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.

A 49-year-old man was arrested on Monday (Dec 8) over his alleged involvement in a case of loanshark harassment on Sunday.In a statement on Dec 9, the police said that they were alerted to a case of loanshark harassment at a residential unit along Jurong West Street 64. «The main gate of the unit was secured with a bicycle lock, splashed with red paint, and a debtor's note was also placed on the gate,» the police said.The man was identified through follow-up investigations and images from police cameras.Based on preliminary investigations, the police believe that the man was also involved in similar cases of loanshark harassment across Singapore.He will be charged in court on Dec 10. 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.[[nid:726292]]editor@asiaone.com 

Two men in their 40s were arrested on Monday (Dec 8) for their alleged involvement in separate housebreaking cases around Singapore.In the first case, a 40-year-old Chinese national is suspected of breaking into three residential units along Chuan Drive and Li Hwan Close in Serangoon Gardens, and in the vicinity of Sentosa between Sunday and Monday.The police said in a statement on Tuesday that the man had allegedly broken into the homes while the occupants were away and made off with jewellery items.Officers seized the stolen jewellery as well as cash totalling over $1,000, four ez-link cards, a cap and a wig from the suspect.He will be taken to court on Dec 10 and charged with housebreaking.The other man, 47, arrested in an unrelated housebreaking case allegedly targeted a residential unit along Circuit Road, said the police on the same day.More than $100 in cash, a photo frame containing assortments of old collectible currency notes, coins and jewellery valued at about $1,000, and two bottles of liquor with a value of $2,200 were reported missing on Sunday noon.Only the jewellery has been recovered from the man.

The police are warning members of the public that scammers are using shell investment applications to sell fake products.In a statement on Tuesday (Dec 9), the police revealed that there have been at least 20 reported cases of such scams since October 2025, with losses totalling at least $1.7 million.In this fraud variant, scammers put up social media advertisements for «investment products» that promised lucrative returns.Victims who chanced upon these ads and clicked on them were contacted by the scammers via WhatsApp.They were then invited into chat groups with names such as «Interactive Elite Knowledge Academy» and «168 Pursuit».In these chat groups, victims would come across other members who claimed to be successful investors.They are believed to be scammers who would vouch for the authenticity of the «investment products», including their returns. 

A 26-year-old motorcyclist who was stopped by traffic police (TP) officers on Sunday (Dec 7) night ran away from them on foot. But officers caught up with the man and arrested him for riding without a valid licence and insurance, as well as drug-related offences. In response AsiaOne's queries, the police said TP officers were conducting routine checks along Alexandra Road towards Pasir Panjang Road at 10pm when they signalled the motorcyclist to stop. He refused to comply with instructions and fled on foot before subsequently being apprehended. The police added that the suspected drug-related offences have been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau. The motorcyclist sustained minor injuries and was conscious when taken to hospital. Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:726441]]lim.kewei@asiaone.com

A 44-year-old male driver has been arrested for suspected drink driving following an accident along the Central Expressway (CTE), before the Moulmein Road exit on Sunday (Dec 7).The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to the accident involving two cars and a taxi at about 3.55am on Dec 7.«A 65-year-old male taxi driver and another 33-year-old female car passenger were conveyed conscious to the hospital,» the police said.SCDF added that the two persons were conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.AsiaOne understands that the male passenger in the taxi was assessed for minor injuries and declined to be sent to the hospital.In a video posted to Facebook page SG Road Vigilante on Dec 8, a dark-coloured multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) is seen braking suddenly while travelling on the second rightmost lane of the CTE towards the Seletar Expressway. Within seconds, the MPV makes a sharp left turn, swerving across several lanes before colliding with a white sports utility vehicle (SUV) in the leftmost lane.

Hiring sentiment in Singapore is expected to weaken significantly amid heightened economic uncertainty and reach a four-year low in the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest survey by ManpowerGroup. Conducted in October, the survey collected responses from 504 employers and found that Singapore's net employment outlook for the first quarter of 2026 is 15 per cent. Comparatively, the global average stands at 24 per cent. Within the region, India leads with an outlook of 52 per cent, while the outlook in Hong Kong remains subdued at 1 per cent. While remaining positive, Singapore's outlook declined by five percentage points from the fourth quarter in 2025, and 11 percentage points from the same period last year. According to ManpowerGroup, the last time Singapore's net employment outlook was 15 per cent was in the first quarter of 2022 during the global pandemic. Out of the employers surveyed this time, 46 per cent expect to maintain current staffing levels. 32 per cent plan to increase headcount, while 18 per cent anticipate a decrease in their staffing levels. 

SINGAPORE — A former photographer for the National Dental Centre of Singapore (NDCS) was sentenced to two years and three months' jail on Dec 9 after he took voyeuristic pictures of female patients he found attractive.Elgin Ng, 29, who had taken more than 600 of such photographs of 25 victims and even sent some of them to a friend, pleaded guilty in November to nine charges, including multiple counts of voyeurism.Twenty-one other charges were considered during his sentencing.In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin told the court that as an NDCS photographer, Ng was tasked to take pictures of the teeth and jaws of patients who were scheduled for surgery.He would then take pictures of patients' faces, primarily of their teeth and jaw.For added modesty, he had to provide patients with a blue board to cover their chest, regardless of his or her gender.When dealing with girls and women, Ng had to either have a female colleague present to assist in the photo-taking process, or keep the curtains in the room open.

Mailing rates in Singapore will increase by 10 cents from Jan 1, 2026, owing to declining mail volume and rising network costs, said Singapore Post (SingPost). The new rate for standard regular mail and standard large mail will be $0.62 and $0.90 respectively, according to a statement by the national postal service provider on Tuesday (Dec 9). Rates for domestic bulk mail used by businesses will also increase. According to SingPost, the increase in postage rates will go towards investing in modernisation efforts to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. Over the past year, SingPost has undertaken significant initiatives to improve service quality and efficiency, including expanding service touchpoints and enhancing e-commerce capabilities. At the same time, mail volumes have fallen by over 40 per cent since the 2019/2020 fiscal year while operating costs have risen, said SingPost. 

Marathoner Soh Rui Yong has been medically cleared to compete in the 2025 SEA Games following his previous abnormal pre-Games medical result that put his bid for a medal at risk. According to the Team Singapore website, the 34-year-old is listed to compete in the men's 5,000m finals on Saturday (Dec 13) and in the men's 10,000m finals on Tuesday (Dec 16) at the National Stadium in Bangkok. In response to media queries, a spokesperson for Singapore Athletics (SA) said: “Following an irregular finding during his routine pre-Games screening last week, Soh was referred for a specialist cardiology assessment. The specialist conducted a full evaluation and concluded that Soh is fit to compete, with no cardiac concerns that would prevent him from racing.” Previously, an abnormal finding surfaced during Soh's pre-Games medical screening which put him at risk of missing the Games. 

A 49-year-old male motorcyclist was taken to hospital after a multi-vehicle pile-up along the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) towards Tuas on Monday (Dec 8) evening. The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the collision on the PIE, after the Whitley Road exit, at about 5pm. The accident involved a motorcycle, two vans and three cars. SCDF said the male motorcyclist was conveyed conscious to the National University Hospital, while another motorist declined to be sent to the hospital after being assessed for minor injuries. When AsiaOne passed by the scene at about 6pm, a Malaysia-registered van was seen lying on its side on the rightmost, or first, lane of the expressway. Behind the van was a stationary white car, while a red Kia sedan was stopped on the second lane — beside the white car — with its trunk door opened. A white Lalamove van and a black Honda hatchback were also stopped beside the Malaysia-registered van.