1 week Ago By Yahoo News Singapore
Hello to all our readers, Yahoo Singapore will be bringing you live news updates today. The editorial team will be curating the latest must-know local and international news. First off, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has denounced former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng’s Gaza-related remarks , calling them "completely insensitive and unacceptable.
" Cheng faced backlash after suggesting that pro-Palestinian activists should be relocated to Gaza and barred from returning. He has since apologised in person to Islamic leaders and expressed regret online. However, his legal threats against critics have raised doubts about the sincerity of his apology.
Ministers Masagos Zulkifli and K Shanmugam , along with Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (PERGAS) , publicly condemned the remarks for undermining Singapore’s social harmony. Wong emphasised the need to nurture national cohesion, especially in uncertain times. Singapore’s unity, he said, is not guaranteed – it must be protected.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs are rocking global markets – and Singapore is set to respond by easing currency policy . All economists surveyed by Bloomberg predict the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will flatten its Singapore dollar’s nominal effective exchange rate (S$NEER) slope next week, possibly to 0 per cent. That would mark the second easing in 2025 , as Singapore scrambles to protect growth from slowing exports .
The MAS’s unique approach to monetary policy means it tweaks exchange rates, not interest rates. With GDP exposure to the US at 7 per cent, Singapore may be the next big economy to lean hard into stimulus . Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates.
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