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☆ Pope Francis, in Singapore, urges fair wages for migrant workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

SINGAPORE — Pope Francis on Thursday urged political leaders in Singapore, a leading global financial hub, to seek fair wages for the country’s million-plus lower-paid foreign workers. “These workers contribute a great deal to society and should be guaranteed a fair wage,” he said. Many of the migrant workers come from nearby countries such as Malaysia, China, Bangladesh and India. A Singapore NGO that provides services for migrant workers, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, welcomed the pope’s remarks, saying they were in “full agreement” with his call for fair wages. The Vatican said Francis’ Mass drew some 50,000 people to Singapore’s national sports stadium.

Persons: Pope Francis, ”, Francis, Francis ’, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lawrence Wong, Tiziana Fabi, Getty Images Francis, Singapore’s, John Paul II, Singapore, ” Francis, Taylor Swift, Connie Rodriguez, “, Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau Organizations: Singapore NGO, Organisation, Migration Economics, Tiziana, Getty Images, Getty, Catholic Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Oceania, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, AFP, Hong Kong, Indonesia, East Timor, Rome

☆ Pope Francis arrives in Singapore, last stop on 12-day Asia tour
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE — Pope Francis arrived in Singapore on Wednesday from East Timor, on the final leg of an ambitious 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania. The pope will also hold private meetings with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Francis is only the second pope to visit Singapore, following a brief five-hour layover by the late John Paul II in 1986. On landing in Singapore, Francis was met by Edwin Tong, the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and received flowers from local schoolchildren. Francis’ 12-day tour has also included stops in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Persons: Pope Francis, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lawrence Wong, Lee Hsien Loong, Francis, John Paul II, Edwin Tong, Francis ’ Organizations: Aero Dili, Culture ,, Youth Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, East Timor, Southeast Asia, Oceania, Dili, East Timor’s, Rome, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea

☆ India's Modi expected to usher in new era of bilateral agreements in Singapore visit
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-04 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | In Charmainemariajacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the launch of BJP membership campaign on Sept. 2, 2024 in New Delhi, India. Modi will also be meeting Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister and former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong during his two-day visit. Dean Kassim | Afp | Getty ImagesEarlier this week, the Indian prime minister made his inaugural trip to Brunei where he met Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Modi is India's first prime minister that has made a bilateral visit to the oil-rich country. The Indian prime minister had also visited Italy for the G7 summit, Russia, Ukraine and Poland in the last three months since his reelection.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Lawrence Wong, Modi, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lee Hsien Loong, Goh Chok Tong, Anit Mukherjee, Mukherjee, Dean Kassim, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Omar Ali Saifuddien, Nirmala Sitharaman, Jaishankar, Wong, Vivian Balakrishnan, Balakrishnan Organizations: Indian, Hindustan Times, Getty, Singapore, Senior, King's College London, CNBC, Imports, Brunei International, Afp, High Commission of, Institute of South Asian Studies, Finance, Foreign Locations: New Delhi, India, Singapore, Asia, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, High Commission of India, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lion City

The 2023 Earthshot Prize winners:This year’s winners were chosen from a shortlist of 15 finalists by Prince William and the Earthshot Prize Council, chaired by Christiana Figueres, a former UN climate chief, who played a key role in negotiating the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. The Prince of Wales speaks with the winners of the 2023 Earthshot Prize following the awards ceremony on Tuesday night. Irwin added that the Earthshot Prize offers “hope,” which “is something we all need to hang on to.”The Singapore skyline was lit up in green to celebrate the Earthshot Prize on Monday. Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty ImagesFigueres, who is also an Earthshot Prize trustee, told CNN that it was “such a joy” to work with the Prince of Wales. The prince said he was “thrilled” to be in Singapore for the third Earthshot Prize ceremony and outlined his vision for supporting this year’s shortlist of finalists.

Persons: Wales, Prince William, “, ” William, Christiana Figueres, Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Ernest Gibson, Jack Ma, Prince, Chris Jackson, Nidhi Pant, Emily Owen, ’, Ted Lasso ”, Hannah Waddingham, Sterling K, Brown, Cate Blanchett, Nomzamo, Robert Irwin, OneRepublic, Irwin, ”, Hunter, Steve Irwin, Mohd Rasfan, Prince of Wales, William, we’ve, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lee Hsien Loong, Catherine, Princess, Prince George Organizations: CNN’s Royal, Singapore CNN, Earthshot, Theatre, MediaCorp, Royal Foundation, WildAid, Technologies, S4S Technologies, CNN, ”, Voices, Getty, Figueres, BBC, PBS, Singapore, Jewel, HSBC Locations: Singapore, India, UN, Paris, Peru, South America, Hong Kong, South African, ”, AFP, Gardens, Kallang

SINGAPORE (AP) — Britain's Prince William took to the waters in Singapore for a morning of dragon boating Monday, ahead of activities for the annual Earthshot Prize awards aimed at promoting solutions for the planet’s environmental threats. Working in pairs, William and the other 19 paddlers rowed vigorously to the steady beat of a drummer standing in the bow. His boat triumphed in a brief race with another boat captained by British High Commissioner Kara Owen. Dragon boat racing, originating from China, can be traced back nearly 2,000 years before it became a modern international sport in 1976. That inspired the prince and his partners to set a similar goal for finding solutions to environmental problems by 2030.

Persons: — Britain's Prince William, Prince, Wales, William, Kara Owen, Kate, Princess, “, Laura Greenwood, Hannah Waddingham, Sterling K, Brown, Robert Irwin, Oscar, Cate Blanchett, Lana Condor, John F, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lee Hsien Loong Organizations: SINGAPORE, British Dragons, British High, Royal Foundation, Sterling, Singapore, United, Wildlife Locations: Singapore, Kallang, Wales, Canada, China, British, Asia, London, Boston, Kensington, Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE (AP) — Prince William arrived Sunday in Singapore for the Earthshot Prize awards, the first to be held in Asia, to support environmental innovators with solutions to battle climate change and save the planet. William, 41, shook hands, signed autographs and sportingly took selfies with many of them during a walkabout. “It’s fantastic to be back in Singapore for this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony, after eleven years," he said in a statement upon landing. That inspired the prince and his partners to set a similar goal for finding solutions to pressing environmental problems by 2030. William, a keen sportsman, will also try his hand at dragon boating, a popular sport in Singapore and many parts of the world.

Persons: — Prince William, William, sportingly, Johanes Mario, Catherine, Hannah Waddingham, Robert Irwin, Oscar, Cate Blanchett, Lana Condor, Nomzamo, John F, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lee Hsien Loon, Robert Irwin's Organizations: SINGAPORE, Sunday, Changi, Royal Foundation, Boston, Singapore’s, Singapore, United, Wildlife Locations: Singapore, Asia, Wildlife, London, William, Kensington, Southeast Asia

☆ Opinion: My country abolished the death penalty. So can yours
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Opinion Elbegdorj Tsakhia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

He is commissioner of the International Committee against Death Penalty (ICDP). When I entered office in 2009, I quickly came to realize that use of the death penalty in Mongolia had been arbitrary, secretive and cruel. By the end of 2022, more than two-thirds of the world’s nations had done away with the practice, according to the Washington, DC-based Death Penalty Information Center. Research from Amnesty International found no evidence that the death penalty deterred crime more than life imprisonment. When I became Mongolia’s president, five crimes were eligible for the death penalty: two forms of terrorist attacks, sabotage, rape and aggravated murder.

Persons: Tsakhia, Read, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, it’s, who’s, Elbegdorj, –, Lui Tuck Yew, Tharman Organizations: International, CNN, International Covenant, Civil, Political, Amnesty, Central African, Research, Amnesty International Locations: Mongolia, Singapore, Washington, DC, Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Thailand, Malaysia, United States

☆ Singapore picks economic czar Tharman Shanmugaratnam as its next president
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, will become Singapore's ninth president after winning 70.4% of votes. Roslan Rahman | Afp | Getty ImagesA former member of Singapore's ruling party on Saturday scored a landslide victory to become the city-state's president, in an election seen as a barometer of public sentiment amid economic challenges and high-profile scandals. Former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, won 70.4% of votes, the elections department said, to become Singapore's head of state. The country is a parliamentary democracy and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is the head of government. Tharman is as credible as it gets," said political scientist Walid Jumblatt Abdullah of Nanyang Technological University.

Persons: Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Roslan Rahman, Lee Hsien Loong, Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, Tharman Organizations: Afp, Getty, Saturday, Analysts, Action Party, Nanyang Technological University, PAP Locations: Singapore

☆ Candidate close to establishment wins Singapore presidential race
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Chen Lin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam meets his supporters after early sample vote count results at the presidential election in Singapore September 1, 2023. Former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, won 70.4% of votes, the elections department said, to become Singapore's head of state. Analysts said the landslide victory for the candidate seen as closest to the establishment is a sign that Singaporeans generally still trust the ruling People's Action Party (PAP). The role of the president is largely ceremonial in Singapore, though the office is expected to ensure checks and balances on the government. This is Singapore's third presidential election since a 1991 act gave the public the right to choose and Tharman will be the country's ninth president overall.

Persons: Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Edgar Su, Lee Hsien Loong, Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, Tharman, Lee, Mr Tharman, Chen Lin, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Saturday, Analysts, Action Party, Nanyang Technological University, PAP, Presidential Advisers, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Rights SINGAPORE

☆ Singapore braces for 'partisan' vote for president, guardian of its vast reserves
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian (left) waves as he arrives at the nomination center for the presidential election in Singapore on August 22, 2023. Song is standing in the city-state's 2023 presidential election. Presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam waves to his supporters at the nomination center for the upcoming presidential election in Singapore on Aug. 22, 2023. Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty ImagesThe full scale of Singapore's reserves is not publicly available, though public information of some institutions charged with investing its reserves offer a glimpse into the size of the reserves. Local independent news outlet Jom estimated that only 0.044% of Singaporean adults qualify to run as Singapore president.

Persons: —, incorruptibility, Eugene Tan, Tan Kin Lian, Roslan Rahman, Tan, Ng Kok, Lee Kuan Yew, Tharman, Ng, Shanmugaratnam, Tan Meng, Singapore's, Lee Kuan, Kevin Tan, Cherian, Halimah Yacob —, Cherian George, who's Organizations: Getty, SINGAPORE, Observers, Singapore Management University, NTUC, Afp, Monetary Fund, Party, CNBC, Bloomberg, Presidential Advisors, Xinhua News Agency, Temasek, Singapore, Monetary Authority of, Cherian George National University of Singapore, Hong Kong Baptist University, Malay, National University of Singapore, Hong, Hong Kong Baptist University's School of Communication Locations: Singapore's Marina Bay, Singapore, State, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Hong, Hong Kong

SummaryCompanies ATM, branch, card services restored -OCBCBank on standby to deploy additional resourcesLarger peer DBS faced 6.5-hour disruption in MayAug 28 (Reuters) - Singapore's second-biggest bank, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) (OCBC.SI), restored ATM, branch and card services on Monday after grappling with technical problems that disrupted various banking channels. OCBC, which is also Southeast Asia's second biggest lender by assets, had taken to its social media accounts earlier to warn of the issues that began at 8.33 a.m.Internet banking, mobile banking and Velocity arrangements were still affected, an OCBC spokesperson said in a response to Reuters. "We are on standby to deploy additional resources at branches and extend branch banking hours," the spokesperson added. "Our channels were impacted by a technical problem, affecting consumer and business banking customers." On May 5, the digital banking services of larger peer DBS (DBSM.SI) faced a 6-1/2-hour disruption.

Persons: Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lavanya Ahire, Yantoultra Ngui, Kim Coghill, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: OCBC Bank, DBS, Chinese Banking Corp, Reuters, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Thomson Locations: Oversea, Bengaluru, Singapore

[1/3] Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian, speaks to the media and supporters at the nomination centre in Singapore August 22, 2023. About three-quarters of Singapore's 3.5 million citizens are ethnic Chinese, with the rest of the population ethnic Malays, ethnic Indian or Eurasian. Tan was also one of four candidates who ran for president in the 2011 election. Singapore's president sits for a 6-year term. ($1 = 1.3568 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Xinghui Kok, Additional reporting by Chen Lin; editing by Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tan Kin Lian, Caroline Chia, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lee Hsien Loong, Ng, Halimah, Tan, Xinghui Kok, Chen Lin, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Action Party, Thomson Locations: Singapore

SINGAPORE, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Singapore will hold a presidential election on Sept. 1 if more than one candidate is nominated to run for the largely ceremonial post, the government said on Friday. This year's presidential election in the diverse city-state will be open to all ethnic groups, unlike the last time, in 2017, when the post was controversially reserved for those of Malay ethnicity. The 2017 election was uncontested when applications from four candidates were rejected, sparking a rare protest by several hundred people in a city park who raised a banner with the message "ROBBED OF AN ELECTION #NotMyPresident". They will have to get certificates of eligibility from the Presidential Elections Committee to stand. Singapore has about 3.5 million citizens, about three-quarters of them ethnic Chinese, 12.5% ethnic Malay and 9% ethnic Indian, with the rest classified as Eurasians.

Persons: Halimah, Singapore's, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Ng Kok, George Goh, Xinghui Kok, Jason Neely, Robert Birsel Organizations: Presidential, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, Malay

☆ Singapore growth outlook uncertain, fight against inflation still on, says central bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Singapore's central bank warned on Wednesday that the near-term growth outlook for one of Asia's top financial hubs "remains uncertain with downside risks" even as the effects of its monetary tightening cycle work towards cooling inflation. In an annual review by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, or MAS, chief Ravi Menon on Wednesday said Singapore's near-term growth would remain weak as prospects had dimmed but inflation should reduce by year-end, although he stressed the fight to contain it was not yet over. MAS now forecasts 2023 headline inflation at 4.5% to 5.5%, slower than the 5.5% to 6.5% seen earlier, Menon told a press conference. Core inflation would be significantly lower at 2.5% to 3.0%, he added. The central bank's monetary policy remains "steadfastly focused on medium term price stability", he said.

Persons: Ravi Menon, Singapore's, Menon, Tharman Shanmugaratnam Organizations: Monetary Authority of, MAS Locations: Monetary Authority of Singapore

☆ Singapore names Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as chairman of the central bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Monetary Authority of Singapore, the city-state's financial regulator and central bank, has named Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as chairman of its board of directors effective July 8. Wong, who is the country's finance minister, will replace Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who held the role for 12 years since May 2011, the release said. Wong, who was deputy chairman of MAS since June 2021, will serve as chairman until May 31, 2026, according to the press release. He previously served as a member of the MAS Board from June 2011 to August 2016. Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will be appointed deputy chairman of the MAS Board for the same period, from July 8 to May 31, 2026.

Persons: Lawrence Wong, Wong, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Shanmugaratnam, Industry Gan Kim Yong Organizations: Monetary Authority of, MAS, Singapore's, Trade, Industry, MAS Board, CNBC Locations: Monetary Authority of Singapore, Singapore

☆ Singapore economic czar Tharman Shanmugaratnam to run for president
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Singapore's veteran economic policymaker Tharman Shanmugaratnam has signaled his intention to contest upcoming presidential elections in Singapore that must be held by September this year. Singapore's veteran economic policymaker Tharman Shanmugaratnam is planning to run in the upcoming presidential elections in Singapore that must be held by mid-September. The prime minister is the head of government in Singapore. Among his past global appointments, Shanmugaratnam was the first Asian chair of the International Monetary and Financial Committee, the IMF's key policy forum. He was also Singapore's deputy prime minister from 2011 to 2019, and previously served as finance minister and education minister.

Persons: Shanmugaratnam, Lee Hsien Loong, policymaker Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Party, Singapore Prime, Monetary Authority of, Global Commission, United Nations, International Monetary, Financial Locations: Singapore, Monetary Authority of Singapore

"At the same time, we're estimating a mild recession in Europe and the United States that offset it. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization, pointed out that the reopening could help supply chains work better and also boost consumer demand. CHINA-US TENSIONSAdjacent to the discussions on China's reopening was what it could mean for its existing tensions with the United States over issues such as technology, trade and Taiwan, which several WEF delegates expressed concern over. "I think both the U.S. and China will be hurt, which doesn't just mean the national entities but workforces, people will be hurt." For daily Davos updates in your inbox sign up for the Reuters Daily Briefing here.

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