Nine people per 100,000 are homeless in the city-state, the crossroad of Southeast Asia, a small number that jars, however, with the country’s widespread well-being and prosperity. The challenge is to go from temporary housing to structural solutions that reduce stigma and ghettoisation. Religious and non-religious organisations, including Catholic Welfare Services, are committed to solving the issue.
The arrest dates back to August: made public by the Internal Security Department (ISD), which confirmed two years' imprisonment. The plan was to attack with scissors and a kitchen knife in the crowded area near the Tampines West Community Club. It is the fourth foiled attack since 2020.
Tech giants plan to invest heavily in South East Asia, boosting regional economies, from Singapore to Malaysia. Demand is expected to grow by about 20 per cent per year for the next five to seven years. Microsoft has already pledged over two billion dollars in Malaysia for cloud infrastructure and AI.
Official data for the first half of 2024 confirm the upward trend, with further strong growth by 2030, fuelled mostly by migrants filling the local labour market, up by 5 per cent over the previous year. This is fuelling a debate in society, and not only over resource and infrastructure planning.
In the general audience held today in St Peter's Square, Francis retraced the stages of the apostolic journey that in recent days has taken him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. "I met living communities that grow by attraction. It gladdened my heart to be able to spend some time with the missionaries and catechists of today’.
In his visit to the Southeast Asian city-state, Pope Francis spoke of the urgency of not leaving anyone in the shadow of its great skyscrapers. This commitment is best exemplified by Pro Bono SG, a group of legal professionals who provide free legal counsel and representation to those who cannot afford them. In doing so, they are overcoming some strong biases in a society that extols rigour.