MELBOURNE • All the world’s top tennis players, including 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, are expected to be in Melbourne for the coronavirus-disrupted Australian Open, tournament director Craig Tiley has said. The opening Grand Slam of the year, in front of at least 50 per cent of normal crowds, has been pushed back three... » read more
Tiong Bahru’s Nur Faradila Rafidi trying to dispossess Lion City Sailors’ Chloe Koh in the inaugural FAS Women’s Panna Challenge 2020 at Expy The Lab yesterday. The Dec 16-20 challenge, which featured five clubs from the women’s leagues, is based off Panna, a street football game originating from the Netherlands. Normally two players are in... » read more
After 13 months, Alvarez wins two titles on return SAN ANTONIO • Mexican pound-for-pound boxing champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez ended the longest layoff of his career on Saturday, capturing two world super middleweight titles by beating previously undefeated Briton Callum Smith with a unanimous decision victory. The three-division champion, fighting for the first time in... » read more
Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, Dec 20. Coronavirus cases at Mandarin Orchard: Experts look at possible factors behind infections If they did not encounter each other during their stay, then it could be hotel staff or fomites (objects) that formed the transmission chain, said one expert. READ MORE HERE... » read more
One night about three years ago, Nurafiqah thrashed about in her bed in a ward at the old Communicable Disease Centre (CDC), seized by an excruciating pain in her stomach. “I was quite sure I was going to die,” says the 24-year-old polytechnic student. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article.... » read more
People serving stay-home notice (SHN) are isolated to prevent them from transmitting the disease to anyone else should they have Covid-19. Despite that, 13 people on SHN at the Mandarin Orchard Singapore hotel may have been infected during their stay there, given the close similarity of the genome of the virus they had been infected... » read more
As Singapore progresses towards phase three, those calling for restrictions on migrant workers to be loosened are missing the larger issues, said Second Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng yesterday. This phase of Singapore’s reopening, which begins on Dec 28, is not a return to the pre-Covid-19 status quo, said Dr Tan, who is also... » read more
SINGAPORE – Nearly six in 10 Singaporeans are willing to spend beyond the $100 value of their SingapoRediscovers vouchers on staycations, attraction tickets and tours, a survey has found. The online poll, conducted by The Straits Times, ran for a week shortly after the voucher scheme went live on Dec 1 and attracted nearly 300... » read more
LIVERPOOL (AFP) – Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted his players were in a “big fight” after slipping to an eighth defeat of the Premier League season at the hands of high-flying Everton on Saturday (Dec 19). Carlo Ancelotti’s side moved five points behind leaders Liverpool after beating the Londoners 2-1 in front of 2,000 delighted... » read more
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND (REUTERS) – Arsenal’s dreadful Premier League season continued with a 2-1 defeat to resurgent Everton at Goodison Park leaving the Gunners five points above the relegation zone. Colombian Yerry Mina grabbed the winner with a header from a corner on the stroke of halftime after a Nicolas Pepe penalty had brought the Gunners... » read more
LONDON (REUTERS) – Manchester City closed the gap on the Premier League top four after Raheem Sterling’s first-half goal proved enough to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday (Dec 19). After a spell of constant pressure, City broke the deadlock in the 16th minute when playmaker Kevin De Bruyne’s... » read more
BARCELONA (REUTERS) – Lionel Messi equalled Pele’s record of 643 goals for a single club on Saturday (Dec 19) but was unable to help Barcelona beat Valencia in La Liga as they had to settle for a 2-2 home draw. Valencia went ahead at the Camp Nou when Mouctar Diakhaby pounced on some slack Barca... » read more
BARCELONA (AFP) – Lionel Messi scored his 643rd goal for Barcelona on Saturday (Dec 19) to equal Pele’s record of goals for a single club as the Spanish giants were held 2-2 by Valencia. Messi headed in from Jordi Alba’s cross after his first-half penalty was saved to equal the mark set by the Brazilian great... » read more
SINGAPORE – Malay language teacher Rohani Hanim Selamat, 35, has tried to incorporate technology and gaming elements into her lessons to make learning the Malay language and about the culture more immersive for students. And when schools moved to home-based learning this year, she created quiz games online to help students consolidate what they had... » read more
SINGAPORE – More than 330 people are being investigated for their alleged involvement in scams where victims purportedly lost more than $4 million, the police said in a statement on Saturday (Dec 19). This follows a two-week islandwide enforcement operation conducted between Dec 5 and Dec 19 by officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and... » read more
Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Saturday, Dec 19. Taxi drivers to get extra $300 a month in rental relief from Singapore taxi firms Including the separate payouts that the Government has announced, they will receive a total of almost $5,000 in the first half of next year. READ MORE HERE Over... » read more
LONDON • Maria Sharapova’s secret is out. The five-time Major champion announced on Instagram that she is engaged to British millionaire Alexander Gilkes, 41. The retired Russian tennis superstar, 33, wrote on Thursday: “I said yes from the first day we met. This was our little secret, wasn’t it? @gilkesa.” Gilkes, an art dealer, also... » read more
PARIS • Sergio Perez will replace Alexander Albon at Red Bull next season, the Formula One outfit announced yesterday. The Mexican driver, who was out of contract with Racing Point, will race alongside Dutchman Max Verstappen, who finished third overall in the standings and took the chequered flag at last weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi race.... » read more
ZURICH • Nicknamed “The Body” and dubbed a “machine” by his wife, Robert Lewandowski has done what many thought impossible – relegating superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to supporting roles at a football awards show. On Thursday, the Bayern Munich striker was named The Best Fifa Men’s Player 2020, after a treble-winning season capped... » read more
If there is one thing jockey Ryan Munger would like to have when he leaves Singapore tomorrow for his native South Africa, it would be to pack a silverware in his luggage. The 25-year-old has garnered his fair share of winners – 18 – in about nine months of riding at Kranji, but the feature... » read more