French effort to ease Gulf tensions
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is beginning a two-day visit today to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates as part of efforts to ease tensions in the Gulf.
A statement from the French Foreign Ministry said the trip was in line with similar strategies being adopted by the United States, Britain and Germany regarding the boycott of Qatar by its Gulf neighbours.
Turkey remembers thwarting coup
Turkey's government today commemorates thwarting the attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a coup that saw nearly 300 killed and more than a thousand injured. The Turkish leader will give a speech in Ankara at 2.34am local time (7.34am Singapore time) today, a year to the minute since Parliament came under fire from the coup plotters.
Symposium on English in Singapore
The Speak Good English Movement is organising a symposium to discuss key issues related to the use, and standard, of English in Singapore, as well as to provide tips on improving English. The free event, which is being conducted for the first time, is to be held at The Arts House today.