International

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is closely monitoring and probing new leads surfacing from Malaysia and elsewhere in relation to the 1MDB scandal, said MAS managing director Ravi Menon on 4 July. In a briefing on the central bank’s annual report, Mr Menon said that the MAS has “proactively” responded to “every request for information made by the Malaysian authorities,” according …

Singapore, the world’s largest sand importer, has come under fire in the past several years for its alleged massive involvement in illegal sand mining. According to a recent report by The Guardian, the Singapore government has claimed to import only 3 million tonnes of sand from Malaysia in 2008. However, the figure cited by the Malaysian government was 133 million …

It’s no surprise that Singapore’s PM Lee Hsien Loong is still paid the highest salary among all world leaders. But how does the salary of other world leaders compare to the citizens in their country? For example, Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minster of Australia, earns 10x average salary in Australia. IG Index analysed the annual base pay of Organisation for Economic Co-operation …

Canada will be the second country, and the first G7 nation, to legalise the recreational use of marijuana after the Canadian Senate passed a “historic” bill on Tuesday with a vote of 52-29. In the neighboring country of United States (US), nine states and the District of Columbia now allow for recreational marijuana use, and 30 allow for medical use. …

Last week, in preparation for the Trump-Kim Summit, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan visited both Washington and Pyongyang. He told the media last Sat (9 Jun), “Basically I went there to make sure everything was spick and span, and in place, and that there would be no last minute spoilers or difficulties.” He added that he was “very impressed” with Pyongyang …

Commenting on the North Korea-US summit in Singapore on Tuesday, Ms. Anwita Basu, Analyst at The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU), said: “The statement is quite vaguely worded as was expected but has the right phrases such as ‘commitment to complete denuclearization’ and ‘security guarantees’ and ‘stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula’”. “Notably, there is no mention of sanctions …

Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit. President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, …

Speaking ahead of International Albinism Awareness Day on Wednesday,13 June, the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism, Ikponwosa Ero, takes stock of progress under the theme, “shining our light to the world”. “Today, we celebrate the remarkable contributions of persons with albinism including Goldalyn Kakuya, a 14-year-old girl with albinism, who topped Kenya’s national …

Speaking to the media on Sunday (10 June), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong confirmed that Singapore will spend about S$20 million on the summit where American President Donald Trump will meet with North Korean Leader, Kim Jong Un on Tuesday (12 June). On the amount spent, PM Lee said: “We are willing to pay and its our contribution to an international …

Ending poverty and hunger top the list of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but achieving this shared ambition by 2030 will only happen if the world finds the right balance between meeting rising food demands while simultaneously preserving the environment and building community resilience, according to Gilbert F. Houngbo, the President of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development. Already more …