Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla arrived in Singapore Monday to kick off an Asian tour aimed at cementing relations ahead of a meeting of Commonwealth states next year.The heir to the British throne and Camilla are undertaking an 11-day trip that will also include stops in Malaysia and India.

Officially sworn in as Singapore’s eighth president, Halimah Yacob, 63 has become the first female president in the history of Singapore after successfully filling her nomination papers while obtaining the support of the Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.In a speech, Lee described Halimah as a respected unionist who championed the employment and well being of union members and workers and also their family members, especially for women who are returning to work.

Halimah Yacob, 63, will become Singapore’s first female president when she is sworn in Thursday as the city’s eighth head of state. She was named president-elect as the only eligible candidate this week, after two others were disqualified in an election reserved for minority ethnic Malay candidates.The process sparked criticism on social media that Singaporeans were deprived of the opportunity to choose their president and that it diminished Halimah’s achievement.

Singaporeans Tuesday poured scorn on the process to select their new president after an establishment figure was deemed the only eligible candidate, meaning no election will be held.Halimah Yacob, a former speaker of parliament from the city-state's Muslim Malay minority, will be the first woman to hold the largely ceremonial role if – as expected – she is formally nominated to the presidency Wednesday.But the 63-year-old will avoid an election originally slated for September 23, as othe