[allAfrica] Cape Town -- Holy Week stands as the period when the church deliberately steps into the heart of human suffering: the pain of betrayal, the sting of abandonment, the injustice of judicial murder, and the haunting silence of God. The significance of this week lies in the enormity of what it represents. In the Eastern tradition, it is called Megale Hebdomas, the Great Week, precisely because it confronts the most profound events in the Christian story.

At the same time that a phishing scam related to Canada's bread price-fixing settlement is going around, CBC News has learned people are being targeted by a similar scam involving dairy.

Radio-Canada’s Enquête program has uncovered fake maple syrup being sold on store shelves in Quebec. The lab responsible for testing maple syrup in Quebec says it’s a first. The producer in question is blaming suppliers from out of province.

Fourteen people aged between 27 and 67 are under police investigation for their alleged involvement in illegal activities in Geylang.The police said in a statement on Thursday (April 2) that the 10 men and four women were arrested during a series of enforcement operations conducted from March 1 to 7 to clamp down on the likes of illegal gambling, the sale of unregistered health products and drug-related activities.Led by Bedok Police Division, the agencies involved are: Criminal Investigation Department, Central Narcotics Bureau, Health Sciences Authority, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Singapore Customs, Land Transport Authority and Singapore Food Agency.On March 1, four men aged between 33 and 61 were arrested for alleged illegal online gambling activities. Cash amounting to $1,700 and various gambling-related items were seized.

SBS Transit has filed a police report after a man was seen allegedly abusing a bus driver verbally on Sunday evening (March 29). In a statement to AsiaOne, SBS Transit spokesperson Grace Wu said the incident occurred while service 88 bus was travelling along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3. «As the bus approached a kerbside bus stop, the bus captain alerted the vehicles ahead not to stop within the designated bus stop zone to ensure passengers could board and alight safely,» said Wu. She added that this unfortunately led to a dispute, during which a lorry driver repeatedly directed verbal abuse at the bus captain. The incident lasted approximately two minutes before the bus was able to resume its journey.«We do not tolerate any form of abuse against our bus captains. A police report has since been lodged,» the spokesperson said.A video of the incident, shared on TikTok on March 30, shows a man allegedly shouting at the bus driver from the front of the bus while gesturing at him with his hands.

The Resolution Foundation said families should brace themselves for average bills to jump to £2,100 in July if the war continues to hit energy supplies.

When the reptile was born, Queen Victoria had yet to take the British throne, Charles Darwin had not visited the Galapagos, and Germany was a chaotic collection of 39 sovereign states.

Tamil Nadu's election campaign intensified as Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin filed his nomination from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, aiming for a second consecutive win. Actor-politician Vijay also entered the fray, filing nominations from both Trichy East and Perambur constituencies, with his party manifesto emphasizing a drug-free Tamil Nadu.

[allAfrica] Mozambique Settles IMF Debt, Eyes New Funding

SINGAPORE – A DHL unit in Singapore has laid off its workers, but it remains unclear how many workers were retrenched and what roles were affected, as the company and its union declined to provide details.Online chatter on retrenchments in DHL Global Forwarding Singapore first surfaced two months ago, and on March 30, a Reddit user posted details of the company’s latest retrenchment exercise in a forum that discusses workplace culture.A spokesman for the freight transport company on March 31 confirmed the retrenchment exercise in response to queries from The Straits Times.“We are aware of the online discussions regarding retrenchment matters in Singapore. We remain committed to treating all employees with fairness and respect, in full compliance with local regulations and our internal policies,” said the spokesman in an e-mail.“Any workforce-related decisions we make are guided by current business needs and based on merit,” the spokesman said, adding that the company would not be providing further details.

SINGAPORE – A male teacher allegedly committed sexual acts on a female student multiple times in 2023 when she was a minor below 16 years old.On April 2, the man was handed nine charges – six counts of committing indecent acts on a minor and three counts of sexually penetrating her.Details about the man and the locations of his alleged offences cannot be disclosed due to a gag order to protect the girl’s identity.Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said that the man was suspended from duty in January 2024 and has since been dismissed from service.An MOE spokesperson added: “(We take) a serious view of staff misconduct and will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against those who fail to adhere to our standards of conduct and discipline.”According to court documents, the man and the girl allegedly kissed and hugged each other in public at a shopping mall on around Feb 16, 2023.He is accused of kissing her chest area in a handicapped toilet between March and June that year.

FairPrice Group (FPG) has partnered with beverages company Pokka to pilot Singapore's first autonomous vehicle (AV) route between a retailer and supplier, they announced on Thursday (April 2).The 6km round-trip route plies between FairPrice Group's distribution centre and Pokka's warehouse in Benoi, within the Jurong Industrial Estate.FairPrice said it is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen supply chain operations, which will in turn allow customers to peruse more efficiently and consistently stocked shelves in supermarkets.FPG already uses these driverless vehicles to transport goods between distribution centres, with over 100 trips made each week.Up to 1.5 tonnes of ambient produce, packaged products and other essentials are transported each trip, it added.FairPrice received approval from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to fully remotely operate AVs on public roads in October last year.It began trials for the route on Feb 25, 2026, and will transition to sole reliance on AVs for transportation along the route once it is approved for fully remote operations by the LTA.

The drone is capable of delivering a 3-kilogram warhead

There were no fatalities or injuries

As of 7:05 a.m. Moscow time, the Brent price was up by 6.51% at $107.75 a barrel

The restriction will not apply to supplies under international intergovernmental agreements

Esmaeil Baghaei once again assured that no negotiations are currently underway between Iran and the United States

War in the Middle East has made the British public aware as never before that the government's Net Zero policy is not just nonsensical but deeply dangerous.

There was a delay to Sir Keir Starmer's press conference on the war. Perhaps there had been some late-breaking development. No.

The couple tied the knot at their £1.2million home, Pickle Cottage, back in 2022 but it has now been revealed that they never made the marriage legally binding.

The Supreme Court has strongly condemned the hostage situation involving judicial officers in Malda, issuing showcause notices to top West Bengal officials. The court cited a «complete breakdown of law and order» and an «abdication of duty,» ordering central forces deployment and allowing probes into the incident. Leaders are urged to avoid politicizing the matter.

Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi revealed the Navy was moments from striking Pakistan by sea during Operation Sindoor. Pakistan requested a halt to military actions. The operation, launched after the Pahalgam terror attack, targeted terrorist bases. The Navy's swift deployment and aggressive posture demonstrated its capabilities. Nine major terrorist camps were identified and struck with precision.

India’s condom industry is facing raw material shortages and soaring costs due to the Iran war, reports say Read Full Article at RT.com

SINGAPORE - Singapore prosecutors charged one more person with fraud on Thursday (Apr 1) for making false representations to US server supplier Dell Technologies, linking her to two other individuals charged with similar offences in February last year.Jenny Lim was charged with conspiring with Alan Wei Zhaolun and Aaron Woon Guo Jie in 2024 to commit fraud by misleading Dell that Aperia International would be the end-user of the servers bought from Dell, police said in the charge sheets.Singapore Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said in March last year that authorities ascertained that servers involved in the case may contain Nvidia chips.The servers were supplied by Dell and artificial intelligence server maker Super Micro Computer to Singapore-based companies, and were then sent on to Malaysia, although it was not clear if Malaysia was their final destination, he said.The United States banned the export of high-end chips from Nvidia to China in 2022 amid concerns that they could be used for military purposes. The United States later approved the sale of Nvidia's second-most powerful H200 chips in January this year, with some conditions.

[allAfrica]

WESTERN BUREAU: Gloria Henry, vice-president for business process outsourcing (BPO) and logistics at the Port Authority of Jamaica, says Jamaica’s BPO sector is positioning itself to adapt to rapid technological change, including the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI), while strengthening the country’s workforce to remain competitive in the global services industry.

Six months after Hurricane Melissa battered sections of western Jamaica, hundreds of residents in Westmoreland are still struggling to recover – and for many, a simple food package is making all the difference. With it being Easter this weekend, a time usually marked by family gatherings, church services and celebration, many in the parish are instead facing the harsh reality of going without food, electricity and stable housing.

WESTERN BUREAU: Mark Hart, chairman of the Montego Bay Free Zone Company, has endorsed the Government’s long-term plan to relocate business process outsourcing (BPO) operations from the coastal Freeport peninsula to purpose-built facilities along the new highway corridor. Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, in his recent Budget Debate presentation in Parliament, outlined a sweeping vision for reshaping the economic geography of western Jamaica as major road infrastructure comes on stream.

In keeping with the Education Regulations of 1980, the Jamaica College (JC) student charged with wounding a classmate last Tuesday is to face the personnel committee of the school’s board, principal Wayne Robinson has revealed. Following a statement issued by the board on the March 24 incident – which left one boy with a broken nose and the other arrested – Robinson told The Gleaner that proper procedures will be followed, particularly as the matter could become a legal one.

Retired former Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has warned the 15-member Caribbean bloc, CARICOM, that it must “integrate or perish” in the face of mounting threats to international law, shifting political dynamics, and economic pressures affecting the region. Speaking at the Norman Manley Law School during the Council of Legal Education’s Distinguished Lecture Series 2026 yesterday evening, Patterson said the regional body risks failure without stronger systems to enforce its decisions.

A 30-year-old man who was caught vaping on an MRT train in a viral video has been identified by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and is assisting with investigations.In a post shared on Instagram on Wednesday (April 1), the HSA said a search of the man's home found one vaporiser and one pod.The viral video, posted to Facebook last Friday (March 27), shows the man in a black jacket discreetly vaping in a train cabin while using his jacket to cover his actions.On March 6, Parliament passed a new law aimed at clamping down on vaping and etomidate abuse, which imposes stiffer fines on users, sellers, and smugglers.Under amendments to the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, vape users can be fined up to $10,000 from May 1 — five times the current amount. It was also reported on March 6 that more than 5,100 people were caught for vape-related offences in the past six months, including 593 who used K-pods.