A Vietnamese-American man was sentenced to a jail term of 19 months and fined $239,065 after he was convicted of three counts of money laundering on Thursday (Aug 28).In news release, the police said that Nguyen Duy Khiem, a 61-year-old dual citizenship holder, was involved in a US$8.3 million (S$10.6 million) money laundering case.Between 2018 and 2019, he entered into arrangements with various overseas call centres that were promoting fake investments to potential investors.He worked with those centres to receive fraudulent proceeds from investors and transferred them to overseas bank accounts, said the police.Khiem set up various companies in Singapore and used their corporate bank accounts for these fraudulent activities.In 2019, he arranged for two Vietnamese women, Hoang Dinh Phuong Thao and Hoang Thi Thuy Hang, to incorporate two companies, Kaloca Asia and Wellington York Partners, respectively in Singapore. Khiem also arranged for the two women to set up bank accounts for Kaloca and Wellington in Singapore.

SINGAPORE — More companies are set to freeze wages over the next year as business confidence weakens because of ongoing economic uncertainties, a Singapore Business Federation (SBF) survey released on Aug 28 (Thursday) found.Business satisfaction with the current state of the economy has slipped to 33 per cent, from 35 per cent the previous year; more companies are now expecting conditions to worsen rather than improve over the next 12 months.This growing pessimism is translating into more cautious wage policies. The share of businesses planning to freeze wages has risen to 41 per cent, from 35 per cent; those intending to bump up salaries has fallen to 59 per cent, from 64 per cent in 2024's survey.The wage freeze trend is being driven primarily by smaller companies, with 43 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) planning to hold wages steady, against just 28 per cent of large companies.Just over half of companies increased wages in the past year and plan to continue doing so over the next 12 months, with banking and insurance companies alongside manufacturers leading the way in salary hikes.

Fire safety upgrades are a necessary requirement as part of the lease extension for Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre (PPWC) and Jurong Fishery Port (JFP) to 2040, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Friday (Aug 29).PPWC's lease expires in 2026. It is Singapore's largest wholesale centre for fruits, vegetables and dried goods.The lease for JFP, Singapore's only fishery port, expires in 2030.The SFA has worked alongside other agencies to extend these leases to 2040 as part of a continued effort to achieve a resilient food chain for Singapore.But to proceed with the extension, they must rectify all fire-safety non compliances by the end of 2026.The Authority said that approximately 200 shops in the centre must undertake fire safety compliance works, including installing in-unit sprinkler systems.«These rectifications are critical to ensure the safety of tenants, workers and the public visiting PPWC,» SFA said, adding that it has worked closely with tenants and the Singapore Civil Defence Force on fire safety.

Injuries and deaths from traffic accidents in Singapore grew in the first half of 2025, increasing by 4.3 per cent from the same period in 2024.In its mid-year report on the traffic situation in Singapore, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Friday (Aug 29) that there were 4,860 hurt and 79 killed on the roads from January to June this year.In comparison, there were 4,665 injuries and 72 deaths from January to June last year. «[The] increase in the number of road traffic accidents and casualties in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 — continuing the upward trend observed over the past three years,» said SPF.More accidents involving elderly pedestriansContributing to the hike is a rise in the number of accidents involving elderly pedestrians aged 65 and above, as well as motorcyclists and pillion riders, according to police statistics. The first half of this year saw an increase in the number of pedestrian-related accidents involving seniors, climbing to 116 from 98 in the same period last year.

SINGAPORE — A repeat drug abuser landed herself in deeper trouble in 2022 when she offered police officers a bribe of $1,000 in exchange for permission to smoke one more cigarette, after she already had a few.On Aug 28, Radika Rajavarma, 42, was sentenced to five years, eight months and four weeks' jail.She had pleaded guilty to multiple offences including drug consumption and offering a bribe.The Singaporean must also spend another 256 days behind bars after she breached a remission order.Court documents stated that Radika, who had been in and out of jail since 2018 for drug abuse, was last convicted of methamphetamine consumption in 2020. She was sentenced to three-and-a-half years' jail before she was released in June 2022.She was then placed on a remission order, during which she was supposed to keep herself out of trouble from June 18, 2022, to Sept 24, 2023.Radika was also placed on a drug supervision programme which was supposed to last for five years from June 18, 2022 to June 17, 2027.

The anti-vaping measures in Singapore may result in more tourism for Batam, according to Batam Tourism Agency head Ardiwinata, The Jakarta Post reported on Wednesday (Aug 27).Batam, an hour's journey from Singapore by ferry, could be an «alternative» for vape users, he pointed out.«If there are strict regulations from the Singaporean government, the public will have alternatives to enjoy them, with Batam being one of those alternatives,» he said.«As long as it does not violate our regulations, they can choose Batam.»Comparing the situation to the closure of several public golf courses here, Ardiwinata pointed out that Batam has since become a popular destination for golfers from Singapore.Sports such as badminton, pickleball and basketball have also seen similar trends, said Indonesian publication Teras Batam. Some of these courts have been reportedly flooded by Singaporeans.Between January and June this year, 738,186 foreign tourists entered Batam, according to data from the Riau Islands Central Statistics Agency, South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.

A motorcyclist was spotted convulsing on the ground after a crash along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) on Thursday (Aug 28).A video posted on the same day by the Singapore Road Accidents.com Facebook page captured the aftermath of the accident.In the video, the motorcyclist is being tended to by two men, presumably from the car involved in the incident.There appears to be blood splattered on the road around the motorcyclist, who is seen convulsing while two other men assist to lift the motorcycle away from the motorcyclist. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to an accident involving a car and a motorcycle along the AYE towards the Marina Coastal Expressway at 1.10pm on Aug 28.The 28-year-old male motorcyclist involved was taken conscious to the hospital, they added. The Singapore Civil Defence Force told AsiaOne that the motorcyclist was taken to National University Hospital.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:721818]]dana.leong@asiaone.com

Three winning tickets will be sharing the $12.5 million Toto prize money in Thursday’s (Aug 28) draw.Two of the three tickets were System 7 tickets, each costing $7. The third winning ticket was an $84 System 9 ticket. Of the three winning tickets, two were purchased online. One of the System 7 tickets was purchased at Singapore Pools’ Sim Lim Square outlet. The winning numbers were 10, 11, 16, 24, 34, and 35. According to Singapore Pools, the total prize money is the 16th highest since October 2014. Thursday’s draw is the ninth Toto draw of 2025 that had a jackpot of over $10 million, with the most recent one on July 31, where a sole winner won the $12.8 million prize. The next draw will be held on Sept 1, with a prize money of about $1 million. [[nid:721871]]editor@asiaone.com 

SINGAPORE - Singapore's Loh Kean Yew is one win away from clinching his second Badminton World Federation World Championships medal, after coming from behind to beat Japan's eighth-ranked Kodai Naraoka 5-21, 21-19, 21-19 in the men's singles round of 16 on Thursday (Aug 28).The 28-year-old will meet Canada's 50th-ranked Victor Lai - the 20-year-old Pan Am champion who is the lowest-ranked player remaining in the draw - in the quarter-finals on Aug 29. Another victory at the Adidas Arena in Paris would secure at least a bronze medal for either player.Returning from a bacterial infection that left him bedridden for weeks and kept him out of international competition in July, world No. 9 Loh had to suffer before he survived.He told The Straits Times: «It was a tough match and a lot went on on the court. (Naraoka) played very well in the first game and I couldn't follow the pace.»I picked up the pace a little in the second game and I'm glad it worked. It was very intense and crucial in the third game and it could have been anyone's game at the end and I'm happy and relieved to come away with the win."

SINGAPORE — Two men allegedly worked together to access a computer platform even though they were not authorised to do so and stole cryptocurrencies worth around US$6.5 million (S$8.4 million).On Aug 28, Singaporean Dai Yong, 36, and Chinese national Zhang Xinghua, 38, were each charged with one count of misusing a computer system linked to global cryptocurrency exchange SafeX.The pair and other unknown parties are accused of committing the offence on or around June 30.The police said in a statement that on Aug 22, officers received a report about a case involving multiple instances of unauthorised access to a cryptocurrency wallet, resulting in unlawful transfers of cryptocurrencies from it.Officers from the Cybercrime Command of the Criminal Investigation Department identified the two men and arrested them four days later.

A new government official impersonation scam variant has emerged.This time, scammers impersonating officers from the Commercial Affairs Department's Suspicious Transaction Reporting Office (STRO) would claim that victims are involved in criminal activities such as money laundering and that they are required to be investigated. At least 20 of such cases involving more than $408,000 in losses have been reported since April 2025, said the police on Thursday (Aug 28).STRO is Singapore's Financial Intelligence Unit. It receives suspicious transaction reports and other financial information such as cash movement reports and cash transaction reports, analysing them to detect money laundering, terrorism financing and other serious crimes.Given this nature of its work, some unwitting members of public have fallen prey to fake official documents such as STRO reports and even 'Anti-Money Laundering warrant' issued through WhatsApp.

A three-day island-wide enforcement blitz from Aug 18 to 12 led to 121 summonses issued to errant commercial vehicle drivers for a wide range of traffic offences.In a joint media statement with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Thursday (Aug 28), Traffic Police (TP) said checks were carried out on a total of 166 commercial vehicles.The summonses issued by TP were for offences ranging from speeding and using a mobile communication device while driving, to failing to keep left, failing to properly secure load on vehicle and failing to display speed limiter label visibly at the top right portion of the front windscreen.During the three-day operation, LTA detected 93 violations, which included seven overloaded vehicles, and 19 excluded vehicles found travelling on expressways without a permit. Mobile concrete pumps, mobile cranes and ready-mix concrete vehicles are some examples of excluded vehicles. TP also detected 17 heavy vehicles which failed to display a speed limiter label during the three-day operation. 

SINGAPORE — A married couple accused of offences including methamphetamine consumption allegedly allowed the woman's 15-year-old son — the man's stepson — to smoke an illegal drug.On Aug 28, the 45-year-old man and the 51-year-old woman were charged with offences including methamphetamine consumption, being in possession of drug paraphernalia and permitting a young person to abuse narcotics.All parties in this case cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the minor's identity.Court documents stated that the couple were earlier sent to a drug rehabilitation centre (DRC) on separate occasions for abusing narcotics.The man went to a DRC in 2000 for consuming morphine while the woman was sent to one in 2020 after she abused methamphetamine.They allegedly did not learn their lesson after their release and are now accused of consuming methamphetamine on or before June 23.The pair were reportedly found with drug paraphernalia, including smoking devices, in a Yishun Housing Board flat on June 23.The mother is said to have two straws stained with methamphetamine and a heroin-related substance, in her possession.

Students caught for vaping and substance abuse will risk detention, suspension, and even caning from Sept 1 when new legislation surrounding e-vaporisers and etomidate abuse kicks in, said Education Minister Desmond Lee.At a joint press conference on Thursday (Aug 28), Lee said that the Ministry of Education (MOE) will be issuing a stricter framework to guide schools on possible disciplinary actions for vape-related offences.«The Ministry of Education takes a firm stand against vaping by students in our schools as well as our institutes of higher learning (IHLs),» said Lee, adding that MOE will stipulate baseline, school-based and institution-based disciplinary measures on top of the penalties imposed by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).Under the new framework, schools may adjust the conduct grade of the student offender and enforce rehabilitative measures, such as counselling.Student offenders will also face possible detention, suspension and/or caning.

The Government will be doubling down on its nationwide campaign against vaping by increasing fines for first-time offenders and and imposing mandatory rehabilitation for repeat offenders beginning Sept 1.From next month onwards, first-time offenders will be fined up to $700 and second-time offenders will have to attend rehabilitation for three months under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act (TCASA). Repeat offenders will face prosecution and will be subjected to a maximum fine of $2,000 under TCASA.Under current laws, first-time and repeat offenders caught possessing, using or buying e-vaporisers face a maximum fine of $500. These enhanced penalties were unveiled at a press conference co-chaired by Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education Desmond Lee, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Eric Chua and Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash on Thursday (Aug 28).

On the first day of the Hungry Ghost Month last Saturday (Aug 23), a group of devotees in Sembawang struck it big after betting on a 'lucky' 4D number posted at the prayer altar.The 'lucky' number 2250 had been derived by an association member on Friday night, reported Shin Min Daily News.Surprisingly, the exact number combination appeared as the top prize in Saturday's draw.A committee member of the Sembawang Blk 503 QZY, an organisation which plans activities and rituals for the Hungry Ghost Festival, told Shin Min that all of the worshippers at the prayer session placed bets on the number 2250.Five of the bet slips seen by the Chinese evening daily showed that these punters had each won between $2,080 and $25,000, depending on their bet type and the amount wagered.«This is our seventh time organising the ritual ceremony and members have won prizes before, but the winning number will typically be slightly different from the lucky number, or be drawn only a few days after,» the committee member explained.«We've never had the complete number be drawn as the top prize the next day.»

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has defended its selection policy, after a mother’s viral complaint that her son was dropped from the national youth squad for opting to skip an overseas training camp to prepare for his examinations.In a statement on Wednesday (Aug 27), the FAS said that all the shortlisted players were asked for “total commitment” if they want to make the team for the Under-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers in November.This includes joining a training camp in Bahrain which runs from September 6 to 14.However, the N-Level examinations begin on Sept 15, one day after the team returns to Singapore.It is an issue that actress-singer turned entrepreneur Norfasarie Mohd Yahya said her son, Mika Baihakki, was “upfront with the management” about.He wanted to remain in Singapore during the September school holidays to attend extra lessons and prepare for the examinations, rather than attend the overseas training stint.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) seized more than 890 e-vaporisers and more than 6,700 related components at Woodlands Checkpoint on Wednesday (Aug 27). In a Facebook post on Aug 28, ICA said that a Malaysia-registered van carrying air-conditioning equipment and servicing parts was profiled for further checks at Woodlands Checkpoint at around 11am. Profiling checks are carried out by ICA officers based on their experience and training to pick out high-risk travellers.This is supported by ICA’s Integrated Targeting Centre (ITC), which leverages on data analytics to conduct pre-arrival risk assessment of travellers, conveyance and cargo. During checks, ICA officers detected e-vaporisers hidden in boxes, an air conditioning unit and its parts, and various compartments of the vehicle. Police’s K-9 unit was also activated for the search. The driver, a Malaysian man was arrested, and the case has been referred to the Health Sciences Authority. 

About 50 residents were evacuated after a fire broke out in a Redhill flat on Thursday morning (Aug 28). The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that it was alerted to the incident at about 1.15am on Aug 28. Firefighters extinguished the fire in the living room of a fourth floor unit with a water jet. The fire was contained within the living room area. During firefighting operations, firefighters rescued three persons from one of the bedrooms in the unit. SCDF added that the trio were assessed for smoke inhalation and minor burn injuries and taken to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). A fourth person from another unit was also taken to SGH after feeling unwell. About 50 persons were evacuated as a precautionary measure. According to SCDF, preliminary investigations suggest the cause of the fire is likely from an electrical origin in the living room. 

An estimated jackpot of $10 million is for up for grabs at this Thursday's (Aug 28) Toto jackpot draw after the past three draws saw no winners.Thursday's draw is the ninth time this year that a cascade draw is taking place.The last time the prize money snowballed to a cascade draw was on July 31 when $12.8 million was won with a single $1 ticket bought online. A cascade draw is triggered when there are no Group 1 winners for three consecutive draws. Under Singapore Pools' lottery rules, the jackpot can only snowball up to the fourth draw.If there is no Group 1 winner at the end of four consecutive draws, the final jackpot amount will be paid to the next prize group with winner(s) and shared equally.That happened on July 17 when 12 Group 2 prize winners shared the jackpot for that cascade draw.

Train service between the Downtown Line's (DTL) Bukit Panjang and Beauty World MRT stations has resumed as the signalling fault has been recovered.In an updated Facebook post at 7.40am, rail operator SBS Transit said that the fault was recovered at around 7.22am, and that train service was progressively resuming.Later, at 8.10am, SBS Transit said that normal train service has resumed, adding that free regular and bridging bus services have ceased.The disruption, which was announced just before 6.40am, did not affect the DTL's train service between Beauty World and Expo. This is at least the third disruption affecting train services operated by SBS Transit in Aug.

Train services are unavailable between the Downtown Line’s Bukit Panjang and Beauty World MRT stations on Thursday morning (Aug 28). In a Facebook post just before 6.40am, rail operator SBS Transit said this was due to a signalling fault and apologised for the inconvenience.It added that free regular bus services are available at designated stops, while bridging buses have been activated.  This is a developing story. 

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has addressed the issue of bullying and its efforts to create a safe and caring environment for school students.Speaking at the MOE's headquarters on Wednesday (Aug 27), Education Minister Desmond Lee acknowledged the challenges of investigating and intervening in complex bullying cases.«Over the past months, I have sought to better understand how colleagues at MOE, as well as our schools, approach bullying cases. Any form of hurtful behaviour is wrong and unacceptable,» he said.«We do not, and will not, condone bullying and hurtful behaviour.»The minister's address came after three students at Sengkang Green Primary School were suspended for allegedly bullying a classmate and giving death threats against her family.Another bullying case, which occurred in February this year at Montfort Secondary School, was also raised.Lee noted that four key areas have been identified to engage stakeholders, including parents, in the next phase of the review to develop solutions.

Will Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh one day be the prime minister of Singapore?Don't hold your breath waiting.Leader of the Opposition Singh has shut down the notion once again in an interview with Yah Lah But podcast hosts Haresh Tilani and Terence Chia, which was uploaded to YouTube on Monday (Aug 25).Earlier in June, Singh appeared on Malaysian political podcast Keluar Sekejap, where he said he would not want to be prime minister, and that he has a role of «[normalising] the idea of an opposition in Singapore».Asked to elaborate on the reasons why, Singh said on the Yah Lah But podcast that the Republic's political system is «evolving» and «still fledgling» in terms of opposition presence.«You can't crawl and then straight away become Usain Bolt... it doesn't happen that way,» he quipped.Singh noted how the formal position of Leader of the Opposition was only introduced here in 2020, despite it being an official title in «practically all parliamentary democracies» modelled after the Westminster system.

Will Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh one day be the prime minister of Singapore?Don't hold your breath waiting.Leader of the Opposition Singh has shut down the notion once again in an interview with Yah Lah But podcast hosts Haresh Tilani and Terence Chia, which was uploaded to YouTube on Monday (Aug 25).Earlier in June, Singh appeared on Malaysian political podcast Keluar Sekejap, where he said he would not want to be prime minister, and that he has a role of «[normalising] the idea of an opposition in Singapore».Asked to elaborate on the reasons why, Singh said on the Yah Lah But podcast that the Republic's political system is «evolving» and «still fledgling» in terms of opposition presence.«You can't crawl and then straight away become Usain Bolt...it doesn't happen that way,» he quipped.Singh noted how the formal position of Leader of the Opposition was only introduced here in 2020, despite it being an official title in «practically all parliamentary democracies» modelled after the Westminster system.

The changed nature of economic and security challenges today presents opportunities for Malaysia and Singapore to work together to overcome them. In turn, working together will allow both countries — as close neighbours — to plant the seeds of trust and mutual confidence to tackle crises, and when the need arises, said Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing. He was speaking at Malaysia's National Centre for Defence Studies in Putrajaya on Tuesday (Aug 26), addressing an audience of about 200 students during the second day of his two-day introductory visit. Noting that both Malaysia and Singapore are smaller states in an increasingly uncertain world. Chan said that the real competition is never between the two countries with longstanding historical ties.«Our real competition is how Singapore and Malaysia can work together to overcome the challenges of an increasingly uncertain world.» 

SINGAPORE — From 2026, CareShield Life will offer higher monthly cash payouts to help Singapore residents with severe disabilities cushion the fast-rising cost of long-term care.The payout growth rate will rise from the current two per cent a year to four per cent a year from 2026 to 2030. Consequently, those who make a claim in 2030, for instance, will get $806 a month instead of $731.Premiums for the national long-term care insurance scheme will need to rise, but the Government said it will provide an additional $570 million in premium support over the next five years to help policyholders offset the increases.These were among the key changes recommended by an independent CareShield Life Council led by Jeanette Wong, former group executive of DBS Bank. In conducting the review, the council consulted nearly 300 individuals, including caregivers, healthcare professionals, union leaders and community partners.«These enhancements to CareShield Life complement the broader suite of long-term care support measures announced at Budget 2025,» said a Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesperson at a media briefing on the review.

Home Team agencies such as the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), as well as the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) have stepped up enforcement checks at their respective premises as part of whole-of-government anti-vaping efforts.In a Facebook post on Wednesday (Aug 27), police said that enhanced checks have been carried out at the Home Team and Civil Defence academies, when trainees report for their stay-in training.  "SCDF and SPF take a serious stance against the possession and use of e-vaporisers and will not hesitate to take officers who are found to be in possession of e-vaporiser to task.

After her 28-year-old son was retrenched from his job as a technician in June last year, he became addicted to using «Kpods», a drug-laced vape. He'd also twice threatened to jump from their HDB block with his five-year-old son, said his mum.Wong (not her real name), 58, told Shin Min Daily News that her son had been struggling with financial issues and started using vapes after being told by friends that it would help him to sleep better. Due to monetary issues, her son also became estranged with his wife and are now in the midst of a divorce, according to Wong. Wong said that her son found work sometime in August last year, but this only fuelled her son's addiction as he had to work the night shift and could not fall asleep in the day.«He could smoke up to five Kpods a day at home, and each costs about $85,» Wong told Shin Min.She added that after using (Kpods), he would walk unsteadily and easily lose control of his emotions. He had even hit his head against the wall several times, said Wong. 

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has launched an investigation into a canal at Yishun Close after the water inside turned green.In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Aug 26), Nee Soon GRC MP Jackson Lam said that some residents have noticed the discolouration of the canal at Yishun Close and that he has checked with NEA «who is tirelessly looking into the matter».While investigations are ongoing, they have identified a potential source of the discolouration through surveillance and inspections, he added.In his post, he also attached several images of the canal, showing the discoloured water. PHOTO: Facebook/Yvonne Lim In the comments, Facebook user Yvonne Lim shared a photo of the canal taken on Aug 16, showing the water to be a bright blue colour.

The recent Johor earthquake has not affected buildings in Singapore, according to a Facebook post by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on Tuesday (Aug 26).An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.1 struck Johor on Sunday (Aug 24) at around 6.10am, originating 5km west of Segamat in Johor at a depth of 10km, the Malaysian Meteorological Department stated. This location is about 180km from Singapore, BCA said, adding that it — along with other agencies — have been monitoring real-time data and assessing the impact of seismic activities on buildings in Singapore.«None of our tremor sensors (accelerometers) installed on buildings across Singapore were triggered by this earthquake,» the authority stated.BCA explained that all buildings in Singapore are designed based on internationally recognised codes that have been adapted for our local context.«Our buildings are designed to be sufficiently robust and capable of withstanding lateral forces, including those due to tremors from distant earthquakes.»

A concerned Yishun resident has claimed that a man has been patrolling the corridor outside his HDB unit, allegedly looking for items to steal.Speaking to AsiaOne, the resident, who wished to be known only as Ken, said his suspicions were first raised in April this year, when he noticed that a jersey he had hung on his balcony had gone missing.«I first lost my jersey in April. I've always hung my clothes on the balcony to dry and secured them with clips, so it was unlikely that my items had been blown away,» said the 29-year-old assistant engineer. Initially, Ken decided to brush it off until he started losing his items regularly.It wasn't until August that he decided to take action and install a CCTV camera to capture the theft and upload the footage to his social media. 

The number of outrage of modesty or molestation cases on Singapore's public transport network rose in the first half of 2025, climbing to 90 from 64 in the same period last year — a 40.6 per cent increase.In their mid-year crime brief for 2025, released on Tuesday (Aug 26), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that the rise in these cases was part of a broader increase in physical crimes reported from January to June this year.Physical crimes rose 5.4 per cent, with 10,341 cases, up from 9,809 in the same period last year.This is the third consecutive year that the total physical crime cases have increased in the first six months of the year.Crimes of concern, according to the SPF, included shop theft, outrage of modesty, voyeurism, and theft in dwelling.Increase in outrage of modesty casesA total of 807 outrage of modesty cases were reported from January to June in 2025, compared to 666 within the same time frame last year, accounting for 7.8 per cent of the total number of physical crime. The culprits were known to the victim in more than half of the cases, said police.

Acres and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) are calling for enhanced animal welfare education and stricter legislation against animal cruelty in a joint White Paper released on Tuesday (Aug 26).Amid the increase in animal cruelty cases reported annually, the two non-profit organisations have set out 15 recommendations across four areas of focus to strengthen protections for animal welfare.According to SPCA's Animal Cruelty & Welfare Report, animal cruelty cases hit a 12-year high in 2024, with 961 confirmed incidents, up from 915 in 2023 and 511 in 2022.The White Paper, uploaded to both SPCA and Acres' respective websites, features recommendations «informed by an extensive and comprehensive study of the animal welfare landscape» that were guided by public feedback through various platforms in 2024.Kalai Vanan, CEO of Acres, said: "Progress must go hand in hand with compassion, and this responsibility lies with all of us — from government agencies to NGOs, and every member of the community.”

FairPrice has clarified that a supposed worm found in a piece of salmon, which a woman had purchased from its Bedok North outlet, is actually fish connective tissue.In a statement on Tuesday (Aug 26) to AsiaOne, FairPrice Group said it had thoroughly investigated the case involving a packet of salmon with bones sold at its FairPrice Bedok North Block 212 store.«Evaluation of the customer's remaining salmon sample and analysis of the customer’s photographs by an aquamedicine professional and parasitologist confirmed that the object found was not a parasitic worm, but natural connective tissue,» said a FairPrice Group spokesperson.Fish connective tissue is made up of thin layers of collagen and can appear as shiny, white membranes and strands, according to sources online.