Vanuatu’s Labour Department is weighing a review of long-term participation in Australia’s Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, with the impact of workers’ prolonged absence on children and families emerging as a key concern.

Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has weighed in on Singapore's push to reverse its record-low total fertility rate (TFR) of 0.87, warning simply: «Humans are disappearing.»The remark comes nearly two years after Musk warned that Singapore was «going extinct» amid concerns over the country's declining birth rate. Musk was responding to a post on X by user XFreeze, which pointed out measures announced by Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the 2026 National Day Rally (NDR) on Sunday (August 23) to tackle the country's fertility crisis.Measures include $70,000 in direct financial support for each Singaporean from birth to age 17, increased childcare leave and more opportunities for first-time families to secure a build-to-order (BTO) flat.The post also included a clip of PM Wong speaking at NDR.«Singapore just went all in on birth rates,» XFreeze wrote in a post on Monday.

Public transport operator SMRT on Friday (Aug 28) launched a transformative initiative that will change how it manages and maintains its bus fleet. Dubbed «Bus 4.0», the $6 million initiative will allow SMRT to identify risks earlier, coordinate responses faster and act before issues affect commuters, the operator said in a media release.It is made possible by the installation of telematics across the entire bus fleet managed by SMRT. This, in turn, allows SMRT to see the entire network, identify emerging problems, and quickly focus on what needs attention, said SMRT chairman Seah Moon Ming during the launch at Gali Batu Depot. 

The Government plans to hire 1,800 more infant care educators by 2030 to expand access to affordable, quality preschool education, announced Senior Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming.Speaking at a Teachers' Day celebration at E-Bridge Pre-School @ Sumang Lane on Friday (Aug 28), SMS Goh shared that the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) also plans to expand the network of government-supported preschools.In line with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's National Day Rally message to strengthen support for families and provide affordable infant care, ECDA will be expanding the Manpower Hiring Grant (MHG) from September 2026.«ECDA's focus is to build a strong and well-trained infant care workforce,» said the agency in a press release on the same day.«Infant care educators require specialised knowledge and skills to support the developmental and caregiving needs of infants.»

[Capital FM] Uganda's military chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has announced that he will run for president in 2031, positioning himself as a potential successor to his father, long-serving President Yoweri Museveni.

[Premium Times] SBM Intelligence, a research think tank, said about 7,825 people were kidnapped in one year, with at least N7.78 billion paid in ransom, while Boko Haram pocketed over 90 per cent of the proceeds.

[Nyasa Times] A former weather station chief has delivered explosive testimony to the parliamentary inquiry investigating the Chikangawa plane crash that killed Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others, telling the committee the doomed military aircraft could in fact have landed safely at Mzuzu Airport on the morning of the tragedy.

[New Times] Rwanda finished top of Group D after sweeping Burundi in straight sets (25-6, 25-11, 25-13) at the 2026 African Women's Nations Volleyball Championship in their final match of the group stage held at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, on Thursday.

[New Times] The government has opened a tender for the supply of 34 fully electric city buses as Rwanda moves to expand electric mobility in public transport.

[UN News] The Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) requires «urgent» action and funding to rein in its alarming spread, the UN Secretary-General told reporters at UN Headquarters on Thursday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has addressed this week’s unusually high-level diplomatic traffic in Moscow in an interview with RBK Read Full Article at RT.com

A cheerleader for millions of women, Dame Jenni Murray was a celebrated Daily Mail columnist after hosting BBC Woman's Hour for 33 years. A coroner has now explained how she died.

Email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes were seized from travellers who used Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic from August 29 to September 1. He will hold talks in Tashkent to strengthen bilateral ties and explore new economic opportunities. Discussions will cover trade, critical minerals, and healthcare cooperation between the nations. In Bishkek, he will attend the SCO Summit and highlight India's priorities. The visit also includes the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games.

A significant collapse in the Himalayan region caused a seismic disturbance, leading to a violent flood surge that reached Rasuwagadhi at the Nepal-Tibet border within a mere seven minutes. Recovery efforts extended across multiple districts in both Nepal and India. Alarmingly, Nepal’s flood authorities were only informed after the surge had already impacted Bhote Koshi. In response, SMS warnings were promptly issued to those residing along the riverbanks.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has acknowledged that the loss of cheap energy imports has harmed the EU economy Read Full Article at RT.com

Le CESEC a rendu un avis unanime ce jeudi pour modifier une loi de Pays en cadrant les évasans. Les conseils sont pour relever l’âge des patients qui bénéficient d’un accompagnateur de façon systématique. L’âge des patients pourrait ainsi passer de 16 ans à 21 ans dans le projet. Mais l’avis préconise également de connecter les centres médicaux des îles pour diminuer le nombre d’évasans.

À quoi ressemblera le climat polynésien à l’horizon 2100 ? C’est la question à laquelle Météo-France a cherché à répondre. Jérémy Guerbette, ingénieur spécialisé dans le changement climatique, a dévoilé ce jeudi les résultats d’une étude menée pendant deux ans, retraçant l’évolution du climat au cours des dernières décennies et jusqu’à la fin du siècle. Sans surprise, le réchauffement climatique va se poursuivre et ses conséquences seront importantes pour les Polynésiens.

Ce jeudi, les agents pénitentiaires manifesté pour la dixième fois depuis 2024, devant la prison de Tatutu, à Papeari. Plusieurs revendications sont au cœur de ce mouvement, mené par FO Justice Polynésie, notamment le retour des agents originaires de Polynésie française et le changement de direction de l'établissement.

Météo France a placé Rapa, dans l’archipel des Australes, en vigilance orange en raison d’un risque de vague-submersion. Une forte houle de Sud-Sud-Ouest doit se renforcer progressivement jusqu’à samedi, avec des vagues pouvant atteindre 5 à 5,50 mètres. Les autorités appellent la population à la plus grande prudence.

Le rahui, technique ancestrale de gestion des ressources naturelles, sera instauré dès le 1er janvier 2027 dans les lagons de Arue et de Pirae. Pendant quatre ans, la pêche y sera fortement encadrée afin de permettre aux espèces marines de se reproduire et de se développer dans de meilleures conditions.

Mark Carney said Canadians know «that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario»

According to Mikhail Razvozhayev, a drone struck a section of a five-story residential building

Donbass, Novorossia, and eight other border regions will have the option of holding an early vote on their territory for security reasons

1,545 people have been wounded and rescued

A Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the visit took place in the framework of the first exchange on the governmental level in seven years

The legal fight over the controversial measure is expected to continue.

Two residential buildings, special equipment, and five civil infrastructure sites were damaged

IRMCT President Graciela Gatti Santana repeatedly denied humanitarian release «to the bedridden, terminally ill man,» the ministry noted