An Australian radio programme which discussed Singapore politics contained «several baseless claims» of the Republic's political system, said Singapore's High Commissioner to Australia Anil Kumar Nayar on Tuesday (March 17).In a written article on the website of the Singapore High Commission in Canberra, he said that the March 7 episode of the Rear Vision programme titled 'Singapore and the long shadow of Lee Kuan Yew' had told a «one-sided account».Rear Vision was aired on national broadcaster ABC Radio, and it featured four guests: Dr Stephan Ortmann, Dr Michael Barr, Dr Gillian Koh and Joshua Kurlantzick.Dr Ortmann is Assistant Professor of Politics and Public Administration, Hong Kong Metropolitan University; Dr Barr, Associate Professor of International relations, Flinders University; Dr Koh, senior research fellow Gillian Koh of NUS' Institute of Policy Studies, and Kurlantzick, a Senior Fellow for SE Asia and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations.Nayar said presenter Antony Funnell and several commentators had made remarks about Singapore, including calling her an «autocracy», and «verging now on a flawed democracy».

A woman was taken to hospital after a portable power bank ignited on a MRT train and sent passengers scurrying out of the cabin.SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai told AsiaOne the emergency communication button of a train stopped at Admiralty station was activated at about 3pm on Monday (March 16).Station staff found that a power bank had caught fire, which the female commuter had quickly put out.She was given first aid and taken to Woodlands Hospital. No other injuries were reported, said Lam.Facebook user Vernon Lim shared a photo showing the soot-covered components of a power bank, scattered beneath a row of seats.«Never buy cheap power bank,» he wrote in his post. «Hope the girl whose power bank exploded in front of her is ok.»Lim told the Straits Times that he had been in another train carriage when he heard an explosion and a scream. He went to check out the incident and saw smoke rising from the floor.SMRT's Lam said that all commuters on board were asked to disembark and board the next train. The affected train was subsequently moved to the depot for further checks.

One person was taken to hospital after a fire broke out at the open area of an industrial building in Aljunied on Tuesday (March 17) afternoon.The incident happened at about 12.40pm at 627 Aljunied Road. Mogan Kannish, 60, a chief security officer at an adjacent building, told AsiaOne that he heard at least two explosions. He said he triggered the fire alarm as he was concerned that the fire could spread and affect the people working there. Workers who evacuated from the affected building awaiting instructions. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Rauf Khan Leon Tan, 33, who works in an adjacent building, recalled his colleague telling him that there was smoke near the windows.«It (fire) looked quite big. We also heard some explosions...It sounded like a heavy object dropped down, so it was quite loud,» Tan said.

The New York Times has reported new details about last week’s fire on the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier Read Full Article at RT.com

Nigeria’s army has blamed Boko Haram militants for deadly explosions at three locations in the state of Borno Read Full Article at RT.com

India has called the bombing of a Kabul hospital a “cowardly and unconscionable act of violence” by Pakistan Read Full Article at RT.com

Ukraine is refusing to meet and is blocking a Hungarian delegation from visiting the Druzhba oil pipeline, Peter Szijjarto has said Read Full Article at RT.com

In a groundbreaking charter, officers of all ranks will be actively encouraged to speak to journalists providing more information about major investigations.

Newly published documents reveal that the monarch spent a staggering £3.75million on buying the house next door to her country retreat, Rey Mill.

WESTERN BUREAU: Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon wants the Auditor General’s Department to provide an update on the post-Hurricane Melissa arrangement between the Government and the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to restore electricity, citing concerns about the lack of working street lights in several sections of St James.

WESTERN BUREAU: Superintendent of Police Coleridge Minto, the commander for St Elizabeth, is raising concern about the fact that some 400 students from across the parish have not returned to school since the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October. According to Minto, who was addressing last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation, the figure was derived from checks conducted by members of the police’s Community Safety and Security Branch at schools across the parish.

The absence of several defence attorneys in the fraud trial involving former Education Minister Ruel Reid and his co-accused forced an adjournment of the matter in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court yesterday. The case was scheduled to resume with the cross-examination of a senior Ministry of Finance official by attorney Hugh Wildman. However, when the matter was called up, none of the defence lawyers were present, prompting the court to briefly stand down to allow attempts to contact the attorneys.

A relative of slain businessman William Christian took the witness stand on Monday in the ongoing Clansman Gang trial, identifying items belonging to the deceased and rejecting suggestions that the former Ministry of Transport employee was involved in questionable activities. The evidence-in-chief surrounds count 19 of the 32-count indictment where Michael Wildman and Lamar Rowe are charged with the April 2020 murder of Christian. Both men pleaded not guilty.

Despite not being able to implement policy decisions from his position in Parliament, much is expected when Opposition Leader Mark Golding makes his presentation this afternoon in the 2026–2027 Budget Debate at Gordon House. Golding, the third speaker in the annual debate, will take the floor after Opposition finance spokesman Julian Robinson spoke last Thursday in response to Finance Minister Fayval Williams, who opened the debate last Tuesday.

Some Singtel customers reported facing connectivity issues on Tuesday (March 17), after an eight-hour-long disruption the previous day was resolved.In a Facebook post at 11.30am, the telco said that it is aware of the «small number» of customers facing difficulties and that it is unrelated to the service disruption on March 16.«Our engineers are working urgently on resolving the matter as quickly as possible,» said Singtel, apologising for the inconvenience caused. Many Singtel customers have voiced their concerns in the comments section on Facebook, with claims of intermittent connectivity and unresolved issues since Monday.The disruption on Monday started before 11am and affected thousands of customers across the island, with 4G and 5G services being fully restored at 8.55pm.While Singtel did not disclose the reason for the service outage, it said that there was «no evidence» to suggest it was a cyber-related event.[[nid:731578]]dana.leong@asiaone.com 

A 36-year-old man who allegedly pasted a handwritten note with offensive remarks about Islam outside a HDB flat in Tampines on Sunday (March 15) and left a piece of meat believed to be pork at the doorstep has been arrested by the police.In a statement on Tuesday, the police said they were alerted to the incident along Tampines Street 82 at about 3.40pm on Sunday.With the aid of closed-circuit television cameras, officers managed to track the man within four hours and arrested him.He will be charged in court on Tuesday with insulting the religion and/or wounding the religious feelings of another person under the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act.The offence carries a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment, a fine, or both. «Any person who makes remarks or acts in a manner which can cause ill-will and hostility between different races or religious groups in Singapore will be dealt with firmly,» said the police. [[nid:725730]]xingying.koh@asiaone.com

Is it really kindness if you can offer it, and subsequently take it back? That's what a driver allegedly did after rear-ending a motorcyclist along Tampines Avenue 2 on Sunday (March 15), according to a video uploaded to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante. In the video, which was uploaded on Monday and has since garnered over 86,000 views, the driver of a sedan accelerates as the traffic lights turn green.However, a motorcyclist in front of him fails to ride off in time, and the sedan collides with the motorcyclist, sending him tumbling onto the road. The sedan then stops beside the fallen motorcyclist. The driver emerges from the vehicle and embraces the motorcyclist as he gets to his feet and also pats his back. Other passers-by approach to check on the motorcyclist and help him move his bike to the pedestrian path on the left.The motorcyclist and driver can be seen conversing on the pavement, before the video cuts to photos of the driver helping the motorcyclist and an ambulance at the scene.

The verdict comes after jurors heard 13 days of testimony about Eric Richins's 2022 death, in a case where extramarital affairs, financial woes, family rifts and drug deals took center stage.

Seul indépendantiste réélu dès le premier tour (Fa'a'a), Oscar Temaru voit dans les résultats municipaux le reflet d'une Polynésie divisée sous l'influence de l'État français. Fidèle à lui-même, il centre son discours sur la souveraineté, comme une réponse aux difficultés quotidiennes des habitants.

À l'issue du premier tour des élections municipales, Tepuaraurii Teriitahi et Nicole Sanquer analysent la victoire de leur union à Paea dans notre JT de ce lundi soir. Accompagnées de l'expert Naui Tepa, elles décryptent les ressorts du vote local, le message envoyé au Tavini et les enjeux d'un scrutin pourtant marqué par une abstention croissante.

[ANGOP] Luanda -- Angolan Minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication, Mário Oliveira, stated on Monday in France that the start of the ANGEO-1 project represents a decisive step in consolidating the Angolan space program.

India's national mental health helpline, Tele-MANAS, has received over 34.34 lakh calls since its October 2022 launch, indicating a significant rise in demand for psychological support. Uttar Pradesh leads in call volume, with other states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also showing high engagement.

Washington’s new assault ignores Iran’s resilience, regional centrality, and the global economic risks of another failed experiment Read Full Article at RT.com

India’s National Investigating Agency has arrested six Ukrainians and an American for allegedly training terrorists in Myanmar Read Full Article at RT.com

European leaders have urged Israel to halt an incursion into Lebanon over potential “devastating humanitarian consequences” Read Full Article at RT.com

This study maps EU allocations and instruments supporting natural disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery under the 2021–2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and compares them with the European Commission’s proposals for the 2028–2034 MFF. It highlights key structural and budgetary differences, including changes affecting climate and biodiversity mainstreaming, and identifies limits to comparability. The study provides Members of the European Parliament with a clear analytical basis for scrutiny of the post-2027 EU budget. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

À travers la Polynésie, les électeurs se sont mobilisés pour le premier tour des élections municipales. Dans plusieurs communes des archipels, les électeurs ont reconduit des équipes municipales en place, même si dans certaines d'entre elles, les citoyens sont encore appelés à voter dimanche prochain.

According to the newspaper, the step would allow to implement structural changes in the country’s economy

Strikes against more than 7,000 targets were made