First-time home buyers applying for an executive condominium (EC) may stand a higher chance of securing their dream home as 90 per cent of new EC units will be reserved for them, up from the current 70 per cent.The priority period — the time developers must reserve EC units for such buyers before they can sell to all eligible buyers — will also be raised from the current one month to two years. These are among changes to the EC scheme announced by Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat on Friday (May 8) to better support first-time home buyers.But new EC owners will have to wait 10 years before they can sell their units on the open market, up from the current five-year minimum occupation period (MOP).And they will have to make progressive payments based on construction milestones, and will no longer be able to defer payment till the development gets its temporary occupation permit (TOP).Currently, EC buyers can pay 20 per cent of the purchase price upfront while the remaining payment is deferred until the project obtains its TOP.

SINGAPORE — Louis Vuitton was awarded more than half a million dollars in damages from a Singapore Instagram seller accused of repeatedly peddling counterfeit luxury goods, after the nation’s highest court clarified how to calculate the trademark damages.In a judgment issued on May 6, the Court of Appeal more than doubled the damages payable to French luxury house Louis Vuitton Malletier (LVM) from $200,000 to $510,000, finding that the seller had blatantly infringed its logos through the online sale and promotion of counterfeit products.The seller was Mr Ng Hoe Seng, who operated online stores under the Instagram handles “emcase_sg” and later “emcrafts_sg”.Court documents showed that the accounts advertised products such as phone cases, watch straps, passport covers, pouches and cigarette cases bearing signs identical to well-known Louis Vuitton logos without the company’s consent. There were nine categories of offending goods in total.LVM made trap purchases of the products in 2022 and 2023 before suing Mr Ng for trademark infringement.In November 2023, the High Court ruled in favour of LVM. 

SINGAPORE — Amazon is cutting roles in Singapore as it ramps up expanding its international store selection in the city-state, it said in a post on its website on Thursday (May 7).The Business Times understands that less than 10 per cent of its workforce in Singapore will be affected.Amazon will help affected staff find new roles within the company. For those unable to be redeployed, transition support will include severance payments and career transition services.“Amazon remains deeply committed to Singapore and our investments across our retail, global selling, entertainment, devices and Amazon Web Services business lines, employing 2,500 people in the country,” said the company in the post.Andy Lim, secretary-general of the Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers’ Union (SMMWU), said that the union was informed of the layoffs a day in advance.He added that the union “encourages all companies to provide a longer advance notice for the union to be able to provide better support to their workers”.

Cease-and-desist letters have been sent to more than 500 Albertans who accessed a searchable database containing the personal information of millions of voters, while a new investigation into the breach has been announced by Alberta's privacy commissioner.

The University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, B.C.'s two biggest universities by student enrolment, say a cyber breach of the Canvas learning software could affect students' personal information.

The province says larger, more modular classrooms will be built in Tumbler Ridge in the coming weeks to use while plans for a permanent high school replacement are underway.

Pour développer leur activité, de nombreux auto-entrepreneurs se heurtent encore à des refus de financement auprès des banques. Pour les accompagner, l’ADIE (Association pour le droit à l'initiative économique) propose des solutions de micro-crédit adaptées à leurs besoins.

Royal watchers were enchanted when the Prince and Princess of Wales released a new photograph and video of Princess Charlotte to mark her 11th birthday last Saturday.

Holly Cooper and her boyfriend Taylor Johnson, both 20, were detained at Istanbul Airport after arriving on a flight from Thailand and attempting to board a connecting service to London .

We've all had that moment at a dinner party where we say or do something we think is totally reasonable, only to realise fellow guests are looking at us a bit… confused.

A feud between two online personalities has resulted in claims of criminal intimidation and the arrest of an online influencer.The Straits Times understands that Mr Mohammad Hussin Said, who is also known by his online moniker MangoBossKu, was arrested on May 4 at a car wash he operates in Yishun.Several witnesses said Mr Hussin, who is well known in the Malay/Muslim community for the food stalls he runs at various bazaars, was interviewed by plain-clothes police officers.This comes after a 56-second-long video clip was widely shared in WhatsApp chat groups and discussed on social media. The video shows the owner of a popular restaurant being threatened and made to strip.The victim, who is also well known online, is accused of being “too close” to the wife of the person recording the video.Mr Hussin was allegedly arrested after the victim made a police report at Bedok Police Division Headquarters. Police confirmed that a report had been lodged and that investigations are ongoing.The victim told ST that the video was shot around November 2025, but it was not shared online then.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has won over some former critics while Vice President JD Vance struggles with Trump’s shadow.

The “self-defense strikes” followed attacks on three American naval vessels, though none of the warships was hit, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

A federal judge said more than $100 million in cuts to NEH grants were discriminatory, ruling in a case that revealed the inner workings of DOGE.

The Trump administration is considering extracting oil from beneath US military bases to refill emergency reserves, Bloomberg has reported Read Full Article at RT.com

The US has launched a wave of strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran retaliated against US military vessels Read Full Article at RT.com

La République de Zambie a réaffirmé, jeudi à Rabat, sa position constante en faveur de l'intégrité territoriale du Royaume du Maroc et de la marocanité du Sahara, à l'occasion de la visite de travail du ministre zambien des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération internationale, Mulambo Haimbe. Cette position a été exprimée dans un communiqué conjoint publié à l'issue des entretiens tenus avec le ministre marocain des Affaires étrangères, Nasser Bourita, confirmant ainsi le (...) - COOPERATION / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

Le Président de la République, Chef de l'État, Chef du Gouvernement, Son Excellence Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, a accordé ce jour une audience à Son Excellence Monsieur Thomas Boni Yayi, ancien Président de la République du Bénin. Au cours de cet entretien, l'ancien Chef d'État béninois a tenu à exprimer sa profonde reconnaissance pour l'invitation qui lui a été adressée à l'occasion de l'inauguration du Palais des Congrès Omar Bongo Ondimba, qu'il a qualifiée d'événement d'envergure, (...) - COOPERATION / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

Republicans in the state could hold a 9-0 advantage in the U.S. House with their new map, after the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act last week.

Relations between the United States and the Vatican are at a low point over President Donald Trump’s attacks on Leo, who is a leading critic of the war in Iran.

The “self-defense strikes” followed attacks on three American naval vessels, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. None of the U.S. warships were hit.

B.C. Premier David Eby and Education Minister Lisa Beare to make an announcement.

Longtemps imaginée, mais difficile à mettre en place, la souveraineté alimentaire reste l’un des grands enjeux de la Polynésie française. Jean-Baptiste Tavanae, agriculteur, et Taivini Teai, ministre de l'Agriculture, ont échangé leurs points de vue, ce jeudi, en radiovision sur Polynésie la 1ère.

Mr McSweeney phoned 999 to report that the device had been stolen in Westminster on October 20 last year.

Malawi is set to take a major step toward innovation-driven development on 13 May 2026 when the Government, in partnership with the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries (UNTB), officially launches the Technology Needs Assessment (TNA). The launch marks a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to achieve the Malawi 2063 Vision […] The post Malawi Set to Launch Technology Needs Assessment to Drive Malawi 2063, Target Innovation-Led Growth appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.