Large crowds are expected around the Marina Bay and Kallang Basin areas on New Year's Eve and the police will be implementing security and traffic arrangements such as crowd control measures, enhanced patrols, and road closures to keep partygoers safe.In an advisory on Sunday (Dec 28), the police said the arrangements will be in place from the evening of Dec 31.«Police officers, auxiliary police officers, and security officers will be deployed to ensure the safety and security of the public, as well as to manage crowds in the vicinity of Marina Bay and The Kallang.»Certain entrances and exits of MRT stations around Marina Bay and Kallang Basin will be closed to regulate crowd flow, and the police advised using other stations such as Esplanade, Promenade, Downtown, Marina Bay, Kallang and Mountbatten MRT stations. «Trains may bypass some stations, such as Bayfront and Stadium MRT station, to divert crowds away from these affected areas,» the police said.

A man in Singapore lost $3,999 to a scam on TikTok, after believing a woman who claimed to be held captive in Singapore. In a Dec 27 report by Shin Min Daily News, a 49-year-old air-con technician surnamed Lin (transliterated) said he was scrolling on TikTok when he received a message on Dec 16 from a woman claiming to be from Guangdong, China.She told him she had lost $20,000 to an investment scam three months after arriving in Singapore and was being held hostage after not being able repay the amount to her 'boss'.Lin said while the woman had asked him for financial help right from the beginning, he remained vigilant and did not make any promises.She would also call him «dear» and promised to be his girlfriend if he helped to clear her debt, he said.However, his heart softened when she called him crying, claiming she would be forced into prostitution if she didn’t pay up.He told Shin Min that he had requested to speak to her through video call multiple times during the course of their interaction, but she told him she wasn’t allowed to do so.

SINGAPORE - The Workers' Party leadership is looking into a request from a cadre member to hold a special meeting.The opposition party said in a statement on Dec 28 that a request to hold a special cadre members' conference was submitted.Party chairwoman Sylvia Lim has acknowledged the request of the cadre member, added the WP, which was responding to a media query.The central executive committee (CEC) — comprising 19 members, including its 13 elected MPs — will be following up on the request in accordance with the party's Constitution, it said.The party's Constitution on its website states that a special cadre members' conference can be called at any time by the party's chair, the CEC, or 10 per cent of the cadre membership or at least 20 cadre members, whichever is higher.Past estimates of the number of WP cadres have reported the figure as at about 100. Only cadre members, who are appointed by the CEC, can be present at cadre members' conferences and to vote.It is not clear if the request was put forward by a sufficient number of cadres.

Singapore Pools, the city state's only legal lottery operator, will be holding its 2026 New Year draw on Friday (Jan 2).According to the Singapore Pools' website, the draw will be held at 9.30pm at the Singapore Pools Building along Middle Road.Sales for the draw will close 30 minutes prior.Sale of $10 and $20 lottery packs will begin from 6.10pm onwards on Dec 29.One winner walked away with a prize money of over $5.5 million in the 2025 New Year draw.[[nid:725128]]editor@asiaone.com 

The Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) is scheduled to close on Jan 25 for system renewal works, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post on Dec 26.This is to facilitate the migration of BPLRT's interim Operations Control Centre (OCC) to the refurbished control centre.Commuters can take existing bus services or make use of LRT Shuttle B, which will run from Choa Chu Kang to Bukit Panjang via Petir every five to 15 minutes.Renewal work to enhance BPLRT's reliability began in 2018 and are expected to be completed by 2026.[[nid:727282]]syarifahsn@asiaone.com

SINGAPORE – Some 13,480 Housing Board flats are expected to reach their minimum occupation period (MOP) in 2026, the bulk of which are in Punggol, Queenstown, and Tampines.This influx is nearly double the 6,970 units that hit their five-year MOP in 2025, and could moderate resale price growth by addressing the demand for housing, said property analysts.These flats are spread across 22 projects in 14 towns, they added.According to analysts' data, Punggol is projected to have the largest supply of 3,222 MOP flats across five projects - most of which are in the Punggol Northshore neighbourhood. This is followed by Queenstown with 2,405 units in Dawson.In Tampines, the majority of the 2,133 MOP units are located in Tampines North, while Toa Payoh is expected to have 1,594 MOP flats in the new Bidadari estate.Resale flats in Dawson and Bidadari are frequently among million-dollar flat transactions.Those in the Dawson area have set some of the highest prices to date.Of the flats set to hit their MOP in 2026, 5,909 are four-room flats and 2,711 are five-room units. Another 2,299 are two-room flats and 2,561 are three-room units.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) have issued a warning over a scam variant involving the impersonation of the Commissioner of Police. In an advisory issued on Sunday (Dec 28), police said the scam variant involves victims receiving a «warning letter» which claims that the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and SPF have initiated investigations against them over their alleged involvement in criminal activities. Victims would be instructed to submit their written statement to a designated email address.They are also «warned» that failure to do so could result in various consequences such as arrest.«The police would like to emphasise that these emails are not issued by SPF or any Singapore government officials,» the advisory said.Members of the public are also reminded that Singapore government officials will never make the following requests over emails or phone calls: money transfers, disclosure of bank login details, installation of mobile apps from unofficial app stores, or transfer calls to the police or other «government officials».