Hello.
Taiwan was hit by its biggest earthquake in 25 years on Wednesday, leaving at least 10 dead and more than 1,000 injured. Eight Singaporeans have been rescued after they were trapped in Hualien, the epicentre of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake.
Experts have said that although the disaster was severe, there were far fewer casualties than in other similar-magnitude earthquakes. Singapore actress Yvonne Lim, who has been living in Taipei with her family for the past nine years, said her experience was “traumatising”, with things crashing down around her at home.
In the latest on the Israel-Hamas war, tensions are mounting between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a phone call Thursday, Biden warned Netanyahu of a sharp shift in US policy toward the conflict, threatening that future support for Israel would depend on its efforts to address civilian harm and the humanitarian crisis.
In local news, Singapore’s only Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling has retired from competitive swimming at the age of 28. It was a decision that felt somewhat inevitable in recent years, but means that the swimmer will finally get a taste of being normal, says CNA’s Matthew Mohan.
We hope you enjoy our selection of commentaries this week.
Alison Jenner
Supervising Editor, Commentary
