Damoh: Man posing as UK doctor held in India after fatal surgeries

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3 hours ago
Vishnukant Tiwari

BBC Hindi

Neyaz Farooquee

BBC News

Narendra Ahirwar Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav alias N John Camm is accused of performing heart surgeries that resulted in seven deaths. Yadav is seen wearing a black t-shirt, with specs, and looking directly into the camera.Narendra Ahirwar

Police in India have arrested a man, who is accused of impersonating a British doctor, for performing surgeries that allegedly led to the death of seven patients.

Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav – also known as Dr N John Camm – worked as a cardiologist at a missionary hospital in Madhya Pradesh state.

Police accuse him of fraud, cheating and forgery and allege that the 53-year-old, who has worked as a doctor for almost two decades, faked his medical degrees.

They are also investigating allegations that he added the name of Prof John Camm, a leading cardiologist at UK’s St George Hospital, to his own to gain credibility. Mr Yadav has denied the allegations against him.

On Monday, just hours before he was arrested, he sent a legal notice of 50m rupees ($5,82,985; £4,54,969) to two dozen individuals and publishers for claiming he impersonated “some other cardiologist”.

The Mission Hospital in Damoh city, where Mr Yadav worked for a few weeks, has denied having any knowledge of his alleged fake credentials.

“Nobody suspected him of being a fake doctor. He was good at his job and acted like a big-time professor,” a hospital official told The Indian Express newspaper.

The case first came to light in February, when a child welfare committee in Damoh flagged the deaths to district officials.

“We got suspicious about his expertise and checked his credentials online and found that he had cases against him in at least three states,” claimed Deepak Tiwari, president of the district Child Welfare Committee.

An investigation found that Mr Yadav had quit his job at the hospital earlier that month and “gone missing” without explanation.

He was arrested in the city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh state on Monday evening.

“The accused doctor had worked on a total of 64 cases, including 45 cases of angioplasty, which led to seven patient deaths,” the district’s police chief Shrut Kirti Somvanshi told BBC Hindi.

It’s not yet clear whether his degrees are genuine or fake, but police believe they were likely to be forged as the documents lack key details, such as a unique registration number given to each student.

BBC Hindi The missionary hospital where Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav alias N John Camm worked, with off-white facade and its name and logo on top.BBC Hindi

This is not the first time that questions have been raised about Mr Yadav’s identity.

In a 2019 blog post, he claimed that he trained in the UK under Prof A John Camm and joined St George’s hospital in 2002 as an “Interventional Cardiologist”.

He claimed he first returned to India in 2003 to work at a leading heart hospital in Delhi and had worked in the US, Germany and Spain since then.

In one post shared in 2021, Mr Yadav wrote that he was developing a 5,000-bed John Camm Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in the western state of Rajasthan.

“The hospital is being developed under [the] leadership of Dr N John Camm, renowned Interventional Cardiologist from Germany, and will [be] spread over 100 acres of land and will have world class research and tissue labs,” he claimed.

But public records show that he registered four companies in the UK in 2018 under the name of Dr Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, which he later got changed to Dr Narendra John Camm.

In 2023, a well-known fact-checker in India too had raised questions about his credentials after he allegedly created an X (formerly Twitter) account under the name of “Prof N John Camm”.

After some of his posts went viral, the real Prof Camm put out a statement clarifying that it was not his account and that he was being impersonated.

Police say Mr Yadav has also been at the centre of several other investigations.

In 2019, he was arrested for allegedly abducting a British doctor he had invited to work with him at a hospital in Hyderabad city.

And in 2014, India’s medical regulators had banned him for five years for “professional misconduct”, parliamentary records show.

Records show that he was also charged with fraud and cheating in 2013 in Uttar Pradesh. However, a court stayed the complaint against him.

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Trump tariffs set to hamper growth of key ASEAN economies, posing tough test for some leaders

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Siwage Dharma Negara, an economist and co-director of the Indonesia Studies Program at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, claimed that a lack of negotiations with the US does detract from this passion. &nbsp,

If the US imposes a 32 % tariff on Indonesian exports, he said, it will put a significant strain on Prabowo’s ambitious goal of achieving 8 % economic growth during his term.

Even a 5 % growth target is made more challenging by these setbacks, according to the report.

Jakarta’s economy is “very delicate” to US taxes, according to Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara, director of the Center for Economic and Law Studies in Indonesia.

At the end of the day, Foreign companies even send their products to the US, he told CNA.” Whatever goods we produce and send to China, for example, we also send our products to the US,” he said.

” The second reason is due to the dollar fluctuations. Rupiah’s exchange rate is very sensitive to everything, including imports of raw materials, remittances, and the ( rising ) living expenses Indonesian consumers will soon have to bear.

Bhima warned that Indonesia could face twin harm as major manufacturing centers like China and Vietnam work to avoid US tariffs on alternative markets, particularly Indonesia’s large customer base.

This means that Indonesia won’t be able to fully capitalize on its own base because local products, which are usually exported to the US, cannot compete with those from China and Vietnam, whose products will soon flooded the domestic market.

Because the rates are a little bit high, he explained, “it makes it very difficult, from the Indonesia manufacturers ‘ viewpoint, to move their goods from the US market to the local market around.”

On Tuesday, Indonesia made a number of concessions to US imports, including lowering material and digital goods taxes.

Finance Minister Mulyani Indrawati announced that Indonesia may even lower US transfer fees on mine and health products. &nbsp,

Indrawati claimed that under the new tax regime, Indonesia could remove Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand, and China as a cause of some export to the US.

Next week, a high-level delegation from Southeast Asia’s biggest economy may travel to the US to seek a deal to lower the influence of its 32 % price.

Jokowi has emphasized that political negotiations will be conducted instead of hostile measures in his country.

In addition, Indonesia will purchase liquefied petroleum gas, liquid natural gas, and beans from the US as part of the negotiations, according to general economic minister Airlangga Hartarto, who will guide Indonesia’s group to the US.

Bhima argued that Jakarta has not taken the issue seriously, noting that there have been two years without the position of Indonesia’s envoy to Washington.

The analyst urged the Prabowo government to “act quickly” and begin developing fiscal stimulus plans, including looser loan or credit terms for industries that have been hit by US tariffs. These include utility discounts for entrepreneurs and looser utility discounts for entrepreneurs.

We want to keep our optimism up, but we must acknowledge that there is a significant issue ahead, he said.” The Indonesian government lacks the sense of crisis.

Further economic issues will result from failing to achieve 8 % growth, according to Bhima, adding to the already waning public trust in the current administration as a result of recently contentious decisions regarding the roles of the police and military.

I believe that trust in the central bank and government will decline if people see the impact of the US tariffs becoming uncontrollable and the currency ( let’s say, 18 000 per dollar ) weakens further.

The Indonesian economy will suffer as a result of the (added ) political instability. In that regard, Indonesia’s future is not promising. People are already fed up with this.

The socioeconomic analyst Oh in Malaysia noted that the effects of a 24 % US tariff rate could lead to higher prices, job losses, and fewer economic opportunities.

Voters may not distinguish between domestic policy failures and global trade dynamics, he said, because they are notoriously sensitive to immediate economic pressures, and he said Anwar’s leadership is responsible for their hardships.

” This vulnerability gives opposition parties a potent political narrative that presents the downturn as a case study of governmental incompetence,” according to some.

Oh agreed that the tariffs are a “double-edged sword” for Anwar, who has a “rare chance to demonstrate resilience and vision” in guiding Malaysia through this troubled period.

He cited how many Malaysians still give thanks to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad’s efforts to stabilize the nation after the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 by converting the ringgit to the US dollar.

The political payoff could be significant at both national and regional ( ASEAN ) stages, he added.” So, if Anwar navigates this storm effectively, minimising economic damage relative to neighbors, this will be significant,” he continued.

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Trump tariffs could hit ASEAN economies hard, with potential political price for leaders

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Siwage Dharma Negara, an economist and co-director of the Indonesia Studies Program at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, claimed that a lack of negotiations with the US will detract from this passion. &nbsp,

The US’s 32 % tax on Indonesian exports will be a major obstacle to Prabowo’s ambitious goal of achieving 8 % economic development during his term, he added.

Even a 5 % growth target is made more challenging by these setbacks, according to the author.

Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara, chairman of the Indonesian Center for Economic and Law Studies, claimed Jakarta’s relationship to the global supply chain makes it “very hypersensitive” to US taxes.

At the end of the day, Foreign companies even send their products to the US, he told CNA.” Whatever goods we produce and send to China, for example, we also send our products to the US,” he said.

” The second reason is due to the dollar fluctuations. The ( rising ) living expenses that Indonesian consumers will soon have to bear are all very sensitive to rupees, especially raw material imports and remittances.

Bhima warned that as key manufacturing centers like China and Vietnam work harder to avoid US tariffs, Indonesia could face a double blow.

This means that Indonesia won’t be able to fully capitalize on its own base because local products, which are usually exported to the US, cannot compete with those from China and Vietnam, which will quickly monopolize the domestic market.

Because the costs are a little bit high, he explained, “it makes it very difficult for Indonesia exporters to move their items from the US market to the local market here.”

On Tuesday, Indonesia made a number of concessions to US imports, including lowering material and digital goods taxes.

Indonesia’s finance minister Mulyani Indrawati announced that the US would also decrease its import taxes on mining-related goods and medical equipment. &nbsp,

Indrawati claimed that under the new tax regime, Indonesia could remove Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand, and China as a cause of some export to the US.

Next month, a high-level delegation from Southeast Asia’s biggest economy may travel to the US to seek a deal to lower the influence of its 32 % price.

Jokowi has emphasized that political negotiations will be conducted instead of hostile measures in his country.

In addition, Indonesia does purchase liquefied petroleum gas, liquid natural oil, and beans from the US as part of the negotiations, according to general economic minister Airlangga Hartarto, who will guide Indonesia’s group to the US.

Bhima claimed that Jakarta has not shown” seriousness” in addressing the problem, noting that the position for Indonesia’s envoy to Washington has been vacant for two years.

The researcher urged the Prabowo state to “act quickly” and begin developing fiscal stimulus plans, including looser loan or credit conditions for industries that have been hit by US tariffs. These include energy discounts for entrepreneurs and looser power discounts.

” The Indian government lacks the sense of crisis, but we want to preserve our optimism going,” he said.” But we also need to acknowledge that there is a significant issue ahead.”

Further economic issues will worsen already waning public confidence in the current administration due to recent contentious procedures involving the functions of the police and military, according to Bhima.

I believe that people’s confidence in the central bank and the government will decline if they see the impact of the US tariffs becoming uncontrollable and the currency ( let’s say, 18 000 per dollar ) weaken further.

The Indonesian economy will suffer as a result of the (added ) political instability. In that regard, Indonesia’s future is not promising. Individuals are now “tired” of it.

The economic analyst Oh in Malaysia noted that the effects of a 24 % US tax rate could lead to higher pricing, job losses, and fewer economic opportunities.

Voters may not be able to tell the difference between private policy failures and global trade dynamics, he said, because they are extremely sensitive to immediate economic pressures and are therefore attributed to Anwar’s leadership.

This risk gives criticism parties a strong social narrative that frames the downturn as evidence of political incompetence, or as some might say “balls” of it.

Oh agreed that Anwar’s tariffs are a “double-edged weapon” for him because he has a “rare chance to demonstrate endurance and vision” in guiding Malaysia through this difficult time.

He cited how many Malay still give thanks to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad’s efforts to stabilize the nation after the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 by converting the ringgit to the US dollars.

The political payoff could be significant at both national and regional ( ASEAN ) stages, he added.” So, if Anwar navigates this storm effectively, minimising economic damage relative to neighbors, this will be significant,” he continued.

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JD Vance: Beijing calls US VP ‘ignorant’ over ‘Chinese peasants’ remark

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After he claimed that America had been borrowing money from” Chinese farmers,” China has called US Vice-President JD Vance “ignorant and inappropriate” and called him “ignorant and unfriendly.”

Foreign government spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Tuesday that Vance’s remarks were” astonishing and unfortunate,” which had already caused a stir on Chinese social media.

Vance made the remarks on Thursday during a Fox News interview where he defended US President Donald Trump’s taxes, which are already escalating trade tensions between the country’s two largest economy.

The vice-president said,” We borrow cash from Chinese villagers to buy the things those Chinese farmers manufacture.”

On Monday, Trump gave China – one of the world’s largest holders of US Treasury bonds – until Tuesday to scrap its 34% counter tariff or face an additional 50% tax on goods imported into the US.

US companies could be subject to a total rate of 104 % on Chinese imports if Trump complies with his threat, which comes on top of the 20 % tariffs that were already in place in March and the 34 % that were announced last week.

China has declared that it will “fight to the close” and that its actions against Trump are “bullying.”

Lin stated on Tuesday that” China’s place on China-US economic and trade ties has been made very evident.”

Vance’s opinions had already sparked outrage among Taiwanese social media users, some of whom had demanded that he be made to leave the country.

It is truly shameful for Vance to say such things in front of a powerful US federal official, one Weibo users wrote.

” Hillbilly Elegy” is not his narrative, is it? a guide to Vance’s reserve that detailed his upbringing in rural America, wrote another person.

Trump and his supporters have long argued that jobs will be protected and that his price plan will increase the US economy.

But economists have warned that this would cause major disruptions to international supply chains, push up prices for consumers and bode disaster for all trade.

Financial institutions have been warning of the increased risks of a crisis, both domestically and internationally, following the announcement regarding the levies.

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Trump tariffs: Singapore to form task force to help businesses and workers, says PM Wong

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Singapore will establish a national task force to support businesses and workers in response to significant new US tariffs that could stymie economic growth and have an impact on wages and employment, according to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday ( Apr 8 ).

Staff from Singapore’s financial organizations, the Singapore Business Federation, the Singapore National Employers Federation, and the National Trades Union Congress will make up the work force, which is led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Gan Kim Yong.

In a ministerial statement in parliament, Mr. Wong said the work force may assist businesses and workers in addressing fast uncertainties, enhance endurance, and adjust to a new economic environment. He described the global situation as “fluid.”

The levies are anticipated to slow down global growth in the near future, which will have an impact on Singapore’s export-dependent industries like manufacturing and wholesale business. According to Mr. Wong, who is also banking minister, the lingering effects of global confusion and attitude will also be felt in some services, including finance and insurance.

The business will be considerably impacted, the excellent secretary said, even though Singapore “may or may not” enter recession this year. The Ministry of Trade and Industry is revising its 2025 growth forecast, which is expected to increase by 1 % to 3 %, with a likely drop in the forecast.

” Lower rise will result in fewer job opportunities and lower wage rises for workers,” the statement states. Additionally, he predicted that there will be higher cutbacks and job losses if more businesses are having trouble or relocating their activities to the US.

Beyond the immediate concerns, Mr. Wong claimed that the taxes confirm the stark fact that” the time of rules-based globalization and free trade is over.”

Mr. Gan, speaking after Mr. Wong, stated that it is still” also in the early stages” and that more time will be required to understand the impact of the taxes on the Singapore market.

One of its main tasks and content is still being worked out by the newly formed job force, he continued, but one of its main areas of focus will likely be on information sharing and communication.

For instance, given the likelihood that jobs may be impacted in the medium to long term as well as a significant economic reform, the coalition is a part of the task force. Private sector members will also be a benefit to the work force in terms of involving businesses and better understanding issues on the ground.

The government has also reached out to Singapore’s buying colleagues to discuss how the situation is being handled and find alternative ways of working together, according to Mr. Gan.

US TARIFFS” A FUNDAMENTAL REJECTION” OF WTO Laws

The tariffs, which were announced by US President Donald Trump on April 2, place a universal 10 % tax on all imports into the nation, with even higher rates for nations deemed to have” treated the US unfairly”

Singapore is also subject to the current 10 % rate, which now applies to US imports.

The price for Singapore may become zero if the tariffs were actually bilateral and were only intended to affect countries with trade surpluses. However, Mr. Wong continued, citing Singapore’s diplomatic free trade agreement and its trade deficit with the US and ongoing business.

” We are quite disappointed by the US decision, especially given our two countries ‘ sincere and enduring compassion,” the statement read. These are not the kind of things one does to a friend,” the excellent minister continued.

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China-led anti-US tariff pact bruited as Trump 50% deadline looms – Asia Times

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After US President Donald Trump threatened to impose an additional 50 % tariff on Chinese goods on April 9 if China didn’t meet his deadline and retracted its announced 34 % on American products by April 8, tensions between Beijing and Washington grew.

Trump said in a blog on his Truth Social bill on Monday that “if China does not remove its 34 % improve above their now long-term buying abuses by tomorrow, April 8, 2025, the US will impose more tariffs on China of 50 %, effective April 9”. Also, all discussions with China regarding their scheduled meetings with us will be ended!

Trump claimed in another article that China is the biggest state that evades tariffs. He criticized China for increasing its “long-term ridiculously high tariffs” by 34 % for American goods, as well as for failing to honor his warning to abusing nations to avoid retaliation.

Trump stated on April 2 that the US would establish a 34 % tax on Chinese goods, a similar tax having been applied to goods from China for the past few years. His mathematics is undoubtedly questionable. Trump has increased US tariffs on Chinese goods by 54 % since he stepped down as president on January 20 in addition to the 20 % tariff that was announced in February and March.

On April 4 night, China announced 11 punitive measures, including a 34 % tax on all British goods, sanctions against 11 US businesses, and rare earth export controls to the US.

A round-table discussion with representatives of more than 20 US companies, including Tesla, from China’s Ministry of Commerce on Monday urged them to “make moral voices and take rational actions to simultaneously maintain the stability of international production and supply chains and promote win-win assistance.”

Beijing also urged nations affected by Trump’s mutual taxes to unite and combat US unilateralism.

In a press briefing on Monday, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that the United States ‘ arbitrary imposition of tariffs amounts to denying all nations, especially those in the Global South, their right to growth.

According to World Trade Organization data analysis, the US price increase will widen the gap between rich and poor countries, with less developed nations suffering a more considerable impact, according to he said. This is a typical example of economic bullying, isolationism, and unilateralism.

” Countries should uphold the rule of extensive discussion, joint commitment, and shared benefits, adhere to genuine globalism, jointly oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism, protect the international system with its core at the UN, and prevent the multilateral trading system with its core,” the WTO stated.

Lin’s remarks came as Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index, the benchmark stock market benchmark for the country, dropped 3, 021 points, or 13.2 %, to close at 19, 828 on Monday. Hong Kong experienced its biggest single-day decline since 1997.

On Monday, the Shanghai Composite index, the weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, dropped 245 points or 7.34 % to 3,096, while the Taiex, the weighted index, dropped 2 065 points or 9.8 % to 19, 232.

Within two days of Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” announcement on April 2, the Dow Jones Index dropped 4, 010 points, or 9.4 %, to 38, 274.

Trump said on Sunday,” I don’t want anything to go down, but sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something,” when asked by a journalist to comment on the “pain threshold” and the decline in the US stock market.

He added that nations in Europe and Asia were “dying to make a deal” with the US.

Countries like Vietnam and Israel have vowed to revoke all tariffs that have been imposed on American goods since April 2. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, stated on Monday that the EU had offered the US a “zero-for-zero” deal to end tariffs on all industrial goods as part of the trade negotiations. &nbsp,

” Forming an alliance”

Chinese commentators also urged “victims of Trump’s tariffs” to come together and jointly reveal strong countermeasures.

” It’s true that some nations are attempting to reach a compromise with the US by imposing zero-for-zero tariffs. However, this is a foolish decision, according to Chinese economist Pan Helin in a piece. ” Zero-for-zero tariffs won’t help to reduce the United States ‘ trade deficit. The US only desires that the businesses in the countries cited relocate to America.

If the US still wants to confront China, Pan claims that China must form and lead an anti-US alliance to force the US to leave the world’s trade system.

According to Xiao Zhifu, a researcher at the Kunlunce Institute, a Chinese think tank, Trump’s tariffs appear unorganized but are actually precise attacks on China.

” The US saw its trade deficit significantly increase by 14 % to US$ 1.21 trillion in 2024. He claims that China came in first place in terms of trade surplus with the US, behind the EU and Mexico. Trump wants to earn$ 600 billion from the new tariffs, about a quarter of which will be imported from China.

He asserts that Beijing must form an alliance with as many nations as possible in order to combat the US, despite the fact that it’s unlikely that Washington will ease tariffs on China.

China can ally itself with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization members and the BRICS countries in opposition to Trump’s tariffs, claims Zhou Xiaoming, a Guancha.cn columnist. He asserts that China should strengthen trade ties with Saudi Arabia, Russia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India. &nbsp,

‘ Map cannon ‘ versus’bathrooms’

Trump already imposed an average 20 % tariff on all Chinese goods during his first US-China trade war, which he started in 2018. Many Chinese manufacturers were forced to relocate their manufacturing facilities to Southeast Asian nations and Mexico, or to ship their goods from outside the US to the country via third countries.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission ( USCC), an independent body of the US government, stated in a report to the Congress in November 2023 that” a growing number of suppliers in overseas markets are owned by Chinese entities who also seek to evade trade restrictions by setting up facilities overseas, particularly in other parts of Asia and Mexico. ” US exposure to China also increased as a result of transshipping goods through third countries.”

Chinese companies have successfully lowered the negative effects of the US trade war in 2018 on them by setting up “bathing bases” overseas to assemble their semi-finished goods or putting” Made in Vietnam” labels on them and re-export them to the US, according to Chinese media and commentators.
 
Trump introduced the “reciprocal tariffs” ( regional attacks ) in response to this, according to the Hong Kong media, on 180 nations, including some uninhabited volcanic islands close to Antarctica. &nbsp,
 
The term” Map cannon” refers to a situation in video games where a player strikes an enemy repeatedly within a given area of a map. Additionally, it is a slang term used to slam a netizen’s careless comments that stereotype a community.

The latest tariffs, according to Hong Kong newspapers, hit Washington’s military allies, including the EU and the UK ( 10 % ), technology partners, such as Japan ( 24 % ), South Korea ( 25 % ), and Taiwan ( 32 % ), as well as manufacturing goods suppliers, such as Cambodia ( 49 % ), Vietnam ( 46 % ), Thailand ( 36 % ), India ( 26 % ), Sri Lanka ( 44 % ), and Pakistan ( 29 % ).

Yong Jian contributes to the Asia Times. He is a journalist from China who has a focus on Chinese politics, technology, and politics. &nbsp,

Read: China claims to be prepared and able to fight Trump’s trade war.

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GE2025: ‘Flight to safety’ has worked for PAP before but worries over US tariffs may not have the same pull, say analysts

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The poll may be affected by the “flight to security,” as it has been in the past, but this result is a given because the voter is different and has changed.

Social scientist Teo Kay Key, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies ( IPS) Social Lab, said that while it is human nature to travel to security when they see danger, what might mean for security may have changed over time.

She said the public will take into account several factors, including the world state of affairs, parties ‘ brand and plan stances, the PAP’s performance, MPs ‘ performance in opposition, provincial issues, and diversity in parliament.

Politicians “probably need to consider that the ballot decision is varied and that there is a need for genuine communication” said Dr. Teo in their communication with voters.

Sociologist Tan Ern Ser argued that Singapore’s “flight to health” attitude was akin to the” life philosophy” that said it is vulnerable and may take its success for granted since the time of its founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

However, the social environment has since become more polarized, with supporters of” those who support a trusted, solid government that provides security to the citizens” and those who “believe in social diversity and checks and balances on common policy and governance.”

It would be more difficult for the PAP authorities to persuade those who had formerly voted for resource enhancement and the rising living standards to continue with it, according to Dr. Tan, who serves as the IPS Social Lab’s alternative principal research fellow.

Instead, voters may cast ballots based on perceptions of a lack of affordable accommodation and the rising cost of living, and interpret geography as “fearmongering,” he said.

Although previous election results suggested a “flight to the familiar,” Assoc Prof. Chong argued that it’s a bargain whether or not this is actually protection. More of the same may be fine, he says. Although that was once a habit among Singaporeans citizens, there is no guarantee that it is.

Singapore must now be able to navigate unknown waters that it hasn’t recently encountered since democracy in ways that affect native bread and butter issues, he added.

” Geography 2025 does not just been about laying out and identifying the risks Singapore faces directly and their local spillovers; it will also include developing a solid plan that all Singaporeans is adopt.”

Back DARK CLOUDS

The General Election of this year won’t be the first to take place in the midst of international political and economic uncertainty.

No longer after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, GE2001 was held in the US. The PAP won 82 of the 84 chairs and 75.29 percent of the popular vote at the time. This was its highest voting promote since 1980.

The PAP won 83 out of 93 tickets during the COVID-19 crisis thanks to GE2020. It received 61.24 percent of the popular vote, which is a decrease of about 9 percentage points from the past GE and the lowest vote since 2011. The ruling party also lost a historically next GRC.

Dr. Teo, a representative from IPS Social Lab, claimed that the polls conducted at various stages of Singapore’s social background and the individual crises were likely not the same as those conducted in the two elections.

Opposition functions were still in their early stages of development during GE2001, with none of them ever winning a Group Representation Constituency. The terrorist strikes ‘ aftermath was a developing condition, and the answer was intended to combat external threats.

Therefore, the voters would have preferred a choice that resembled “flight to health” in its purest sense. However, we also see the two opposition Members keeping their chairs, which meant it was more about wanting things to stay the same, she said.

GE2020, in comparison, occurred about a year after the pandemic, when the virus’s prevention measures were in place. Opposition events were also more well-organized and established, with a few gaining more clout than they did in 2001, according to Dr. Teo.

GEOPOLITICS AND DAY LIFE

In a January survey of 1,310 Singapore conducted by Blackbox Research’s SensingSG, inflation and living costs topped citizens ‘ worries. Jobs and career came in second and fourth, followed by the economy, respectively.

Analysts argued that it is inappropriate to separate geopolitics from bread and butter issues. Geopolitics may not in itself become a significant election issue, but its impact on practical issues like the cost of living, work, and economic security may have a bearing on citizens ‘ minds.

According to NUS Associate Professor Chong, Singapore’s “phenomenal” growth in the past was fueled by financial globalization and liberalization that rested on corporations supported by the US. A deterioration of these conditions may put pressure on Singapore’s “basic company model.”

Singapore was a mediator, a broker, or a comprador par excellence in the globalized foreign system. It gathered businesses and markets from all over the earth, he said. In Singapore, funding was increased, jobs were created, growth was aided, and inflation was maintained.

” Maybe, our voters are informed enough about this fact to make it a significant factor in how they vote,” said Dr. Tan of IPS Social Lab.

According to Dr. Woo Jun Jie, senior lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, the PAP’s voting share in GE2020 makes it more difficult to predict whether there will be a trip to safety this time around.

Voters are more likely to concentrate on bread and butter problems, but they may unintentionally be affected by wider geopolitical improvements.

Even if it does not directly affect voters ‘ decisions, he said,” Political instability can cause a sense of unease among voters and color their views of domestic economic problems.”

According to analysts, Mr. Wong’s information on the taxes, which he delivered via his YouTube channel, is that voters should be aware of the difficulties Singapore faces and can be assured that the government will take action.

Dr. Woo said the speech assists Singaporeans in making crucial connections between world developments and their daily lives, as well as helping them to prepare for the effects the tariffs may have.

It is unjust to refer to the tariffs as “fearmongering” because of the major effects they will have on our business. Even if it were no an election season, the messages from both Mr. Wong and Mr. Singh would have been just as significant, he said.

Because it is election year, Mr. Wong’s leadership of the ruling party complicates how the word “united” is interpreted. It was anticipated that Mr. Singh, as the leader of the opposition, would share his opinions on this, according to Dr. Teo.

His primary goal is to convey the idea that having a different congress won’t lead to unrest, but rather to encourage cooperation among Singaporeans, she said.

According to Dr. Tan Ern Ser, the remarks made by PSP’s Mr. Leong and Dr. Tan Cheng Bock come off as trivializing the challenges that lie ahead.

However, the PSP officials “remark to something that cannot be excluded at this time: that the PAP may be attempting to use a real crisis to entice the common to vote,” said Assoc Prof Chong.

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Donald Trump threatens new 50% tariffs on China

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As the world’s markets dropped for a second time, Donald Trump has threatened China with an extra 50 % tax on imported goods into the US if it doesn’t renounce a failsafe.

The US senator stated at the White House on Monday that he was not thinking about putting a fresh tariff pause in order to engage in conversations with other nations.

” We’re not examining that,” we said. There are going to be good offers, he said, and we have many, many countries signing deals with us.

If Beijing didn’t back down with its counter-tariff intentions by Tuesday, Trump threatened to impose 50 % duties on Chinese products. US businesses that import sure goods from China may be subject to a 104 % tax if it is implemented.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said he would introduce the extra tariff unless China withdrew its own 34% counter-tariff on American goods, which it announced on Friday.

Trump announced last Wednesday that as part of his” Liberation Day,” which required a minimum 10 % levy on nearly all of America’s trading partners, he would impose a 34 % tax on Chinese imports.

US businesses would then be required to pay a total rate of 104 % on Chinese imports if he does that, which comes on top of the 20 % tariffs that were already in place in March and the 34 % that was announced last week.

Trump claimed that China had taken its countermeasure “despite my caution that any nation that reacts against the United States may soon be subject to new, significantly higher tariffs.”

Beijing responded with a retort, claiming that “pressuring or threatening China is not a correct way to engage.”

According to Liu Pengyu, a representative for the Chinese Embassy,” The U.S. dominant move in the name of equality puts America first before international laws and serves its selfish interests at the expense of other nations ‘ legitimate pursuits.”

This is a typical example of unilateralism, isolationism, and economical bullying.

The US senator said there could be negotiations and everlasting taxes while speaking from the White House.

He continued,” We have$ 36 trillion debt for a reason,” adding that the US would be talking to China and other nations to reach a” fair deal and a good deal.”

The US senator declared,” America presently comes first.”

Fears of a global industry war have grown as a result of the US and China’s increasing pressure. The tariffs would be a significant blow to China’s producers, for whom the US is a key export business.

Uncertainty around the tariffs led to a turbulent day on global stock markets.

Since Trump’s new levies on imports from almost all of the world’s markets, markets have fallen worldwide.

While Europe’s biggest markets, including London’s FTSE 100, all closed more than 4 % down, the value of US stock markets dropped sharply once more on entry.

Asian share stocks have fallen sharply, with the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong experiencing its biggest one-day decline since 1997, down by more than 13 %.

The effects have been extensive on the FTSE 100, S&amp, P 500, Germany’s Dax, and Japan’s Nikkei.

Trump’s post even stated that discussions regarding price levels may “begin taking place soon.”

Trump and Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, met at the White House on Monday. Netanyahu claimed that his nation would end the US-US deal imbalance, which he described as the “right thing to do.”

” We’re going to remove business restrictions as well as do it very immediately.”

According to Trump’s” Liberation Day” strategy, Israel will be subject to a 17 % tax starting April 9.

The US president also posted earlier that Japan was sending a negotiation team to discuss tariffs.

Trump was also offered a “zero-for-zero price” deal by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, despite her earlier claim that she had not ruled out retribution.

We are even prepared to take measures and protect our interests, she said.

Trump eventually claimed that the EU was created” to actually harm the United States and trade.”

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US tariff hike prompts new trade strategy

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In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED: 8 Apr 2025 at 03: 30

A senior official has emphasized that the government’s approach to conversations over US tariffs may be guided by a “know your army, know yourself” approach, which seeks to determine Thailand’s strengths and situation thoroughly before engaging in dialogue.

Supavud Saicheua, the director, stated that the Thai authorities is preparing to discuss lowering trade tariffs and boosting American purchase. This action is in response to the 36 % increase in trade tariffs set to go into effect tomorrow.

Importing US agricultural products, which will then be transformed into food items for trade to other nations, is a key plan. Thailand has a major advantage in this field thanks to its breadth of experience in food handling. He stated that in order to help this plan, the government intends to establish business alliances with US states with significant agricultural industries.

He also made it clear that the government will provide short-term money as an incentive to support businesses affected by the price increases. To assist these businesses in finding other markets for their exports, a expenditure of 3 billion ringgit will also be allocated.

Mr. Supavud emphasized that the US’s price increases are motivated by three main goals: reducing industry imbalances, generating more revenue to lower the US budget deficit, and encouraging US businesses to re-engage with American manufacturing. He did point out that entering agreements without delay, as some nations like Canada and Vietnam have done, may not be the best course of action. These nations are also subject to higher taxes despite having trade surplus with the US.

He claimed that the Thai authorities had developed actionable strategies. The main thrust of the plan is to change trade and economic ties to make use of both countries ‘ advantages, such as the Thai company that processes US agricultural products.

This approach includes addressing items that are incorrectly labelled as coming from Thailand in order to lessen the negative effects of US tax policies. Additionally, it aims to boost Thai investment in the US and boost agricultural imports, especially in those areas where Thailand is unable to produce domestically, quite as energy-related goods.

The Thai government’s agreements with the US will proceed through a systematic, step-by-step approach, Mr. Supavud continued, making sure that both nations ‘ last contracts are beneficial.

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PM Wong to deliver ministerial statement on US tariffs and implications

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In: South-East Asia

Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam will also give a supervisory statement on the government’s place on the use of drugs act, according to the order report released on Monday.

Other topics that will be discussed in the parliamentary session include housing and development board ( HDB) flats ‘ instant withdrawal cases, bus safety, and water seepage cases.

Questions involving chocolate finance were posed by a number of Members of Parliament ( MPs ). &nbsp,

According to “high demand,” the financial services platform briefly stopped quick fund withdrawals last month. It stated on March 10 that withdrawals would take three to ten working days before appearing in people ‘ bank accounts. &nbsp,

The Monetary Authority of Singapore ( MAS ) is making sure financial institutions and fintech companies provide clear, accurate, and timely communication regarding changes to their products and services, according to MP Saktiandi Supaat ( PAP-Bishan-Toa Payoh ).

He also inquired about how MAS ensures the companies agree to the same standards of risk control and customer communications as banks and what steps are in position to promote these institutions to adopt dependable marketing strategies.

He Ting Ru, a member of the MP for Sengkang, inquired about whether MAS had been reviewing its safeguards to make sure non-licensed individuals do not offer financial advice and affect the community with opinions on certified financial institutions.

She also questioned whether complaints against economic influencers and non-licensed individuals have increased.

Mark Lee, a nominated member of Parliament ( NPP ), was interested in finding out how MAS ensures that high-yield investment products are offered on fintech platforms and non-bank financial institutions that have sufficient liquidity and manage fund withdrawal risks.

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