future, the airline added in a separate statement.
Taiwan Vice-Premier Cheng Wen-tsan witnessed the signing of the agreement, Taiwan’s Transport Ministry said.
Eva, best known internationally for the Hello Kitty livery on some of its jets, operates flights to many destinations around Asia as well as to North America, Europe and Australia. It is Taiwan’s second-largest carrier after China Airlines. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/pilots-union-reaches-deal-with-taiwan-s-eva-air-averting-strike
| 2024-01-29T08:03:40Z
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TOKYO - Three men are suing the Japanese government, citing a pattern of racially motivated police harassment and asking for improved practices and about 3 million yen ($27,192) each in compensation.
The suit is unusual in Japan, a historically homogeneous place with little precedent for punishing racial discrimination.
The plaintiffs – two permanent residents and one a foreign-born Japanese citizen – are seeking to show that disparate treatment based on race violates the Constitution and international human rights agreements.
Plaintiffs say they have been repeatedly stopped for questioning by police for no apparent reason, and had their belongings searched, according to a summary of the case provided by lawyers.
One, an African American who has lived in Japan for more than a decade and has a Japanese family, said he’d been stopped more than 15 times before he decided to join the suit.
Another, a Pacific Islander, said he’d been questioned about 100 times.
“If police officers are allowed to discriminate, then it creates this image from the top to the citizens that discrimination is OK,” said Mr Moe Miyashita, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs.
“On the other hand, if the police, the national government and other public organisations tell people that they can’t do this, it sends a strong message to the general public that discrimination is wrong.”
The suit names the Japanese government and the Tokyo Metropolitan and Aichi prefecture governments.
All three declined to comment on the case. The National Police Agency did not immediately respond to questions about the suit.
The lawsuit adds to simmering questions about how Japan will manage the growing diversity of its population.
To make up for its shrinking workforce, the country is increasingly reliant on immigrants. Foreign workers now number a record-high of two million, according to the most recent government data.
Awareness of racism and racial profiling has been rising since a 2021 viral video showed a police officer admitting he’d searched a mixed-race man because “many people with dreadlocks carry drugs.”
The US Embassy in Tokyo warned US citizens about racial profiling by Japanese police on their X account.
Japan’s Constitution explicitly bans race-based discrimination, and the country is a signatory to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Nevertheless, a study by the Tokyo Bar Association showed that among 2,000 respondents of foreign background, over 60 per cent said they had been questioned by police and about 77 per cent of those questioned said there was no apparent reason other than the fact they appeared foreign.
“More people are starting to recognise that these issues are happening,” Mr Miyashita said. “I think this is just the beginning.” BLOOMBERG
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| 2024-01-29T08:03:50Z
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VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis said in an interview published on Monday he is confident critics of his decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples will eventually understand it, except for Africans who are "a special case".
Blessings were allowed last month in a document called Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust), which has caused widespread debate in the Catholic Church, with particularly strong resistance coming from African bishops.
"Those who protest vehemently belong to small ideological groups," Francis told Italian newspaper La Stampa, adding: "A special case are Africans: for them homosexuality is something 'bad' from a cultural point of view, they don't tolerate it".
"But in general, I trust that gradually everyone will be reassured by the spirit of the 'Fiducia Supplicans' declaration by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith: it aims to include, not divide," the pope continued.
Already last week, Francis appeared to acknowledge the pushback the document unleashed, especially in Africa, where bishops have effectively rejected it and where in some countries same-sex activity can lead to prison or even the death penalty.
He said that when the blessings are given, priests should "naturally take into account the context, the sensitivities, the places where one lives and the most appropriate ways to do it".
In the interview with La Stampa, Francis confirmed he is scheduled to welcome at the Vatican the president of his native Argentina, Javier Milei, on Feb. 11, and that finally visiting the country is a possibility.
He said his agenda for 2024 currently includes trips to Belgium, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Speaking about his health, which has taken some knocks in recent years with hospitalisations, mobility problems and cancelled trips or events, the 87-year-old said, "there are some aches and pains but it's better now, I'm fine." REUTERS
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| 2024-01-29T08:04:01Z
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SINGAPORE –The Red Sea shipping crisis is sending waves through Asia’s fuel markets, hoisting costs even on routes that do not use the waterway, while spurring sellers to reduce cargo premiums to offset the higher freight.
Rates for shipping products such as petrol have jumped as some vessels sail longer distances to avoid the Red Sea, after attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. This has tightened the market, first boosting costs of long-distance routes via the Middle East, and now spilling into voyages within Asia.
The cost of shipping 35,000 tonnes of fuel from South Korea to Singapore jumped almost 50 per cent over the last week to more than US$49,000 (S$65,700) a day, the highest since 2022, according to Baltic Exchange data. Meanwhile, the cost of larger tankers connecting the Middle East to Japan has hit the highest since 2020
Global commodity markets, especially for crude oil and related products, are transfixed by the stand-off, which worsened in recent days after a fuel-laden tanker – the Marlin Luanda, operated on behalf of trading giant Trafigura Group – was set ablaze by a Houthi missile. The rebel group has been attacking merchant ships in support of Hamas against Israel, prompting retaliatory strikes led by the United States.
“The most recent attack on a laden tanker suggests things are getting worse, and not better,” said Mr Anoop Singh, global head of shipping research at Oil Brokerage.
The diversions have added 3 per cent to demand for clean tankers, which carry refined products, and about 1 per cent to dirty-tanker demand, he said.
Given the upsurge in freight costs, there are signs that fuel producers are having to slash cargo prices to keep supplies affordable for customers amid lukewarm buying interest for gasoil and jet fuel.
SK Energy sold three gasoil cargoes last week for February-to-March loading at a steeper discount to regional benchmarks, traders said. The refiner also cancelled an offer of a jet fuel cargo due to low bids. BLOOMBERG
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https://www.straitstimes.com/business/red-sea-shipping-crisis-sends-tremors-through-asia-fuel-markets
| 2024-01-29T08:04:11Z
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SEOUL – K-pop girl group (G)I-dle have suspended all activities ahead of the release of their second full-length album on Jan 29, due to the health issues of two of the quintet’s members.
“Minnie and Yuqi visited the hospital the previous day due to fever and migraines,” the group’s agency Cube Entertainment said on Jan 27.
“We decided to suspend all schedules of the two members and they will focus on getting enough rest and treatment following the medical team’s instructions.”
Cube Entertainment added that (G)I-dle’s future activities will be rescheduled based on the artistes’ conditions.
The group’s other members are Miyeon, Soyeon and Shuhua.
(G)I-dle concluded their second concert tour, I Am Free-ty World Tour, in Singapore in October 2023.
While a press conference – which was scheduled for Jan 29 to celebrate the release of (G)I-dle’s new album, titled 2 – was cancelled, the album will be released as scheduled on music sites on Jan 29.
(G)I-dle were embroiled in a controversy last week when the lyrics of the new album’s pre-release track, Wife, were criticised for being sexually suggestive.
Public broadcaster KBS said the lyrics should be revised for broadcast, but the girl group decided not to do so as it is not the title track of the album.
With more than 1.8 million pre-orders as at Jan 24, 2 will be the group’s second million-seller following their sixth EP, I Feel, released in May 2023. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/k-pop-girl-group-gi-dle-s-activities-halted-by-health-issues
| 2024-01-29T08:04:21Z
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GERARDMER, France – South Korean film-maker Jason Yu was awarded the prestigious Gerardmer International Fantastic Film Festival Grand Prix on Jan 28 for his first feature-length offering, Sleep.
The 34-year-old’s movie is a comedy horror about the lives of a couple – played by late actor Lee Sun-kyun and actress Jung Yu-mi – being turned upside down after the husband’s nightmarish sleepwalking habits terrorise his wife.
Lee died at the age of 48 on Dec 27 in an apparent suicide amid gruelling police investigations into accusations of his alleged drug use.
The Jury Prize was awarded to Amelia’s Children by Portuguese film-maker Gabriel Abrantes and Frenchwoman Celine Rouzet’s En Attendant La Nuit (For Night Will Come).
Amelia’s Children is about a man who believes himself to be an orphan, but then finds his family. En Attendant La Nuit is about a teenager who needs human blood to survive and falls in love with his neighbour.
When Evil Lurks by Argentine Demian Rugna won both the Critics’ Prize and Audience Award, while Briton Barnaby Clay’s The Seeding picked up the Great East Region Youth Jury Award.
Transylvanie by Frenchman Rodrigue Huart was awarded the Short Film Grand Prize.
The Gerardmer festival specialises in films from the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres. AFP
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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/late-south-korean-actor-lee-sun-kyuns-sleep-wins-top-award-at-french-film-festival
| 2024-01-29T08:04:32Z
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SINGAPORE – Singapore collectibles company Mighty Jaxx is releasing eight figurines inspired by the spy action comedy Argylle.
Directed by English film-maker Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class, 2011; the Kingsman film series, 2014 to 2017), the movie stars Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell.
Opening in Singapore cinemas on Feb 1, it revolves around reclusive spy novelist Elly Conway (Howard), who is sucked into the dangerous world of espionage when the plots of her fictional books begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organisation.
Four Mighty Jaxx figurines can be seen in a book-signing scene featuring Howard. She is seated at a desk and on it are models of characters that appear in her book.
Mr Jackson Aw, 35, founder and chief executive of Mighty Jaxx, says that the in-movie appearance of the collectibles is a “thrilling milestone” for the firm, which was founded in 2012.
“We are proud to make our debut on the Hollywood stage,” he says.
In addition to designing collectibles, the company created the 2023 interactive experience Stranger Things – The Encounter: Singapore for the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016 to present).
It has also worked with brands such as The Walt Disney Company, Hasbro, Formula One, Toei Animation and Adidas.
In 2021, Mighty Jaxx was approached by Vaughn’s production company Marv Studios.
“They were working on a movie that required distinctive props – toys based on characters in the movie,” says Mr Aw in an e-mail interview.
The Marv team offered pointers on the form of the toys, but left Mighty Jaxx to define the final look.
“We were asked to prepare four characters and their packaging, all of which would be prominently displayed in the scenes being shot in October 2021.”
After the Marv team saw the first four characters, it asked the home-grown company for four more, says Mr Aw.
“It was surreal seeing our collectibles on the big screen,” he adds.
Mighty Jaxx is the exclusive partner releasing the Argylle Movie Collectibles Series, which includes eight 10-inch (25.4cm) polystone characters and retails at US$169 (S$226) each.
The collection is available for pre-order at mightyjaxx.com worldwide from Feb 2.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/seen-on-the-big-screen-singapore-company-mighty-jaxx-s-figurines-in-spy-movie-argylle
| 2024-01-29T08:04:42Z
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UNITED STATES – Of the more than 60 nations I have visited, the three most similar to my home country Australia are England, Ireland and the United States.
There are three reasons: England settled Australia. I have Irish ancestry, and can relate to the Irish people who were among the first residents of English colonies. And American entertainment has long shaped Australian pop culture.
When I first visited the US as a 10-year-old, I could barely believe I was in the land of Disney, the National Basketball Association, Hollywood and the World Wrestling Federation. The entire family holiday was a waking dream.
Last September, I finally returned, 31 years later. Despite considering myself familiar with the US, four things still surprised me as a traveller. They also made me consider how best to maximise a trip to this big country.
Here are four tips.
1. With cars, bigger is not better
The first thing I noticed when I exited Los Angeles International Airport was the massive size of the vehicles. Every second driver sat in something closer to a truck than a car.
Then, my brother arrived to pick me up in a huge GMC Acadia.
Compared with my nifty Honda Civic in Australia, this beast was nearly twice as heavy and had an engine more than double the size. And that cost us.
We spent a fortune on petrol while driving around Los Angeles, and then north through Santa Barbara, Monterey and San Francisco.
My Ireland-based brother had booked a much smaller car for our trip, but was offered the hulking GMC as an upgrade when he arrived at the auto-rental company.
That happened again when we landed in Atlanta from San Francisco to begin our second driving journey. This time, we declined the upgrade. Instead, we picked a Chevrolet Equinox, a much lighter vehicle with an engine half the size.
Our daily petrol bill was immediately halved. So, do not get seduced by the enormous sport utility vehicles that many car-rental companies will offer, often at no additional cost. You will not need their extra space and you will quickly become frustrated by their running costs.
My brother and I are both big guys, and even we did not require the excess of interior room provided by the giant GMC.
2. With hotels, bigger is better
The fixation with making everything supersized extends to American hotels.
As I mentioned, my brother and I are both large. We are not built to sleep in single beds.
On our previous trips in Europe and Asia, it was difficult to find twin rooms with beds that were both double or larger in size.
There is no such problem in the US. When we checked into our first hotel, in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, I celebrated when the receptionist told us we had two queen beds in our room.
“That’s pretty standard in the US,” he responded, filling me with hope about our subsequent nights.
He was right. Each of the 10 hotels we stayed in during our US trip had two queen beds. What was more, all but two of our rooms were also spacious, with plenty of room for a couch, an armchair and a desk.
3. Food is expensive, so have brunches instead
When I picked up the menu, I was astonished. For breakfast, we chose a modest diner in a working-class neighbourhood of Los Angeles, expecting it to be fairly cheap.
Instead, the prices were double what we would pay in an equivalent venue in Australia or Ireland. Once we included tax and tip, it was almost $100 for our meal, although each of us ordered just a cup of coffee and a plate of sausage, bacon, hash brown and egg.
This trend continued across our trip, even at fast-food places like McDonald’s. My overall food expenses were almost double what I budgeted for.
To get around this, we searched for hotels in our price range that included a buffet breakfast.
Many hotels let us add breakfast to our booking for about half of what we would pay for that meal in a restaurant. Then, we ate late and heartily each morning.
By filling up on breakfast, at about 10am near the end of the buffet service, we could skip lunch. We would not be properly hungry again until the evening, needing only a protein bar in the mid-afternoon.
My rough calculations found that this approach saved us at least $60 a day, which added up to about $1,000 over our trip.
4. Expect huge differences in culture within the US
I was certainly naive in this respect. I had read and heard many times about the differences in culture and atmosphere in different parts of the US, but to experience these social chasms was another thing.
While Australia is similar in land area to the US, I have never noticed much of a difference between the way people behave and think in Perth versus in Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane.
In the US, however, the contrasts we felt in a matter of days were jarring.
In famously progressive San Francisco, a naked man wearing only sneakers and a hat strolled past us in broad daylight in the Castro neighbourhood. No one paid him any mind. He was just being free and easy.
While this was an odd experience, I adored the inclusive culture of San Francisco.
A few days later, I was taken back in time to the bad old days in the heavily right-wing state of Tennessee. At a petrol station, I overheard two middle-aged men openly having a bigoted conversation.
I do not intend to generalise about any locations I visited, but suffice to say, there were some which had uncomfortable vibes that I do not wish to experience again.
I must say, though, that across the entire US trip, people were consistently polite and friendly to me. While this vast country clearly has myriad social problems, it deserves its reputation as a warm, hospitable destination.
But be prepared to see starkly different sides of American society.
- The writer is an Australian journalist and photographer who grew up on US sitcoms, sports and music, and just completed a dream trip driving across this nation with his brother.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/travel/revisiting-america-after-31-years-tips-to-save-and-live-big-in-a-supersized-country
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SINGAPORE – Su Wenqiang, one of the 10 foreigners accused in Singapore’s largest money laundering case, was handed seven new charges on Jan 29.
Su, 31, who is originally from China and holds a Cambodian passport, now faces nine charges in total.
Six of Su’s new charges accuse him of using around $476,700 in benefits from criminal conduct to buy items such as bags, jewellery and alcohol, and to pay his rent for a landed property and condominium.
He had allegedly derived the illicit proceeds from operating an unlawful remote gambling service based in the Philippines for people in China.
Su’s seventh new charge accuses him of having a forged marriage certificate from China which stated that he had registered his marriage with Su Yanping on May 20, 2018, when no such registration had been made.
The charge adds that Su had intended to pass off the certificate as genuine in his dependent pass application to the Ministry of Manpower.
Su is one of 10 foreigners arrested on Aug 15, 2023, in an anti-money laundering probe which has now seen over $3 billion in assets seized. He was nabbed in a good-class bungalow in Bukit Timah.
He was charged on Aug 16 with possessing $601,706, which is said to represent his benefits from operating the unlawful gambling service.
He was handed another charge on Aug 30 for allegedly buying a Mercedes-Benz AMG C63S car using $500,000 in criminal proceeds.
Su was denied bail on Nov 2.
During the hearing, his lawyer, Mr Sameer Amir Melber, revealed that Su came to Singapore in 2021 with his wife and children, aged five and six, as he wanted his children to be educated here.
Senior investigation officer (SIO) Francis Lim of the Criminal Investigation Department said in an affidavit that Su has been wanted by the Chinese authorities for illegal online gambling activities since 2017.
SIO Lim added that Su was recruited to be an executive at a remote lottery business operating from the Philippines and Cambodia. He was paid in cash.
Su and his accomplices would communicate via WhatsApp and Telegram group chats to discuss their operations, including moving funds from remote gambling websites across borders, said SIO Lim.
In denying Su bail, District Judge Brenda Tan said he is neither a Singapore citizen nor a permanent resident here, and owns passports from Cambodia, China and Vanuatu.
She added that Su’s parents live in China and his family members are foreigners, showing he has no deep roots in Singapore.
The judge noted that Su has accomplices at large who may help him abscond.
The police have seized two vehicles with an estimated value of at least $584,000 in Su Yanping’s name and more than $2 million parked in her bank account.
Su also has substantial wealth overseas, including a house in Xiamen worth around $1.9 million that is registered to Su Yanping.
Su will return to court for a pre-trial conference on Feb 1.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/7-new-charges-for-money-laundering-accused-who-allegedly-planned-to-submit-fake-marriage-cert-to-mom
| 2024-01-29T08:05:13Z
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SINGAPORE - Former National University of Singapore (NUS) lecturer Jeremy Fernando has avoided a potential prison sentence after his molestation charge was compounded, the terms of which were not mentioned in court.
Dr Fernando, who was also a Tembusu College fellow, was on Jan 29 granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal.
With this development, he cannot be charged again over the same offence.
The 44-year-old had been accused of outraging a woman’s modesty. Under the law, only certain offences can be compounded, such as causing hurt and outrage of modesty.
Compounding an offence requires an agreement with the victim to have the matter compensated, usually with a payment or an apology.
Before agreeing to the terms, the public prosecutor will also need to consider the public interest, circumstances of the offence and whether there are any aggravating factors.
The Straits Times has reached out to the Attorney-General’s Chambers about the compensation terms.
Dr Fernando, who was represented by lawyer Tan Jun Yin from Trident Law Corporation, was charged in March 2023 with one count of molestation.
He had been accused of molesting a woman by kissing her lips at around 4am on July 4, 2020. There is a gag order on the identity of the victim and the location of the alleged offence.
Both he and Ms Tan declined comment when asked about their reaction to the outcome of the case.
According to earlier reports, Dr Fernando was fired by NUS following an allegation of inappropriate behaviour. NUS also lodged a police report.
If convicted of molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned or receive any combination of such punishments.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/former-nus-don-jeremy-fernando-avoids-jail-sentence-after-compounding-molestation-charge
| 2024-01-29T08:05:23Z
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SINGAPORE - Work to expand the Woodlands Checkpoint to five times its current size will begin in 2025, and the first phase, comprising an extension at the Old Woodlands Town Centre and Bukit Timah Expressway, is targeted to be completed progressively from 2028.
Afterwards, the Old Woodlands Checkpoint will be demolished and integrated with the extension, which is expected to be fully operational by 2032, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Jan 29.
ICA said it plans to redevelop the Woodlands Checkpoint in several phases over the next 10 to 15 years, including through land reclamation which will be done by JTC Corporation, the government agency overseeing Singapore’s industrial spaces.
The expansion work will not disrupt operations at the checkpoint.
After conducting feasibility and technical studies to determine the amount of land needed to meet future needs, ICA said it assessed that the land needs for the redevelopment “can only be met through land acquisition and land reclamation”.
Responding to questions from The Straits Times, an ICA spokesman said the planned area of the redeveloped checkpoint, including the existing facility, is about 95ha, or the size of 88 football fields.
Reclamation work is tentatively scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2024 and is estimated to be completed by 2029.
ICA said the work will start after the reclamation plans are finalised and after considering feedback on an environmental impact assessment report.
JTC conducted an environmental impact assessment to assess the potential impact of the proposed work.
The report had recommended measures that can be put in place to reduce the impact on the environment, ICA said.
“Based on the report’s findings, we do not expect any major environmental concerns arising from the works,” said the authority.
ST has asked JTC for more information.
The redevelopment efforts come as the volume of travellers at Woodlands Checkpoint returned to pre-Covid-19 levels of about 300,000 travellers daily. This number is often higher during long weekends and holidays, ICA noted.
It is up from about 230,000 travellers a day in 2000. The number of travellers passing through the Woodlands Checkpoint, one of three land checkpoints in Singapore, is projected to reach 400,000 a day by 2050.
An ICA spokesman said: “Despite various initiatives to reduce congestion, we are still constrained by the existing space and infrastructure to make further improvements to address the traffic congestion.”
Woodlands Checkpoint, once fully redeveloped, aims to reduce average clearance time from the current 60 minutes to 15 minutes during peak periods across all vehicle types, including cargo vehicles, motorcycles and buses.
ICA said it aims to incorporate more automation, such as automated in-car immigration clearance systems, and provide holding areas for vehicles within the checkpoint to lower congestion on the roads and the BKE leading to the checkpoint. It also plans to carry out security checks away from the checkpoint to mitigate security risks.
Under the first phase of the redevelopment, an extension at the Old Woodlands Town Centre will be built.
It will have 21 cargo lanes going in both directions and 78 arrival car lanes, which will increase cargo clearance capacity by 30 per cent and arrival car clearance capacity by 95 per cent, ICA said.
The arrival car lanes can also be converted into 156 arrival motorcycle lanes, which allows ICA flexibility to manage traffic during peak periods.
As part of an extension to the BKE, a direct route to the expressway will be created for vehicles exiting the checkpoint, to ease traffic congestion on the roads during peak hours, ICA added. The surrounding road networks will also be upgraded to improve overall traffic flow.
ICA said the BKE extension will be aligned with the eastern edge of Marsiling Park, to minimise the impact on a sensitive ecological site in the western side of the park.
To reduce noise to residential areas near the construction sites, noise barriers will be built, the authority said. Traffic signs will also be put up to guide road users, as some road networks will be affected.
The subsequent phases of redevelopment include building clearance facilities on both acquired and reclaimed land, and retrofitting the current Woodlands Checkpoint.
These plans are subject to further design studies, and more details will be announced once they are completed, ICA said.
During the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat in October 2023, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong explained to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim why Woodlands Checkpoint needed to be redeveloped, which will require land reclamation. PM Lee also said he was glad Datuk Seri Anwar supported the project.
Mr Anwar had said Singapore required land that is under the Malaysian authorities for the redevelopment, and that Malaysia would facilitate the sale.
“We can facilitate the sale, so that Singapore can have the facility to then make sure that the flow is made more easily, both for Malaysian workers to Singapore, and Singaporeans coming, particularly during the weekends, into Johor,” he said.
In May 2022, ICA announced that nine Housing Board blocks in Marsiling Crescent and Marsiling Lane will be acquired to make way for the redevelopment.
Flat owners were offered the same benefits as those under the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme, such as the option to buy a new flat with a fresh 99-year lease in Woodlands Street 13.
Residents will have to move out by the second quarter of 2028, and the replacement flats are expected to be built by the fourth quarter of 2027.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/woodlands-checkpoint-expansion-work-to-start-in-2025-first-phase-to-be-completed-by-2032
| 2024-01-29T08:05:34Z
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Talking points from the week in Asian football:
AUSTRALIA, TAJIKISTAN BOOK ASIAN CUP QUARTER-FINAL BERTHS
Australia will face either South Korea or Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup, while debutants Tajikistan will meet Jordan or Iraq after progressing beyond the last 16 in Qatar on Sunday.
Australia scored twice in the dying minutes through Craig Goodwin and Harry Souttar to register a 4-0 win over Indonesia after Elkan Baggott's own goal had put Graham Arnold's side ahead and Martin Boyle doubled the lead late in the first half.
Tajikistan defeated the United Arab Emirates 5-3 in a penalty shootout after Vakhdat Hanonov had seen his first-half header cancelled out by Khalifa Al-Hammadi's injury-time equaliser.
OMAN WILL NOT RENEW IVANKOVIC CONTRACT AFTER ASIAN CUP EXIT
Branko Ivankovic will not have his contract with Oman extended after failing to lead the country out of the group phase of the Asian Cup finals in Qatar.
The decision was announced by the Oman Football Association on social media on Friday, leaving the Gulf state looking for a new coach with less then two months to go until their next round of qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
WIN OVER JETS TAKES PHOENIX TWO POINTS CLEAR IN AUSTRALIA
Wellington Phoenix opened up a two-point lead over Melbourne Victory in Australia after Oskar Zawada's late goal earned the New Zealand-based outfit a 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets.
Alex Rufer put Wellington ahead from the penalty sport in the fifth minute but Trent Buhagiar got the Jets back on level terms in the 80th minute. Zawada struck three minutes from time to secure all three points for the visiting Phoenix.
Victory were held 1-1 by Sydney FC.
FORMER CHAMPIONS SHENZHEN WITHDRAW FROM CHINESE LEAGUE SETUP
Shenzhen FC will not be competing in the upcoming season in China after the club said they had "failed to pass the professional league's admission for the 2024 season and cannot continue to compete in the professional football league".
The former Chinese Super League champions finished bottom last season and had been due to play in China League One when the new campaign kicks off in March.
The news comes after Dalian Pro said earlier this month they would cease operations. REUTERS
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HYDERABAD, India - Test cricket has been under pressure amid the growing popularity of lucrative T20 leagues around the world but the longest format could not have given itself a bigger boost with two thrilling finales to box office matches in Brisbane and Hyderabad on Sunday.
With T20 franchises potentially becoming players' primary employers, and most boards finding test cricket financially not viable, the format's future remains a concern for the purists.
But they will have a spring in their step after West Indies stunned Australia in Brisbane and, hours later, England staged a stunning comeback against India in Hyderabad.
With all-rounders Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers opting to play franchise cricket instead, West Indies picked seven uncapped players for the two-test series Down Under where they had last won a test in 1997.
World Test Championship winners Australia had prevailed in a little over two days in Adelaide and a series sweep at Brisbane looked a formality with the hosts a perfect 11-0 in day-night matches.
West Indies speedster Shamar Joseph had other ideas.
After taking a five-wicket haul in his debut test in Adelaide the 24-year-old, bowling with a bruised toe, burst onto the scene as the game's new star with his 7-68 in Brisbane to clinch a cliffhanger for his team.
The drama and the joy moved West Indies stalwarts Brian Lara and Carl Hooper to tears.
"Seeing @BrianLara in tears in the comm box tells you everything you need to know about test cricket and what it means," former England captain Michael Vaughan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"T20 is great but it will never ever bring out this emotion," he wrote in another post.
Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar said Joseph's "remarkable spell" illustrated the "sheer grit and drama" that test cricket could produce.
"This is the format that truly challenges and showcases a player's mettle," he said.
While it was a triumph for the underdog spirit in Brisbane, the outcome in Hyderabad was a victory for England's fearless brand of cricket.
India had lost just three tests at home since 2013 and the home side looked set to open the five-match series with another win having taken a lead of 190, a figure which would usually have been decisive in such spin-friendly conditions.
However, Ollie Pope produced arguably the best knock by a visiting batter in India with an incredible 196 to overturn the deficit, while debutant spinner Tom Hartley claimed 7-63 to script one of England's greatest away wins.
India coach Rahul Dravid took some comfort from the fact his team had been involved in such a positive advertisement for test cricket.
"If you look at the bigger picture, you don't have 25,000 people coming in each of the four days of a test match here," he said.
"The cricket was played at a lovely pace. Both teams played the game without taking a backward step and kept pushing hard.
"It was a very good test match to be part of." REUTERS
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| 2024-01-29T08:05:54Z
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Jannik Sinner's Australian Open title win on Sunday will only whet the Italian's appetite for more Grand Slam success, coach Darren Cahill said.
The world number four rallied from two sets down at Rod Laver Arena to stun 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3 and claim his first major.
"We believe in Jannik, we always have. He's a special young kid," Cahill said. "Even the way he hits the ball, it just sounds special.
"He's absorbing everything and trying new things on the court, and he just wants to get better. I'm sure after this sinks in he won't settle. He'll never settle. He wants to get better."
Sinner, 22, and Carlos Alcaraz, 20, are spearheading a new generation of talent trying to loosen Novak Djokovic's grip on the Grand Slams. Alcaraz already has two major crowns to his name and Cahill said Sinner is "chasing" the Spaniard.
"Carlos has trail-blazed for a lot of young players. We're thankful for that. He's a delight to watch play and a delight to watch him on court," he added.
"We aspire to be as good as him and hopefully one day be better than him, but at the moment we're chasing Carlos, and we'll continue to do that." REUTERS
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| 2024-01-29T08:06:05Z
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NEW YORK – New sports leagues come and go. Most are barely noticed as they play to diehards in relative obscurity or until they fold. For years, that’s been the unfortunate fate of women’s professional hockey in North America. Despite strong ratings during the Olympics and thriving girls’ and women’s college hockey in Canada and the United States, the sport has never broken through commercially.
On Jan 1, the six-team Professional Women’s Hockey League, or PWHL, debuted with the intent of changing that narrative. Thanks to a billionaire investor, media deals and the very best athletes in the sport, the PWHL has already sold out arenas, set attendance records and drawn millions of viewers. It’s a success built upon a simple idea: treat women athletes like professionals, and sports fans will watch them.
Recently, I visited the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, home of the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild, to have a look at the PWHL for myself. Minnesota was up against New York, and the match-up was enticing: Of the 12 starting players, there were 12 Olympic gold and silver medals between them. Despite sub-zero temperatures outdoors, there were nearly 8,000 fans in the seats, a large percentage of them wearing jerseys representing their girls’ high school and other youth hockey programs.
Getting to that point wasn’t easy for a sport that’s historically associated with men. Minnesota, which likes to think of itself as the “State of Hockey”, didn’t sanction girls’ high school hockey until 1994. It was the first state to do so. In a sign of repressed demand, a startling 24 schools offered programs that first year, and it’s continued to grow since then.
Last year, there were 15,355 registered girls hockey players in Minnesota.
That enthusiasm, which has been replicated across Canada and especially on the East Coast of the US, drives the passion for world-class women’s hockey.
Despite the lousy start time, the 2022 star-studded Olympic gold finals between the US and Canadian women’s national teams drew an average of 3.54 million viewers in the US and over 2 million in Canada, more than any NHL game up to that point in the 2021-2022 season.
In theory, at least, it shouldn’t be hard to translate that kind of fan demand into a profitable and popular women’s professional league. But over the years, women’s professional hockey leagues have started and failed in large part because they simply weren’t very professional.
Among the most obvious problems was athlete pay – or the lack of it. Rather than spending their time training, players – even world-class ones – often held down jobs off the ice. Meanwhile, teams often played in facilities that didn’t exactly convey world-class professionalism, including rec centres and shopping malls. Finally, there were few – if any – opportunities for fans to tune in or stream these games.
What broadcaster is going to buy rights to a league staged in rec centres?
Fixing these problems would require someone with cash, patience and sports savvy.
In June 2023, Mark Walter, founder and chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners and principal owner and CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers, decided to give it a shot. Working with tennis legend Billie Jean King, he bought out an existing women’s hockey league and negotiated a collective bargaining agreement for a new league with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association. Under its terms, the average salary on each PWHL team is US$55,000 (S$73,700), with a requirement for teams to sign at least six top players to deals worth at least US$80,000 per year.
The money is significant: For the first time, many North American women’s hockey players are closer to being able to afford to be full-time professionals.
Meanwhile, the league sought out and secured better venues, including UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders, for several PWHL New York games. The professional ambiance is drawing fans. Toronto’s season was sold out before it began. And in Minnesota, the first PWHL game drew 13,316 fans, an all-time record for women’s professional hockey.
Television has been just as successful. Before the season, the league locked down a national contract in Canada, regional deals for the three US franchises, and a YouTube channel that anyone, anywhere, can use to stream the league’s games. Access has drawn audiences: The opening game garnered almost three million viewers in Canada.
After the game I attended in Minnesota, New York forward Jessie Eldridge described to a group of reporters what she viewed as the difference between the PWHL and previous leagues. “Having you guys here, having the game on TV for everyone to turn on,” she said. “In the past, there wasn’t the platform to do that.”
The PWHL won’t reveal what this year’s 72-game season is costing its deep-pocketed investor. “We thought we could do it in a way that pays off over time,” explains Stan Kasten, a board member (and president of the Los Angeles Dodgers). “Not in the first year or two or three.” In the meantime, he’s taking pride in what’s obvious to anyone who attends or watches a game: “We got the hockey right.”
That’s for sure.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed on the ice, least of all success. But decades of community-led growth in girls and now women’s hockey, in Minnesota and elsewhere, means that there’s a fanbase ready to cheer the professional product that the PWHL is putting out there. BLOOMBERG
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/women-s-ice-hockey-is-breaking-the-ice-ceiling
| 2024-01-29T08:06:15Z
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PARIS - France wants a decision this week to change EU nature law regulations regarding agricultural surfaces which have to remain fallow under new biodiversity rules, in order to help the country's farmers, said French farming minister Marc Fesneau on Monday.
Fesneau also told France 2 TV that the government, under pressure from nationwide farmers' protests, was still working on other concessions they could give to farmers in the coming 48 hours to improve their working conditions. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/france-wants-eu-law-changes-this-week-to-help-protesting-farmers-minister
| 2024-01-29T08:06:26Z
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LONDON - Firms that check environmental, social and governance (ESG) claims made by companies will be asked to follow a proposed new ethics code to help combat greenwashing, the chief of a global standards body told Reuters.
Trillions of dollars have flowed into investment funds touting green credentials, but these can be misleading, a practice known as greenwashing. As a result, companies are increasingly being asked to disclose more about their actions on climate change and other issues such as board diversity.
Companies in the European Union and globally will have to use new, mandatory disclosures on ESG and climate-related factors in their annual reports for 2024 and onwards.
These disclosures will need checking by external auditors as a safeguard against greenwashing.
Ms Gabriela Figueiredo Dias, chair of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (Iesba), said it was proposing revisions and additions to its ethics standards for auditing sustainability information from companies.
The Iesba is an independent global body that sets ethics standards for business and other organisations.
The standards spell out best practice for verifying a company’s sustainability claims by offering detailed instructions in areas such as accounting for the impact of corporate actions on emissions, relying on outside experts, and identifying and tackling conflicts of interest.
“There is nothing more central to sustainable finance than the information that is provided to those who decide to invest or fund projects and businesses,” said Ms Dias.
She added that the proposed standards, which will be open for public consultation until May, would complement the development of new technical assurance standards from the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board.
“Ethics is the baseline for the whole infrastructure. If you think about... greenwashing and misinformation, (it) always has behavioural issues at its root and not technical reporting reasons.
“It’s not because preparers and providers don’t know what they have to report and assure, it’s because there are ethical or independence issues such as conflicts of interest,” she said, citing as examples financial interests, pressure from client companies or their management, inducements or a lack of competence.
The International Organisation of Securities Commissions (Iosco), a global securities watchdog, has encouraged the moves by Iesba to update its standards as climate-related disclosures under mandatory rules, rather than private sector guidance, are rolled out, making enforcement against greenwashing easier.
Iosco board chair Jean-Paul Servais said he welcomed Iesba’s action to call on issuers, investors and assurance providers to participate in the consultation.
“Trust in such disclosures will be enhanced when they receive external assurance based upon globally accepted standards regarding ethical behaviour and independence,” he said.
Iesba said the proposed new standards could also be used by firms other than professional accountants for auditing sustainability disclosures, such as consultants, engineers or lawyers, who are responsible for more than half of sustainability reports.
EU rules allow non-accounting firms to audit sustainability disclosures – which will be checked to a lower standard than financial statements – to provide competition for KPMG, EY, Deloitte and PwC, dubbed the Big Four that dominate corporate auditing. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/global-watchdog-proposes-new-ethics-code-to-combat-greenwashing
| 2024-01-29T08:06:36Z
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Three U.S. service members were killed and at least 34 wounded in a drone attack by Iran-backed militants on U.S. troops in Jordan, said U.S. President Joe Biden, the first deadly strike against U.S. forces since the Israel-Hamas war erupted.
The attack, which Iran said it was not involved in, marks a major escalation in tensions that have engulfed the Middle East, amid concerns Israel's war against Hamas militants could spread into a wider conflict involving Iran's proxies in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.
"While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq," Biden said in a statement.
"Have no doubt - we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing," he said.
At least 34 personnel were injured in the Sunday attack in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.
Iran's mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Monday that Tehran was not involved in the attack.
"Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the U.S. base," the mission said in a statement published by the state news agency IRNA.
It added: "There is a conflict between U.S. forces and resistance groups in the region, which reciprocate retaliatory attacks."
The U.S. military said the attack occurred at a base near the Syrian border. It did not name the base, but a person familiar with the matter identified it as Tower 22 in Jordan.
Tower 22 holds a strategically important location in Jordan, at the most northeastern point where the country's borders meet Syria and Iraq. Little is publicly known about the base. But it includes logistics support and there are 350 U.S. Army and Air Force troops at the base.
The conflict in Gaza began on Oct. 7 when Hamas fighters stormed border defences to attack Israeli bases and towns, killing more than 1,200 people and seizing more than 200 hostages. More than 100 hostages remain captive.
Israel's intense bombardment of Gaza since Oct. 7 has killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians, says health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave, and left millions homeless.
Missile attacks in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen this month by Iran-backed militants has highlighted the increasing risk of a wider regional conflict pitting Iran and its allies against Israel and the U.S.
While the United States has maintained an official line that Washington is not at war in the region, it has been retaliating against the Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria and carrying out strikes against Yemen's Houthi military capabilities.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have continued to attack shipping in the region, and on Monday said they had launched a rocket at U.S. warship Lewis B. Puller as it sailed through the Gulf of Aden a day earlier.
GAPS IN HOSTAGE TALKS
Talks held on Sunday initiated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt to broker a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas were "constructive" but meaningful gaps remain, the Israeli prime minister's office said.
"There are still significant gaps in which the parties willcontinue to discuss this week in additional mutual meetings,"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
It said the talks took place in Europe, without giving aspecific venue.
The World Court ordered Israel on Friday to prevent acts of genocide against the Palestinians and do more to help civilians, although it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire as requested by the plaintiff South Africa.
While the ruling denied Palestinian hopes of a binding orderto halt the war in Gaza, it also represented a legal setback forIsrael, which had hoped to throw out a case brought under thegenocide convention established in the ashes of the Holocaust.
On the ground in Gaza, the heaviest fighting in weeks is nowtaking place in crowded areas jammed with hundreds of thousandsof people who fled from earlier fighting elsewhere.
Israel kept up its bombardment of the main southern city ofKhan Younis, reporting "intensive battles" and strikes on dozensof Hamas fighters and infrastructure from the air and ground.
Residents said Israeli forces blew up buildings and housesin the western part of the city as gun battles raged.
Palestinians say Israel has hampered efforts to rescue thedead and wounded as well as blockading hospitals, which Israeldenies, blaming Hamas fighters for operating near them.
In a new setback for stricken Palestinians, the UnitedStates said it was pausing funding to the UN aid agency forPalestinian refugees (UNRWA) after Israel alleged that 12 UNRWAemployees were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
UNRWA said it was urgently investigating and "any UNRWAemployee who was involved in acts of terror" would be heldaccountable. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/first-deadly-strike-against-us-forces-since-gaza-war-started
| 2024-01-29T08:06:46Z
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WASHINGTON - The killing of three U.S. troops and wounding of dozens more on Sunday by Iran-backed militants is piling political pressure on President Joe Biden to deal a blow directly against Iran, a move he's been reluctant to do out of fear of igniting a broader war.
Biden's response options could range anywhere from targeting Iranian forces outside to even inside Iran, or opting for a more cautious retaliatory attack solely against the Iran-backed militants responsible, experts say.
American forces in the Middle East have been attacked more than 150 times by Iran-backed forces in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and off the coast of Yemen since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.
But until Sunday's attack on a remote outpost known as Tower 22 near Jordan's northeastern border with Syria, the strikes had not killed U.S. troops nor wounded so many. That allowed Biden the political space to mete out U.S. retaliation, inflicting costs on Iran-backed forces without risking a direct war with Tehran.
Biden said the United States would respond, without giving any more details.
Republicans accused Biden of letting American forces become sitting ducks, waiting for the day when a drone or missile would evade base defenses. They say that day came on Sunday, when a single one-way attack drone struck near base barracks early in the morning.
In response, they say Biden must strike Iran.
"He left our troops as sitting ducks," said Republican U.S. Senator Tom Cotton. "The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran's terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East."
The Republican who leads the U.S. military oversight committee in the House of Representatives, Representative Mike Rogers, also called for action against Tehran.
"It's long past time for President Biden to finally hold the terrorist Iranian regime and their extremist proxies accountable for the attacks they've carried out," Rogers said.
Former President Donald Trump, who hopes to face off against Biden in this year's presidential election, portrayed the attack as a "consequence of Joe Biden's weakness and surrender."
The Biden administration has said that it goes to great lengths to protect U.S. troops around the world.
One Democrat openly voiced concern that Biden's strategy of containing the Israel-Hamas conflict to Gaza was failing.
"As we see now, it is spiraling out of control. It's beginning to emerge as a regional war, and unfortunately the United States and our troops are in harms way," Democratic Representative Barbara Lee said, renewing calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestinian war.
NOT SO SIMPLE
Democratic Representative Seth Moulton, who served four tours in Iraq as a Marine, urged against Republican calls for war, saying "deterrence is hard; war is worse.”
"To the chicken hawks calling for war with Iran, you're playing into the enemy's hands—and I’d like to see you send your sons and daughters to fight," Moulton said. "We must have an effective, strategic response on our terms and our timeline."
Experts caution that any strikes against Iranian forces inside Iran could force Tehran to respond forcefully, escalating the situation in a way that could drag the United States into a major Middle East war.
Jonathan Lord, director of the Middle East security program at the Center for a New American Security, said striking directly inside Iran would raise questions for Tehran about regime survival.
"When you do things overtly you represent a major escalation for the Iranians," Lord said.
Charles Lister of the Washington-based Middle East Institute said a likely response would be to go after a significant target or high-value militant from Iran-backed groups in Iraq or Syria.
"What happened this morning, was on a totally different level than anything these proxies have done in the past two to three months... (but) despite all of the calls to do something in Iran, I don't see this administration taking that bait," Lister said.
A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it was unclear what the second and third order effects would be in going after Iran.
"Unless the U.S. prepared for an all out war, what does attacking Iran get us," the official said.
Still, Lord and other experts acknowledge that Israel had hit Iranian targets in Syria for years, without dissuading Iran, including four Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officials in Damascus on Jan. 20.
The United States has also struck Iranian-linked targets outside of Iran in recent months. In November, the U.S. military said it struck a facility used not only by Iran-backed group but also by the Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.
But Lister said the U.S. had gone after Iranians outside of Iran in the past, like the 2020 strike against top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, and only yielded a response during a limited period of time.
"So to an extent, if you go hard enough and high enough, we have a track record of showing that Iran can blink first," Lister said. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/political-pressure-builds-on-biden-to-strike-iran-after-us-deaths
| 2024-01-29T08:06:57Z
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce shared a passionate kiss on the field as the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated a major win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship, sealing their place in the Super Bowl.
After the game, Taylor, 34, made her way down to the field at M&T Bank Stadium to congratulate her boyfriend as he waited for the trophy presentation. The popstar looked visibly moved as she greeted Travis, 34, who was surrounded by his teammates and his parents, Donna and Ed Kelce.
Taking to the stage, Travis shared his excitement by quoting lyrics from the Beastie Boys. "You've got to fight/ for your right/ to party," he shouted.
Taylor was spotted cheering on her boyfriend throughout the game and at one point was jumping up and down and celebrating with others in the suite, including Travis' parents and her friend Keleigh Teller, after Travis caught a 19-yard dart from Patrick Mahomes in the first quarter.
Taylor, who has attended many of Travis' games, was seen wearing a bright red knitted jumper that matched her signature red lipstick.
It's not yet known whether the singer will be supporting from the sidelines at the upcoming Super Bowl on February 11 as she's set to perform in Tokyo from February 7 to 10 as part of her Eras Tour.
It will be the second year in a row the Kansas City Chiefs will play after winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy last year.
Travis' big win comes just days after he addressed recent claims that Taylor is a distraction. "As long as we're happy, we can't listen to anything that's outside noise. That's all that matters," he told the press during a conference on Friday ahead of the AFC Championship game.
"You hear the media throughout the year if we're not having success, you know, maybe throw it out there that I wasn't focused or that the team isn't focused on certain things, and if you're in this building, you know exactly what's going on," he added.
"So, you gotta compartmentalize what you're hearing and make sure that you're staying on task, and giving everybody in the building and on that team the right perception."
The couple began dating last summer after Taylor's July 2023 Eras Tour concert at Arrowhead Stadium, in Kansas City.
Opening up about their first meeting in a rare interview with Time magazine, who named her Person of the Year 2023, she revealed that it all started when Travis "very adorably" mentioned her on his podcast, New Heights.
"We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I'm grateful for, because we got to get to know each other," she explained. "By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date."
After the pair began dating, a massive spotlight was turned on their relationship and Travis' games saw a massive increase in viewership. But Taylor explained that when she goes to the games, she is "just there to support Travis."
"I have no awareness of if I'm being shown too much and [expletive] off a few dads, Brads, and Chads."
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/512241/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-passionate-kiss-after-kansas-city-chiefs-big-win/
| 2024-01-29T09:07:29Z
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ITV's crime thriller Trigger Point made its highly-anticipated return on Sunday night with the debut of series two. It's been almost two years since we last saw Vicky McClure's Lana Washington on our screens – and it's certainly been worth the wait!
Viewers praised the opening episode of series two, which sees Lana, an explosives officer for the Metropolitan Police, called to action after London is targeted by a deadly bombing campaign.
Taking to social media, fans applauded the nail-biting first episode. "Wow, what a first episode back of #TriggerPoint," began one viewer. "Real edge of the seat stuff & full throttle the whole way through. The 1st series was fantastic & I feel this one will be even better. Intriguing as well to see who's behind everything. Great stuff."
A second person penned: "Fantastic, certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat. Look forward to the rest of the series. Vicky McClure is a fantastic actress."
Many viewers were so compelled by the first episode that they spent the night binge-watching the entire six-episode series on ITVX.
Praising the show, which is executive produced by Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio, one person wrote: "Watched all season 2 of #TriggerPoint on @ITVX last night. Couldn't help myself after the first episode was finished. It's absolutely amazing. @Vicky_McClure is an outstanding actress and surrounded by an amazing cast. Fingers crossed for another season."
Another viewer called for a third season: "Trigger Point Series 2 was INCREDIBLE, I absolutely love this show. Fingers, toes and everything else crossed for a third series."
Fans were also impressed with the performances from the cast, particularly that of leading lady Vicky.
"Outstanding performance from @Vicky_McClure and the cast of #TriggerPoint," wrote one person, while another penned: "#VickyMcClure Take a bow. #TriggerPoint Absolutely British TV at its best. Super cast super storyline."
For those unfamiliar with the drama, it follows the Expo officers in the Metropolitan Police Bomb Disposal Squad.
In series two, Lana is back from secondment in Estonia, where she's been training Ukrainian bomb disposal teams, but hasn't returned to active duty.
"She is giving a routine talk to security officers from major financial institutions about the issues surrounding bomb centred terrorism, when there is a bomb attack in the heart of the city. Lana is closest to the incident, but is she ready to take it on?"
Speaking about reprising the role of Lana in the new season, Vicky said: "It was definitely a nice feeling putting the bombsuit and the boots back on and getting back into Lana's world.
"We thought a lot about the trauma that Lana and the team had been through and how that feels and how we should play it. I think there's a lot to be said for doing nothing – when you work in those kinds of fields you can become quite desensitised to certain things and deal with them privately, so I didn't want to turn Lana into this quivering mess all of a sudden. She's still got a big job on her hands, but there's always going to be that adrenaline for her. There will always be failures too, you can't get everything right every time."
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/512242/trigger-point-viewers-saying-same-thing-series-2-debut/
| 2024-01-29T09:07:35Z
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"Got any questions, feedback, or feature requests? We're all ears! Let's make AirBrush Studio even better together. 🔥"
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/airbrush-studio
| 2024-01-29T09:15:11Z
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Fast and ad-free web browsing
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Arc Search is the modern, fast, and AI-enabled mobile browsing experience you’ve been waiting for.
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Fast and ad-free web browsing
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/arc-search
| 2024-01-29T09:15:17Z
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BREEZ is a self-service kiosk that offers quick checkouts using conversational AI and RFID. It elevates customer experiences while enhancing staff productivity to boost profits.
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| 2024-01-29T09:15:24Z
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Colosseum powers Solana's online hackathons, accelerates winning founders, and invests pre-seed in the next era of breakout crypto startups.
Find cofounders, share product ideas, and compete in one integrated platform.
"Thanks for checking out our launch. Please provide feedback on any features you think would be helpful for crypto developer collaboration or team matching."
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/colosseum-2
| 2024-01-29T09:15:30Z
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"Thanks for checking out our launch! This is our 1st time offering Daydream self-serve (we typically hand-hold folks to value). Expect a few nits :) We'd love to know what you like/don't, your use cases (see our templates for ideas!), & what you find intuitive or not. Plz tell your friends! - ❤️, Us"
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/daydream-3
| 2024-01-29T09:15:36Z
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blocked_url
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Embed flexible and modular APIs in your app or website to automate document processes that involve eSignatures, document generation and routing, PDF editing, forms, data transfers, and more. Slash development cycles and benefit from reduced maintenance costs.
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/document-automation-hub-by-airslate-2
| 2024-01-29T09:15:42Z
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Elqi is an app that through conscious interventions lowers social media addiction, cutting down doom scrolling and limiting screen time. Dopamine-driven phone sessions are cut short as Elqi turns technology back into a tool - not an escape.
"Thanks for checking out our launch - we would love to get feedback from you to see what helps with driving down phone usage and how we can improve our product."
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/elqi
| 2024-01-29T09:15:49Z
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"Thank you for checking us out! What are your thoughts on our product so far? Is the blog insightful?"
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/emotsy-2
| 2024-01-29T09:15:55Z
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"We absolutely appreciate each and every one of you checking out our launch! 🙏 All feedback is critical to helping us make En Garde a better experience for everyone. Specifically, the match queuing process is what we'd really appreciate feedback on!"
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/en-garde
| 2024-01-29T09:16:01Z
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GPT Analytics
GPT Analytics
Revolutionize Your GPT Insights
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Track usage for your GPTs with detailed usage and conversations.
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GPT Analytics
Track usage of your GPT
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GPT Analytics by
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. Made by
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,
Inderpreet Singh
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Sunny Kumar
,
Kirti Gosain
and
Shreyas Dorle
. Featured on January 29th, 2024.
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/gpt-analytics
| 2024-01-29T09:16:07Z
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Struggling to land offers after interviews? Have an interview but don't know what questions may be asked?
InterviewAI is the only answer, turning interview anxiety into interview mastery. Improve your interview skills with our realistic mock interviews.
"Hey there! Thanks for checking out InterviewAI - we'd love to hear your feedback to improve our products and help more underdogs turn into winners. We appreciate your support, always!"
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/interviewai-by-wonsulting
| 2024-01-29T09:16:13Z
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Transform your iPad into a powerhouse of productivity with Lok Board's desktop-class multi-window experience. Extend your workspace to external display via cable or AirPlay, with no M1 chip or Stage Manager required. Elevate your workflow like never before!
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/lok-board
| 2024-01-29T09:16:20Z
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Minimal
Minimal
The minimal phone
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The Minimal Phone is the best choice for those seeking simplicity, productivity, and security. It features a full QWERTY keyboard, a long-lasting E-Ink display, and custom MnmlOS, redefining the smartphone experience.
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The minimal phone
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/minimal-3
| 2024-01-29T09:16:26Z
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This is the latest launch from Onlyjobs
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Onlyjobs for recruiters
Onlyjobs for recruiters
The ultimate platform for recruiters
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Hire Top Talent from Everywhere.
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Find the right fit near you.
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. Featured on January 29th, 2024.
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/onlyjobs-for-recruiters
| 2024-01-29T09:16:32Z
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"Thanks for your time to take a look in to our PennyFlo. We are happy with any kind of suggestions and problems that you are facing as a business, in managing the cash. Connect us over a call here, https://calendly.com/talktovaishnav Best, Raj Co-founder PennyFlo"
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/pennyflo
| 2024-01-29T09:16:38Z
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This is the latest launch from Quik MVP
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Quik MVP
Quik MVP
Turn Ideas into Reality, Track Progress Effortlessly!
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Quik MVP makes starting a business easy! Use our Lean Canvas model to bring ideas to life. Track progress and important numbers with simple tools. Start your business journey with Quik MVP—try it now and make your dreams happen faster!
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Business Model Canvas for Founders - From idea to a startup.
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by 4 users. It first launched on June 15th, 2023.
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/quik-mvp-3
| 2024-01-29T09:16:44Z
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Quiver
Quiver
The new app for rare conversations
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Quiver is a social media app in which users answer a new prompted question each day. Users are only granted access to the feed after they have answered the prompted question which is new each day.
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Quiver
The New App for Rare Conversations
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. Featured on January 29th, 2024.
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/quiver-6
| 2024-01-29T09:16:50Z
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Swif is a GenAI-powered Unified Device Management and compliance automation for your Mac, Windows, and Linux devices. Over 100 fast-growing companies trust Swif to automate their device security and get ready for SOC2, ISO 27001, HIPPA, or PCI compliance.
"Thanks for checking out our launch! We are committed to continuously improving and enhancing our solution based on the feedback of our users. Thank you for all the support."
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/swif-ai
| 2024-01-29T09:16:57Z
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Sync Discovery
Taking Music Further
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Sync Discovery is a web and mobile application that the music industry uses to plug, monitor, monetize, and protect their songs across broadcast media.
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Sync Discovery
Taking Music Further
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/sync-discovery
| 2024-01-29T09:17:03Z
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Revitalize your Chrome with Tart Finance 📈! Transform your new tab into a dynamic stock market hub. Enjoy real-time stock updates, news, and a personalized watchlist. Quick access to financial sites in a user-friendly setup. Perfect for market enthusiasts!
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/tart-finance-16eb0b8f-c8b8-4ac7-8007-562f539e088b
| 2024-01-29T09:17:10Z
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Unsqueeze
Unsqueeze
Intelligent video upscaling powered by Metal
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Powered by Metal on Apple Silicon, Unsqueeze uses the latest and greatest upscaling algorithms, and runs entirely on the GPU, making higher quality videos (8k+ resolution) faster than other upscaling tools. Available on iOS and macOS.
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Intelligent video upscaling powered by Metal
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/unsqueeze
| 2024-01-29T09:17:18Z
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Weave
Weave
Skip the code, weave AI into your workflows
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Weave is a prompt management system that lets business owners create personalized workflows. Connect prompts and utilize various LLMs with Weave. Including smaller LLMs that are oftentimes capable of overpowering larger ones in specific use cases.
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Weave
Skip the code. Weave AI into your workflows.
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/weave-7
| 2024-01-29T09:17:24Z
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BERLIN - Austria is suspending payments to the United Nations' Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, pending a full investigation into accusations that its employees were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Austrian foreign ministry said on Monday.
"We call on UNRWA and the United Nations to conduct a comprehensive, swift and complete investigation into the allegations," the ministry said in a statement.
Austria joins Britain, Germany, the United States, Australia and Canada, among others, in pausing funding to the aid agency, a critical source of support for people in Gaza. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/austria-suspends-payments-to-un-palestinian-agency-foreign-ministry
| 2024-01-29T09:35:25Z
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BEIJING - China's foreign ministry said on Monday that it would "seriously" study resuming a previous visa-free arrangement for Japanese visitors to China.
China also hopes Japan will work with Beijing to make cross-border travel between both countries easier, Wang Wenbin, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said at a regular news conference.
Wang was asked by a reporter why China has yet to restore a visa-free policy suspended during the pandemic while signing visa-waiver arrangements with countries such as Thailand.
Before COVID-19, Japanese citizens were able to enter China without a visa for up to 14 days. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/china-foreign-ministry-will-seriously-study-resuming-visa-free-policy-for-japan
| 2024-01-29T09:35:36Z
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MANILA - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. struck back on Monday at his firebrand predecessor Rodrigo Duterte who called him a "drug addict", saying the former leader's fentanyl use could have affected his judgment.
"I think it's the fentanyl," Marcos told reporters shortly before leaving for Vietnam in response to claims made by Duterte on Sunday while speaking at a rally in his hometown Davao against moves to amend the country's constitution.
When asked about the drug use accusations and the call for him to step down, Marcos said, the former president "has been taking the drug for a very long time now...after five, six years, it has to affect him."
In 2016, Duterte admitted he used to take the highly addictive synthetic opioid fentanyl for pain relief after a motorcyle accident.
"I hope his doctors take better care of him," said Marcos.
Duterte also said Marcos was included in the drug agency's so called 'narco-list' that was submitted to him when he was still mayor of Davao city, a charge which the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency vehemently denied.
Duterte's accusations came after his son, who is the incumbent mayor of Davao, called on Marcos to resign, citing his supposed failings to address criminality and a foreign policy that "endangers the lives of innocent Filipinos".
Former president Duterte has earned international rebuke for unleashing a brutal campaign against illegal drugs when he assumed power in 2016, killing more 6,000 dealers whom police said resisted arrest during anti-drug operations.
The International Criminal Court has allowed an investigation into the killings to resume, but Marcos said his government will not cooperate. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/i-think-its-the-fentanyl-philippines-marcos-hits-back-at-predecessor-duterte
| 2024-01-29T09:35:46Z
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MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr traded accusations of drug use with his predecessor, Mr Rodrigo Duterte, in his first public rebuke of the former leader as the rift between the country’s two most powerful political clans deepens.
“I think it’s the fentanyl,” Mr Marcos told reporters on Jan 29, when asked to respond to Mr Duterte’s accusations on Jan 28 that the president is a “drug addict” and that he was on the country’s drug watch list.
Mr Durterte’s allegation against Mr Marcos was swiftly denied by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
“Fentanyl is the strongest painkiller that you can buy. It is highly addictive and it has very serious side effects,” Mr Marcos said before leaving for a two-day state visit to Vietnam.
Mr Duterte “has been taking the drug for a very long time now. I hope his doctors take better care of him”, he said.
Early into Mr Duterte’s term in 2016, the firebrand leader, who oversaw a deadly drug war that killed thousands, admitted that he took fentanyl – a potent opioid medication – to relieve his daily migraines and spinal pains. He denied being addicted to the painkiller.
Mr Marcos and Mr Duterte drew thousands of their supporters in separate rallies on Jan 28, underscoring a widening rift that may split the alliance that led to landslide victories in the 2022 election.
As Mr Marcos unveiled a new slogan for his administration before a crowd that the government estimated at 400,000, Mr Duterte led a gathering in his hometown in Davao.
Mr Duterte warned his successor that he may suffer the same fate as his late dictator father if he pushes ahead with efforts to amend the Constitution.
The late strongman Ferdinand Marcos was ousted in a popular revolt in 1986, prompting the family’s exile in Hawaii.
Piling up on the criticisms from his side of the rift, Mr Duterte’s son, Sebastian, who is also mayor of Davao city, urged Mr Marcos on Jan 28 to resign, calling him lazy and uncompassionate.
“You are lazy and you lack compassion. That’s why we are unhappy,” he said.
He said Mr Marcos “is putting politics first, their self-preservation... rather than focusing on the job”.
“Mr President, if you have no love and aspirations for the nation, resign,” he said.
‘Knives are out’
Cracks in the Marcos-Duterte coalition have deepened since 2023, as Mr Marcos’s allies in Congress questioned Vice-President Sara Duterte’s request for confidential funds, and as Mr Marcos strengthened the Philippines’ ties with the United States after his predecessor pivoted towards China.
Recent moves to revise the Constitution, which Mr Marcos backs, have emerged as the latest flashpoint between the two camps ahead of the midterm elections in 2024.
“We face a complex and changing world. It calls for a united response that will make our nation strong, our economy sound and our children’s future secure,” Mr Marcos said on Jan 28, as he launched Bagong Pilipinas, a brand of governance which translates into “New Philippines”.
“We cannot meet these challenges if no common purpose energises us,” he said.
Ms Duterte, who set aside her presidential ambitions to join Mr Marcos’ ticket in the 2022 election, told the Manila crowd that she supports Mr Marcos’ vision.
She left before Mr Marcos arrived to fly to Davao and attend the rally organised by her family’s supporters.
Like her brother, Ms Duterte has openly defied some of Mr Marcos’ policies, including the peace talks with communist rebels that she said was an “agreement with the devil”.
Asked for comment on her brother’s remarks, Ms Duterte said on Jan 28: “I can only surmise he is coming from a place of brotherly love, coupled by the common sentiment that I do not deserve the despicable treatment that I am receiving from some sectors within the circle of the president.”
“Before it was a speculation. Now it’s clear. The knives are out,” said Mr Cleve Arguelles, CEO of WR Numero Research.
“It’s the breakup of the UniTeam,” he said, referring to the campaign branding of Mr Marcos and Mr Duterte in the 2022 polls.
“The Dutertes cannot be underestimated in terms of their political capital and influence on the public,” Mr Arguelles said. They could pose a challenge for the incumbent in the midterm elections and may weaken Mr Marcos politically.
“(The Manila and Davao rallies) highlight a distressing reality: the dynastic war among ruling elites, which serves only to further cement the interests of political dynasties and entrenched elites, while neglecting the pressing needs of the Filipino populace,” Ms Rafaela David, president of political party Akbayan, said in a statement on Jan 29. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/knives-are-out-marcos-says-fentanyl-fog-behind-duterte-s-tirades-against-him
| 2024-01-29T09:35:57Z
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Sprezzatura
Red Dot Baroque with La Risonanza
The Arts House Chamber
Jan 28, 7.30pm
Sprezzatura is an Italian term describing actions accomplished with a carefree, almost nonchalant ease. In the case of classical music, Italian contributions during the baroque era have been priceless. The terms symphony, concerto, sonata and aria all have Italian roots and origins.
This concert by Red Dot Baroque (RDB) in partnership with three members from baroque ensemble La Risonanza from Milan was a wonderful showcase of Italian originality and invention. The show was presented in five acts centred around the cities of Mantua and Venice, with a dizzying array of instrumental and vocal music, most of which were unfamiliar for local listeners.
No Vivaldi, Corelli or Tartini here, instead the first act opened with excerpts from Claudio Monteverdi’s Orfeo, considered to be the first important opera.
A procession of RDB players trooped down the chamber’s central aisle with the Toccata and settled with La Musica, before guest soprano Maria Chiara Adolino sang her first aria Dal Mio Permesso (My Beloved Permessus), and tenor Angelo Testori registered with Rosa Del Ciel (Rose Of Heaven). Both were heartfelt readings, and they had just begun.
The second act saw the rare appearance of the sackbut, forerunner of the trombone, in Giovanni Picci’s Canzon Terza, played by Don Kow, accompanied by violin, cello and harpsichord. Two theorbos (long-necked lutes) accounted for Giovanni Kapsberger’s Capona, a steady partnership of Risonanza’s Gabriele Palombo and RDB’s Christopher Clarke, before Testori’s musing of Giulio Caccini’s Amarilli, Mia Bella (Amaryllis, My Lovely One). This was clearly a misty-eyed love song.
RDB founder-leader Alan Choo helpfully provided an impromptu mini-history of early baroque music, describing techniques employed in the all-instrumental third act. These included the notated tremolos in Bagio Marini’s La Foscarina and echo effects in Dario Castello Sonata XII.
The most substantial and moving segment was the fourth act entitled Songs of Loss. Testori’s performance of Francesco Cavalli’s Misero, Cosi Va (Wretched Goes He) was an unnerving lament on unrequited love, ever so applicable even for modern times.
Adolino’s totally riveting reading of pioneering woman composer Barbara Strozzi’s Hor Che Apollo (Now That Apollo Rests) was from a man’s point of view. It made for no easy listening especially when one knows that impending death is looming. Marini’s Passacalio, also in a minor key, made for a seamless instrumental exit of the doomed protagonist.
The final act was thankfully more upbeat, with Marco Ucellini’s Aria Sopra Questa Bella Sirena with two soprano recorders (Cheryl Lim and Rachel Ho) and sackbut providing much cheer. Both singers were united in Monteverdi’s Zefiro Torna (Zephirus Returns). With a dance-like pulse provided by the band, their voices celebrated the happy triumph of love.
Following Andrea Falconieri’s jolly instrumental Folias, based on a popular Iberian tune, the welcome encore was possibly the best-known baroque duet of all, Pur Ti Miro (I Gaze Upon You) from Monteverdi’s Coronation Of Poppea. This made for a simply perfect close.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/concert-review-red-dot-baroque-and-la-risonanza-s-dizzying-showcase-of-italian-musical-invention
| 2024-01-29T09:36:07Z
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The response has been almost like clockwork, at nearly every medical visit in the last few weeks.
“It’s time for the flu shot,” I’ll say to my patients, “plus the updated Covid-19 vaccine.” And that’s when the groans start.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/my-patients-used-to-be-enthusiastic-about-the-covid-19-vaccine-what-changed
| 2024-01-29T09:36:17Z
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Mr Joe Biden’s record low popularity ratings get a lot of attention, yet leaders across the developed world are in a similar predicament to the US President – they have rarely been this unpopular.
I track leaders’ approval ratings in 20 major democracies, using leading pollsters such as Morning Consult, Gallup and Compolítica. In the developed world, no leader has a rating above 50 per cent. Only one country (Italy) has seen its leader gain approval in the 2020s. At 37 per cent, Mr Biden’s rating is at a record low for a US president late in his first term – but above average for his peers.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/why-political-leaders-in-the-developed-world-are-so-unpopular
| 2024-01-29T09:36:28Z
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SINGAPORE – A man who disciplined his nine-year-old son by hitting him several times with two umbrellas and a cane was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Jan 29.
The 45-year-old man committed the offence after his wife suspected the boy had stolen $50 during a birthday party.
He also used the cane to hit her when she tried to intervene.
The man had pleaded guilty in November 2023 to assaulting his son. Another similar charge involving his wife was taken into consideration during sentencing.
He cannot be named to protect the boy’s identity as those below 18 years old are covered under the Children and Young Persons Act.
The mother had accompanied the child to a birthday party on Nov 30, 2022. Before leaving the event, the child told her that the birthday boy had handed him a $50 note.
She told her son to return the cash when she suspected that he was lying, and the boy complied.
The woman later told her husband about what had happened, and he decided to discipline the boy.
Court documents did not disclose if the child had indeed committed theft.
The man used an umbrella to repeatedly strike the child’s palms and thighs. She told her husband to stop hitting their son when the boy began crying.
The man then ordered the boy to leave their home before closing the door. She again intervened and allowed their son back into their home.
Seeing this, he used a bigger umbrella to hit the boy multiple times.
In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordy Kay said: “The accused’s wife again tried to stop the accused from hitting their son. However, the accused did not stop, but instead took a cane and continued to hit his son’s body.
“The accused’s wife continued to plead with the accused to stop hitting their son. Instead of stopping, the accused also hit his wife with the cane after she attempted to shield their son while he was caning him.”
A witness who overheard the commotion alerted the police shortly before midnight that day.
The man eventually stopped the attack and left their home. The police arrived at the scene and arrested him when he returned soon after.
After the beatings, the woman and the boy went to Changi General Hospital, where the latter was found to have multiple red marks all over his body.
Court documents did not disclose details about the woman’s condition after the attack.
The man’s bail was set at $10,000 on Jan 29, and he is expected to surrender himself at the State Courts on March 18 to begin serving his sentence.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/three-weeks-jail-for-man-who-assaulted-his-9-year-old-son-with-two-umbrellas-and-a-cane
| 2024-01-29T09:36:38Z
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LOS ANGELES – Jalen Duren scored 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds to lead the lowly Detroit Pistons to a 120-104 “big-time” National Basketball Association victory over Oklahoma City on Jan 28, snapping the Thunder’s five-game winning streak.
The Pistons posted just their sixth win of the season despite the absence of leading scorer Cade Cunningham, who was a late scratch to manage knee trouble.
It looked like more disappointment for Detroit – who matched a league record for futility with 28 straight defeats this season – when the Thunder jumped to a 10-point lead early in the first quarter.
Said Pistons coach Monty Williams: “I just think our guys care. We had every reason to make excuses – a back-to-back against the best team in the West – and our guys just competed.”
But the Pistons were up by nine at half-time and never trailed in the second half.
Duren’s career-high in rebounds included nine of the Pistons’ 15 offensive boards.
“It’s cool,” Duren said of his first career 20-20 game, but he was more pleased to put up a win after the Pistons lost four of their previous five games.
That included a double-digit loss to the woeful Washington Wizards on Jan 27 in Cunningham’s first game back from an eight-game injury absence.
“It was big-time,” Duren said of beating the Thunder, who had 31 points from newly named All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a defeat that dropped them to 32-14 – tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves atop the Western Conference.
“Especially after yesterday – we didn’t come out nothing like we wanted to yesterday, we were really flat. Today the main focus was keeping that energy.
“We knew what type of team this is, they’ve been playing great this year. We knew we had to come out ready to play,” Duren said.
Next up for the Thunder is a clash with the Timberwolves on Jan 29 (Jan 30, Singapore time) for top spot in the West.
“That’s the best thing about the NBA schedule is it keeps turning,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.
“Tomorrow is a new opportunity, obviously a big challenge for us against a team that we just beat on the road. We’ve got to throw our best punch in that game.”
At Indianapolis, Canadian guard Bennedict Mathurin came off the bench to score 24 points and lead the Indiana Pacers over the Memphis Grizzlies 116-110.
Cameroonian forward Pascal Siakam and Jalen Smith each added 19 for the Pacers, who improved to 27-20.
In Atlanta, Saddiq Bey grabbed a rebound and jammed in the game-winning dunk with 1.1 seconds remaining to give the Hawks a 126-125 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors.
Trae Young had game highs of 30 points and 12 assists for the Hawks, while Bey contributed 26 points and 13 rebounds and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 24 points for Atlanta.
Young’s jumper with 27 seconds remaining gave Atlanta a 124-123 lead but Scottie Barnes answered with a jumper to put the Raptors ahead 125-124 with 7.1 seconds remaining.
Young missed a final jumper with two seconds to play but Bey grabbed the ball and slammed in the decisive dunk.
Paolo Banchero scored 26 points to lead the Orlando Magic over visiting Phoenix 110-96, the Suns losing despite a 44-point performance from Devin Booker.
Kevin Durant was the only other Phoenix player in double figures as the Suns fell to 26-20, sixth in the West.
He said: “I wasn’t very smart with the ball. I lead by example by doing stuff like that, and that kind of messed the whole game up.
“I just think that sets a bad precedent for the team and everybody feeds off of that, and it just snowballs off that. Really that’s what lost the game.” AFP
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/basketball/jalen-duren-double-double-powers-detroit-pistons-over-oklahoma-city-thunder
| 2024-01-29T09:36:49Z
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Brazil's Filipe Toledo and American Caroline Marks will look to defend their crowns when surfing's world championship tour kicks off in Hawaii this week, with the 2024 Olympics in the pristine tubes of Tahiti also looming for top contenders.
The nine-stop tour starts with a bang at Pipeline, where the powerful waves and shallow reef have often intimidated and occasionally injured some of the world's top surfers over the years.
"That's like the arena of all arenas. If you can perform at Pipeline...the respect and admiration you get from your peers, that's what you want to achieve," Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion Carissa Moore said.
But while this year's tour has much to look forward to, including a crop of talented newcomers and the return of Fiji to the list of venues, some absent stars, criticism over competition changes and the lack of a permanent leader for the governing World Surf League (WSL) has prompted questions about where the professional sport is heading.
Moore announced this month she was taking a break from competitive surfing after the Pipeline contest but would still surf in the Olympics. Days later, Australia's eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore said she was taking a year off the tour to refresh herself and surf some new places.
"I’m still passionate and dedicated to competing, and I have goals and dreams that I’m still chasing – I’m excited for something fresh this year and I look forward to returning to competition in 2025,” Gilmore said on Instagram.
Surf historian Matt Warshaw said while the WSL had done some good things including introducing equal pay for women and improving the quality of its broadcasts, a number of missteps around formats, judging and venues had alienated many fans.
"It has gotten to the point where it's harder and harder to laugh it off or ignore it. People are sitting here waiting for whatever the next iteration of what the pro tour is going to be," he said.
Holding the one-day finals event for three years running in the gentle waves of Trestles in Southern California - where Toledo is almost unbeatable - rather than a wave of consequence like Pipeline, was the biggest "stick in the eye" for surf fans, he said.
"Continuing to keep deciding the world title at the same, B-grade surf break that is below what these surfers deserve...gosh, there's nothing to recommend that," Warshaw said. "You want to decide the title in waves that are challenging for the surfers."
The WSL did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Last year, it said Trestles had been a reliable, fair playing field to decide the world title.
The governing body, owned by billionaire Dirk Ziff and his wife Natasha for more than a decade, has been without a permanent CEO since Erik Logan suddenly departed without explanation during an event in Brazil in June.
Deciding an Olympic surfing champion this year is likely to be a very different proposition than the WSL Finals at Trestles.
The heaving barrels of Teahupo'o in Tahiti, where the Olympics will be held, are regarded as among the most dangerous and technically difficult in the world.
Favourites for the events are the top-flight WSL surfers, such as tube-riding experts like Hawaii's John John Florence, and Australians Jack Robinson and Molly Picklum, while local Tahitian qualifiers Vahine Fierro and Kauli Vaast will also be among the favourites.
2024 WSL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR SCHEDULE
Banzai Pipeline, Hawaii, USA: Jan. 29 - Feb. 10
Sunset Beach, Hawaii, USA: Feb. 12-23
Peniche, Portugal: March 6-16
Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia: March 26 - April 5
Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: April 11-21
MID-SEASON CUT
Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia: May 22-31
Punta Roca, El Salvador: June 6-15
Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: June 22-30
Paris 2024 Olympics, Teahupo'o, Tahiti July 27 - Aug. 5
Cloudbreak, Fiji: Aug. 20-29
WSL Final 5 Trestles, San Clemente, California, Sept. 6-14 REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/pipeline-kicks-off-surfings-world-tour-as-olympics-loom
| 2024-01-29T09:36:59Z
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KANSAS – There’s no need to check your eyes if Super Bowl LVIII has a familiar look.
Just four years after the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers met in the big game, the two foes are back for a rematch in the Super Bowl on Feb 11 in Las Vegas.
San Francisco took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter of that match-up on Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Florida, before the Chiefs scored 21 points to claim a 31-20 victory.
Kansas City also won last season’s Super Bowl, 38-35 over the Philadelphia Eagles. The franchise are 3-2 in Super Bowls, the first win coming in Super Bowl IV to cap the 1969 season.
The Chiefs qualified for this year’s game with 17-10 road victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Jan 28. Now they will look to become the first franchise to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the New England Patriots (2003 and 2004 seasons).
“Now we’re in the Super Bowl and the job’s not done,” Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “We got to go out there to Vegas and play a great team and see if we can go out there and get the Super Bowl.”
Mahomes, a two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, will be making his fourth Super Bowl start. The only quarterbacks to start more are legends Tom Brady (10) and John Elway (five).
Chiefs coach Andy Reid will be coaching in his fifth Super Bowl, tied for third most with former Dallas Cowboys legend Tom Landry. Bill Belichick (nine) and Don Shula (six) are the only two to coach in more.
Meanwhile, the 49ers have been knocking on the championship door during Kyle Shanahan’s coaching tenure.
The loss to the Chiefs was the only time San Francisco made it to the Super Bowl under Shanahan. But the lead got away – just like it did when the Atlanta Falcons blew a 25-point lead when Shanahan was offensive coordinator for an epic meltdown in Super Bowl LI.
The 49ers were the top seed in the NFC this season and reached the Super Bowl with Sunday’s 34-31 comeback win over the Detroit Lions in the conference championship.
The feeling is that it is time for this version of the 49ers to win the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl title, and first since the 1994 season.
“There’s been unfinished business for a while,” Shanahan said after the win over the Lions. “Our team has been set up for this for a long time. It’s been a long year to get to this point.”
While the Chiefs possess arguably the best quarterback in the game in Mahomes and his 14-3 career postseason record, the 49ers have seen Brock Purdy go from Mr Irrelevant as the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to one of the most relevant signal-callers in the game.
Purdy (24 years, 46 days) will be the third-youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl and has given San Francisco stability at the position.
Jimmy Garoppolo was the starter when the 49ers lost to the Chiefs four years ago, and the organization thought it would be better served using the No. 3 overall pick in 2021 on Trey Lance. That decision turned out to be a colossal blunder, but Purdy saved the day with his emergence and is already a bona fide star.
Both teams have star tight ends (Travis Kelce for the Chiefs, George Kittle for the 49ers) and an upper-echelon pass rusher (Chris Jones for the Chiefs, Nick Bosa for the 49ers).
San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey is one of the NFL’s top all-around running backs, while few backs run harder than Kansas City’s Isiah Pacheco.
Both teams have celebrity fans who can’t wait to hit the Las Vegas Strip while using their best moves and distractions to avoid the crush of paparazzi. But only one of these teams (the Chiefs) has Taylor Swift cheering for them.
But it won’t turn into “Swift Week” leading up to the big game, as Kelce’s girlfriend won’t be anywhere near Vegas until the eve of the contest. She will be serenading Kelce with “You Belong With Me” from Tokyo with four straight concerts scheduled from Feb 7-10.
So, let the Super Bowl hype begin. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/san-francisco-49ers-rally-to-beat-detriot-lions-set-up-super-bowl-showdown-with-kansas-city-chiefs
| 2024-01-29T09:37:09Z
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MELBOURNE – Jannik Sinner was not about to announce the end of the “Big Three” after his breakthrough Grand Slam triumph at the Australian Open but the 22-year-old Italian does believe tennis needs a fresh generation of champions.
His five-set victory over Daniil Medvedev on Jan 28 made him the first Melbourne Park winner in 10 years not named Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer – the trio of multiple champions who have dominated tennis for two decades.
Djokovic’s incredible success into his mid-thirties has delayed the decline of the “Big Three” but with Federer now retired and Nadal looking set to join him in 2024, a huge gap is opening up at the top of the game.
With his Melbourne triumph, Sinner has joined 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in the Grand Slam winners’ club, spearheading a clutch of players of a similar age coming through.
“It’s quite unpredictable what’s coming in the future but still it’s nice to be part of this generation,” Sinner said as he was photographed with his trophy in Melbourne’s Botanical Gardens on Jan 29.
“I think the next generation is something that this sport needs and it’s also a little bit of a game-changer...
“There is always pressure, but the pressure is something good. You have to take it in a good way. It’s a privilege, no?
“So yes, I like to dance in the pressure storm. Personally, I like it, because that’s where most of the time I bring out my best tennis. I’m also quite relaxed in this occasion, because I always try to enjoy being on the court.”
Sinner was the youngest Australian Open men’s champion since Djokovic won the first of his 10 Melbourne Park titles in 2008 and even though he beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the semi-finals, the Italian was not inviting comparisons.
“He is a different league,” he said. “I’m just happy I have this trophy for this year and then we see what’s coming. There is still a lot of work to do but I will enjoy my process and then we see what I can achieve in the future.”
As impressive as the clean hitting that has taken Sinner into the elite of men’s tennis was his cool demeanour on court on Jan 28 as he withstood an early barrage from Medvedev before rallying from two sets down to clinch the title.
Although he fell to the Rod Laver Arena court after converting championship point, there was no huge outpouring of emotions as Sinner celebrated the biggest victory of his career.
“There were so many emotions in my head and the hard work and the sacrifices I’ve done throughout my career,” he explained.
“Sharing this moment with my team was maybe the best feeling I’ve had until now. It’s great emotions, I was just happy, yesterday I still maybe couldn’t believe and now I’m starting to realise it, so it’s a great feeling.”
Sinner said he celebrated his dream start to the new season in understated fashion – a meal with his close-knit team in the early hours of Jan 29 morning – but said it would be straight back to work as he looked to build on his breakthrough.
“Obviously, winning the tournament is something unbelievable,” he said. “I’m really happy how I performed here and let’s see what’s coming in the future.”
His coach Darren Cahill insists what won’t be on the horizon is a drop-off, saying: “I’m sure after this sinks in, he won’t settle. He’ll never settle. He wants to get better.”
Cahill added that Sinner is “chasing” Alcaraz.
He said: “Carlos has trail-blazed for a lot of young players. We’re thankful for that. He’s a delight to watch play and a delight to watch him on court.
“We aspire to be as good as him and hopefully one day be better than him, but at the moment, we’re chasing Carlos, and we’ll continue to do that.” REUTERS, AFP
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/tennis/tennis-needs-the-next-generation-says-grand-slam-champion-jannik-sinner
| 2024-01-29T09:37:20Z
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MELBOURNE – Little more than two years after the WTA was lauded by human rights advocates for suspending its tournaments in China, the women’s tour risks angering those same activists as it mulls moving its season-ending Finals to Saudi Arabia.
Speculation about the event heading to the Gulf country has intensified and there has already been significant pushback from within the game, most notably from tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.
Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in sports like football, Formula One and golf over the last few years, even as critics accuse the kingdom of using its Public Investment Fund to “sportswash” its human rights record.
“The human rights risks in Saudi Arabia to players, fans, and journalists are very serious,” said Minky Worden of Human Rights Watch.
“Sports such as tennis have only been allowed in the kingdom since 2018 for women and girls. Until that time, women and girls were not welcome in the stadium even to watch sports.”
Saudi Arabia denies accusations of human rights abuses and says it protects its national security through its laws.
The WTA, whose chief Steve Simon said in 2023 that Saudi Arabia presented “big issues”, revealed it was in discussions with various groups over the 2024 edition of the Finals and that no decision had yet been made.
The men’s ATP Tour announced its first foray into the Gulf country in August 2023 with a five-year deal for its Next Gen Finals, but Evert and Navratilova argued that the situation was different for women’s tennis.
“We fully appreciate the importance of respecting diverse cultures and religions,” the pair wrote in the Washington Post.
“It’s because of this, and not despite it, that we oppose the awarding of the tour’s crown jewel tournament to Riyadh.
“The WTA’s values sit in stark contrast to those of the proposed host.”
The future looked very different a few years ago when the WTA held the 2019 edition of the Finals with a prize pot of US$14 million (S$18.8 million) in Shenzhen, which had seen off rival bids from Prague, St Petersburg, Singapore and Manchester for a 10-year deal.
China’s response to the Covid-19 crisis forced the event to be cancelled the following year, though, and it was shifted to Guadalajara, Mexico in 2021.
It was expected to return to Shenzhen from 2022 but the WTA suspended its billion dollar business in China due to concerns over the treatment of former doubles world No. 1 Peng Shuai.
Human rights groups welcomed the WTA’s stand and made their disappointment clear when the tour, which posted eight-figure losses in 2020 and 2021, performed a U-turn in April 2023.
The Texas city of Fort Worth stepped in to host the 2022 Finals, drawing sparse crowds, and the WTA was expected to take the event to Saudi Arabia in 2023 before announcing Cancun, Mexico, as the venue less than two months from the start.
It was not a success.
Aryna Sabalenka, who won her second Australian Open title on Saturday, said that she felt “disrespected” by the standard of organisation, prompting Simon to write a letter to players admitting the event was “not perfect”.
Sabalenka said she would be happy to play the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia if it was held there, after an “amazing experience” during an exhibition event in Riyadh in late 2023.
“I expected something different. They treated us really well,” Sabalenka said in Melbourne. “It was a really amazing atmosphere in the stadium. They really like tennis.
"The level of hospitality was definitely way better than it was in Cancun. Yeah, I'm happy to go there."
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek urged caution, but did accept that engagement was a way to improve human rights.
“It’s not easy for women in these areas,” Swiatek said. “Obviously these countries also want to change and improve politically and sociologically.”
Former Grand Slam champion Caroline Wozniacki also saw it as an opportunity to spark change.
“I obviously realise, the human rights and everything else, but I think when it’s inevitable that they have so much money to put into sports,” she said.
“When you’re put in that situation, you can maybe make a change and do something positive.”
Plenty share the feeling that Saudi involvement in tennis is inevitable, and not necessarily a bad thing.
Rafa Nadal signed on as an ambassador of the Saudi Tennis Federation this month, while International Tennis Federation chief David Haggerty said his organisation was committed to growing the game everywhere.
“We have 213 nations and we’ve got to make sure that we’re doing what we can to grow grassroots tennis,” Haggerty said.
“We’ll work closely with the president of the federation to grow tennis in the country and the region.”
Worden said before making a move into Saudi Arabia, tennis bodies needed to transparently perform due diligence on human rights issues and assess risks to its women athletes, fans and journalists.
“There is a way for women’s tennis to engage with Saudi Arabia and accept government investment,” Worden added.
“But it has to be within a formal framework of human rights, to protect the rights of fans, players, journalists and the legacy of women’s tennis as defending equality.” REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/tennis/wta-facing-pushback-on-mulled-finals-move-to-saudi
| 2024-01-29T09:37:30Z
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The European Union will sabotage Hungary's economy if Budapest blocks fresh aid to Ukraine at a summit this week, under a confidential plan drawn up by Brussels, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
Brussels has outlined a strategy to explicitly target Hungary's economic weaknesses, imperil its currency and drive a collapse in investor confidence in a bid to hurt "jobs and growth" if Budapest refuses to lift its veto on the aid to Kyiv, the newspaper reported, citing a document drawn up by EU officials.
Notorious for many bitter feuds with the EU during his 13 years in power, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has become a vocal critic of the bloc's support for Ukraine and boasted about his ties with the Kremlin since Russia went to war in Ukraine in February 2022.
The document seen by FT declares that "in the case of no agreement in the February 1 [summit], other heads of state and government would publicly declare that in the light of the unconstructive behaviour of the Hungarian PM . . . they cannot imagine that" EU funds would be provided to Budapest.
Hungary's EU minister Janos Boka told the newspaper Budapest was not aware of the financial threat, but that the country "does not give in to pressure". REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/brussels-threatens-to-hit-hungarys-economy-if-orban-vetoes-ukraine-aid-ft
| 2024-01-29T09:37:40Z
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BUDAPEST - Hungary is open to using the European Union budget for a proposed 50 billion euro ($54 billion) aid package to Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's political director said on social media platform X.
Orban has been a vocal critic of the bloc's support for Kyiv and kept ties with the Kremlin since Russia went to war in Ukraine in February 2022. He previously blocked a revision of the EU budget that included the Ukraine aid.
The Financial Times reported on Sunday that the EU would sabotage Hungary's economy if Budapest blocks the aid at a summit this week.
Balazs Orban, the chief political aide to the prime minister, confirmed Budapest had sent a proposal to Brussels on Saturday showing it was open to using the budget for the aid package and issuing common EU debt to finance it if other "caveats" were added.
"Brussels is using blackmail against Hungary like there’s no tomorrow, despite the fact that we have proposed a compromise," the adviser said. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/hungary-open-to-using-eu-budget-for-ukraine-aid-package-orbans-adviser-says
| 2024-01-29T09:37:51Z
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Speaking with an ARD journalist, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that disruption of military aid could have ripple effects beyond Ukraine, saying:
“I think the union between the US and Europe will be lost. Europe itself will understand that this is a signal: that if Ukraine does not withstand and Putin goes forward – this is a signal from the US that Europe will be left alone.“
He added that a US withdrawal could ultimately “weaken NATO” and embolden Putin, concluding:
“This will be a serious threat. Putin will take advantage of this 100%. And it will be a signal to talk about the fact that NATO will not be so strong.”
At the same time, Zelenskyy said he believes in the unity of the West:
“You need to believe in yourself, believe in the people, in Ukraine, believe in partners, and believe in peace. Because any war ends.I believe that we are in a very difficult moment. Both geopolitically and financially, it is still possible to stop Russia with this war. To prevent the destruction of Ukraine. To prevent the destruction of our nation. Prevent global migration.To prevent the third world war.“
Zelenskyy also hinted that if the United States of America breaks away from supporting Ukraine and NATO, then someone else in the alliance will have a different opinion about security because they have economic relations with the Russian Federation.
Read more:
- Zelenskyy, Duda discuss Ukraine-Poland defense cooperation, Ukraine’s EU aspirations
- Zelenskyy meets with leaders of US defense companies
- Biden: “Failure to support Ukraine is just absolutely crazy”
- Counteroffensive success hinges on these factors, says Zelenskyy
- Borrelll says support for Ukraine must remain a priority for EU
- The future is being decided in Ukraine: key takeaways from YES forum 2023 in Kyiv
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https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/01/29/zelenskyy-warns-of-world-redistribution-and-putins-war-against-eu-countries-if-the-west-stops-military-aid-for-ukraine/
| 2024-01-29T09:52:16Z
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Sarah Jessica Parker was supported by her Sex And The City co-star Mario Cantone for her gala performance of Neil Simon's comedy play Plaza Suite at the Savoy Theatre in London on Sunday night.
The 58-year-old actress, who is famed for her portrayal of Carrie Bradshaw in the HBO comedy series, stars opposite her husband Matthew Broderick in the 1968 play, which is a "witty exploration of love and marriage".
The play follows three different sets of couples who check into the titular suite 719: long-married couple Karen and Sam, who are trying to save their on-the-rocks relationship; former high school sweethearts Muriel and Jesse; and parents of the bride Norma and Roy, who are attempting to coax their to-be-wed daughter out of the bathroom.
Sunday night's performance was followed by a star-studded after party, with the likes of Jeremy Irons, Hannah Waddingham, Dame Harriet Walter and Martin Freeman among the guest list. Joely Richardson, David Tennant, Elizabeth McGovern and Sheridan Smith also posed for photos on the red carpet.
Keep scrolling for all the best photos from the star-studded event...
Sarah and Matthew's big night
Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker posed together on the red carpet ahead of the performance.
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Sarah stunned in glitzy gown
Sarah Jessica Parker looked stunning at the gala performance after party for "Plaza Suite" at The Savoy Hotel. The actress pulled out all the stops in a stunning sheer dress embellished with gold and silver sequins.
Matthew's dapper look
Matthew Broderick looked dapper in a black pinstripe suit, featuring a grey tie and white pocket square.
David Tennant posed on the red carpet
David Tennant went for an all-black ensemble for Sunday night's performance.
Joely Richardson was pretty in pink
Joely Richardson looked super chic in a long pink dress, which she paired with a black trench coat.
Hannah Waddingham stunned in blue
Hannah Waddingham looked gorgeous in a royal blue suit. The Ted Lasso star accessorized the look with big hoop earrings.
Elizabeth McGovern posed up a storm
Downton Abbey's Elizabeth McGovern looked oh-so-sophisticated in a silver shirt and long black trousers. She finished off the look with a bold red lip.
Mario Cantone showed his support for Sarah
Mario Cantone, who played Anthony Marentino in Sex and the City, was on hand to support Sarah Jessica and Matthew.
Mario and Matthew shared a joke at the after party
Mario Cantone can be seen laughing with Matthew in a photo taken at the after party. Theatre star Marisha Wallace took to social media with the picture, which shows her posing alongside Sarah. "I can die happy now!" she penned in the caption. "I have finally met the Queen at Sarah Jessica Parker @SJP you and Matthew were incredible in @plazasuiteuk go get your tickets now for this amazing play. Blown away!"
Sheridan Smith looked gorgeous in all-black
Sheridan Smith showed off her endless legs in an all-black look. The actress looked super stylish in a black blazer.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/512243/sarah-jessica-parker-reunites-with-sex-and-the-city-star-at-plaza-suite-performance/
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King Charles has reportedly extended his stay in hospital following treatment for an enlarged prostate.
The monarch, 75, had been due to be discharged after two nights at the London Clinic but a source has told The Sun newspaper that that the extra night's stay is precautionary.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reports that doctors also tend to prefer to discharge patients during the week rather than over a weekend.
Queen Camilla was seen visiting her husband for the fourth time on Sunday evening since Charles was admitted on Friday.
Her Majesty, 76, told people inside The London Clinic on Friday that the King was "doing well" after the procedure.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman previously said the King was "admitted to a London hospital for scheduled treatment".
The spokesman added: "His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week and is delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness."
The nature of the King's treatment and the duration of his hospital stay has not been disclosed by the palace.
After he was admitted on Friday, Charles took time to visit his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, who is now on the 14th day of her hospital stay after undergoing abdominal surgery.
Kensington Palace has not revealed further details of Kate's condition, but confirmed it was non-cancerous.
The Princess, 42, is not expected to carry out official engagements until after Easter, with the Prince of Wales clearing his diary of official duties for the time being.
According to reports, Prince William, 41, has been making daily visits to see his wife while also caring for the couple's three children, Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five.
With three of the most senior royals out of action, the likes of the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are said to be stepping up their own engagements.
Princess Anne, 73, held an investiture on behalf of the King at Windsor Castle last week, as well as continuing her own busy schedule.
LISTEN: Why King Charles is the ‘happiest’ he has been despite royal dramas
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/512244/king-charles-extends-hospital-stay-enlarged-prostate-treatment-report/
| 2024-01-29T10:08:55Z
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Arvin is the AI browser extension powered by GPT-4. Chat with Arvin from anywhere online for instant research, reading and creativity.
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/arvin-e4e69859-5404-4369-b2a9-7cdedca98939
| 2024-01-29T10:46:36Z
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Invest in energy easily and lower your taxes. By using Fieldvest, you can put your money into energy projects, earning you long-term royalties, helping to solve the energy crisis, increasing energy independence, and reducing your tax bill at the same time.
"We're super excited about our upcoming launch and would love for you to be a part of it. Take a moment to check out our waitlist sign-up for Fieldvest. We're curious to hear your first impressions and any thoughts you might have."
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/fieldvest
| 2024-01-29T10:46:42Z
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Confused by the new Google/Yahoo email rules coming in February? Simple Setup has your back. We make DMARC, SPF & DKIM setup a breeze. Ensure emails land in inboxes, not spam folders. ️Fast, one-time setup & 48-hour turnaround, done for you.
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Sync! is a B2B SaaS work collaboration toolkit that consolidates critical functions like payments, milestone tracking, messaging and talent management into one platform that cuts costs and boosts team productivity.
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Ublo offers a property management software designed to streamline the daily tasks of real estate professionals. Our mission is to automate their processes and enhance communication among various stakeholders in the housing sector.
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https://www.producthunt.com/posts/ublo
| 2024-01-29T10:47:01Z
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TOKYO - Three foreign-born residents of Japan filed a lawsuit on Monday against the national and local governments over alleged illegal questioning by police based on racial profiling.
It is the first such lawsuit in Japan, according to the plaintiffs' lawyers, and comes amid a sharp rise in the number of foreign workers coming to the country to help stem labour shortages as its population ages and declines.
It also comes amid a renewed debate over what it means to be and look Japanese, after a Ukrainian-born, naturalised Japanese citizen was crowned Miss Japan last week.
The three men filed the lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court demanding that the national, Tokyo Metropolitan and Aichi Prefecture governments recognise that it is illegal for police officers to stop and question people solely on the basis of their race, nationality or ethnicity.
The plaintiffs say they have suffered distress from repeated police questioning based on their appearance and ethnicity, which they say is a violation of the constitution.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Aichi Prefectural Government and National Police Agency all declined to comment, while representatives of the Ministry of Justice could not be reached.
They and their legal team arrived at Tokyo District Court around midday and spoke to media outside before heading in to file their case.
One of the plaintiffs, Matthew, a man of Indian descent who has lived in Japan for more than 20 years and holds permanent residency, said he had been questioned by police countless times. He said he is afraid to go out for fear of being stopped again.
"I never knew what social withdrawal was until recently," he said, declining to provide his surname for fear of harassment. "I feel like every time I finish work, I'm hiding in my house."
Syed Zain, who was born in Pakistan but took Japanese citizenship after moving to Japan with his family as a child, said he hoped the case would lead to positive change in a society where the number of Japanese with foreign roots is growing.
Likewise, Maurice, an American who did not provide his surname, said he hoped to raise awareness of the issue among Japanese people and make life easier for others.
"I want them (Japanese people) to understand that this is an everyday occurrence, it's an everyday thing, and that we have to do something to prevent that," he said.
The lawsuit also seeks 3 million yen (about $20,250) in damages for each plaintiff. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/foreign-born-residents-file-suit-in-japan-over-alleged-racial-profiling
| 2024-01-29T11:07:45Z
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ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Iran on Monday said that they respected each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and resolved to expand security cooperation, stepping up efforts to mend ties after tit-for-tat missile strikes this month at what they said were militant targets.
Foreign ministers of the two countries held talks in the Pakistani capital days after their military tensions raised alarm about wider instability in the region since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted on Oct. 7.
Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, speaking at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said the neighbours were able to resolve misunderstandings fairly quickly.
The two countries also agreed to fight terrorism in their respective areas and allay each other's concerns, Jilani said.
Abdollahian said the two countries have a good understanding, adding that there have never been territorial differences or wars between Iran and Pakistan.
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi would soon visit Pakistan, Abdollahian added.
Tensions between the two countries rose after the missile strikes, with Pakistan recalling its ambassador to Tehran and not allowing his counterpart to return to Islamabad, as well as cancelling all high-level diplomatic and trade engagements.
But efforts were swiftly made to lower the temperature, with the envoys asked to return to their posts and Abdollahian invited for talks.
The two Muslim nations have had a history of rocky relations, but the missile strikes were the most serious incidents in years.
Islamabad said it hit bases of the separatist Baloch Liberation Front and Baloch Liberation Army, while Tehran said it struck militants from the Jaish al Adl (JAA) group.
The militant groups operate in an area that includes Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan and Iran's southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province. Both regions are restive, mineral-rich and largely underdeveloped.
Iran said the strikes in a border village on its territory killed nine people, including four children. Pakistan said the Iranian attack had killed two children. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/pakistan-iran-agree-to-expand-security-cooperation-after-missile-strikes
| 2024-01-29T11:07:55Z
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MANILA - The Philippines has denied China had a “temporary special arrangement” with Manila to allow the delivery of supplies to Philippine troops occupying a disputed South China Sea reef, calling it “a figment of imagination”.
The Chinese coast guard said on Jan 27 it had temporarily allowed the Philippines to provide food and water to soldiers stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre, a vessel grounded in 1999 at the Second Thomas Shoal, 190km off Palawan province, to assert Manila's territorial claims.
“This is a figment of the imagination of the Chinese coast guard. There is no truth to this,” National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya told state-run broadcaster PTV-4 on Jan 29.
The Chinese coast guard said the Philippines air-dropped supplies to the navy vessel on Jan 21. Mr Malaya did not confirm nor deny the airdrop, but said supplying troops was his country’s right.
“We do not need to get the permission of anyone, including the Chinese coast guard, when we bring supplies through whatever means, whether by ship or air,” Mr Malaya said.
The Philippines’ occupation of the shoal has irked Beijing and has been a flashpoint in recent disputes between them, which have intensified under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has sought stronger ties with the US military.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than US$3 trillion (S$4 trillion) in annual ship commerce. Its territorial claims overlap with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, some of which have competing claims to various islands and reefs.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said China’s claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/philippines-denies-special-arrangements-with-china-to-supply-troops-on-reef
| 2024-01-29T11:08:05Z
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LUANG PRABANG – Myanmar’s military junta on Jan 29 sent a senior official to take part in the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Laos, after having been barred from sending political appointees to high-level meetings of the regional bloc since the 2021 coup.
While Laos, which is chairing Asean in 2024, called this a “small” but “positive” sign that its engagement with Myanmar may work, it warned that a resolution to the Myanmar crisis remained a distant prospect.
“We feel a little bit optimistic that the engagement may work, although we have to admit that the issues that are happening in Myanmar will not resolve overnight,” Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith told reporters after the closed-door meeting concluded.
The Myanmar official in question was Ms Marlar Than Htaik, the permanent secretary of the Foreign Ministry under the control of the junta. Prior to her attendance, Myanmar’s seat had been left empty at Asean leaders’ and foreign ministers’ meetings, as the junta considered the lower-level representation imposed by Asean a snub.
When approached by The Straits Times, Ms Marlar Than Htaik directed questions about the meeting to Laos. A member of her delegation indicated that Myanmar aimed to continue such participation in future Asean meetings.
Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan described the discussions as “friendly, candid, constructive”, and said they were directed towards keeping lines of engagement open with all sides to help bring about peace in Myanmar.
But he cautioned that Ms Marlar Than Htaik’s participation was “simply a fulfilment” of Asean’s longstanding invitation since the coup to have Myanmar send a non-political representative.
“We do not approve of what’s happening,” he said, referring to the violent crisis that has unfolded since the 2021 coup. “In fact, three years later the situation in Myanmar – the security situation, the safety of people, the economy – actually is worse than it was three years ago.
“Nevertheless, the key point remains. They need national reconciliation. They need to speak to each other. Asean stands ready as a neighbour, as a fraternal association, to be helpful and constructive, not to make things worse.”
Escalating military clashes have swelled Myanmar’s internally displaced population to 2.6 million as at the end of 2023.
Criminal syndicates, meanwhile, have exploited the political vacuum created by the turmoil in Myanmar to ramp up the production of narcotics and run online scams targeting the region and beyond.
Asean has not been able to make much headway on its three-year-old blueprint towards a resolution in the country. The plan called for an end to violence in the country, the appointment of an Asean special envoy who would then meet all relevant stakeholders, as well as the provision of humanitarian aid to Myanmar.
The current Asean special envoy to Myanmar, veteran Laotian diplomat Alounkeo Kittikhoun, has held meetings with Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing as well as Ms Zin Mar Aung, Foreign Minister of the rival National Unity Government.
In view of the junta’s resistance towards Asean’s peace plan, the bloc had limited Myanmar’s representation at certain high-level meetings to non-political appointees, essentially shutting out Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and its foreign minister Than Swe.
The junta responded by not sending a senior official in their place, which meant Myanmar was not represented at these meetings until Jan 29.
Meanwhile, Asean’s foreign ministers also had a “delicate but sincere and candid” discussion about the war in Gaza, revealed Dr Balakrishnan. An Israeli military offensive triggered by an Oct 7 attack by Hamas – the militant Palestinian group governing Gaza – has killed more than 26,000 people so far, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. About 130 hostages, including eight Thais, are still held by Hamas in Gaza.
On Jan 26, the International Court of Justice said Israel must prevent genocidal acts in Gaza and allow humanitarian aid into the area.
Israel, which has vowed to crush Hamas, plans to continue its military campaign.
Dr Balakrishnan said that while there were some differences in perspectives among the Asean countries on Gaza, they agreed on the need to follow international humanitarian law, to call out terrorism and harm of innocent civilians – whatever the pretext or excuse – and also to have Hamas release the hostages unconditionally.
“The other important point is that all of us agree that the only way forward is a negotiated two-state solution, which has to come from honest-to-goodness conversations across the table, good faith negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” he said.
This agreement on the fundamentals “reaffirms Asean cohesion, Asean unity, consensus on key points”, he said.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/asean-ministers-stay-cautious-despite-myanmar-junta-sending-official-to-high-level-meeting
| 2024-01-29T11:08:16Z
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SINGAPORE – Home-grown actress Fann Wong had hoped to give her husband, actor Christopher Lee, a surprise at work on her birthday, but it turned out that he had a surprise in store for her instead.
Fann, who turned 53 on Jan 27, posted on social media on Jan 28 a video of her birthday celebration.
“To everyone who played a part in making this birthday celebration unforgettable, my heart overflows with love and gratitude,” she wrote. “Being happy as a family together is the most important thing.”
Lee, 52, commented on her post: “Hahaha surprise. Happy birthday my baby.”
Fann pouted “taoyan” (“I hate you” in Mandarin) in a playful reply.
It was not mentioned how he had surprised her.
The actress recently returned to Singapore from Taipei, where she had been shooting the Taiwanese drama series, Breeze By The Sea, which also features Singaporean actress Hong Huifang.
She then took her son Zed to visit Lee at a kelong near Pulau Ubin, the set of the second season of his cooking show Dishing With Chris Lee, reported Lianhe Zaobao.
The first season of the variety series won Best Entertainment Programme and Best Programme Host for Lee at the Star Awards in 2023.
According to Zaobao, the actor went overseas on Jan 28 to film a commercial and will return to Singapore four days later.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese actress Ruby Lin, who celebrated her 48th birthday on Jan 27, posted on social media on Jan 28 two photos of herself taken 10 years apart. Fans were left guessing as to which snap was taken 10 years ago.
“Ten years have passed by just like that,” she wrote in Chinese. “Birthday wishes become simpler as I get older.”
Lin continued: “Every day gets more exciting with a sweet package in my life, and I feel safe, healthy, contented and satisfied with good friends by my side along the way.”
The actress – who recently starred in the Netflix anthology romance series At The Moment (2023) – usually posts photos taken with her husband, Taiwanese actor Wallace Huo, on her birthday, but he is currently filming in China.
She previously posted photos of herself having an early celebration with actress Ann Hsu.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/actress-fann-wong-surprised-by-husband-christopher-lee-on-birthday
| 2024-01-29T11:08:27Z
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TUNISIA – I do a double take as I gaze at the azure and whitewashed houses lining the cobblestone streets, the shimmering Mediterranean Sea just within my line of sight.
Am I in Santorini?
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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/travel/tunisia-s-myriad-worlds-roman-ruins-and-mediterranean-sea-arab-spring-and-young-influencers
| 2024-01-29T11:08:37Z
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SINGAPORE – A 38-year-old man who twice tried to rape his daughter when she was four to five years old was sentenced to 13 years’ jail and 16 strokes of the cane on Jan 29.
The man, a Malaysian who used to work as a food server at a hospital, had earlier pleaded guilty to two charges of attempted rape. The two incidents took place a few weeks apart in 2013.
Three other charges – one for molesting the girl in 2013 and two for taking photographs of her genitalia while she was sleeping during the Covid-19 circuit breaker period from April 7 to June 1, 2020 – were taken into consideration during sentencing.
In handing down the sentence, Justice Pang Khang Chau took into account the extreme youth of the victim, the severe psychological harm caused to her, that the offences were premeditated and that the man came close to completing the offences.
The first attempted rape occurred while the victim’s mother was at work and the man was taking care of the girl and her two younger brothers.
The man told the victim to follow him to a bedroom, locked the door, and tried to rape her after passing her his mobile phone for her to watch videos.
A few weeks later, while the victim’s mother was not at home, the man again tried to rape the girl after asking her to follow him into the bedroom.
Prosecutors said there were other occasions of attempted rape, but the victim could not give details of these incidents due to the passage of time and her young age.
The girl suspected what her father had done to her was wrong only after she attended a sexuality education talk in Primary 5.
Initially, she did not tell anyone about the abuse, as she was afraid her friends would avoid her and that her mother would be left alone to support the family if her father was incarcerated.
In 2021, when she was in Secondary 1, she posted on Instagram about being raped, and also told her best friend that she had been raped.
In January 2022, the victim’s teacher saw cuts on her forearm, and the girl disclosed that she had harmed herself due to “sexual assault”.
The school counsellor and child protection officers from the Ministry of Social and Family Development then interviewed the victim, and took her to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital for a medical examination.
The hospital reported the case to the police on Jan 27, 2022, and the man was arrested on the same day.
The victim underwent 17 counselling sessions between April 12, 2022 and Sept 7, 2022.
In her victim impact statement, the girl, who is now 15, said she felt “bad and guilty” since the police got involved.
She also felt “helpless” that her mother has to bear the family responsibilities and take care of the victim and her brothers on her own.
She said she wanted someone to comfort her, but also felt that she “didn’t deserve” to be comforted.
These emotions caused the victim to harm herself as a form of relief and also to punish herself because she felt she was “a bad person for causing all these”.
“I blamed myself for everything,” she said.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/jail-caning-for-man-who-tried-to-rape-daughter-when-she-was-four
| 2024-01-29T11:08:48Z
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SINGAPORE – YTL PowerSeraya (YTLPS) has won the right to build, own and operate a new turbine, which will raise Singapore’s electricity generation capacity by the end of 2027.
The upcoming hydrogen-ready combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) has a 600-megawatt (MW) capacity and can power about 864,000 four-room flats for a year.
It will be built on the site of the existing Pulau Seraya Power Station and is expected to be commissioned by end-2027.
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) had requested for proposals in July 2023 to ensure that Singapore has sufficient generation capacity to meet the projected growth in demand and maintain system reliability.
Announcing the award to YTLPS on Jan 29, the regulator said four proposals were received by the close of the request for proposals on Oct 31.
While Singapore electricity generation capacity was about 12,800MW in 2022, the regulator has projected that additional generation capacity will be needed by 2028.
Electricity demand has been steadily increasing due to economic growth, growing electrification and increased digitalisation, EMA said.
And over the next five years, the projected system peak demand will grow faster, with an annual growth of at least 3.4 per cent, compared with the previous decade’s growth of 1.5 per cent. This acceleration is driven by industries such as advanced manufacturing, digital economy, food and transport, the regulator said.
In particular, electrification will grow as Singapore moves its vehicle population to be electrified by 2030. New diesel car registrations to cease from 2025, and all new car and taxi registrations will have to be of cleaner-energy models including electric, hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell cars from 2030.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/more-electricity-generation-capacity-to-be-added-by-2027
| 2024-01-29T11:08:58Z
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SINGAPORE – A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle from a Sengkang carpark, said the police on Jan 29.
He will be charged in court with stealing the vehicle.
The motorcycle has since been recovered in Yishun Ring Road.
The police said they were alerted at 5.35pm on Jan 28 that a motorcycle had been stolen from a carpark in Rivervale Drive.
Using footage from police cameras, officers identified the man believed to be involved in the theft and arrested him on Jan 29.
If convicted, he may face up to seven years in jail and a fine.
The police advised vehicle owners to take measures to protect their vehicles against theft.
This includes parking them in well-lit areas and not leaving their key or transponder unattended.
Vehicle owners should remove cash cards, keys and other valuables such as laptops and mobile phones before leaving their vehicle, the police said.
They should also wind up all windows and lock all doors even if they intend to leave their vehicle unattended for only a short while.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/man-arrested-after-he-allegedly-stole-a-motorcycle-at-sengkang-carpark
| 2024-01-29T11:09:09Z
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SINGAPORE - There will be 14,707 certificates of entitlement (COEs) available for tender between February to April, a 2.2 per cent increase from the current three-month period.
Releasing the COE quota figures on Jan 29, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said there will be 5,609 Category A COEs for the next three months – a 1.7 per cent bump from 5,513. These COEs are meant for smaller cars and less powerful electric vehicles (EVs).
Category B COEs, which are for larger cars and EVs, received a 2.5 per cent increase, from the 3,800 pieces in the current quota period to 3,895.
Among the number of COEs for the two car categories, 2,950 COEs were injected by LTA to boost the supply. These COEs were due to expire in the next projected supply peak and have been brought forward for redistribution.
For commercial vehicle COEs, the total supply will be 1,170 pieces – up from 1,129. In absolute numbers, the increase translates to fewer than seven additional Category C COEs available at each tender than in the current period.
LTA said the COE quota for Categories A, B and C will continue to increase in 2024 before reaching the peak supply period from 2026.
The quota for motorcycles (Category D) in 2024 is expected to remain comparable to that in 2023, LTA added.
For the three months ending April 2024, there will be 3,105 such COEs available – the same number as in the previous three months.
LTA announced that from the three-month period starting in February, it will bring forward the guaranteed deregistrations of motorcycle COEs that had been renewed for five years and cannot be extended further, “to reduce quota supply volatility”.
This is a similar to what LTA has already been doing for cars. In May 2023, the authority started injecting car COEs that are due to expire in the future to smoothen the COE supply and reduce the volatility that arises with peaks and troughs.
Otherwise, the formula to calculate the supply of COE in a given three-month period is mainly determined by the average number of COEs that are expiring in the past four quarters.
The number of Open category COEs will increase by 10.3 per cent, from 841 pieces to 928.
Although such COEs can be used to register other vehicle types except motorcycles, they tend to be used to register larger cars or EVs. This effectively means that the total supply of COEs to register larger cars and EVs in the next three months will be 4,823 – 3.9 per cent more than the 4,641 available in the three-month period ending January 2024.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/coe-quota-for-february-to-april-will-be-14707-22-more-than-previous-quarter
| 2024-01-29T11:09:19Z
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HYDERABAD, India - England vice-captain Ollie Pope's batting masterclass in the opening test in Hyderabad has jolted India into a rethink of their plans ahead of the second test in Visakhapatnam this week.
The hosts suffered only their fourth defeat in a home test in the last decade after Pope smashed 196 in arguably the best knock by a touring batter in India.
The right-hander played audacious scoops and numerous sweep shots -- both traditional and reverse -- to disrupt the rhythm of the Indian spinners and forcing the hosts to alter their field placements.
Pope's approach was a refreshingly change from that adopted by most touring batters, who often try just to hang around and hope for success.
India head coach Rahul Dravid was amazed at how Pope nailed so many "high-risk shots" and acknowledged they would have to put a plan together for the batter before the second test gets underway on Friday.
"I haven't seen a better exhibition of sweeping and reverse sweeping in these conditions against that quality of bowling," the former skipper said after their defeat.
"Having said that, for us now it's important that we respond and come up with some plans and some strategies and see how we can maybe make him play those shots from probably even more difficult lengths."
India's spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel claimed a combined 14 of the 20 English wickets but Dravid felt they could have bowled better.
"Credit to him (Pope), but we were a little bit off.
"In the next test match, if we get our execution right, I hope he makes a mistake."
Pope's 21 fours included a no-look reverse ramp shot, the batter scooping the ball over wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat's head to the boundary.
The 26-year-old said playing reverse sweep in India was a safer and more profitable option than trying to defend the ball with the obvious risk of edging it to the slip.
"The guys we are facing are very skilled bowlers," Pope told reporters after their 28-run victory.
"If you try to defend each ball, there's probably more chance to get out than if you play a cross-batted shot."
"If we can keep nailing them (reverse sweeps), we get more bad balls.
"As batters, if we can hit their best ball for four with a reverse sweep, that is going to lead to more short balls and more half-volleys and open up the outfield." REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/india-go-back-to-the-drawing-board-after-pope-cracks-spin-code
| 2024-01-29T11:09:29Z
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MOSCOW - Russia's energy ministry has proposed restricting flights over Russian energy facilities, the Vedomosti daily reported on Monday, after a spate of Ukraine-linked attacks this month on oil infrastructure.
The newspaper said that under the plan, only aircraft deployed to protect energy facilities, and planes of top Russian officials or of visiting foreign officials would be allowed to fly with special permission in the designated zones.
Russia's energy ministry did not immediately comment on the report.
Russian air defences thwarted a drone attack on Monday on the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in the city of Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow, regional governor Mikhail Yevrayev said.
It was the latest in a series of similar drone raids on Russian energy infrastructure in recent weeks, some of which have disrupted fuel production.
Ukrainian officials have said Kyiv is behind some of the attacks.
Russia's nearly two-year-old war in Ukraine is grinding into a war of attrition following delays in Western financial and military assistance for Kyiv, and without significant changes on the battlefield in months.
Russian energy company Novatek NVTK.MM suspended some operations at a huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal on Jan. 21 after a fire started by what Ukrainian media said was a drone attack.
Two days before that, a drone attack had hit an oil depot in Russia's western region of Bryansk, bordering Ukraine, for which Moscow blamed Kyiv. That followed an attack a day earlier on a Russian Baltic Sea oil terminal that Russian officials said was unsuccessful. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/russian-ministry-proposes-no-fly-zone-over-energy-facilities-vedomosti
| 2024-01-29T11:09:40Z
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IndiesRead.it
Collaborative directory of hand-picked books for indies
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IndiesReadIt is a curated book directory for indiehackers, solopreneurs, and entrepreneurs. Discover books on skills, business management, and personal development. All the right books, nothing more, nothing less.
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Collaborative directory of hand-picked books for indies.
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