Barcelona loses in their Champions League debut against Monaco

Washington, D.C. (HOL) – U.S. President Joe Biden received the diplomatic credentials of Somali Ambassador Dahir Hassan Arab at the White House, marking a step toward reinforcing the relationship between Somalia and the United States.

Mogadishu (HOL) – Somali police have seized illegal weapons and arrested four arms traders during a security operation across several districts in the Banadir region, officials reported on Thursday.

The German economy will remain in stagnation for the rest of 2024, according to Bundesbank   Read Full Article at RT.com

Ukrainian troops in Kursk region are putting Russian citizens in Nazi-style concentration camps, Moscow says Read Full Article at RT.com

It's true that Singapore's population is ageing rapidly - but that may not be a bad thing, according to panellists at a DBS dialogue. Come 2030, the percentage of persons aged 65 and above in Singapore will become one in four. «Today the narrative is one that is gloomy and negative. We talk about 'silver tsunamis'. Is anyone truly, really, happy when you talk about tsunamis? I don't think so,» said Senior Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Social and Family Development, as well as the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Eric Chua. He was speaking during a panel discussion at the inaugural session of DBS Foundation's Impact Beyond Dialogue on Sept 18. Instead, he thinks the narrative should be reframed, starting with «positive language». «We have more older folks among us... than young people. That means that our population is going to have more wisdom, more experience,» he explained.

SINGAPORE – She had just returned from the coffeeshop slightly before 1pm when she saw smoke billowing from the top of her neighbour’s unit at Synergy@KB. Ms Vina Tai’s car workshop, on the fifth floor of the industrial building at 25 Kaki Bukit Road 4, is next door to a signage company that was ravaged by a blaze on Sept 19, resulting in the deaths of two men. She quickly alerted the police and SCDF to the fire. As the fire grew, six staff members from signage company Amen Industrial waited anxiously outside the unit. Ms Tai said she saw workers from other units had gathered on a narrow road outside the units. Her voice trembling as she spoke to The Straits Times at her shop unit on Sept 20, Ms Tai said: “People were still standing around as black smoke filled half of the fifth floor. “In the chaos, a staff member from the carpentry shop told me that two persons were trapped. “It broke my heart when he said the person’s last words were ‘there’s too much smoke, I can’t breathe’.” Subsequent calls to that person went unanswered. Ms Tai, 31, said she did not know the deceased men.

The influence of US media and pro-democracy groups on other nations is widely recognized; India has not faced this with Russia Read Full Article at RT.com

«Russian territory and Russian regions cannot be the subject of any discussion or transfer to anyone,» Dmitry Peskov emphasized

Maria Zakharova pointed out that the European Union had lost independence

«The situation in those areas which are under the control of the Ukrainian militants is extraordinary, of course,» Dmitry Peskov stated

Russian investigators have initiated three criminal cases against Ukrainian militants involved in crimes against civilians in the Kursk Region

A senior White House official has signaled a potential increase in sanctions pressure on Russia’s energy sector Read Full Article at RT.com

The Senior Resident Magistrate’s court in Lilongwe has convicted and sentenced Ndaona Kabango, 51, to 19 years imprisonment for severely hacking ex-wife, and chopping off three toes with a panga knife in the district. Sub Inspector Jean Chirombo of Lilongwe Police told the court that Kabango (convict), committed the offence on September 1, 2024 at […] The post Man, 51, jailed 19 years for hacking ex-wife in Lilongwe appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

In the realm of politics, consistency and integrity should be the hallmarks of a leader’s – without matter on whether the leadership in question is real or merely imaginary. Regrettably, the recent actions of former Reserve Bank Governor Dalitso Kabambe serve as a cautionary tale of the dangers of political flip-flopping, a phenomenon that threatens […] The post Perils of Kabambe’s Political Flip-Flopping: Bankruptcy of his integrity and public trust appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

UTM President, Dr. Michael Usi, has passionately affirmed that he will not remove the image of the late Saulos Chilima from UTM cloth and t-shirts, declaring that Chilima’s face will forever remain the symbol of the party. Usi stated that this is not only a sign of respect for UTM’s late president but also a […] The post Usi vows he will never allow anyone to destroy Chilima’s name: “I am always indebted to him.” appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

China and Seychelles have forged profound friendship since the diplomatic ties were established 48 years ago and the two countries have always trusted each other and firmly supported each other's core interests and major concerns. The statement was made on Thursday by the Chinese Ambassador to Seychelles, Lin Nan, at a National Day reception for the 75th Anniversary of the founding of China at the Eden Bleu Hotel. The ambassador said, «We appreciate the one-China policy adhered to by the Seychelles' government and people, and we are happy to see that projects aided by China such as the National Assembly building, Palace of Justice, hospital, social housing, have contributed a lot to Seychelles economic and social development. The new SBC House will be in operation soon, and new social housing project has been planned.» She spoke about the meeting of President Xi Jinping with President Wavel Ramkalawan during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing recently. «They jointly announced the elevation of the China-Seychelles relationship to a strategic partnership. This is an important milestone of our bilateral relations, spearheading a new era of bilateral cooperation and friendship,» said Nan. She said that the two countries will continue to support each other on the international stage and that China will tap the potential of economic and trade interactions, and are ready to import more quality Seychelles products. «We will further enhance cooperation in fishery, Blue Economy, health, culture, education, people-to-people exchanges and maritime security,» added the ambassador. She emphasised that the «Deepened friendship between our two countries and peoples calls for more active participation of all stakeholders. The Embassy is ready to work with Seychellois friends from all walks of life to implement concrete projects. We encourage and support the Association for the Promotion of Friendship between Seychelles and China, the Chinese community and contractors, business people, Confucious Institute, and China Medical Team to play their important role in this common undertaking.» Nan added that she has full confidence that with concerted efforts the two countries  will build a «new era» of China-Seychelles relations and a community with a shared future. On his part, the Designated Minister, Jean-François Ferrari, stated that China «has been reliable in our pursuit of development and prosperity, this year in particular, has seen significant progress in our relations.» He explained that in the health sector alone, this year the Chinese Navy hospital ship, Peace Ark returned to Seychelles after 14 years while Chinese medical experts have been posted in the country demonstrating China's ongoing support for the well-being of the Seychellois people.« In education, six Seychellois students have gone for further studies in Chinese universities, adding to the 31 Seychellois already studying in the Asian country. Ferrari said China has also been a partner to Seychelles in maritime security by »offering essential training to members of the Seychelles Defence Forces and preparing to donate a new patrol vessel to strengthen our efforts in protecting our waters.« He concluded by saying, »The strength of a partnership is not defined by size or distance, but by shared goals and the government of Seychelles is deeply committed to further enhancing our long-standing relationship with China."

Artists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Arkhangelsk and Crimea have come to the archipelago

Leaders of the leading countries of the Global South and East have been invited to an expanded meeting in the BRICS Plus format

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, September 20th

«The North Korean people express their support for the Russian people in their just struggle,» Choe Son Hui stressed

Earlier, the Mexican embassy in Moscow stated that the Russian president had received an invitation to Sheinbaum's inauguration ceremony

NATO is increasingly trying to extend its influence to the Arctic region, Sergey Lavrov has said Read Full Article at RT.com

The Nigerian government has reported that recent flooding disasters have killed over 280 people Read Full Article at RT.com

Asalifew Kabeto has highlighted the importance of BRICS as a platform for collaboration and women’s development Read Full Article at RT.com

Ukraine has lost more than two-thirds of its power production capacity amid the conflict with Russia, the IEA has reported Read Full Article at RT.com

According to Florian Filippot, France should urgently withdraw from the EU and advocate for a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict

«The UN General Assembly always encompasses a very broad agenda,» Sergey Ryabkov stressed

SINGAPORE — The four per cent floor rate for interest earned on all Special, MediSave and Retirement account (SMRA) monies has been extended for another year until Dec 31, 2025. In a joint statement on Sept 20, the Housing Board and Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board said the extension from Jan 1, 2025, will «continue to provide CPF members with certainty on the returns of their CPF savings amidst the volatile interest rate environment». Since 2008, savings in SMRAs have been invested in Special Singapore Government Securities, which earn an interest rate pegged to the 12-month average yield of 10-year Singapore Government Securities plus one per cent. All interest rates are quoted on a per annum basis.  From Oct 1 to Dec 31, the SMRA interest rate will be set at 4.14 per cent, up from the 4.08 per cent in the third quarter, due to the pegged rate exceeding the floor rate of 4 per cent. The Ordinary Account (OA) interest rate will remain unchanged at 2.5 per cent from Oct 1 to Dec 31, as the OA pegged rate remains below the floor rate of 2.5 per cent.

Three 19-year-olds have been arrested following an operation by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on Wednesday (Sept 18) which resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of drugs, said the agency in a statement on Friday (Sept 20). Two of the three teens - a man and a woman - were arrested in a residential unit in the vicinity of Rivervale Walk in Sengkang. Officers found drug paraphernalia in the bedroom of the 19-year-old man, including a digital weighing scale. Officers then brought the man to his rented unit along Hougang Ave 7 where they found about 486g of Ice (crystal methamphetamine) and 695g of cannabis in the premises. Officers then raided a unit along Serangoon North Ave 3, arresting another 19-year-old male who was found in the bedroom. Some 24g of Ice was found in the bedroom, as well as various drug paraphernalia and $11,400 in cash. The total worth of all the drugs seized by CNB is estimated to be around $78,000 and is enough to feed 390 drug abusers for a week, CNB said.

A mother-and-son duo is facing charges for giving false and misleading information to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) during its audit of cases of the so-called «99-to-1» arrangement for private properties. This is the first prosecution of taxpayers providing false and misleading information to Iras during its investigation into the two-step «99-to-1» property transactions for possible tax avoidance, said the agency in a statement on Friday (Sep 20). The mother, 56-year-old Ng Chiew Yen, and her son, 26-year-old Keith Tan Kai Wen, face five charges each. They are both Singaporeans. Investigations revealed that Tan bought a condominium unit at the 99-year leasehold The Watergardens at Canberra in Sembawang in his sole name on Sep 24, 2021, said Iras. He subsequently sold a 1 per cent share of the property to his mother. Data from URA Realis showed that the fourth-floor unit, 753 sq ft in size, was transacted on Aug 28, 2021, for S$1.1 million, or S$1,477 a square foot.

Yvette Fielding works as a paranormal investigator and those who think their home may have an unwelcome guest are in for the chance to bring her in this Halloween after spotting floating orbs.

Laura Farmer died at University College Hospital in London in April this year. Senior coroner for Inner North London (Coroner's Court pictured) criticised the UK Health Security Agency for their 'inaction'.

Maria Zakharova drew attention to the speculations about Romania's plans for redirecting to Moldova the mobile maintenance stations for F-16 fighter jets received by Bucharest for their subsequent deployment at the Marculesti airbase

Citing media information from Syrian sources, the Maria Zakharova said that 250 Ukrainian instructors arrived in Idlib the other day to train militants