After 20 years in power Singapore's Prime Minister will leave the chair for his successor. The office of the Prime Minister issued a statement saying that Lee will officially relinquish the post on May 15th. Watch in for more details!

Singapore: 20-year-rule comes to an end for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

A Singaporean opposition politician and lawyer was arrested Friday on suspicion of misappropriating money and harassment, days before a client of his faces a libel case against the city-state's leader.&nbsp;

Lim Tean was handcuffed and escorted from his office as he prepared his client's case against Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and his own lawyer slammed the arrest as "politically motivated".

But police swiftly rejected the allegations as "baseless".

Lim, who heads a political party called Peoples Voice, is accused of misappropriating money awarded by a court to a client, and of harassing a female former employee of his law firm.

Police said they had asked Lim, who stood unsuccessfully as a candidate at general elections in July, to attend an interview last month to assist in investigations but he refused to show up.

"Police had no choice but to arrest Mr Lim Tean in order to conduct the investigations," they said.

Lim is the lawyer for a blogger who has been sued for defamation by Prime Minister Lee. The case has been scheduled for next week, and Lee is expected to take the witness stand.

Singapore officials have long been accused of using financially costly libel suits to silence opponents and political dissent.

But they have said the suits are necessary to defend their integrity.

Peoples Voice is one of several small opposition groups who are seen as no match for the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).

The PAP has governed Singapore uninterrupted for over six decades. While the party has been praised for its successful economic management, critics frequently accuse them of restricting civil liberties. &nbsp;

A Singaporean opposition politician and lawyer was arrested Friday on suspicion of misappropriating money and harassment, days before a client of his faces a libel case against the city-state's leader.

A Singaporean opposition politician and lawyer was arrested Friday on suspicion of misappropriating money and harassment, days before a client of his faces a libel case against the city-state's leader. Lim Tean was handcuffed and escorted from his office as he prepared his client's case against Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and his own lawyer slammed the arrest as "politically motivated". But police swiftly rejected the allegations as "baseless". Lim, who heads a political party called Peoples Voice, is accused of misappropriating money awarded by a court to a client, and of harassing a female former employee of his law firm. Police said they had asked Lim, who stood unsuccessfully as a candidate at general elections in July, to attend an interview last month to assist in investigations but he refused to show up. "Police had no choice but to arrest Mr Lim Tean in order to conduct the investigations," they said. Lim is the lawyer for a blogger who has been sued for defamation by Prime Minister Lee. The case has been scheduled for next week, and Lee is expected to take the witness stand. Singapore officials have long been accused of using financially costly libel suits to silence opponents and political dissent. But they have said the suits are necessary to defend their integrity. Peoples Voice is one of several small opposition groups who are seen as no match for the ruling People's Action Party (PAP). The PAP has governed Singapore uninterrupted for over six decades. While the party has been praised for its successful economic management, critics frequently accuse them of restricting civil liberties.

Singapore opposition politician held ahead of case against prime minister

Lee Hsien Yang, the estranged brother of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has joined the opposition Progress Singapore Party a day after the city-state called for&nbsp;general elections&nbsp;to be held in July.

“I joined the party because I think that Dr. Tan is committed to doing the right thing for Singapore,” he&nbsp;told reporters&nbsp;Wednesday following a breakfast meeting with party founder Tan Cheng Bock. “There are issues of income inequality, there are issues of poverty, there are issues of governance and transparency, there are issues around housing, there are many issues that are alive.”

Lee declined to say if he would be contesting in the July 10 election, but said he would be contributing to the party “in many ways.”

Also see: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/welcome-back-singapore-locals-rejoice-as-malls-reopen-pm-urges-caution-307106">Welcome back: Singapore locals rejoice as malls reopen; PM urges caution</a>

The city-state's parliament was dissolved Tuesday for a general election on July 10, even as the country struggles to recover from a major coronavirus outbreak that has swept through migrant worker dormitories.

Lee Hsien Yang is locked in a long-running row with his sibling, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, accusing him of seeking to capitalise on the legacy of their father, Singapore's late founding leader.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-approves-anti-viral-drug-for-covid-19-patients-304800">Singapore approves anti-viral drug for COVID-19 patients</a>

Tan, a popular figure who was once a lawmaker with the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), said that Lee Hsien Yang was "not just an ordinary person."

"His father is the founder of Singapore, so that's very important," he said.

Their party, launched last year, will not threaten the PAP's decades-long hold on power but the combination of a Lee family member and Tan could draw some voters away from the ruling party, observers believe.

Lee Hsien Yang, a business executive, and his sister Lee Wei Ling fell out with their prime minister brother following the death of their father, Lee Kuan Yew, in 2015.

The Lee family row centres on allegations made by the premier's siblings that he is seeking to block the demolition of a family bungalow to capitalise on Lee Kuan Yew's legacy – something he has denied.

<blockquote align="center" data-dnt="true" data-twitter-extracted-i1592991682250497356="true">&nbsp;</blockquote>

Lee Hsien Yang, the estranged brother of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has joined the opposition Progress Singapore Party a day after the city-state called for general elections to be held in July.

Lee Hsien Yang, the estranged brother of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has joined the opposition Progress Singapore Party a day after the city-state called for general elections to be held in July. “I joined the party because I think that Dr. Tan is committed to doing the right thing for Singapore,” he told reporters Wednesday following a breakfast meeting with party founder Tan Cheng Bock. “There are issues of income inequality, there are issues of poverty, there are issues of governance and transparency, there are issues around housing, there are many issues that are alive.” Lee declined to say if he would be contesting in the July 10 election, but said he would be contributing to the party “in many ways.” Also see: Welcome back: Singapore locals rejoice as malls reopen; PM urges caution The city-state's parliament was dissolved Tuesday for a general election on July 10, even as the country struggles to recover from a major coronavirus outbreak that has swept through migrant worker dormitories. Lee Hsien Yang is locked in a long-running row with his sibling, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, accusing him of seeking to capitalise on the legacy of their father, Singapore's late founding leader. Also read: Singapore approves anti-viral drug for COVID-19 patients Tan, a popular figure who was once a lawmaker with the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), said that Lee Hsien Yang was "not just an ordinary person." "His father is the founder of Singapore, so that's very important," he said. Their party, launched last year, will not threaten the PAP's decades-long hold on power but the combination of a Lee family member and Tan could draw some voters away from the ruling party, observers believe. Lee Hsien Yang, a business executive, and his sister Lee Wei Ling fell out with their prime minister brother following the death of their father, Lee Kuan Yew, in 2015. The Lee family row centres on allegations made by the premier's siblings that he is seeking to block the demolition of a family bungalow to capitalise on Lee Kuan Yew's legacy – something he has denied.

Singapore prime minister’s brother joins opposition party ahead of July 10 election

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday a mounting trade spat between the United States and China was one of the most pressing concerns for Southeast Asian nations.

Lee flagged his concerns in remarks made as he opened a summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for many of which the United States and China are the top two trading partners.

"In particular, the recent trade tensions between the U.S. and China are worrying concerns," Lee said as ASEAN members gather for the organisation's 32nd summit.

The U.S. Trump administration has threatened to impose tariffs on up to $150 billion of Chinese imports, and Beijing has vowed retaliation against American exports.

On Saturday Lee said the open and rules-based multilateral trading system, which has backed the growth of ASEAN member states, has come under pressure as the political mood in many countries has shifted against free trade.

Also on the agenda at the summit were the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, and security tensions in the disputed South China Sea, but it was unclear how much substantive progress could be accomplished.

The situation in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine, where hundreds of thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims have fled for neighbouring Bangladesh after a military crackdown, is one of the biggest challenges facing the group.

ASEAN, formed more than half a century ago, has struggled with challenges facing the region because it works by consensus and is reluctant to get involved in matters considered internal to its members.

Singapore is this year's chair of the bloc, which includes Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.

Lee said ASEAN members individually will find it difficult to make an impact on regional and global challenges, and called on its leaders to boost integration and cooperation to make a mark and to be effective.

The group is working on initiatives to jointly tackle the threat of extremism and cyber attacks, as well as to promote trade and cross-border e-payment systems.

ASEAN is also working to devise a model extradition treaty and negotiating a code of conduct with China to ease tensions in the disputed South China Sea, one of the world's most volatile hotspots and one of its busiest waterways.

A mounting trade spat between the United States and China was one of the most pressing concerns for Southeast Asian nations, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday a mounting trade spat between the United States and China was one of the most pressing concerns for Southeast Asian nations. Lee flagged his concerns in remarks made as he opened a summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for many of which the United States and China are the top two trading partners. "In particular, the recent trade tensions between the U.S. and China are worrying concerns," Lee said as ASEAN members gather for the organisation's 32nd summit. The U.S. Trump administration has threatened to impose tariffs on up to $150 billion of Chinese imports, and Beijing has vowed retaliation against American exports. On Saturday Lee said the open and rules-based multilateral trading system, which has backed the growth of ASEAN member states, has come under pressure as the political mood in many countries has shifted against free trade. Also on the agenda at the summit were the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, and security tensions in the disputed South China Sea, but it was unclear how much substantive progress could be accomplished. The situation in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine, where hundreds of thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims have fled for neighbouring Bangladesh after a military crackdown, is one of the biggest challenges facing the group. ASEAN, formed more than half a century ago, has struggled with challenges facing the region because it works by consensus and is reluctant to get involved in matters considered internal to its members. Singapore is this year's chair of the bloc, which includes Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam. Lee said ASEAN members individually will find it difficult to make an impact on regional and global challenges, and called on its leaders to boost integration and cooperation to make a mark and to be effective. The group is working on initiatives to jointly tackle the threat of extremism and cyber attacks, as well as to promote trade and cross-border e-payment systems. ASEAN is also working to devise a model extradition treaty and negotiating a code of conduct with China to ease tensions in the disputed South China Sea, one of the world's most volatile hotspots and one of its busiest waterways.

US, China trade tensions a pressing concern for Southeast Asia: Singapore PM

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Singapore: 20-year-rule comes to an end for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Singapore opposition politician held ahead of case against prime minister

Singapore prime minister’s brother joins opposition party ahead of July 10 election

US, China trade tensions a pressing concern for Southeast Asia: Singapore PM