On Friday, Singapore’s People’s Action Party formally unveiled a slate of leaders who will drive its campaign for the next general election, to be held before April 2021.
The 35th Central Executive Committee, elected after a biennial party vote on November 11, is younger and more diverse than its previous incarnation.
In line with party secretary general and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s expressed preference for inclusive politics, the line-up represents a variety of ethnic…
Thousands of Hindu hardliners rally in India for controversial temple
Tens of thousands of Hindu hardliners rallied on Sunday for a temple to be built at a disputed Indian holy site, where an ancient mosque was razed in 1992 sparking deadly riots.
Huge crowds of saffron-clad protesters, some waving swords and chanting “Praise Be to Ram”, massed in Ayodhya in northern Uttar Pradesh state where right-wing Hindu groups want a grand temple to their god constructed. Organisers had expected 300,000 demonstrators to attend rallies in Ayodhya and two other…
Singapore bets on drones to reduce dependence on human labour
Hi-tech Singapore is planning to roll out a swarm of drones for tasks that include delivering parcels, inspecting buildings and providing security, but safety and privacy concerns mean the initiative may hit turbulence.
Companies have already started testing the devices for commercial use, mainly in an area of over 200 hectares (500 acres) dotted with high-rise buildings and shopping malls, specially designated by the government for the trials.
Latest DJI Mavic 2 Zoom drone brings users closer…
Pakistan cracks down on hardliners after protests over acquittal of Christian woman accused of blasphemy
Pakistan authorities launched a crackdown on Saturday against hundreds of supporters of a hardline cleric whose party recently paralysed the country with violent protests over the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy.
Hours after firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi was himself arrested late on Friday, police said over 300 Tehreek-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party supporters were detained in Punjab province in efforts to “maintain public order”.
The arrests came ahead of a…
Singapore malls try new tricks to draw in crowds as threat of online shopping looms
Online shopping in Singapore is lackluster even after Amazon Inc. debuted its Prime service in mid-2017. The island’s malls are trying hard to keep it that way.
With some of the nation’s biggest mall operators reporting falling rents and rising vacancies, landlords, just like those elsewhere in Asia and the U.S., are being forced to reposition. They’re making room for yoga studios, boxing gyms and climbing walls — plus expanding their food and beverage options — to make sure…
GDPR: Irish watchdog clarifies record keeping and DPIAs interaction
Ireland’s data protection authority has clarified how record keeping obligations under the General Data Protection Authority (GDPR) interact with the duties of businesses to carry out data protection impact assessments (DPIAs) in response to a query raised by Out-Law.com.
Corporate shareholder guidelines get tougher on executive pay
Influential institutional investor guidelines on executive remuneration have been updated and strengthened for 2018, to reflect concerns that companies are not listening or responding to concerns about high pay raised by their shareholders.
Lion Air crash: pilot fought to keep the plane airborne right until the end, says report
One of Indonesia’s aviation chiefs has revealed that the pilot of the Lion Air plane that crashed last month, killing 189 people, fought to keep the plane in the air to the end, even after it stalled and was nosediving to the ground.
Addressing the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta, Nurcahyo Utomo, the aviation head of the national transportation safety committee, said data retrieved from the flight recorder showed that the pilot “continued to fight until the end of the flight…
Adjudication versus other approaches to construction disputes
Adjudication is a form of dispute resolution that is fairly unique to the construction industry.
Singapore’s next prime minister Heng Swee Keat: a safe pair of hands, ‘there’s just one pity’ (said Lee Kuan Yew)
He is of slight build, his large eyes are framed by wire rim glasses that make them look larger still, and his thick, black hair is swept to the right. In speeches, he is measured and reassuring; in person, sincere.
After an illustrious career in the police force and civil service, Heng Swee Keat entered politics in 2011 and upon election was immediately made education minister. Since then he has helmed the finance ministry, overseen a nationwide engagement exercise and led a committee studying…