A 43-year-old woman who was arrested for allegedly writing «offensive words» at The Salvation Army premises along Upper Bukit Timah Road will be charged for vandalism on Saturday (Dec 27).The police said in a news release on Friday evening (Dec 26) that the woman, a Chinese-Australian, had scribbled the words on Christmas Day on the walls of the building at Praisehaven — The Salvation Army's premises — and on three vans.«A can of red spray paint was found at the premises and seized as a case exhibit,» added the police.When AsiaOne visited the premises on Friday afternoon, the «offensive words», described by The Salvation Army's public relations head as «sensitive in nature and concerned religion», were being scrubbed.In a Facebook post later, The Salvation Army said that the act appeared to be intended to disrupt the Christmas celebrations scheduled at the location.According to the police, the woman was arrested within five hours of the report being made at 9.15am following ground enquiries and with the aid of police cameras.

Six individuals aged between 19 and 34 were arrested following a two-week operation for their suspected involvement in scams as money mules. In a statement on Friday (Dec 26), the police said that another 13 individuals, aged between 17 and 60, are also under investigation. The operation, conducted by officers from the Central Division Investigation Branch, took place between Dec 10 and Dec 24.The suspects are believed to be involved in more than 45 cases of scams comprising mainly e-commerce scams, friend impersonation scams, job scams, government official impersonation scams, investment scams and rental scams, where victims reportedly lost over $406,800.They are being investigated for the alleged offences of cheating, abetting unknown persons to secure unauthorised access to the bank’s computer system and money laundering.

National carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) has cancelled several flights to and from New York as a winter storm descended on the city and neighbouring regions.According to the US Weather Prediction Center, heavy snow is expected to start falling in New York City and across Long Island from the afternoon of Dec 26 to 27, with as much as 20cm piling up before the storm winds down.An advisory posted on SIA's website on Thursday (Dec 25) afternoon, and updated again at 11pm, indicated that the following flights have been cancelled:SQ26 departing New York's John F. Kennedy airport (JFK) at 8.35am on Dec 26SQ24 departing Singapore for JFK at 12.10pm on Dec 26SQ25 departing JFK for Frankfurt at 8.15pm on Dec 26SQ23 departing JFK for Singapore at 10.05pm on Dec 26SQ22 departing Singapore for New York's Newark at 5.30am on Dec 27SQ21 departing Newark for Singapore at 5.45pm on Dec 27SIA also said that the situation remains fluid and that other SIA flights may also be affected. Affected customers will be contacted by SIA.

A SMRT bus captain was recorded on dashcam footage confronting a car driver for purportedly hogging a lane on Wednesday (Dec 24). The incident occurred along Woodlands Ave 1 at about 2.55pm, according to Facebook page SGRV. In the footage obtained from the vehicle between the bus and car, the bus is seen inching forward and trying to manoeuvre into a bus bay but is unable to do so. The bus captain then alights and approaches the car in front of the dashcam vehicle. He animatedly gestures towards the road in front of the car which is seemingly empty and raises one arm in apparent exasperation. The said car subsequently moves forward as the traffic light ahead turns green. Netizens are divided over whether the bus driver should have confronted the car driver. «I feel the bus driver could have told the driver more nicely first. If driver still does not wanna move, then bus driver can raise his request in a stricter tone (sic),» opined a Facebook user. Another raised the possibility that the car might not have had enough space to drive forward.

Singapore's manufacturing output recorded a 14.3 per cent jump in November, year-on-year, led by strong performance in biomedical manufacturing, the Economic Development Board said on Friday (Dec 26).The factory output numbers showed moderation from October's high of 28.9 per cent.Excluding the volatile biomedical manufacturing sector, manufacturing output rose by 4.6 per cent year-on-year, compared to October's revised 15.5 per cent growth.According to data provided, all clusters, except for general manufacturing, recorded growth in November.Biomedical engineering surged by 79.3 per cent year-on-year in November, driven by growth in pharmaceuticals and medical technology.Pharmaceutical output grew by 124.3 per cent in particular, due to increased production of active pharmaceutical ingredients.The second best performing cluster was transport engineering, up 24.2 per cent year-on-year. The aerospace segment in particular expanded by 33.8 per cent, bolstered by higher production of aircraft parts and sustained maintenance, repair and overhaul jobs from commercial airlines.

A 57-year-old man who allegedly assaulted a 73-year-old man in Woodlands Mart on Dec 21 was taken back to the crime scene on Friday (Dec 26) as part of a police probe. Teo Eng Chye is accused of causing grievous hurt to victim Foo Suan Chew at the Fork & Spoon food court. Foo's thyroid cartilage was fractured and he later died in hospital. Teo arrived at the neighbourhood mall in a police car at about 10.40am on Friday wearing a face mask as well as wrist and ankle restraints. Flanked by investigators, he was led around the food court, and then to a table in a corner as curious members of the public peered in from the glass entrance. He was then escorted to the establishment's toilet and questioned there for about an hour. AsiaOne understands that Teo and Foo began fighting in the toilet.

National water agency PUB will call for a tender on Friday (Dec 26) to study the feasibility for a potential new water desalination plant in Singapore. The city-state currently has five operational desalination plants: three in Tuas South, and one each at Marina East and Jurong Island. In a statement on Friday, PUB said the feasibility study is expected to take around 10 months to complete. «[It] will entail the development of various plant design options, and assessments on the technical feasibility and economic viability of the proposed designs,» said the agency, adding that the study will also assess the viability of a dual-mode plant similar to the existing plant in Marina East. A dual-mode desalination plant is equipped with the capability to treat either seawater of freshwater, with the flexibility to switch between modes, thereby enhancing the weather-resilience of Singapore's water supply. PUB expects the feasibility study to incorporate lessons learnt from existing desalination plants, such as including higher multi-storey buildings and deeper basements to house treatment facilities. 

An Airbnb in Johor Bahru was allegedly left in a state of complete disarray after a Singaporean man vomited all over the property and caused damages amounting to $1,430.Eva Er, the Airbnb owner, made a Facebook post on Monday (Dec 22) detailing the incident that happened the day prior.Er said that the Singaporean man rented her unit for six days — from Dec 15 to Dec 21 — and looked younger than 30 years old, reported China Press.The 32-year-old also noted that communication during check in was smooth and that he was polite when asking questions.Nauseating smell of vomit, green stainsAccording to Er, the Singaporean man did not respond to repeated phone calls on the day he was supposed to check out.She subsequently entered the unit with a security guard and a cleaner to check on the unit, and found him laying naked on the sofa.«When I opened the door to my room, there was a strong smell of vomit, which made me feel nauseous,» she said.Photos attached to the post showed trails of green and brown vomit on the floor and bedsheets.

A man who said he and former lawyer M Ravi were taking drugs before the latter died was charged in court on Friday (Dec 26) for allegedly arranging a gathering where controlled drugs were consumed. Shawn Loo Zhi Jian, 40, had allegedly arranged a gathering with Ravi to consume methamphetamine at an Upper Boon Keng Road flat on Dec 24 between 1 am and 5am, according to court documents. He is expected to be back in court on Jan 2, 2026. Loo is an assistant vice president at a foreign bank, according to his LinkedIn profile. In a joint statement on Friday, the police and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said the 40-year-old Singaporean, previously identified only as «A», knew Ravi since 2023 and that the two had met through a social networking app. «The 40-year-old man stated that they had met at the Ravi's apartment on Dec 24 to consume drugs, which allegedly came from both of them, and engage in other activities,» the statement read. The statement did not elaborate on what these «other activities» are. 

A man who said he and former lawyer M. Ravi were taking drugs before the latter died was charged in court on Friday (Dec 26) for allegedly arranging a gathering where controlled drugs were consumed. Shawn Loo Zhi Jian, 40, had allegedly arranged a gathering with Ravi to consume methamphetamine at an Upper Boon Keng Road flat on Dec 24 between 1 am and 5am, according to court documents.He is expected to be back in court on Jan 2, 2026.Loo is an assistant vice president at a foreign bank, according to his LinkedIn profile. In a joint statement on Friday, the police and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said that the 40-year-old Singaporean, previously identified only as “A”, knew Ravi since 2023 and that the two had met through a social networking app. “The 40-year-old man stated that they had met at the Ravi’s apartment on Dec 24 to consume drugs, which allegedly came from both of them, and engage in other activities,” the statement read.The statement did not elaborate on what these “other activities” are.According to Loo, Ravi later began to exhibit “concerning symptoms” and became unresponsive. 

A man who said he and former lawyer M. Ravi were taking drugs before the latter died will be charged in court on Friday (Dec 26) for allegedly arranging a gathering where controlled drugs were consumed. In a joint statement on Friday, the police and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said that the 40-year-old Singaporean, previously identified only as “A”, knew Ravi since 2023 and that the two had met through a social networking app. “The 40-year-old man stated that they had met at the Ravi’s apartment on Dec 24 to consume drugs, which allegedly came from both of them, and engage in other activities,” the statement read.The statement did not elaborate on what these “other activities” are.According to the man, Ravi later began to exhibit “concerning symptoms” and became unresponsive. He went on to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and called for the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) assistance. Ravi was taken unconscious by SCDF paramedics to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced dead at 6.50am. He was 56 years old.