NewsLite

Starbucks Singapore has been told by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) to remove or amend signs referring to its supposed transition towards halal certification, following a notice displayed at its Parkland Green outlet .

In a statement on Thursday (May 14), a Muis spokesperson said it has not received any halal certification application from the coffee chain to date.

"Muis takes a serious view of this matter. Any reference to halal certification status, preparations towards halal certification, or an ongoing halal application process prior to halal certification approval is strictly not permitted," said the spokesperson.

Such representations can mislead the public and may constitute a breach of Muis halal certification conditions, the spokesperson added.

Those working or living in the central region and downtown core can soon look forward to greater accessibility and convenience when the Circle Line Stage 6 opens on July 12.

The three new stations — Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road MRT stations — will hold a public preview from 9.30am to 9pm on July 4.

Speaking to the media at the LaSalle Graduate Fashion Show 2026 held at Cantonment MRT station on Thursday (May 14), Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow said Circle Line 6 is now undergoing final systems testing and integration after several years of construction.

"We've come a full circle now," he said, encouraging commuters to experience the new MRT stations and ride for free during the preview.

Be very wary if you've received WhatsApp messages or emails inviting you to virtual meetings or even contribute to "urgent funding assistance" sought by the prime minister.

Earlier on May 6, the police had alerted the public of a scam variant where victims were convinced to sign a "non-disclosure agreement" (NDA) — before meeting virtually with senior government officials, including the president or ministers.

A man, who had prior interactions with government officials, has now become the latest victim of this scam variant.

He lost at least $4.9 million after believing that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had sought his help, through Secretary to the Cabinet Wong Hong Kuan, to provide "urgent funding assistance" relating to the situation at the Strait of Hormuz.

A photograph showing 16 seats "choped" at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, close to lunch hour on Thursday (May 14), has sparked a growing discussion on social media on the uniquely Singaporean "culture".

The use of personal items such as tissue packets to reserve, or "chope" a table or seat while one goes to buy food is a long-standing but contentious cultural norm here.

From time to time, such occurrences would creep up in discussions on social media or chat groups.

And it seems the culture is not confined to Singapore, with food court patrons in Japan known to have a similar practice.

Singapore Airlines posted a 57.4 per cent drop in full-year net profit on Thursday (May 14), warning that higher fuel costs were still filtering through and would weigh more fully in the year ahead.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran in late February has sent jet fuel prices surging far beyond the rise in crude prices, compounding cost pressures across the global aviation industry.

The impact on expenditure was only partially reflected in March 2026, as the group's fuel bills are typically priced on a lagged basis, Singapore's flag carrier said.

"While SIA and Scoot have raised air fares across their network, the adjustments do not fully offset the rise in the price of jet fuel, which is the group's single-largest expenditure item," it said.

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

1. Singapore police to explore using armed drones, jet packs for special operations

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is considering the use of weaponised unmanned systems (WUS) such as armed drones to give its officers a leg up during special operations.

"The intent is to help officers maintain a tactical advantage with higher sensemaking, speed and/or surprise and response capabilities, that would in turn enhance mission success and the safety of both members of the public and officers during high-risk tactical operations," said the police in a factsheet on Thursday (May 14)... » READ MORE

Sonia Chew will soon walk down the aisle, but here's the catch — she still doesn't know what her dress will look like.

In a recent episode of YouTube series Countdown To I Do, the local DJ-host took viewers through final preparations for her wedding. The 34-year-old paid a visit to bridal designer Michelle HuiMin Bridal Veil, where she tried on fittings for her custom gown.

She shared that her fiance Jeremy Sng, 47, had only seen her wedding dress in its conceptualisation phase, but was quick to make his comments about it. In a clip of the couple looking over its mood board at a restaurant, he quipped: "It looks a little bit like a white fungus!"

Jeremy had been looking at a detail of Sonia's dress, which included sheer fabric draped into a folded, structured silhouette on the gown's bodice.

A 21-year-old Malaysian mascot performer's love for her family knows no bounds.

In a TikTok video uploaded on Sunday (May 9), the young woman named Ina revealed that she works as a mascot performer in order to provide for her younger siblings after their mother died.

In the video uploaded by TikTok account storie.my, Ina is seen standing by the road near a McDonald's outlet in Ulu Kelang, Selangor in a bright green costume. She holds a plastic container with a label that reads: "Donate with sincerity".

The video caption states that she works from 12pm to 12am daily.

LUCKNOW — Dust storms, heavy rain, and lightning damaged homes and other structures and killed at least 96 people in northern India, officials said Thursday (May 14).

The storms also injured more than 50 people as they swept across several districts late Wednesday in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state.

Officials said some deaths were caused by falling trees, collapsing structures and lightning.

Police and disaster response teams used chainsaws and cranes to clear fallen trees from roads and railway tracks in several districts.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates has been seized and is heading toward Iranian waters, the British military said Thursday (May 14).

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said it received reports that the vessel was taken by unauthorised personnel while anchored 38 nautical miles (70km) northeast of the UAE port of Fujairah, near the Strait of Hormuz.

The seizure comes as US President Donald Trump was meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on a much-anticipated visit to Beijing. The leaders' talks are expected to focus on the war with Iran, which has seriously disrupted trade in oil, gas and other products and rattled the global economy.

It happened hours after Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had quietly visited the UAE during the Israeli-US war with Iran, though the UAE swiftly denied that any secret visit had occurred.