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SINGAPORE - Lucky Plaza and Peninsula Plaza shopping centres were buzzing for the first time in months on Sunday (April 11) after restrictions limiting entry to the two malls on weekends were lifted the day before. The tills rang as workers on their day off, mainly from the Philippines and Myanmar, flocked to their popular hangout spots to shop, eat and get their hair done. "I'm tired but happy," said Ms Sanda Kyaw Naint, owner of Ye Yint Cafe in Peninsula Plaza. The 51-year-old could hardly catch a break on Sunday as she served, during breakfast and lunch hours, almost twice as many customers as she had the previous weekend. Mr Bob Kok, 60, who owns a grocery store in Lucky Plaza, told The Straits Times that the weekend entry restrictions imposed from Aug 29 last year made business even worse for shop owners already struggling with the pandemic. Under the restrictions, those whose identification numbers end in even digits could visit the two malls only on even dates, while ... » Learn More about Crowds return to Lucky Plaza, Peninsula Plaza after lifting of weekend entry curbs

SINGAPORE - Mujir Hayyan Mohammad Taufiq may be anxious about sitting the Primary School Leaving Examination this year, but his parents are even more stressed - it is their first experience with the PSLE as both were educated in madrasahs (religious schools). "As much as we reassure ourselves that it is just like any other year-end exam Hayyan will be sitting, the pressure and stresses do exist," says his mother, Ms Hurul-A'in Mohd Yusoff, 36, principal of a childcare centre. His father Mohammad Taufiq Mohamed Ismail, 40, manages a mosque. They also have a six-year-old daughter studying in a madrasah. "However, we always remind ourselves that this is not our examination, it is Hayyan's," says Ms Hurul-A'in, stressing that her 11 1/2-year-old son's mental health is more important than his grades. Her focus is not misplaced in a year that has seen educational systems across the world shattered by the pandemic, leaving families disoriented and dispirited. Compared with many ... » Learn More about Coronavirus: PSLE survival guide for parents and kids during the pandemic

SINGAPORE - Home-based learning will be rolled out at all primary and secondary schools, junior colleges and the centralised institute from Wednesday (April 1) as part of additional efforts to support safe distancing. The Ministry of Education has come up with a Parent Kit to guide parents on what to do. DEBUNKING 5 MYTHS ON HOME-BASED LEARNING Myth 1: My child must spend the whole day on the computer. Fact: Home-based learning (HBL) can consist of one or more of the following: a. E-learning (for example, online assignments through the Student Learning Space (SLS) or other online learning platforms) b. E-mail messages (for example, notes or worksheets through e-mail) c. Hardcopy assignments (for example, worksheets or textbooks) Every school has a different plan, based on the needs of their students. So don't compare, okay? Myth 2: I have only one Internet device. It is impossible for all my children to do HBL using the same device. Fact: Each ... » Learn More about Coronavirus: A guide to preparing your child for home-based learning

SINGAPORE - From June 2, pre-schools will start to resume general services for children in stages, Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee said on Tuesday (May 19). Kindergarten 1 and Kindergarten 2 children - five- and six-year-olds - will be the first to return from June 2, while Nursery 1 and Nursery 2 children may go back a week later, from June 8. From June 10, the youngest group of children in infant care and playgroups may return. In tandem with circuit breaker measures, pre-schools have been closed  since April 8 to most children except for a small group who need care support. When they reopen, centres will have to adhere to safe management measures such as compulsory mask or shield wearing for all staff and children aged two years and older, having smaller groups of children during activities, as well as staggering drop-off and pick-up timings of children. Speaking at a press conference by the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19 in Singapore, ... » Learn More about Pre-schools in Singapore to open from June 2 in stages, with K1 and K2 kids returning first

SINGAPORE - Lucky Plaza has been the go-to spot for Filipina domestic worker Ludivina Ellorengco and her pals on days off but new entry restrictions that kicked in this weekend have taken much of the buzz away. New rules to reduce overcrowding on weekends meant the usually thriving Orchard Road mall was much quieter when she dropped in on Saturday (Aug 29). The restrictions - they also apply at Peninsula Plaza in North Bridge Road - allow people with ID cards ending in an odd number to enter odd dates, and those with ID cards ending with even numbers to enter only on even dates. "All my friends' (identification cards end in) even numbers, so I can't meet them here," said Ms Ellorengco, who has been working here for five years. Ms Glyda Lopez, 34, is another fan of Lucky Plaza. She usually spends her regular Saturday days off there meeting friends and buying clothes and food. Popular Philippine fast food chain Jollibee at the mall's basement and sixth floor is another draw ... » Learn More about Quieter affair at Lucky Plaza, Peninsula Plaza as odd-even Covid-19 entry restrictions kick in

SHAH Alam residents have voiced their objections to a proposal to build a road and a cemetery across an existing forest that they call the Shah Alam Community Forest (SACF). A total of 25 residents attended a public hearing at Wisma MBSA in Shah Alam, Selangor to put forward their argument on why the state land would be better made a full-fledged urban community forest. Previously, Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) carried out a public feedback exercise for its 2035 Local Draft Plan, in which the proposal to build a road and cemetery across the SACF was stated. MBSA received 718 objections for the road and 195 objections for the cemetery from the public. SACF Society founder and secretary Alicia Teoh, who represented 9,000 members, laid out several reasons why the forest should remain a leisure area for the community. The session that was chaired by Selangor local government, public transport and new village development committee chairman Ng Sze Han and state tourism, ... » Learn More about ‘Preserve urban forest area’

When Teh Nur Shafiqah Ab Samad enrolled in an aircraft engineering technology course at a local university, the 22-year-old soon found herself volunteering to teach kindergarten children about the main parts of aircraft and marshalling signals. Her reason for wanting to be part of the junior aviators programme, run by the Air Scout unit at her university, was fairly straightforward — she wanted to inspire more young people to pursue careers in the field of aviation. “As a child, I was always fascinated by aeroplanes. “Every time, I saw contrails in the sky, I would make a silent wish to be able to work with these amazing machines one day, ” said Shafiqah. Abdul Mueiem showing the milestones of the Malaysian Air Scout movement at the museum within the Scouts Association headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Now in her final year, she has risen through the ranks and is now crew leader of Universiti Kuala Lumpur Institute of Aviation Technology’s (UniKL MIAT) Air Scout unit. Her ... » Learn More about Soaring fascination with planes

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India on Sunday banned the export of anti-viral drug Remdesivir and its active pharmaceutical ingredients as demand rocketed due to a record surge in COVID-19 infections, leading to a crippling shortages in many parts. Authorities have blamed the ferocious resurgence of the virus mainly on crowding and a reluctance to wear masks. Still, religious gatherings have continued and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have themselves addressed election campaigns attended by tens of thousands of people, many without masks and hardly any following social distancing. As new COVID-19 cases surged to 152,879 on Sunday, the sixth record rise in seven days, harried relatives of patients made a kilometre-long queue to buy Remdesivir outside a big hospital in the western state of Gujarat, witnesses said. India, known as the pharmacy of the world, has already stalled major exports of coronavirus vaccines though its supply too has run short in some ... » Learn More about India bans Remdesivir exports as coronavirus rages on; rallies continue

Lawyer Tan Jeh Yaw, who supervised the six-month training stint of Kuoh Hao Teng, had made the unusual move of objecting to the trainee's application for admission to the Bar. Tan claimed Kuoh played computer games and watched movies during office hours and did not complete the work assigned to him - allegations the trainee denied. But in a twist, it emerged that Tan, the sole proprietor of his firm, did not have the necessary qualifications to take on trainees. This meant that even if Tan had not objected, Kuoh could not have been admitted under that application. In grounds of decision released last Friday (April 9), Justice Choo Han Teck questioned whether the reasons given by Tan for his objections were true and whether other trainees of Tan have been admitted to the Bar. The judge said: "It is remarkable that an application for admission to the Bar should raise so many questions yet yield so few answers." At least 100 such applications are made each year and "almost all ... » Learn More about Trainee lawyer’s bid to be called to Singapore Bar raises questions; judge calls for inquiry

The Bank of Thailand has issued a sombre warning that the ongoing ban on foreign tourists returning to Thailand may have an even worse impact next year. Don Nakornthab, from the BOT’s economic and policy department, says if international tourists are not allowed back into the country soon, Thailand’s tourism industry will face even bigger threats next year. A report in the Bangkok Post says both the Tourism and Sports Ministry and the National Economic and Social Development Council have already reduced their forecasts of foreign tourists this year to 6.7 million (the vast majority of that number arriving in Q1, 2020) and 12 million for 2021. To put that in context, in 2019, Thailand welcomed nearly 40 million international tourists, with the resulting revenue accounting for nearly 20% of the total Thai GDP. The month of July was the fourth consecutive month in which Thailand received no foreign tourists. The borders remain largely sealed, while discussions about how to open ... » Learn More about Bank of Thailand issues stark warning over ongoing ban on foreign tourists