Ahead of the National Day on Sunday (Aug 9), various Government agencies, including the President's Office, Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) held their national day observance ceremonies on Friday morning.President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was joined by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong at the Istana, where they sang the national anthem and recited the national pledge.They also watched a Malay choral singing (dikir barat) performance by the Attorney-General's Chambers.

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has charged a 23-year-old man for his alleged involvement in trafficking etomidate vaporiser pods, also known as Kpods.Dean Daniel Ong was arrested on July 30 after HSA officers, acting on a tip-off, raided Ong's residence in Hougang, where officers seized two vaporisers and 55 pods.In a news release on Friday (Aug 7), HSA said that laboratory testing has since confirmed that the pods contained etomidate.Investigations are ongoing and the case, which was mentioned again in court on Friday, has been adjourned to Sept 16.HSA said that it takes a serious view of e-vaporiser and etomidate trafficking offences.Importers, sellers and distributors of etomidate e-vaporisers now face stiffer penalties. If convicted, importers can be jailed for three to 20 years and receive five to 15 strokes of the cane, while sellers and distributors can be jailed for two to 10 years and receive two to five strokes of the cane. Need support around vaping or addiction?

Lim Tean was arrested by the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) in Johor Bahru on Thursday (Aug 6), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Friday.Lim, who is the secretary-general of the People's Alliance of Reform, was issued an arrest warrant on Aug 3 to begin his jail term for practising law without a certificate.«As Lim Tean has an outstanding court warrant for arrest in Singapore for failing to surrender to court, the SPF is working closely with the RMP to secure his return to Singapore,» the police said.«The SPF expresses appreciation to the Malaysian authorities for their prompt assistance.»[[nid:741894]]daoen.wong@asiaone.com

WESTERN BUREAU: As Jamaica celebrates its 64th year of independence this year, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon says that the nation’s growth over the decades is connected to the history of the African continent, with the Caribbean and African regions’ collaboration being indicative of strength across borders.

WESTERN BUREAU: Montego Bay-based reggae artiste Hezron Clarke never expected to be publicly honoured on Independence Day for his musical contributions to St James and the wider Jamaica.

FALMOUTH, Trelawny: The historic Water Square in Falmouth provided a fitting backdrop on Thursday as the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), in partnership with the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, hosted the parish’s Independence Civic Ceremony. The ceremony, commemorating Jamaica’s 64th Anniversary of Independence under the theme ‘United in Celebrating Resilience’. brought together government officials, civic leaders, members of the uniformed services, students, and residents in a patriotic observance celebrating Jamaica’s achievements.

WESTERN BUREAU: Disappointment over low public turnout overshadowed St Elizabeth’s Independence Day observance on Thursday, as civic and municipal leaders gathered with only a handful of residents to mark Jamaica’s 64th year of Independence. The flag-raising ceremony, a symbolic display of resilience and national pride, was held against the backdrop of the parish’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Melissa, which destroyed homes, public facilities and the municipal offices.

NEW YORK: Jamaicans across the United States and Canada have been well represented among the 140 people in this year’s list for national honours and awards list. At least 12 diasporans are set to be among those honoured on National Heroes Day in October. Heading the list is Donette Chin-Loy, who has been awarded the Order of Jamaica (OJ), the nation’s fourth highest national honour. She has been honoured for her contribution to nation building in Jamaica and Canada.

According to the report by Khaosod, law enforcement and emergency services are at the scene

According to the report by Khaosod, two people were killed, and updated figures indicate that 15 were injured

Alexander Stepanov commented on the Lithuanian government’s decision to begin producing drones for the Ukrainian army

Eight hundred people were evacuated from the facility in advance

Emergency responders are working at the scene, while firefighters are extinguishing the blaze

« Aucun de nous, en agissant seul, ne peut atteindre le succès. » Nelson Mandela, ancien président de la République d'Afrique du Sud et artisan de la réconciliation entre les peuples. D'emblée, en ma qualité de militant et de Conseiller stratégique de l'UDB Diaspora, un constat s'impose, même si de nombreuses personnalités influentes préfèrent le maintenir sous silence. L'UDB Diaspora est devenue le miroir des dysfonctionnements observés au sein de l'UDB au Gabon. À l'origine, bien (...) - POLITIQUE / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

Dans la continuité de la vision du Président de la République, Chef de l'État, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, une délégation d'élus du département du Haut-Ntem a effectué une visite de terrain à Minvoul ce 6 août 2025. Cette descente intervient à la suite des instructions données par le Chef de l'État lors de sa récente visite dans la localité. Objectif : lancer plusieurs chantiers visant à améliorer durablement les conditions de vie des populations. Arrivés tard dans la nuit du 5 août, (...) - INFRASTRUCTURES / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

Jed Wallace, the PR specialist who was dragged into the scandal by Lively back in 2024, is seeking to have the actress deposed over legal fees she is attempting to recover from him.

In a bold move, the Tories have vowed to scrap tenancies for non-EU nationals already living in social housing - and to block all foreign citizens from taking out new tenancies.

Mohamad Agha, 51, was wanted in Romania to serve a four-year jail sentence for attempted murder and was funded by the British taxpayer for much of his time evading justice.

GUY ADAMS: The ensuing social media kerfuffle on Wednesday night marked a fitting end to an utterly surreal scandal in which almost nothing proved to be quite as it seemed.

It sounds like satire. A young woman named Zara Beth, who describes herself as a 'disability advocate and author', posted a video revealing the problems she faces as a wheelchair user.

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have launched large-scale attacks on Saudi-backed forces Read Full Article at RT.com

The man behind the Hide the Pain Harold meme has topped a recent public poll for new Hungarian president, the Guardian has reported Read Full Article at RT.com

Bourse operator Singapore Exchange (SGX) reported record full-year earnings on Thursday (Aug 6) on growth across its businesses, while also proposing a one-off additional dividend.Singapore's equity market has gained this year after the Monetary Authority of Singapore launched a programme to revive listings and improve liquidity.«Growth was broad-based, with our cash equities business leading the way and our foreign exchange and commodities pillars reaching new volume highs,» said Loh Boon Chye, Chief Executive Officer of SGX Group.A broader rotation of global capital toward Asian safe-haven assets amid dollar volatility has also helped, with the Straits Times Index hitting repeated record highs during the year.The city-state's bourse operator hosted 21 equity listings, up from six a year earlier, raising $4.1 billion.SGX said its IPO pipeline includes companies in sectors such as digital infrastructure, healthcare and consumer.Full-year net revenue from equities-cash segment rose 28.1 per cent and accounted for more than a third of the group's net revenue which rose 13.9 per cent to an all-time high of $1,478.3 million.

Incidents involving cyclists and motorists have regularly been discussed online, sometimes with intensity.On Aug 2, Facebook account SG Road Vigilante, which posts videos relating to road accidents and behaviour, shared a video showing an altercation between a lorry driver and cyclist on Braddell Road. In this case, the lorry driver is seen failing to give way at the yield line, turning out from Bishan Street 11 onto Braddell Road despite the oncoming cyclist.The cyclist is later seen riding briefly alongside the lorry, gesturing at the driver.Last month, a group of cyclists was seen riding through at least two red light stops in Pasir Ris.In both incidents, there were strong comments from both drivers and cyclists alike.Perhaps the discourse was best summed up by Michael Loke who wrote: «This is the kind of behaviour that causes drivers to gradually build resentment against cyclists.» But it is also worth noting that not all cyclists are errant road users.

A community cat in Marsiling was found covered in an black oily substance by feeders, who suspect the feline was attacked.The white cat, affectionately named Bai Bai (white white in Mandarin), had grease in its ears and watery eyes, reported Shin Min Daily News.Cat feeder Chen Shimei (transliteration), 62, told the publication that Bai Bai was discovered in that condition late last month.The retiree has been travelling from Ang Mo Kio to the Marsiling industrial estate every other day to feed the strays for eight to nine years. On the days she is not there, another cat feeder in her eighties makes the rounds.The other feeder was the one who noticed Bai Bai's unusual black coat and that it was unable to open its eyes, said Chen.Both of them raised funds for Bai Bai and took it to a vet, where it stayed for a night. The final vet bill was reportedly about $1,095.Chen also decided to take Bai Bai home to prevent it being harmed again.She said it is unlikely that the cat became covered in oil on its own.

The Supreme Court will continue CBI investigations into defaulting realtors. Builders cannot escape probes by settling with only a few homebuyers. Many bank officials are found to have colluded with these builders. CBI has completed probes in eighteen of fifty registered cases. Banks must grant prosecution sanctions for accused officials within two weeks.

Candidates holding temporary disability certificates can now pursue MBBS admissions, reflecting significant changes in the National Medical Commission's policies. The revised guidelines indicate that admission requests from persons with disabilities will be subject to assessment by medical boards. It is noteworthy that the presence of progressive or non-progressive disabilities will not inherently prevent admission, with a thorough evaluation of functional competency taking place.

Nearly all Indian students heading overseas for education plan to come back home after their studies. What's striking is that about 90% are pioneering this journey as the first in their families to study abroad. This trend highlights a shift towards self-driven decisions among students. Business and management fields are particularly appealing, with many utilizing Google searches and agents to find their perfect educational fit.

In a significant shift, alternative-fuel passenger vehicles have captured forty percent of the retail market, nearly matching petrol-powered models, which hold a slender one percent lead. July marked the highest sales figures for automobiles ever recorded. Additionally, electric two-wheelers are experiencing unprecedented market penetration, highlighting changing consumer preferences towards cost-effective options.