Malaysia has increased enforcement measures at checkpoints bordering Singapore to prevent subsidised items from being taken across the border, The Star reported on Tuesday (March 31).These include more checks by the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency, a Malaysian Home Ministry official told The Star.Raising concerns that Singaporeans might head to Johor to stockpile essentials amid the Middle East conflict, the official added: «We do not want people to smuggle subsidised packet cooking oil or other subsidised items such as sugar, flour and rice.»Fuel is also an issue and officers will be flagging any motorists who take back petrol in containers.Speaking at a screening operation involving 20 officers that took place last Thursday at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex, the official explained: «The main reason is to curb any form of smuggling and for people to adhere to the regulations set by the agencies.»

Rachel Reeves is still refusing to follow a host of countries, including Australia, Spain and Poland, in trimming duty on fuel at the pumps in response to chaos in the Middle East.

SMRT-owned point-to-point transport operator Strides Premier has raised its street hail fares and time-based unit fare since Monday (March 30).In an announcement on Tuesday (March 31), it said the increase in street hail fares by 1 cent per distance and time-based unit fare — which came into effect on Monday — are part of measures to support its taxi and private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver-partners.Other measures include a one-time $50 fuel credit that can be used at Strides Premier's in-house fuel station at Changi South; fuel savings of up to 35 per cent compared to prevailing market rates at its in-house fuel station; and up to $500 in fuel credits for new PHV or driver partners.Strides Premier noted that drivers are feeling the strain from rising fuel costs, adding that stakeholders are coming together to help ease the pressures collectively.Said CEO Ang Wei Neng: "Our taxi and PHV driver-partners are the backbone of our business, and in times of rising fuel prices, we stand by them.

Electricity and gas tariffs will increase from April to June amid rising fuel prices due to the ongoing Middle East conflict.Grid operator SP Group said in a statement on Tuesday (March 31) that household electricity tariffs will increase by 2.1 per cent from the previous quarter to 29.72 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) after Goods and Services Tax.This means that the average monthly electricity bill for four-room HDB flats will increase by $1.96.Checks by AsiaOne on the Open Electricity Market’s price comparison website showed that fixed-price retail plans for residences currently ranged between 28.80 cents and 29.18 cents per kWh.Meanwhile, City Energy said that gas tariff will increase from April to June, from 23.63 cents per kWh to 23.89 cents per kWh, attributing the hike to the Middle East war which began on Feb 28.«The town gas tariffs in the subsequent quarters are expected to increase further as the full effect of the elevated fuel prices are incorporated,» said City Energy.

More than one million Singaporean HDB households will receive U-Save and Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates in April as part of the permanent GST Voucher scheme. In a statement released on Tuesday (March 31), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said the rebates will help to offset utilities expenses and S&CC for lower- and middle-income HDB households. Eligible households will receive up to $190 in U-Save rebates and up to one month of S&CC rebates in April, depending on their flat type, the ministry added. The U-Save rebates amount for April and July 2026 will include the additional U-Save rebates announced during Budget 2026.In total, households can receive up to $570 in U-Save rebates and 3.5 months of S&CC rebates.  The rebates are disbursed quarterly in April, July, October, and January each year, with the April payout marking the first quarterly disbursement for 2026. 

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has flagged social media companies X and TikTok for «serious weaknesses» in proactively detecting and removing egregiously harmful content.The two firms did not adequately act against the child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEM) and terrorism content uploaded to the respective platforms, said IMDA on Tuesday (March 31).The industry regulator issued letters of caution to the two social media services to place them both under enhanced supervision.The warning requires them to regularly provide updates on implementing rectification measures, which is enhancing their automated detection systems to flag violations.The Code of Practice for Online Safety - Social Media Services requires designated social media services to proactively detect and swiftly remove CSEM and terrorism content before they are viewed by users.In its Online Safety Assessment Report in 2025, IMDA identified 73 cases of CSEM that originated from or targeted Singapore users on X, up from 33 in 2024.On TikTok, 17 cases of terrorism content shared by Singapore-based accounts were found.

[New Zimbabwe] While the opposition leaders were busy tearing at and besmirching each other on digital media, ZANU PF was laying down a marker at the ongoing public hearings on the Constitutional Amendment Bill.

[allAfrica]

[allAfrica]

Mountains that normally see their peak snowpack in March are brown this year, thanks to a spring heat dome that baked western U.S. for much of the second half of the month. That's raising alarm bells for the fire season that's already ramping up.

As of Wednesday, the federal government will require provinces and territories to start to pay for primary care services, including those provided by nurse practitioners. The new policy aims to ensure Canadians aren't being billed for «medically necessary services.»

Internal documents show airlines and then Transport Minister Anita Anand pressed the Canadian Transportation Agency to scale back a proposed complaints fee — raising concerns about political interference.

Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Modi of selectively raising religious issues, questioning his silence on the alleged Sabarimala gold theft. Gandhi claimed an understanding between the BJP and Kerala's ruling LDF, suggesting Modi controls Chief Minister Vijayan. He asserted the CPI(M) has become an extreme right-wing party, aligning with the BJP.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Khatima from Kashipur via road late on Monday evening. During the journey, he received a grand welcome from residents at various points along the route. At several places, people even used bulldozers to showcase their enthusiasm and strong support.

The medics will walk out for six days from April 7 to April 13 - just after the Easter Bank Holiday weekend - in pursuit of a 26 per cent pay rise.

Tracy and Paul Allen, from Gillingham, Kent, received planning permission to erect the property at the back of their garden by Medway Council.

Affectionately referred to as 'Sponge' by Warwick Davis, she has been at the actor's side at two recent high profile events.

LIVE UPDATES: Follow the Daily Mail's coverage of the Iran war with the latest developments across the Middle East as Iran continues to attack Israel and its Gulf states in the fifth week of conflict.

To travel down the steep and winding road leading to Pennan is to descend into a time between times.

A fire broke out in a snowplow near the junction at Þrengslin early this morning, around 4 a.m.

A fierce institutional clash has erupted as Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) pushes to table its Amaryllis Hotel inquiry report this week—defiantly proceeding without the testimony of key figure Colleen Zamba, whose continued absence is now the fault line of a deepening credibility crisis. PAC chair Steven Baba Malondera confirmed the committee’s hardline position after […] The post PAC bulldozes ahead with Amaryllis report, igniting fierce backlash over Zamba’s absence appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

For Walter Nyamilandu, the task before him is not just institutional—it is deeply personal, layered with history, loyalty, and a haunting sense of unfinished business. Now chairing Parliament’s special committee into the Malawi Defence Force plane crash of June 10, 2024 that killed former Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others, Nyamilandu steps into […] The post ANALYSIS | Nyamilandu’s Burden: From Rebuilding Chilima’s Football Dream to Probing His Tragic Death appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Prophet Shepherd Bushiri is digging in, mounting a forceful legal defence against what he argues is an overreach by South African authorities seeking to auction his luxury jet without proving it was bought through crime. At the centre of the storm is a Gulfstream aircraft purchased in 2015—now the subject of an asset forfeiture order […] The post Bushiri Pushes Back: “No Proof of Crime” as State Moves to Seize Jet appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Malawi’s vice presidency is no longer just a constitutional office—it is a political minefield. For decades, the position has followed a disturbing script: promise at the start, suspicion in the middle, and fallout at the end. One by one, vice presidents have walked into office with legitimacy, only to find themselves boxed in, undermined, or […] The post The Vice Presidency Trap: Power, Paranoia and a Pattern Malawi Can’t Ignore appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Lilongwe is bracing for a powerful convergence of faith, influence and economic ambition—backed, unmistakably, by the authority of the State. The 2026 Global Ironman Conference, to be hosted by Shepherd Bushiri on April 4 at the Golden Peacock Complex, is no ordinary religious gathering. It is shaping up to be a nationally significant event, carrying […] The post Mutharika Delegates Religious Affairs Adviser to Bushiri’s Global Ironman Conference appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

The BJP's Assam election manifesto, 'Sankalp Patra,' outlines 31 commitments focusing on indigenous rights, economic growth, and infrastructure. Key promises include investing Rs 5 lakh crore to make Assam an economic hub, strengthening law and order, and implementing a Uniform Civil Code. The party also pledges to protect land and heritage of indigenous communities and create jobs for youth.

[U.S. House of Representatives] Washington, DC -- Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sara Jacobs, Ranking Member of the Africa Subcommittee, joined by other Africa Subcommittee Democrats, today sent a letter to Secretary Rubio in response to public reporting that the State Department plans to end lifesaving assistance to seven African nations -- Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. The lawmakers argued that this would put millions of lives at risk, threaten regional

This workshop assessed recent developments in human rights and accountability across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in the context of the 4th EU–CELAC summit (Santa Marta, 9 November 2025). Bringing together EU policymakers, regional human rights representatives, academics and civil society actors, the discussion examined the structural challenges affecting democratic governance and the institutional mechanisms available to address them. Participants highlighted the coexistence of democratic backsliding, organised criminal violence, institutional fragility and shrinking civic space with enduring commitments to international human rights law and multilateral cooperation. Particular attention was given to the region’s complex “accountability mosaic”, comprising international and regional judicial bodies, national human rights institutions, transitional justice mechanisms and protection frameworks for human rights defenders. While these mechanisms have produced meaningful advances, their effectiveness remains uneven and vulnerable to political, economic and security pressures. The workshop also explored the human rights implications of transnational organised crime, climate-related vulnerabilities and trade-based cooperation frameworks, emphasising the need for policy coherence, sustained multilateral engagement and capacity-building. Overall, the discussion underscored that EU–LAC relations are grounded in shared normative principles but require more systematic operationalisation through political dialogue, cooperative instruments and support for regional and domestic accountability structures. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The University Hospital of the West Indies’ (UHWI) so-called procurement scandal takes centre stage today as Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is expected to drill down to unveil additional details into the multimillion-dollar breaches that were uncovered in an audit of the health facility by the auditor general earlier this year.

Edwin Allen High School turned Frankfield blue yesterday, celebrating their 11th ISSA/raceKennedy Girls’ Athletics Championships title with a high-energy campus rally and street parade. Students and supporters packed the school grounds before marching through the Clarendon town, filling the air with music, whistles, and vuvuzelas in a celebration that stretched over three hours. Principal Jermaine Harris set the tone. Dressed in school colours and waving a blue flag, he was introduced to roaring cheers with Vybz Kartel’s We Nuh Fraid A Nobody.

Jamaica College (JC) Principal Wayne Robinson said the school’s latest ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ Championships triumph is more than a title; it is another marker of a school firing on all fronts. The Old Hope Road, St Andrew-based institution secured its 23rd hold on the Mortimer Geddes Trophy with a commanding 345 points last Saturday, finishing ahead of Kingston College (282) and Calabar High (169.3). It marks their second title in six years and the first under head coach Duane Johnson. But for Robinson, Champs is only part of the story.