NewsLite

A 34-year-old man was charged in court on Thursday (March 12) for allegedly trafficking etomidate vaporiser pods in Geylang.

Ng Ee Keong, Ben, was arrested along Geylang Lorong 35 on Tuesday morning during a Health Sciences Authority (HSA) enforcement operation.

A total of six vaporiser pods, four bottles of cough syrup and prescription medicines including more than 900 tablets were seized from Ng's car.

Subsequent laboratory testing confirmed that the pods contained etomidate.

Passengers travelling by ferry between Singapore and Batam in Indonesia will have to pay an additional fuel surcharge from Thursday (March 12) due to higher oil prices.

Conflict in the Middle East has led to volatile oil prices , and ferry operators like Horizon Fast Ferry, Batamfast and Majestic Fast Ferry have implemented such fuel surcharges to combat higher operational costs.

All passengers on trips from Singapore to Batam will have to fork out a $6 surcharge per ticket, regardless if their tickets were purchased prior to March 12 or from the effective date onward.

Meanwhile, trips from Batam to Singapore will be subject to a surcharge of IDR65,000 (S$4.92).

Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today.

1. Avantgardey's Singapore concert filled with nods to local culture including laksa tasting

Avantgardey has finally brought their trademark eccentricity to our shores.

The Japanese dance group, which gained global fame after their appearance on America's Got Talent in 2023, bedazzled with their first Let's Groove!! Asia Tour show last night (March 11) at The Theatre at Mediacorp, with one more to follow today.... » READ MORE

A couple in Malaysia broke down in tears after being reunited with their son who had been in South Korea for nine years.

In a Threads video posted on Monday (March 9) by user aenisuhana, the son - dressed in a black T-shirt and pants and wearing a cap, sunglasses and a mask - walks up to his parents, who are cluelessly seated at a table.

He hands over a bag to his mother, who starts checking its contents, while he slowly removes his disguise.

The couple is stunned at his sudden appearance and the mother stands to hold him in a tight embrace as she begins crying.

A bicycle owner was shocked after discovering from CCTV footage that his bike, valued at around $1,500, had been stolen from outside his home in Yishun.

A video of the theft, which unfolded over several hours, was shared on the owner's Instagram page on Wednesday (March 11).

In the video, taken at 7.22pm on Tuesday (March 10) according to the timestamp, a man in a cap and black long-sleeved T-shirt can be seen exiting a lift and walking along the corridor.

He then appears to inspect the bicycles parked at the side of the corridor before leaving the area.

Hong Kong actor Jacky Heung has apologised to host Barkley for shocking him with a sudden high kick at an awards ceremony for microdramas held in Shanghai on March 10.

The 41-year-old performed his Cantonese song Zuo Xin Fang and spoke to the hosts Barkley and Chen Chen, before showing off a short kung fu sequence.

At the end of his performance, Chen Chen told investors to consider him for their dramas, and Jacky responded he could have done better if he had some time to warm up.

Barkley, 40, added: "You are doing good, especially as this is the first time I see someone attempting kicks in a velvet suit."

LONDON — The war in the Middle East is creating the biggest oil supply disruption in the history of the global market, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Thursday (March 12), a day after the agency agreed to release a record volume of oil from strategic stockpiles.

Middle East Gulf countries have cut total oil production by at least 10 million bpd — a volume equal to almost 10 per cent of world demand — as a result of the conflict, the agency said in its latest monthly oil market report. Without a rapid restart of shipping flows, these losses are set to increase, IEA said.

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A woman in China has turned heads after it was revealed that she had just given birth to a baby at age 63.

The mother, who was not named, said she had conceived the child as a way for her and her husband to grieve their son, who died of cancer in 2025.

"I'm risking my life and must have this child. Without this child, I cannot live on...my husband and I won't be able to live," she said in a video interview with the maternity hospital director.

In a Douyin post on March 4, the maternity hospital in Songyuan city, Jilin province, shared that the woman had delivered a baby girl two weeks ahead of the due date via a Caesarean section.

Two people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a Housing Board flat in Bukit Batok on Thursday (March 12) morning.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to the blaze at Block 465A Bukit Batok West Avenue 8 at around 8.20am.

About 60 residents had evacuated by themselves prior to SCDF's arrival.

The fire broke out in the living room of a unit on the second floor, said SCDF.

Doja Cat has backtracked her remarks criticising Timothee Chalamet after admitting she was "virtue signalling" and "doesn't know anything" about opera or ballet.

The 30-year-old rapper hit out at the Marty Supreme actor after he claimed "no one cares" about the art forms but she has now deleted her original video because she only spoke out to "feel like [she was] part of something" and has never been to see either.

Doja had said in her original video: "By the way, opera is 400 years old and ballet is 500 years old. Somebody named Timothee Chalamet, had the nerve, big guy by the way, had the nerve, on camera [to say] that nobody cares about it.

"I'm pretty sure that if you went to an opera theatre right now, seats will be filled out and nobody saying a word as the performance is going on because everybody has that much respect for it."