SINGAPORE (May 6): “What’s wrong with a female emperor, I wonder? Those practices need to change in the modern era.” — Yukiko Minegishi, who works with a uniform maker in Tokyo.

WikiLeaks founder Assange sentenced to jail

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been sentenced to nearly a year in jail for skipping bail as he prepares to fight extradition to the US.

His sentencing follows his arrest by London police on April 11, where he had been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy since 2012. He had fled to the embassy after Swiss authorities pursued him for questioning on charges of sexual assault in Switzerland. The Ecuadorian government withdrew Assange’s right to asylum for his ongoing involvement with WikiLeaks, which broke Ecuador’s political asylum rules that prohibit asylum seekers from engaging in any political campaigns that affect the internal affairs of foreign countries.

Judge Deborah Taylor at a London court hearing sentenced him to 50 weeks in jail, saying he deliberately evaded justice. Bloomberg reports that while the British sentence takes precedence, Assange’s imprisonment is unlikely to delay the US request.

US authorities are pursuing extradition so that Assange can face trial on charges that he conspired with former US Army analyst Chelsea Manning to illegally download classified government material.

Blockchain first for central banks

The Bank of Canada (BOC) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have sent each other digital currencies using blockchain technology, marking the first such successful trial between two central banks.

The two banks have been collaborating on the use of distributed ledger technology and central bank digital currencies to make cross-border payments cheaper, faster and safer. In a joint statement, Sopnendu Mohanty, chief fintech officer of MAS, said, “Together, [Project Jasper and Project Ubin] have addressed many technical questions and brought the technology to a higher level of maturity.”

Project Jasper is BOC’s experimental domestic payment network, which is linked up with Singapore’s Project Ubin network. The test was done in partnership with Accenture and JPMorgan Chase & Co as well.

“Only through continued collaboration and fundamental research will it be possible for this technology to mature and for policymakers to fully understand its potential,” says Scott Hendry, BOC senior special director of financial technology.

DPM Heng: PAP-NTUC symbiotic relationship to continue

Prime minister-in-waiting Heng Swee Keat used his first public speech to pledge continued support and reaffirm the “symbiotic relationship” between the ruling party and the labour movement, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

“I renew today the pledge that Mr Lee [Kuan Yew] made 50 years ago, and that every prime minister has since renewed. I assure you the close symbiotic relationship between the [People’s Action Party] and the NTUC will continue,” Heng, newly appointed deputy prime minister, said in his May Day rally speech on May 1.

He added that NTUC backs PAP because the former is pro-people. “It has kept faith with the unions,” said Heng. “It remains committed to the self-respect of every working man and woman, and believes that the purpose of economic development is to improve the lives of all in the workforce.” In his speech, Heng promised extra funding for workers who undergo additional training.

UK Defence Secretary sacked

British Prime Minister Theresa May has sacked Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, following an investigation into a leak from a National Security Council meeting about Huawei Technologies’ involvement in the UK’s 5G network.

Williamson is being held to blame for the leak, which indicated that May had approved giving the Chinese tech firm a limited role supplying the 5G system. It was reported, however, that some senior cabinet ministers had opposed the move over security concerns.

In a letter to Williamson published by Downing Street, May said she had put “compelling evidence” to him suggesting his “responsibility for the unauthorised disclosure” from the National Security Council and “no other credible version of events to explain this leak has been identified”.

Williamson has also accused May of conducting a “kangaroo court” against him, swearing on the lives of his children that he was not responsible for the leak that triggered his sacking. He also claimed he had been “screwed” by the prime minister as he protested his innocence over the Huawei leak and urged a police investigation to clear his name.

Equanimity? No, it’s Tranquility now

The luxury superyacht Equanimity is now called Tranquility, and it is docked in Singapore.

According to the ship-tracking website Marine Traffic, the automatic identification system (AIS) now identifies the yacht as Tranquility.

The vessel belonged to Low Taek Jho, the alleged mastermind behind the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal. The 37-year-old, better known as Jho Low, has been on the run since the May 9 change of government in Malaysia last year. His father, Larry Low, is similarly a wanted man.

The 92m-long yacht was seized by the Malaysian government as part of its probe into money laundering involving 1MDB. It was bought by Genting Malaysia for US$126 million ($171.5 million) last month. Equanimity is reportedly worth about US$250 million.

Besides the yacht, Low’s private jet, a Bombardier Global 5000, has been impounded by Singapore authorities. The jet has been grounded at Seletar Airport since 2017.

The Guardian breaks even

Award-winning UK paper The Guardian on May 1 announced that it had finally broken even, and even made a small operating profit, following a three-year turn­around plan to revive its flagging business model.

In a statement posted on its website, editor-in-chief Katharine Viner said, “We have hit our goal of breaking even, and made a small operating profit on our path to sustainability. This means that the money we make from advertisers combined with what we receive in the generous support from you, our readers, has this year covered the cost of producing the journalism that informs and inspires millions of people around the world.”

Viner adds that this ownership model means the paper is not controlled by a billionaire owner or a group of shareholders demanding financial returns — any profits made, and all financial contributions from readers, are reinvested directly into journalism.

The paper, which has a long history dating back to 1821 when it was called The Manchester Guardian, is known for its investigative journalism, with stories exposing the Windrush scandal of Commonwealth immigrants who were forced to leave after 20 to 30 years living in the UK, as well as the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

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