Prime Minister Lawrence Wong intends to nominate Seah Kian Peng as Speaker of the Parliament and Indranee Rajah as Leader of the House when Parliament convenes in September.This was announced through a statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Friday (June 20).The 15th Parliament is set to meet for the first time on Sept 5, following the last session in April 15 when the 14th Parliament was dissolved ahead of the General Election.Seah has served as the Speaker since 2023, and has «presided over our debates with fairness and ensured that proceedings are conducted with dignity and decorum,» said PM Wong in a Facebook post on Friday (June 20).«I am confident he will continue to discharge his responsibilities with distinction.» Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for National Development, has served as Leader since 2020 and will remain so.Senior Minister of State for Defence and Sustainability and the Environment, Zaqy Mohamad, will also be nominated to continue his role as the Deputy Leader.

A court in Kenya on Thursday sentenced two men to 30 years in prison for facilitating the 2019 attack on a Nairobi luxury hotel complex that left 21 people dead.

Kenya's parliament on Thursday voted to approve this year's proposed finance law, denying the revenue authority's request to get unrestricted access to taxpayers' data on account of privacy concerns and constitutional safeguards.

Somalia has successfully concluded its 12th Grade National Examination for the 2024–2025 academic year, marking a key step in the country’s broader efforts to reform and modernise its education sector.

In this paper, we analyse potential impacts that dollar-denominated stablecoins could have on monetary policy. We also consider related questions about the introduction of the digital euro. Based on our findings, the adoption of stablecoins in Europe is unlikely to be large-scale without state support. The development of the digital euro with full state and central bank backing is more likely to succeed. To be a viable alternative to private payment options, the digital euro needs to be carefully designed. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The Johor government and ride hailing company Grab are in discussions to update the Cross-Border Travel Agreement between Singapore and the Malaysian state.This aims to make travel between Singapore and Johor smoother, said Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi in a statement posted to Facebook on Thursday (June 19). Stating that these discussions were raised during a recent meeting with Grab's senior management, amongst other key matters, Onn Hafiz explained that the talks form part of broader efforts to enhance Johor's tourism and transportation sectors ahead of Visit Johor Year 2026 (TMJ 2026).TMJ 2026 is a statewide campaign which aims to attract 12 million tourists to Johor and generate RM42 billion in revenue, reported Bernama.«The discussions also explored potential cross-border collaborations involving the Malaysian and Singaporean transport ministries, alongside the role of Grab and other public transport providers in facilitating smoother travel between the two countries,» Onn Hafiz said.AsiaOne has reached out to Grab for more information.

The Asian Art Association Singapore (AAA) has shut down claims that it misused artist profiles and falsely associated its events with the Singapore Botanic Gardens.In a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday (June 18), the association said it was recently made aware of remarks circulating on social media which it described as «false and misleading».One of these remarks was about the artist profile of a Japanese illustrator who had been formally invited to join the association in 2022.A screenshot of the profile, which was shared with AsiaOne, showed the illustrator's name, place of origin, works and awards. It also had a short description of how aspects of his life influenced his art style.The person who made the accusatory post has since deleted it. Responding to AsiaOne's enquiries, AAA chairman Jay Chau said the illustrator had voluntarily submitted his materials for publication and was sent a draft webpage of his artist profile on Aug 23, 2022. The profile was only published after receiving the illustrator's written confirmation, according to the chairman.

SINGAPORE — New details have emerged to show that the cyclist who suffered a gunshot wound, and his friends, may have taken steps to conceal from the authorities the route they took on Sunday (June 15).The Straits Times learnt that the 42-year-old did not initially disclose to the police and the National University Hospital (NUH) that he had been riding near the Nee Soon live-firing range when he was hit by a projectile.The area between Upper Seletar and Upper Peirce reservoirs in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) is gazetted for live-firing, with clear signs warning hikers and riders against trespassing.The cyclist, identified as L, often tracks his rides on hiking and cycling tracking app Strava. Checks by ST showed him entering the cycling trail from Chestnut Nature Park at about 9.50am on June 15, a Sunday.He was with a group of about 10 cyclists at the time. At least one other cyclist, identified as W, was his regular riding partner.W deleted details on Strava of his ride on June 15. But the route he took was mapped out on W's Garmin account, which is accessible to the public.

Two firefighters were among four people sent to hospital following a fire at Block 5 Holland Close on Thursday (June 19) evening.Firefighters from Alexandra Fire Station had responded to the call at the HDB block at around 7.25pm.According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), one of the bedrooms in a 23rd-floor unit was on fire and firefighters entered the smoke-filled flat, extinguishing the fire with two water jets. However, the fire and smoke had already damaged the unit.About 100 people were evacuated by the police and SCDF from the affected block to a nearby futsal court.Two people who had fled the unit prior to SCDF's arrival were assessed for smoke inhalation before being taken to Singapore General Hospital.During the operation, two firefighters suffered heat exhaustion and one was taken to Singapore General Hospital, while the other was taken to National University Hospital.One of the two firefighters was discharged from hospital on Friday morning and given five days of medical leave.

Opposition spokesperson on education Damion Crawford says for 10 years there has been a “pattern of underperformance” in education under the current administration, pointing to thousands of students who failed numeracy and literacy in the 2024...

The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has launched a probe into the fatal shooting of a man by police during an alleged confrontation in Spanish Town, St Catherine, on Thursday morning. The police have identified the deceased...

President Trump is reportedly relying on a small group of lower-profile aides as he weighs military intervention in the Middle East Read Full Article at RT.com

A growing number of American officials are expressing deep frustration with Vladimir Zelensky’s powerful chief of staff, Andrey Yermak Read Full Article at RT.com

One lucky punter hit the jackpot in the June 19 Toto draw with a windfall of $12,323,051. [[nid:719144]]This is also the third highest winning share since October 2014. The sole winner’s winning ticket is a System 7 ticket, which costs $7, purchased at a FairPrice outlet in Yew Tee Point. This outlet is not among the top 10 winning outlets.The winning numbers are 1, 10, 37, 40, 45, 47, with 19 as the additional number.According to Singapore Pools, the top winning share of $13,123,509 won on May 9, 2024, was a System 7 ticket purchased online, followed by a winning share of $13,077,918 won on Oct 2, 2023. The punter had bought a System 8 ticket for $28 from a Race Course Road outlet. The Group 2 prize of $108,637 for the June 19 draw was split between 13 people. The next draw will be held on June 23 (Monday), with the prize money reset to $1 million. [[nid:718705]]editor@asiaone.com 

US military involvement in the Israel–Iran conflict will lead to a major escalation, Dmitry Peskov told RT Read Full Article at RT.com

The organization's CEO noted that he will remain in the country

Earlier, The Guardian wrote that US President Donald Trump was not examining the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons for a strike on the facility

The COVID-19 variant that may be driving a recent rise in cases in some parts of the world has earned a new nickname: “razor blade throat” COVID. That’s because the variant — NB.1.8.1. or “Nimbus” — may cause painful sore throats. The symptom...

The St Ann's Bay police are investigating the murder of a man who was fatally stabbed by another during a fight this morning in Higgins Town. The deceased has been identified by the alias 'Frass Man', a labourer of Content district in Lime Hall...

The body of a Clarendon man who was reported missing was on Wednesday found hanging by an electrical cord from a tree in bushes in Chatteau district in the parish. He has been identified by the police as 60-year-old Louie George Wiltshire,...

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) fleet has been boosted with the arrival of 63 new compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Daryl Vaz, and a team consisting of JUTC Managing...

A taxi operator was reportedly shot and killed at his home in May Pen, Clarendon, on Wednesday. He has been identified as 39-year-old Gary Gordon, of a Sewell Crescent address in May Pen. Reports from the May Pen police are that explosions were...

According to the American journalist Seymour Hersh, the operation will «entail heavy American bombing»

According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the US president «enjoys a very respectful and cordial relationship» with China's President Xi Jinping

In many aspects, the events in Syria were caused partially by external influence, Dmitry Peskov believes

Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem did not elaborate on whether the movement plans full-scale participation in the ongoing armed conflict

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is apologizing for remarks he made this week saying that First Nations cannot «keep coming hat in hand all the time to the government» for more money.

Numerous hikers have been caught in a rock slide north of Lake Louise with multiple people injured or killed, according to the RCMP.

«That is something that the entire world, including countries like Russia, is in agreement that Iran should not and cannot obtain a nuclear weapon,» Karoline Leavitt stressed

«Iran also urges the Security Council to demand an immediate cessation of all such attacks and to reaffirm the inviolability of safeguarded nuclear sites and facilities, in line with international law and the Charter of the United Nations, the Statute of the Agency, and IAEA General Conference Resolutions,» the letter said

«We, of course, will have to compare the reaction of the sides to the memorandums» that the countries exchanged at the latest talks in Turkey, according to Dmitry Peskov

«Everyone, even the Israeli defense minister, with his loud declaration about Khamenei's fate, must understand that attacks on nuclear facilities are extremely dangerous and can lead to a repeat of the Chernobyl tragedy,» he said

According to the Fars news agency, Tehran views the television channel as a center of «propaganda and support for terrorism»

President Donald Trump will wait another two weeks before deciding whether or not to intervene in Israel's war with Iran in the hope of a peace-deal being brokered in the Middle East before then.