In a move to further protect customers against scams, banks in Singapore are implementing enhanced fraud surveillance on all digital transactions from Oct 15.A 24-hour cooling period or immediate rejection will be triggered when a transaction, together with withdrawals over the past 24 hours, results in more than half of a bank account’s balance to be transferred out.In a statement by the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) on Friday (Oct 3), seven major banks are participating in this initiative. They are: DBS, OCBC, UOB, Citibank, HSBC, Maybank and Standard Chartered.Current and savings accounts, including joint accounts, with balances of at least $50,000 will be protected by this new rules, which kick in when banks detect that they are being quickly emptied of its funds due to a potential scam.The safeguard will apply to all digital banking transactions completed through bank apps and internet banking. Non-digital banking transactions, which includes cash withdrawals at bank branches and ATMs, will not be affected.

A 60-year-old man was found dead at Woodlands Bus Interchange on Friday (Oct 3). Responding to AsiaOne’s queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to a case of unnatural death at around 1.20pm that day. The man was found lying motionless along the pavement, and was pronounced dead by a paramedic from the SCDF. “Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play,” the police said. Police investigations are ongoing. chingshijie@asiaone.com

Deliveroo’s mobile app and services will continue to be available in Singapore, even after its acquisition by US-based food delivery company DoorDash.In a statement to its merchant partners, customers and riders on Thursday (Oct 2), DoorDash’s US-based CEO Tony Xu said that the “Deliveroo app and products you know and love aren’t going anywhere«.»You’ll still be able to order your favourites, run your businesses, or work and earn on the platform as you do today,« he added.In May, DoorDash had agreed to buy UK-based food delivery Deliveroo for about US$3.9 billion (S$5 billion), reported Reuters.DoorDash, which controls two-thirds of the restaurant delivery market in the US, is looking to expand overseas through the acquisition to serve around 50 million monthly active users.Deliveroo currently has around 150,000 riders in nine countries, including 6,000 in Singapore.»We are committed to protecting the flexibility that makes this work unique," Xu said.

An association that claims to support Malaysian cross-border drivers has expressed unhappiness and disappointment following an enforcement operation carried out by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) officers at the border checkpoint on Tuesday (Sept 30). In a Facebook post on Wednesday (Oct 1), the Southern Private Hire Vehicle Association highlighted that a significant number of the detained Malaysian-registered vehicles were transporting senior executives.«Among the Malaysian-registered vehicles detained (on Sept 30), a significant number were transporting senior executives from multinational corporations across Europe and Asia, who were invited to Johor Bahru for important business meetings.» The association added that the enforcement actions were «indiscriminate», noting that such measures could be unfair to Malaysian drivers. 

There will be no train service between Bedok and Tampines stations, as well as between Tanah Merah and Expo stations due to track work on the East-West Line (EWL) from Nov 29 to Dec 8.Train frequencies between Paya Lebar and Bedok stations, Tampines and Pasir Ris stations, and Expo and Changi Airport stations will also be reduced, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and EWL operator SMRT on Friday (Oct 3).An estimated 180,000 commuters daily will be impacted by the station closures, said an LTA spokesperson.This 10-day-long service adjustment is required so that work to connect EWL to the new East Coast Integrated Depot and operationalise a new platform at Tanah Merah station can be carried out.And while the work spanning 4.8km of train tracks at 12 locations near Simei and Tanah Merah stations are ongoing, the two MRT stations will be closed to the public.To facilitate travel between the closed stretches of the EWL, about 79 shuttle buses will be deployed across the two routes.

A lawyer was ordered to pay $800 in personal costs to the other party for citing a fictitious legal authority that was generated using artificial intelligence during a civil case.The parties involved were: Claimants Tajudin Gulam Rasul and Mohamed Ghouse Tajudin against Suriaya Haja Mohideen, the defendant, according to the written judgement made available online on Thursday (Oct 2).Tajudin and Mohamad Ghouse were represented by Lalwani Anil Mangan from DL Law Corporation, while Suriaya was defended by Umar Abdullah Mazeli from Abdel Law LLC.The use of AI to prepare court documents is not prohibited in Singapore, but all users are responsible for ensuring that all information provided to the court is accurate and relevant.While the details of the civil case was not available, the written judgement stated that Suriaya had a default judgement set against her for failing to file a notice of intention to contest or contest the claim.In a written submission filed on June 1, Lalwani cited a purported case, but it was «conspicuously missing» from the claimants’ bundle of authorities filed the next day.

The Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) officers foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 400 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint on Tuesday (Sept 30). In a Facebook post on Thursday (Oct 2), ICA said that a motorcycle was identified by its Integrated Targeting Centre (ITC) for enhanced checks and more than 400 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found concealed in its side fairings. The 32-year-old Malaysian rider was arrested and the case referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigation. On Aug 26, ICA foiled a similar attempt to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore, also on a Malaysia-registered motorcycle. More than 450 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found concealed in various compartments of the motorcycle. 

Motorists and cargo drivers may see Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers conducting breath tests on them at Singapore's land and land-based sea checkpoints and their vicinities from Friday (Oct 3).Those who fail the test will be arrested and handed over to the police for follow-up action.Under the law, it is an offence to refuse to comply with the administration of a breath test. First-time offenders may be fined up to $5,000 or jailed for up to six months. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Thursday (Oct 2) that the new powers will enable ICA to protect public safety and strengthen protective security measures across the land and sea checkpoints.Amendments to the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act The new powers are part of phased implementation of the amendments to the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, which were passed in Parliament in January.

SINGAPORE — The High Court has upheld the decision made by the State Courts to refuse bail to an Indonesian businessman allegedly involved in a high-profile corruption case in his country.Paulus Tannos, 70, was arrested in Singapore on Jan 17 after being on Indonesia's fugitive list since October 2021.Tannos was said to be implicated in a major graft scandal involving the Indonesian government's electronic ID card or e-KTP project, which allegedly caused state losses of about 2.3 trillion rupiah (S$178 million).In a hearing on Oct 2 presided by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Tannos had his appeal for bail denied.The defence, led by Suang Wijaya of law firm Eugene Thuraisingam, argued that Tannos had medical conditions which justified him being allowed bail.These conditions included chest discomfort, the narrowing of heart valves and diabetes.CJ Menon said if bail were to be granted to Tannos, this would mean other accused individuals under the Extradition Act can seek this exception and be released from bail due to some minor illness, only to have the bail revoked a few days later after having recovered from it.

Manufacturing conglomerate BYD Singapore is one of three companies that have been awarded the contract for the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Ministry of Transport's (MOT) autonomous public bus pilot.The contract has been awarded to a consortium of MKX Technologies (Singapore), Zhidao Network Technology (Beijing) and BYD (Singapore) for about $8.14 million, said LTA and MOT in a joint statement on Thursday (Oct 2).A consortium refers to an association comprising of multiple companies.This is part of the plans to trial the use of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technology, said the statement.The autonomous buses will be piloted on public bus services 400 (Marina Bay) and 191 (one-north) for an initial period of three years.Initially, LTA will procure six such buses from the consortium, which will have similar features to existing public buses such as designated spaces and boarding/alighting ramps for wheelchair and personal mobility aid users as well as strollers. 

A 24-year-old man was caught on campus during vape enforcement operations conducted by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) across six Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs).He was found in possession of two e-vaporisers, 10 related components and was issued a notice of composition and fined on the spot.The e-vaporisers and components were seized.In a joint statement on Thursday (Oct 2), MOE said that HSA enforcement officers and IHL campus security personnel carried out the operation from Sept 8 to Sept 29.Separately, five individuals aged between 20 and 25 were also found in possession of duty-unpaid cigarettes and have been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.In addition to the penalties imposed by HSA for vaping offences, the statement noted that IHLs will enforce disciplinary actions under their respective frameworks, which have been strengthened to align with the national stance against vaping.