SINGAPORE - Less than two weeks before she gave birth, Fionice Teoh, a DBS assistant service manager at the bank's Century Square branch, served a woman in her 70s who looked agitated.She had gone there on the afternoon of Dec 24, 2024, demanding to withdraw $190,000 in cash.As customers looked on, she shouted: «This is my money, how can you control and not let me withdraw? If you don't let me withdraw everything, I'll close all my accounts.»But the bank refused, as it suspected that she was a scam victim.Teoh, 31, was 38 weeks pregnant and on one of her final shifts before her maternity leave began.The woman verbally abused her for almost two hours.Teoh said: «I kept reminding myself to stay calm. It would have been easier to just let her withdraw everything.»But my job isn't just about transactions. It's about protecting people, especially those who are most vulnerable."The woman initially claimed the money was for festive shopping, before saying it was for an investment. She also asked for her money to be given in cash.

Some may recoil at the sight of a snake, but not this uncle.On Dec 2, Facebook user Ah Tye Tang posted a video showing the efforts of a man trying to relocate a reticulated python from a coffee shop at Block 211 Marsiling Crescent.The elderly man, clad in a black t-shirt and shorts with a white cap, can be seen stalking the snake before grabbing its tail. In the clip, the coffee shop appears to be mostly empty with some meals left unattended on tables.The animal escapes, but the man manages to get a grip on its tail again and pops a cigarette into his mouth. He then begins pulling it away from the establishment.Despite the python attempting to slither away into some shrubs, the man grabs its tail again and drags it back. The snake attempts to strike at him, but he avoids it.The video shows a blue bucket, possibly meant for the man to contain the snake, but the serpent has other plans.It coils around a nearby bicycle. The man lets it go and it manages to slither away.

«A special kind of ugly.»That is what one netizen called Singaporean Chinese people.An illustration comparing the facial features of men from various regions of China recently made its rounds on the internet, sparking debate online.While one X post with over 5.7 million views described the depiction as «lifelike», several netizens responded that the picture seems biased against those from the southeastern areas of Guangdong and Guangxi.«The creator of this image despises people from the southeast, and has made them look like cavemen,» one comment read. Another countered that several Hong Kong celebrities, including Tony Leung, Aaron Kwok and Andy Lau, are of southeastern Chinese heritage and are considered attractive.你别说，真的很传神。 pic.twitter.com/KkbGQgvs5J— 运动水货 (@shuhongwei22) November 26, 2025

A 31-year-old Malaysian man was arrested on Nov 20 for attempting to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint.In a Facebook post on Friday (Dec 5), the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said its officers had directed a Malaysia-registered motorcycle for enhanced checks.During the checks, ICA officers uncovered 570 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden within various compartments of the motorcycle.The Malaysian motorcyclist was arrested and referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigation. Buying, selling, conveying, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are considered serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act. 

SINGAPORE – A 34-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years’ jail and 14 strokes of the cane on Dec 5 for raping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl he met on a mobile chat app.The sexual acts took place on April 18, 2022, at a secluded open space in the vicinity of Vanda Link, near Sixth Avenue MRT station.Mookkapillai Pazhanivel, an Indian national, was earlier found guilty of one count each of statutory rape and sexual assault by penetration following a trial that began in April.In sentencing arguments on Dec 5, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jiang Ke-Yue highlighted Mookkapillai’s actions throughout the proceedings, which show “an utter lack of remorse”.During the trial, Mookkapillai declared that he would go on a hunger strike until a lawyer was appointed for him.Describing this as “nothing more than a stunt” to obstruct the trial, the DPP noted that before the trial started, he had chosen to remain unrepresented after legal aid was withdrawn.Mookkapillai also engaged in victim-blaming and made baseless allegations that he had been treated roughly by police officers.

A group of Singapore Armed Forces (BMT) recruits on their 24km-long route march brought early festive cheer to parkgoers at East Coast Park (ECP).On Thursday (Dec 4), TikTok user iwchickenwings shared a video of her wholesome encounter with the recruits during a Christmas gathering.In the video, the user and her group were singing along to «Jingle Bells» when the passing recruits joined them for a singalong, instead of the usual SAF route march songs.A second platoon following them later took it a notch higher by joining in to sing «Happy Birthday». But the wholesome exchanges did not end there.After the video was posted, one soldier came across the post and asked if this was where they «started a happy chain (of songs)». Soon after, others from the route march that night also joined the comment wall to identify themselves. «We were marching yesterday when you guys were celebrating. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed [it]», one of the recruits said.Another added: «Our sergeants encouraged us to join in.»

A 57-year-old man was arrested on Thursday (Dec 4) for his suspected involvement in a series of theft in dwelling cases. In a statement on Dec 5, the police said they were alerted to a case of theft at a drinks stall at a hawker centre along Old Airport Road, where $20 in cash was stolen. The police said the suspect was identified with the aid of images from police cameras and through ground queries. Preliminary investigations revealed that he is also believed to be involved in other similar cases of theft in dwelling. The suspect will be charged in court on Dec 6. If found guilty, he can be fined and jailed for up to seven years. The police also advised businesses, especially those operating in high-traffic public areas, to secure valuables such as tip boxes and cash containers to prevent opportunistic theft. [[nid:726273]]editor@asiaone.com 

Singapore marathoner Soh Rui Yong’s hopes of contending for a medal at the 2025 SEA Games are now uncertain after an abnormal finding surfaced during his pre-Games medical screening. But he is unfazed and remains hopeful. In a Facebook post on Friday (Dec 5), Soh wrote: «The doctor says I’m getting old. Looking forward to proving my heart health at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon this weekend.» The medical screening was conducted at Changi General Hospital a day earlier. Soh was informed that he might not be cleared to compete as his electrocardiogram (ECG) results were «abnormal, with multiple premature ventricular complexes» and that he would “likely to need further cardiovascular evaluation before clearance”, reported The Straits Times. Soh told The Straits Times that he has not experienced any cardiovascular difficulties previously and hopes that the issue will be resolved in time for his race on Dec 16. In spite of the situation, Soh still intends to compete in the half marathon and marathon at this weekend's Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.