The paedophile financier planned to use the visa to travel to Moscow to meet young women, documents released by the US Department of Justice suggest.

SINGAPORE — A woman, who was fined $4,000 in 2022 after harassing her neighbour — a nurse — amid the Covid-19 outbreak, now faces 12 charges for unrelated offences including multiple counts of assault.Lim Sok Lay, 53, who was fined another $4,000 in 2025 after she caused a ruckus at her son's lion dance competition, is accused of committing her latest offences in 2024 and 2025.She allegedly committed some of her offences with Jolene Cheang Wan Ling, 29, but court documents did not disclose how the pair were related to each other.The cases involving both women were heard in court on Feb 5, and Cheang now faces 11 charges in all.According to court documents, the two women were at One Punggol community hub in Punggol Drive between 9.30am and 10.15am on Sept 24, 2024 when they allegedly punched a person in the head and chased after another individual.They are also accused of causing annoyance to others in the area that morning by shouting and gesticulating at a third person.Lim was at the community hub on April 6, 2025 when she allegedly committed harassment by pointing her fingers and shouting at a fourth person — a woman.

The vehicle entry permit (VEP) fee for foreign vehicles to enter Singapore is slated to increase at the start of 2027, according to a press release by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday (Feb 6).VEP fees for foreign-registered cars and motorcycles entering Singapore will be raised to $50 per day and $7 per day respectively, up from $35 and $4.The VEP fee will apply on all days, except on weekends and Singapore public holidays from Jan 1, 2027.The current annual 10 free VEP days and free weekday VEP hours will also be removed.Additionally, the goods vehicle permit (GVP) will also see a raise from $40 to $70 per calendar month come January next year.Owners of foreign-registered goods vehicles can still purchase their GVPs at the present price before the revised fee comes into effect.LTA explained that it periodically reviews fees for foreign-registered vehicles in Singapore to account for changes in ownership and usage costs of Singapore-registered ones.«This is to ensure that the cost of owning and using a foreign-registered vehicle in Singapore is commensurate with that of a Singapore-registered vehicle,» LTA said.

A car caught fire at Orchard Towers on Thursday (Feb 5) evening, causing damage in the car park, according to multiple video posts on Reddit that night.In one video uploaded by user DoraEnzo, thick black smoke can be seen billowing out from the second floor of the car park.The second floor also glowed a visible orange hue as the fire raged on.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told AsiaOne that it was alerted to a fire at 1 Claymore Drive at around 10.40pm that night.A car was involved in the fire, and the SCDF subsequently extinguished the flame with a water jet and fire blanket.No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.Porsche on fireSpeaking with AsiaOne at the scene, a man claiming to be the owner of the vehicle shared that it was an olive green Porsche Panamera that had just come out from a workshop after he noticed issues with the car's throttle body.The alleged owner, who declined to be named, shared that he had spent nearly $30,000 over several months while the vehicle was repeatedly sent to that workshop.

A 36-year-old Malaysian driver was arrested after the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) foiled an attempt to smuggle chewing tobacco into Singapore on Jan 28. In a Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 5), the authority said that ICA officers directed a Malaysia-registered car for further checks, and uncovered more than 6,000 sachets of chewing tobacco concealed within various compartments of the vehicle.The 36-year-old male was arrested in connection with the case, which has been referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation, said ICA.  Chewing tobacco is prohibited by law in Singapore.[[nid:729307]]esther.lam@asiaone.com 

Travellers should anticipate heavy traffic at Singapore's land checkpoints during the upcoming Lunar New Year, said the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA).In a travel advisory on Friday (Feb 6), ICA said that «very heavy traffic» is expected at both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints leading up to the festive season from Feb 13 to Feb 23.With reference to the recent year-end school holidays, ICA said that over 22 million people travelled across Singapore's land checkpoints between Nov 21, 2025 and Jan 1, 2026.In particular, traveller volume peaked on Dec 19 with a record number of more than 588,000 travellers clearing immigration through the land checkpoints in a single day — the highest in the year. Car travellers who departed during the peak hours had to wait up to three hours for immigration clearance due to traffic tailbacks from Malaysia, ICA said.ICA also said that it will be conducting intensified checks against the smuggling of contraband, such as e-vaporisers, firecrackers and bak kwa during the festive period.

A 28-year-old man was arrested on Feb 4 for fleeing an accident on Paya Lebar Road while driving under the influence of drugs.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said that they were alerted to an accident involving two cars along Upper Paya Lebar Road towards Paya Lebar Road at about 3.40pm on Feb 4. The male driver fled the vehicle on foot but was subsequently arrested by officers for driving under the influence of drugs and carrying offensive weapons, said the police. The man was assessed by SCDF for minor injuries but declined to be taken to the hospital.A 37-year-old female driver involved in the accident was taken conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.A video of the accident aftermath posted on TikTok shows a black sedan toppled on its side, with several police cars present at the scene.@the.irta

ANDREW PIERCE: Bursting with pride, a newly elected Wes Streeting posts a photograph of his mum, Corrina, in the kitchen of her home with a smiling Lord Mandelson.

A 52-year-old man, working at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, was detained on suspicion of inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.

Derrick Callella was arrested Thursday for sending a hoax demand for Bitcoin into Nancy's daughter Annie Guthrie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni.

British supermodel Naomi Campbell was in repeated contact with Jeffrey Epstein before and after his 2008 conviction for sex offences with an underage girl.

The Daily Mail understands that in the wake of Wednesday's Commons vote, Ms Rayner told an MP who observed that the Prime Minister would have to resign: 'I will be ready.'

India and Malaysia have an extradition treaty, but the case, as Malaysia maintains, will be resolved based on judicial consideration. The official said that Modi and his counterpart Anwar Ibrahim will review progress under the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, especially in priority areas of cooperation such as trade, investments, defence, security, semiconductors, digital technologies, renewable energy, education, healthcare, and people-to-people exchanges.

Possibility of a re-unification grew stronger after Pawar Senior took the lead to minimise tension within the family when he went to meet Sunetra and her sons at their Baramati residence for the second consecutive day on Thursday. Some senior NCP members, including Patel and state chief Sunil Tatkare, have refuted Sharad Pawar’s claim that his nephew had initiated steps for NCP’s merger.

SC rejected Bengal govt’s defence it lacked funds and said it is not open for the State to shirk its responsibility of paying DA on account of financial difficulty, given that it is an obligation arising out of a statute of its own creation. SC said the least that is expected of a State in a democracy is that it honours its obligations and commitments arising from a legislation or judicial decisions, for such obligations are not discretionary.

Local manufacturers and exporters in Vanuatu are gearing up to formalise a new association aimed at giving their sector a strong, unified voice. The first meeting of the Vanuatu Association of Manufacturers and Exporters (VAME) is scheduled for 11 February…

Concerns have been raised after the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) vessel RVS Sokomanu reportedly departed Luganville Port around midnight en route to TORBA Province, prompting questions about whether the voyage breached national biosecurity regulations designed to prevent the spread of…

The Public Service Commission (PSC), chaired by Meto Nganga, has formally briefed Acting President of the Republic of Vanuatu, Stephen Felix, on the recent transfers of several Directors General (DGs) within the Public Service, while reaffirming the Commission’s constitutional independence…

Minister for Infrastructure and Public Utilities (MIPU), Xavier Emmanuel Harry, has confirmed that the government, through the ministry he leads, will build jetties on islands that are only accessible by sea.

A man was fatally shot during an alleged shoot-out with police in Thompson Pen, St Catherine Thursday morning. He has been identified as 37-year-old fisherman Demoy Campbell, a resident of the community. According to police reports, a team was...

The police are reporting the seizure of 23 rounds of ammunition from an abandoned building in the community of Shelter Rock, Spanish Town, St Catherine on Wednesday. No arrests were made. The police report about 3:30 p.m. members of the St...

The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) is probing the shooting death of a man by police in Windsor district in Siloah, St Elizabeth on Wednesday. He has been identified as Christopher Black, otherwise called 'Voice', a labourer of...

Operators of Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay say severe weather Thursday linked to a cold front forced the cancellation of an American Airlines flight to Miami, while another incoming flight was diverted. The cancelled flight, AA...

An additional 10,000 National Housing Trust (NHT) contributors are set to receive their contribution refund for the year 2018 by Monday, Feburary 9. Supervisor for the Contributions, Refunds, Payments and Monitoring Unit, Cameo Simmons Thomas,...

Sen. Elissa Slotkin and other Democratic lawmakers filed a video last year reminding troops that they can ignore illegal orders.

A U.S. official called the deal a by-product of ongoing efforts to end the Ukraine war. It came as a key nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow expired.

The president has argued his drug-pricing initiative ‘should win us the midterms.’ Experts say its impact could be positive but limited.

Calgarian Allistair Chapman, accused of working for an alleged Canadian drug lord and helping to set up the murder of an FBI informant, was described by the prosecution as a “loyal soldier” who should not be granted bail.

Finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on Thursday had some cheer for state govt employees too, budgeting for a 4% hike in DA. Govt rechristened its Karmashree scheme as “Mahatma Shree” and hiked the minimum number of workdays from 75 to 100 in what is being seen as a nod to Trinamool Congress’s opposition to the Centre’s decision to replace MGNREGA.