Graft trial of former Singapore minister S Iswaran postponed to 24 September, survey finds Taylor Swift music most likely to make listeners feel 'happy' and 'love': Singapore live news

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Graft trial of former Singapore minister S Iswaran moved to 24 September. (PHOTO: Bloomberg)
Graft trial of former Singapore minister S Iswaran moved to 24 September. (PHOTO: Bloomberg)

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Hello to all our readers, Yahoo Singapore will be bringing you live news updates today.

First up, the trial of Singapore's ex-transport minister S Iswaran on charges related to corruption has been moved to 24 September. Read more about Iswaran's case and why its start date is being postponed.

In other Singapore news, a survey of over 1,500 Singapore listeners has found that music by superstar singer-songwriter Taylor Swift will most likely make them feel "happy" (23.6 per cent of respondents) and "love" (25.9 per cent of respondents). And Linkin Park is the most likely to make listeners feel "angry" (14.1 per cent). Find out who makes listeners feel "sad".

And in sad news, Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who competed in the Paris Olympics just last month, has died days after she was allegedly set on fire by her ex-boyfriend.

In lighter news, Singapore actor Xie Shaoguang, who won the local Star Awards Best Actor prize five times, is returning to showbiz after an almost 20-year hiatus, where he became a Buddhist monk, among others.

While Xie is marking a new beginning, a well-known pizza chain will soon mark an ending in Singapore. Little Caesars Pizza will be shutting its last remaining outlet in the city-state, located in Funan Mall, in September 2024.

The library@orchard will be closed for a revamp from 28 October 2024 and due to be fully reopened in the second half of 2026.

Starting Saturday (7 September), Singapore's Ministry of Education primary, secondary, junior college and Millennia Institute students can convert their student concession card (or School Smart Cards (SSC)) to a SimplyGo SSC.

In the Philippines, a fugitive former mayor accused of having links to Chinese criminal syndicates has arrived in Manila after she was deported from Indonesia.

In the US, the Nostradamus of the US presidential elections has predicted a winner when the country goes to the polls in November. Between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, who will it be?

Finally, as we go into the weekend, you can sleep in guilt-free – a new study has found that sleeping in on weekend can be good for your heart. Find out why.

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER10 updates
  • Featured

    Singapore listeners say Taylor Swift No. 1 artist to make them feel 'happy' and 'love', Linkin Park makes them feel 'angry'

    Taylor Swift arrives ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs v Baltimore Ravens game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on 5 September 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (PHOTO: David Eulitt/Getty Images)
    Taylor Swift arrives ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs v Baltimore Ravens game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on 5 September 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (PHOTO: David Eulitt/Getty Images)

    A survey of over 1,500 Singapore listeners has found that music by superstar singer-songwriter Taylor Swift will most likely make them feel "happy" (23.6 per cent of respondents) and "love" (25.9 per cent of respondents). And Linkin Park is the most likely to make listeners feel "angry" (14.1 per cent).

    A survey of over 1,500 Singapore listeners has found that music by Taylor Swift is most likely to make them feel
    A survey of over 1,500 Singapore listeners has found that music by Taylor Swift is most likely to make them feel "happy". (SCREENSHOT: Preply)
    A survey of over 1,500 Singapore listeners has found that music by Taylor Swift is most likely to make them feel
    A survey of over 1,500 Singapore listeners has found that music by Taylor Swift is most likely to make them feel "love". (SCREENSHOT: Preply)
    A survey of over 1,500 Singapore listeners has found that music by Linkin Park is the most likely to make them feel
    A survey of over 1,500 Singapore listeners has found that music by Linkin Park is the most likely to make them feel "angry" (14.1 per cent). (SCREENSHOT: Preply)

    The data was collected from a survey of 1,502 Singaporeans conducted by Preply, an online language learning marketplace. Participants were asked to identify which artists made them feel happy, sad, angry, or loved, Preply said in a statement.

    Find out more about which artists the Singapore respondents say make them feel "sad" in the Preply research here.

  • Featured

    Trial of former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran delayed to 24 September

    Former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran leaves the State Courts in Singapore on 25 March 2024. (PHOTO: Then Chih Wey/Xinhua via Getty Images)
    Former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran leaves the State Courts in Singapore on 25 March 2024. (PHOTO: Then Chih Wey/Xinhua via Getty Images)

    The trial of Singapore's former transport minister S Iswaran on charges related to corruption has been moved to 24 September.

    Bloomberg reported that a spokesperson from the Attorney-General's Chambers saud, "The parties had jointly requested the Court to adjourn the start of the hearing for PP v S Iswaran to 24 September 2024, and because it was a joint request, the Court acceded to it."

    The first day of the trial was originally scheduled for 10 September.

    Read more on why Iswaran is being brought to court.

  • Sleeping in on weekends can be good for your heart: New study

    Sleeping in can be good for your heart, a new study found. (PHOTO: Getty)
    Sleeping in can be good for your heart, a new study found. (PHOTO: Getty)

    Hooray for those who love to sleep in on weekends – a new study has found that sleeping in can be good for your heart!

    Researchers at the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases at Fuwai Hospital in Beijing found that sleep-deprived people who "caught up on shut-eye by sleeping in on weekends reduced their risk of heart disease by up to 20 per cent.

    "Fortune reported that co-author Yanjun Song said in a news release that "sufficient compensatory sleep is linked to a lower risk of heart disease". "The association becomes even more pronounced among individuals who regularly experience inadequate sleep on weekdays."

    Find out more about the sleep study and its conclusions.

  • Trump or Harris: American Nostradamus has named his pick for next US President

    Allan Lichtman in his office in April 2012. (PHOTO: AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards)
    Allan Lichtman in his office in April 2012. (PHOTO: AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards)

    The Nostradamus of the US presidential elections has predicted a winner when the country goes to the polls in November.

    American University history professor Allan Lichtman has forecast the White House winner in almost every election since 1984, with the exception of the 2000 race – when he picked Al Gore over George W Bush.

    "The Democrats will hold on to the White House and Kamala Harris will be the next president of the United States," Lichtman reportedly told The New York Times.

    Learn more about his methods and reasoning for picking Kamala Harris here.

  • Philippines fugitive former mayor Alice Guo arrives in Manila after deportation from Indonesia

    Alice Leal Guo (left), former mayor of Bamban in Philippine's Tarlac province accused of human trafficking and links to Chinese organised crime, answers questions during a press conference in Manila on 6 September, after being deported following her arrest in Indonesia. (PHOTO: Jam Sta Rosa / AFP)
    Alice Leal Guo (left), former mayor of Bamban in Philippine's Tarlac province accused of human trafficking and links to Chinese organised crime, answers questions during a press conference in Manila on 6 September, after being deported following her arrest in Indonesia. (PHOTO: Jam Sta Rosa / AFP)

    A fugitive former mayor of a Philippines town accused of having links to Chinese criminal syndicates has arrived back in the Philippines after she was deported from Indonesia.

    Alice Guo, whose case has gripped the Philippines, is wanted in investigations and a Senate inquiry into financial scams and human trafficking found to be taking place at a large compound in Bamban, in Tarlac province.

    Guo was arrested on Tuesday at a hotel in the Indonesian city of Tangerang.

    Besides questions on her business dealings and alleged links to the compound, Guo has also been quizzed over her identity and allegations she is in fact Chinese. A senator even questioned if she is a Chinese spy.

    For more on Alice Guo, including her defence, read here.

  • MOE primary, secondary, junior college and Millennia Institute students can convert concession cards to SimplyGo cards

    Orchard MRT station. (PHOTO: Getty)
    Orchard MRT station. (PHOTO: Getty)

    Starting Saturday (7 September), Ministry of Education primary, secondary, junior college and Millennia Institute students can convert their student concession card (or School Smart Cards (SSC)) to a SimplyGo SSC.

    In a statement, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that this option comes after feedback from parents and students that they would like to have the option of converting their existing SSC to a SimplyGo SSC. This will make it more convenient for parents to top up their children's cards remotely via the SimplyGo app.

    "The conversion can be done at selected ticketing machines in all MRT stations and bus interchanges," LTA said. "With this, all commuters now have the option to convert their travel cards to SimplyGo."

    Find out more about the SimplyGo SSC conversion option here.

  • library@orchard to close for revamp from 28 October: NLB

    library@orchard is a public library under the National Library Board of Singapore. (PHOTO: Getty)
    library@orchard is a public library under the National Library Board of Singapore. (PHOTO: Getty)

    The library@orchard will be closed for a revamp from 28 October 2024 and due to be fully reopened in the second half of 2026.

    In a statement, the National Library Board (NLB) said that the revamp is part of its "ongoing efforts to rejuvenate its libraries and offer fresh services, spaces and experiences for patrons".

    "The library, which has been at its current premises for the past 10 years, will be reimagined and recreated to enable new ways for everyone to read, learn and discover. This includes new tech-enabled interactive and immersive spaces to aid learning and discovery, as well as a new children’s section," the NLB said. "In the spirit of experimentation and innovation under NLB's LAB25 (Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025), the library will be revamped with new elements introduced progressively, with its full opening expected in the second half of 2026."

    The NLB added that more information about the revamped library will be shared in due course.

    Find out how you can participate in events celebrating this key milestone for library@orchard before it closes.

  • Little Caesars Pizza to close last outlet in Singapore in September

    A Little Caesars Pizza outlet in Spain. (PHOTO: Xavi Lopez/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
    A Little Caesars Pizza outlet in Spain. (PHOTO: Xavi Lopez/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    A well-known pizza chain will soon mark an ending in Singapore. Little Caesars Pizza will be shutting its last remaining outlet in the city-state, located in Funan Mall, in September 2024.

    Founded in 1959 in the US, Little Caesars began as a family-owned establishment in Michigan. It arrived in Singapore in 2018.

    Since 2023 however, the chain has been closing its outlets across the island, including those in Ang Mo Kio, Holland Village, Punggol and more.

    Read on to find out more about Little Caesars Pizza's decision to close its Singapore operations.

  • Singapore actor Xie Shaoguang, ex-Buddhist monk, returns to showbiz with Mediacorp's TCA

    Local actor Xie Shaoguang, who left the entertainment industry in 2005 at what many say was the peak of his career, is returning to showbiz.

    Xie, who was on an almost 20-year hiatus, became a Buddhist monk, ran an animal sanctuary and cooked at a vegetarian restaurant in Malaysia.

    Xie has signed with Mediacorp's The Celebrity Agency (TCA) and is open to taking up acting roles.

  • Ugandan Olympian distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei dies after being set on fire by ex-boyfriend

    Uganda's Rebecca Cheptegei in action during the women's marathon final of the World Athletics Championship in 2023. (PHOTO: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo)
    Uganda's Rebecca Cheptegei in action during the women's marathon final of the World Athletics Championship in 2023. (PHOTO: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo)

    Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who competed in the Paris Olympics just last month, has died days after she was allegedly set on fire by her ex-boyfriend.

    "We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei early this morning who tragically fell victim to domestic violence," the Uganda Athletics Federation posted on X. "As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice. May her soul rest in peace."

    Cheptegei, 33, who lived in Kenya, had been in critical condition after suffering burns on 75 per cent of her body.

    Read more on the attack on Cheptegei here.