Two women have been caught for attempting to bring in a total of 2,400 heat sticks and four vapes via Changi Terminal 4, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Sept 10).The two cases were detected last Saturday (Sept 6), beginning with a female Romanian traveller at 1.45pm.She was selected for enhanced checks as ICA officers flagged her for potentially carrying a prohibited item into Singapore.Almost 1,200 heat sticks — heat-not-burn tobacco — and two e-vaporisers were discovered in her possession, ICA said.Heat sticks refer to cylindrical tobacco products that can be placed within an electronic device that increases the temperature of the stick, releasing an aerosol containing nicotine and tobacco.Close to midnight, ICA officers then profiled a female South Korean work permit holder for checks, asking her if she had anything to declare at customs.However, the woman claimed she had nothing to declare, and officers proceeded with a thorough check on her belongings.Nearly 1,200 heat sticks and two vapes were subsequently found, ICA said.

A scam syndicate responsible for over 330 cases involving over $40 million of losses was busted in a cross-border operation that led to the arrest of 12 individuals across Singapore.The operation — involving the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Cambodian National Police (CNP) — was carried out at multiple locations in Singapore and Cambodia on Sept 9, according to a statement on Wednesday (Sept 10).Raids across Singapore at residential apartments and hotel rooms tied to suspected syndicate members resulted in the arrest of 12 people — eight Singaporean men, one Singaporean woman, two Malaysian men and one Filipino woman.According to the police, the arrested individuals are believed to be callers for the syndicate, who had just returned to Singapore from Cambodia. In Phnom Penh, CNP officers raided a building and warehouse allegedly linked to the syndicate, where $2.5 million worth of funds from bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, 53 electronic devices, copies of scam scripts and victims’ records were seized.

A father, embroiled in a dispute with his ex-wife over access to his children, was issued a court order himself after submitting «AI hallucinated material» from ChatGPT in his personal protection order (PPO) application. A family court magistrate had found that none of the 14 “relevant local legal precedents” that the self-represented man had cited in his applications were legitimate cases.According to a written judgment made available on Wednesday (Sept 10), the case involved two former spouses who returned to court after their divorce to seek PPOs for themselves and their two daughters against the other.Their dispute centred around two main incidents in March, which arose out of access arrangements for the two children.“The father was evidently frustrated by what he perceived to be the mother’s attempt to deny him access to the children in spite of the court order that was made,” said Magistrate Soh Kian Peng.“The mother evidently felt justified in acting the way she did on the basis that she, as well as the children, felt threatened by how the father had behaved during his period of time.”

SINGAPORE — Ten former employees of renovation firm Interior Times (Kings') have alleged that they have been owed over $118,000 in commissions since August, and have since lodged employment dispute reports with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM).Nine of the employees are interior designers who said they'd left the firm, a branch of Interior Times, in July and August. They claimed they were each owed between $2,600 and $30,700 for at least 10 projects.The firm's director, Jason Wang, disputed the commission amounts and said he has been attending mediation sessions with TADM.He claimed the amounts said to be owed to the IDs were for projects that his firm is still finalising payments for.In response to queries, a TADM spokesman confirmed it is assisting 10 people in their claims for unpaid salaries or commissions from Interior Times (Kings').One former employee has received payment following mediation, while the remaining nine cases are awaiting mediation, the spokesman said on Sept 4.

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong has shared how he regularly looks out for ways to improve the interface of the websites of various government services.Speaking to 800 students and academics during the Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum on Tuesday (Sept 9), SM Lee said that he becomes a “mystery shopper on behalf of the government” when “getting things done”.“I need to go to MOM (Ministry of Manpower) to do something on their website [and] CPF to check my account,” he said at the University Cultural Centre in the National University of Singapore. “And I look at the interface and say, ‘Surely we can do better’.””So I send them a suggestion and tell them, ‘This is just a suggestion. Please take it seriously, but think about the best way to make things better’.”SM Lee said government services will improve when Singapore has a more involved and engaged population who would feel that “if they think something can be better, they can do something about it”.“The most Singaporean thing about you SM,” quipped the forum’s moderator, NUS Associate Professor Leong Ching, “is that you complain to the different agencies.”

Israel's recent airstrikes on Doha are a «blatant violation of the sovereignty of Qatar», said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Sept 10. The ministry deemed the airstrikes on Sept 9 an «egregious and dangerous action» that poses a threat to ongoing negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza.Israel had attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday (Sept 9), Reuters reported. Qatar has been acting as a mediator alongside Egypt in talks between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza. MFA said that Singapore stands in solidarity with Qatar.Separately, the Singapore Embassy in Doha issued a notice on Wednesday, advising Singaporeans in Doha to «to exercise caution, avoid unnecessary travel and crowded areas, and follow the instructions of the local authorities».They also encouraged Singaporeans to e-register with MFA so that they can be contacted in event of an emergency. 

MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho - With the shift of a joystick, a Neros Archer drone whirs to life, kicking up a cloud of sand as it lifts off.It quickly cuts through the clear blue sky, soaring over a mini 'city' made of container blocks. At a distance, a ground station control device displays a first-person view of the drone.The Neros Archer is one of three types of micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) employed by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) at this year's Exercise Forging Sabre in the US.Over 800 troops are involved in the exercise held in Idaho, US, from Sept 6 to 21, and sees more drones being used alongside manned platforms for integrated strike operations.At Saylor Creek Range in Mountain Home, members of the RSAF's newly established Drone Rapid Operationalisation, Integration and Deployment (DROID) unit demonstrated to the media the capabilities of the Neros Archer and Skydio X10 micro drones.Drones commercially availableThe drone unit was inaugurated in July 2025 and is participating in Exercise Forging Sabre for the first time.

A macaque has been found dead, entangled in a fishing net while hanging from a tree in Pulau Ubin.In a post shared to Facebook group Singapore Wildlife Sightings, on Sunday (Sept 7), photos of the monkey's carcass showed it entangled in a fishing net, as it hung from a tree. A user who uploaded the photos to the group commented that a foul smell was present, with flies buzzing around. 

The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) will be acquiring four new Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft to replace its ageing Fokker 50s which have been in service since 1993. Singapore acquired nine Fokker 50s in 1993. Four of the nine were designated utility transport aircraft, while the remaining five were assigned as maritime patrol aircraft (seen in picture). PHOTO: AsiaOne/Darren Wong This was announced by Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing during his meeting with United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on Wednesday (Sept 10). Chan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Public Services, is in the US for his introductory visit as Defence Minister from Sept 9 to 13. 

Families with three or more children aged between one and six years of age will receive $1,000 LifeSG Credits (LFLC) from Thursday (Sept 10), according to the Ministry of Social and Family Development.These credits are part of the Large Families Scheme announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at Budget 2025, which will see eligible parents receive a $5,000 increase in Child Development Account First Step Grant (CDA FSG) for each third and subsequent child born on or after Feb 18.They will also receive $5,000 Large Family MediSave Grant (LFMG) and $1,000 each year in Large Family LifeSG Credits per third and subsequent child.Subsequent disbursements every AprilLarge families will receive the $1,000 in LFLC from Sept 10, while subsequent disbursements will be made in April annually beginning in April 2026 for children born between 2020 to 2025, the ministry said. The CDA trustee of each eligible child will receive the credits automatically and trustees will be notified via SMS after the amount has been credited to their digital wallet. No application is needed.