Safety fears as Japanese ‘tight men’ in silicone body suits morph into ‘women’ in public

TOKYO: A phenomenon has emerged in Japan which involves males labelled as “tight men” who wear silicone bodysuits and lifelike masks to look like women in public spaces. The trend has sparked concerns about the safety of real women. Online sources suggest that their outfits are likely inspired by Animegao Kigurumi, a masked cosplay style rooted in...

Jail for Singaporean man who used corporate credit card to make nearly S$30,000 in unauthorised transactions

SINGAPORE: A risk and controls officer with an insurance firm, who earned more than S$11,000 a month used its corporate credit card to make 27 unauthorised transactions involving S$29,674 in total. Raul Randhawa, a 44-year-old Singaporean, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal breach of trust and was sentenced to four months’ jail on Wednesday (Oct...

Vietnamese woman wanted for gold smuggling arrested in Greece

ATHENS: Greek police have arrested a Vietnamese woman wanted for smuggling nearly 300kg (660 pounds) of gold bars by hiding them under vehicles used to shuttle ice across the Vietnam-Cambodia border, police officials said on Wednesday (Oct 30). An Interpol Red Notice was issued on behalf of Vietnam last year for the 64-year-old woman, who had...

Over 200 people stranded in 11 Luzon ports due to Typhoon Leon, says Philippine Coast Guard

MANILA: Over 200 individuals were stranded in 11 Luzon ports due to the effects of Typhoon Leon (international name: Kong-rey) as of Tuesday (Oct 29) afternoon, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The agency reported it monitored 224 stranded passengers, truck drivers, and cargo helpers in Southern Tagalog and Bicol ports from 8am to noon. Of...

Birmingham Airport Evacuation: What Happened?

The Birmingham Airport underwent an evacuation due to a suspicious vehicle being discovered on the premises. Learn more about what happened and whether the airport has reopened by reading below. The Birmingham Airport entered partial evacuation mode early Wednesday, October 23, 2024, after encountering suspicious activity, leading some passengers to revise their flights due to changes...

Scout Motors’ New EV Vehicles: All About the Revival

Volkswagen's Scout Motors was revived as a new EV vehicle company. Learn more about its Traveler SUV and Terra pickup truck. Scout Motors’ EVs are here and almost ready to hit the road. Motor enthusiasts have been patiently waiting for the brand’s nameplate to finally arrive. Now that it has, customers got a glimpse at Scout’s...

Brains and brawn, muscular China academic offers free personal training to PhD candidates

BEIJING: An associate professor at a prestigious university in China has posted videos of her working out in the gym to recruit chemistry PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows. Yang Xuemei, 31, from Harbin Institute of Technology’s Shenzhen campus in southern China began posting videos of herself training in gyms and showing off her muscles as “advertisements”...

Sixteen-year-old girl among 112 nabbed for suspected drug offences in Singapore

SINGAPORE: A 16-year-old girl was among 112 suspected drug offenders who were nabbed in an islandwide anti-drug bust, said the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in a statement on Monday (Oct 28). The raids, which took place from Oct 14 to 25 in areas such as Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Clementi, Eunos, Jurong and Tampines, saw a...

Japan PM under pressure after debacle election

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was on thin ice on Monday (Oct 28) after his ruling coalition was projected to have lost its parliamentary majority in disastrous snap elections. Ishiba, 67, called Sunday's vote days after taking office on October 1, but voters angry at a slush fund scandal punished his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). "We...

Son-in-law of former Myanmar junta chief arrested over Facebook posts

YANGON: Myanmar authorities have arrested an ex-military officer and son-in-law of a former junta chief for Facebook posts that threatened "peace and stability," the junta said. The junta has cracked down on dissent since ending a decade-long experiment in democracy in 2021, with systematic censorship and surveillance of online speech. Nay Soe Maung, whose father-in-law Than Shwe...