Former deputy premier Tony Tan was sworn in as Singapore's new president Thursday, five days after scraping to victory in an election where his slim margin showed falling support for the ruling party.

Former Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan won a narrow victory to become the country's seventh president, officials said Sunday, a sign that the popularity of the Southeast Asian city-state's ruling party is eroding.

Singapore's voters gave the ruling party a “major wake-up call” in weekend elections, with critics feeling more and more empowered and no longer afraid to speak up for change, analysts said Sunday.

Four candidates were certified on Thursday for Singapore's presidential election on Aug. 27, setting the stage for the country's first contested polls for its head of state in 18 years.

Climate scientists have turned to the United States and Australian navies to deploy robotic measuring devices in the Indian Ocean where pirates have made the area too dangerous for researchers.

New recruits to Singapore's military, air force and navy are to get a new standard-issue item of equipment besides their rifle — the iPad.

A news report says a judge in Singapore has sentenced a 48-year-old odd-job worker to 24 cane lashes and 13 years in prison for a two-year burglary spree.

Tony Tan, a top executive at a Singapore state investment fund and a leading media company, said Thursday he would leave both to run for president of the city-state.

Singapore on Monday urged China to be more open about the extent of its territorial claims in the South China Sea, saying Beijing's ambiguity was causing international concern.

A Malaysian group insults women when it calls for Muslim wives to be submissive and try harder to sexually satisfy their husbands, Singapore's highest authority for Muslim matters said Friday.