NDR 2025: New training programme to help foster future Chinese community leaders
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Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Australians more anxious on Trump tariffs than China, poll shows
42 per cent of respondents named US tariffs as their top concern compared with 37 per cent who cited the strategic threat from China. Australians are more worried about the Trump administration's protectionist trade policies than China's military buildup in the Asia-Pacific region, a new opinion poll showed. Some 42 per cent of respondents named US tariffs as their top concern compared with 37 per cent who cited the strategic threat from China, according to a Newspoll published on Aug 18 in The Australian. A further 21 per cent said neither bothered them, the survey conducted Aug 11 to 14 for the newspaper showed. It had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. While Australia received the minimum 10 per cent levy on its exports to the US, it could still be in the firing line for sectoral tariffs on industries such as pharmaceuticals. More generally, it is heavily exposed to global trade as an export-reliant nation and could also see blowback on import duties from its largest trading partner, China. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese undertook a six-day visit to China in July that included meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing. While there, he focused heavily on boosting business and trade ties, sidestepping thornier issues around US-China competition, Taiwan and Beijing's military assertiveness. University-educated voters were more worried about US tariffs than China's military expansion, according to the survey. The results were more evenly split for those without university education, it said. On local politics, Newspoll showed Albanese's Labour Party leading the center-right coalition 56 per cent to 44 per cent, slightly up on the May 3 election result that delivered Labour 94 seats in the 150-member parliament. The prime minister's net satisfaction rating also turned positive for the first time since September 2023, it showed. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Russia strikes on Kharkiv kill three, injure 17, Ukraine says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox KHARKIV - A Russian air attack overnight on a residential area in Kharkiv killed three people, including a toddler, and injured 17, Ukrainian authorities said on Monday, as the United States presses Kyiv to take a quick deal to end a war Moscow started. A drone attack killed the two-year-old boy in Ukraine's second-largest city early on Monday, after a ballistic missile strike the previous night, Oleh Synehubov, the governor of the wider Kharkiv region, said on messaging app Telegram. The number of the injured from the Kharkiv attack was "continuously increasing", Synehubov added. Also on Telegram, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said two more were killed and 17 injured in both attacks, among them six children aged from six to 17. "A woman has just been rescued from under the rubble: she is alive," Terekhov said in a post early on Monday, warning that more might be trapped under the rubble. Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine near the border with Russia, has been the target of regular Russian drone and missile attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The earlier ballistic missile strike on the city shattered about 1,000 windows, Synehubov said. Some residents had to be evacuated, Ukraine's state emergency service said on Telegram. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDR 2025: Age Well Neighbourhoods will help improve seniors' access to healthcare, social activities Singapore NDR 2025: New govt-funded traineeship scheme for ITE, poly, university graduates Singapore NDR 2025: More avenues for S'poreans to be heard, get involved will be opened up, says PM Wong Business Singapore key exports fall worse than expected in July as shipments to US plunge 42.7% World Trump, tech and Texas: What's next for the US? Singapore N(T) students more likely to finish school, do as well in job market as N(A) peers: Study Singapore Singapore-developed device for diabetics measures long-term average blood sugar levels within 6 mins Business Asean can fend off protectionism blow by boosting integration: Singapore Business Federation chief Reuters witnesses saw medics attending to residents on a street and rescuers inspecting damage in residential buildings. Two people were injured in Russia's strikes on the adjacent region of Sumy that also damaged at least a dozen homes and an educational institution, authorities said. "The enemy continues to deliberately target civilian infrastructure in the Sumy region — treacherously, at night," Oleh Hryhorov, the head of the regional administration, said on Telegram. Reuters could not independently verify the weapons used by Russia. There was no immediate comment from Moscow. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their strikes, but thousands of people have died, the vast majority of them Ukrainian. President Donald Trump, who hosted President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday for talks aimed at ending the war, has urged Kyiv to make a deal with Moscow, stating, "Russia is a very big power, and they're not." REUTERS
AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- AsiaOne
'Singapore should leave no stone unturned': WP responds to PM Wong's NDR speech, Singapore News
The Workers' Party (WP) responded to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's National Day Rally speech, urging the Government to "engage widely" and consider all options amid uncertainty. In a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Monday (Aug 18), the opposition party referenced Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) labour force report for the second quarter of this year. According to the report, global economic uncertainty is expected to persist in the coming months and may weigh on hiring and wage growth — especially in outward-oriented sectors. "Against this cautious backdrop, the Workers' Party urges the Government to engage widely and explore all solutions tabled in good faith, including previously untapped ones," said WP. "Singapore should leave no stone unturned in our collective efforts to build a truly resilient nation for the future and keep our Singapore flag flying high." The party suggested that the Government "tackle present concerns" for businesses and employees. This includes rising rental costs, skills-related unemployment and the "slow rate of real income growth" of 0.7 per cent per year over the past five years. WP also reiterated its manifesto proposal for JTC Corporation to expand its market share for industrial space and continue offering low-rent options at different price-value points for small and medium-sized enterprises alongside its private sector-run facilities. The party called on the Government to "urgently track and regularly publish" underemployment measures, as well as to establish a statutory minimum wage. It also stated: "We agree with the approach of improving jobs matching efforts for Singaporeans, and ask that the relevant organisations accelerate the setting up of this programme with the economic uncertainty ahead." "In our experience, many residents referred to e2i (the National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute) often receive career counselling, but not the direct job-matching support they truly need," WP added. 'Ensure no one gets left behind' During his speech, PM Wong addressed concerns regarding the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on jobs, assuring Singaporeans that they remain the central focus of Singapore's economic strategy. In response to this, WP stated that while AI and new technologies will help businesses, they will also "alter the employment landscape permanently, leaving many Singaporeans behind". The party reiterated its proposal in its manifesto for increased collaboration between the education and manpower ministries to ensure Singapore's school curriculum aligns with "evolving needs". Singapore should implement "skill-demand feedback loops" from industries for when designing school curriculums, funding for "structural skill-gap areas" and career guidance, said WP "This targeted approach ensures that our education system can provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to achieve high-value career pathways both domestically and globally." It called for an increase in the number of allied educators, which can lead to "a meaningful reduction" in class sizes. It also urged a shift away from high-stakes examinations and towards continual assessment and a through-train approach. "Ultimately, our goal is to create an education system that develops well-rounded individuals with the confidence and capabilities to succeed in an ever-evolving world," WP added. The party also called for improvements to social safety nets, including the introduction of redundancy insurance and the mandating of retrenchment benefits for people who are laid off from companies with at least 25 employees. PM Wong also announced a new Government-funded traineeship programme during the NDR, which WP said should be designed with safeguards to ensure state-sponsored internships and apprenticeships are not used by firms as a "source of cheaper, subsidised labour". "There should be clear performance metrics and a transparent commitment from participating companies to consider trainees for full-time employment once the training period ends," the party added. All trainees should also receive basic workplace protections, including paid sick leave and safe working conditions, said WP. 'We must engage Singaporeans in shaping solutions together': PSP Progress Singapore Party (PSP) secretary-general Leong Mun Wai also responded to PM Wong's rally speech. Referencing the new measures announced which pertained to the job market, Leong said in a statement that PSP welcomes the immediate support for new graduates, who may face challenges securing their first jobs in an AI-disrupted economy. "However, these proposals risk becoming mere band-aid solutions that do not address our country's deeper structural issues," he cautioned. Leong questioned if tertiary education is adequately preparing youth for the workforce if graduates are increasingly expected to settle for traineeships instead of full-time jobs. "Beyond this, given that AI can now achieve feats beyond many humans, such as (winning) a gold medal in the International Mathematical Olympiad, Singapore must confront some fundamental questions in the years ahead," he said. This includes exploring how Singapore can strengthen uniquely human abilities — such as critical thinking, complex problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and adaptability — among its people and prevent companies from using AI to cut jobs while boosting profits. Singapore would also need to review its economic structure to ensure AI does not worsen wealth and income inequality, said Leong. The party chief also asked if Singaporeans are ready to take on blue-collar jobs, which have long been outsourced to foreign workers, as recent research shows they are least likely to be disrupted by AI. He agreed with PM Wong on the view that Singaporeans should work with the Government to turn good ideas for a better Singapore into a reality. "PSP believes these are not questions the government can answer alone. We must engage Singaporeans in shaping solutions together," Leong said. While the National Day Rally provided some ideas, many critical questions on key issues such as housing affordability and cost of living were still left unanswered, Leong said. He added that PSP will keep pushing for fundamental reform and provide alternative policies. "We want to work together with the government for a better Singapore," he said. [[nid:721437]]
