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| FILE - In this April 27, 2011 file photo, supporters cheer on their party leaders in Singapore. Singapore will hold a general election on Sept. 11, 2015, the government announced Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015, in what is expected to be a tight contest for the ruling party that has dominated politics in the city-state for 50 years but is now facing growing disaffection among citizens. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) |
The next move for the president is to issue a Writ of Election, which will specify the date of the Nomination Day, which should be no earlier than five days and no later than one month from the date the Writ is issued. The widely anticipated date for the general election is Sept. 12.
According to a report by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee in July, 29 electoral divisions have been recommended, comprising 13 Single Member Constituencies ( SMCs) and 16 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs), with a total of 89 members of parliament (MPs) to be returned, two more than the current batch of 87.
Tourism unaffected by deadly Bangkok bomb: junta
BANGKOK, Aug 25, (AFP) - Thailand's junta Tuesday insisted the crucial tourist industry has been unaffected by last week's bomb attack which killed 20 people, mostly foreigners, saying visitor numbers remained "at a normal level".
The bombing at the Bangkok's Erawan shrine was Thailand's worst single mass-casualty attack.
But the trail is growing increasingly cold as police scramble to locate a prime suspect captured on CCTV leaving a bag moments before the blast.
The majority of those killed were ethnic Chinese worshippers from across Asia, who flocked to the shrine in large numbers despite it being devoted to the Hindu god Brahma in the belief that prayers there bring good fortune.
The attack, the first of its kind to kill large numbers of visitors to Thailand, has damaged its reputation as a welcoming and safe travel destination
But the military government has been at pains to play down any suggestion visitors might be put off from visiting.
"The number of tourists in prominent tourist attractions both in Bangkok and other provinces is still high," Colonel Winthai Suvaree, a spokesman for the junta, said Tuesday in a daily broadcast, without giving any numbers.
"The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has further reported that the statistics of foreign tourists travelling into Thailand is at the normal level," he added.
Authorities have yet to make an arrest or say which group was behind the blast. But they have repeatedly said it was carried out by a network and aimed at damaging the tourism industry.
However, they have also been adamant that Chinese tourists -- who visit Thailand in larger numbers than any other nationality -- were not singled out.
"We are sure the target is not only Chinese," national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told reporters late Monday without elaborating.
Nonetheless, tour operators and hotels that cater to the Chinese have told AFP that some were cancelling trips.However analysts say it is too soon to know whether tourism has taken a hit.
Tourism accounts for about 10 percent of Thailand's economy and had until recently been one of its few bright spots amid flagging exports and low consumer confidence.
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14 militants killed in checkpoint attacks in Afghanistan
KABUL, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Some 14 militants were killed following separate clashes with Afghan security forces on Tuesday, officials said.
In one clash, six militants were killed after security forces repelled their attack on security checkpoints in Wata Pur district of eastern Kunar province in the morning.
"A local Taliban leader named Mullah Nazar Mohammad was among the death. The sporadic firing still continues near the attacked checkpoints but our security forces responded to the insurgents firing without any casualties," provincial police chief Gen. Habbib Sayyedkhil told Xinhua.
In a similar incident, security forces killed eight Taliban militants, who attacked police checkpoints along a main road in Baghlan-e-Markazi district of the northern Baghlan province at wee hours of the day.
"The attackers tried to ban the main roadway to the neighboring Kunduz province and intercept running vehicles there. After our security forces took action eight militants were killed, seven wounded and many others fled the scene," Baghlan police chief, Gen. Abdul Jabar Purdili, told Xinhua.
The Taliban militant group has yet to make comments. In a separate development, Abu Haziffa, Taliban's military chief for northern Kunduz province, was killed along four other militants following an air strike in Ali Abad district of Kunduz on Monday, provincial official said.
The Taliban-led militancy has been rampant since mid-April when the militant group launched its annual rebel offensive against Afghan security forces.
The Taliban urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the legitimate targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government.
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Tianjin blast death toll rises to 129
TIANJIN, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Rescue authorities updated the death toll from the Tianjin warehouse explosions to 129, with 44 others missing, on Monday.They had put the figure at 123 on Sunday afternoon, which means six more bodies were retrieved from the blast site debris.
All the dead have been identified, including 76 firefighters, seven policemen and 46 other people. The missing people include 28 firefighters, four policemen and 12 others.
Meanwhile, 610 people remain hospitalized, 39 of them in serious condition. A total of 187 injured people have been discharged from hospital. Two blasts ripped through a warehouse storing dangerous chemicals in north China's Tianjin Port at around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 12.
Personnel have removed 3,625 burnt cars and 1,677 containers from the site. Environmental monitoring showed no excessive levels of pollutants in the air outside the exclusion zone set up around the blast site, but found excessive levels of cyanide in water on Sunday.
Cyanide was detected in 33 of 44 water monitoring sites on Sunday. Six sites inside the exclusion zone contained cyanide 0.94 to 36.8 times more than levels officially regarded as safe.
Cyanide was also found in underground water near the blast site but the levels were not excessive.Han Fengqun, a 56-year-old who was rescued 65 hours after the blast, is in a stable condition after 10 days in intensive care, said Meng Xiangzhong, a doctor in charge of his treatment. Han owned a convenience store near the warehouse.
Police have detained executives of the warehouse's owner, Tianjin Rui Hai International Logistics Co. Ltd, including company head Yu Xuewei, deputy head Dong Shexuan and general manager Zhi Feng.The cause of the blasts is being investigated.
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Merkel, Hollande urge common European asylum policy
BERLIN, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande called on Monday for a common European asylum policy in view of the current wave of refugees entering Europe. The two leaders made the remarks at a joint press conference after their meeting in Berlin.
Merkel pointed out that the common right of asylum, which exits in many parts of Europe, was not implemented at present.Germany and France, she said, expected that all member states of the European Union (EU) would fully implement the right of asylum, including registration of refugees as well as minimum standards for accommodation and health care.
Merkel and Hollande called for common European standards for the repatriation of refugees and the definition of safe countries of origin. They also urged a fair distribution of those people who have been granted a residence permit in the EU.
Speaking of the situation in Greece and Italy, the two leaders agreed that EU countries should make joint efforts to help build registration centers and provide staff for them in the two countries as European gateway for asylum-seekers and refugees arriving from sea.
"This must be done quickly, in the current year. We cannot accept any delay," stressed Merkel.Europe is struggling to deal with the high influxes of people seeking refuge in its borders.
Some 4,400 migrants were rescued off the Libyan coasts on Saturday, one of the biggest operation carried out so far under the EU Triton rescue mission in the Mediterranean Sea, according to media reports.
So far this year, more than 2,300 people have died in the attempt to reach Europe by boat, according to the International Organization for Migration.
In Italy alone, some 104,000 migrants have arrived in the country since January from the Middle East, African and south Asian countries. Last year, the county had seen an influx of over 170,000 people.
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Yemen air strikes, fighting kill at least 40
ADEN, Aug 25, (AFP) - At least 40 people have been killed in more than 24 hours of Saudi-led coalition air strikes and fighting in Yemen's central province of Baida, military sources said on Tuesday.
The fighting and air raids in Mukayris, a town seen as a gateway to southern provinces recently recaptured by pro-government forces, left 19 rebels, 15 loyalists and six civilians dead, the sources told AFP.
Coalition strikes against rebel positions in Baida continued on Tuesday as the fighting raged, they added.Baida is home to mainly Sunni tribes that have been fighting Shiite Huthi rebels who advanced from their northern stronghold last year.
Mukayris is on the border between Baida and the southern province of Abyan, which loyalists have recaptured along with Aden, Lahj, Daleh and Shabwa since mid-July.
Other clashes were ongoing Tuesday, and coalition raids targeted rebels in the vast oil-rich Marib province in the east, witnesses said.A local Huthi military chief was killed along with several rebels in a coalition raid on one of their positions in Marib, witnesses said.
AFP could not confirm this from rebel sources who rarely acknowledge their losses.Overnight fighting between Huthis and tribesmen on the border between Sanaa and Marib provinces killed 13 people, tribal sources said.
On Monday, one local official said that up to 53 Huthis were killed in coalition air raids on Marib, but there was no independent confirmation of this.
The Huthis have seized large parts of the country including Sanaa, forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to flee to the southern port city of Aden and later to Saudi Arabia.
In March, Saudi Arabia launched a coalition that began an air campaign against the insurgents.The kingdom and the United Arab Emirates have also backed pro-government forces in Yemen with both arms and troops.
Riyadh accuses Iran of arming the Huthis, a charge the Islamic republic denies.The latest fighting has focused on provinces near Sanaa, including third city Taez which is seen as key to controlling the capital.Residents reported that Taez was quiet early on Tuesday following a night of clashes and air strikes.
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