Ratan Tata, 1938-2024 – Asia Sentinel

In its annual report, PEN America revealed that China remains the largest jailer of writers in 2024, followed by Iran, with Israel ranking fifth. The report highlights a growing risk to writers in the US amid an increasing global crackdown on free speech, which has started affecting nations previously known for their openness. The number of jailed writers worldwide has risen for the sixth consecutive year, reaching 375 in 2024, up from 339 in 2023,...

Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FASTSINGAPORE: The "first and most urgent priority" for the People’s Action Party (PAP) is to address cost of living and job concerns, and Singapore needs a good team to stay ahead, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday (Apr 24) at his first rally in...

SINGAPORE: Eight political parties will broadcast their campaign messages for the 2025 General Election on free-to-air television and radio, with the first airing on April 25 and the second on May 1. Eligible parties, those fielding at least six candidates, will have airtime allocated based on the number of candidates, with the People's Action Party receiving the most at 14 minutes. Comprehensive coverage of the election will be provided across Mediacorp platforms, including YouTube and...

Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FASTSINGAPORE: A man who exposed his genitals to his young daughter and allowed her to touch them, claiming it was for “educational” reasons, was convicted on Thursday (Apr 24) following a trial. The 40-year-old man, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was...

Read a summary of this article on FAST.SINGAPORE: Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam emphasized that the goods and services tax (GST) is primarily paid by top income earners and supports lower-income families. He addressed concerns regarding rising living costs, attributing inflation partly to external factors like the Ukraine war, and reiterated that government support offsets GST increases. Shanmugam welcomed a competitive electoral landscape with opposition parties like Red Dot United proposing a GST...

SINGAPORE: Bots with fake profiles targeted both the ruling People’s Action Party and the Workers’ Party during the 2025 General Elections, prompting the Ministry of Digital Development and Information to investigate these accounts. A surge of negative comments from 149 unique profiles was detected, mainly on April 20, coinciding with the publication of articles by PAP’s blog, Petir. Analysis revealed that 90 of these accounts were flagged as fake, indicating coordinated bot activity aimed at...