Police on standby for anti-Ahok rally

Indonesian police are preparing to deploy thousands of personnel today in anticipation of a mass rally against embattled Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.

A police spokesman said they had not received any official notification of the rally by yesterday, but about 18,000 officers were put on standby "to provide safety to the public", according to local media.

Share-a-Gift campaign kicks off

The Boys' Brigade Share-a-Gift campaign, one of Singapore's biggest year-end charity projects, returns this Christmas season for its 29th run of bringing cheer to the underprivileged. This year, the project aims to make a difference to the lives of almost 40,000 beneficiaries. The campaign kicks off today, and will run until Dec 19.

Russia-Singapore business forum

International Enterprise Singapore is organising the Russia Singapore Business Forum today, with Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Ivanovich Shuvalov engaging the business community in a keynote dialogue. The forum will also examine how Singapore and Russia can find new growth strategies and mitigate the impact of volatility from challenges facing the global economy.