‘Reputational damage’: Singapore’s ruling party grapples with scandal
Al Jazeera
The People’s Action Party, which has long traded on its squeaky-clean image, seeks to reassure voters as election looms.
Singapore – Hamilton in the West End, Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
This might sound like the itinerary for a fun weekend in London but in Singapore, they are part of a rare corruption case involving a senior politician.
Former cabinet minister S Iswaran is alleged to have received more than 380,000 Singapore dollars ($283,000) worth of gifts from Malaysian billionaire Ong Beng Seng, including tickets for West End shows and football matches, some of them in exchange for advancing Ong’s business interests.
Ong was the driving force in bringing the Singapore Grand Prix to the city-state in 2008 and owns the rights to the night race.
Tickets to the Grand Prix were listed on the charge sheet as gifts that Iswaran allegedly received.
Germany calls the allegations ‘very serious’, as Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban orders probe into alleged ‘wiretapping’.
Iran parliament speaker says US president using idea of talks to ‘escape quagmire in which US and Israel are trapped’.
The US president has proven that hitting hard and fast rather than engaging in endless negotiations guarantees victory.
Lebanon fears that Israel’s attack on Qasmiyeh Bridge could be a “prelude to a ground invasion”.
Donald Trump’s Strait of Hormuz deadline for Iran raises concerns about attacks on energy in the Middle East.
Members of the International Energy Agency have agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves.
Democrats and other observers slam deployment of US immigration agents to airports as dangerous and source of tension.
Locals in northern India have a growing concern over costs of essential resources due to the Iran war.
Esmaeil Baghaei denies the long-range missile attack, which could change the calculus of the war for US allies.
