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. 

The owner of a noodle stall has hit back at a customer’s gripe about paying 30 cents more for his takeaway noodles after bringing a container that was «too small».In a Facebook post on the Complaint Singapore page on Tuesday (Dec 9), Sam Siew shared about his unpleasant experience ordering food at June Kee Noodle House in Jurong West Hawker Centre.He said the stall owner insisted on the takeaway fee for his lor mee as she had «no time» to pour the gravy into his container.«In reality, the container I brought was sufficiently large,» said Siew, while claiming he was told that customers who bring their own containers have to wait longer for their order.The noodle stall appears to have created a Facebook account just to respond to the complaint, which they labelled as «misinformation». In a lengthy comment under Siew’s Facebook post, June Kee Noodle House said it is “completely untrue” that customers with their own containers experience longer waiting times for their food.