The governing council of the Council of Estate Agencies (CEA) and the Centre for Liveable Cities' (CLC) board will get new leaders in the new year.This was announced by the Ministry of National Development (MND) and CEA in a joint statement on Monday (Dec 1). Justice Vincent Hoong, who is currently a High Court judge and Presiding Judge of the State Courts, will replace current deputy president Cheng Hsing Yao on Jan 1, after his judiciary appointments end on Dec 31. Cheng, who is also the group chief executive officer of GuocoLand Limited, will be appointed as chairman of the CLC's board, also on Jan 1.Established in 2010 as a statutory board under MND, CEA was created following the passing of the Estate Agents Act, to regulate and develop the real estate agency industry.The CLC's role is to position Singapore as a hub for urban solutions through advisory, capability development, research and knowledge platforms such as the World Cities Summit.

In the first ten months of 2025, 23,742 travellers were caught at Singapore's air, land and sea checkpoints for failing to declare dutiable and taxable goods. The total composition sum imposed in lieu of prosecution amounted to $7,114,850, said Singapore Customs on Monday (Dec 1). In one case on Oct 17, a female traveller from Bangkok was directed for further checks after attempting to exit the arrival hall at Changi Airport via the Green Channel, which is for those without anything to declare. The checks found undeclared new luxury items, including a bag, a wallet and three pieces of jewellery. She was fined the maximum composition sum of $5,000. A total of 142 culprits have been issued the maximum penalty of $5,000 for making incorrect or incomplete declarations to Singapore Customs this year, compared with 46 such offenders in 2024 and 51 in 2023. 

Moderate to heavy thundery showers are expected over parts of Singapore in the afternoon on most days in the first fortnight of December, due to the onset of the northeast monsoon, the Meteorological Service Singapore said on Monday (Dec 1).The showers may also extend into the evenings on some days.The total rain forecast is expected to be near average over most parts of the island — with daily maximum temperatures between 24 deg C and 33 deg C on most days, reaching around 34 deg C on a few days.The second half of November also saw mostly thundery showers.Temperatures were warmer, typical of the inter-monsoon conditions, with a high of 35.2 deg C recorded at Paya Lebar on Nov 29.On Nov 17, regional convergence of winds brought heavy thundery showers over many parts of Singapore in the afternoon, with a total rainfall of 70.4mm — the highest rainfall recorded for the second half of November — at Clementi. [[nid:725461]]editor@asiaone.com 

The president also said he would not have wanted a second strike on a boat allegedly carrying drugs, which occurred after U.S. forces realized the initial attack left two survivors, as The Post reported.

[allAfrica]

US and Ukrainian officials held consultations in Florida on Sunday, addressing «possible elections, land swaps and security guarantees,» the newspaper noted

Air raid warnings are currently in effect for the Nikolayev and Kharkov regions

The FSB identified the mastermind of the attack and detained an accomplice of his

As of 7:10 a.m. Moscow time, the MOEX Index was up by 0.33% at 2,685.21 points

The TV channel noted that «creative solutions to tiptoe around Kiev’s red lines are being explored» as US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff travels to Moscow for talks

WASHINGTON (CMC): The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Friday urged countries of the Americas, including the Caribbean, to strengthen their response to HIV, warning that around one-third of people living with HIV are diagnosed too late,...

WESTERN BUREAU: With the winter tourist season set to open on December 15, Montego Bay’s major resorts and attractions are accelerating their final recovery efforts following Hurricane Melissa. Among the properties already at full operational...

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has been actively building strategic partnerships with regional employers’ groups and national workforce bodies to keep pace with the growing demand for more entry-level workers with job-ready skills. Dr...

WESTERN BUREAU: The country’s third field hospital – a Type 2 full-service medical facility gifted by Barbados – will be fully operational before the end of this week on the grounds of the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital in Westmoreland....

Cleanup is still underway east of Cranbrook, B.C., after a train derailment caused a propane leak and forced the evacuation of some rural properties along the Kootenay River this weekend.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Russia needs to be “part of the equation” in reaching a peace deal for Ukraine Read Full Article at RT.com

US President Donald Trump has named corruption as one of Ukraine’s key problems Read Full Article at RT.com

US Senator Lindsey Graham has rejected the call to provide Ukraine with nuclear weapons Read Full Article at RT.com

[RFI] Lawyers for Chaima Issa, a well-known Tunisian writer and human rights activist, say she was arrested at a protest in Tunis on Saturday as hundreds demonstrated against the curtailing of freedoms.

[RFI] The is approaching a key election next month, with President Faustin-Archange Touadéra running for a third time under a new constitution that removed term limits. Speaking to RFI in Bangui, he says his country has made real progress - from peace deals with armed groups to the return of state authority in long-neglected areas. He also talked about security, the cost of living and potential security arrangements with Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

[SAnews.gov.za] President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed South Africans for their unity, warmth and commitment after the country successfully hosted the G20 Leaders' Summit and more than 130 meetings throughout the year.

David Walsh infuriated his council and neighbours by installing an electric fence around his £44.5million Notting Hill mansion without planning permission.

SINGAPORE — With climate change expected to cause more erratic rainfall patterns, Singapore's approach to dealing with flash floods has been expanded, said national water agency PUB chief executive Ong Tze-Ch'in.The Government will continue to invest in drainage infrastructure, but on top of that, PUB recognises the need to build up societal resilience against flash flooding, he added.«We have come to the realisation that we cannot possibly prevent every flooding event,» said Ong, 50, in an interview with The Straits Times on Nov 28, as the country enters the rainy north-east monsoon season — the wettest period of the year.According to Singapore's third national climate change study, the growing amount of planet-warming gases in the atmosphere is expected to bring heavier, more intense and frequent storms.In January, monsoon surges — weather events that happen during the wet phase of the north-east monsoon — dumped large amounts of rain over the country in a short period of time.

While returning from a friend's wedding in Johor Bahru, a Singaporean couple was stopped by Malaysian immigration officers at the checkpoint for a car inspection. Not knowing that their handbag, which contained documents, bank cards and $4,700 in cash had fallen out of the vehicle during the check, the couple continued their midnight drive home, reported The Star. Interior designer Tan Zheng Guang explained that he and his wife were worn out from the journey and only realised the bag was missing upon reaching home. The 36-year-old thought the item might have been left behind at the hotel in which they stayed from Nov 3 to 5, but it was not the case. Tan immediately cancelled his bank cards but held back from lodging a report «as I had a feeling that someone would find my bag», he told the Malaysian news outlet. Sure enough, he later received a call from the Singapore Consulate-General in JB, informing him that Malaysian immigration officers had found his bag. «Initially, I thought it was a scam call until the person sent me a picture of my identity card,» he recalled. 

Motorists who make payment for their composition fines for traffic offences within 14 days of receiving the notice of offence will get a discount of $30 from Jan 1, the Singapore Police Force said on Monday (Dec 1).In a statement on Dec 1 (Monday), the police said that significant resources have been used to deal with a «high and increasing volume» of composition fines and appeals. According to the police's statistics, the Traffic Police (TP) issued an average of about 6,000 notice of traffic offence to motorists and processed more than 1,000 appeals per month in 2024.«The vast majority of the appeals were rejected as TP only accedes to appeals in exceptional circumstances, such as if there was a medical emergency, and with supporting documentary proof,» the police said.The introduction of an early payment scheme (EPS) is intended to encourage motorists to pay their composition fines promptly and reduce meritless appeals, thereby saving TP significant resources and allowing these resources to be reallocated to more critical areas such as enforcement.

Families hoping to get their Christmas trees at a shop close to the Prince and Princess of Wales' new Windsor mansion face being diverted around a new circular route.

The Reform UK leader said Ms Reeves' conduct in the run-up to last week's Budget was of 'grave concern'.

Closing its inaugural conference in Liverpool, Jeremy Corbyn announced the results of a members vote, telling supporters: 'Your Party is the name of your party.'

Senior SAS figures defended the regiment as 'war crimes' inquiry released more claims. Yhey said rivals have an agenda and criticised 'selective' release of evidence.

Businessman David Sutton, 64, has three homes which stand together overlooking one of Britain's most stunning vistas: Lake Windermere. But even he is selling up.

NATO is studying ways to be “more aggressive” towards Moscow, its top commander says Read Full Article at RT.com

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Russia needs to be “part of equation” in reaching a peace deal for Ukraine Read Full Article at RT.com