Saturday 2 July 2016

Use of mobile phones at petrol stations do not cause fires: Experts

The use of mobile phones at petrol stations will cause a fire, right? Wrong, say experts. It's just an urban legend, circulated via e-mail as early as the late 1990s, claiming that the microwaves emitted from mobile phones could generate a spark that could ignite petrol fumes.

US drone strike body count doesn’t add up

US military and intelligence agencies have killed as many as 116 civilians in air strikes on militants since Obama took office, the White House said.

Pastor Daniel Cheo Guan Beng jailed two weeks for road rage

A church pastor who challenged a businessman to a fight, then slammed a van door on him in a road rage incident, was sentenced to two weeks' jail on Thursday.


Why China Won’t Stop Island Building in the South China Sea

As the U.S. navy and rival Asian claimants respond to China’s building of military-grade infrastructure on disputed islands, heightened risks of conflict raise alarm bells over destabilization in a vital arena of global trade. The world awaits the deliberation of the Hague on the matter, but its decision will have little impact on China’s actions, which are anchored by Beijing’s grand ambitions to secure an unrivalled commercial empire throughout Eurasia and Africa.

The billionaire retail rebel

Tadashi Yanai likes T-shirts. They're comfortable, anybody can wear one and if you get a lot of people to buy them, you could become very rich. Mr Yanai has been selling T-shirts for over 30 years and now has more money than anybody in Japan. All because in the mid-1980s, the son of a suit maker from Yamaguchi prefecture got tired of selling stuffy menswear and created Unique Clothing Warehouse, better known as Uniqlo - the temple of everyday clothing for everybody.

Wednesday 29 June 2016

China, the US, and Extrajudicial Abductions

China’s new willingness to abduct enemies overseas is worrying. But remember the US has been doing the same for decades.

Inconsistencies emerge from Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee’s comments on his detention

The bookseller maintains that colleague Lee Po gave him the impression he was taken to the mainland involuntarily, although Lee denies this

Monday 27 June 2016

Faster immigration clearance for eligible Singaporeans travelling to US

Frequent travellers to the United States will soon be able to clear immigration checks faster with the launch of the US-Singapore Trusted Traveller Programme (TTP) on Monday (Jun 27).

Online legal-drafting services on the rise in Singapore

Firms offering fuss-free contract-drafting services have been sprouting here over the past couple of years, many of which target start-ups that value high speed with small price tags.

Sovereignty, jurisdiction and international law

Singapore's transboundary haze pollution law is consistent with international law principles, which do permit a country's laws to have extraterritorial jurisdiction in some instances.