Singapore's long-time Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will transfer power to his successor, Lawrence Wong, on May 15, preceding an upcoming election. The 51-year-old Wong became the prime minister-in-waiting in April 2022 after the initial successor withdrew unexpectedly. This move has disrupted the carefully planned leadership transition in the affluent Asian financial hub. As co-leader of the government's COVID-19 task committee, Wong rose to fame and received recognition for his leadership during the pandemic. He served in the government in many key areas, including deputy prime minis
On Saturday, India and Russia celebrated their 77th anniversary of diplomatic ties, highlighting a resilient partnership across diverse sectors such as defence, energy, trade, and culture. Over the years, Russia has played a crucial role in strengthening India's energy security and defence capabilities. Currently, efforts are underway to enhance connectivity in the Eurasian space. Additionally, there are endeavours to achieve an early conclusion of the FTA between the Eurasian Economic Union and India, efficiently promote the North-South Transport Corridor, relaunch the Vladivostok-C
US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced increased military cooperation to confront China during a state visit to the White House. The US-Japan alliance has undergone a major upgrade, with agreements including constructing an air missile defence network with Australia and creating unified command structures. They underlined that these actions are entirely defensive and intended to protect international law from unilateral attempts to use force to change the status quo. The leaders also declared mutually beneficial cooperation to accelerate the developme
On Tuesday, Simon Harris became Ireland's youngest premier at 37. He left university at 20 to work in politics, became a councillor at 22, and an MP at 24. He oversaw the nation's response to COVID-19 throughout his time in the cabinet, which began before he reached thirty. Harris hopes to strengthen his party's position by possibly creating coalitions with independent candidates, given the difficulties of overturning Sinn Fein's lead in opinion polls before the next election. Harris believes that Fine Gael is still a centrist party despite efforts to return to its centre-right posit
On Tuesday, a joint declaration was signed by Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Norway, and the Netherlands. This denotes a coordinated effort among these North Sea bordering countries to protect underwater infrastructure, particularly in light of potential threats such as those from Russia. These nations aim to improve their ability to exchange critical information by pledging to cooperate, which will be essential to safeguarding important maritime assets. This agreement emphasises how crucial international cooperation is in tackling marine security issues. Following the explosions o
The USA, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines conducted joint naval and air drills in the South China Sea, coinciding with China's regional exercises. The goal of the multilateral exercise, which took place in the West Philippine Sea, was to improve participant forces' maritime skills and collaboration. It included division tactics and communication drills. Even if it wasn't overt, China's aggression in the area was a driving force behind the drill. The defence minister of Japan opposed forceful unilateral reforms and underlined the importance of the South China Sea for maintaining region
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian embarked on a diplomatic journey to Oman, marking the initial leg of a pivotal regional tour. This move comes amidst heightened tensions following a suspected Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus nearly a week ago. The ministry revealed that Amirabdollahian's visit to Oman was accompanied by a delegation comprising political and parliamentary figures. The agenda includes bilateral issues between Iran and Oman as well as regional issues, particularly Gaza. The recent escalation began with a suspected Israeli ai
On Thursday, Kuwait opened its first polling stations since Sheikh Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah took office in late 2023. According to the official news agency, the elections, which are the fourth to be held since December 2020, are set to end at midnight local time. The people will choose representatives from five electoral seats for the 18th legislative term of the National Assembly. 200 candidates are running for 50 seats in the parliament this year since political parties are banned in Kuwait. All of these candidates are running as individuals. There are 834,733 voters eligible to vote and the
Ousmane Sonko, the new prime minister of Senegal, who is well-known for rallying youth support, succeeded his ally Bassirou Diomaye Faye in securing the presidency. The appointment was made just hours after Faye was sworn in as president of the country in West Africa after winning the election on March 25 by a wide margin. Despite being barred from the most recent election due to a defamation conviction, Sonko, a critic of former president Macky Sall, supported Faye to succeed him. Former tax inspectors Sonko and Faye support Senegal's independence from French colonial ties and are agai
China, Russia, and North Korea are increasingly launching cyberattacks, so Japan, the United States, and the Philippines are teaming up to create a collective cyber defence network. At their trilateral summit in Washington on April 11, Presidents Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are expected to reach an agreement on this cooperation. This initiative aims to protect critical infrastructure and government facilities. There are currently cybersecurity negotiations between the United States and Japan, as well as ongoing discussions with the Philippines. The United States and