Shangri-La Dialogue In Singapore Canceled Due To Worsening Pandemic

Shangri-La Dialogue In Singapore Canceled Due To Worsening Pandemic

Delegates and top defence ministers attend the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June ... [+] 1, 2019. The Shangri-La Dialogue, a gathering of top military leaders, diplomats and weapons makers from around the world scheduled to take place in Singapore next month, has been canceled due to the worsening Covid-19 situation. This is the second major international event canceled in the city-state this year as Singapore battles to contain an increasing number of Covid-19 infections in recent weeks. The World Economic Forum on Monday said it was canceling the event slated to happen in Singapore in August as the pandemic continues to spread unabated around the world. U. S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was among the top defense ministers confirmed to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue that was supposed to take place in Singapore from June 4-5. The confirmed list of attendees also include senior officials and corporate leaders from Asia, North America, the Middle East and Europe, according to the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), the event's organizer. "The global Covid-19 situation has recently deteriorated, in part because of the rise of infectious new Covid variants," IISS said in a statement late Thursday. "In Singapore there has