Singapore

Tangaraju Suppiah: Singapore executes man for supplying cannabis

BBC reports Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged at Changi Prison at dawn on Wednesday, his family said.

Activists said he had been convicted on weak evidence and had had limited legal access during his prosecution.

The authorities said he had received due process and criticised activists for questioning the courts.

Singapore has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws, which it argues are a necessary deterrent to preventing drug crime.

Family prays as man with IQ of 69 to be executed in Singapore

Her brother, Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, is set to be hanged in Singapore's Changi Prison. If it happens, it will be the first execution Singapore has carried out since 2019.

"When I'm alone and I think of my brother, there is pain. But [we need to] be brave and keep on praying - anything can happen," she told the BBC.

Nagaenthran is due to be hanged on Wednesday morning, but was granted a last-minute stay of execution for a day. A court of appeal will decide his fate on Tuesday.

Singapore approves lab-grown 'chicken' meat

The decision paves the way for San Francisco-based startup Eat Just to sell lab-grown chicken meat.

The meat will initially be used in nuggets, but the company hasn’t said when they will become available.

Demand for alternatives to regular meat has surged due to consumer concerns about health, animal welfare and the environment.

According to Barclays, the market for meat alternatives could be worth $140bn (£104bn) within the next decade, or about 10% of the $1.4tn global meat industry.

Jolavan Wham charged for holding up a smiley face sign

But this smiley face on a Singaporean street is different. This smiley face has landed the man holding it in court, potentially costing him thousands of dollars in fines.

And despite the risks, this smiley face has also inspired a wave of smiley faces in support.

So what exactly about this particular smiley face has upset authorities in one of the world's wealthiest and most advanced nations?

Why is this smiley face offensive?

Well, it has less to do with the smiley face, and more to do with the man holding it.

Singapore in world first for facial verification

The biometric check will give Singaporeans secure access to both private and government services.

The government's technology agency says it will be "fundamental" to the country's digital economy.

It has been trialled with a bank and is now being rolled out nationwide. It not only identifies a person but ensures they are genuinely present.

More tension as Singapore man admits spying for China in US

Jun Wei Yeo was charged with using his political consultancy in America as a front to collect information for Chinese intelligence, US officials say.

Separately, the US said a Chinese researcher accused of hiding her ties to China's military was detained.

China earlier ordered the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu. The move to shut down the diplomatic mission in the south-western city was in response to the US closing China's consulate in Houston.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the decision was taken because China was "stealing" intellectual property.

Why Singapore turned to wearable contact-tracing tech

All users have to do is carry one, and the battery lasts up to nine months without needing a recharge - something one expert said had "stunned" him.

The government agency which developed the devices acknowledges that the Tokens - and technology in general - aren't "a silver bullet", but should augment human contact-tracers' efforts.

The first to receive the devices are thousands of vulnerable elderly people who don't own smartphones.

To do so, they had to provide their national ID and phone numbers - TraceTogether app users recently had to start doing likewise.

Cook Islands netball team make finals in Singapore

Last night's win was the fifth consecutive win for the team, who have made a return to international netball after a two-year hiatus.

The Cook Islands will now play Swaziland in tonight's final, who they beat 54-44 earlier in the week.

 

Photo: Netball Singapore Cook Islands beating Swaziland who they will now play in Final. 

Singapore to use driverless buses 'from 2022'

The government says they will be piloted in three new neighborhoods which will have less-crowded roads designed to accommodate the buses.

The buses will be used to help residents travel in their communities, and to nearby train and bus stations.

Densely-populated Singapore hopes driverless technology will help the country manage its land constraints and manpower shortages.

Singapore to freeze car numbers

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) cited the scarcity of land and public transport upgrades as reasons for the cap.

The country already has strict policies aimed at limiting the number of cars on its roads.

However, Singapore counted more than 600,000 private and rental cars last year.

That number includes cars used by ride-hailing services such as Uber and Grab.