Zzaapps

Author: Zzaapps

  • Thailand and Cambodia halt fierce border conflict with second ceasefire

    Thailand and Cambodia halt fierce border conflict with second ceasefire

    Thailand and Cambodia ended weeks of fierce border clashes on Saturday 27th December 2025 with a second ceasefire in recent months in the worst fighting in years between the Southeast Asian nations. The ceasefire was holding about two hours after it went into effect. So far there has been no report of gunfire. Cambodia did not report any clashes after a Thai airstrike before ‍the ceasefire announcement.

    The agreement ended 20 days of fighting that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides and included fighter-jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire, and artillery barrages. The clashes were reignited early this month after a breakdown in a ceasefire that United States President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had helped broker to halt a previous ‍round of fighting. Both sides agree to maintain current troop deployments without further movement.

    Any reinforcement would heighten tensions and negatively affect long-term efforts to resolve the situation.

    For more than a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817km land border – a dispute that has occasionally exploded into skirmishes and fighting. The ‌new ceasefire will be monitored by an observer team from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc as well as direct coordination between both countries. At the same time, at the policy level, there will be direct communication between the ‍minister of ‌defence and chief of the armed forces of both sides.

    Tensions between the two neighbours came to a head in July, when they clashed for five days along some parts of the frontier, leaving at least 48 people dead and 300,000 displaced before Trump intervened to bring about a truce. That ceasefire broke down in early December with each side accusing the other of moves that led to clashes. Anwar and Trump had been unable to stitch together another ceasefire, as fighting spread from forested regions near Laos to the ‌coastal provinces on the Gulf of Thailand.

    The renewed ceasefire came after a special meeting on Monday of ASEAN foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur, followed by three days of talks between the warring sides at a border checkpoint, where the two defence ministers met on Saturday. They agreed on the return of people displaced from affected border areas, while underlining that neither side would use any force against civilians.

    Thailand will also return 18 Cambodian soldiers in its custody since the July clashes if the ceasefire is fully maintained for 72 hours.

    Saturday’s pact, however, will not impact any border demarcation activities under way between both countries, leaving the task of resolving disputed areas along the frontier to existing bilateral mechanisms.

  • Over 34,000 tonnes of e-waste collected in 4 years

    Over 34,000 tonnes of e-waste collected in 4 years

    Over 34,000 tonnes of electronic waste have been collected throughout Singapore since 2021, and to make recycling more convenient, all community centres will have e-waste bins by June 2026. Close to 10,000 tonnes of e-waste have been collected so far in 2025, a 60 per cent increase from the same period the previous year. When the programme started in 2021 to have old batteries, laptops, and large appliances recycled apart from other recyclables, the collection by early 2022 stood at 3,500 tonnes.

    To make it easier for residents to find e-waste collection points, the Alba Step Up app has been revamped with added features to locate the nearest bin, among other user-friendly changes and rewards for recycling. These enhancements to Singapore’s e-waste recycling scheme were announced by Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary on 12 October at an event to mark International E-waste Day. By mid-2026, when all community centres and clubs have e-waste bins, there will be 1,015 collection points islandwide.

    There are currently around 1,000 drop-off points, up from about 870 a year ago.

    While Singapore has seen more e-waste collected, Alba E-Waste chief executive Jakob Lambsdorff does not want his firm and the public resting on their laurels. Singapore’s household recycling rate in 2024 dipped to its lowest at 11 per cent, and reasons include a weak recycling culture, contamination of the blue recycling bins, and some business challenges. According to recent media reports, recycling company SG Recycle is closing its paper recycling arm due to funding woes.

    As Alba sets up more drop-off points for e-waste, Mr Lambsdorff is hoping the recycling rate continues rising. Alba is also looking to set up bins in residential estates. A 2018 study found that more than 60,000 tonnes of e-waste were generated in Singapore each year, and only 6 per cent of that amount was recycled. E-waste contains heavy metals and hazardous substances that, if improperly disposed of, can harm public health and contaminate the environment.

    Old batteries, laptops, and refrigerators are a treasure trove of metals and other materials that can be recycled, to reduce digging up the earth for raw metals. In 2021, the National Environment Agency (NEA) appointed Alba to collect regulated consumer e-waste across Singapore and send it for recycling on behalf of producers. This programme is funded by local firms that supply, manufacture, and import electronics here.

    Alba’s e-waste collection points are located in places such as shopping malls, electronic retail stores, supermarkets, and community centres.

    It has four types of bins, including one that accepts only household batteries, as well as drop-off services in supermarkets. Acting on user feedback, the Alba Step Up app now has a bin-locator feature to help users find the nearest e-waste collection point. The app’s display and layout have also been improved to make them more user-friendly. Since January 2025, the scheme has included a free pick-up service from homes for bulky appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, and air-conditioners.

    In the past year, large household appliances made up the majority of the e-waste collected, with the highest volume recycled being air-conditioners. Followed by information and communications technology equipment and portable batteries. Smaller items such as adaptors, portable chargers, and batteries – critical for recovering valuable raw materials – remain under-collected.

    Lithium-ion batteries can pose significant fire and safety risks when disposed of with general waste or in the blue recycling bin. Fluorescent tubes and light bulbs are often thrown into the trash despite containing trace amounts of mercury that need to be carefully treated. Increasing the collection of these lighting items is crucial to prevent environmental contamination and ensure their safe recycling.

    Some people are also inclined to keep their old mobile phones and laptops due to fears about data security.

    Convenience, accessibility, and education must go hand in hand, alongside reassuring the public that proper recycling ensures secure and responsible handling of their devices. Managing waste requires active participation from everyone – from purchasing mindfully to using devices to their full lifespan and recycling responsibly. Over 80 schools, from pre-schools to tertiary institutions, are taking part in a nationwide challenge to encourage students to recycle batteries.

    As at 1 July 2025, more than 338kg of batteries have been collected through the competition, which ends in February 2026. At Bedok Green Primary School, pupils are engaging their parents in the competition. Primary 5 pupil Basyeerah Muhammad Muzzammil said the competition made her think twice before throwing away her electronic devices.

  • Property: Higher seller’s stamp duty for Singapore private homes

    Property: Higher seller’s stamp duty for Singapore private homes

    Private property owners who sell their homes within four years of the purchase will incur a seller’s stamp duty (SSD) and pay a higher rate.

    SSD was imposed on private property owners who sell within a three-year holding period.

    The holding period will now increase to four years. SSD rates will also go up by 4 percentage points for each tier of the holding period, increasing to a maximum of 16 per cent for those who sell within a year of the purchase. The tighter rules will take effect for all private residential properties purchased on and after midnight on 4th July 2025. The revised SSD will not affect owners of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats due to the Minimum Occupation Period for HDB properties.

    In 2017, the SSD holding period was reduced from four to three years. SSD rates were also reduced by four percentage points for each tier of the holding period. However, the ministry said the government has noticed that the number of private residential property transactions with short holding periods has increased sharply. In particular, there has been a significant increase in the sub-sale of units that have not been completed.

    Therefore, the government will revert to the pre-2017 SSD holding period of four years, and raise the SSD rates by four percentage points for each tier of the holding period. The last time the government intervened in the private property market was in April 2023, when foreigners buying residential property in Singapore saw the additional buyer’s stamp duty (ABSD) double to 60 per cent. Singaporeans buying their second residential property also had to pay an ABSD rate of 20 per cent, up from 17 per cent.