A total of $3.995 billion worth of Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers, including SG60 vouchers, were spent over the last four years.The update was given on Tuesday (Feb 3) by Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo in a written response to a parliamentary question by MP Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC).Saktiandi had asked how many households have claimed the 2026 CDC vouchers, and how much of the spending were at heartland businesses.He also asked about the impact of CDC vouchers on household consumption and small business resilience.In his response, Neo — who said that he was answering in his capacity as the minister charged with the responsibility for the People's Association — explained that it is «still early» to share the claim and spend rate of the latest tranche of $300 CDC vouchers.Eligible Singaporean households were able to claim and use $300 in CDC vouchers only just slightly a month ago, from Jan 2.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has no plans to introduce the central kitchen model to all school canteens, Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau said on Tuesday (Feb 3).Responding to questions from several MPs, she said there is also no target in mind to replace traditional canteens where students buy food from individual stallholders.From last month, 13 schools had switched to the model where a single operator manages their canteens.Lau said that the central kitchen model was not introduced to replace traditional canteens, but rather as an alternative to help schools that were struggling to attract stallholders and had severe shortages of functioning stalls.«We want to avoid putting students in these schools at risk of not having good access to affordable, nutritious and balanced meals,» she said.Yusof Ishak Secondary School was the first to pilot the central kitchen model in 2022.Lau said that after seeing «positive results», MOE decided to roll out the model to 13 additional schools that face challenges in securing sufficient stallholders.Some of these schools are using hybrid models, she said.

Persistent hotspots in eastern Johor have resulted in smoke plumes which are moving towards Singapore due to the prevailing north-easterly and north-westerly winds, said the National Environment Agency (NEA).In a Facebook update after 7.30pm on Tuesday (Feb 3), the agency said that the detection was made during a satellite pass just after 2pm, adding that showers over Singapore and the surrounding areas expected from Wednesday (Feb 4) should help to improve air quality. On Tuesday afternoon, AsiaOne was on the ground in Tampines, Paya Lebar and Whampoa, where passers-by said they noticed a burning smell in the air. 

No snow was recorded in Reykjavík in the month of January that has just ended, meaning the month was completely snow-free. This was reported by meteorologist Einar Sveinbjörnsson of Blika in a Facebook post.

Operators who offer so-called “gusa” (guided sauna steam sessions) will soon be required to pay for the music used in these services.

Joshua Robbins died instantly after he plunged five floors at Thuston Dwellings on Newton Street, London, last Thursday.

The Reserve Bank of Malawi is expected to compensate the Finance Bank over wrongful closure following a landmark Supreme Court of Appeal ruling today in Blantyre. Financial and legal analysts say the compensation could run into billions if not trillions of Kwachas once worked out. The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the Reserve Bank […] The post Reserve Bank of Malawi to compensate Finance Bank with billions over wrongful closure appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Simplex Chithyola Banda, has put Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman under intense pressure, accusing him of failing to protect lawmakers after police arrested two Members of Parliament while official Parliamentary Committee meetings were in progress. Chithyola Banda says the Speaker has now been compelled to engage the Inspector General of […] The post Opposition Leader Takes Speaker to Task Over Arrest of MPs appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

 The US has announced a reduced tariff of 18% for India, nearly a year after imposing 50% rate Read Full Article at RT.com

US President Donald Trump has said that India has agreed to stop buying Russian oil Read Full Article at RT.com

RAND Corp. analyst Howard Shatz claims Ukraine represents the investment opportunity of a decade, far superior to Russia Read Full Article at RT.com

US and EU militaries could be sent to Ukraine under a ceasefire plan agreed by Kiev and its Western backers, the Financial Times has claimed Read Full Article at RT.com

The imminent expiration of the New START nuclear reduction treaty will make the world a more dangerous place, according to the Kremlin Read Full Article at RT.com

In the last few decades, more and more people have been forced to flee war, violence, poverty and climate change, with many of them seeking a safe haven in Europe. While the number of irregular migrant arrivals in the EU dropped significantly following the 2015 migration crisis, detections of irregular border crossings are far from being a thing of the past, and pressure on national asylum systems, especially in certain Member States, remains high. At the same time, a steady flow of regular migrants arrives in the EU while Member States struggle to cover labour shortages and cope with demographic challenges. In an attempt to move away from ad hoc solutions and put in place a predictable and reliable migration management system, the EU adopted a new pact on migration and asylum, which will apply from June 2026. The pact creates a common EU system for managing migration, asylum, borders, and integration. This topical digest offers a sample of EPRS publications published in 2025 on the migratory challenges facing the EU. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

We analyse selected RRF reforms and investments, from milestone design to payment assessment. Our findings suggest that the RRF model can strengthen the effectiveness of the European Semester by translating reform priorities into enforceable commitments. Yet there is scope for improvement. First, uneven milestone design limited conditionality in some cases, calling for a better balance between national ownership and consistency in the drafting of similar reforms. Second, investment conditionality should be recalibrated to safeguard value creation, rather than prioritising absorption. Third, decentralised implementation should not imply fragmented or restricted access to information across national systems, which constrains effective accountability and oversight. This document was provided by the Economic Governance and EMU Scrutiny Unit at the request of the ECON Committee. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The European Union (EU) faces constant challenges to its internal security. Security threats, such as organised crime, cybercrime, drugs trade, terrorism and violent extremism, are increasingly cross- border, interconnected and digital in nature, making the EU's security landscape ever more complex and unpredictable and reinforcing the need for cooperation. The European Parliament helps shape the EU's security policy, insisting on the need to uphold fundamental rights, equality and the rule of law. This topical digest highlights a sample of recent EPRS publications on today's challenges to the EU's internal security and what the Union is doing to tackle them. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Mayor of Montego Bay Councillor Richard Vernon says youth-led climate-action initiatives are playing a pivotal role in strengthening community resilience, particularly as the city continues to grapple with the effects of climate change. “Hurricane...

JN Money has partnered with DHL Express to launch the first DHL Premier Branch in the Cayman Islands at its Eastern Avenue location, marking a significant milestone in the territory’s financial and logistics landscape. This strategic partnership...

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, Newport Mills Ltd, a division under the CB Group and manufacturer of Nutramix animal feeds, has launched a Chicken Coop Starter Programme aimed at helping affected poultry farmers rebuild...

Amid the celebrations for the graduating class of the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) at last week’s ceremony, history was made quietly and largely unnoticed. It came in the form of a single graduate – one whose achievement carries with it the...

Hurricane Melissa delivered a double blow to many residents of western Jamaica, damaging or destroying both homes and businesses and leaving recovery stalled in an uneasy limbo. Delbert Rodney of Belmont, Westmoreland, is among those still...

More than 130 residents from Mele, Melemaat, and nearby areas attended free medical checkups on Friday morning last week at the Mele Imere T’fare Maurifanga Health Center, provided by the Chinese Medical Team (CMT) currently operating in Vanuatu.

The people of Torres in TORBA Province said there should be elections, either provincial or general, every year to maintain government services on the islands, especially remote ones.

Twelve elected Port Vila City Council (PVCC) councillors have filed a major civil claim in the Supreme Court, challenging the legality of the current Lord Mayor and accusing the Minister of Internal Affairs of unlawful interference in council governance.

The new opposition Whip and a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tanna, Andrew Wilbur Napuat, has been assured by the office of the Ombudsman that the report following his complaint about an alleged rental agreement involving the Minister of Infrastructure…

Brunet Enterprise Générale said that if it had been informed of the water protection regulations earlier, it would not have installed its asphalt equipment at Zone 3 of the Matnakara Water Protection Zone.

A 13-year-old boy who swam for four kilometres in dangerous swells to save his stranded family members has been hailed a hero.

Princess Diana's younger brother, Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, sealed the agreement with Karen Spencer, 53.

According to the trailer, The Investigation Of Lucy Letby will bring us the first on-screen interview with the mother of a tiny alleged victim.

LIVE UPDATES: Follow the latest developments on the newly released Epstein files as documents show the disgraced paedophile financier's relationships with the rich and powerful.

Prime Minister Modi hailed the India-US trade deal as a significant decision benefiting all citizens. The agreement, announced by President Trump, will see the US reduce tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%. India is expected to eliminate its tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US products, potentially boosting trade significantly.

Amidst escalating Iran tensions, IndiGo has extended flight cancellations to Tbilisi, Almaty, Baku, and Tashkent until February 28, 2026. The airline is rerouting to ensure passenger and crew safety, as its usual flight paths traverse Iranian airspace. This move comes as US-Iran relations remain volatile, though diplomatic efforts are reportedly underway.