Page 2 - Snap Insight News Today

After a bumpy first year in power and challenges from a feisty opposition, Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's new Cabinet line-up reflects his strengthened political grip. His challenge now is to deliver on economic reforms, says CNA's Leslie Lopez.

Both Israel and Hamas have made no secret of the fact that once the ceasefire is over, they will again go at each other with hammer and tongs, says Carl Skadian, senior associate director at the Middle East Institute, NUS.

The current king has steered Malaysia through political instability. The next king, Sultan Ibrahim of Johor, can be a beacon of stability the country needs, says James Chin, Asian Studies professor at the University of Tasmania.

"Missing" defence minister Li Shangfu has been abruptly fired, just months after former foreign minister Qin Gang was similarly ousted. This raises questions about President Xi Jinping’s leadership team, says political observer Bo Zhiyue.

With a massive ground invasion of Gaza looming, US President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel risks signalling American acquiescence with what is to come, says Carl Skadian, senior associate director at the Middle East Institute, NUS.

It is understandable that the hike in water prices will generate greater public concern about rising costs of living, says NUS Business School’s Xu Le.

The Malaysian High Court’s decision to drop corruption charges against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid could prove problematic for his boss Anwar Ibrahim and complicate the rejuvenation of the UMNO party, says CNA’s Leslie Lopez.

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s return from a 15-year exile strikingly coincides with a key parliamentary vote for Thailand’s new leader, says CNA's Pichayada Promchertchoo.

National Day Rally 2023 will be among Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s last ones and it offered a positive but still cryptic note about Singapore’s 4G leadership transition, says NTU political analyst Felix Tan.

HDB owners often benefit from high resale prices if their flats are in choice locations. It's not a bad thing that Singapore’s public housing is in high demand, says the Institute of Policy Studies’ Woo Jun Jie.