December 7, 2019

Unveiling the ‘word of the year’ for 2019

We are approaching the end of 2019 at a dizzying rate. This year has been jam-packed with a theme of crises and threats. From the political, economic, sociological and even environmental aspects, these continue to shape human behaviour and perspectives. This trend is reflected all year in the news and in popular culture, but interestingly, […]

December 6, 2019

PISA 2018 results put Singapore students in second place after China

The results of the global Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings for 2018 have been released, and Singapore has slipped to second place in all three categories measured—reading, mathematics and science. Though the powerhouse that is China has risen to take first place across all three subjects, Singapore students maintain a firm hold on […]

December 5, 2019

‘Disturbing and disrespectful’ Christmas ornaments with Auschwitz images removed from Amazon

Poland’s Auschwitz Memorial called Amazon out on Twitter, alerting the e-commerce company that certain sellers were displaying Christmas ornaments featuring images from concentration camps, which they deemed to be “disturbing and disrespectful”. After Amazon pulled the ornaments from its site, similar Auschwitz-themed products by other sellers were also discovered in the online shop. On December […]

December 5, 2019

New South Wales in Australia rolls out cameras that detect illegal cellphone use while driving

New South Wales (NSW), Australia just installed high definition detection cameras throughout the entire state to detect drivers using mobile phones while driving. On Sunday (Dec 1), Australian authorities launched the new technology—cameras that use artificial intelligence to catch and target drivers’ illegal cell phone usage. Andrew Constance, New South Wales’ Minister for Roads, said the […]

December 5, 2019

Singapore’s Odette is 18th on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants of 2019 list

The list of the world’s 50 best restaurants for 2019 was just recently revealed, and Singapore’s French fine dining restaurant Odette won the honors of being 18th on the global list. Spain, the United States and France are the countries with the most restaurants on the list, with seven, six and five restaurants, respectively. In […]

December 1, 2019

South Korean artists Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon sentenced to jail for rape

South Korean stars Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon have been sentenced by a South Korean court to a jail sentence of six and five years in prison, respectively, for sexually assaulting drunk and unconscious women. Jung, who was also charged with filming the rape and distributing the footage, was given a longer prison sentence than Choi. […]

December 1, 2019

Japanese punctuality on display at the world’s most punctual mega airport—Tokyo’s Haneda

Airport delays are some of the most stressful hiccups to deal with when you’re travelling. A delayed flight—especially a connecting flight—can throw a wrench in your plans and ruin everything. Besides the hassle of rebooking flights, possibly shelling out more money, and wrangling schedules, there’s also the emotional distress (plus jet lag and exhaustion!) that […]