Jean Iau

1 week ago | scmp.com | Jean Iau |Kimberly Lim

Singapore’s new task force on economic resilience to help businesses and workers convened for the first time on Wednesday amid growing global uncertainty over US tariffs. With a baseline 10 per cent levy slapped on the city state by US President Donald Trump, Singapore could expect challenges from indirect effects of the tariffs as a small and open economy where trade volume was three times its gross domestic product, said Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong, who leads the task force.

2 weeks ago | scmp.com | Jean Iau |Kimberly Lim

Across much of Southeast Asia, political parties rely on charisma or dynastic clout to field candidates. In Singapore, however, it is the resignation of senior civil servants and military brass that often sets the stage for entry into politics – especially amid the beating of electoral drums. The discussion around such high-ranking figures vacating their posts in an election year usually involves when and where they will be fielded by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).

3 weeks ago | scmp.com | Biman Mukherji |Joseph Sipalan |Jean Iau

Asia has become one of the hardest-hit regions from sweeping tariffs unleashed by US President Donald Trump, with an average rate of nearly 30 per cent levies on exports to America expected for countries in the region. Experts expect Trump’s latest trade salvo, announced on Wednesday and set to take effect as early as Saturday, to spark a “global trade war” as nations retaliate with their own measures, potentially speeding up inflation in some economies.

1 month ago | scmp.com | Kimberly Lim |Jean Iau |Aidan Jones

By the time she was 21, Singaporean Regina Yeo had the sharper jaw and higher nasal bridge that she’d craved throughout her teens. Self-avowedly “young, broke and desperate”, she still managed to scrape together the few hundred dollars needed for treatment at an unlicensed clinic staffed by women from Vietnam in Singapore’s Lavender district. Looking back, the beauty blogger – now 25 – has no regrets.

1 month ago | scmp.com | Jean Iau |Kimberly Lim

In Singapore, whenever an election looms, talk is never about whether the ruling party will lose power. Rather, attention centres on how much or little support the opposition can prise from the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) firm grasp to advance its chances. With the new electoral boundaries published this week ahead of what pundits have predicted will be a May election, all sides are deciding whom to field where.