Royal Mail’s strikes another blow in its attempt to further reduce operating costs. Mails will be now delivered later than earlier from the new years. The timings for delivery have been moved from the earlier schedule between 10 am to lunchtime; to the new revised time of 3 pm in the urban areas and as late as 4pm in the rural region. Additional charges will be levied for guarantee of a morning delivery. These changes along with the installation of new automated mail sorting machines are in part with their modernisation programme.

Recently, campaigners making efforts to decrease use of plastic bags met with disappointment as New World supermarkets and Four Square stores in the lower North Island having abolished automatic charging for the bags.

The reason for withdrawing the charges is the decline in number of consumers, as many of them had shifted to rival supermarkets because of the five cent per bag charge.

The celebrations of the independence anniversary of Malaysia were marred due to fresh racial and religious rows; and Monday saw Najib Razak, Malaysia's Prime Minster requesting the citizens to maintain unity in the multicultural nation.

The Malaysians were urged by the PM to "repair the bridges and tear down the divisive walls" that are present between the races in the nation even 52 years after nationhood and the end of colonial rule.

With the aim of rescuing distressed animals and returning them to their native homes, Singapore is creating the first dedicated wildlife rescue center.

Singapore's 'Animal Concerns Research and Education Society' (ACRES) has initiated the Wildlife Rescue Center, which will serve protected species, nurture them back to health and return them to their native environment.

Furthermore, the ACRES also will target at educating people on protecting animals and the environment through the center.

Sunday night was party time for Singapore, as the city state with a population of 4.84 million was marking its 44th birthday at the Marina Bay floating platform.

On this occasion, 12 Red Lions parachuters made a flawless landing on the floating platform, and three F-16s fighters of the Singapore Air Force swooped across the bay in what is known as the salute to the nation in the early part of the National Day Parade (NDP).