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French teen fined in Singapore 'straw licking' case

A French teenager was fined in Singapore on Thursday after pleading guilty to a public nuisance charge for a straw-licking stunt that landed him in hot water in the city state. Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 19, was handed a Sg$600 ($465) fine after admitting to posting to social media a video of himself putting a straw he had licked back into the dispenser on an orange juice vending machine. The clip went viral on Instagram shortly after the incident on March 12, triggering a backlash that led to his arrest in Singapore, which is known for its strict enforcement of public order and hygiene rules. Handing down the sentence, Judge Kelly Ho said given Maximilien's "age and nature of the offence", alternatives like probation or a community-based sentence would not be imposed. Prosecutors agreed to the defence's proposal for a fine, saying the offence was at the "lower end" of its seriousness and while hygiene was compromised, no member of the public u...
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Trump pledges extra troops for Poland as Rubio meets allies

US President Donald Trump surprised NATO allies by pledging to send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, only hours before Secretary ‌of State Marco Rubio was to meet alliance ministers in Sweden on Friday amid deep divisions over the Iran war. Trump, in a Truth Social post, cited his relationship with Poland's conservative nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, as the reason behind his decision to send additional troops. "Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, ​who I was proud to endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be ​sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland," Trump said in the post. It was a surprising turnabout after weeks ⁠in which Trump fiercely criticised NATO members for not doing more to help the US-Israeli military campaign. He has said he is considering withdrawing from ​the alliance and questioned whether Washington was bound to honour its mutual defence pact. Also Read: US scraps deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland Before leaving for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in the Swedish ​town of Helsingborg, Rubio said Trump was "very disappointed" in alliance members who had not allowed the US to use bases on their territory for the war, singling out Spain in particular. "You have countries like Spain denying US the use of these bases - well then why are you in NATO? That's a very fair question," Rubio told reporters in Miami. "In ​fairness, other countries in NATO have been very helpful. But we need to discuss that." NATO officials have stressed the US did not ask the ​32-member alliance to take part in the Iran war, but many members have honoured commitments to allow US forces to use their airspace and bases on their territory. European ‌concerns about ⁠Trump's attitude toward NATO were also exacerbated this year by Trump's push to acquire Greenland, a territory of fellow NATO member Denmark. Europeans say they are ready to help with Hormuz At the gathering in Helsingborg, European ministers are expected to try to placate the US by stressing they are ready to help with freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz when conditions permit and to take more responsibility for European security. Iran has restricted traffic through ​the Strait during the war. European fears ​about Trump's commitment to NATO have been ⁠heightened by the decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Europe, issued before Thursday's pledge to send additional troops to Poland. It was not immediately clear where the additional troops for Poland would come from. Read More: Trump weighs pulling some US troops from Europe amid NATO strains, official says Washington's allies have also been confused ​and unsettled by the way the decision was communicated. US officials first said the troops would be withdrawn ​from Germany, but later ⁠said they would delay the deployment of a brigade to Poland. The United States has also said a planned deployment of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany will no longer go ahead. In addition, it plans to tell NATO allies it will shrink the pool of military capabilities the US makes available to the alliance ⁠in a crisis, ​three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. NATO's top commander, US Air Force General ​Alexus Grynkewich, sought this week to reassure European allies about the recent decisions, saying further drawdowns would stretch over years to give allies time to develop capabilities to replace them.

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