by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO Hong Kong’s leader on Wednesday bowed to a key demand of pro-democracy protesters following three months of unrest, announcing the withdrawal of a loathed extradition bill, but activists vowed to press on with their campaign. Millions of people have taken to Hong Kong’s streets since June in the biggest challenge to China’s rule of …

Letter from PMO below

The Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has convened Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), said the Elections Department on Wednesday (4 Sept). The committee will review Singapore’s electoral boundaries ahead of the General Elections (GE). According to a statement by the Elections Department, the committee is chaired by the Secretary to the Prime Minister and is now “in the midst of …

After almost three months of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, Chief Executive Carrie Lam is reportedly due to announce the withdrawal of the government’s controversial extradition Bill. A government source told South China Morning Post reported Wed (4 Sep) that Lam’s decision to withdraw the Bill was to “streamline the legislative agenda” ahead of the reopening of the Legislative Council (LegCo) …

Asian markets rose Wednesday, led by a surge in Hong Kong after reports said the city’s leader was considering agreeing to a key demand of pro-democracy protesters, fuelling hopes for an end to months of damaging protests in the financial hub. Shares rallied across the board on the Hang Seng Index after the reports, with property and retail firms among …

Bloomberg reported yesterday (3 Sep) that potential investors have backed off buying over Temasek Holdings’ US$3 billion stake in retailer A.S. Watson Group. Temasek, which owns a 25% stake of Watson Group, was considering selling about 10% of the retailer to potential investors. Bloomberg reported that Temasek was in talks with Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, Chinese internet giants Tencent …

Indonesia has sent hundreds of garbage-filled shipping containers back to their countries of origin, according to the customs agency, as the Southeast Asian nation pushes back against becoming a dumping ground for foreign trash. About 250 containers seized across the archipelago in recent months have already been returned and authorities are inspecting more than 1,000 others, a customs official said. …

On Wednesday morning (4 September), lawyer and opposition politician Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss announced on Facebook her resignation from the Singapore People’s Party (SPP). She said that she had handed in her resignation on Monday, 2 September after much thought and careful deliberation. Following the announcement, TOC carried out an interview with her on the decision to resign from the party. When asked …

by Hidayah Amin In the recent National Day Rally speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he mentioned that “Orang Melayu tiba secara beramai-ramai di Singapura sejak kedatangan Stamford Raffles. Mereka termasuklah Orang Laut, orang Melayu dari Johor dan Riau…” Translated to mean, “The Malays arrived en masse in Singapore after the arrival of Stamford Raffles. They included the Sea …

by Holly ROBERTSON The Australian economy has recorded its weakest annual growth in a decade, official data released Wednesday showed, expanding just 1.4 percent in the year to June. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported the economy grew 0.5 percent between April and June compared with the previous quarter, a small increase driven by mining exports and government spending. “The …