Tom Benner Reports

Stories by Tom Benner for Al Jazeera English

Trump and Kim sign agreement after historic summit 

Short on detail, the landmark statement includes a commitment by Kim to ‘work towards complete denuclearisation’. (June 12, 2018)

Trump and Kim meet after months of threats and insults

US president and North Korean leader hold face-to-face talks in an unprecedented summit in Singapore. (June 12, 2018)

Trump-Kim meeting: More theatrics than substance?

Both the US and North Korea have real incentives to negotiate, but optics could be the priority at the Singapore summit. (June 11, 2018)

Strict and orderly Singapore prepares for Trump-Kim summit chaos

City state known for its strict civil laws prepares for huge influx of journalists and diplomats. (June 10, 2018)

Meet the young Singaporeans building bridges with North Koreans

A Singaporean non-profit wants to foster closer ties between North Koreans and the outside world. (June 9, 2018)

The planned June 12 Trump-Kim summit took centre stage at the Asian security conference in Singapore.

Published by Al Jazeera English, June 3, 2018

By Tom Benner

Singapore – Defence officials from countries around the world are worrying aloud that the June 12 US-North Korea summit may repeat failed efforts at denuclearising the Korean Peninsula.

Prospects for the historic meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un took centre stage at a weekend Asian security conference attended by defence chiefs from over 40 countries, with sentiments ranging from guarded optimism to downright scepticism.

Song Young-moo, South Korea’s defence minister, called the Trump-Kim summit, to be held in politically neutral Singapore, a “precious opportunity” for a new era of peace and economic prosperity in Northeast Asia. Continue reading …

I served as Editor-in-Chief for the 2018 issue of N3 Magazine, the official magazine for the New. Now. Next Media Conference hosted by the Asian American Journalists Association, held in Hong Kong from May 25-27. This year’s conference theme was #RethinkingNews #Asia.

Journalism basics in the digital era. Millennials and the next generation of journalists — and readers. The urgent need for investigative journalism in an era of government lies. The challenge to journalists posed by hate speech. The promise of data journalism. The possibilities of blockchain and new business models.

These and many more articles are here.

By Tom Benner
Mainichi Weekly, 5 December 2017

The following is a longer version of a column I did for Mainichi Weekly on Singapore’s Little India. For this piece I interviewed Chef Devagi Sanmugam, the Spice Queen of Singapore, and I am greatly indebted to her for allowing me to access her vast store of knowledge as well as the food recommendations for specific restaurants and favorite dishes that she shares below.

Chef Devagi Sanmugam, the Spice Queen of Singapore

You can eat your way through the whole Indian subcontinent — just by walking around one neighborhood in Singapore.

Singapore’s Little India is many different things to many people.

It is a shopping paradise, for everything from hard to find Indian spices to colorful flower garlands, beautiful sarees and men’s shirts, colourful bangles, even henna designs.

It is a gathering place for South Asians living in Singapore — including the foreign workers from all over the region who spend their one day a week off (Sundays) by meeting and socializing in Little India.

It is a cultural center, where you can see performances, learn about Indian culture, or just walk about taking in the sounds of the of the latest Bollywood songs or classical Indian music.

And it is a food paradise, with restaurants that specialize in the various regions found in and around the Indian subcontinent.

As a resident of Singapore, I quickly learned that restaurants in Little India differ vastly, depending on regional cuisines. You don’t go out for Indian food — you go out for different kinds of regional foods from around the Indian subcontinent. I started out knowing little, other than to equate South Indian cuisine with spicy with lots of rice-based dishes, and North Indian not so spicy with lots of wheat based breads.

So I turned for expert opinion to Chef Devagi Sanmugam http://spice-queen.com , the award-winning author of 22 cookbooks, to teach me some of the differences. Chef Devagi — called the Spice Queen of Singapore — has family roots going back to Tamil Nadu, on the southeast coast of Indian Peninsula, and she is a self-taught cook.
Continue reading →

The causes that have put Donald Trump so close to the White House must be addressed.

Published by Fair Observer, Oct. 18, 2016

I am not worried about Donald Trump winning the US presidential election on November 8. He won’t, the experts keep telling us. And right-thinking people all over the world want to hear that.

But I do worry that Donald Trump, the phenomenon, is bigger than Donald Trump, the candidate. And that his impact will last long after he concedes defeat—or plays the poor loser—on election night. Continue reading …