SINGAPORE - There have been 2,102 Covid-19 deaths here since the start of the pandemic in 2020 to June 2024, the Ministry of Health (MOH) told The Straits Times – a figure that public health experts describe as low. While the experts say Singapore has done well in the fight against Covid-19, the pandemic nevertheless pushed up the age-standardised death rate – an indicator that allows for a fair comparison of mortality rates over time as it removes the effect of a rapidly ageing population. Singapore’s age-standardised death rate rose to a high of 5.9 per 1,000 resident population in 2022, up from 5.2 in 2020 and 5.6 in 2021. In 2023, it went back down to 5.6. The MOH gave ST data on Covid-19 deaths in response to questions on the sharp increases in the total number of deaths over the past few years. A total of 26,888 people died last year, just 0.01 per cent lower than the 26,891 deaths in 2022, based on the Report on Registration of Births and Deaths 2023 published by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority in July.
Russian media are trying to convey Moscow’s point of view, but Western states are hiding from the “truth,” President Vladimir Putin has said Read Full Article at RT.com
Tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Israel on Sunday, demanding an immediate hostage deal with Hamas Read Full Article at RT.com
One person is in serious condition following a bear attack Sunday mornin in a remote part of Rocky View County.
The Government is understood to be in talks with landowners to use sites in the event of severe congestion, amid concerns that the new system could see queues of up to 15 hours at the Port of Dover.
Chief engineer Tim Parker Eaton, 56, has told prosecutors he followed procedures and made sure all was watertight as the storm engulfed the yacht causing it to sink with the loss of seven lives.
Sex offender Jacky Jhaj stood naked as a terrifying explosion was triggered by using gun powder and a detonation cord, which sent the roof of a police van 50ft in the air in Silvertown, Newham.
Venice Film Festival welcomed it biggest and arguably best red carpet of this year's ceremony as Brad Pitt and George Clooney celebrated the first screening of Wolfs.
The former Business Secretary will use a speech in Westminster to accuse Sir Keir Starmer's administration of 'trying to pull the wool over the eyes' of voters on a raft of issues.
The president will chair a session on the development of the Republic of Tyva and will hold a meeting with Tyva’s head Vladislav Khovalyg
Cette nuit, sur la route menant à l'aéroport de Rurutu, un jeune homme à scooter s'est tué. Il était alcoolisé et roulait à une vitesse vraisemblablement excessive.
SINGAPORE – The tears flowed freely as Jeralyn Tan hugged her coach Yurnita Omar after securing a historic Paralympic boccia medal for Singapore at the South Paris Arena 1 on Sept 1. In contrast to the outpouring of emotions, the 35-year-old was a picture of composure and determination earlier as the world No. 2 displayed great strategy and accuracy to beat Japan’s sixth-ranked Hiromi Endo 5-1 in their women’s individual BC1 semi-final. With at least a silver assured, debutante Tan will play home favourite and world No. 16 Aurelie Aubert in the final at 4.30pm (Singapore time) on Sept 2. The 27-year-old had defeated Bermuda’s Yushae DeSilva-Andrade in a tiebreak after their semi-final ended 2-2. Endo later beat DeSilva-Andrade 7-0 to take the bronze. An elated Tan said: “I’m touched by the support. We are not many but I can feel the kampung spirit. I will put all my heart and soul to play the final. With support from my fellow Singaporeans, we will brave this together.”
The celebrity beluga whale dubbed a “Russian spy” was found dead in Risavika Bay in southern Norway over the weekend Read Full Article at RT.com
«This work is permanent and it is done via various directions and at all levels,» Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said
Ticketmaster's 'dynamic pricing system' was criticised by appalled Oasis fans this morning as tickets for the band's sought-after reunion reached as high as £355.
A Concordia mechancial engineering student has booked his ticket to one of the most coveted space programs. This fall, he'll be interning for the SpaceX Starship.
A 32-year-old man is facing charges after allegedly pointing a handgun at another vehicle while driving on Kenaston Boulevard Saturday night.
Police are investigating a fire at a Hells Angel retail store in east Toronto on Sunday.
A 4.6 magnitude earthquake rumbled through parts of Quebec early Sunday morning.
A number of changes are coming to Ontario classrooms this fall as students return to school. Here’s a list of what can be expected:
While Indonesia's Catholic community is only 3 per cent of the population, it still numbers in the millions and plenty of its members will be travelling to Jakarta for the pope's four-day visit.
Ukraine lost its first Western-supplied F-16 fighter last week but has yet to name an official cause of the incident, fueling speculations Read Full Article at RT.com
Persons, particularly women, seeking employment opportunities overseas are being encouraged to be wary of unfamiliar persons who may approach them with such offers. This urging by the police comes against the background of data from the Jamaica...
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has claimed almost 33% of the votes in Thuringia, according to exit polls Read Full Article at RT.com
Officials hope grim discovery of bodies of six hostages in Gaza will renew urgency for a deal — but say they may walk away if it does not.
The Israeli military found the bodies of six Israeli hostages in an underground tunnel near the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on August 31
According to Pushilin, one child is in critical condition
According to Ignasyuk, 360 such violations were reported in the al-Tanf area during the past month
Israeli warplanes attacked Hezbollah military facilities near Beit Lif, Tayibe, and Odaisseh in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky also signed another package of sanctions against Ukrainians who support Russia and who are labeled by the Ukrainian authorities as «collaborationists»
Une centaine de boxeurs se sont donné le change dans la salle omnisports de Vaira’o lors de la journée de boxe organisée par l’association Taiarapu Boxing Club. 52 combats en amateurs et en éducatif. Les plus petits ont ouvert les hostilités.
Faute de repreneur, Koniambo Nickel SAS, projet phare du développement du nord de la Nouvelle-Calédonie a arrêté son activité ce samedi. Mais ses quelque 1 200 salariés veulent croire que l'activité n'est pas morte.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has blamed rising inflation in the US on government overspending Read Full Article at RT.com
Israel's main union on Sunday ordered a nationwide general strike after soldiers recovered the bodies of six dead hostages from the Gaza Strip where the military is battling Palestinian militants. The remains of the six were recovered Saturday «from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area» in southern Gaza, the military said. They were among 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war, 97 of whom remain captive in Gaza including 33 the army says are dead. Scores were released during a negotiated one-week truce in November, but relatives of those still held believe not enough is being done to free them. Campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said a negotiated «deal for the return of the hostages» was urgently needed. «Were it not for the delays, sabotage and excuses» in months of mediation efforts, the six hostages «would likely still be alive», a statement said. The families called for a nationwide general strike to force the government to reach a deal to secure the release of the remaining captives. Shortly afterwards, the head of Israel's powerful Histadrut trade union ordered a «complete strike» for Monday in support of the hostages. - 'Complete strike' - «I have come to the conclusion that only our intervention can shake those who need to be shaken,» Histadrut chairman Arnon bar David said in a statement. «Starting tomorrow at six in the morning, the entire Israeli economy will go on complete strike.» «A deal is not progressing due to political considerations and this is unacceptable.» The six hostages were named as Carmel Gat, taken from a kibbutz community near the Gaza border, and Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Ori Danino, US-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Russian-Israeli Alexander Lobanov -- all seized by Palestinian militants from a music festival site. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said all six «were abducted alive on the morning of October 7» and «brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them». Qatar-based Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq said the six were «killed by Zionist (Israeli) bombing», an accusation the military denied. A senior Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity that «some» of the six had been «approved» for release in a potential hostage-prisoner swap as part of a deal yet to be agreed. Critics in Israel have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political gain. Netanyahu told Lobanov's parents on Sunday: «I would like to tell you how much I regret and request forgiveness for not succeeding in bringing Sasha back alive.» He blamed Hamas leaders «who kill hostages and do not want an agreement», vowing to «settle the score» with them. - West Bank attack - US President Joe Biden said he was «devastated and outraged» by their deaths, but told reporters he was «still optimistic» a truce and hostage release deal could be reached. The Biden administration has been involved in ceasefire mediation efforts along with Qatar and Egypt. In the occupied West Bank, as soldiers pressed day five of coordinated raids targeting Palestinian militants, Israeli police said a «shooting attack» killed three officers. The attack near Hebron added to surging violence in the territory where at least 24 Palestinians, including 14 militant groups said were their members, have been killed by the military since the Israeli raids began on Wednesday. One 20-year-old soldier was killed Saturday in the raids, which Israel's military has called «counter-terrorism» operations. On Sunday, a «shooting attack» near the Tarqumiya checkpoint in the Hebron area in the southern West Bank killed three police officers. The military said it «eliminated» the suspected attacker after surrounding a house in Hebron. In the northern West Bank, an AFP photographer saw Israeli bulldozers in Jenin city centre, a day after an official said soldiers had destroyed most of the streets and power and water had been cut off in the adjacent refugee camp. Later on Sunday an AFP photographer heard loud explosions near the camp and saw black smoke over the city. The United Nations said Wednesday that at least 637 Palestinians had been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers since the Gaza war began. Twenty-three Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during army operations over the same period, according to official figures. - Polio vaccinations - In the besieged Gaza Strip, «humanitarian pauses» in the nearly 11-month war between Israel and Hamas were due to take place to facilitate a massive polio vaccination drive which a health official told AFP had begun in earnest Sunday. Hamas's October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 40,738 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children. The fighting has devastated Gaza, repeatedly displaced most of its 2.4 million people and triggered a humanitarian crisis. Water, sanitation and medical facilities have been ravaged, contributing to the spread of preventable disease. The World Health Organization has said Israel agreed to a series of three-day «humanitarian pauses» to facilitate the vaccination campaign that aims to reach some 640,000 children, after the first confirmed case in Gaza in 25 years. On Sunday, it was formally launched at three health centres in central Gaza, said Yasser Shaaban, director of Al-Awda hospital. «We hope this vaccination campaign for children will be calm,» said Shaaban, noting there were «a lot of drones» flying overhead. Louise Wateridge, a spokeswoman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, later said nearly 2,000 children were vaccinated initially Sunday. But she added that they were anxious about later: «If the bombing continues after 2:00 pm this is of course going to impact the vaccination campaign... The only way to do this is a ceasefire.» On Sunday, rescuers in the Gaza Strip said 10 people had been killed in Israeli bombardment and an air strike. © Agence France-Presse