Meeting

Global trade incentives being developed as ASEAN trade reaches far beyond its borders Economic ministerial-level consultation meetings between ASEAN and its partners – the US, Hong Kong, India, the European Union, and Russia – have been held via video conference in the framework of the 53rd ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting this week. In this article, we detail the new trade progress made between ASEAN and its major trading allies. ASEAN-US ASEAN members received a large amount of anti-pandemic assistance from the United States such as for COVID-19 vaccines. Ventilators, and personal protective equipment. The US was the second-largest trade partner for ASEAN with a total trade of US$309 billion in 2020, an increase of 4.6 percent from the previous year. Further, the meeting also highlighted the ongoing progress in implementing several important initiatives such as the ASEAN-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) and the US-ASEAN Expanded Economic Engagement (E3) ... » Learn More about ASEAN Trade Partners Meeting: Developments with the US, EU, Hong Kong, India and Russia

By: South-East Asia IPR SME Helpdesk Singapore is currently in the process of amending its patent regime.  Major amendments concern the examination guidelines on isolated products from nature; third party observations; patent re-examination option; the examination guidelines on the new patents grace period and amendments to Patents Rules concerning patentable subject matter and supplementary examination. The aim of these proposed amendments is improving Singapore’s patent regime and further increasing the confidence of stakeholders and investors in Singapore’s patent regime [1] . RELATED: Corporate Establishment Services from Dezan Shira & Associates Patent examination guidelines on isolated products from nature In order to have a more balanced patent regime, the Singapore Government is proposing to clarify the distinction between ‘inventions’ and ‘discoveries’ as applied to the issue of isolated products found in nature. According to the new proposal ... » Learn More about Proposed Changes to Singapore’s Patent Regime – ASEAN Business News

SEREMBAN: Negri Sembilan-born individuals who are above 18 years and have not received their Covid-19 vaccination will be able to walk into any of the 11 designated facilities in the state from Sept 20, says Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminudin Harun ( pic ). He added the walk-in service would be held at centres located all over the state until Sept 25. “Although our records show that all individuals above 18 in the state have received their first dose, we are worried there are still those who may have been left out,” he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting at Wisma Negri. Two centres in Seremban which will be offering the service are the Seremban City Council Hall and the Paroi Youth and Sport Complex. The others are Teluk Kemang Youth and Sports Complex in Port Dickson, D’Sury Hall in Jelebu, Jempol Land Office Hall, Jempol Municipal Council Hall, Felda Palong 6 Sports and Community Complex, Dato Bahaman Hall Kuala Pilah, Rembau Health Clinic, Dewan Perdana in ... » Learn More about Negri to allow walk-in vaccination beginning Sept 20

PHNOM PENH (The Phnom Penh Post/Asia News Network): The National Election Committee (NEC) expected 1.6 million newly registered voters in 2021, compared to just over 500,000 new registrations last year, according to its spokesman Som Sorida. Sorida, who is also NEC deputy secretary-general, told The Post on Sept 12 that they had almost triple the number of voter registrations this year than in 2020. This year the NEC had to prepare a new voter list for the Commune Council Elections of the fifth mandate in 2022. Sorida said every time the voter list is prepared for an election year, the number of people who register is always higher than in the years that don’t have any elections. He said another reason is that Article 44 of the election law states that the voter list for the election must register every eligible voter who is 18 years of age or older. “We take the figure of over 10 million people who are eligible to vote and subtract 8.8 million, the number of people ... » Learn More about Cambodia expects voter registration to triple this year

YOUTHS from all walks of life are not taking a backseat in the fight against Covid-19. Many are stepping up to do their part to support the country’s efforts to vaccinate the population. Despite the risk of being exposed to thousands of people every day, youngsters are continuing to serve the community tirelessly at vaccination centres (PPV) with the aim of helping the nation move a step closer to achieving herd immunity. Among the unsung heroes is Persada Johor International Convention Centre PPV volunteer Muhammad Hariz Abu Bakar, 20, who decided to volunteer to lighten frontliners’ burden and help the country fight an invisible enemy. “I recently finished my matriculation programme and am waiting to enter university. Since I have a lot of time to spare, I decided to apply to be a volunteer at the PPV in Johor Baru. “Although we are not able to help our medical frontliners directly because we are not trained in the field, we can at least help in other ways. “It is at times ... » Learn More about Youths stand tall at vaccination centres

Maddie Ziegler and Eddie Benjamin practise laser focus, work ethic and gratitude at every opportunity. I tallied their use of the word "grateful", which came up no less than 30 times in our hour-long interview, but not in the woo-woo tonality often linked to Californians and Instagram stars. In the pursuit of their wildest dreams, they make a point of not forgetting to do "kid stuff" along the way. "It's a thing, because we're always working. We're like, let's go and do some kid s*** today. I bought this electric bike and we've been riding around the neighbourhood - in a safe manner." says singer-songwriter Benjamin, 19 with his signature gap-tooth grin. Work for the pair spans every aspect of the creative arts. Ziegler, 18, is arguably the most recognisable dancer in the world. She starred in the hugely popular reality TV show Dance Moms between 2011 to 2016 and cemented herself in pop culture history with a bounce-off-the-wall performance in Australian singer-songwriter Sia ... » Learn More about Creative power couple in the spotlight

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg On Sep. 15, Gardens by the Bay launched its Mid-Autumn Festival 2021 that will run until Oct. 3, 2021. It features a total of nine lantern sets and community displays across the outdoor garden and Flower Dome. Outdoor Gardens displays Located at the Golden Garden near the main entrance are the Sky Lanterns and Rabbit Trails. Measuring 32m wide and 19m tall, the Sky Lanterns is the largest lantern set this year with 70 lanterns floating up the Supertrees. It represents this year's theme, blessings, and is inspired by the eponymous Chinese lanterns that are traditionally released to the sky for good blessings. Rabbit Trails is a series of eight rabbit-shaped lanterns that lead the way to the Flower Dome, where there are more rabbits. Korean period drama lovers should check out the Korean Genre Painting at The Rose near the Floral Clock outside the Flower Dome. It ... » Learn More about Mid-Autumn lantern sets & displays at Gardens by the Bay from now till Oct. 3, 2021

Imagine this: You've had a great meal. You pay for it contactlessly, through your smart watch. You've paid on credit, and when the bill arrives and you make payment, it's done with a few quick taps on your smartphone, without a single sheet of paper needing to be printed. That's what the future looks like — for now at least — with Singapore's new digital banks in the picture. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has awarded four licenses so far, and more may follow in future. Hold on, you might be asking. That doesn't seem too different from what we have now, in 2020. So what's the big deal with digital banks, and what benefits might they bring, and what risks should we watch out for? We try to answer these questions. What is a digital bank? Existing banks in Singapore do already have comprehensive digital services, and many of its younger (or more tech-savvy) customers already do most of their banking online. But one of the requirements for these ... » Learn More about Fully-digital banks will launch in S’pore soon. Here are their potential risks & benefits.

Property prices really have gone up across all segments, even the extreme luxury end. Good class bungalows (GCBs) have been all the rage in 2021: From $144 million worth in transactions in 48 hours (in July), to news of tech billionaires developing a penchant for these. There’s also a good likelihood that, with Covid-19 continuing to wreak havoc, the GCB trend will be ongoing for quite a while longer. Here’s what’s happening: GCB transaction volumes are close to the last highs of 2010 The last peak for GCBs was in 2010, when transactions totalled $1.85 billion , with around 101 transactions. By comparison, the first half of 2021 alone saw about $2.05 billion in transactions, with 68 transactions. The contrast is even sharper, between 2020 and 2021. Last year, total GCB transactions only reached around $415.8 million, with 21 transactions. On a year-on-year basis (January to August), GCB prices averaged $1,391 psf in 2021, but have since jumped to about $1,713 psf. The ... » Learn More about Why are Good Class Bungalows (GCBs) headed for a record high in 2021?

People take photos of a phreatic explosion from the Taal volcano as seen from the town of Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of Manila, on January 12, 2020. (Photo by Bullit MARQUEZ / AFP) MANILA, Philippines — A volcanic tsunami is possible if the Taal Volcano alert is raised to 5, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned Monday. “Yung volcanic tsunami po, pwede po natin iexpect sa panahon na mag-intesify pa po lalo ‘yung pinapakita ng Taal ngayon sa alert level 5,” Phivolcs Supervising Science Research Specialist Winchelle Sevilla said during the Taal Volcano interagency coordination meeting in Tagaytay. (A volcanic tsunami is possible if Taal’s activity further intensifies to level 5.) Phivolcs earlier raised Alert Level 4 over Taal Volcano which means a hazardous explosion may occur within hours or days. Sevilla recommended residents near Taal’s lakeshore to evacuate amid the volcano’s heightened activity. “Kung may mga kababayan ... » Learn More about Phivolcs: Volcanic tsunami possible if Taal alert level raised to 5