Three motorists fined, banned from driving for a year for providing illegal vehicle pooling services in Singapore

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Three men were each fined $1,800 and banned from driving for a year for providing illegal car and motorcycle pooling services, following enforcement operations by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). They were all caught on May 3, 2023, and one of them became the first motorcyclist here to be convicted for conveying...

China teacher turned influencer famous for cute kindergarten song caught up in US$7,000-for-sex rumours, calls in police

A former preschool teacher who became famous last year when she appeared in a video singing to children, has claimed she has become the target of an online pornography slur. The woman, surnamed Huang, worked as a music teacher at a nursery school in Wuhan, Hubei province in central China. She shot to fame in April 2023...

Putin Ally Deploys Tanks Near NATO Border

Belarus has reportedly deployed tanks near its border with NATO, while tensions between Russia and the strategic alliance continue to simmer amid the war in Ukraine. The Belarusian military "mobilized reservists and kicked off major military maneuvers," according to a report published by The Kyiv Post on Thursday. Troops and equipment including tanks from Belarus' 19th Guards Mechanized Brigade...

Donald Trump Dealt a Blow in Classified Documents Case

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's classified documents case in Florida denied one of the former president's motions to have his federal charges dismissed. Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, said in a two-page order on Thursday that the questions at the heart of the case are best decided in "connection with jury-instruction briefing." Trump's defense team had argued that the first...

Taylor Swift, her mum’s family and a glimpse of a bygone era in Singapore

SINGAPORE: She came, she thrilled thousands across six sold-out shows, and now, Taylor Swift has left Singapore – but leaves in her wake a lasting impact. The celebrated American megastar filled the National Stadium and generated a spike in business for airlines, hotels and eateries here. She inspired MPs to pepper their Parliament speeches with references...

Indonesia wants to work with Singapore to host big concerts and world events

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post/ANN): Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno visited Singapore recently and aims to explore potential bilateral cooperation on hosting major concerts and other international events amid pop singer Taylor Swift’s exclusive six-date concert series in the city-state. During the visit, Sandiaga met with Grace Fu Hai Yien, Singapore’s minister-in-charge of trade relations...

Albino Thai buffalo fetches a record RM2.3mil at fair

BANGKOK: Ko Muang Phet, a magnificent albino buffalo owned by Damrongsak Morakot in Phetchaburi province, recently made headlines when it was bought for a whopping 18 million baht (RM2.3mil). Renowned for its striking beauty and colossal size, the buffalo is known for its remarkable breeding capability because 90% of its offspring will be born with albino...

Norway’s King Harald fitted with permanent pacemaker

OSLO (AFP): Norway's 87-year-old King Harald had a permanent pacemaker implanted on Tuesday (March 12) in Oslo in a procedure the royal palace termed "successful". Europe's oldest reigning monarch, King Harald had to be repatriated to Norway on a medical transport flight on March 3 after contracting an infection while on holiday in Pulau Langkawi. Upon his...

Indonesian airline pilots fell asleep mid-flight, says safety agency

JAKARTA (AFP): The Indonesian air safety agency has called for better pilot fatigue monitoring mechanisms, after an investigation revealed that both pilots of a commercial aircraft had recently fallen asleep in-flight. A pilot and co-pilot were simultaneously asleep for approximately 28 minutes during a Batik Air flight from South East Sulawesi to the capital Jakarta on...