French teen charged in Singapore over vending machine straw-licking video
Kuala Lumpur, April 30: A French teen is facing mischief and public nuisance charges in Singapore after posting a video on social media of himself licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and then putting it back.
Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, was charged April 24 and hasn’t entered a plea, the city-state’s largest English-language newspaper, The Straits Times, said. He allegedly committed the offense at a shopping mall on March 12, and his video spread rapidly when it surfaced, the report said.
The teen was granted court permission Wednesday to travel to Manila from May 2-25 for a school trip required for his graduation, the Straits Times said. He is due back in court on May 29.
Mischief carries a penalty of up to two years in prison or a fine, or both, while public nuisance is less severe with up to three months in prison or a fine, or both.
IJooz, the company operating the juice vending machine, filed a police report, and sanitised the dispenser while replacing all 500 straws in the machine. It said it would upgrade its machines to include measures such as individually packaged straws and straw compartments that unlock only after the transaction is completed.
Lawyers for the teen, who is studying in a French business school in Singapore, declined to comment on the case when contacted.
Singapore, a small, densely populated city-state, tightly regulates public behaviour and cleanliness. This includes restrictions like limits on chewing gum and strong penalties for littering and vandalism. (AP)
US returns over 650 antiquities valued at nearly USD 14 million to India
New York, April 30: The US has returned 657 antiquities collectively valued at nearly USD 14 million to India, saying there is “more work to be done” to return stolen artefacts to the country.
The return was announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday.
The pieces were recovered following several investigations into trafficking networks, including those related to disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor and convicted trafficker Nancy Wiener.
The pieces were returned at an event attended by Consul Rajlakshmi Kadam from the Consulate General of India in New York. (PTI)
