Commentary: Casino battle royale looms in Asia as Japan joins the fray and Thailand mulls - CNA

LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY

Japan may not be the only worry for the Singapore integrated resort industry, with a threat looming closer to home.

A bipartisan government effort in Thailand has made great strides to legalise casino gambling, with a plan to house them in entertainment complexes in up to five locations across the country. 

If the Thais keep up that momentum after the May national elections, there is every possibility that Thai casinos may give Singapore a run for its money before Japan.

Thailand is a worthy match for Japan in the tourism stakes, with a genre that makes for greater appeal in entertainment and casino gambling. Singapore has more to fear in Thailand than Japan, not least in its closer proximity, even with MBS and RWS refreshed. 

Genting and Las Vegas Sands, the owners of RWS and MBS respectively, will also be concerned over the expiration of the extension of their exclusivity in 2030. All that coming to a head may warrant something more drastic if the Singapore gaming industry is to keep its position at the top. Various extant factors are possible portents of a needed reinvention. 

Genting owner Lim Kok Thay, just shy of 80 years old in 2030, will surely have handed the reins over to the third generation in the family by then. 

Having worked directly under the stripling Lim Keong Hui, I have no doubt he shares his father’s business acuity but with decidedly different strokes. The millennial Lim looks more inclined to discovering his own unicorn business than filling the shoes in the family’s comparatively antediluvian gambling business. 

Australian James Packer had not shared the penchant for casinos as his late father Kerry did and stepped down from gaming empire Crown Resorts about 10 years after his father’s death.

Might a change in ownership be the tonic for Singapore’s integrated resorts to respond to the threat of new competition?

Regardless, the younger Lim at the helm will bring a fresh pair of eyes and chart a new path for the RWS, even if the business stays in the family. 

As for MBS, there is no certainty the Singapore property will not go on the selling block if the price is right. In 2021, its parent Las Vegas Sands sold its Vegas casinos in a US$6.25 deal, two months after founder Sheldon Adelson died.  

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2023-05-06 22:00:03Z
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King Charles III crowned in ceremony blending history and change - CNA

Much of the ceremony featured elements that Charles' forebears right back to King Edgar in 973 would recognise, officials said. Handel's coronation anthem "Zadok The Priest" was sung as it has been at every coronation since 1727.

But there was also the new, including an anthem composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, famed for his West End and Broadway theatre shows, a gospel choir, and an "unprecedented" greeting from faith leaders.

However, there was no formal role for either Charles' younger son Prince Harry, after his high-profile falling out with his family, or his brother Prince Andrew, who was forced to quit royal duties because of his friendship with late US financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.

They sat in the third row behind working members of the royal family and neither appeared on the palace balcony.

Not everyone who came to watch was there to cheer Charles, with hundreds of republicans booing and waving banners reading "Not My King". The Republic campaign group said its leader had been arrested along with five other protesters.

The royal family has enjoyed massive global media attention, celebrating everything from weddings, births, and significant anniversaries to mourning last year's death of Queen Elizabeth, and now Charles' coronation.

But, no major event is likely for some years, and with polls indicating a decline in support for the monarchy, especially among the young, commentators say staying relevant is the greatest challenge to the institution.

Neil Edward, 72, a retired salesman who travelled from southwest England to watch, said the experience had been a mixture of pride and nostalgia with a touch of sadness that this might be the last big royal event he attends.

"Without them, I don't know how we would come together to celebrate big events like this," he said.

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2023-05-06 11:24:00Z
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ASEAN finalising 'comprehensive' humanitarian needs assessment in Myanmar - CNA

When asked what the immediate needs of the people of Myanmar were, he said he did not want to jump to conclusions with the team still working to finalise their findings, but added that aid recipients would include people in the villages.

“There are people who because of the violence on the ground, have to move. People who really are not able to get access to the things that they need to survive. And I think those are the people we will focus on,” said Dr Kao.

He said the assessment would require “close collaboration (and) cooperation” from Myanmar.

ASEAN’s work in Myanmar has been supported by the Office of the Special Envoy under current chair Indonesia.

CHALLENGES IN CONDUCTING ASSESSMENT

In conducting the needs assessment, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) has been working with authorities under the current Myanmar regime, but also engaging in dialogue with ethnic armed opposition, Dr Kao said.

The assessment has not been without its challenges - the first being access, which has slowed the process, he said. 

Identifying credible parties to interview is another.

“We cannot force something that cannot be done. So I think the AHA Centre … will have to take into account what can be done. And that's why we need cooperation from the authorities concerned, but also from the people we work with,” Dr Kao said.

Following the review, ASEAN will have another pledging conference.

The last pledging conference to support ASEAN's humanitarian assistance to Myanmar was in 2021, where the equivalent of almost US$8 million in monetary pledges and in-kind contributions of medicine, medical supplies and equipment to contain the spread and infection of COVID-19 was raised.

PLANS TO VISIT MYANMAR

Dr Kao said he plans to visit Myanmar in his role as ASEAN’s secretary-general when the time is “right”.

“I have been invited to go to Myanmar, but only after the joint needs assessment has been completed. That will give me the key information that I need, then of course I will have to look at what more needs to be added,” he said.

The main goal of his visit would be to find out the needs and concerns of the people.

“That's number one priority for me and (to) see what we can do to support them," he added. "And also, certainly, we want to see reduced violence on the ground, and people can return to their villages."

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2023-05-06 10:32:50Z
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Singapore's President Halimah, PM Lee congratulate King Charles on coronation - CNA

Mdm Halimah attended Charles' coronation in London as part of a visit from Thursday to Sunday.

She also attended a reception for overseas guests hosted by Charles, an event for Commonwealth leaders hosted by Commonwealth secretary-general Patricia Scotland and an event for small islands and developing states hosted by the UK government, said Singapore's foreign affairs ministry (MFA) in a press statement on Saturday.

"During President Halimah’s interactions with UK personalities at the events, they spoke about the deep historical bond and collaborations over a wide range of sectors shared by the two countries," said the ministry.

"Recent milestones, such as the entry into force of the UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement and signing of the memorandum of understanding on the UK-Singapore Green Economy Framework, are testament to the breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship."
 
While in London, Mdm Halimah also met with Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong and Fiji President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere; where she took stock of bilateral relations and discussed global and regional developments, said MFA. 

Mdm Halimah will attend a reception hosted for overseas Singaporeans in the UK before returning to Singapore on Sunday.

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2023-05-06 10:02:05Z
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Aftershocks shake Japan after quake kills one, destroys homes - CNA

Water outages affected more than three dozen households in Suzu, officials said Saturday, adding that the city had provided temporary public supplies after running water had turned brown in parts of the region.

The quake registered an upper six on the Japanese Shindo seismic scale, which goes up to a maximum of seven.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, which sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

The country has strict construction regulations intended to ensure buildings can withstand strong quakes and routinely holds emergency drills to prepare for a major jolt.

A 6.9 magnitude quake struck a fishing village in the same region in 2007, injuring hundreds and damaging more than 200 buildings on the Noto peninsula - a scenic area on the Sea of Japan coast.

"I express my heartfelt condolences to the person who died and offer my sympathies to those who were hit by the disaster," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who had returned from a tour to four African nations and Singapore, said Friday.

"The government will continue taking measures with a sense of urgency while closely communicating with (officials) at the scene," Kishida told reporters.

Japan is haunted by the memory of a massive 9.0 magnitude undersea quake off its northeast in March 2011, which triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing.

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2023-05-06 06:59:24Z
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COVID-19 global emergency over but risks remain, says China health official - CNA

The WHO announcement came after its independent emergency committee on the COVID-19 crisis agreed it no longer merited the organisation's highest alert level and "advised that it is time to transition to long-term management of the COVID-19 pandemic".

But the danger was not over, according to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who estimated that COVID-19 had killed "at least 20 million" people - about three times the nearly seven million deaths officially recorded.

"This virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and it's still changing," he said.

"The worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about."

NEVER AGAIN

The UN health agency first declared the so-called public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) over the crisis on Jan 30, 2020.

That was weeks after the mysterious new viral disease was first detected in China and when fewer than 100 cases and no deaths had been reported outside that country.

But it was only after Tedros described the worsening COVID-19 situation as a pandemic on Mar 11, 2020, that many countries woke up to the danger.

By then, the SARS CoV-2 virus which causes the disease had already begun its deadly rampage around the globe.

"One of the greatest tragedies of COVID-19 is that it didn't have to be this way," Tedros said, decrying that "a lack of coordination, a lack of equity and a lack of solidarity" meant "lives were lost that should not have been".

"We must promise ourselves and our children and grandchildren that we will never make those mistakes again."

Even though COVID-19 deaths globally have plunged 95 per cent since January, the disease remains a major killer.

Last week alone "COVID-19 claimed a life every three minutes", Tedros said, "and that's just the deaths we know about".

"The emergency phase is over, but COVID is not," agreed Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on COVID-19.

Tedros has warned of the ongoing impact of long COVID, which provokes numerous and often severe and debilitating symptoms that can drag on for years.

This condition has been estimated to impact one in 10 people who contract COVID-19, suggesting that hundreds of millions could need longer-term care, he cautioned.

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2023-05-06 04:28:00Z
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Charles III to be crowned king in first UK coronation since 1953 - CNA

OPPOSITION

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the coronation as "a proud expression of our history, culture and traditions".

The "moment of extraordinary national pride", he said, was "a vivid demonstration of the modern character of our country and a cherished ritual through which a new era is born".

But not everyone is convinced: polling indicates waning support for the monarchy, particularly among younger people, with calls for it to be modernised or even scrapped altogether.

Republicans who want an elected head of state have promised to protest, holding up placards stating "Not my king".

Overseas, Charles' time as the hereditary monarch and head of state of 14 Commonwealth countries looks increasingly fragile.

Jamaica and Belize have both this week signalled that they are moving towards becoming republics, while Australia, Canada and others may eventually follow suit.

Britons struggling with the soaring cost of living have meanwhile questioned why taxpayers should stump up for the coronation, with the bill estimated to be over £100 million (US$126 million).

SUPPORT

Yet the huge crowds of royal fans that have been building all week on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace indicate that the royals still have a central role in British culture and history.

Many of those camping out to watch have flown in from abroad, underlining the royal family's untouched position as Britain's leading global brand.

The coronation is the centrepiece of three days of events, including a concert at Windsor Castle west of London on Sunday evening.

"It's so exciting," said charity worker Karen Chamberlain, 57, who has camped out for a prime spot with her sister and young son.

"None of us have ever lived a coronation. Our mother came to London in 1953. Being here is a way to say we are proud of the monarchy," she told AFP.

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2023-05-06 04:14:52Z
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