NewsLite

ST Engineering’s marine business has secured a six-year sub-contract from Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ABSB) worth $600 million to build eight missile gun boats for the Kuwait Naval Force.

In a statement on Wednesday (April 1), ST Engineering said that it will design and supply the platform systems for the fleet, with three vessels to be built at its shipyard in Singapore.

The missile gun boats will be based on ST Engineering’s proprietary Fearless-class patrol vessel.

First used by the Republic of Singapore Navy in 1995, four of the vessels were refurbished and reintroduced into service 26 years later as Sentinel-class Maritime and Security and Response Vessels.

A social media post by the Singapore Police Force's Hougang Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) on April Fool's Day is going viral, racking up over 270,000 views in just over a day.

The video features Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Benjamin Cheah, a ground response force team leader at the NPC, literally "scamming" viewers thrice-in-a-row to send home the message that encounters online may not be what they appear to be.

ASP Cheah, 35, who appeared to be holding a mug at the start of the video, showed that it was actually another person doing so.

He went on to demonstrate that even a seemingly real voice talking to another person, may again turn out otherwise.

Petrol prices in Singapore returned to their recent record high on Thursday (April 2) as Caltex, Shell and SPC became the first fuel companies here to raise petrol prices again.

Both Caltex and SPC raised petrol prices by 5 cents — across their respective petrol offerings — while increasing their diesel price by 10 cents and 20 cents respectively.

Meanwhile, Shell raised its posted prices for petrol by 6 cents. It also raised diesel price by another 20 cents.

Their moves continued the recent trend of diesel price hikes, but also reversed a respite for petrol customers — lasting a grand total of nine days.

Mediacorp on Thursday (April 2) unveiled its subscription plans for the 2026 World Cup — keeping rates unchanged from 2022 — despite airing 40 more matches as the participating teams go up from 32 to 48.

It will be co-hosted across Canada, Mexico and the US from June 12 to July 20.

Those who sign up between Thursday and April 30 can enjoy an early bird price of $98. Thereafter, the standard rate of $118 applies.

Explaining its rationale for the price freeze, Angeline Poh, chief customer officer at Mediacorp, said that this is the "right thing to do" for Singapore football fans.

Hong Kong actress Carman Lee, who ventured into e-commerce livestreams in recent years, has been caught in hot water after the products she promoted on her platform were found to be fraudulent.

The 59-year-old had sold supplements from healthcare brand YouthIt, which initially appeared to be from Australia. However, on April 1, news publication CCTV exposed several YouthIt products as being produced in China, despite sellers claiming them to have been imported from Australia as per their brand's alleged origin.

According to media reports, the brand story and international awards were also fabricated.

Carman issued a letter of apology the same day, stating: "Upon seeing today's reports regarding the issues with YouthIt, as a seller who once recommended their product, I feel deeply shocked, angry and filled with remorse.

With the resumption of crow shooting operations since late-March, the National Parks Board (NParks) has introduced safety measures to ensure public safety.

In a statement on Thursday (April 2), it said that these include cordoned-off zones with signages, as well as working with stakeholders to inform the public on the location and timing of the operations.

The shooters, who are wildlife management contractors engaged by NParks, are also required to ensure that the trajectory of the shotgun pellets is always directed upwards.

A 25-minute shooting operation was witnessed by reporters at a heavy vehicle carpark in Jurong on Thursday.

He's just like us for real — maybe a bit too real.

South Korean actor Kim Seon-ho gave recent updates about his life to Harper's Bazaar Korea in a YouTube video uploaded on March 31, where he candidly spoke about how he spends his free time.

The 39-year-old said: "These days, I just lie down a lot on my days off. When people ask, 'What are you doing?' I send them pictures of my ceiling from different angles."

He explained that lately, he has been busy with filming and his return to the theatre scene, along with other promotional activities, leaving him with only one or two days of rest.

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A new lineup of Korean celebrities will be competing in AIA Hyrox Singapore at the National Stadium on April 3 to 5.

Previously confirmed was American rapper-songwriter Jay Park, who will be making his debut in the fitness competition through the men's doubles category on April 5. He will be participating with his physical trainer Park Chan-so.

Minho from the K-pop group Shinee and Physical: 100's Hong Beom-seok, who competed together in the men's doubles category in Singapore last year, will make their return on April 3.

Physical: 100's Amotti, fitness influencer Caro as well as actor Kim Dong-hee - who starred in dramas such as Sky Castle (2018) and Extracurricular (2020) - will also join the race. It is uncertain which categories they will be competing in.

Singapore will announce enhanced measures and targeted support for households and businesses next week, amid rising energy costs and concerns, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

He was giving an update on the Middle East situation in a video message on Thursday (April 2).

Acknowledging the impact on households and businesses amid rising energy costs and uncertainties, PM Wong said the Government will "cushion the immediate impact" on them by enhancing existing measures, bringing some of them forward to provide earlier relief.

He added that the Government will also provide targeted support for sectors that are more severely affected.