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A Chinese decoration company has sparked online controversy and amusement after it converted a drained swimming pool into a temporary office. Staff get down to business in the “deep end” before exiting the office using the original poolside ladders. The quirky set-up came to light after an employee from Luban Decoration Group, based in Chengdu, Sichuan province, southwestern China, posted a video online entitled “Swimming Pool Transformed into Office Space”. The clip quickly went viral. (The swimming pool safety signs are clearly visible in the company’s workspace.. Photo: Handout) According to Cover News, the company’s gym, swimming pool and office...

More than 1.5 million eligible Singaporean adults will receive up to $850 cash via the GST Voucher scheme, and about 690,000 seniors will receive up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August. They will receive $850 in cash if they are 21 or older in 2025, have an assessable income of up to $39,000 in the latest assessment year, and own at most one property whose annual value is up to $21,000 in 2024. Those who meet this same age and income criteria but whose property’s annual value is over $21,000 but no more than $31,000 will get $450 instead. Singaporeans who own more than one property are not eligible for the payout. Eligible recipients will automatically receive their payments via...

According to a report by VnExpress, Chinese actor Li Yapeng transferred ownership of his kindergarten for free while his wife and daughter reportedly downsized from a villa to a smaller apartment. (Photo: Weibo/Li Yapeng) At the Children’s Day event at his kindergarten, Li surprised everyone. According to Sinchew, Li astonished everyone when he announced that he would give ownership of his kindergarten to an education manager without asking for any money. What’s important The actor believes that everyone who is born has a responsibility to contribute positively to society. He emphasised, “This isn’t about being rich; it’s about what’s important to...

Nowadays can be a tough market for sellers — even for the rich and famous. Exes Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck took their $60 million love nest off the market on Wednesday, less than a year after listing the mansion for $68 million, Realtor.com reported. The Beverly Hills estate offers impressive mountain views and freshly renovated amenities, but not even an $8.1 million price cut in May could attract a new owner. (Affleck and Lopez, pictured in January 2024, finalized their divorce earlier this year.Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images) (An aerial view of the 5-acre property.@CelebCandidly / MEGA) Lopez and Affleck bought the home in May of 2023, less than a year after tying...

Chinese actor Li Yapeng and his wife, Hai Ha Jinxi, have moved from their villa to an apartment in a lower-cost area of Beijing to reduce expenses and repay debts. With Li away on business, Jinxi handled the entire move by herself, Henan TV reported Tuesday. "The size of the home does not matter, what matters is the warmth inside," she said. Their daughter was reportedly upset about leaving the villa, but Jinxi comforted her by highlighting the positive aspects of their new living environment. In 2023, Li revealed he was struggling financially due to a failed real estate investment that left him 40 million yuan (US$5.8 million) in debt. He was subjected to court enforcement but later...

The Guinness World Records have recognised a 96-year-old Japanese man as the world's oldest university graduate, after he earned a degree in ceramic arts. Shigemi Hirata received his Guinness World Records certificate for the title yesterday. The honour came just months after he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kyoto University of Art and Design, local media reported. Born on a Hiroshima farm in 1919 – the year the Allies and Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles – Mr Hirata is something of a celebrity on campus. "Students whose name I don't even know call out to greet me," he told Japan's Yomiuri newspaper. “That gives me a lot of energy." Mr Hirata –...

Even for a millionaire, Johan Eliasch's country retreat is on the large side. The 1,600 square kilometers, or 617 square miles, of Brazil's Amazon rain forest that the Swedish businessman bought in 2005 would take several weeks to walk across, braving snakes and piranhas along the way. He says he bought it to protect that rich environment but an influx of foreign buyers such as Eliasch is stirring indignation in Brazil, tapping into long-held fears that the country's massive land resources are coveted abroad. The government has begun investigating what officials say may be irregular transactions, including Eliasch's, and said this week it is examining ways to put more controls on...

The Ghana Drunkards Association has issued a three-week ultimatum to the government, demanding a reduction in the prices of alcoholic beverages following the recent appreciation of the cedi. In a viral video posted on X (Formerly Twitter) on Sunday, the association’s president, Moses Drybones, decried the continued rise in alcohol prices despite the cedi gaining strength against major foreign currencies. “To date, the prices of alcoholic drinks keep going up. If you purchase alcohol, there is an increment of about 15%, and this affects vendors,” he said. The group expressed frustration that, although the cedi had strengthened and prices of some goods had dropped,...

She felt he put her social media career under house arrest. Many blame social media for interfering with their life, but for some people, it’s just the opposite. A woman in India filed a police complaint after her Instagram follower count declined, claiming that her husband’s housework demands cut into her influencer duties. “I didn’t get time to make reels,” the woman, identified only as Nisha, told the police, the Independent reported. The woman, who hails from the Hapur District of Uttar Pradesh, has an active presence on the social media platform, reportedly uploading up to two videos per day. (“My followers declined as I was kept busy washing...

An eight-year-old boy, abandoned in the company of his family’s six dogs for years in Thailand, could communicate only by barking, authorities found when they turned up to check on him in response to reports from a local school principal and child activist. The boy had not been to school in two years despite his mother receiving about 400 baht (US$12) in government education support funds to enrol him in classes, according to news site Khaosod English. Neighbours said the 46-year-old would beg for money and food at local villages and temples, leaving her son with only the dogs for company at their single-storey wooden house in northern Thailand’s Uttaradit...