Singapore

by Joseph Masilamany | SINGAPORE

The Health Minister warns about vaporisers illegally loaded with etomidate, found in a third of the devices seized in a raid: ‘It has already caused road accidents and unnatural deaths.’ The government is preparing to include the substance on the list of narcotics subject to strict local anti-drug legislation.


The Hang Seng index is down by 13.22 per cent, its sharpest drop since 1997, in the wake of the trade war triggered by tariffs. Recession fears are also sinking Singaporean real estate companies. Massive interventions by a Chinese sovereign wealth fund contains losses on the Shanghai stock exchange.

| 07/04/2025
| ASIA
by Steve Suwannarat

The city-state government is launching a 100-local-dollar card to facilitate access to events, exhibitions and initiatives for young and old. It is also a way to support employment in the sector, which is still struggling despite the post-Covid recovery.

| 14/03/2025
| SINGAPORE
by Joseph Masilamany

Pannir Selvam Pranthaman is scheduled to hang on 20 February after 11 years in Singapore’s notorious Changi Prison. His family hopes for a stay of execution, urging friends and relatives to pray for a miracle. But the only way to stop the execution is for the Malaysian government to go before the International Court of Justice.

| 18/02/2025
| MALAYSIA - SINGAPORE
by Joseph Masilamany

Southeast Asia expert  Bridget Welsh analyses Kuala Lumpur's first steps at the helm of the bloc: the leadership will be successful if it puts ‘the interests of those who live in the region above those of its leaders’. ‘Calling for “inclusive elections” in Myanmar contradicts the real situation on the ground’.

| 17/02/2025
| MALAYSIA
by Santosh Digal

After last November's knife attack on Fr Lee, Fr Cary Chan of the Holy Spirit Church was targeted this time. A 22-year-old young man with mental and physical problems attacked him and hit him in the face. The priest suffered a haematoma, but still wanted to celebrate Mass. The archdiocese: ‘Remain calm and refrain from speculation’.

| 10/02/2025
| SINGAPORE
by Steve Suwannarat

A study by IPS and OnePeople titled Indicators of Racial and Religious Harmony indicates that racial and religious stereotypes are growing as people become more conscious and honest about diversity. A quarter of the population does not fully trust fellow citizens from other religious or ethnic backgrounds, down from 42 per cent in 2013.

| 04/02/2025
| SINGAPORE
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“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”