TODAY’s brief, Tuesday, July 28
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (L) and Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (C) walk past Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi after addressing the media at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia July 27, 2015. Photo: Reuters
Joko Widodo, David Cameron in Singapore
Indonesian President Joko Widodo will make his first official state visit to Singapore today, where he will sign three agreements with Singapore that will advance bilateral cooperation in developing an electronic government, youth and sports programmes, and business. UK Prime Minister David Cameron is also in town for a two-day visit.
ASEAN haze talks
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan is in Jakarta for the 17th meeting of the sub-regional ministerial steering committee on transboundary haze pollution. The countries involved, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, will discuss the follow-up on the ASEAN sub-regional haze monitoring system, among other haze prevention measures.
Minister Lawrence Wong on “our aspirations, our home”
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong will be taking questions at a forum with young alumni members of the National University of Singapore tonight. The topic in discussion is “Our aspirations, our home”.
Ministerial-level talks on TPP
All eyes will be on the final round of negotiations for the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), as ministerial-level talks kick-off today. This round of talks are viewed as an effective deadline for the TPP member nations to cut a deal by the end of the year. Failure to reach a breakthrough by Jul 31 could lead to negotiations dragging into 2017 or even later, as the United States enters full-fledged campaigning for the 2016 presidential election.
MERS relief in South Korea
There is a mood of cautious hope today, as South Korean health officials are expected to announce an end to the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). With the lifting of quarantine on the last suspected case, officials say that the risk of the virus spreading within the community is negligible. However, under World Health Organization guidelines, South Korea can only be considered fully free of the virus by late August.
Weather forecast
Thundery showers are expected over northern, western and central Singapore in the late morning and early afternoon. Temperatures are expected to range between 25°C and 33°C.
