China starts military drills in South China Sea

China will commence military drills around the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea from today to July 11. The announcement by Beijing, ahead of a highly anticipating ruling by an international court on overlapping maritime claims between the Philippines and China on July 12, is likely to raise tensions in the regional maritime domain.

Couple back in court for killing two-year-old boy

The couple who killed the woman’s two-year-old son by physically abusing him almost every day for more than a month will be back in court today, where they are expected to be sentenced. Zaidah, 41, and her boyfriend Zaini Jamari, 46, were convicted of dozens of ill-treatment charges under the Children and Young Persons Act, as well as one count of voluntarily causing grievous hurt to the boy, Mohamad Daniel Mohamad Nasser. The prosecution called for at least nine years’ jail for Zaini and an additional nine to 12 months for Zaidah. They also asked for nine to 12 strokes of the cane for Zaini.

Vote counting for Australia elections resume

Counting by the Australian Electoral Commission on the country’s federal election resumes today, after being put on hold over the weekend so that absentee and postal votes could be taken into account. With about a quarter of the votes left to be tallied, neither Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s conservative Liberal Party-led coalition nor Mr Shorten’s centre-left Labor Party have secured the required 76 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives to form a government — raising the prospect of a dreaded hung Parliament. The electoral commission has said it may take up to a month to tally the full result.

UK party seeks Cameron's successor

United Kingdom Conservative Party lawmakers begin balloting today to elect a successor to Mr David Cameron as Party Leader and Prime Minister. Mr Cameron announced that he will be stepping down in the aftermath of a referendum in which voters opted for withdrawal from the European Union, sending shockwaves throughout the world. The lowest-ranked candidate will be eliminated after the first round, with a second vote set for Thursday. Home Secretary Theresa May and Justice Secretary Michael Gove are the frontrunners.

Mourinho holds first press-con as Man Utd manager

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will be holding his first media conference at 6pm, Singapore time. The Portuguese is expected to reveal his plans for the new season, as well as his world-record bid to sign French midfield star Paul Pogba from Italian champions Juventus.

Launch of Team Singapore apparel

Fashion apparel brand dENiZEN is launching the latest serlies of Team Singapore apparel and the 3rd edition of the Singapore jersey with Team Singapore athletes Charmaine Soh (Netball), Chase Tan (Basketball), Dipna Lim Prasad (Athletics), Muhammad Shakir Juanda (Silat) and Tay Wei Ming (Badminton). The event will be held at Jurong point at 1pm.

Weather forecast

Showers mainly over northern and eastern Singapore in the afternoon, with temperatures ranging from 26°C to 34°C.