NewsLite

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump, speaking ahead of Nov 3 midterm congressional elections, said on Friday (Oct 30) he believed the war with Iran will end soon, but did not say how that would happen.

"It's going to get wrapped up soon," Trump said in an interview with Kansas City radio station KCMO. "We need a guarantee there'll never be a nuclear weapon."

Trump has said the US would not strike Iran before the elections.

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Separated by just two land border crossings and the Strait of Johor, neighbours Singapore and Malaysia have a long history of cooperation, including in maritime security.

The two countries' navies on Friday (Oct 30) completed a five-day bilateral maritime exercise, codenamed Malapura, that was held in Singapore.

The exercise dates back to 1984 and is part of regular interactions between the two navies.

Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said in a news release on Friday evening that this year's exercise comprised a series of shore-based events, people-to-people interactions, professional exchanges, warfare planning, and sports activities.

MADRID - Spain's transport minister on Friday (Oct 30) rejected calls for his resignation over the second train accident on his watch to cause mass casualties this year, as authorities worked to identify the victims from a crash that left at least 69 dead.

Lawmakers from across the political spectrum this week condemned Transport Minister Oscar Puente for attributing Wednesday's crash to a break in protocol by control centre operators rather than accepting responsibility, with rail workers' unions calling for his immediate dismissal.

The crash, which happened near the town of Urda in central Spain, followed another accident involving the same rail companies on the same line that left 46 dead in January. It has reopened a debate about safety and maintenance on Spain's high-speed rail network, the most extensive in Europe, as the country prepares for an election that left-leaning Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for November 29.

"My duty now is not to focus on discussing whether I will remain in office, but on solving the problem, determining exactly what happened and providing clear explanations," Puente said at a press conference on Friday.

Singapore's Minister for Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan became the country's first leader to visit Pakistan in nearly 22 years as he made a one-day visit to the country on Friday (Oct 30) .

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Pakistan counterpart Ishaq Dar, who is also deputy prime minister, Dr Balakrishnan noted that former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong was the last Singaporean leader to visit in 2004.

"So this is belated, but better late than never," he quipped, adding that leaders from both countries have been in constant communication.

Dr Balakrishnan noted that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has accepted Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's invitation to visit Singapore, injecting fresh impetus to the two countries' shared priorities in economic cooperation, disaster preparedness and response, and people-to-people ties.

HONG KONG - Singapore state investor Temasek-owned Mapletree Investments could launch an initial public offering in Singapore as early as 2027, the Business Times reported on Friday (Oct 30), citing sources.

The property investor has begun appointing banks and legal advisers for a potential listing, the newspaper said.

"As a matter of policy, we do not comment on market rumours. Any material information, should it arise, will be communicated through the appropriate channels," a Mapletree spokesperson said in response to a Reuters query on Friday.

The potential listing follows the collapse of talks over a possible merger between Mapletree and CapitaLand Investment, another Temasek-backed real estate group, the report said.

If you are looking forward to participating in outdoor activities this weekend, here's some good news.

In its daily haze situation update on Friday (Oct 30) evening, the National Environment Agency said the haze situation is forecast to remain suppressed on Saturday, and contained on Sunday.

Showers are expected over Singapore during the weekend, which is expected to help keep the haze situation at bay despite prevailing winds forecast to blow from the east or south-east.

The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) forecast for Saturday is between 51 and 70 — in the moderate range.

Travellers who are heading across the Causeway on Friday (Oct 30) evening should note that there is currently very heavy departure traffic at Woodlands Checkpoint.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on its social media at 4.18pm that the queue has reached the Bukit Timah Expressway (Woodlands) in the vicinity of Exit 10A.

Checks on the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) traffic cameras show that Johor-bound traffic along the Causeway was smooth at 6pm.

However, bumper-to-bumper traffic was seen at both Woodlands Crossing and the expressway.

Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today.

1. New SGH Emergency-NNI building opens, designed around patients' journeys

The Republic's oldest hospital, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), officially opened its new SGH Emergency/National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) building on Friday (Oct 31)... » READ MORE

2. Blockchain intelligence firms link North Korea to $8b hack on Binance

There's nothing like a few tight slaps to a mistress to get viewers riveted to the soap opera-like plot but even this is perhaps too much.

The first episode of Thai actress Baifern Pimchanok's new drama, released on Oct 23, left netizens amused with its overdramatised scenes, and one in particular is going viral on the internet.

The 34-year-old plays the double role of twin sisters in the Thai drama The Hidden Shadows, also known by its native title Raeng Ngao, based on a novel written by Nanthana Weerachon.

The story follows Munin, who finds her twin sister Mutta's body in a stream. She assumes her identity to uncover the truth behind her death and seek revenge.

A total of 250 goods vehicles were caught by Land Transport Authority (LTA) enforcement officers in two islandwide enforcement operations conducted in October.

The regulator said in a social media post on Friday (Oct 30) that the two operations were each conducted over a three-day period, with offences such as overloading and oversized vehicles, and non-compliant lorries.

Of these, over 30 vehicles were caught for overloading, which pose risks to road users if goods spill or fall onto the road. Such actions also compromises the safe handling of the vehicles, LTA stated.

Meanwhile, more than 40 vehicles, including concrete mixers and low trailers, were caught for being oversized or travelling on expressways without a valid permit.