What led to India's shock election outcome?

The world's largest democracy underwent a significant political shift in its 2024 general election. Political pundits and exit polls predicted a landslide victory for India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party but the surprise result of the election reaffirmed the unpredictable n…

Weekly Wrap Up: Security talks in Singapore, Malaysia's VEP system and the India elections

Foreign-registered cars entering Malaysia to use VEP from October, big tech bolsters its presence in Malaysia and other major events happening in Singapore and the region. On the Weekly Wrap, The Straits Times' Associate Foreign Editor Lim Ai-Leen discusses recent developments in Malaysia, the wor…

Weekly Wrap Up: How will PM Wong navigate Singapore's foreign policies?

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has called on Singaporeans to join him in the ambitious goal of building a society where everyone matters “and a Singapore that matters to all Singaporeans”. Some political analysts have said that PM Wong wants to set himself apart from his predecessors and be measured…

Weekly Wrap Up: PM Lee bids farewell in final major speech, marking the start of DPM Wong tenure

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered his last major political speech as head of government at the annual May Day Rally.  This comes a fortnight before he is set to pass the baton to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who will be sworn in as the Republic’s fourth prime minister, at a ceremony…

Weekly Wrap Up: ABS looking for anti-scam mascot for banks, but how relevant is a mascot in this day and age?

The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) is looking for an anti-scam mascot to serve as a visual rallying call to bank customers to “stop and check before clicking”. It launched its anti-scam mascot design competition on April 16, offering $10,000 for the top entry, and $3,000 and $2,000 for the…

Weekly Wrap Up: DPM Wong set to be Singapore's new PM, what can we expect from him?

After nearly 20 years heading Singapore’s government, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is set to step down on May 15. And as part of a long-planned succession, Singapore will be ushering in a new era led by current Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as our fourth prime minister. So what can we expe…

Weekly Wrap Up: Unit prices for The Residences at W Singapore Sentosa Cove slashed by over 40%, is it worth your consideration?

Unsold units at The Residences at W Singapore Sentosa Cove will be up for sale at more than 40 percent off their initial 2010 launch price. Cityview Place Holdings will be releasing 58 units for sale on April 15, with prices starting from $1,648 per square foot.  But will this move however result …

Weekly Wrap Up: No Signboard’s shares tumble as trading resumes, will this trend continue?

No Signboard Holdings has resumed the trading of its shares on March 15 after obtaining concurrence from Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo) on March 14.  But shares of No Signboard Holdings slid after opening at 2.7 cents, the stock was down 1.6 cents, or 51.6 percent.  Will such sentiment…

Weekly Wrap Up: 'Haters are going to hate, hate, hate', Taylor fever hits our politicians

Taylor Swift mania sweeps the parliament! Economically, how will her concerts benefit Singapore? And recently announced in parliament, Singapore’s retirement age to go up to 64 in 2026.  Dr Felix Tan, Independent Political Observer gives us an analysis of those headlines and more. 

Weekly Wrap Up: Singapore's fertility rate hits record low, should we be worried?

For the first time ever, Singapore’s resident total fertility rate has dropped below 1.0. Preliminary estimates show that the total fertility rate fell to 0.97 in 2023, declining further from the previous record of 1.04 in 2022 and 1.12 in 2021. What are the factors leading to the new low? And sho…