Nvidia and Deepseek logos are seen in this illustration taken 27 January 2025. (PHOTO: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)
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Hello to all our readers, Yahoo Singapore will be bringing you live news updates today. The editorial team will be curating the latest must-know local and international news.
A church has purchased some 19,000 sq ft of space on the fourth floor of Orchard Towers for $54.5 million. The Business Times reported on Friday (31 January) that based on the sale and purchase agreement for the property, Cornerstone Heritage – whose shareholders are founders and senior pastors of Cornerstone Community Church – bought the properties about two weeks ago. Find out more.
Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates:
Actress Barbie Hsu Si-yuan (aka Big S), who was pregnant then, attends a Cosme Decorte event in October 2018 in Taipei, Taiwan. (PHOTO: Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images)
Rumours of her death first spread online on Sunday. It intensified after her ex-husband Wang Xiaofei changed his profile picture on his social media platforms to black.
According to Taiwanese outlet Star ETToday, Dee Hsu's statement, which was written mostly in Chinese, read, "Thanks for all the concern. Over the Chinese New Year period, our entire family travelled to Japan for a holiday, and my most beloved, kindest elder sister Barbie caught influenza-related pneumonia and has unfortunately left us.
"I am thankful to be her sister in this life, and grateful that we have taken care of each other and kept each other company all these years. I will always be thankful to her and remember her. Shan (Barbie Hsu’s nickname), rest in peace. We love you always. Together remember forever."
In a statement on Saturday (1 February), Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) emphasised that it expects US companies to adhere to both US export regulations and Singapore's legal framework. "Our customs and law enforcement agencies will continue to work closely with their US counterparts," MTI said in the statement. "We have always upheld the rule of law, and acted decisively and firmly against individuals and companies that flout the rules."
According to a Bloomberg report on Thursday, US officials are probing whether DeepSeek circumvented US export restrictions by acquiring Nvidia semiconductors through third parties in Singapore.
Noting that Singapore is an international business hub with major US and European companies having significant operations in the city-state, the MTI added, "Nvidia has explained that many of (its) customers use their business entities in Singapore to purchase chips for products destined for the US and other Western countries. Nvidia has also stated that there is no reason to believe that DeepSeek obtained any export-controlled products from Singapore."
Warren Buffett: 13 money tips that can work for anyone in 2025
Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, in a file photo taken in 2023. (PHOTO: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
It's February but there's still time to make money – or make your money work harder for you.
Here are some tips from Warren Buffett, one of the richest people in the world. He may be the largest shareholder of the famous Berkshire Hathaway, but he still shares some of the most relatable money advice that anyone can use. Here are some of his more popular quotes and sayings.
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
“Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing.”
“When bills come due, only cash is legal tender. Don’t leave home without it.”
After being snubbed 4 times, Beyonce finally wins best album at Grammy's
Beyoncé at The 67th Annual Grammy Awards, airing live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, Sunday, 2 February. (PHOTO: Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images)
The singer dedicated her award to Linda Martell, one of the pioneers for black musicians in country music and the first black woman to perform solo at the Grand Ole Opry. "I hope we just keep pushing forward [and] opening doors," Beyonce said.
Earlier in the evening, Cowboy Carter also won the Grammy for best country album.
Now, Rashford's loan to Aston Villa is confirmed and he has this to say – on Instagram – upon joining the latter team: "I would like to thank Manchester United and Aston Villa for making this loan deal happen.
"I was lucky to have a few clubs approach me but Aston Villa was an easy decision – really admire the way that Aston Villa have been playing this season, and the managers' ambitions. I just want to play football and am excited to get started.
"I wish everyone at Manchester United all the best for the rest of the season."
Rashford will spend the remainder of the season on loan.
The $60 million initiative comes after a pilot in Tampines was successful.
"In 2021, HDB and Tampines Town Council launched a joint pilot project to apply cool coatings — a type of specialised paint containing additives that reflect the sun’s heat, reducing surface heat absorption and emission — to approximately 130 HDB blocks in Tampines. With the use of such paint, we aim to reduce the ambient temperature of the site by up to 2 degrees C, enhancing comfort for residents and reducing energy consumption," HDB said.
To monitor the ambient temperature and collect data for analysis, sensors were installed on the blocks' external facades and at the ground level. "Findings from the two-year pilot showed that the cool coatings reduced ambient temperatures of up to 2 degrees C, therefore meeting HDB's target," HDB shared. "Besides enjoying a cooler environment, residents living in blocks painted with cool coatings also experienced a reduction in electricity consumption, as less energy from air conditioning systems is needed to cool their flats."
Kanye West and Bianca Censori at the 67th Grammys Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA Sunday, 2 February 2025. (PHOTO: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Fashion means different things to everyone, but at the Grammy's, you can be sure celebrities are out to make a statement – no matter whether the fashion is good or bad.
Jaden Smith, the son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith arrived in a bizarre accessory: a black castle.
Julia Fox, of Uncut Gems fame, posed in a black, sheer mini-dress, wearing a matching thong and bra underneath. Along with a black sheer hat and leather jacket, Fox also wore yellow latex gloves, which sparked confusion and jokes among fans.
Have a look at what the stars and wannabe stars wore at the Grammy Awards 2025.
Esther Au Yong
Residents living near Japan sinkhole urged to evacuate; elderly driver still stuck inside
Firefighters work to rescue a truck driver after his vehicle was swallowed up by a sinkhole at a prefectural road intersection, in the city of Yashio, Saitama Prefecture on 28 January 2025. (PHOTO: JIJI Press / AFP)
Five households in the immediate vicinity of a massive, widening sinkhole near Tokyo have been urged to evacuate Sunday (2 February). Efforts to reach an elderly man stuck inside were reportedly halted due to safety concerns.
Residents living within a 50-metre radius of the cavity are also being encouraged to evacuate, a local government official told AFP.
Singapore church buys large Orchard Towers property for $54.5 million
A view of Orchard Towers on 27 March 2020. (PHOTO: REUTERS/Edgar Su)
A church has purchased some 19,000 sq ft of space on the fourth floor of Orchard Towers for $54.5 million.
The Business Times reported on Friday (31 January) that based on the sale and purchase agreement for the property, Cornerstone Heritage – whose shareholders are founders and senior pastors of Cornerstone Community Church – bought the properties about two weeks ago.
The property was sold for S$2,825 per sq ft based on a total strata area of 19,289 sq ft. According to a note by the church's senior pastor Yang Tuck Yoong, found on its website, the space was formerly occupied by Top 5 nightclub and a bar called Crazy Horse.
In the same note, Pastor Yang said, "For several years now, our church has been seeking additional space to accommodate the needs of our growing community. Our congregation at Cornerstone Bugis is growing and many attendees with children would benefit from a Cornerstone location closer to central Singapore."
"A permanent home in Orchard with low en-bloc potential also means more sustainable operations for our 'Bugis' congregation and the possibility of opening more service slots for our numerous language congregations during the weekend as well. Furthermore, the retail units surrounding the auditorium offer space for potential future expansion should our footprint need to grow in the city," he added.
"Orchard Towers presents a rare freehold opportunity prime real estate, which has been earmarked for renewal. This bodes well, both for the ongoing value of the property as well as the availability of amenities surrounding the church which already has an adequate selection of transport options, malls, food, and shops surrounding it. To boot, the location also contains a carpark with ample parking for our large congregation practically eliminating the challenge of insufficient parking lots."
In the past, other churches in Singapore have also invested in commercial properties.
Rock Productions, the business arm of New Creation Church, bought The Star Vista for $296 million in 2019. And in 2012, City Harvest Church increased its stake in Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre to 39.2 per cent.
Read on to find out more about the Cornerstone Community Church's plans for the new space at Orchard Towers.
Trevor Hughes had just returned home from work and just wanted to go inside and sleep but couldn't park because a man was blocking his driveway, police allege
A former Brampton fire captain has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 20 years for killing his wife in January 2023, an Ontario judge has ruled.James Schwalm, a former fire captain with the Brampton Fire and Emergency Services, pleaded guilty last June to second-degree murder in the death of his wife Ashley Schwalm.Schwalm showed no emotion in the prisoner's box Monday, as Ontario Superior Court Justice Michelle Fuerst delivered the sentence in a Barrie courtroom. Some
NANAIMO, B.C. — A woman in Nanaimo, B.C., has been charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death partially due to what police say were modifications made to her truck.
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis issued a major rebuke Tuesday to the Trump administration’s plans for mass deportations of migrants, warning that the forceful removal of people purely because of their illegal status deprives them of their inherent dignity and “will end badly.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The acting head of the federal agency responsible for responding to disasters said Monday that he’s suspending payments sent to New York City to house migrants and that staff who made them will be held accountable, after Elon Musk blasted the transactions on his social media platform.
A woman in a Wyoming town shot her four young daughters in the head, killing or fatally wounding three of them before shooting herself, sheriff's officials said Tuesday. The 32-year-old woman and surviving 7-year-old daughter were hospitalized after the shootings Monday afternoon in Byron, a town of about 600 people 14 miles (23 kilometers) south of the Montana line. Neither was reported present at a hospital in nearby Cody and a phone message left at a hospital in nearby Lovell wasn't immediately returned.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Democratic senator has asked the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate after he says he received information that President Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, had been “personally directing the ongoing purge” of agents at the bureau.
Saskatchewan RCMP have released the identities of the four people killed on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation last week.Officers responded to a report of deaths on the reserve, located about 80 kilometres east of Regina, at 11:15 a.m. CT on Feb. 4. They found four people dead in a home.They were Tracey Hotomani, 34, and Terry Jack, 51, from Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation, Shauna Fay, 47, from Indian Head and Sheldon Quewezance, 44, from Zagime Anishinabek.RCMP said in a news release that they were
A 43-year-old woman has been charged after driving with six times the legal blood alcohol concentration in Courtice, Ont., on Friday, Durham police said. Police responded to a 911 call reporting a suspected impaired driver near Baseline Road and Courtice Road around 5:20 p.m., according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. When they arrived, they found the vehicle, a white Kia Sportage, and spoke to the driver. "The driver showed obvious signs of impairment and was arrested," police said
Colin Grey was arrested and charged Nov. 29, 2024 for impaired driving. The 63-year-old spent more than five hours in police custody and died after being released. The family said results show he had no alcohol in his blood and those symptoms were actually related to his Type 2 diabetes.
A court in Stockholm on Tuesday convicted a Swedish woman of genocide, crimes against humanity and gross war crimes committed in Syria in 2015 against women and children of the Yazidi religious minority, sentencing her to 12 years in prison. The woman, identified as 52-year-old Swedish citizen Lina Ishaq, returned to Sweden in 2020 and is currently serving time for other offences committed in Syria. "The crimes constitute an exceptionally serious violation, not only of the life and integrity of specific individuals but also of fundamental human values and humanity," Stockholm's district court said in its verdict on Tuesday.