Local Jewish groups had expressed interest in erecting the traditional nine-branched candelabra near a M&S store in Epping over the eight-day holiday at the end of this month.

It's the long-running soap which, since its earliest days in 1985, has seen murders, fires and more than its fair share of cliff-hangers.

Bala Trichy Iyer, 56, gives back to his community by offering basic coding classes at Changi Simei Community Club (CC). The entrepreneur, who founded technology start-up The Walnut, has held three Python lessons so far. To his surprise, residents in their 70s with no tech background showed up and kept coming back. «Most of them say: 'I have no idea. Looks like I have missed the boat.' But we say: 'No... we'll teach you today. And not only will you do it effortlessly, you'll be enjoying it also,'» he said. Such community spirit is important as Singapore embarks on a new phase of nation-building in a troubled time, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Dec 14. «You can see it around the world when you read the news. The world is becoming more troubled. There are wars in Europe, in the Middle East,» he said at a community event in Bedok. «Society is becoming more divided, trust being eroded.» But Singapore can be a «beacon of light» and come together to face challenges, he said. «We can be stable, secure, reliable and trusted.»

One woman died after a family of three from Singapore got into a car accident in Miaoli, Taiwan on Saturday (Dec 14) afternoon.  A Singaporean man, 36, and his three-year-old daughter sustained minor injuries from the crash, reported Taiwan news publication TVBS. His wife, a 33-year-old Chinese national, died from her injuries, SETNews reported. The man had driven a rental car, taking his family to pick strawberries in a farm that day. While en route to their next destination, he lost control of the vehicle. Instead of making a right turn like other motorists, the white car was veering towards the left and ended up crashing into a power pole, CCTV footage of the area showed. The power pole collapsed onto the road, blocking traffic across three lanes. While the man and his daughter were able to exit the vehicle, his wife was trapped back seat, local police said. She showed no signs of life after first responders extricated her from the wreckage. The woman was taken to hospital where she was subsequently pronounced dead.

Lithuanian fitness athlete Kornelija Dudaite has been disqualified for displaying an anti-Russian slogan Read Full Article at RT.com

Ben Affleck reunited with his exes Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Garner to watch their children perform together in a school play in Los Angeles , California on Friday.

«We hold the Israeli occupation, the US administration, and the countries complicit in this crime of genocide,» the media office said

The military made searches using stun grenades and tear gas against local residents

The inexplicable issue has reached a boiling point as President Joe Biden remains silent - refusing to address the mounting crisis , fueling country-wide fear and confusion.

The comedian, 47, pipped fellow finalists Tasha Ghouri, JB Gill and Sarah Hadland to the post in the show's 'best ever' final as his inspiring story was said to have saved the show.

Muhammad Sharif, 69, claims the five children are not willing to go back to Britain despite the UK government 's best efforts to have them.

Baroness Ann Mallalieu has become one of the most vocal critics of Chancellor Rachel Reeves 's ill-conceived plan, likely to affect more than 50,000 farms across the country.

Marcus Fakana, the British teenager who was convicted in Dubai after having sex with a 17-year-old girl, is now facing the prospect of seeing his one-year sentence increased to 20 years.

MRT services along the Circle Line were disrupted for about an hour after a train stalled at Tai Seng station on Saturday (Dec 14), causing delays in commuters' journeys. The disruption began at around 6.20pm, with some commuters reporting a «blackout» on the train, which came to a standstill at Tai Seng station. Commuters can be seen standing by the open train doors, waiting for services to resume. On social media, public transport operator SMRT alerted commuters that they would face an additional 30 minutes of travel time between Promenade and Serangoon stations due to a train fault. Free regular bus service between the two stations - 10 stops apart - was also provided.

It was an unexpected 'windfall' which one rojak hawker quickly realised wasn't rightfully his. Instead of $10, he discovered that a customer had erroneously transferred $100 to him instead. According to Facebook user Victor Goh, he immediately took steps to rectify the situation. The owner of Crispy Rojak at Chinatown Complex shared a post on the Hawkers United - Dabao 2020 Facebook page on Thursday (Dec 12), describing the incident which had occurred the day before. He also let the customer know that a refund was on its way. «To the unknown customer who paid me $100 via NETS QR for his $10 Crispy Rojak, Chinatown Complex #02-195 on 10 Dec 24, please know that your refund $90 is on the way, no need to come down personally,» wrote Goh. He also urged his customers to «exercise more care» when using QR payments, adding, tongue-in-cheek: «Don't give me Christmas ang bao ah. Thank you!»

Grenell served earlier as the US Ambassador to Germany and as the Presidential Envoy for Kosovo-Serbia Negotiations

The plenary session of the summit took place for «four hours and forty minutes, and the work continued behind closed doors for two hours,» the president said

«Regrettably, it should be said so: the majority of European politicians simply do not want to meet anymore the German Chancellor that either sits silent for hours or lectures the world,» said Friedrich Merz

Key details of the deal are now kept secret to avoid political interference that may disrupt it, the official said

«When performing combat missions, crews of Su-35S multirole fighters practiced the air coverage in the designated area for operations of bombers and assault aircraft and army aviation helicopters when delivering air strikes against armored vehicles and personnel of the Ukrainian army,» the ministry informed

ABC News has apologized for saying live on air that Donal Trump has been found “liable for rape” Read Full Article at RT.com

Mani Shankar Aiyar, in an interview, revealed his limited interaction with the Gandhi family, stating his career was both built and destroyed by them. He also suggested that Congress's 2014 defeat wouldn't have been so severe if Pranab Mukherjee had been PM instead of Manmohan Singh.

SINGAPORE - The Lions had their reserves to thank on Dec 14, when they maintained their perfect start to their 2024 ASEAN Championship campaign as they overcame minnows Timor-Leste 3-0 at the Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam. Japan-born playmaker Kyoga Nakamura scored his first goal in his fourth appearance for his adopted country when he kept his nerve to slot in a 76th-minute penalty to his left and send Junildo Pereira the wrong way. The spot kick was confirmed following a video assistant referee check, after Olagar Xavier was adjudged to have pushed substitute Shawal Anuar in the box. Shawal then kept up his rich vein of form with a late brace to take his tally to 16 goals in 39 international appearances. Again it was the bench players who made the difference, as he tucked away Safuwan Baharudin's cross in the 83rd minute, before he tapped in seven minutes later after fellow substitutes Jordan Emaviwe and Farhan Zulkifli combined to create the opening.

Allianz SE has scrapped a proposed $1.5 billion euro (S$2.2 billion) acquisition of a 51 per cent stake in Singaporean firm Income Insurance Ltd because of public opposition to the deal, a source familiar with the matter said. The move would have lifted Allianz to fourth largest composite insurer in Asia, from ninth, but sparked critique in Singapore because of concerns that it would detract from a mission to provide affordable insurance for lower-income workers. The decision will likely be announced publicly in the coming week, the source said, declining to be named. Allianz declined to comment. Bloomberg reported earlier on Friday (Dec 13) that the German insurer was close to scrapping the deal. Income Insurance Ltd, which has around 1.7 million customers and offers life, health, and property insurance, was founded in the 1970s to offer insurance to poorer parts of the population.

New advisory guidelines on the use of National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) numbers will be issued by the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), following the government's change in stance that such numbers should no longer be viewed as private and confidential. The PDPC also confirmed that companies are still barred from collecting, using or disclosing NRIC numbers and making copies of the identity card, unless they are required by law to do so. However, any changes to the guidelines will be introduced only after industry and public consultation, the PDPC said on Saturday night (Dec 14). The commission did not say when the consultation is expected to be completed. Like any personal identifier, PDPC said that the NRIC number is still subject to the data protection obligations in the PDPA. Therefore, organisations collecting NRIC data must still obtain valid consent and comply with reasonable use and ensure protection. PDPC noted that it has previously taken action against organisations which have used NRIC numbers for authentication and breached their data protection obligations.

Bihar's former Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav announced the 'Mai Bahan Maan Yojana,' promising 2,500 rupees monthly to underprivileged women if RJD wins the upcoming assembly polls. This pledge mirrors similar schemes in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand, aiming to alleviate women's hardships and garner support ahead of elections. Yadav urged women to back him, emphasizing their shared struggles.

In Manipur, two migrant laborers from Bihar were shot dead by unidentified gunmen, marking the second such attack since last year's ethnic violence. Separately, an 18-year-old militant was killed in a police encounter in Thoubal district. Seven militants were apprehended, and a cache of weapons, suspected to be looted during the unrest, was recovered.

HTS leader calls on the international community to help new government as Israel continues its operations in Syria Read Full Article at RT.com

The US has been in contact with the Islamist group HTS that overthrew Syria’s Bashar Assad, Antony Blinken said Read Full Article at RT.com

A 39-year-old Montreal man died of an aneurysm after spending six hours in an emergency room before giving up and going home.