Opinion Archives - Page 7 of 45 - The Singapore Post

15Nov

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Other nations looking to Canada for guidance before Trump returns: Joly

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Donald Trump's return to the White House has boosted Canada's influence in the world as other international partners turn to Canada for advice on how to deal with him. Joly made the comments in Peru, where she was attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump won't be sworn in again until January, but his win in the presidential election last week looms large over the discussions of the group, which aims to improve trade among Pacific Rim nations. Speaking to reporters in Lima on Friday morning, Joly said no country understands the United States better than Canada and multiple countries are now asking for advice on how they can adapt to a second Trump administration. Trump's first pre...

The new Sri Lankan president’s left-leaning coalition won by a landslide.

15Nov

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

The new Sri Lankan president’s left-leaning coalition won by a landslide.

The left-leaning alliance of Sri Lanka's new leader has secured a landslide victory in the country's snap parliamentary elections. Official results show President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's National People's Power (NPP) coalition scored a two-thirds majority in parliament, with 159 seats. President Dissanayake’s coalition got nearly 62% of the vote, winning even in the Tamil-dominated Jaffna Peninsula for the first time since independence from Britain in 1948. "Thank you to all who voted for a renaissance," Dissanayake said in a brief statement on social media platform X, previously knows as Twitter. Correspondents say the victory has cemented a transformation of the island-nation's political landscape which for decades was dominated by established political parties of family

Trump’s aggressive cabinet choices indicate a tough stance against China.

14Nov

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Trump’s aggressive cabinet choices indicate a tough stance against China.

United States President-elect Donald Trump is filling his incoming administration with figures known for their hawkish views on China, signalling a tough line on Beijing in areas ranging from national security to trade. Trump on Tuesday nominated former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to head the CIA, FOX News host and army veteran Pete Hegseth as secretary of defence, and Florida Congressman Michael Waltz as national security adviser. On Monday, the president-elect named Elise Stefanik, a congresswoman who holds a House of Representatives seat for New York, as his pick for United Nations ambassador. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, meanwhile, is widely expected to be tapped for secretary of state. All five are known for viewing the US and China as being...

The US claims that a “significant” cyberespionage effort was carried out by hackers connected to China.

14Nov

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

The US claims that a “significant” cyberespionage effort was carried out by hackers connected to China.

US authorities say they have uncovered “a broad and significant” cyberespionage campaign carried out by China-linked hackers aiming to steal information from Americans working in government and politics. The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in a joint statement on Wednesday that actors affiliated with Beijing had “compromised networks at multiple telecommunications companies”. The hack enabled the “theft of customer call records data” and compromised the “private communications of a limited number of individuals”, the agencies said. The FBI and CISA did not specify which individuals had been targeted but said they were “primarily involved in government or political activity”. The hackers also accessed “information that was subject to US

China’s initial reaction to tragedy is to shut it down.

14Nov

By Nectar GanNo Comments

China’s initial reaction to tragedy is to shut it down.

The gates outside the Zhuhai sports complex in China were closed. Inside, the stadium was in darkness, as were the grounds around it. It was here, hours before, where dozens of people were killed when a man drove an SUV into a crowd. Many more were injured. Only security guards appeared to be moving around behind the fence when the BBC arrived, and they had been ordered to keep an eye out for reporters. One approached us asking: "Are you journalists?" When I asked why he wanted to know, he replied: "Oh just to understand the situation." He and a colleague took photos of us and started making calls, watching us as they did. Outside the gates people passed by to catch sight of the aftermath. But among them was a group of around a dozen people more interested in us. ...

What Trump 2.0 is revealed by the White House’s selections

14Nov

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

What Trump 2.0 is revealed by the White House’s selections

A week after Donald Trump won a second-term in the White House, the contours of his new presidency have started taking shape. The president-elect has announced nearly a dozen appointees, the first steps toward filling out his White House staff and key government departments. He also made comments to the media and on social media that highlight what his priorities will be upon taking office in January, with a special focus on immigration and foreign policy. After a sometimes chaotic start to his first term, Trump is laying the groundwork for his next administration with a more clearly defined plan - and personnel ready to enact it. A hard-line immigration team in place Some of Trump’s newly revealed appointments suggest that the president-elect’s campaign promise to deport mill

The tumultuous origins of Singapore were essential in paving the way for our eventual stability: SM Lee

14Nov

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

The tumultuous origins of Singapore were essential in paving the way for our eventual stability: SM Lee

Today’s Singapore may give the impression that the country has always been orderly and stable. But this was far from so. Our beginnings were turbulent. Like many other countries, we fought against our colonial masters – in our case, Britain – for the right to determine our own destiny. We eventually succeeded and achieved first self-government, which is internal, and then full independence. Along the way, we had to choose whether to have a left-wing and pro-communist government, or a democratic and non-communist government. It was a big political battle, especially as our population was majority ethnic Chinese, with strong ethnic and family ties to communist China. Fending off the communist threat was one of the reasons why Singapore merged into a new Federation of Malaysia. We s

The government of Mauritius loses the election.

13Nov

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

The government of Mauritius loses the election.

The opposition Alliance of Change in Mauritius has won 60 of the 64 seats in parliament following Sunday's general election. Its leader, Navin Ramgoolam, 77, has been appointed prime minister. The man he has replaced, Pravind Jugnauth, 62, already acknowledged on Monday that his Lepep alliance was heading for a "huge defeat". It now has two seats in parliament compared to the 42 after the 2019 election. Mauritius is known as one of Africa's most stable democracies, but this election was tainted by a phone-tapping scandal, with leaked recordings of public figures posted online. In response, the government issued a social media ban until after the election, although this led to an outcry and the decision was reversed within 24 hours. Ramgoolam, a former doctor, is beginning h...

Where American Politics Are Right Now and Where We Could Go

13Nov

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Where American Politics Are Right Now and Where We Could Go

After a loud and contentious election, it’s clear that America is very divided, perhaps more than ever. At the same time, it appears that the Republican Party could control the executive and legislative branches, which has not occurred since the early years of the administration of George W. Bush. To learn more about politics now, and concerns about the future of the political system in the U.S., Tufts Now spoke with Peter Levine, a professor of political science and Lincoln Filene Professor in Citizenship and Public Affairs at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life. Has political polarization gotten worse since 2020? Polarization means different things to different people. There’s what some call “affective polarization,” in which people see that someone is with an

Taiwan is politically neutral in the US, the ministry claims.

13Nov

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Taiwan is politically neutral in the US, the ministry claims.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has always taken a balanced approach in building friendships with US officials across party lines, and it would continue to work toward bolstering Taiwan-US relations under the incoming administration of US president-elect Donald Trump next year, the ministry said yesterday. MOFA North American Affairs Department Director-General Wang Liang-yu (王良玉) made the remark in response to media queries at a routine news conference. In the past few days, US media have reported some confirmed members as well as likely candidates for Trump’s Cabinet, and Wang was asked to comment on his selection for key positions. “MOFA and our overseas representatives’ offices have long taken a balanced approach in our interactions with the US’ two parties, establishi