Lee Hsien Loong

Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Singapore's founding leader, Lee Kuan Yew, was inaugurated Thursday as the nation's third prime minister and pledged to continue opening the autocratic country to new personal freedoms. During an outdoor ceremony at Singapore's Istana presidential palace, Lee was sworn in before a crowd of 1,400 people that included his father, who took the new title of minister mentor, and outgoing Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, who was named senior minister.

Kwa Geok Choo Wife, mother of Singapore prime ministers Kwa Geok Choo, 89, wife of Singapore's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, and the mother of the island nation's current prime minister, died Saturday at home, said a statement from the office of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. She underwent surgery in 2008 after a stroke and suffered a massive hemorrhage a month later. Born in 1921, Kwa met Lee in the late 1930s when they studied at Raffles Institution, where she was the only girl in high school.

Kwa Geok Choo Wife, mother of Singapore prime ministers Kwa Geok Choo, 89, wife of Singapore's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, and the mother of the island nation's current prime minister, died Saturday at home, said a statement from the office of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. She underwent surgery in 2008 after a stroke and suffered a massive hemorrhage a month later. Born in 1921, Kwa met Lee in the late 1930s when they studied at Raffles Institution, where she was the only girl in high school.

Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Singapore's founding leader, Lee Kuan Yew, was inaugurated Thursday as the nation's third prime minister and pledged to continue opening the autocratic country to new personal freedoms. During an outdoor ceremony at Singapore's Istana presidential palace, Lee was sworn in before a crowd of 1,400 people that included his father, who took the new title of minister mentor, and outgoing Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, who was named senior minister.

It has been an epochal year for Singapore. In August, the tiny island nation celebrated 25 years of independence--a notable achievement given that few outside observers present at its birth believed the country would even survive, much less go on to become a model of the Asian economic miracle. On Nov.

Singapore's ruling party celebrated a landslide victory in parliamentary elections that signaled continuity in the city-state's trademark mix of economic success, social stability and tight political controls. Final results showed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's People's Action Party won 82 of 84 seats in Parliament, the same as in the previous assembly.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong vowed to relax Singapore's tight rules on public gatherings in his first policy speech since he was sworn in 10 days earlier. Singapore, which bars demonstrations, gatherings or speeches without a permit under strict free-speech controls, will allow unlicensed public talks if they are held indoors and avoid "sensitive subjects" such as race and religion, Lee said.

Trade Pact With United States Signed: After signing a general agreement on trade talks with members of the Assn. of Southeast Asian nations, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will now begin to negotiate specific pacts designed to expand American economic ties with Singapore and the other nations in the group. U.S.

Singapore announced that it had banned the Far Eastern Economic Review magazine after it failed to comply with new rules. "It is a privilege and not a right for foreign newspapers to circulate in Singapore," the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts said. The government said the publication failed to appoint a legal representative and pay a $126,000 security bond. In a separate case, the Review, published by Dow Jones & Co.

Lee Kuan Yew, the unchallenged leader of Singapore for the last 31 years, finally steps down Wednesday in favor of his handpicked successor as prime minister, Goh Chok Tong. With Lee expected to stay in the Cabinet as a senior minister, however, few expect that Goh will be completely free to chart a new course. He has said he prefers a more open, consultative style of government.

It has been an epochal year for Singapore. In August, the tiny island nation celebrated 25 years of independence--a notable achievement given that few outside observers present at its birth believed the country would even survive, much less go on to become a model of the Asian economic miracle. On Nov.

Settling its second defamation suit in Singapore this year, the International Herald Tribune newspaper Monday agreed to pay $214,285 to Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, state-run television reported. The amount was decided at a High Court hearing Monday, the report said. Lee was Singapore's prime minister from 1959 to 1990. The suit arose over an article published in October, 1994, that Lee's lawyers said alleged he had tried to suppress democratic political activity.

Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who turned a colonial backwater into a modern industrial giant, announced Sunday that he will step down from the post he has held for 30 years before the end of 1990. In his New Year's message, the 66-year-old Lee said First Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong will be his successor, ending speculation that he would immediately pass the post on to his son, Trade and Industry Minister Lee Hsien Loong.