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Change is afoot in the conservative city state with a softening of attitudes and growing tolerance of gay issues, which some members of the LGBT community and academics attribute to the November lifting of a ban on sex between men. But the historic lifting of the ban was not all welcomed by LGBT people. The repeal of the gay sex ban was not universally welcomed. LGBT issues are appearing in the typically conservative domestic media, known for toeing the government line. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore this month advised teachers to "address socio-religious issues, including LGBT issues, with wisdom, kindness, compassion and mercy".

Persons: Yeo Sam Jo, Yeo, JoJo Sam Clair, Laavanya Kathiravelu, Carol, Dot, Nishanthiy Balasamy, Corinna Lim, Lim, Cally Chia, Ching Chia, Ching, Clement Tan, Pink Dot, We're, Tan, Xinghui Kok, Chen Lin, Robert Birsel, William Mallard Organizations: Nanyang Technological University, Institute of Policy, Islamic, Council of, Pink, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, Council of Singapore, Instagram

☆ Singapore university unveils Asia’s largest timber building
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Sprawling across 43,500 square meters (468,000 square feet), it is now Asia’s largest timber building, by floor area. Some countries now even allow for high-rises (or “plyscrapers”), like Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s 25-story Ascent, which at 284 feet, is the world’s tallest mass timber structure. Advocates for mass timber point to the relatively slow and predictable rate at which the material burns. Many of the purported benefits of mass timber are, however, environmental. If a tree is then turned into mass timber, this embodied carbon is sequestered, or “locked in,” rather than being returned to the atmosphere.

Persons: Lee Kuan Yew, sunlit, Gaia, Toyo Ito, “, ”, ” Ito, Ito, Ho Teck Hua, ’ Organizations: Singapore CNN —, Nanyang Technological University’s, Singapore, CNN, RSP, Nanyang Technological, NTU, Construction Authority, NTU Singapore Locations: Singapore, Singapore CNN — Singapore, ”, Nanyang, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Europe, NTU Singapore, Milwaukee, Asia

☆ Southeast Asia's digital economy may be set to hit $1 trillion, but roadblocks remain
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A woman (R) adjusts the Philippines flag before the 51st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)- Republic of Korea Ministerial Meeting in Singapore on August 3, 2018. Southeast Asia's digital economy has plenty of growth potential, backed by strong fundamentals including over 460 million digital consumers, young and tech-savvy populations, as well as rising internet penetration. The digital economy across six countries within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc — known as ASEAN-6 and comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam — is projected to grow 6% annually. From the urban-rural divide to low digital literacy, the region continues to grapple with challenges that could hold back that growth. "ASEAN's digital economy is expanding, but there is the digital divide," said Anthony Toh, research analyst at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, a think-tank within Nanyang Technological University.

Persons: Anthony Toh, Toh Organizations: 51st Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Google, Temasek, Bain & Company, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, & $ Locations: Philippines, Republic, Korea, Singapore, ASEAN, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Nanyang, Brunei, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia

☆ China-Central Asia Summit: Ukraine war weakens Russian influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Xi will present visiting Central Asian leaders with “a series of proposals” on the long-term development of ties and sign agreements, Chinese officials said this week. It is “of great interest to Central Asia nowadays to cooperate with China as one of its important alternative markets,” he added. However, Khitakhunov said, Central Asian leaders would be just as keen to have discussions about trade, investment and joint projects with Western players like the European Union. Central Asian countries have also seen and cracked down on popular protests and unrest in recent years. Like China, Central Asia leaders have typically avoided condemning Russia in forums like the UN, for example abstaining on major General Assembly resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops.

☆ World leaders are lining up to meet Xi Jinping. Should the US be worried?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hong Kong CNN —Xi Jinping has had a busy couple of weeks. “(Chinese leaders) believe it’s time now for China to make its strategic plans,” said Li Mingjiang, an associate professor of international relations at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. Beijing has watched uneasily as the war in Ukraine has driven the US and its European allies closer. When French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beijing last week, Xi drew comparisons between China and France: both “major countries with a tradition of independence,” Xi said, and “firm advocates for a multi-polar world” – or a world without a dominant superpower. But how Beijing navigates these initiatives, observers say, comes down to a bottom line that’s integrally related to Xi’s global ambitions and world view.

☆ China has to figure out how to care for 400 million people over the age of 60 by 2040 — and it's off to a rocky start
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

By 2040, it's expected to have 400 million people above the age of 60 — more people than in the entire US. "It's obvious that relying on contributions from medical insurance schemes to fund age care services is not likely to be viable in the longer term," she said. Alzheimer's is quickly rising as a concern in China, Luk said. "Is China aging rapidly? Beijing has been pressuring the private sector into building daycare centers, wards, and other age care infrastructure to shore up gaps in local government finances, Gu said.

☆ A fire just razed a slum in the heart of one of Korea's ritziest neighborhoods. It highlights the vast wealth gap and tight proximity in which Seoul's richest and poorest live.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Cheryl Teh | Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On January 20, a fire tore through the shantytown of Guryong village in Seoul. Firefighters and rescue workers clean up the site of a fire at Guryong village in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. ED JONES/Getty ImagesGuryong feels like a world away from Seoul, but it's very close to where the most well-heeled people in South Korea live. Around a fifth of single-person households in Seoul live in spaces under 14 square meters, or 150 square feet. But for now it's still Guryong village — a smoldering scar on the sparkling facade South Korea would rather have you looking at instead.

☆ Singapore is set to hike its goods and services tax in January. Here's how it will work
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Natalie Tham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Singapore's goods and services tax will be raised to 8% in January 2023. Ore Huiying | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesCome Jan. 1, Singapore will raise its goods and services tax, otherwise known as the GST, from 7% to 8%. The GST is a consumption tax imposed on nearly all goods and services in Singapore. With the change, all goods and services imported into Singapore, including imported goods purchased online, will be subject to the tax. Economists who spoke to CNBC held conflicting views on whether the tax hike will hit the nation's lowest earners harder than others.

☆ A Parasite May Explain Why Some People Are Driven to Start a Company
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

When wolves in Yellowstone National Park get infected with a cat parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, they become more likely to leave their packs and start new ones. The Yellowstone wolf data hints that it's just the side effect of a protozoan inhabiting our brains in a failed attempt to make more protozoa. So why would any of this make an infected wolf want to start its own pack? That was the suggestion of an influential 2006 paper titled "Can the Common Brain Parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, Influence Human Culture?" Just because Toxo might drive an alpha male to start a company, that doesn't mean it'll be a successful company.

☆ China's stunning reversal on lockdowns showed that mass protests can influence policy change in the country — but experts say it still doesn't threaten Xi's regime
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But experts on China say it's unlikely the protests will embolden future political movements. The changes come after protests against COVID measures erupted all across China — rare for a country where dissent is snuffed out quickly. Baogang He, the chair of international relations at Deakin University in Australia, agreed that the protests show how mass anger can influence government policy, but not regime change. "No one is strong enough to exploit or dare to use these protests to mount a challenge to Xi Jinping," Xi, the professor, told Insider. Chong said that although Xi holds extensive power in China, the protests and subsequent rollback both underscore how he can make major mistakes, too.

SINGAPORE, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong received a top post in the ruling party on Saturday, cementing his position to become the city-state's next prime minister. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, secretary-general of the People’s Action Party (PAP), which has ruled the island nation since independence in 1965, announced this year that Wong, 49, would be his successor. Wong becomes deputy secretary-general, the party said in an announcement of new leadership positions. Lee, 70, is the son of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's independence leader and dominant figure for half a century. The younger Lee has said Wong would succeed him before or after the next general election, which is due in 2025.

☆ China's Xi Jinping was filmed lecturing Justin Trudeau in an awkward exchange. It offers a rare glimpse into Xi's personal style of diplomacy.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"That's not appropriate," Xi told Trudeau on Wednesday at the G20 summit in Indonesia. The 40-second video, captured by a Canadian news cameraman, offers a rare glimpse into Xi's personal style of diplomacy. "Everything we discussed has been leaked to the paper, that's not appropriate," Xi told Trudeau, per a translator who was with Xi during the exchange. "Otherwise, it will be hard to say what will happen," the Chinese leader said. Remarking on his exchange with Xi, Trudeau said that "not every conversation is going to be easy," per The Globe and Mail.

☆ Xi shook up the power order in China, but the world should expect little change — because Xi is still the complete puppet master, 2 experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Last month, Xi Jinping announced who would join him to be the top seven officials in China. Kevin Frayer/Stringer/Getty ImagesBoosted to the second-in-command spot by Xi, Li is thought to be one of the president's closest protégés. Having been the lowest-ranked member of the previous standing committee, Zhao has jumped four positions to get to his current role. It indicates to me that Xi Jinping is satisfied with the work that Zhao has done," said Loh. "Xi Jinping makes it very clear.

☆ His COVID lockdowns made him one of the most unpopular politicians in China. Xi Jinping just made him the 2nd-most powerful man in the country. Meet Li Qiang.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

They key to his success is his loyalty to President Xi Jinping, experts say. But on October 23, Chinese President Xi Jinping made it clear: It didn't matter. Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, and other members of China's new top leadership walk in order of their rank. But his real value to Xi comes in the form of his loyalty to Xi, Wu said. Xi Jinping doesn't look into other things.

☆ Xi warned about Taiwan interference — but don't expect an imminent invasion, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Su-Lin Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

watch nowChina will continue to work toward becoming more self-reliant, but don't expect President Xi Jinping to move on Taiwan by force, analysts said. In a nearly two-hour speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined his vision for the country for the next five years. Xi Jinping has made very clear what his intentions are: he wants a private sector that is controllable, that is manageable. He said Xi's speech, consistent with Beijing's comments in recent months, suggested the government viewed a more state-dominated economy as the pathway to stability. "Xi Jinping has made very clear what his intentions are: he wants a private sector that is controllable, that is manageable."

The work builds upon previous insect-control experiments at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and could one day result in cyborg insects that can enter hazardous areas much more efficiently than robots. Even when the backpack and film are glued to their backs, the bugs can traverse small obstacles or right themselves when flipped over. Kakei said he constructed the cyborg backpack with 5,000 yen ($35) worth of parts purchased at Tokyo's famed Akihabara electronics district. The backpack and film can be removed, allowing the roaches to go back to life in the lab's terrarium. Beyond disaster rescue bugs, Fukuda sees broad applications for the solar cell film, composed of microscopic layers of plastic, silver, and gold.

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