Singapore on Friday (Dec 12) joined six other countries to enter a new US-led multilateral framework on economic security and technology.The framework, named Pax Silica, combines the Latin word «pax» - meaning peace, stability and long-term prosperity, and the word «silica» which refers to the compound that is refined into silicon used in computer chips that enable artificial intelligence (AI). According to the US State Department, the framework is intended to secure supply chains, trusted technology and strategic infrastructure. The inaugural summit on Dec 12 involved partners which the State Department said are home to the most important companies and investors powering the global AI supply chain.Writing on his X account, Undersecretary of State Jacon Helberg said the Pax Silica declaration operationalises US President Donald Trump's insight that artificial intelligence is the «new backbone of economic power».«This is the first time countries are organising around compute, silicon, minerals and manufacturing as shared strategic assets,» Helberg said. 

SINGAPORE – A total of 44 people were taken to the hospitals after an accident involving two double-decker buses in Jurong West on the morning of Dec 14.In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident slightly before 11am.Upon SCDF's arrival, it said, a person was trapped in the driver's seat of a bus. The person was rescued using hydraulic rescue equipment, SCDF said.Bus service 98, operated by Tower Transit, had rear-ended an SBS Transit-run bus service 99, which was stationary, at 10.54am in Jurong West Avenue 1, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post at about 2.10pm.Those who were injured have been taken to the hospitals and are receiving medical attention, LTA said, adding that it and both transport operators are investigating the accident.LTA said: «We would like to apologise for the hurt and distress caused by this accident.»When ST arrived at the scene at around 12.30pm, the police have cordoned off the accident site. SCDF personnel were also there.Some of the injured were being attended to at a shelter near a HDB block.

Charles, 77, revealed in a video message that his treatment will be significantly scaled back in the New Year after he responded 'exceptionally well' to treatment following his diagnosis in February.

Lapland in the Arctic Circle is famously associated with Father Christmas, and the Finnish city of Rovaniemi even proclaims itself to be his official hometown.

A private jet which took off from Singapore's Changi Airport skidded off the runway after landing at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido on Friday (Dec 12) evening.The incident occurred shortly at about 6.40pm, reported Kyodo News Agency and Japan's NHK broadcasting network.There were five passengers on board, including a small child, along with three flight attendants. No injuries were reported, according to firefighters who rushed to the scene.The aircraft's fuselage was not damaged and there was no fire, added NHK.One of the New Chitose Airport's two runways was closed, but other aircraft operation were not affected, according to Japanese broadcaster HBC News, which posted a video of the aftermath on its YouTube channel.The aircraft appeared to have overshot the runway upon landing, coming to a stop on snow-covered ground.The report added that it was snowing at New Chitose Airport at the time. Authorities are investigating the incident.It was the second flight incident to have occurred in the region that day.

SINGAPORE - Even the best teachers struggle with large classes, a sentiment echoed by primary and secondary school teachers The Straits Times spoke to.With Singapore's plans to hire more than 1,000 teachers annually over the next few years, teachers say they hope the added manpower will eventually result in smaller class sizes.Average class sizes grew slightly from 2023 to 2024, based on the latest figures. In primary schools, the average class size rose from 33.6 to 33.8. In secondary schools, it increased from 32.6 to 32.9, and in junior colleges, from 23.1 to 23.2.The pupil-to-teacher ratio in primary schools was 15.6 in 2024, up from 14.5 in 2020. In secondary schools, the student-to-teacher ratio increased from 11.9 to 12.7 over the same period.The number of teachers fell from 30,396 in 2023 to 29,605 in 2024, even as the student cohort continued to shrink. Primary 1 enrolment, for example, dropped from 39,372 to 37,785 over the same period.

The Congress is holding a major rally at Ramlila Maidan to protest alleged «vote chori» and issues with electoral rolls. Top leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, will address the gathering. The party claims to have collected over five crore signatures nationwide, criticizing the Election Commission's neutrality and demanding electoral reforms.

In a captivating viral video, an Indian vlogger shared his experience in Australia, where he stumbled upon a touching handwritten note on a car after a trivial parking accident. This simple yet profound act, complete with contact information for potential damage claims, stood in stark contrast to the reactions often seen in India.

Russia has condemned the EU’s “illegal” actions against its frozen assets Read Full Article at RT.com

Posted on Instagram by Victoria last week, the snap was taken at the Hertfordshire home of her parents, Jackie and Tony Adams, and revealed a fireplace resplendent with traditional festive cheer.

Brown University in Rhode Island has been put under lockdown amid reports that 'multiple victims' were shot by an active shooter on Saturday evening, with the suspect at large on the campus.

Nicholas Khaw, who won Singapore's first gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand on Dec 10, has credited his family and team at the Police Logistics Department (PLD) for their unwavering support. Khaw, a full-time police national serviceman and his partner Diyanah Aqidah, 26, made history in the mixed poomsae pair taekwondo category by beating Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Kim Ha and Nguyen Trong Phuc.In a Facebook post on Dec 12, the Singapore Police Force shared that Khaw, 20, trains on weekdays after assisting with the logical needs of police operations during the day. He also trains during the weekends as well. Khaw also admitted that during the competition, he didn't think they stood a chance of performing well. 

Two women were taken to the hospital after a chain collision along Bedok Reservoir Road on Dec 12. TikTok user Gracie Daisy shared the incident in a video on the same day. The clip shows a damaged white car which had seemingly crashed into the back of a prime mover. There was also some white debris nearby. A few metres in front of the white car was a black vehicle with a dented rear bumper.Another video posted by Daisy on the same day shows a white BMW attached to a tow truck.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to the incident on Dec 12 at around 4.30pm. The accident involved four cars and one prime mover. A 36-year-old female car driver and her 37-year-old female car passenger were taken conscious to the hospital.A 39-year-old male car driver is also assisting with investigations and police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:726702]]melissateo@asiaone.com

Businesses across the Causeway have seen a drop in customers from Singapore by up to 30 per cent this year-end — atypical for the holiday season — according to reports.However, some of these Johor Bahru (JB) businesses have cited reasons other than the stronger ringgit for the dip, according to Shin Min Daily News.The ringgit has appreciated against the Singapore dollar in recent months, with one Singapore dollar now buying RM3.17. It was above RM3.30 for most of 2025, The Straits Times reported.On Dec 5, Malaysian publication The Star reported that Johor business owners have seen noticeably fewer Singapore patrons, with the holiday season being «unusually quiet» this year.Some blamed the decrease in Singapore patrons on the less favourable currency exchange rate, along with the unpredictable weather.«The crowd from Singapore is missing, even on weekends. This is probably the worst year-end crowd we have seen since the Covid-19 pandemic,» business operator Robin Jian was quoted by The Star as saying.

475 individuals feared to be capable of committing a 'school massacre' were referred to the Government's Prevent programme between 2021 and 2024, averaging about 160 per year.

Asmaa Hassan Abdullahi, 18, has posted horrifying footage on TikTok which reveals she was thrown into one of the country's strict 're-education' units over fears she had become 'too Westernised'.

In the short clip, a fireman can be seen hurling a yellow rope to a driver seemingly stuck in a car on a flooded road.

Research has found traces of proteins linked to the condition in the noses of people who have no signs of it.

Amid great secrecy, in the presence of just a few others, I witnessed a scene that's never occurred here or anywhere else in the world before: the burning of dozens of lion bones.

The body of a man was discovered at the foot of an HDB block in Sengkang on Saturday (Dec 13).The 55-year-old is believed to have fallen from height.A photo of the incident posted on Facebook group Singapore Incidents on Dec 13 shows a police tent placed over the body. A police cordon was also seen extending from the grass patch below a stack of units to an area just after the centralised refute chute. Nearby, an ambulance, a police fast response car, and at least four police officers are seen.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to the incident at Block 278C Compassvale Bow on Saturday, at about 9.30am.He was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic.Based on preliminary investigations, no foul play is suspected.Police investigations are ongoing.

Japanese megastore Daiso will be closing its outlet at 100 AM mall in Tanjong Pagar on Jan 5, 2026.The closure was announced by the megastore on social media on Saturday (Dec 13). «It is with great regret that we would like to inform you that Daiso 100AM will cease operations from Jan 5, 2026,» said Daiso in its post. The last day of its operations at the mall in Tanjong Pagar is on Jan 4.  Daiso did not elaborate on the reason behind the closure in its post. Following the upcoming closure, Daiso still has 32 physical outlets in Singapore. Earlier in July, Daiso closed its store at Kinex in Tanjong Katong. 

BANGKOK - Shanti Pereira is an athlete who wears her heart on her sleeve, particularly when it comes to the SEA Games.At the Hanoi Games in 2022, there were tears and disbelief after winning her second gold medal in the 200m, seven years after her first.She was once again visibly emotional and fighting back tears in 2023, when she became the first Singaporean woman to claim a sprint double at the Cambodia Games.On Dec 13, however, after retaining her 200m crown to complete a historic double-double for Singapore at the biennial event, Pereira was cool, calm and candid.«I'm really happy I managed to win today, but kind of disappointed, though. I wish I did a better time today, honestly, because my training indicated I could definitely go faster, and so did my warm-up.»(But) that's okay. The goal was to come and defend my title and I did that, so I'm really happy," said Pereira, who blazed to victory in the final at the Supachalasai National Stadium in 23.05 seconds.Vietnam's Le Thi Cam Tu bagged the silver in 23.14sec, with Zion Nelson of the Philippines taking the bronze in 23.50sec.

OpenSecrets, which started four decades ago, is renewing its drive to help voters follow the money between special interests and government officials.

Another eight in critical status

According to Russian Foreign Minister, the West «launched a layered campaign against the Serbs,» wishing «to reformat the country through its unitarization by depriving Serbs and Croats of Dayton rights»

According to Brett Smiley, local police officers and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation are «currently in close coordination»

The evacuation of residents of the houses adjacent to the oil depot is underway

«American planes dropped lighting bombs in the sky over the city,» Syria TV reported

Three US nationals were killed and three others injured in a “lone ISIS gunner” attack in Syria, according to the Pentagon Read Full Article at RT.com

The Czech Republic will not take part in any financial support for Ukraine, Prime Minister Andrej Babis has said Read Full Article at RT.com