NewsLite

BEIJING - Cases of bird flu have been confirmed among wild fowl in western China, the agriculture ministry said on Saturday (May 18), as concerns grow over a US outbreak infecting cattle herds.

The H5N1 outbreak among dairy cattle in at least nine US states since late March has raised questions over whether it could spread to humans.

The US announced on May 11 that it would spend close to $200 million (S$269 million)to fight the outbreak.

News of the China cases came as the nation's anti-graft watchdog announced a corruption probe of the agriculture minister on Saturday.

JOHANNESBURG - Search and rescue efforts were underway in South Africa on Saturday (May 18) to find 11 fishermen missing at sea after their vessel sunk off the coast of Cape Town, the fisheries department said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the missing fishermen and their families as we await news of the search and rescue operation," fisheries minister Barbara Creecy said.

"At least five fishing vessels reached the search area locating and recovering nine of 20 local fishermen from a life raft.".

The cause of the fishing vessel sinking was unknown, the NSRI added.

BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia, - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in serious condition and still faces risks of complications but has stabilised, officials said on Saturday (May 18), following Wednesday's assassination attempt.

"We have not won yet, that is important to say," Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kaliniak said, giving an update on Fico's condition in front of the hospital in the town of Banka Bystrica where the prime minister is being treated.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok has said the suspected attacker, who was detained on the spot, acted alone.

Since returning for a fourth time as prime minister last October, Fico has shifted policy quickly in what opposition critics called a power grab.

HANOI - Vietnam's Communist Party has named police minister To Lam as the state president, the government said on Saturday (May 18), and also nominated a new head of the parliament in a major leadership reshuffle.

The others are the party chief, the prime minister and the parliament speaker.

The nominations of Lam and Man have received "broad support" from the Central Committee, the government said in a statement.

Lam, a career police officer, has been Minister of Public Security since 2016 and was admitted to the Politburo in 2021.

Israel has conducted renewed military sweeps this month of parts of northern Gaza where it had declared the end of major operations in January.

Gantz said his proposal would include creating a temporary US-European-Arab-Palestinian system of civil administration for Gaza while Israel retains security control.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday demanded clarity on post-war plans and for Netanyahu to forswear any military reoccupation of Gaza.

Israel's military said 281 soldiers have been killed in fighting since the first ground incursions in Gaza on Oct 20.

This week, we looked at a four-bedder condo designed by Hock Hoon which comes with a dual-purpose lounge and personal space.

The four-bedder is intended for a family of four: the owner who will be living with both parents, as well as a helper.

This layout ensures the owner's mother and the helper have their own rooms, while also providing a quiet corner for himself.

Upon completion though, they did feel happy with the decision, and could feel the cohesiveness of the lounge area.

Case in point: The CLE-Class, which was created to replace both the C-Class and E-Class Coupe and Convertible models.

Here, designers have taken a bit of inspiration from the Mercedes EQ models with the curvaceous 'single-piece' taillight housing.

Ironically, despite being larger than a C-Class but smaller than an E-Class, the CLE Coupe's boot only comes in at 420 litres.

Outright speed is not on the cards, but the CLE200 makes up for this by being keen to flow through corners.

NUDAKE is located at 50 Apgujeong-ro 46-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

Sinleedoga is located at 20-12 Jandari-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

Malic Coffee is located at 48 Itaewon-ro 54-gil, 한남동 Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

ichi seoul is located at Gangnam-gu, Gangnam-daero 158-gil, 21 2층, Seoul, South Korea.

Creating a home bar is not just about selecting spirits that taste exceptional; it's also about aesthetics.

Here are ten of the best-looking spirit bottles that promise to elevate the style of any home bar.

The bottle itself is a striking piece, with its clean, geometric lines and minimalist aesthetic that reflects the pure, un-aged spirit within.

Zacapa’s XO bottle, with its rich dark colour scheme and embossed gold label, looks as deep and inviting as the aged rum it contains.

These are the best fixed deposit rates in Singapore this month for various deposit amounts and commitment periods.

And for older folk who want to open a fixed deposit account in person, their minimum deposit amount shoots up to $20,000 while the fixed deposit rates drop by 0.05per cent p.a..Citibank fixed deposit rates.

If you want to put in $20,000 or more, DBS fixed deposit rates plummet to just 0.05per cent p.a..UOB fixed deposit rates.

The one advantage SBI Singapore board fixed deposit rates have is that the minimum deposit sum is low at just $5,000.