TODAY’s brief, Wednesday, August 26
Workers' Party Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang (centre) with potential WP candidates during a walkabout at Yishun St 72 on 16 Aug 2015. Photo: Wee Teck Hian/TODAY
Opposition expected to unveil candidates
With less than a week to go before Nomination Day on Sept 1, opposition political parties are expected to start unveiling their candidates for the wards they are contesting. The People’s Action Party has made known its slate for the majority of constituencies, leaving just four GRCs (Aljunied, East Coast, Marine Parade and Nee Soon) and two SMCs (Fengshan and Punggol East). For the Workers’ Party, all seven of its sitting MPs will be defending their wards. After factoring in their two Non-Constituency MPs, that leaves 19 spots to fill for the 28 seats it is gunning for.
GE candidates can begin picking up nomination papers
With the Writ of Election being issued yesterday, candidates can start picking up nomination papers from the Elections Department. So far, opposition political parties have indicated that they will challenge all 89 Parliament seats, with possible three-cornered fights in Marine Parade GRC and Potong Pasir SMC.
Typhoon Goni expected to make landfall in S Korea
The powerful Typhoon Goni, packing gusts of up to 198km/hr, lashed the main Japanese island of Kyushu yesterday leaving at least one person missing, more than 70 others injured and disrupting rail and flight services, as authorities urged more than 600,000 people to leave their homes. South Korea is on high alert as heavy rainfall is expected in the southeast of the country when Goni makes landfall.
Chinese oli rig to continue drilling near Vietnam’s coast
All eyes are on China-Vietnam relations after a Chinese oil rig at the centre of last year’s standoff between Beijing and Hanoi announced yesterday that it will continue drilling not far from Vietnam’s coast. There were large scale anti-Chinese protests and riots in Vietnam last May when the rig was deployed about 120 nautical miles off the Vietnamese coast, in what Vietnam considers its exclusive economic zone – where countries can fish and exploit resources under international law.
Weather forecast
It will be slightly hazy today. Thundery showers are expected mainly over northern, western and central Singapore in the late morning and early afternoon tomorrow, with temperatures ranging between 26°C and 32°C.
