What Happened? In the wee hours of 31 October, a fire suspected to be sparked by an electrical fault set Shuri Castle ablaze in Okinawa, Japan. The castle is one of nine components of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of Kingdom of Ryukyu,…
RIDDING E-SCOOTERS OFF PAVEMENTS
What happened? E-scooters were banned from footpaths from Tuesday (5 November), following an announcement by Senior Minister of State for Transport Dr Lam Pin Min the day before, a move that will see E-scooters confined to 440km of cycling paths islandwide. Errant users will…
SDP UP AND READY FOR NEXT GENERAL ELECTION
Leadership Unchanged, for Now The Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) 19th Ordinary Party Conference held on 31 October saw the party’s main leadership, the Central Executive Committee (CEC), mostly unchanged: Dr. Chee Soon Juan remains Secretary-General, while Prof. Paul Tambyah retains his role as Chairman.…
AFRICAN SWINE FEVER – A SWINE OF A DISEASE
The Global Spread of African Swine Fever African swine fever has been terrorizing pigs and pig farmers across the globe. Originating in Africa, the disease has found its way to Europe and Asia. While the disease has been well-contained in Europe because of tighter…
TWITTER BANS POLITICAL ADS
Twitter Bans Ads From 22 Nov onwards, Twitter will ban all political advertising worldwide amidst growing concerns over misinformation from politicians on social media. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey explained the decision in a series of tweets. Source: Twitter He argued that the vast power…
TL;DR: WEEK OF 28 OCTOBER
TUE: ISIS NAMES AL-QURAISHI AS NEW LEADER OF ISIS Following a US special forces raid in Idlib, ISIS names Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as the successor to former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. (Picture Credits: BBC) Read more about the profile of ISIS’ new…
UNREST IN CHILE, UNABLE TO COPE WITH COP 25
First State of Emergency Since Military Rule The plan to increase transport prices by between $0.04 and $0.10 announced on 6 October sparked protests in Chile. The government reasoned that higher energy costs and a weaker currency led to the hike in bus and…
ISIS LOSES ITS HEAD, BUT IS STILL KICKING
“The world is now a much safer place” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the terrorist organisation the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) has been confirmed dead. According to US President Donald Trump, He was killed during a US-led night-time…
#METOO: SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES ON MALES RISE
A once overlooked but now rising demographic In the light of month after month of sexual harassment, vouyeurism and assault cases in the news, it appears that sexual assault cases on male persons are on the rise. Even recently, there has been a case…
LAST WEEK IN HONG KONG – A WITHDRAWN BILL, A DISGRACED PROFESSOR AND A RECESSION
Extradition bill withdrawn 21 weeks into the protest, one of the protestors’ five demands has been met. In a second reading of Hong Kong’s controversial Extradition Bill in the Legislative Council, the Hong Kong government officially withdrew the controversial Extradition Bill. This came a…