NewsLite

A potential team for the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) contest in Pasir Ris-Changi GRC is taking shape, after successive appearances by a new face.

Valerie Lee was again seen with MPs from Pasir Ris-Punggol — this time on a walkabout on Pulau Ubin on Friday (April 11).

Under the new electoral boundaries, the former Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC has been split into two, forming Punggol GRC and Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, with the latter absorbing portions of the former East Coast GRC.

In response to the contest at Pasir Ris-Changi GRC, MP Tan said the focus of his team is “always about serving the residents”.

This emergency vehicle found itself in a sticky situation after its wheels got stuck in mud in Tengah estate, according to a TikTok video by user Kerwin Wan on Wednesday (April 9).

The video then cuts to the emergency vehicle — a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) fire engine — with more than half of its front wheels buried in the dirt.

But as the vehicle drove about 300m on a fire engine accessway near Block 120A Tengah Drive, its front wheels "sunk into the ground" before Block 121C Tengah Drive.

AsiaOne has reached out to Chua Chu Kang Town Council and SCDF for more information.

HONG KONG — Five senior members of Hong Kong's Democratic Party, the city's biggest and last remaining major opposition party, say Chinese officials or middlemen have warned the parties to disband or face serious consequences, including possible arrests.

There were no immediate responses to requests for comment from the Hong Kong Liaison Office, China's main representative body in Hong Kong, or from the Hong Kong government.

If the democrats disband, it would mark the end of nearly 30 years of opposition party politics in Hong Kong.

At least five democratic party members are currently in jail or held in custody under the national security law.

The Oscars will recognise stunts with a new category.

Category rules for eligibility and voting will be announced in 2027 along with the complete list of rules for the 100th ceremony.

The move has been welcomed by Deadpool 2 director David Leith, a former stunt performer who has long campaigned for the Academy to create a new category.

And it's a shame that a lot of them won't get to see where it all went to."

Although there is little optimism in Tehran that the talks will go far, the political establishment appears confident in Araqchi's ability to play Iran's hand with deftness and guile.

Western diplomats involved in the talks between Iran and six world powers described him as "serious, technically knowledgeable and a straightforward diplomat".

After the conflict ended he joined Iran's foreign ministry in 1989 and served as ambassador in Finland from 1999-2003 and Japan from 2007-11 before becoming Foreign Ministry spokesman in 2013.

"He has good relations with the supreme leader, the Revolutionary Guards and all political factions in Iran," the official said.

DUBAI — Iran said on Friday (April 11) it was giving high-level nuclear talks with the United States on Saturday "a genuine chance", after President Donald Trump threatened bombing if discussions failed.

"If Washington comes to the talks with sincere intentions and genuine will to reach an agreement, the path to a deal will be clear and smooth," Shamkhani added.

Confusion swirled after Trump announced that the talks between the longtime geopolitical adversaries would be direct, while Iran has insisted they would be indirect, with Omanis acting as mediators.

The US and Iran held indirect talks during President Joe Biden's term that ended in January but made little if any progress.

MG Cyberster review: Stunning-looking roadster that packs a powerful electric punch.

Nee Soon GRC MP Faishal Ibrahim to contest in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.

Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim has confirmed he will be leaving Nee Soon GRC to contest Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC in the 2025 General Election.

Man, 77, discovered dead in Punggol flat; last seen over a week ago.

SEOUL — A rail construction site in South Korea has collapsed, with two workers feared trapped at the site in Gwangmyeong, southwest of the capital Seoul, the National Fire Agency said on Friday (April 11).

Cracks had been found in an underground pillar and reported to authorities overnight, according to media reports.

"China and the EU should fulfil their international responsibilities, jointly safeguard the trend of economic globalisation and the international trade environment, and jointly oppose unilateral acts of bullying," Xi added.

The EU describes China as a "partner for co-operation, an economic competitor and a systemic rival".

During a press conference at the Spanish embassy in Beijing, Sanchez said the two countries had signed agreements on science, technology, education and the film industry, as well as protocols regarding pork and cherry exports.

According to Xinhua, Xi said Spain and China should tap the potential for co-operation in new energy, high-tech manufacturing and smart cities.

GENEVA — Sweeping tariffs on imports imposed by US President Donald Trump and countermeasures could have a "catastrophic" impact on developing countries, hitting even harder than foreign aid cuts, the director of the United Nations (UN) trade agency said on Friday (April 11).

Global trade could shrink by three to seven per cent and global gross domestic product by 0.7 per cent, with developing countries the worst affected, the International Trade Centre (ITC) said.

On Friday, Beijing increased its tariffs on US imports to 125 per cent in a trade war that threatens to up-end global supply chains.

"Tariffs could have a much more harmful impact than the removal of foreign aid," Coke-Hamilton said, warning that developing economies risk sliding back on the economic gains they made in recent years.