SINGAPORE
Teen murdered at school
A 13-year-old boy was found dead on Monday at a school, while a fellow student was arrested and an axe seized, police said. It was a rare incident in the city-state, which is known for its zero-tolerance approach to wrongdoing and has one of the world’s lowest crime rates. Police were called to the prestigious state high school, where they found the 13-year-old with many wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A 16-year-old was arrested for suspected involvement, police said in a statement. The teenagers did not know one another, according to preliminary investigations. The suspect was charged in court with murder yesterday and police said they would ask him to undergo a psychiatric assessment. Minister of Education Chan Chun Sing (陳振聲) said he was “shocked to receive news of the tragic incident.” “Our thoughts are with the families of the students concerned,” Chan said.
ISRAEL
Ben & Jerry’s exits Palestine
US ice cream firm Ben & Jerry’s on Monday said that it would stop selling ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territories, saying its sale “is inconsistent with our values. We “hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners,” the Unilever subsidiary said in a statement, without elaborating. More than 600,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where tensions often flare up between settlers and the Palestinian population. “We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region,” the company said, adding that its license would not be renewed when it expires at the end of next year. The company said its products would continue to be sold in Israel “through a different arrangement.” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement that “there are lots of ice cream, but we have only one state. Ben & Jerry’s decided to brand itself as an anti-Israel ice cream.”
UNITED KINGDOM
First heat warning issued
The Met Office on Monday issued its first ever amber extreme heat warning, saying unusually high temperatures expected in western areas and continuing high nighttime temperatures created potential risks to health. The alert is the first issued by the Met Office since the national meteorological service launched its extreme heat national severe weather warning system at the start of last month to help better inform people of the risks hot weather can bring. Temperatures are expected to rise to possibly 33°C, the Met Office said. “The impacts of extreme heat can be many and varied. It can have health consequences, especially for those who are particularly vulnerable, and it can impact infrastructure, including transport and energy,” the office said in a statement.
UNITED STATES
Austin to visit ASEAN
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is to visit Southeast Asia, the Pentagon said, a trip that would include stops in the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. “Secretary Austin’s visit will demonstrate the importance the ... administration places on Southeast Asia and on ASEAN as an essential part of the Indo-Pacific’s architecture,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. The US embassy in Hanoi yesterday said that Austin’s trip would start on Friday. “This trip will underscore the enduring US commitment to the region, and our interest in upholding the rules-based international order in the region and promoting ASEAN centrality,” the embassy wrote on Facebook.
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