Latest news with #Chinese-language
Straits Times
a day ago
- Business
- Straits Times
ComfortDelGro to move its corporate headquarters to Labrador Tower in November
The move comes as the lease on ComfortDelGro's long-time base in Braddell Road (above) expires in August 2026. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG ComfortDelGro to move its corporate headquarters to Labrador Tower in November SINGAPORE - Transport giant ComfortDelGro will move its corporate headquarters to Labrador Tower, a new office building in Pasir Panjang, The Straits Times has learnt. The move, which will take place in November, comes as the lease on the mainboard-listed company's long-time base in Braddell Road expires in August 2026. A ComfortDelGro spokesperson confirmed in a statement to ST on June 20 that the company will relocate its corporate functions to Labrador Tower. It will join the Ministry of Health and insurer Prudential Singapore as tenants at the 34-storey mixed-use project, which was developed by utilities company SP Group and completed around mid-2024. ComfortDelGro did not specify the number of employees or the departments that will move , but ST understands they include those in finance, IT, human resources, legal, business development, as well as branding and corporate communications. 'This move is part of our ongoing efforts to create a more modern and sustainable work environment for our corporate staff,' the company said, noting the new office's proximity to Labrador Park MRT station on the Circle Line. Asked how much office space it will be leasing at Labrador Tower and why it chose to move its corporate head office there, ComfortDelGro's spokesperson said it was unable to provide more details at this time. The ComfortDelGro G roup had more than 12,400 employees in Singapore in 2024, with its subsidiary, public transport operator SBS Transit, accounting for more than three quarters of the workforce here. Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao broke the news on June 15 that ComfortDelGro and SBS Transit will vacate their premises at 205 Braddell Road progressively from October. While ComfortDelGro's corporate staff will move to Pasir Panjang, SBS Transit - which has been based in Braddell since 1980 - will relocate to its other existing bus and rail premises. By end-2025, SBS Transit will move its office staff to Sengkang Rail Depot and Sengkang West Bus Depot, and its bus operations in Braddell to Hougang Bus Depot in Defu. For cabbies, ComfortDelGro said its maintenance workshop on its Braddell Road premises will continue to serve taxi drivers in the central region until a new five-storey automotive hub in Ubi opens in the first quarter of 2026 to take its place. Neither ComfortDelGro nor SBS Transit have said why they did not renew or extend the lease on the Braddell site, which remains zoned for 'transport facilities' use, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority's 2019 Master Plan. Industrial developer JTC Corporation owns the 66,441 sq m plot of land , which is located next to the CTE. At present, it houses a range of facilities, including office space, workshops, diesel pumps and electric vehicle charging stations. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
New Paper
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Paper
'I cry every day, I laugh every day': Singer Kit Chan on coping with her mum's death
Home-grown singer-actress Kit Chan is coping with the loss of her mother, who died in May. The 52-year-old told Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao in January that her mother suffered from Alzheimer's disease. "It's been exactly a month since I lost my mum," Chan wrote in English on social media on June 12. "I'm grateful for the chance to be in a foreign city, where I can be away from the all-too-familiar, with a book and coffee, watching the world go by, while all those feelings and emotions we know and do not know intermingle within us, and settle like all things do." Chan uploaded a photo of the book she is reading, Pinang: No More Than Skins (2014), by Chinese author Cai Chongda. "Friends ask me how I'm doing. I say I cry every day, but I also laugh every day," she wrote. "I think this is a good answer, and a good way to live. It would be how my mum would want me to live, just like she did. Always looking for that bright spot, catching the sparkle in the dull and mundane, and always choosing joy over sorrow." The star said she will be busy in July and August and is looking forward to it. She will be performing Here We Are, the theme song for the 2025 National Day Parade, with local singer Charlie Lim as well as vocal group The Island Voices. "Now is a time to be still, and there will be a time to be active," she added. She said ever since she wrote and recorded the song A Time For Everything, released in 2018, the title has been her mantra. "It really sums up life for me," she said. "It is a privilege to live a full life, and that means accepting and embracing all of it - the joys and sorrows, the gains and losses, the pleasure and the pain, and of course, the processes of living and dying."
HKFP
2 days ago
- Business
- HKFP
Beijing official praises Hong Kong leader for ‘positive progress' in boosting economy, improving people's livelihoods
China's top official on Hong Kong affairs has praised the city's leader for making 'positive progress' in boosting the economy and improving people's livelihoods. Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday evening for a five-day visit. He met with Chief Executive John Lee, other top officials, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung, and Chief Justice Andrew Cheung at Government House. In a Chinese-language statement released after the meeting, the HKMAO said Xia praised Chief Executive John Lee for 'implementing the important instructions' of China's President Xi Jinping. The Hong Kong leader has 'taken proactive steps to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and security' and upheld the principle of 'patriots governing Hong Kong,' it also said. The chief executive 'has focused his efforts on boosting the economy, pursuing development, and improving people's livelihoods – achieving positive progress across various areas,' the statement quoted Xia as saying. Last month, the Hong Kong government announced that the city's GDP grew by 3.1 per cent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. On Tuesday, the Census and Statistics Department reported that the unemployment rate rose to 3.5 per cent for the March-to-May period, up from 3.4 per cent between February and April. The Hong Kong government said on Wednesday night that Lee extended his warmest welcome to Xia and expressed gratitude to the Beijing official for his 'continued concern and support for Hong Kong.' Xia is scheduled to attend a government-organised forum on Saturday, marking the fifth anniversary of the enactment of the national security law. Promotional materials released by the government on Tuesday showed that fencing athlete and Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong will be among the panellists, discussing how 'security brings prosperity' and how to make patriotism a 'mainstream value in society.' The Beijing official, who is set to remain in Hong Kong until Sunday, is also expected to conduct inspections around the city, although the government has not disclosed details of his itinerary. Xia first visited Hong Kong in April 2023, during which he gave a keynote speech on National Security Education Day. At that time, he said the city 'seems peaceful' but some 'undercurrents are still simmering,' adding that the root of the 2019 extradition bill unrest had not been eliminated. He made inspection visits to Hong Kong in February this year and last year. He visited Macau for six days last month. Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
HKFP
2 days ago
- Business
- HKFP
3 Hong Kong universities move up in QS top 50 rankings, with HKU jumping to 11th place
Three Hong Kong universities have climbed in education analytics firm QS's rankings of the world's top 50 institutions, with the University of Hong Kong (HKU) jumping to 11th place. Quacquarelli Symonds, also known as QS, released its new 2026 rankings on Thursday. HKU rose six spots from last year's rankings, moving from 17th to 11th place. It is the second-highest ranked university in Asia after the National University of Singapore, which came in 8th. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) ranked 32nd, up from 36th place last year. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) saw its position move from 44th to 47th place. Two other universities, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the City University of Hong Kong (CityU), made the top 100 list. PolyU ranked 54th, while CityU ranked 63rd. In a statement on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Education Bureau said the city's university rankings were encouraging and a testament to the government's long-term investment in higher education. The spokesperson said the rankings reflected Hong Kong's 'attractiveness as a hub for international talent.' Last month, Chief Executive John Lee pledged 'full support' to universities in attracting foreign students after US President Donald Trump moved to restrict the enrolment of international students at American universities. Some universities have announced streamlined application procedures for students affected by the US president's new policies. In the Chinese-language statement on Thursday, the government said it would continue to promote the diversity of the city's universities. It is 'not only to strengthen Hong Kong's development momentum, but also to actively contribute to [China]'s development,' the spokesperson added.
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Mystery of the latest fake online campaign — in favour of police minister Senzo Mchunu
South African social media is awash with fake accounts being used to hype up politicians. The latest beneficiary – Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. If you logged on to X at any point over the past few months, you may have seen something slightly unexpected: a torrent of tweets in support of Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. 'Minister Mchunu's commitment to transparently sharing crime stats builds trust! It's a breath of air for informed decision making and fighting crime,' read one such tweet – posted, with identical wording, by at least five different accounts. Since March this year, X has been flooded with pro-Mchunu content that bears all the hallmarks of an inauthentic campaign. In April 2025, Daily Maverick detailed how platforms like X were increasingly being used for political manipulation. We identified at least five separate campaigns at that point, each apparently orchestrated by paid 'nano-influencers' – with small followings – and fake accounts to promote specific politicians. During April alone, ActionSA received an online boost for its position on the VAT-hike Budget. Deputy President Paul Mashatile was the subject of glowing posts, seemingly designed to hype him up for a presidential run. Three other ANC politicians – Limpopo provincial secretary Reuben Madadzhe, Limpopo MEC Tony Rachoene, and ANC Youth League leader Collen Malatji – also benefited from coordinated praise. Now, the police minister's name can be added to that list – but seemingly without his knowledge. Digital researchers analyse campaign Analysis by data consultancy Murmur Intelligence researchers Kyle Findlay and Aldu Cornelissen provides a window into how this campaign unfolded. 'Starting in March 2025, a network of seemingly inauthentically coordinated nano influencers has promoted Mchunu and SAPS, with their activity levels consistently ramping up to reach a peak in the second half of April 2025,' Murmur found. 'This network generated 38% of all posts about Mchunu despite only representing about 10% of the users discussing him.' The signs of fakery are hard to miss. Many of the accounts at the forefront of the pro-Mchunu drive were created in a burst during February and March, just before the campaign began. This pattern, according to Murmur, is a 'classic indicator of a pre-planned, inauthentic campaign'. The content itself gives the game away: some posts include obvious AI-generated mistakes, like the appearance of the phrase 'Characters: 42', where a prompt was never meant to appear. Other accounts tweeting in support of Mchunu betray their implausibility through contradictory or nonsensical biographical details. @Noni_Thunzi, for instance, who joined X in March 2025, describes herself as an 'Iranian American woman.' @Fezile_thunzi, meanwhile, sports a Chinese-language bio about blockchain technology, and joined in February. Mchunu under fire in recent months It's not hard to guess what might have triggered the campaign. Mchunu has faced some harsh criticism in recent months. In particular, the murder of Olerato Mongale placed the SAPS under intense scrutiny, as did the subsequent manhunt for her murderer, which saw the main suspect killed in a showdown with police in KwaZulu-Natal. The fact that he was gunned down in this manner actually seemed to win widespread support for KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi – and with reports of tension between Mchunu and Mkhwanazi, it was Mchunu who appeared to be the loser in the court of public opinion. In addition, the ever-percolating resentment towards undocumented foreign nationals, and SAPS' perceived reluctance to act against them, has also raised the heat on Mchunu this year. All these issues provided fertile ground for a reputational clean-up effort – of the kind that was subsequently very clumsily launched on X. But when Daily Maverick approached Mchunu for comment on these developments, the minister's reaction was somewhat surprising. Unlike most politicians, who have learnt to ignore media queries about social media manipulation – or, for that matter, most other issues – Mchunu phoned this reporter directly to ask for details. On the call, Mchunu sounded genuinely baffled by the notion of an orchestrated online campaign in his favour, and gave a credible performance of someone who had no knowledge of such tactics. If Mchunu isn't behind the campaign – and there is no evidence to suggest he is – the most likely candidate would seem to be someone within the ANC. Yet when approached for comment twice on the issue of the party using social media in this manner by Daily Maverick, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu has failed to respond to questions. ANC likely to be behind fake campaign This silence does little to dispel the suspicion that the ANC, or at least some elements within it, may have authorised or facilitated the campaign – quite plausibly without Mchunu's cooperation, and, as Murmur notes, potentially to his detriment given the clumsy nature of the work. 'This case serves as a stark reminder of the reputational damage that can be inflicted by such efforts, often without the subject's knowledge or consent,' Murmur said. 'It underscores the critical importance for any public figure or organisation to be aware of the digital activities being conducted in their name and to carefully vet any agency or individuals hired for digital outreach. When a campaign is executed with such little proficiency, it doesn't just fail to persuade; it actively undermines the credibility of the person or cause it was meant to support.' The bigger picture is clear: South Africa is heading into an electoral season where digital manipulation will be more common and more brazen than ever before. The rise of nano influencers and fake accounts means that almost any political figure could become the focus of a synthetic online campaign. As Daily Maverick has warned before, political nano-influencer campaigns – particularly when considered alongside the expanding issue of deepfakes and hyper-realistic AI videos – represent a growing threat to the health of South Africa's democracy. They poison public discourse, sow confusion and blur the line between genuine political support and manufactured hype. And in countries like Romania, this kind of digital manipulation has had real-world impacts on election results. DM
