by Poornima Weerasekara and Pak Yiu China hit back at the United States on Tuesday over the blacklisting of 28 Chinese entities accused of being implicated in rights violations against mostly Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region, saying the claims are “groundless”. US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the move to bar the entities on Monday, saying his country …

by Jasmine LEUNG and James EDGAR Hong Kong’s under-fire leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday said China intervening to end months of pro-democracy protests is an option following a particularly violent week of unrest that paralysed the city. The financial hub has been gripped by four months of rallies, and last weekend saw much of the city grind to a halt …

Yale-NUS College’s cancellation of the “Dissent and Resistance in Singapore” programme has attracted much controversy and criticism from academicians, as well as practitioners in media and the arts. The programme, which has been since renamed “Dialogue and Dissent in Singapore”, was scheduled to be run by Alfian and programme manager Tan Yock Theng of NUS. It was originally slated to …

The Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MHRA) was updated in Parliament on Monday (7 October) after an extensive debate on the Bill of proposed amendments which was introduced in September. During the debate, three Worker’s Party (WP) politicians raised several questions relating to religion and politics, specifically if politicians should be seen with a religious leader and whether religious bodies …

Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee revealed that social workers and officers who were in touch with the family of a two-year-old toddler found dead in a Chin Swee Road flat did not suspect that the little girl had gone missing or was in any harm, based on what was said to them at the time. Mr Lee …

The Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF) kick-started the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) with a nation-wide launch of a new audio-visual breast self-examination campaign entitled ‘Molly Monkey Sings and Saves’ at the Pink Ribbon Walk 2019 last Saturday (5 Oct). The BCF also made its mark in the Singapore Book of Records for the largest display of paper Camellias at …

Local playwright Alfian Sa’at is “a loving critic of Singapore” and “one of our most talented playwrights”, said veteran diplomat Tommy Koh. In a Facebook post on Tue (8 Oct), Prof Koh stressed that Alfian “is not anti-Singapore”, adding that freedom of speech should not only be limited to views that concur with the establishment, but also those that are …

The UN’s top rights official urged Australia to reform its criminal and refugee detention systems on Tuesday, just days after the country’s prime minister took a veiled swipe at the international body. Speaking in Sydney, United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said she had been “shocked” to learn that the country’s age of criminal responsibility was just 10 years …

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has called for the recall of King Arthur Flour Unbleached All-Purpose Flour due to the potential presence of E. coli O26. According to SFA, the United States of America Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) had published an alert on the recall of the product and as there is an import of the implicated product into …

Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary said on Monday (7 October) that the use of personal mobility devices (PMDs) could be banned if riders fail to improve their behavior on the road. Speaking in Parliament, Dr Janil said that the number of accidents involving PMDs had taken a hike in recent times as more of them are using …