Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visited his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur on Friday (Feb 20).In a Facebook post, PM Wong shared that Anwar had invited him to buka puasa (break fast) at the historic Carcosa Seri Negara.«I deeply appreciate the warm hospitality, and the opportunity for a candid exchange on a wide range of issues,» he added. «Wishing you and all Malaysians a blessed Ramadan. I look forward to our next meeting.» Friday marked the second day of Ramadan 2026.

A person was rescued from a HDB flat in Tampines after a fire broke out late at night on Feb 19. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the incident at Block 267 Tampines Street 21 at about 11.25pm. The fire involved the contents of a bedroom of an 11th floor unit and was extinguished with a water jet. SCDF conducted forcible entry and rescued a person from the unit, who was taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.About 40 residents from the affected block were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precautionary measure.The cause of the fire is under investigation.A resident living in the affected building told Shin Min Daily News that she only learned of the fire after hearing the sirens of fire trucks. She shared that there were at least five fire trucks, three police cars, and one ambulance on site. Firefighters were also seen rushing upstairs carrying water hoses. «I saw a large fire in the bedroom of that unit, with thick smoke billowing out,» she recounted. 

SINGAPORE – A 53-year-old man who sexually assaulted his girlfriend's daughter, who was then 10 to 11 years old, was sentenced to 24 years' jail on Feb 20.The girl's mother was in court with other family members and broke down in tears on hearing his sentence.He cannot be named under a gag order imposed to protect the victim's identity.The sexual acts, which were committed between February 2021 and February 2022, took place at home and in a van parked at cemeteries.The girl told her mother about the abuse in December 2021, but the woman chose to believe the man when he denied that he had assaulted the girl.In sentencing, Justice Aidan Xu considered the harm caused to a very young victim and that the man had taken advantage of his relationship with the girl's mother.However, the judge added that it was not necessary to impose additional jail time in lieu of caning.The man cannot be caned as he is more than 50 years old.Deputy Public Prosecutor Tay Jia En had sought 22 to 24 years' jail, and 12 months' jail in lieu of the maximum 24 strokes of the cane.

According to Andrey Marochko, the thaw and night frosts are causing an increasing number of frostbite cases

The US Southern Command says that the narco-trafficking engagement of the ship was confirmed by intelligence

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Le Congrès de Nouvelle-Calédonie a adopté jeudi son budget 2026, rendu possible par un important soutien financier de l'État acté lors des discussions à Paris en janvier, dans un territoire dont l'économie reste exsangue depuis les émeutes du printemps 2024.

Depuis le début de l’année, 11,5 tonnes de cocaïne ont été saisies au large des eaux polynésiennes, dont cinq tonnes détruites en mer début janvier. Si les autorités françaises assurent que ces opérations sont légales et sécurisées, le parti Tavini Huiraatira dénonce une pollution des eaux et réclame un droit de regard polynésien sur toute intervention dans la zone économique exclusive.

Une maison située au PK 12,5 à Ahonu, à Mahina, a été entièrement détruite par un incendie ce vendredi matin. Il s’agit du troisième feu majeur signalé en quelques jours sur l’île de Tahiti. Aucun blessé n’est à déplorer.

Dans le ciel polynésien, un nouvel acteur du fret aérien vient de faire son apparition. Après plusieurs semaines de convoyage depuis Toulouse, l’avion cargo de Motu Link a atterri ce vendredi matin à Tahiti. Baptisé Te Hono, “le lien”, il doit renforcer l’approvisionnement des îles.

The Republican-led House said Jesse Jackson cannot lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol. The NAACP criticized the decision.

A total of 59 motorists were caught for various traffic violations or engaging in dangerous road behaviour during a five-day stepped-up traffic enforcement operations at Woodlands Checkpoint, said the police and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a joint statement on Friday (Feb 20) night.On Feb 12, the agencies had warned motorists that they will be conducting enforcement operations from Feb 13 to the first day of the Chinese New Year on Feb 17.The law enforcement agencies said that the operations at Woodlands Checkpoint were aimed at deterring and detecting motorists who commit traffic violations and engage in queue cutting at the checkpoint.«The 59 motorists were detected for committing traffic offences such as driving against the flow of traffic, crossing double white lines, and leaving vehicles in positions likely to cause danger, obstruction or undue inconvenience. Some of these drivers were also found to have cut queues,» the agencies added.

If you find yourself receiving unsolicited calls from scammers claiming that you have outstanding insurance premiums or had performed bank card transactions, do not hand over your valuables for purported «investigation purposes».In this scam variant, victims who deny the claims would be transferred to other scammers impersonating as government officials from the Monetary Authority (MAS) of Singapore or Ministry of Law, said the Singapore Police Force in an advisory on Feb 20.These victims would then be accused of being involved in criminal activities such as money laundering, and provided with fake documents such as a «warrant of arrest» or «financial inspection order». The victims were then instructed to hand over their valuables to unknown subjects, purportedly for «investigation purposes».These items were either newly purchased by the victims, acting on the scammers' instructions, or owned by them.They would only realise that they have been scammed when the scammers become uncontactable, or when they sought verification with the relevant agencies.

A 30-year-old male motorcyclist was taken to hospital on Friday (Feb 20) afternoon after an accident with a car in Tampines.The accident happened at about 1.45pm along Tampines Central 7, outside the entrance of The Premiere @ Tampines — a Design-Build and Sell Scheme project.A picture of the aftermath seen by AsiaOne showed paramedics treating the motorcyclist on the road. Beside them, a man was seen directing traffic as a woman stood beside the paramedics. Meanwhile, a blue multi-purpose vehicle was seen stopped on the leftmost lane of the road.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said that the 30-year-old male motorcyclist was conveyed conscious to Changi General Hospital.Police investigations are ongoing. [[nid:730207]]editor@asiaone.com 

Spokesman Liu Pengyu says that the bilateral economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial

The ruling shall come into force «almost immediately,» Donald Trump says

JB Pritzker says he wants a $1,700 refund for every family in the state

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President responds to Supreme Court ruling by announcing an immediate 10 percent global tariff under a different legal authority and warned that more drastic measures could follow.

Federal agents seized a phone, two laptops, a recorder, a portable hard drive and a Garmin watch in a search of reporter Hannah Natanson’s home last month.

The nearly immediate removal of longtime litigator James W. Hundley continues a clash over control of one of the country’s highest-profile prosecutor’s offices.

US President Donald Trump has announced a new 10% global tariff after the Supreme Court dealt a blow to his trade policies Read Full Article at RT.com

[Dabanga] Amsterdam / Babanusa -- Report by Sebastian Vandermeersch and Amgad Abdelgadir

[IPS] United Nations -- A new UN report warns of the «brutal and normalized reality» for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya as they face exploitation and human rights violations.

Andrew's youngest daughter, 35, is said to be 'in a state' after her father was held on suspicion of misconduct in public office after a raid on his new Sandringham home on Thursday.

Jeffrey Epstein tried to broker a lucrative deal with an American investment firm that would have netted Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor a £1 million advance, emails show.

A Bangladeshi man was reportedly arrested in Italy after being trapped in a bank vault for nine hours during a botched robbery Read Full Article at RT.com

A draft for a new nuclear deal with the US could be ready within days, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Read Full Article at RT.com

Kiev expects to get billions of dollars in revenue from arms exports this year alone, a senior Ukrainian official has told Reuters Read Full Article at RT.com