Indonesia has cut natural gas supplies to Singapore: the city-state’s authorities are playing down the impact, which is said to account for less than 2 per cent of daily demand. Analysts are questioning whether there might be a link to the tensions that have arisen in the region due to the wildfires.
The pope departed for Rome from the metropolis in Southeast Asia, the fourth stop on his long journey through Asia and Oceania. "Religions are different languages on the path to God. If you dialogue as young people, you will also dialogue as adults, as citizens, as politicians. Take risks, do not be afraid’. To the elderly and the sick: ‘Your prayer is very important before God’.
In the celebration at the National Stadium in front of tens of thousands of faithful, Francis referred to the city’s “great and bold architecture” to urge the faithful to look at the true source of life and beauty. He added that the “most profitable investment in God’s eyes,” is “all of us, for we are beloved children of the same Father”. The pope also referred to Saint Francis Xavier, who lived for a long time in Malacca Peninsula, stressing the primacy of the proclamation of the Gospel to the peoples of Asia.
In his address to the authorities in Southeast Asia's commercial and financial crossroads, Francis extolled the model of peace and cooperation between different peoples that the city-state embodies. But he also called for a ‘fair wage’ for migrants and attention to family and human relations in the metropolis of the digital world. The model of a ‘multilateralism based on shared rules’ in today's conflict-torn world.
A French missionary with the MÉP, Fr Bruno Saint Girons, served as a priest for 15 years in the Southeast Asian metropolis that is currently welcoming the Pope. He told AsiaNews about the daily life of his communities, confiding that he would like this great city to learn from Francis to listen to everyone, not to judge.
While the whole country still has in its eyes the more than 600,000 people at yesterday's Mass, this morning - in his last appointment in East Timor - Francis met with young people, inviting them to ‘make noise’ to build the future without letting themselves be overcome by individualism. Then the departure for Singapore where the pontiff arrived in the early afternoon.
The city-state that awaits the arrival of Pope Francis has for the first time launched a retraining plan for low and middle-level professional workers, who are most exposed today to the hardships created by the economic upheavals linked to international crises. From April 2025, subsidies of 6,000 Singapore dollars for six months, accompanied by training activities.
Language is once again a major issue in the city-state. English’s progress risks weakening other languages, starting with Chinese, the largest mother tongue group. Policies to promote bilingualism are not working. About 61 per cent of parents under 35 mainly use English at home with their children.
Parliament has given the green light to a law that cuts food waste and encourages donation. The legislation is not only ethical, but protects those who hitherto could face lawsuits. About 750,000 tonnes of food is wasted per year in the city-state.
Human rights groups have not released information on the identity of the man executed for drug trafficking. Since March 2023, 16 people have been hanged while another 50 people are on death row. Pope Francis, who will visit the city-state from 11 to 13 September, has repeatedly spoken out against the death penalty.
The Singapore Internal Security Department (ISD), in its annual report entitled ‘Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2024’, warns that Islamic extremists have exploited the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to extend their agenda in the city-state. The report: ‘Main threat factor continues to be online self-radicalisation’.
With the revision of the electoral roll, operations towards the five-yearly renewal of the city-state's parliament have begun. Already a hundred accounts active on social networks have been blocked by the authorities for ‘hostile information campaigns’. While former premier Lee denounced the existence of fake videos of him produced with artificial intelligence.
The detailed schedule of the trip the pontiff will make from 2 to 13 September in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore has been released. The pope will deliver 16 speeches and homilies in the longest journey of his pontificate. In addition to four capitals, he will visit the mission in Vanimo. In Dili the Mass will be held on an esplanade in front of the ocean.
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