NewsLite

Safti City is a military compound located along Old Choa Chu Kang Road.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen officially launched phase one of Safti City on Wednesday (March 19) after touring the compound and viewing multiple exhibitions.

On Safti City, he said: "I've not seen anything like it anywhere else in the world.

Aside from its infrastructure, Safti City also utilises smart technology with about 11,000 sensors deployed in buildings to track soldiers within the City.

TAIPEI — Taiwan is strengthening its ability to move troops swiftly in case China suddenly turns one of its frequent drills around the island into an attack, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday (March 19), amid a heightened military threat from Beijing.

A five-day "rapid response exercise" began on Monday to train the forces of democratically-governed Taiwan to quickly mobilise against any attack by China or grey-zone harassment designed to test and exhaust Taiwan's armed forces.

In the drills, troops set up anti-landing barriers near a key port just outside Taiwan's capital of Taipei, and deployed surface-to-air missile systems at strategic sites, video from the defence ministry showed.

Taiwan's security officials have said China was trying to normalise drills near Taiwan, carying out what it calls "joint combat readiness patrols" using warplanes and navy vessels every seven to 10 days on average.

Phoebe Dynevor is to star alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt in new movie Pendulum.

Bridgerton actress Dynevor and Gordon-Levitt will play young couple Abigail and Patrick, who head to a retreat in New Mexico following a traumatic event.

It's one of many upcoming films for Dynevor, who will appear in thriller Beneath the Storm later this year, and she is to star opposite Diane Lane in thriller Anniversary.

What's more, the Fair Play actress recently wrapped on another thriller movie, Famous, which will see her star opposite Zac Efron, and she has joined the cast of M. Night Shyamalan's next film alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.

ADEN/DUBAI — The US launched airstrikes on multiple targets across Yemen overnight, including Saada province, which Yemeni sources say is a long-time hideout for Houthi leaders, and the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, Houthi media reported on Wednesday (March 19).

The district, which houses weapons storage and training sites, is considered one of the group's most important and heavily fortified military strongholds, according to Yemeni sources.

US President Donald Trump threatened to hold Iran accountable for any future Houthi attacks, warning of severe consequences.

Despite US pressure, the Houthis led by Abdul Malik al-Houthi have refused to scale back attacks in the Red Sea.

Prices saw a significant increase across all categories in the second Certificate of Entitlement (COE) bidding exercise for March 2025, following a similar trend observed in the first bidding exercise earlier this month.

Cat C, which are for goods vehicles and buses, saw prices went up by $3,088 to end the bidding exercise at $70,089.

Here's a summary of the second COE bidding exercise for March 2025:.

*PQP, or Prevailing Quota Premium, is the moving average of COE prices in the last 3 months, and denotes the amount payable in order to renew a car's COE at the end of its tenure.

With season two finally premiering today (March 19) on Disney+, AsiaOne speaks to cast member Show Kasamatsu to find out what viewers can expect this time round.

The second season follows Daigo as he tries to expose the truth behind the eerie village.

Show said he was "enchanted" by the scene: "I would have loved to have been there, and just watching it was very exhilarating.".

He added the set was a "wonderful, happy place" to be: "I think you'll feel that when watching [season two].".

Hong Kong actress Myolie Wu's husband Philip Lee refuted rumours of his infidelity in an Instagram post today (March 19) after photos of him hugging several women were released yesterday.

He added in his post: "Photos angles are very misleading.

In 2014, Philip reportedly proposed to Myolie after dating for three months and they held their wedding ceremony in 2015.

Over the years, Myolie frequently posted about their family's happy moments together and praised Philip for being a "supportive husband".

JAKARTA — Rights groups in Indonesia on Wednesday (March 19) urged parliament to reject contentious revisions of military laws, saying they would take the archipelago back to an era of military domination and create legal uncertainty.

Indonesia's parliament is set to pass the law last Thursday in a plenary council after the house committee overseeing military approved the changes, which will allow armed forces personnel to hold more civilian posts.

Budi Djiwandono, the deputy chief of committee overseeing the military law bill, said the government would ensure that it upholds civil supremacy.

Djiwandono, who is also Prabowo's nephew, added that no active military personnel would be placed in state-owned companies, dismissing concerns they would be involved in business.

These spaces, located in community centres and residents' committees, as well as selected indoor sports halls, will be located islandwide — as part of heat response measures developed by a new inter-agency task force.

Besides the community cooling spaces, Singaporeans must also minimise physical activities between 11am and 4pm in schools, outdoor sports facilities and eldercare facilities.

There will be additional measures to project vulnerable groups when the heat response plan is activated.

The task force said that while there is a lower risk of heatwave this year, "above-normal" temperatures are still expected.

South Korean budget airline Jeju Air has launched direct flights between Singapore and Seoul.

Jeju Air is currently running a sale till March 31, with prices for trips between July 25 and Oct 26, 2025.

The first is from Singapore Changi Airport to Incheon International Airport from 2.20am to 10.10am.

The second is from Incheon International Airport to Singapore Changi Airport from 8.05pm to 1.20am the next day.