A private jet which took off from Singapore's Changi Airport skidded off the runway after landing at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido on Friday (Dec 12) evening.The incident occurred shortly at about 6.40pm, reported Kyodo News Agency and Japan's NHK broadcasting network.There were five passengers on board, including a small child, along with three flight attendants. No injuries were reported, according to firefighters who rushed to the scene.The aircraft's fuselage was not damaged and there was no fire, added NHK.One of the New Chitose Airport's two runways was closed, but other aircraft operation were not affected, according to Japanese broadcaster HBC News, which posted a video of the aftermath on its YouTube channel.The aircraft appeared to have overshot the runway upon landing, coming to a stop on snow-covered ground.The report added that it was snowing at New Chitose Airport at the time. Authorities are investigating the incident.It was the second flight incident to have occurred in the region that day.

SINGAPORE - Even the best teachers struggle with large classes, a sentiment echoed by primary and secondary school teachers The Straits Times spoke to.With Singapore's plans to hire more than 1,000 teachers annually over the next few years, teachers say they hope the added manpower will eventually result in smaller class sizes.Average class sizes grew slightly from 2023 to 2024, based on the latest figures. In primary schools, the average class size rose from 33.6 to 33.8. In secondary schools, it increased from 32.6 to 32.9, and in junior colleges, from 23.1 to 23.2.The pupil-to-teacher ratio in primary schools was 15.6 in 2024, up from 14.5 in 2020. In secondary schools, the student-to-teacher ratio increased from 11.9 to 12.7 over the same period.The number of teachers fell from 30,396 in 2023 to 29,605 in 2024, even as the student cohort continued to shrink. Primary 1 enrolment, for example, dropped from 39,372 to 37,785 over the same period.

Nicholas Khaw, who won Singapore's first gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand on Dec 10, has credited his family and team at the Police Logistics Department (PLD) for their unwavering support. Khaw, a full-time police national serviceman and his partner Diyanah Aqidah, 26, made history in the mixed poomsae pair taekwondo category by beating Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Kim Ha and Nguyen Trong Phuc.In a Facebook post on Dec 12, the Singapore Police Force shared that Khaw, 20, trains on weekdays after assisting with the logical needs of police operations during the day. He also trains during the weekends as well. Khaw also admitted that during the competition, he didn't think they stood a chance of performing well. 

Two women were taken to the hospital after a chain collision along Bedok Reservoir Road on Dec 12. TikTok user Gracie Daisy shared the incident in a video on the same day. The clip shows a damaged white car which had seemingly crashed into the back of a prime mover. There was also some white debris nearby. A few metres in front of the white car was a black vehicle with a dented rear bumper.Another video posted by Daisy on the same day shows a white BMW attached to a tow truck.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to the incident on Dec 12 at around 4.30pm. The accident involved four cars and one prime mover. A 36-year-old female car driver and her 37-year-old female car passenger were taken conscious to the hospital.A 39-year-old male car driver is also assisting with investigations and police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:726702]]melissateo@asiaone.com

Businesses across the Causeway have seen a drop in customers from Singapore by up to 30 per cent this year-end — atypical for the holiday season — according to reports.However, some of these Johor Bahru (JB) businesses have cited reasons other than the stronger ringgit for the dip, according to Shin Min Daily News.The ringgit has appreciated against the Singapore dollar in recent months, with one Singapore dollar now buying RM3.17. It was above RM3.30 for most of 2025, The Straits Times reported.On Dec 5, Malaysian publication The Star reported that Johor business owners have seen noticeably fewer Singapore patrons, with the holiday season being «unusually quiet» this year.Some blamed the decrease in Singapore patrons on the less favourable currency exchange rate, along with the unpredictable weather.«The crowd from Singapore is missing, even on weekends. This is probably the worst year-end crowd we have seen since the Covid-19 pandemic,» business operator Robin Jian was quoted by The Star as saying.

The body of a man was discovered at the foot of an HDB block in Sengkang on Saturday (Dec 13).The 55-year-old is believed to have fallen from height.A photo of the incident posted on Facebook group Singapore Incidents on Dec 13 shows a police tent placed over the body. A police cordon was also seen extending from the grass patch below a stack of units to an area just after the centralised refute chute. Nearby, an ambulance, a police fast response car, and at least four police officers are seen.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to the incident at Block 278C Compassvale Bow on Saturday, at about 9.30am.He was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic.Based on preliminary investigations, no foul play is suspected.Police investigations are ongoing.

Japanese megastore Daiso will be closing its outlet at 100 AM mall in Tanjong Pagar on Jan 5, 2026.The closure was announced by the megastore on social media on Saturday (Dec 13). «It is with great regret that we would like to inform you that Daiso 100AM will cease operations from Jan 5, 2026,» said Daiso in its post. The last day of its operations at the mall in Tanjong Pagar is on Jan 4.  Daiso did not elaborate on the reason behind the closure in its post. Following the upcoming closure, Daiso still has 32 physical outlets in Singapore. Earlier in July, Daiso closed its store at Kinex in Tanjong Katong. 

BANGKOK - Shanti Pereira is an athlete who wears her heart on her sleeve, particularly when it comes to the SEA Games.At the Hanoi Games in 2022, there were tears and disbelief after winning her second gold medal in the 200m, seven years after her first.She was once again visibly emotional and fighting back tears in 2023, when she became the first Singaporean woman to claim a sprint double at the Cambodia Games.On Dec 13, however, after retaining her 200m crown to complete a historic double-double for Singapore at the biennial event, Pereira was cool, calm and candid.«I'm really happy I managed to win today, but kind of disappointed, though. I wish I did a better time today, honestly, because my training indicated I could definitely go faster, and so did my warm-up.»(But) that's okay. The goal was to come and defend my title and I did that, so I'm really happy," said Pereira, who blazed to victory in the final at the Supachalasai National Stadium in 23.05 seconds.Vietnam's Le Thi Cam Tu bagged the silver in 23.14sec, with Zion Nelson of the Philippines taking the bronze in 23.50sec.

Tomorrow, I will be co-chairing the 21st Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) with People's Republic of China Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang in Chongqing. As the apex bilateral mechanism between Singapore and China, the JCBC is more than a platform for dialogue. It has anchored our partnership, allowing leaders and officials from both sides to build trust, review progress, and set high-level direction to deliver substantive outcomes.This 21st edition of the JCBC is especially meaningful, as it coincides with several bilateral milestones. First, we mark the 35th anniversary of Singapore-China diplomatic relations this year, with PM Lawrence Wong and Premier Li Qiang exchanging official visits. Second, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI) — our third Government-to-Government (G2G) project. This follows recent anniversaries of our first two G2G projects — the 30th anniversary of the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) last year and the 15th anniversary of the Tianjin Eco-City in 2023. 

Over $539,000 in suspected scam proceeds was seized and 176 individuals investigated following a 12-day island-wide enforcement operation by the police and local banks, during which over 176 bank accounts were also frozen.The operation took place between Nov 17 and 28, and was carried out by officers from the Anti-Scam Command (ASCom) and the police land divisions' Scam Strike Teams, said the Singapore Police Force in a news release on Friday (Dec 12). The operation was conducted against persons for their alleged involvement in government official impersonation scams, investment scams, and job scams, which were among the top five scams types for the first half of 2025.Through working closely with major industry stakeholders, such as social media companies, messaging platforms and telecommunication companies, the police disrupted over 880 online enablers and terminated more than 1,070 phone lines that were linked to scams.176 persons under investigationOf the 176 individuals under investigation, 128 are men and 48 women, aged between 16 and 85.

Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh and Mediacorp have issued separate apologies to the court over comments made by Singh on an episode of CNA's The Assembly which aired on Nov 5.In a Facebook post on Saturday (Dec 13), Singh, who is also chief of the Workers' Party, said that he accepts his statements may be construed to be in contempt of court.Apart from his comments during the interview, Singh had also posted about the interview on Facebook on Nov 6 and 8.«I accept that my statements may be construed to be in contempt of court, including to impugn the integrity, propriety or impartiality of the court,» said Singh in his post.  «Given that, I wholly and unreservedly apologise to the court and will avoid making comments to the same or similar effect in future.»

Two female car passengers were taken to the hospital after an accident involving two cars along a road near Yishun Dam on Friday (Dec 12) night.The accident happened at about 9.30pm along Seletar West Link towards Seletar Road North Link, before the left turn into Seletar Club Road.The collision was captured on dashcam footage and shared with AsiaOne.In the video, an orange car is seen stopped between two Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ambulances. In front of the first ambulance, a dark-coloured car is seen overturned.Three motorcycles, which did not appear to be damaged, were also stopped near the overturned car.At least three persons are seen trying to reach the occupants in the overturned car.An eyewitness in her 30s, surnamed Ng, told AsiaOne that she was driving home when she witnessed the accident.According to Ng, the accident led to congestion stretching back to the Central Expressway (CTE) before the exit to Seletar West Link.Ng also witnessed parts of the rescue. «I saw the paramedic working on a woman. Nearby, a man sat on the road divider. He seemed to be in shock,» Ng said.

Seven Bangladeshi men aged between 20 and 40 years old were arrested for alleged drug-related offences in separate enforcement operations conducted at migrant worker dormitories in Choa Chu Kang, Jurong and Seletar.In a statement on Saturday (Dec 13), the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said that the operations were conducted from Dec 8 to 11.CNB said that four men aged between 20 and 40 arrested on Dec 11 were from a dormitory in Choa Chu Kang.A small amount of «Ice» and various drug paraphernalia were found and seized from a 24-year-old suspect.During another operation at a dormitory in Seletar on Dec 9, a 23-year-old man was arrested for suspected drug consumption offences.A 29-year-old man who was found with a small amount of «Ice» and various drug paraphernalia was arrested for suspected drug trafficking.The last suspect, a 25-year-old man, was arrested at a dormitory in Jurong West on Dec 8 for suspected drug consumption.

The Singapore government will contribute US$100,000 (S$129,000) as seed money to support the Singapore Red Cross' (SRC) public fundraising efforts for the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The contribution will supplement the SRC's pledge of S$50,000 to supplement the immediate needs of affected communities in Sri Lanka, said Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday (Dec 12).According to the Disaster Management Centre, Sri Lanka's death toll from Cyclone Ditwah climbed to 639 on Dec 11. Most of the fatalities were attributed to landslides triggered by torrential rainfall exceeding 300mm in the first 24 hours as the cyclone lashed Sri Lanka on Nov 28, leaving its eastern and central regions most severely affected. At least a million people have since been affected by the ensuing heavy rains and floods that swept through large parts of the country, forcing some 200,000 people into 1,275 shelters, said the centre in an earlier statement. Sri Lankan authorities have estimated that they would need around US$7 billion to rebuild homes, industries and roads. 

In the first 10 months of this year, at least $615,000 were lost to concert ticket scams, the police said on Friday (Dec 12).The advisory was issued ahead of upcoming concerts such as K-pop groups Super Junior's Super Show 10 in January and Seventeen's world tour New_ in March.Police said there were at least 722 concert ticket scam cases reported from January to October 2025.In those cases, victims would come across the resale of concert tickets on online platforms such as Carousell, Facebook, Telegram, X and Xiaohongshu.Scammers would then provide screenshots or videos of fake tickets or receipts to convince victims that the tickets were authentic.They would also claim that ticket sales were time-sensitive or limited in quantity, and promise to deliver the tickets after payment was made.When the victims told the scammers that they did not receive their tickets, the scammers would ask for additional payment, claiming that the initial payment was not received.

The police will charge a 32-year-old man on Saturday (Dec 13) over his suspected involvement in a knife incident along Boon Lay Drive.The incident, which took place at Block 188 Boon Lay Drive, happened at about 6.55pm on Dec 6.It resulted in a 58-year-old man reportedly suffering injuries to his back, forearm and forehead.The alleged assailant was then seen fleeing towards Block 238 Boon Lay Drive.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said in an updated statement on Friday Dec 12 that they have arrested the man.He will be charged for the offence of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons.If found guilty of the offence, the man may be jailed for up to seven years, fined, caned, or receive a combination of these punishments.«The police have zero tolerance towards such acts of violence in the community and will not hesitate to take firm action against those who blatantly disregard the law,» they said. [[nid:726398]]editor@asiaone.com

BANGKOK – Singapore sprint queen Shanti Pereira’s bid for a historic double-double at the SEA Games got off to a speedy start on Dec 11, when the 29-year-old retained her women’s 100m gold in Bangkok.Competing at the Suphachalasai National Stadium, she clocked 11.36sec to beat home favourite Khanonta Jirapat (11.54) and Ha Thi Thu (11.58) of Vietnam, who finished second and third, respectively.While Pereira said she did not feel “too good” the day before in practice, her coach Luis Cunha’s advice that “you just need to come in first” worked a treat.She said: “I didn’t think about the time too much. Of course, I wanted to do a good one, but it was really just about showing up and trying to attain my goal of defending the title no matter the timing.“I’m happy to go to coach and give him a great hug and get ready for the 200m.”At the 2023 edition in Cambodia, Pereira made history by becoming the first Singaporean to win the 100m and 200m golds.

Two men, aged 24 and 47, will be charged in court on Friday (Dec 12) for their alleged involvement in a government official impersonation scam (GOIS).In a statement on Dec 11, the police said they received a report involving the impersonation of an officer from the Singapore Police Force.Modus operandi: Your personal information was misusedThe female victim who filed the report was allegedly told over a video call, by a man dressed in police uniform, that she had purchased an insurance policy and that her personal information was misused.The woman was also instructed to surrender her money and valuables for the purpose of investigations. Convinced that she was under investigation, the woman handed over cash amounting to more than $7,000, and subsequently, gold worth over $53,000. The police said that the cash and gold were handed to a different unknown person on each occasion. They established the identities of the two individuals, a 47-year-old Malaysian man and a 24-year-old Singaporean man, through follow-up investigations and ground enquiries.

Several people helped fight a fire that engulfed a Malaysia-registered pickup truck along Tanjong Katong Road on Wednesday (Dec 10) afternoon.In a video posted on Instagram by Sgfollowsall, a man believed to be the driver is seen removing goods from the back of the truck while it is in flames. He then returns to the driver's cabin to remove a bag, and is also seen speaking on the phone.While he waits for help, two passersby approach him with fire extinguishers.They are soon joined by an elderly petrol station attendant and a fourth man.As the four use their fire extinguishers to bring the fire under control, thick smoke can be seen forming around the truck.Across social media posts of the incident, some netizens praised the passersby for stepping forward to help put out the fire.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has foiled an attempt to bring an e-vaporiser, or vape, and more than 800 heat sticks into Singapore. On Nov 30, ICA officers at Changi Airport Terminal 1 directed a male Japanese traveller for baggage checks, after first asking if he had anything to declare. Although the man denied having anything to declare, anomalies were detected in the scanned image, said ICA in a Facebook post on Thursday (Dec 11).A thorough check of his belongings found the vape and 849 heat sticks. A heat stick is a tobacco-filled unit inserted into a battery-operated device that heats the tobacco to produce an aerosol containing nicotine, without burning it.The traveller was referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation. «Border security is a crucial aspect of the enforcement strategy against e-vaporisers,» said ICA in its Facebook post.«As guardians of the nation's borders, ICA remains committed to safeguarding Singapore by ensuring our borders remain safe and secure.»

Singapore's largest telco Singtel has been hit with a $1 million fine for a nationwide landline outage that disrupted calls to public institutions and emergency services on Oct 8, 2024. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Thursday (Dec 11) that it has concluded its probe into the incident that affected about 500,000 of Singtel's residential and corporate users. For about four hours that day, about half of the calls made to public service hotlines — including government agencies, banks and hospitals — could not be connected. The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force had urged the public to contact them via SMS instead. IMDA said the disruption had the potential to seriously impact the safety and security of the public. It also said the incident was within Singtel's control to prevent and was not caused by a cyberattack. 

US-bound travellers from 42 countries under the visa waiver programme — including Singapore — could be asked to provide their social media history over the last five years as a condition for entry under a new proposal unveiled by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Other than Singapore, some of the 41 other countries in the visa waiver programme include: Australia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom. Under the programme, citizens from the 42 countries are currently allowed — for the purpose of tourism or business — stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. AsiaOne reviewed the notice published in the Federal Register, the official journal of the US government, on Wednesday (Dec 10). In the notice, social media history was proposed as a «mandatory data element» for an electronic system for travel authorisation (ESTA) application. 

The results of the 2025 Singapore-Cambridge N-level examinations will be released on Dec 18, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) on Thursday (Dec 11). Details of the collection arrangements will be shared by the respective schools with their students, said MOE and SEAB in a joint media release on Dec 11. Students who are unable to return to school to collect their results may appoint a proxy to do so on their behalf. Proxies are required to produce the relevant documents for verification when collecting the results, said MOE and SEAB, adding that school candidates can contact their school for assistance with the appointment of a proxy. Private candidates with a Singpass account can obtain their results via SEAB's candidate portal from 2.45pm on Dec 18. Those who do not have Singpass can view their results in the portal using the account they created during their earlier registration as examination candidates. 

The 2025 SEA Games opening ceremony at Bangkok's Rajamangala National Stadium on Tuesday (Dec 9) faced an embarrassing mix-up when Indonesia, the host of the 1997 SEA Games, was mistakenly represented with Singapore's flag. The mistake drew criticism from Indonesian viewers and spectators, reported the Jakarta Globe. But this was just one among several mishaps that marred the opening ceremony, which ran for more than two-and-a-half hours. When the event displayed a digital map projecting the different Southeast Asian nations as each delegation entered the arena, netizens noticed that some islands were missing from the Vietnam map, reported VietNamNet. The drone display for the gold medal tally also mistakenly formed the number 547 instead of 574, reported Thaiger. Ahead of the Games, a women's football schedule published on the official SEA Games website also showed Laos' flag next to Indonesia's name, while Thailand's flag was swapped with Vietnam's flag, reported Jakarta Globe. The 33rd SEA Games takes place from Dec 9 to 20 in Thailand, with Bangkok and Chonburi as host regions. 

A former driving tester has been charged for allegedly attempting to obtain $150 from a candidate in exchange for leniency during the latter's practical driving test.Muhamad Zahirey Bin Ishak, a 39-year-old Singaporean man, was charged in court on Thursday (Dec 11) for an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, according to a statement by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau.According to court documents, Zahirey had been a driving tester with People Advantage and was deployed to Bukit Batok Driving Centre.On May 23 this year, Zahirey had attempted to obtain the $150 bribe from a test candidate as a reward to help the candidate obtain his Singapore driving licence.The court heard that he intends to plead guilty on Jan 29, 2026.If convicted, he will face a jail term of up to five years, a maximum fine of $100,000, or both.[[nid:726340]]dana.leong@asiaone.com

BANGKOK – If Team Singapore had not sensed the danger before these SEA Games, they were in for a rude shock on Day 1 of the swimming competition on Dec 10 at the Huamark Aquatic Centre as rivals from Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines loomed large in the rearview mirror before overtaking them in events they have long dominated.While they have topped the swimming medal standings since 2005 and have done so by healthy margins in the past decade, national swimming head coach Gary Tan acknowledged the tough competition his team face as he called these Games the most challenging one since the 2013 meet when they won 12 out of 32 events.He said: “The girls, especially, were coming into something that was tougher than the last few editions. The competition has gotten better and tighter. There’s a lot of swimmers coming through from different countries... but we will take it in our stride and fight every single day.”

A 41-year-old male personal mobility device (PMD) rider was taken to hospital following an accident with a car in Bishan on Tuesday (Dec 9).The accident took place at the junction of Bishan Road and Bishan Street 11 at about 7.35pm.The intersection is about 200m away from Junction 8, a popular heartland shopping mall. A video of the accident posted on Facebook page Roads.sg shows the man riding across the pedestrian crossing while the traffic lights are not in his favour.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) are holding their seventh bilateral exercise, codenamed Exercise Cooperation, in Singapore from Dec 10 to 17. In a news release on Wednesday (Dec 10), the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said this year's exercise will focus on urban counter-terrorism operations. The exercise, conducted at Safti City for the first time, will feature a battalion-level field training exercise. «Participants from both armies will also engage in tactical drills, small arms live firing, use of drones for basic reconnaissance and patrol, and cohesion activities,» said Mindef, adding that the interactions aim to strengthen professional exchanges and enhance people-to-people ties. The exercise will involve 90 personnel from the 3rd Singapore Division and 1st Commando Battalion, and 90 personnel from the PLA Southern Theatre Command's 74th Army Group. 

Animal Lovers League (ALL) will downsize operations after its shelter lost its tenancy at The Animal Lodge (TAL), co-founders Mohan Div Sreedharan and Catherine Strong told reporters on Wednesday (Dec 10).The pair also hope to gather enough funds to settle the shelter's rental arrears totalling about $500,000 in January.On Dec 8, the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) said ALL's lease at TAL would not be renewed due to concerns about the health and welfare of animals there, as well as the unpaid rent.The animal welfare group was started in 2002 and has operated out of TAL since March 2018. TAL is managed by AVS.The founders said on Wednesday that the root of their troubles is the lack of funds, which have dwindled since the Covid-19 pandemic.«We hardly receive any donation at all,» Strong said.Mohan elaborated that ALL used to board animals, which helped supplement revenue. He did not say when this service stopped.

A 22-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were arrested by police on Tuesday (Dec 9) over their alleged involvement in a case of loanshark harassment.The police said in a media release that they were alerted to a case of loanshark harassment along Woodlands Avenue 4 on Dec 9, where the walls near a lift lobby were scribbled with loanshark-related graffiti. The duo were identified and arrested by officers from Woodlands Police Division within 12 hours of the report being made. «They are also believed to be involved in at least five other similar cases of loanshark harassment across Singapore», the police added.Both of them will be charged in court on Dec 11.If found guilty of loanshark harassment, the two may be fined up to $50,000 and jailed for up to five years.In addition, the male suspect may receive up to six strokes of the cane. As caning can only be imposed on male offenders below 50 years old, the woman may receive an additional sentence in lieu of caning if she is found guilty.[[nid:726495]]editor@asiaone.com 

A 46-year-old US national was arrested on Tuesday (Dec 9) for allegedly molesting a six-year-old girl in the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 3.In a statement on Dec 10, the police said that the girl was sleeping on a bench next to her mother when the incident happened at about 4.55pm on Dec 9.«When the girl's mother woke up and noticed the man's presence and actions, she immediately confronted him. The man then walked away from the scene. The girl's mother subsequently alerted the police.»The man was identified and arrested by officers from the Airport Police Division, with the aid of CCTV cameras, within four hours of receiving the report. He will be charged in court on Dec 11 for using criminal force to a person with intent to outrage modesty.If found guilty of the offence, the man may be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned, or sentenced to any combination of the punishments.[[nid:725101]]editor@asiaone.com 

Singapore's survival and success, as it commemorates SG60, were hard won through leadership, courage and a focus on national interest, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Wednesday (Dec 10).In a Facebook post after visiting The Albatross File exhibition a day earlier with Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo, the Prime Minister reflected on the series of events and choices faced by Singapore's founding leaders.«After the 1964 race riots, it had become clear to leaders on both sides that merger was not working. »The question then was: what next? A complete break was not the starting point. But through a series of unexpected turns and difficult choices, events gathered momentum and the path became clear," said PM Wong in his post.[[nid:726382]]

The Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) is correct in not renewing the lease of Animal Lovers League (ALL) over concerns regarding the health and welfare of its shelter animals and more than four years of unpaid rent, said Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Wednesday (Dec 10).Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, made the comment following a visit to The Animal Lodge (TAL), an AVS-managed facility in Sungei Tengah supporting animal groups and businesses.ALL had operated Singapore's largest no-kill shelter out of 10 units at TAL since March 2018. From December 2024, however, AVS started receiving volunteer feedback citing welfare concerns. The agency also identified poor management of the shelter during inspections and conducted multiple follow-ups in the coming months.Speaking to members of the media on Wednesday, Shanmugam said it would have been a «serious dereliction of duty» if AVS did not act against ALL after the feedback was lodged.«AVS really is in a difficult position. They have tried to be sympathetic to ALL,» he noted of the agency under the National Parks Board.

The daughter of former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff has died in a freak car accident in Melbourne, after her car was crushed by a falling pole on an Australian highway. In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Dec 9), Zulfikar, 54, stated that his daughter had died in a car accident while on her way to work. He wrote: «This morning at 7.45am (Melbourne time), our beloved daughter Sayyida Nafeesa Zulfikar was invited to return to Allah. »She was in a car accident and passed at the scene. She was on the way to work at MyCollege (Islamic college) where she was an admin officer. «She passed on the way to perform her ibadah.» According to Australian news sources, the accident had occurred on Hume Highway in Melbourne's north on Tuesday at 7.45am, when a truck collided with a red sedan. The truck reportedly rolled over and knocked over a pole which landed on the roof of a silver Honda travelling in the opposite direction, killing the driver. 

More than 500 seniors formed a snaking queue at Block 848 Yishun Street 81 on Monday (Dec 8), as they waited patiently to receive free durians. The giveaway, which began at 6pm, was organised by durian seller Famous Durian. Over 1,000 durians with a combined weight of 1,200kg were given away in less than 1.5 hours, Shin Min Daily News reported. Seniors aged 60 and above were allowed to take two durians each, with one of them a premium Mao Shan Wang durian. MP for Nee Soon GRC Lee Hui Ying was also seen distributing durians to the elderly who queued up, some of whom reportedly stood in line for at least three hours. Stall owner Yan Qingshen (transliteration), 43, told Shin Min Daily News the intiative was his way of giving back to society. It was reportedly the fourth free durian giveaway organised by the business. Thanking his suppliers for their help, Yan also shared that durians given away were valued at over $10,000. According to Shin Min, there was already a long queue of over 200 people at 5pm, with the line winding across to a neighbouring block.