Singapore to hold general election on X May

Singapore will head to the polls on 3 May, in what will be the first electoral test for its new prime minister Lawrence Wong. The election campaign, which lasts just nine days, is expected to be the campaign dominated by the rising cost of living, housing needs, jobs, and a growing demand for healthcare amid … Read more

Iraq sandstorm leaves 1,800 with breathing problems

Alfie Tobutt BBC World Service Getty Images The sandstorm blanketed parts of southern Iraq in an orange haze More than a thousand people have been left with respiratory problems after a sandstorm swept across Iraq’s central and southern parts of the country, health officials said. One official in Muthanna province reported to the AFP news … Read more

Palestinian student activist arrested at US citizenship interview

Getty Images Mr Mahdawi participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University An organiser of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University has been arrested by immigration officials as he attended an interview as part of his application for US citizenship, his lawyer says. Mohsen Mahdawi, a green card holder who is due to graduate next month from … Read more

Couple arrested for breeding exotic cats in Spain

Danai Nesta Kupemba BBC News Guardia Civil Ministry of Interior Police say the couple’s activities were connected to a larger global trafficking organisation Spanish authorities have arrested a couple suspected of selling exotic cats online, including protected species like white tigers, pumas and clouded leopards. Civil Guard police raided the couple’s home on the island … Read more