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.
A Texas man was sentenced to 35 years in prison after kidnapping a 13-year-old, driving her to California, threatening her with a firearm and sexually assaulting her.
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. Musk, who as head of the Department of Government Efficiency has consolidated control over much of the federal government and is working to cut costs and shrink the workforce, posted on X that his team “just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants.” Cameron Hamilton, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reposted Musk’s comments and said the payments were suspended as of Sunday.
A teacher has admitted stabbing a seven-year-old girl to death at a school in South Korea, officials say. The female teacher, reported to be in her 40s, has been treated for self-inflicted wounds in hospital following the attack in the city of Daejeon on Monday. The girl was a student at the school where the teacher worked but police said they have not yet established a personal relationship between the pair.
Ed Sheeran took to a busy street in southern India this weekend to surprise fans with a live performance but police soon swooped and pulled the plug on the British singer, saying he hadn’t received permission.
China hopes the Dalai Lama can "return to the right path," and is open to discussions about his future as long as certain conditions are met, Beijing said on Monday, a proposal rejected by the Tibetan parliament-in-exile in India. China is open to talks about the future of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate as long as he abandons his position of splitting the "motherland," a foreign ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, told a regular press conference. Guo was responding to a request for comment on the death of the spiritual leader's elder brother Gyalo Thondup, who had previously acted as his unofficial envoy in talks with Chinese officials.
Hundreds of thousands of Hindus flocked to temples across Malaysia to celebrate the Thaipusam festival Tuesday, with many piercing their bodies with hooks and skewers in acts of devotion.Some worshippers pierce themselves with skewers or hang hooks and chains from their bodies in acts of penance.
BOSTON (Reuters) -A jury found a Boston man not guilty on Monday of U.S. charges that he acted as an unlawful agent of China's government by supplying officials information about individuals, dissidents and groups in the local Chinese community. Litang Liang, 65, was acquitted in federal court of charges that he acted as an unregistered Chinese agent in a case brought in 2023 that U.S. authorities had portrayed as part of their commitment to counter efforts by China's government to silence its critics abroad. Liang, a China-born U.S. citizen, had denied the charges and pleaded not guilty.