Launch of disaster relief programme

The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies is launching its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme today. It aims to enhance coordination among civilian government agencies, militaries, non-governmental organisations, faith-based organisations and civil society groups, to better deal with disasters in the Asia Pacific.

Modi faces pushback in Parliament

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to face fierce opposition to his labour reform proposals when a new session of Parliament starts today. His plan to merge 44 labour laws into four, which include measures giving factories more leeway to lay off workers, has irked the country's top 11 unions, which have threatened a nationwide strike on Sept 2.

MAS annual report out today

The Monetary Authority of Singapore is releasing its annual report at noon today. Last July, MAS reported a reversal of a $10.6 billion loss to post an overall profit of $15.8 billion for the financial year ended March 31, 2014. This came as it made investment gains and foreign exchange valuation gains on its official foreign reserves, which totalled $343 billion at the end of March 2014 and make up more than 90 per cent of the assets on its balance sheet.