A man who admitted to having consumed drugs with former lawyer M Ravi in the hours before he died has been arrested by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on Wednesday (Dec 24). In response to media queries, the police said on Wednesday evening that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was called to attend to an urgent case at an apartment at about 5.40am that morning. SCDF paramedics conveyed M Ravi to Tan Tock Seng Hospital unconscious, where he was subsequently pronounced dead at 6.50am. The police said there was another person, identified only as «A», who had called for SCDF's assistance. «'A' said that he and M Ravi had taken drugs a few hours earlier, and M Ravi exhibited concerning symptoms after he took some drugs,» the police said in their statement. The man also admitted that the drugs belonged to him and that he had tried to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on Ravi. Police had earlier said that preliminary investigations do not indicate any foul play. «A» has since been arrested by CNB for suspected drug-related offences. 

Four Singaporeans, including a part-time actor, were charged in a Malaysian court on Wednesday (Dec 24) following two separate altercations — one of which took place inside a police station. Businessman Chua Chin Heng, 56, his wife Loe Sou Peng, 55, and their son Axl Chua Kai Jun, 27, claimed trial, while P Suresh, 46, pleaded guilty after the charges were read out to them, reported news agency Bernama. Suresh and Chua were jointly charged with disorderly conduct at a police station at about 6.15pm on Dec 21. Suresh, a part-time actor, was fined RM400 ($127) for this offence. The offence of disorderly conduct carries a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to RM500 (S$158), or both upon conviction. The four Singaporeans were also charged with causing hurt. Chua, his wife and their son pleaded not guilty to the charges. Suresh pleaded guilty and was fined RM1,500 for this offence. If found guilty, the three face up to 12 months' jail, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both. They are out on bail and will return to court on Jan 27, 2026. 

What began as a peaceful sunset photo session for two teenage girls at East Coast Park ended in shock when a man's body washed ashore on Sunday (Dec 21). The body of the 28-year-old man was recovered from the water that evening after the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a call for assistance at about 12pm. He was was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Police said the man is believed to have drowned and no foul play is suspected. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News on Dec 21, one of the teenagers, Liang Baoyin (transliteration), said she was taking sunset photos with her friends when she noticed what appeared to be a pair of black shorts behind one of them. Upon closer inspection, she realised it was a man's body and was frightened.

A fire broke out in the kitchen of a restaurant on Desker Road on Wednesday afternoon (Dec 24) after staff left cooking unattended. At least five firefighting vehicles, five police cars and several ambulances were dispatched to the incident and a large crowd was gathered when AsiaOne arrived at the scene. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to a fire at 119 Desker Road, which is the location of Madya Cuisine and Bar, at about 3.15pm. The fire involved contents of a kitchen exhaust ducting in a unit on the first floor, said SCDF. Firefighters extinguished the flames using a water jet. Three persons self-evacuated before rescuers arrived and there were no reported injuries. 

Singaporean content creator Fauzi Azzhar has issued an apology on social media after facing backlash for posting his travel announcement in an obituary-style image on Monday (Dec 22). In a video uploaded to his Instagram, Fauzi acknowledged that while he had intended the post to be funny, it was inappropriate due to sensitive issues such as mental health, which he discusses on his channel. «I apologise to all of you who were scared for a split second. Yes, you laughed about it but after reflecting a little more, I think it’s not funny,» said Fauzi. «This was a stupid post because I talk about mental health on my social media platform, which makes it ironic that I (went ahead) and posted this thinking it was funny.» Fauzi, who has over 40,000 followers on Instagram, also shared that he was concerned by a negative comment made by a follower in response to his post. «It scares me because this person has been following me for quite a bit, (which suggests) they have certain feelings towards me. I wonder why,» he said. 

A 27-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday (Dec 23) over his alleged involvement in a case of loanshark harassment in Choa Chu Kang.In a news release on Tuesday, the police said that they were alerted to a case of loanshark harassment at a residential unit along Choa Chu Kang Street 62 at about 5.45pm on Dec 18.«Loanshark-related graffiti was scribbled on the wall beside the unit,» the police said. According to an image provided by the police, the graffiti read:«Choa Chua Kang, owe money pay money!!! This is 1st time.»The man was identified by officers from the Jurong Police Division with the aid of police cameras. Based on preliminary investigations, the police said they believe the man was also involved in similar cases of loanshark harassment across Singapore.He will be charged in court on Dec 24. If found guilty, the man may be fined up to $50,000, jailed for up to five years, and receive up to six strokes of the cane.The police have also advised members of the public to stay away from loansharks and not to work with or assist them in any way.[[nid:726552]]

Former Lions winger Darimosuvito Tokijan, better known as D. Tokijan, died on Tuesday (Dec 23) after battling cancer. He was 62. D.Tokijan was known to be prolific on the left wing when he represented Singapore between 1983 and 1992, playing 23 games and scoring 11 goals.His most notable moment was the game against Kelantan in the 1991 Malaysia Cup, which Singapore won 7-0.  From about 25 yards out, Tokijan received a pass from his teammate, spun around the defender marking him, shot and put the ball into the far corner of the net.

Ex-lawyer Ravi Madasamy, known as M. Ravi, has died at age 56 on Dec 24.Ravi, who practiced law for over 25 years before being struck off the rolls in May 2024, is known for his human rights cases, including representing inmates facing the gallows and Constitutional challenges against Section 377A.He had been disbarred for making «false and unwarranted attacks» towards politicians on Facebook in 2020 and being disruptive in court, according to previous media reports.In August 2024, he was given 14 weeks' jail and fined $5,500 for a string of offences such as pushing a priest in a temple, insulting a saleswoman and pushing a restaurant waitress.Ravi was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2006.The police are investigating his death as a case of unnatural death, according to The Straits Times.He once contested in the 2015 General Election as part of the Reform Party slate for Ang Mo Kio GRC.

For those finding another reason to visit South Korea, there's now one — with the country extending its automated immigration clearance system to Singaporeans. In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Dec 23), the Singapore Embassy in Seoul said the authorities in South Korea have expanded the use of their smart entry service to Singaporeans aged 17 and above since Dec 1. The service is an automated immigration clearance system which the Korea Immigration Service (KIS) says provides a «simple and convenient process» where travellers can verify themselves with biometric data. To enjoy the service, a one-time, on-site registration is required on arrival in South Korea. As of Dec 23, registration is only available at Incheon International Airport. Once registered, eligible Singaporean travellers can use the electronic gates immediately, including at any South Korea airport on subsequent visits. KIS said that the registration remains valid alongside the passport's validity. South Korea is a popular destination among Singaporeans with more than 370,000 visitor arrivals from Singapore in 2024. 

For 22-year-old Brandon Peh, there was nothing higher on his bucket list than visiting all HDB blocks numbered «67» as part of an online trend. Speaking to AsiaOne on Tuesday (Dec 23), Peh, a sociology student at Nanyang Technological University, shared why he specifically chose the number. «I chose to visit blocks 67 because it felt like something I wanted to do before I die. The number itself has no meaning, and sometimes it’s okay to just do nothing. People often ask me why I do it — I think the better question is, why not?» he said. Peh, who visited the five HDB blocks numbered 67 over a two-week period, said he plans to continue visiting any new ones that emerge. «During my research, I could only find five blocks numbered 67, so I visited all of them and plan to continue doing so,» he added. Peh, who also runs a personal YouTube channel documenting his explorations across various blocks, said that he enjoys playing card games with his friends in his free time. 

A man, currently serving a jail sentence over his links to a case involving husbands who had their wives drugged and raped, has been ordered to spend an additional eight weeks behind bars.This took place on Dec 23 after the 47-year-old man, who cannot be named due to a gag order, pleaded guilty to one count of posting multiple obscene images on an online portal.He was one of the offenders involved in an unprecedented case where husbands with sexual fantasies conspired with other men to have their own partners sedated and raped.In January 2024, he was sentenced to 13 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane after he was convicted of being part of a conspiracy to commit rape between 2010 and 2011.He will start serving his latest sentence only after completing his previous one.For the current case, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana told the court that in 2010, the man started a thread titled “Wife Fantasy” on the online portal.Court documents stated that he also invited other men with such fantasies to contact him.

The Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) will be getting a new leader at its helm. In a media release on Tuesday (Dec 23), HEB announced that Sarojini Padmanathan, who had previously served as its finance member, will be appointed as its new chief executive officer on Wednesday.Padmanathan, 63, is an experienced human resource practitioner with over four decades in Singapore's healthcare sector, having held senior roles in the Ministry of Health and the Health Sciences Authority. According to HEB, she was also involved in organisational resilience and people transformation efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. In its announcement, HEB said Padmanathan is well-positioned to lead HEB in fulfilling its mission.«Mrs Sarojini Padmanathan's extensive leadership experience, strong governance background and prior service on the board position her well to lead HEB in fulfilling its mission of managing Hindu endowments and programmes for the benefit of the community.»She takes over the reins from Jeevaganth Arumugam, 58, who was appointed in mid-September 2024.

A Bukit Panjang resident returned home to a rude shock when he saw fallen concrete debris in the kitchen of his HDB flat. The incident reportedly happened on Monday (Dec 22) morning in a fifth-floor unit at Block 416 Saujana Road. A 46-year-old-man surnamed Wong told Shin Min Daily News that his father had just returned home after 9am when he found a 8cm-wide hole in his ceiling, adding that parts of the steel bars in the ceiling were also exposed. «As it was the first day of renovation works for the unit, there were a lot of noisy works. I had my earbuds on, so I wasn't sure when they broke our ceiling,» Shin Min reported Wong as saying. Checks by AsiaOne indicate that works at a sixth-floor unit in the HDB block are permitted to be carried out from Dec 22 to Jan 20, with demolition and hacking works permitted from Dec 22 to 23, and again on Dec 26. Wong shared that two workers carrying out the renovation works later came by to explain the situation. According to Wong, the workers said that they were removing the floor tiles when the incident happened. They were unsure what had caused the damage. 

After several months of repeated advisories and direct engagement with lorry owners, the police said on Tuesday (Dec 12) that the Traffic Police (TP) will now take «stern enforcement action» against those who fail to comply when the statutory deadlines kick in from Jan 1 onwards.Since early 2025, the police have been issuing repeated reminders to lorry owners through advisories, including sending them SMSes, emails, and letters. Most recently, on Nov 24, the police warned that those who do not do so may be charged in court, adding that they will take «strict enforcement actions». The non-compliant lorries will also be prohibited from being driven and their road tax cannot be renewed.Yet, despite a reduction, 402 lorries - or about 16 per cent of the 2,485 lorries - have still not been installed with speed limiters as of Dec 20.