PM Lawrence Wong's 2025 National Day Message to Singaporeans
In the televised broadcast on Friday (Aug 8), Mr Wong said Singapore is refreshing its economic strategy to strengthen its competitiveness and secure its future in a "very different world".
"To stay ahead, Singapore must remain exceptional – in our cohesion, in our resolve, in our performance. We must move faster, adapt quicker and innovate smarter," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
39 minutes ago
- CNA
South Korea's military has shrunk by 20% in six years as male population drops
SEOUL: South Korea's military shrank by 20 per cent in the past six years to 450,000 troops, largely due to a sharp drop in the population of males of enlistment age for mandatory service in the country with the world's lowest birthrate, a report said on Sunday (Aug 10). The dramatic decline in the pool of available males for military service is also causing a shortfall in the number of officers and could result in operational difficulty if it continues, the defence ministry said in the report. The report was made to the ruling Democratic Party member of parliament Choo Mi-ae, whose office released it. South Korea's military has steadily declined since the early 2000s when it had about 690,000 soldiers. The pace accelerated during the late 2010s and there were about 563,000 active-duty soldiers and officers in 2019. North Korea is believed to have an active-duty military of about 1.2 million, according to the latest estimate by the defence ministry in 2022. In the period between 2019 and 2025, the population of 20-year-old males declined by 30 per cent to 230,000, according to government data, the age when most men who pass a physical exam enlist for military service, which is now 18 months long. The military has cited improved capabilities as a key reason for shortening service periods, made possible by a military alliance with the United States and the development of a defence industry that has become a major exporter of arms. Able-bodied men served 36 months in 1953 when the Korean War ended in an armistice. South Korea's defence budget, at more than 61 trillion won (US$43.9 billion) in 2025, is larger than the estimated size of North Korea's economy. Still, the military is 50,000 troops short of the number of troops adequate for maintaining defence readiness, the ministry said. About 21,000 of the shortfall is in the non-commissioned officer ranks, it said. South Korea is one of the world's fastest ageing societies and has the lowest fertility rate in the world at 0.75 in 2024, which signifies the average number of babies a woman is expected to have during her reproductive life. Its population, which hit a peak of 51.8 million in 2020, is expected to shrink to 36.2 million by 2072, according to a government projection.
CNA
39 minutes ago
- CNA
Singapore 'deeply concerned' about Israel's plan to expand military operations in Gaza: MFA
SINGAPORE: Singapore on Sunday (Aug 10) said that it was "deeply concerned" about Israel's plan to expand military operations in Gaza. "Singapore is deeply concerned about the plan by the Israeli security cabinet to expand military operations in Gaza," said the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). "This is a dangerous and unacceptable course of action that will lead to more mass displacement of civilians and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian crisis," according to a ministry spokesperson. Singapore also reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire, and for Hamas to release all remaining hostages immediately and unconditionally. Israel must comply with its international humanitarian obligations, and all restrictions on humanitarian aid must be removed, the MFA spokesperson added. "The Israeli government must immediately facilitate the full and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid. "All parties must protect civilian infrastructure and civilians, especially those accessing humanitarian supplies, in accordance with international humanitarian law," said the MFA spokesperson. On Friday, Israel's political-security Cabinet approved a plan to "take control" of Gaza City. The Israeli army "will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Friday. Hamas denounced the plan to expand the fighting as a "new war crime". United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday criticised Israel's plan, with his spokesperson calling it 'a dangerous escalation' that would result in the forced displacement of Palestinians. 'This decision marks a dangerous escalation and risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians, and could further endanger more lives, including of the remaining hostages,' a spokesperson for the UN chief said in a statement. The plan 'will result in additional forced displacement, killings and massive destruction, compounding the unimaginable suffering of the Palestinian population in Gaza,' the statement added, noting that forced displacement is illegal under international law.
Independent Singapore
42 minutes ago
- Independent Singapore
Walid Abdullah posts wish list for Singapore's 60th birthday, including less use of ChatGPT for younger S'poreans
FB screengrab/Walid J Abdullah SINGAPORE: With Singapore celebrating its 60th birthday on Saturday (Aug 9), Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, an assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University as well as a political analyst and podcaster, published a wide-ranging wish list for the city-state on his Facebook account. ' 6 wishes for Singapore's 60th. I wish: 1. That Singaporeans stop saying, 'If LKY was around, this wouldn't have happened.' 2. That no Ministry, Stat Board, organisation, or food establishment respond to a query with: 'you can download our app.' 3. That Singaporeans, especially younger ones, use ChatGPT less. Just because we wish to be a 'Smart Nation', doesn't mean that we have to embrace all technology at all times uncritically. 4. That Singaporeans stop complaining when kids are playing (football) in the neighbourhood. 5. That no one says 'I am manifesting' this. (That's just the secular version of prayers. Wanting to pray without believing in God) 6. That Singapore recognises a Palestinian state,' he wrote. See also Gerald Giam asked if WP has abandoned its 'core base' His post has gone on to receive a lot of attention from fellow users on the platform, some of whom responded with wishes of their own. 'That the standard solution to our problems isn't 'Hey, you know what? Let's form a committee. Let's form five of 'em! Yeah, that's sorted,'' wrote one netizen. 'Stop saying 'let's move forward' before properly proceeding with what happened,' added another. One chimed in with, 'Be a more thinking & independent nation, and avoid being a blind follower of certain deceptive narratives.' A commenter, meanwhile, took a lighter tone when he wrote, 'My wish is for Singaporeans to stop making fun of Manchester United!' Dr Walid's fourth wish about kids playing football in Singapore appeared to resonate with a number of netizens, one of whom wrote that 'if Singaporeans do that, then they have no right to complain about why our football team sucks!' Another wrote, 'This I agree to a tee!' As for the academic's point about ChatGPT, a Facebook user observed that 'the use of AI may not make us a smart nation. In fact, it could easily produce the opposite effect. What we really need to be smart is developing natural intelligence and not artificial intelligence. In fact, the term artificial intelligence is arguably an oxymoron to begin with, for intelligence must be natural since it is an attribute of sentient beings, not super-computers, no matter how complex their man-made algorithms may be.' /TISG Read also: Academic Walid J Abdullah calls Mdm Halimah a voice of 'moral clarity' in his new book () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
