Daily Archives: December 19, 2016

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has sent the head of the country's football association to meet with FIFA in Qatar to find a solution following the cancellation of the Under-20 World Cup draw. Protests erupted over Israel's participation, with Bali's governor calling for the country's removal from the cup. The cancellation could result in Indonesia facing isolation on the global football stage if it can't guarantee Israel's participation.

Singapore's Public Service must remain impartial and avoid politicisation, according to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. Meanwhile, former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Yee Jenn Jong endorsed Wong's call and urged the government to depoliticise grassroots associations and the Elections Department, among other actions.

China warns it will take "resolute measures" if Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen meets US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her visit to the United States. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes official ties with both Taipei and Beijing. Tsai is visiting Guatemala and Belize to strengthen diplomatic alliances before stopping in California on her way back to Taiwan. The US has called for calm, with a senior administration official stating that the stopover does not represent a change in US policy towards China.

The irony of how the harder Singapore politicians try to show they know the needs and worries of ordinary people, the more apparent it is that they have become out of touch with realities on the ground.

Malaysian business Jho Low, a key figure in the 1MDB scandal, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering in Kuwait. He remains on the run. The case involves the largest case of crime of money laundering involving Chinese currency equivalent to RMB 343 million and 700 thousand Kuwaiti dinars.

Access to DBS' digital services was disrupted on Wednesday (29 Mar), causing users to be unable to log in. Customers logging in to both DBS...

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen is set to visit the US to strengthen ties with Guatemala and Belize after China took another of the island's few diplomatic allies. Analysts suggest the trip comes at a critical moment, with Beijing increasing diplomatic, military, and economic pressure since Tsai took office in 2016, poaching nine of Taiwan's diplomatic allies since then. The United States remains Taiwan's most crucial international ally, and its most significant arms supplier, despite switching its own diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979.