Asia

Singapore’s former president Halimah Yacob has said she will file a police report over a deepfake video of her making negative comments about the government, as the city state gears up for a hotly contested general election. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Halimah, who stepped down from her post and did not seek re-election in 2023, said the clip was completely false. “It’s a deepfake with even my voice being used! This is scary how AI is being used to influence voters during this critical period,” she said, without sharing the video to avoid it being circulated.With Singapore heading into an election expected to be held in early May, Halimah urged for decorum, decency and fairness for all sides of the political divide. “Fight on the basis of the strength of your vision and the st

Good evening. First, my heartiest congratulations to the 13 officers who have been appointed to the Administrative Service, and the 60 Administrative Officers who have been promoted. Five Permanent Secretaries have retired, or are retiring, from the Administrative Service. They are Mr Chan Yeng Kit, Mrs Ow Foong Pheng and Mrs Tan Ching Yee who has each served for 38 years. We were fellow Permanent Secretaries when I was in the Admin Service. All have made significant contributions, in various ministries. Ching Yee who worked most closely with me in MOE and in MOF, was a pillar of support. Two younger Perm Secs, Gabriel Lim and Jeffrey Siow, who have served 26 and 24 years respectively, are leaving to pursue new challenges. On behalf of my Cabinet colleagues, thank you, Ching Yee, Yeng ...

Singaporeans vote on May 3 in an election that will test Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s leadership, as the wealthy city-state faces a turbulent global economy upended by U.S. tariffs. This will be the first electoral battle for the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) under Wong since he succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, the son of founding premier Lee Kuan Yew, last year after decades of leadership by the Lees. Parliament was dissolved Tuesday, clearing the way for the vote.Singapore has long been dominated by the PAP, which is expected to remain in power, but opposition gains are closely watched as a referendum on the government’s popularity. And the upcoming elections come at a precarious time. The global trading system that supported tiny, trade-reliant Singapore’s rapid ascent to

Singapore will head to the polls on 3 May, in what will be the first electoral test for its new prime minister Lawrence Wong. The election campaign, which lasts just nine days, is expected to be dominated by the rising cost of living, housing needs, jobs, and a growing demand for healthcare amid an ageing population. Voters are widely expected to return the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) to power. The PAP has won every election since Singapore was granted self rule by the British in 1959. The country's last election in 2020 saw the opposition Workers' Party secure 10 seats - the biggest victory for the opposition since Singapore gained independence in 1965. This time, 97 seats are up for grabs. Though the PAP won 83 out of 93 seats in 2020, it will no doubt be looking f...

The recent establishment of the Indonesian sovereign wealth fund (SWF), Danantara, has sparked controversy due to its funding coming from a large sum of the state budget, freed up by the government’s austerity program. Despite its transformative potential, ongoing entanglements of politics and business risk undermining Danantara’s success. Danantara will manage the operations of all of Indonesia’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and reinvest their profits, primarily by financing national strategic projects. Jakarta believes the so-called ‘superholding’ could help Indonesia achieve its target of eight per cent annual GDP growth and transform the economy. With an enormous US$900 billion in assets originating from the state’s largest companies, there is a hopeful argument that Danantara wo

Over the past decade, there has been a notable change in China and its level of pharma dealmaking. By 2024, 26.7% of all development-stage drugs involved Chinese R&D. The country now spends more capital on R&D than the European Union (EU) and is edging closer toward US levels. Consequently, the topic of China as a true innovator and main player in the space was a dominant talking point at this year’s BIO-Europe Spring. “China has really risen as a hot bed of innovation,” Martina Molsbergen, CEO of C14 consulting, told the audience in Milan, Italy today. Molsbergen’s statement prompted panelists to discuss their respective outlooks on China and how they are interacting with Chinese companies within their organization. “China is clearly a force in the biotech world,” said M

The investments come amid an ongoing insurance fraud probe into AstraZeneca’s former China head Leon Wang—and despite mounting pressure from President Trump for pharma companies to re-shore their manufacturing operations.AstraZeneca is betting big money on China, unveiling plans to establish a new global strategic center in the country, alongside a pair of high-value deals with Chinese biotechs. With potential milestone payments, the pharma is putting more than $10 billion overall on the line, In a Friday news release, AstraZeneca unveiled a $2.5 billion investment in Beijing, set to be paid out over the next five years, with an eye toward establishing its sixth global strategic R&D center there. The new research facility will focus on early-stage studies and clinical development,

Political turmoil following the mass uprising in July–August 2024 in Bangladesh, which toppled Sheikh Hasina's autocratic regime, has opened a political vacuum being filled by Islamic political parties. The potential rise of political Islam raises opportunities and challenges about the future of Bangladesh's neutral religious values and governance, with profound implications for the future of the country’s democracy.The mass uprising that led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year autocratic regime has ushered in a new political order in Bangladesh. As the once-dominant Awami League (AL) and its principal rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), grapple with declining public trust and internal strife, a political vacuum has emerged. This vacuum is increasingly being filled by Isl

More than half of 2,023 respondents polled across 11 Southeast Asian countries would side with the United States over China “if the region were forced to align itself with one of the two strategic rivals”, according to findings published in an annual think tank survey. The State of Southeast Asia 2025 report, based on polls conducted by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (ISEAS) between Jan 3 and Feb 15 and released on Thursday (Apr 3), examined regional perceptions on strategic issues and the influence of major powers. When asked to pick between the US and China, 52.3 per cent of respondents favoured the US while 47.7 per cent supported China. The ISEAS report also added that more than half of respondents believed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should “enhance i

A Singaporean in his sixties has joined forces with artificial intelligence (AI) to craft a bold democratic model that challenges Singapore's political structure. His work, "Global Citizens' Manifesto: Happy New Democracy," demonstrates how partnerships with AI can create practical alternatives to existing governance systems. Singapore, long criticized for tight political controls, restricted media freedom, and notorious for gaslighting people through mass media, now faces a compelling alternative through this publication. "Global Citizens' Manifesto" presents the first comprehensive blueprint for democratic reform, tailored explicitly to small nations yet applicable worldwide, with Singapore positioned as an ideal testing ground. "Our current democratic systems have fundamental fla...