GV Prakash-Sarath Kumar's Adangathey gets release date
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News18
5 hours ago
- News18
Singapore to stop entry to high-risk travellers from 2026
Singapore, Jul 31 (PTI) Singapore will stop entry of high-risk or undesirable travellers who pose a health, security, or immigration threat to the city state from next year by issuing no-boarding directives to transport operators of ships and flights, a media report said Thursday. Also, 43 per cent more foreigners were refused entry in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same time last year after the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) enhanced border security to identify more high-risk travellers before their arrival. The ICA plans to roll out the no-boarding directives (NBDs) to prevent arrivals at air checkpoints from 2026 and at sea checkpoints from 2028, The Straits Times reported. Transport operators who fail to comply with an NBD can be fined up to SGD 10,000. The move comes in the wake of the Immigration (Amendment) Act that came into force on December 31, 2024. Singapore, with over six million people of multiple ethnicities, remains sensitive to issues related to ISIS and or even other racial, religious and political-bias elements, according to diplomatic observers here. On Thursday, the ICA said that while collecting passenger and crew information in advance has been the norm for airline and ship operators, such information is generally not readily available at land checkpoints, involving bus-car-passengers. The authorities, therefore, are looking into ways to implement similar measures at land checkpoints, according to the daily report. Meanwhile, enhancements to Singapore's border security, including through new profiling and detection capabilities, have allowed ICA to identify more high-risk travellers before their arrival to Singapore. 'This has translated into a 43 per cent increase in the number of foreigners refused entry into the prosperous island state in the first half of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024," the daily said. People who can be denied entry include those who had been previously barred from entering Singapore after being convicted of certain crimes. On Thursday, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said ICA's transformation comes at a time of increasing volumes of travellers coming into the country. Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, pointed out that traveller volumes through Singapore's checkpoints increased to 230 million passengers in 2024, compared with the 197 million who passed through the country's borders in 2015. The diplomatic observers noted that it is also common for travellers to fly into Malaysia and then take a bus, taxi or car ride to Singapore. Shanmugam said traveller volume is expected to increase further with the completion of three major infrastructure projects in near future. Peninsular Malaysia's southernmost state capital of Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System is expected to be operational in December 2026; the Changi Airport Terminal 5 is slated to open by the mid-2030s, and the expansion of Woodlands Checkpoint, a land-border checkpoint, is expected over the next 10 to 15 years, according to the broadsheet report. 'But the limitation is that ICA's manpower cannot grow indefinitely, so we have been drawing more on technology to cope with this demand and to really navigate the more complex security environment," the minister said. To that end, ICA said it has achieved its vision to transform checkpoint clearance operations by becoming among the first border agencies in the world to implement passport-less immigration clearance. This was part of ICA's New Clearance Concept that was first announced in 2019, to provide faster and more secure immigration clearance. All travellers to and from Singapore can now clear immigration in an automated, passport-less process. This involves a facial or iris biometric scan at air and sea checkpoints, or clearance using a QR-code for those travelling through land checkpoints. As of June 30, ICA said some 93 million travellers have cleared immigration without needing to present their passports. PTI GS NPK NPK (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 31, 2025, 16:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
7 hours ago
- News18
Shoojit Sircar And Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari To Lead Short Film Jury At IFFM 2025
Shoojit Sircar and Ashwini Iyer Tiwari will head the jury for the short film contest at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2025, held from August 14 to 25. Renowned Bollywood filmmakers Shoojit Sircar (Piku, Madras Café, October) and Ashwini Iyer Tiwari (Bareilly Ki Barfi, Panga) will lead the jury for the short film competition at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025. The 16th edition of the film festival is scheduled from August 14 to August 25. According to a press release, the film gala receives an incredible number of entries each year in a variety of categories, with the short film segment being one of the most competitive and inventive. Shoojit Sircar On Being Selected As The Jury Member Speaking about being elected as a jury member the prestigious film festival, the director said in a statement, 'IFFM is an amazing platform that brings together talent from all over the world, and I'm thrilled to be a member of this year's short film jury. Short films, with their brevity and intensity, frequently create an indelible impression. I'm excited to see the entries and uncover some ground-breaking voices," as quoted by Cinema Express. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari On Being Elected By The IFFM The Nil Battey Sannata director, on the other hand, expressed her excitement and shared, 'Short films are a powerful form of expression, frequently full of new ideas and innovative viewpoints. I'm excited to see stories that reflect reality, ingenuity, and the passion of young filmmakers." Mitu Bhowmik Lange, Festival Director, On New Elected Jury Members The Festival Director, Mitu Bhowmik Lange, welcomed the new jury members and said, 'We are delighted to have Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Shoojit Sircar on the IFFM Short Film Competition panel. They are some of the most acclaimed creative brains in Indian cinema today, and their attention to detail, plot, and authenticity will improve the judgement process. IFFM has always aspired to provide a platform for emerging talent, and having filmmakers of this quality judge submissions is both an honour and an encouragement for those who participate." Aamir Khan As The Chief Guest At The IFFM 2025 This year, actor Aamir Khan has been invited as the Chief Guest at IFFM 2025. He will also be hoisting the National Flag at the festival as part of India's annual Independence Day celebrations. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
AMMA Elections 2025: Shwetha Menon leads the race: Final candidates for the historic election to be announced on July 31
Actress Shweta Menon is emerging as a leading candidate in the upcoming AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) presidential election. The final list of candidates will be released on July 31. Nominations must be withdrawn by 3 pm, after which the confirmed list is expected to be released by 4 pm. August 15 polls see record female participation AMMA elections to be held on August 15 this year are considered a major turning point for the Malayalam film industry. As per Cinema Express, this is a record number of women contesting for top positions in the AMMA organization. This is seen as a sign of change, given that the organization's structure and gender equality demands have been controversial for the past few years. Shwetha Menon may become AMMA's first woman president Devan and Anup Chandran are also contesting for the post of president along with Shwetha Menon. It is reported that initially, Manutakiya Jagadish, Jayan Serthala, and Ravindran withdrew from the race. This is said to be a historic election as it is the first time that a woman has led AMMA since it was founded in 1994. So, chances are high for Shwetha Menon to be elected as the president of AMMA. Election follows the 2017 case, the Hema report , and exits The election is taking place against the backdrop of the 2017 sexual assault case against a Malayalam actress and the subsequent report submitted by the Hema Committee. The report was heavily criticized for gender discrimination and mishandling of industrial complaints. The ensuing backlash led to the resignation of the AMMA executive committee headed by Mohanlal in 2024. Before that, the credibility of the organization was also greatly damaged due to sexual allegations against leading members Siddique and Baburaj.
