The Snackpacker's Guide: 6 sweet, savoury and spicy nibbles from Sichuan for under $8
SINGAPORE – There is no singular reason why China has become the destination of choice for Singaporeans.
For some, it is being in cutting-edge cities where drone-delivered meals arrive in under 30 minutes and cashless transactions are done with a wave of the palm.
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Straits Times
31 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Former North Korean soldier, jailed in the South for 42 years, may return home
Most captured North Korean troops were repatriated but some were not sent back for various reasons. SEOUL - South Korea's Ministry of Unification is reportedly reviewing the possible repatriation of Mr Ahn Hak-sop, a former North Korean soldier captured during the Korean War which lasted between 1950 and 1953, whose refusal to renounce the North's communist system led him to be imprisoned for over four decades. According to Yonhap News Agency on Aug 4, the 95-year-old Mr Ahn submitted a request to the government in July 2025 asking to be returned to the North. Ministry officials visited him at his hospital on July 23 to check on his physical condition, verify his specific demands, and find out why he was asking to be sent back now. Mr Ahn had a chance to be repatriated to the North under the Kim Dae-jung administration in 2000, when 63 long-term prisoners who refused to convert had been sent to North Korea. But at the time, he decided to stay, saying he would 'fight until the US military leaves South Korea.' The North Korean government considers the US its greatest enemy, and demands that the country pull out its forces from the Korean Peninsula, at least publicly. Mr Ahn, a sympathiser of the communist North, has said that he should have been repatriated long ago as a prisoner of war since he had served in the North Korean military. But he said at a protest on Aug 2 that he now wishes to be buried with his comrades in the North, with whom he served time at the South Korean prison. He has recently been suffering from age-related health issues. Ministry officials made it clear that a working-level review of Mr Ahn's request is underway, and it has not even been reported to the minister yet. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Recap: Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice in case linked to Iswaran Singapore Electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to wind down current operations on Aug 8 Singapore Smooth traffic after Tanjong Katong Road South fully reopens following sinkhole incident Singapore Car passenger dies after accident involving bus in Yishun Singapore Man admits punching elderly cabby's eye in road rage incident, causing long-term injuries Life Char kway teow in India? Meet the Singaporeans bringing local food to Mumbai Singapore ICA to roll out new group feature in electronic change of address service from Aug 15 Inter-Korean relations have been icy in recent years, and the dictatorial Kim Jong-un regime has not responded to recent requests from the South Korean government to repatriate the North Koreans rescued at sea in March and May 2025. The six North Koreans were sent back on July 9 and were picked up at sea by navy vessels from the communist state. Behind bars for 42 years Mr Ahn was captured in April 1953, just three months before the Korean War Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27 of that year. He was tried by a South Korean court under the now-defunct National Guard Act, and was convicted of aiding and abetting the enemy, meaning North Korea. Most captured North Korean troops were repatriated under the so-called Operation Big Switch, a mutual exchange of all remaining prisoners of the Korean War. But some soldiers were not sent back for various reasons: tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers were not returned by North Korea as they had 'converted to communism,' according to Pyongyang. A handful of North Korean soldiers were held here and were told to renounce the North Korean system, with Mr Ahn and several others being subjected to torture. The state-affiliated truth and reconciliation commission in 2009 acknowledged that severe human rights violations had occurred during this process, urging the South Korean government to make an official apology. The commission's report also found that state officials repeatedly tried to convert Mr Ahn between 1973 and 1995, attempting to use his family to persuade him. The report showed that prison officials recorded sounds from Mr Ahn's family home to play for him and subjected him to various forms of torture. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Philippines, India hold first joint sail in South China Sea
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. speaks to the media during a press briefing at Western Command in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines, August 10, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo MANILA - The Philippine and Indian navies have sailed together for the first time in the South China Sea, officials said on Monday, as President Ferdinand Marcos left Manila for New Delhi for a state visit. The Philippines has conducted "maritime cooperative activities" with foreign navies since late 2023 as part of its push to counter China's expansive claims in the waterway, including joint sails with treaty ally the United States, as well as Japan, Australia, France and Canada. Philippine military chief Romeo Brawner said the idea for the two-day joint sail, which started on Sunday and was inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, came about when he met his counterpart in India in March. "We did not experience any untoward incidents, but there are still those shadowing us - as we had already expected," Brawner told reporters, without naming China. China's foreign ministry said in a statement that territorial and maritime disputes should be resolved between the countries directly involved and no third party should intervene. Indian navy ships that took part in the first joint sail of the two countries included guided missile destroyer INS Delhi, tanker INS Shakti and corvette INS Kiltan. The Philippines deployed two frigates, BRP Miguel Malvar and BRP Jose Rizal. The exercise coincided with Marcos' departure for a five-day trip to India, where he said he will look to deepen maritime ties and seek cooperation on sectors including defence, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Recap: Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice in case linked to Iswaran Singapore Electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to wind down current operations on Aug 8 Singapore Smooth traffic after Tanjong Katong South Road fully reopens following sinkhole incident Singapore Car passenger dies after accident involving bus in Yishun Singapore Man admits punching elderly cabby's eye in road rage incident, causing long-term injuries Life Char kway teow in India? Meet the Singaporeans bringing local food to Mumbai Singapore ICA to roll out new group feature in electronic change of address service from Aug 15 China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, overlapping with maritime zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The waterway is a strategic shipping route where $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce takes place. A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal found Beijing's sweeping claims have no basis under international law, a decision China rejects. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Tourism boom sparks backlash in historic heart of Athens
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Plaka is nestled below the ancient Acropolis hill, which hosts the millennia-old Parthenon temple which welcomed almost 4.5 million visitors in 2024. ATHENS - Surrounded by a hubbub of blaring music, restaurant terraces and rumbling suitcase wheels slaloming between overflowing litter bins, Mr Giorgos Zafeiriou believes surging tourism has made his historic Athens neighbourhood unrecognisable. The Greek capital's Plaka district 'is threatened by overtourism', said Mr Zafeiriou, who has lived there for more than three decades and leads its residents' association. This year, 10 million people are expected to visit Athens, an increase of two million from 2024 which reflects the city's growing popularity as a tourist destination since the Covid-19 pandemic ended. Despite its label as the cradle of Western civilisation, Athens was previously regarded as a mere stopping point between the airport and the port of Piraeus, from where tourists explore Greece's myriad of picturesque islands. Nicknamed 'the neighbourhood of the gods', Plaka is nestled below the ancient Acropolis hill, a world heritage site hosting the millennia-old Parthenon temple which welcomed almost 4.5 million visitors in 2024. Plaka is now awash with tourists who navigate its warren of narrow streets lined with cafes, taverns, souvenir shops, small Byzantine churches and relics from Antiquity and the Ottoman era. Plaka 'is Europe's oldest neighbourhood which has been inhabited continuously since Antiquity', said Ms Lydia Carras, head of the Ellet association working to preserve the environment and cultural heritage. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Recap: Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice in case linked to Iswaran Singapore Electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to wind down current operations on Aug 8 Singapore Smooth traffic after Tanjong Katong South Road fully reopens following sinkhole incident Singapore Car passenger dies after accident involving bus in Yishun Singapore Man admits punching elderly cabby's eye in road rage incident, causing long-term injuries Life Char kway teow in India? Meet the Singaporeans bringing local food to Mumbai Singapore ICA to roll out new group feature in electronic change of address service from Aug 15 'We cannot see it lose its soul,' she added. 'Saturated with tourists' Tourism is a pillar of the Greek economy, which endured years of painful austerity following the 2008 global financial crash and the ensuing eurozone debt crisis. For souvenir shop seller Konstantinos Marinakis, 'Greece is finally doing better thanks to the good health of tourism which allowed the economy to recover and create jobs'. But the flourishing sector has generated a backlash in Europe's most sought-after locations, with locals complaining of soaring housing prices and the impact on their neighbourhoods. Protesters have targeted tourists with water pistols in Spain's Barcelona, while the Italian city of Venice has introduced a charge in a bid to control visitor numbers. Mayor Haris Doukas told AFP with pride that Athens was now one of the world's 10 most-visited cities, but acknowledged 'areas like Plaka which are saturated with tourists'. 'We are not yet at the stage of Barcelona, but we must act before it is too late,' he said. An 'intervention unit' for Plaka was recently created to enforce rules with the support of the police. Any resident who spots a restaurant terrace encroaching on public space or cars parked on the pavement can report the offenders to this team. 'Between 1960 and 1980, Plaka was overwhelmed by discos and bouzoukias', and 'many residents had already left', explained Ms Carras, referring to clubs that play traditional Greek music. A 1993 presidential decree shut the clubs, protected homes and specified the use of each building in the neighbourhood, with hotels only allowed on certain streets. Rules 'dodged' But 'these rules have been dodged', with 'entire houses converted into several apartments' advertised on short-term rental platforms, said Mr Dimitris Melissas, a lawyer specialising in urban planning. Plaka's population of 2,000 can be swamped by up to four times as many tourists in the summer, added Melissas, although no official statistics exist because the census measures Athens as a whole. Representing Ellet, the lawyer has taken a case over the legality of 16 buildings converted entirely into seasonal rentals to the Council of State, Greece's top administrative court. He argued they are actually hotel premises in disguise because they have receptions or serve breakfast on terraces. A decision, which could set an important legal precedent, is expected by the end of September. The conservative government has banned new registrations of apartments on short-term rental platforms for at least a year in central Athens, where more than 12,000 seasonal lets existed in 2024, fuelling rent rises. 'But when I still read adverts in newspapers to invest in apartments that can be converted into Airbnbs, I doubt the effectiveness of this measure,' said Mr Melissas. 'The problem in Greece is not voting laws but enforcing them.' AFP
