It sure was an unexpected moment as Kim and Trump shook hands on 12 June, but what made it all the more surreal was that this historical meeting was held right here in Singapore! Spending S$20 million on the summit, Singapore pulled out all the stops for the two leaders, ensuring smooth proceedings by maintaining […]
TO SUMMIT UP
What Happened? The long-awaited summit has finally come and gone, here’s what happened. The summit was held at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa, where Trump and Kim met on 12 June (and where Kim felt the brunt of Trump’s fat joke). The two leaders signed a joint statement, with Kim reaffirming North Korea’s commitment to […]
FAREWELL TO CHEAP AND NICE LODGING IN JAPAN
Nearly 80 per-cent of Airbnb listings were removed after a new law for minpaku (private lodging services) goes into effect in Japan. As part of a national effort to crack down on illegal or semi-illegal private lodgings, the new law requires anyone participating in home-sharing to register their property and include a license number in […]
IT WAS ONLY A KISS
President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte drew flak from many when he kissed migrant worker Bea Kim on the lips (!) at an event with overseas Filipino workers in South Korea. Bea Kim, who is married to a Korean, and was on stage to receive a book when Duterte sought a kiss from her, asking if she […]
WHEN ESPLANADE HAS SOME ESPLANA-TION TO DO
Recently, The Esplanade removed an artwork by Vincent Leow due to public complaints about obscenity. The work features what looks like a naked human figure riding a rooster, and was part of an exhibition featuring Mr Leow’s artworks since April 13. The call was made after an anti-LGBT Facebook group called Singaporeans Defending Marriage and […]
IN CLEAR LANGUAGE, ST COLUMN RILES UP THE SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT
What happened? Veteran journalist Han Fook Kwang came under fire from the Singapore government after his column on the Straits Times drew a sharp rebuke from Lim Yuin Chien, Heng Swee Keat’s press secretary. In his column, Han called on government leaders to speak in language that resonates with ordinary citizens. In response, Lim put […]
THE SAUDI DRIVE TOWARDS MODERNISATION?
Ten women have so far collected their driving licence in Saudi Arabia, a conservative country that has only recently decided to lift the ban on women driving. These ten individuals will be able to drive once the ban is officially lifted on June 24 and it is expected that 2,000 more women will join the […]
THANK YOU, ANTHONY BOURDAIN
What happened? It’s been a sad week. Anthony Bourdain- writer, chef and award-winning host, was found dead in his French hotel bathroom in a case of apparent suicide on Friday morning. He was only 61 years old. Eric Ripert, a longtime friend of Bourdain’s, had found Bourdain unresponsive in his room when he and a […]
A SPLIT BETWEEN FRIENDS: CANADA AND USA
What happened? Just minutes after joint G7 communique was published by Canada, Trump announced via his favourite medium, Twitter, that he has instructed US representatives not to endorse the joint communique. This comes after Trump took offence at the tariffs that Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister, pledged to impose on the US in response to Trump’s […]
DEAD REPORTER NOT SO DEAD AFTER ALL
Like straight out of a movie, Arkady Babchenko, a dissident Russian journalist who was reported murdered in Kiev on May 29, showed up the next day in the televised briefing about his very own murder. Turns out the 41-year-old critic of Putin was in an elaborate plot together with the Ukrainian authorities. The critic successfully […]