TODAY’s brief, Tuesday, March 3

Budget speech set to be debated today

The Budget speech, delivered last week, will be debated in Parliament today (March 3). Last week, Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam unveiled a Budget that among other things, laid out more support for Singaporeans’ retirement needs via a new Silver Support Scheme and tweaks to the Central Provident Fund system. Also announced were the SkillsFuture initiatives to enhance vocational education and support lifelong learning, as well measures to help companies innovate and take their business overseas.

Attention cast on Israeli PM’s speech over nuclear programme

All eyes are on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the US congress, where he is expected to oppose the deal that Washington is negotiating with Tehran over the latter’s nuclear programme. Israel fears the deal could allow Tehran to get a nuclear weapon. Mr Netanyahu’s scheduled speech has upset the White House and Democrats - he accepted the invitation from the Republicans, who didn’t consult the administration in advance.

Weather forecast

Expect thundery showers mainly over the southern, western and central parts of Singapore in the late afternoon and early evening. The temperature is expected to range between 24°C and 33°C.