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A speedy conclusion to negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will signal Asean’s commitment to the global trading system, Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said yesterday during a special meeting among Asean economic ministers on the proposed trade pact. In a Facebook post uploaded after the meeting, he wrote: […]

President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday rebuffed his own top diplomat, as he accepted an offer from China to jointly probe the sinking of a Philippine fishing boat by a Chinese trawler early this month. Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement that Mr Duterte wants “highly qualified and competent” representatives from the Philippines, China and […]

Asean has committed itself to reduce marine waste at both the nation and regional level, a move welcomed by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as he highlighted the need for the countries to work together to combat the scourge. The transboundary nature of environmental challenges, from marine debris to haze pollution, “makes it impossible […]

WASHINGTON • United States President Donald Trump said yesterday he will impose additional sanctions against Iran in an effort to prevent Teheran from obtaining nuclear weapons, adding that military action was still a possibility. Mr Trump, who was speaking to reporters at the White House, made his comments after recently calling off a military strike […]

A woman on a personal mobility aid (PMA) crashed into a sliding glass door at Toa Payoh bus interchange yesterday morning, causing it to shatter and once again raising questions on their use in public places. In a video posted on SBS Transit’s Facebook page, the woman on a mobility scooter is seen hitting one […]

The wife of Indonesia’s sixth president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono died at the National University Hospital (NUH) yesterday. Mrs Ani Yudhoyono, 66, had been treated for leukaemia at the hospital since February this year soon after the diagnosis was revealed by Singaporean doctors. Democratic Party spokesman Imelda Sari said Mrs Yudhoyono died at 11.50am, surrounded by […]

Changi Airport has plugged a gap in air services to South Korea as part of ongoing efforts to boost Singapore’s connectivity and air hub status. Almost 45 years after the first link between both countries was established with Singapore-Seoul services, a second destination has been added. On May 1, SilkAir started flying to Busan, South […]

SINGAPORE • Singapore leaders have written to former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to offer their condolences on the passing of his wife, Mrs Ani Yudhoyono. Mrs Yudhoyono, 66, who had been treated for leukaemia at the National University Hospital since February this year, died yesterday. In her letter to Dr Yudhoyono, President Halimah Yacob […]

Singapore could be among the first in the world to roll out smart letterboxes nationwide, with features such as identity authentication for mail retrieval. It is one of the potential infrastructure upgrades that SingPost is discussing with government agencies to make receiving mail and parcels more convenient and efficient, said its Singapore head and chief […]

The Indo-Pacific region is a “priority theatre” for the United States, where it will support partner nations against domination by any one nation, Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said yesterday as he presented the latest iteration of America’s geostrategic vision for the region. “I am here to affirm the US’ enduring commitment to the […]

United States Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan urged allies and partners to invest in their sovereign future, as he reiterated America’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, which he said remains its “priority theatre”. “We are where we belong. We are investing in the region. We are investing in you, and with you. And we need […]

The United States has said the region is increasingly confronted by a more confident and assertive China that is willing to accept friction in the pursuit of a more expansive set of political, economic and security interests. In a report on its Indo-Pacific strategy released yesterday, the US Defence Department said China, as it continues […]

The greatest long-term threat to countries in the Indo-Pacific comes from those who seek to undermine the rules-based international order, Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said at the Shangri-La Dialogue yesterday, in an apparent reference to China. As he unveiled details of the US strategy in the region amid heightened tensions between his country […]

Singapore leaders yesterday offered their condolences to former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the death of his wife, Mrs Ani Yudhoyono, 66. She died yesterday at the National University Hospital, where she had been undergoing treatment for leukaemia since February this year. Mrs Yudhoyono had been a pillar of strength for her husband during […]

After more than two decades with the Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF), its secretary-general Wong Liang Ming has decided to cut her ties with the body. “I’m not standing for election at all (at the STF’s extraordinary general meeting on May 19). I also made an announcement in the middle of the week that I will […]

When Mr Alvin Teoh opened his durian stall in Geylang 18 years ago, he did not just source for quality durians. He also hired an accountant. “Every year we will have to declare our earnings and in Singapore, we need to pay taxes. So, of course, I had to hire an accountant. How would I […]

GENEVA • Around 180 countries have reached a deal that aims to sharply reduce the amount of plastic that gets washed into the world’s oceans and clamp down on shipments of plastic waste to poorer countries, the United Nations said. Imports of waste plastic from wealthier nations to South-east Asia, particularly Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, […]

Today, the Singapore Sports Hub is a sprawling 35ha area comprising sporting and entertainment facilities, such as the National Stadium, Singapore Indoor Stadium and Kallang Wave Mall. But the area was once home to the Kallang Airport, a shipyard and wetlands near the Kallang Basin. While old landmarks, such as the Oasis Theatre restaurant, Niteclub […]

Initiatives to reduce food waste and leverage technology to transform agriculture have been implemented so Singapore can play its part in a global campaign to end hunger, said Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli yesterday. Mr Masagos told the G-20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting in Niigata, Japan, that Singapore is committed to achieving the United […]

The United States is preparing to raise tariffs on almost all Chinese imports that remain untaxed, valued at US$300 billion (S$409 billion), after trade talks ended on Friday without a deal or an end to tariffs in sight. President Donald Trump ordered trade officials to begin drawing up a new round of tariffs, prior to […]

US-China trade talks wound up cordially on Friday morning with no talk of collapse. Small setbacks are inevitable in bilateral negotiations, China’s Vice-Premier Liu He said, adding: “Looking ahead, we are cautiously optimistic about the future.” Meanwhile, in the United States, there remains broad, bipartisan consensus that President Donald Trump is doing the right thing […]

CHICAGO • The year was already shaping up to be difficult for Midwestern farmers. Incomes have slipped, farm bankruptcies have increased and widespread flooding has inundated the region, killing cattle and turning some fields into unplowable pits. Then came the news from Washington on Friday: Trade negotiations with China, long a reliable buyer of Midwestern […]

OLDENBURG (Germany) • The new nurse arrived at the intensive-care unit of Delmenhorst hospital with a solid letter of reference, describing him as someone who worked “independently and conscientiously”. In a crisis, it said, he reacted “with consideration” and was “technically correct”. It gave no indication that officials at his former hospital in Oldenburg had […]

Three issues lie in the way of an agreement between China and the United States, which will have to be ironed out in upcoming talks in Beijing, China’s chief trade negotiator said as the US moved to impose higher tariffs on Chinese goods after a five-month truce. Spelling out for the first time what these […]

In his first interview since becoming Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Heng Swee Keat talks about Singapore’s relations with other countries, and what it can do to strengthen these ties. Q How do you see yourself and the fourth-generation team strengthening some of Singapore’s partnerships with Asean and internationally, and building on them? A Well, I […]

In his first interview since becoming Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Heng Swee Keat talks about how he has been doing since his health scare in 2016 and what he does to relax. Q You recently said that you have learnt how to pace yourself a little bit after your health scare and your stroke, so […]

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn was formally crowned yesterday in the kingdom’s first coronation in almost seven decades. The 66-year-old monarch was sprinkled with water collected from around the kingdom, before donning a 7.3kg diamond-topped crown and reading out his first royal command. “I shall continue, preserve and build upon the royal legacy, and shall reign […]

BANGKOK • Coronation for the Chakri dynasty’s 10th king began yesterday at the auspicious time of 10.09am. King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 66, dressed in a white robe with gold trim, sat in a specially constructed pavilion on the grounds of Bangkok’s Grand Palace as he was doused in water. The elderly Supreme Patriarch, the most senior […]

On the data black market, thieves peddle stolen medical records, bank account details, e-mail passwords and even Netflix logins. Priceless to you, perhaps. But on the Dark Web, an online space that can be accessed using only special software, they can be traded for less than $1,000. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading […]

Transforming the economy, ensuring inclusive growth and creating good jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans amid rapid changes in the global landscape are key areas which Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and his colleagues are focused on in the immediate term. But the “biggest unknown” in the years ahead is how politics in Singapore will […]