Politics

Singapore PM Lawrence Wong, The World’s Highest-Paid Leader, Gets A S$1.4m ($1.1m) Raise, From S$2.2m To S$3.6m. Govt Cites Need To Attract Talent & Deter Corruption; But It’s Criticized Amid Cost-Of-Living & Job Worries. Next 2 Are Hong Kong CE ~$719k, & Swiss President ~$606k. U.S, The World’s Richest Country By Total GDP, Pays $400k.

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Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s First Female PM Has Died At 80. She Was The World’s 2nd Elected Female Leader In A Mainly Muslim Nation, After Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto. Out Of Power Since 2006, Khaleda Remained Influential As Her BNP Party Heads Into The Feb 2026 Elections, As A Leading Contender, With Son Tarique Rahman Emerging As A P.M Candidate.

Manjula Sood (80, 1945–2025), The U.K’s First Female Asian Lord Mayor Of Leicester In 2008, Died On 12/24/25. She Moved From India In 1970; Taught Primary School From 1973; Became The City’s First Female Hindu Councillor In 1996; And Received An MBE And Honorary Doctorate. Tributes Hail Her As A Pioneer For Diversity, Women, And Leadership.

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King Vajiralongkorn, On The Thai Throne Since 2016, Is The First Sitting Thai Monarch To Visit China Since Diplomatic Ties Began In 1975. Invited By President Jinping For The 50th Anniversary Of Their Relations, The Trip Signals Deepening Ties. His Father, King Bhumibol (Reigned 70 Years, 1946–2016), Made Only High-Profile U.S. Visits In The 1960s.

Trump Signed A Bill Ending The Longest Ever, 43-Day, U.S Govt Shutdown (10/1–11/12/2025), After A 222–209 House Vote. It Fully Funds The VA, SNAP, & Congress; But Funds Other Agencies To 1/30/2026, & Leaves ACA Tax Credits Unresolved. The Standoff Furloughed 700k Workers; Cut Flights; & Halted SNAP, The Nation’s Largest Food Aid Program.

Zohran Mamdani, 34, Will Become NYC’s First Muslim, First South Asian, And 2nd-Youngest Mayor (After Hugh J. Grant, 30, In 1889), Leading The Most Populous & Highly Diverse U.S. City. In Virginia, Democrat Ghazala Hashmi, 61, Is Elected Lt. Gov., Becoming The First Muslim Woman, First Indian American, & First South Asian To Win Statewide Office.

Rob Jetten’s Centrist D66 Party Won The Dutch Election, Positioning Him To Be The Netherlands’ Youngest & First Openly Gay PM. D66 Secured ~18% Of Votes & Tripled Its Seats To 26 In The Lower 150-Member Parliament. Lacking A Majority, They Must Form A Coalition To Govern. The PVV Lost Ground By ~15k Votes; Final Results Await Overseas Ballots.

Cameroon’s 92-Year-Old President Paul Biya, The World’s Oldest President, Has Won A Disputed 8th Term With 53.66% Of Votes Amid Deadly Protests & Fraud Claims. Biya Has Ruled For 43 Years, Sparking Youth Unrest In A Country Where Over 70% Are Under 35. Security & Protesters Clashes Leave Deaths, With Critics Warning Of Rising Instability.

Tanzania’s First Female President Samia Suluhu Hassan, In Power Since 2021 After John Magufuli’s Death, Is Set To Become This African Nation’s First Elected Female President In A Vote Widely Seen As A Formality Amid Opposition Bans And Arrests. Critics Cite Rising Repression. Despite Frustration, Samia Remains Popular, Especially Among Rural Women.

Japan, The World’s 4th Largest Economy And Lowest G7 Nation In Gender Equality (118/148), Has Elected Its First Female PM, Sanae Takaichi. A Staunch Conservative & Pro Abe, She Admires Thatcher, Loves Heavy Metal, Is Hawkish On China, WWII And Immigration, Seeks To Revise The Pacifist Constitution, And Opposes Same-Sex Marriage And Gender Reforms.