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askST: How worrying is Singapore’s haze outlook, and how can you protect yourself?
Firefighters battling a spreading peat fire in a residential district in Pengerang, Johor, in January. PHOTO: ST FILE SINGAPORE – Dry conditions that have worsened fires in the region are expected to persist this week, raising the risk of haze over Singapore. On Aug 9, the Republic’s haze task force announced its readiness to roll out plans after the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the moderate range in central Singapore in the afternoon. Following the recent warning of the possible return of hazy weather, The Straits Times looks at what residents need to know to protect themselves. How worrying is the recent haze outlook for Singapore? Singapore is among the southern South-east Asian countries at high risk of severe haze affecting the region for the rest of 2026. These conditions are expected to peak from August to September, according to think-tank Singapore Institute of International Affairs. This is due to unusually hot and dry weather, fuelled by an intensifying El Nino climate phenomenon. El Nino occurs when the atmosphere reacts to a sustained warming of the Pacific Ocean’s surface temperatures above average levels, bringing less rain, longer dry spells and higher temperatures to South-east Asia. Scientists have warned that the 2026/2027 El Nino could become a “Godzilla” or Super El Nino, with temperatures in the tropical Pacific warming rapidly. El Nino events tend to have the greatest bearing on Singapore’s rainfall during the dry south-west monsoon season from June to September.
梨园群英聚狮城 新加坡国际戏曲节首设专业组比赛
京剧《卖水》由李琳（左）饰演小姐、阎丽饰演梅英，是第七届新加坡国际戏曲节开幕晚会节目之一。 （主办方提供） 两年一届的新加坡国际戏曲节将于8月20日至24日举行，今年迈入第七届，除了汇聚本地多个戏曲团体共同参与，也首次增设专业组比赛，开放给中国及世界各地的专业戏曲院团报名，为本地观众带来高水平戏曲演出。 由新加坡华族戏曲协会主办的新加坡国际戏曲节自2014年创办以来，坚持每两年举办一次。本届戏曲节由新加坡平社、天韵京剧社、敦煌剧坊、新艺剧坊、剧艺之家、陶融儒乐社、余娱儒乐社、延戏、三江会馆梨园社、华族戏曲工作室、华戏荟及新加坡华族戏曲博物馆协办，开展演出、戏曲比赛、大师工作坊、专题讲座及国际交流演出等活动。 8月20日晚，开幕式暨“梨园荟萃聚狮城”戏曲晚会将在淡滨尼天地佳节艺术剧场（Festive Arts Theatre @ Our Tampines Hub）登场，免费向公众开放。演出涵盖京剧、越剧及歌仔戏等多个剧种，包括新加坡华族戏曲协会呈献的京剧《卖水》，延戏演出的歌仔戏《铁弓缘》，以及三江会馆梨园社带来的越剧《碧玉簪·三盖衣》，展现本地多剧种并存的戏曲生态。 北美戏曲演员登台献艺 来自美国西雅图“吴小妹北美协会”的京胡演奏家何兵与京二胡演奏家吴小妹夫妇，也将率领北美戏曲演员参与本届戏曲节，并以京胡、京二胡协奏《爱情鸟》为开幕式拉开序幕。 开幕晚会压轴节目则由新加坡华族戏曲协会艺术总监黄萍率学生符岂华和汪端瑞，共同演出京剧《拾玉镯》，展现师徒同台传承戏曲艺术。观众可于活动前一周起，前往淡滨尼天地一楼服务柜台领取门票。 除了演出，戏曲节期间还安排多项推广活动。8月21日上午，黄萍将在新加坡华族戏曲博物馆（布业中心，200 Jalan Sultan #02-38 S199018）主持“大师传艺工作坊”，以折扇为主题，介绍戏曲程式表演中折扇的运用；8月22日上午，天韵京剧社副社长兼艺术总监林美莲将主讲《从〈拾玉镯〉谈戏曲虚拟性的表演与运用》，结合经典剧目解析戏曲虚拟表演艺术。 今年戏曲比赛分为专业组及业余组，涵盖京剧、粤剧、潮剧、越剧、昆曲、琼剧及歌仔戏等剧种。初赛将于8月21日晚举行，采取闭门评审方式；决赛及闭幕式则于8月23日晚在醉花林俱乐部举行，并结合国际戏曲交流演出。观众除可欣赏来自新加坡、中国及海外戏曲演员的演出，也将有机会观赏中国专业院团呈献《天女散花》《杨门女将·探谷》等经典剧目。 新加坡华族戏曲协会会长卞会宾说，希望透过持续举办戏曲节，为本地戏曲界搭建交流平台，也让更多公众接触和认识中华戏曲艺术。报名及购票咨询请联络：97506666（WhatsApp，卞会宾）。
Singapore to boost defences against animal-borne diseases with six new research projects
The projects will help Singapore better anticipate public health risks that can arise from climate change and the cross-border movement of people, animals and agents that carry and transmit diseases. ST PHOTO: JASEL POH SINGAPORE – Amid a surge in pet ownership and human-wildlife interactions, the National Parks Board (NParks) has awarded grants to projects that investigate how animal-borne diseases spread here. Announced on Aug 5, the projects are funded by the $15 million Biosurveillance Research Programme, which taps the local research community to deepen scientific knowledge of animal-borne diseases and develop strategies to manage them. Led by researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School, the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the projects will help the Republic better anticipate public health risks that can arise from climate change and the cross-border movement of people, animals and agents that carry and transmit diseases, said NParks. Six of the seven proposals submitted were selected. Chua Tze Hoong, group director of veterinary health at NParks’ Animal and Veterinary Service, noted that even as Singapore remains free of major animal-borne diseases such as rabies, the Republic is a major transit hub for migratory birds and animal products, and is located in a region with many animal-borne diseases. The research supplements Singapore’s biosurveillance efforts during “peacetime”, said Chua. Under the grant, researchers will study novel molecular approaches and paint a clearer picture of the complex interactions between disease-carrying organisms, humans, animals and the environment. This includes analysing how land use and human behaviour influence animal movement and disease distribution. One project, led by Gavin Smith, professor and director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, will investigate disease pathways in settings like dog runs, veterinary clinics and animal shelters, among other things. The project will involve sampling the environment for diseases of concern as well as lesser-known bacterial parasites and viruses, painting a clearer picture of how they move between humans and animals, said Smith. By understanding how diseases spread, the authorities can implement simple but effective interventions, such as targeted cleaning protocols, to reduce the spread of specific disease-causing agents, he added. Veterinary consultant Teo Boon Han, who is a co-investigator of the project, said: “Given how close we are with our pets; how we hug them, kiss them... there has been an increase in interest and new evidence regarding the interactions and transmission pathways of certain pathogens from companion animals to humans.” On a personal note, Teo, who is a managing partner at VetTrust Singapore, said the research will help him better protect his veterinary care staff by studying the poorly understood risks that they face on the job. Another project will assess and quantify the risk of diseases spreading from local wild mammals to humans through shared environments. Led by Janelle Thompson, an associate professor from NTU’s Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, the team will focus on otters, civets, plantain squirrels and fruit bats, as these are commonly found in urban spaces. Thompson said the team will cast a wide net by measuring biomaterials shed in both nature reserves and high-traffic human-animal interfaces, such as housing estates and parks. She added: “The point of our project is not to pick one pathogen and focus on it, but to use an approach that could handle any pathogen.” The Biosurveillance Research Programme, launched in 2025 under Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 Plan, is rooted in the World Health Organization’s “One Health” approach.
askST: How worrying is Singapore’s haze outlook, and how can you protect yourself?
Firefighters battling a spreading peat fire in a residential district in Pengerang, Johor, in January. PHOTO: ST FILE SINGAPORE – Dry conditions that have worsened fires in the region are expected to persist this week, raising the risk of haze over Singapore. On Aug 9, the Republic’s haze task force announced its readiness to roll out plans after the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the moderate range in central Singapore in the afternoon. Following the recent warning of the possible return of hazy weather, The Straits Times looks at what residents need to know to protect themselves. How worrying is the recent haze outlook for Singapore? Singapore is among the southern South-east Asian countries at high risk of severe haze affecting the region for the rest of 2026. These conditions are expected to peak from August to September, according to think-tank Singapore Institute of International Affairs. This is due to unusually hot and dry weather, fuelled by an intensifying El Nino climate phenomenon. El Nino occurs when the atmosphere reacts to a sustained warming of the Pacific Ocean’s surface temperatures above average levels, bringing less rain, longer dry spells and higher temperatures to South-east Asia. Scientists have warned that the 2026/2027 El Nino could become a “Godzilla” or Super El Nino, with temperatures in the tropical Pacific warming rapidly. El Nino events tend to have the greatest bearing on Singapore’s rainfall during the dry south-west monsoon season from June to September.
梨园群英聚狮城 新加坡国际戏曲节首设专业组比赛
京剧《卖水》由李琳（左）饰演小姐、阎丽饰演梅英，是第七届新加坡国际戏曲节开幕晚会节目之一。 （主办方提供） 两年一届的新加坡国际戏曲节将于8月20日至24日举行，今年迈入第七届，除了汇聚本地多个戏曲团体共同参与，也首次增设专业组比赛，开放给中国及世界各地的专业戏曲院团报名，为本地观众带来高水平戏曲演出。 由新加坡华族戏曲协会主办的新加坡国际戏曲节自2014年创办以来，坚持每两年举办一次。本届戏曲节由新加坡平社、天韵京剧社、敦煌剧坊、新艺剧坊、剧艺之家、陶融儒乐社、余娱儒乐社、延戏、三江会馆梨园社、华族戏曲工作室、华戏荟及新加坡华族戏曲博物馆协办，开展演出、戏曲比赛、大师工作坊、专题讲座及国际交流演出等活动。 8月20日晚，开幕式暨“梨园荟萃聚狮城”戏曲晚会将在淡滨尼天地佳节艺术剧场（Festive Arts Theatre @ Our Tampines Hub）登场，免费向公众开放。演出涵盖京剧、越剧及歌仔戏等多个剧种，包括新加坡华族戏曲协会呈献的京剧《卖水》，延戏演出的歌仔戏《铁弓缘》，以及三江会馆梨园社带来的越剧《碧玉簪·三盖衣》，展现本地多剧种并存的戏曲生态。 北美戏曲演员登台献艺 来自美国西雅图“吴小妹北美协会”的京胡演奏家何兵与京二胡演奏家吴小妹夫妇，也将率领北美戏曲演员参与本届戏曲节，并以京胡、京二胡协奏《爱情鸟》为开幕式拉开序幕。 开幕晚会压轴节目则由新加坡华族戏曲协会艺术总监黄萍率学生符岂华和汪端瑞，共同演出京剧《拾玉镯》，展现师徒同台传承戏曲艺术。观众可于活动前一周起，前往淡滨尼天地一楼服务柜台领取门票。 除了演出，戏曲节期间还安排多项推广活动。8月21日上午，黄萍将在新加坡华族戏曲博物馆（布业中心，200 Jalan Sultan #02-38 S199018）主持“大师传艺工作坊”，以折扇为主题，介绍戏曲程式表演中折扇的运用；8月22日上午，天韵京剧社副社长兼艺术总监林美莲将主讲《从〈拾玉镯〉谈戏曲虚拟性的表演与运用》，结合经典剧目解析戏曲虚拟表演艺术。 今年戏曲比赛分为专业组及业余组，涵盖京剧、粤剧、潮剧、越剧、昆曲、琼剧及歌仔戏等剧种。初赛将于8月21日晚举行，采取闭门评审方式；决赛及闭幕式则于8月23日晚在醉花林俱乐部举行，并结合国际戏曲交流演出。观众除可欣赏来自新加坡、中国及海外戏曲演员的演出，也将有机会观赏中国专业院团呈献《天女散花》《杨门女将·探谷》等经典剧目。 新加坡华族戏曲协会会长卞会宾说，希望透过持续举办戏曲节，为本地戏曲界搭建交流平台，也让更多公众接触和认识中华戏曲艺术。报名及购票咨询请联络：97506666（WhatsApp，卞会宾）。
Singapore to boost defences against animal-borne diseases with six new research projects
The projects will help Singapore better anticipate public health risks that can arise from climate change and the cross-border movement of people, animals and agents that carry and transmit diseases. ST PHOTO: JASEL POH SINGAPORE – Amid a surge in pet ownership and human-wildlife interactions, the National Parks Board (NParks) has awarded grants to projects that investigate how animal-borne diseases spread here. Announced on Aug 5, the projects are funded by the $15 million Biosurveillance Research Programme, which taps the local research community to deepen scientific knowledge of animal-borne diseases and develop strategies to manage them. Led by researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School, the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the projects will help the Republic better anticipate public health risks that can arise from climate change and the cross-border movement of people, animals and agents that carry and transmit diseases, said NParks. Six of the seven proposals submitted were selected. Chua Tze Hoong, group director of veterinary health at NParks’ Animal and Veterinary Service, noted that even as Singapore remains free of major animal-borne diseases such as rabies, the Republic is a major transit hub for migratory birds and animal products, and is located in a region with many animal-borne diseases. The research supplements Singapore’s biosurveillance efforts during “peacetime”, said Chua. Under the grant, researchers will study novel molecular approaches and paint a clearer picture of the complex interactions between disease-carrying organisms, humans, animals and the environment. This includes analysing how land use and human behaviour influence animal movement and disease distribution. One project, led by Gavin Smith, professor and director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, will investigate disease pathways in settings like dog runs, veterinary clinics and animal shelters, among other things. The project will involve sampling the environment for diseases of concern as well as lesser-known bacterial parasites and viruses, painting a clearer picture of how they move between humans and animals, said Smith. By understanding how diseases spread, the authorities can implement simple but effective interventions, such as targeted cleaning protocols, to reduce the spread of specific disease-causing agents, he added. Veterinary consultant Teo Boon Han, who is a co-investigator of the project, said: “Given how close we are with our pets; how we hug them, kiss them... there has been an increase in interest and new evidence regarding the interactions and transmission pathways of certain pathogens from companion animals to humans.” On a personal note, Teo, who is a managing partner at VetTrust Singapore, said the research will help him better protect his veterinary care staff by studying the poorly understood risks that they face on the job. Another project will assess and quantify the risk of diseases spreading from local wild mammals to humans through shared environments. Led by Janelle Thompson, an associate professor from NTU’s Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, the team will focus on otters, civets, plantain squirrels and fruit bats, as these are commonly found in urban spaces. Thompson said the team will cast a wide net by measuring biomaterials shed in both nature reserves and high-traffic human-animal interfaces, such as housing estates and parks. She added: “The point of our project is not to pick one pathogen and focus on it, but to use an approach that could handle any pathogen.” The Biosurveillance Research Programme, launched in 2025 under Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 Plan, is rooted in the World Health Organization’s “One Health” approach.
