Sixty students from River Valley Primary School reported symptoms of gastroenteritis after eating meals from the school's central kitchen operator on Jan 14 (Wednesday). They felt sick after their lunch break and had food poisoning symptoms the next day. Four pupils were still recovering at home as of Jan 16, while the rest had returned to school. No one was hospitalised, said the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) in a joint statement.«The school has been in touch with affected students and their parents, and will continue to monitor the students' well-being,» the statement read.MOE and the school are also working closely with SFA and CDA to investigate the matter, with the school simultaneously stepping up cleaning and sanitisation of the canteen and other common areas. Pupils have also been reminded to practice good personal hygiene and rest at home if they are unwell.

At seven, algebra was an abstract concept to me and exams were certainly not my strong suit. But for seven-year-old Theodore Kwan, that's all the years he needs to ace an O-level equivalent maths exam, Lianhe Zaobao reported on Thursday (Jan 15). Kwan, who will turn eight in June, took the IGCSE Pure Mathematics examination at the Extended level in October last year — his results were released along with other O-level candidates on Thursday. The IGCSE Pure Mathematics examination is divided into two levels, Core and Extended, with the latter being the more advanced test.At seven, he is the youngest in Singapore to receive an A* grade for the exam, with the previous record holder being eight years and 11 months old, according to the Singapore Book of Records. Speaking with the Chinese publication, Kwan's mother, Dr Crystal Tang, shared that the result came as a pleasant surprise to both her and her husband. 

Two men, aged 18 and 20, have been arrested for allegedly stealing multiple motorcycle side mirrors in the western part of Singapore. The police said they received multiple reports of side mirrors being stolen from motorcycles in Jurong West, Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang. The alleged thefts took place between Dec 31, 2025, and Jan 15 this year. In a statement on Friday (Jan 16), the police said the duo were identified by officers from Jurong Police Division with the aid of police cameras. The 20-year-old man will be charged in court on Saturday for theft of motor vehicle parts. Meanwhile, investigations against the 18-year-old male suspect are still ongoing. The said offence carries a penalty of up to seven years' jail and a fine.Motorcycle owners are advised to take the following precautionary measures: park their vehicles in well-lit areas; install anti-theft alarms; use a motorcycle canvas and secure both ends; and use additional locking devices such as disc brake locks or suspension guards. [[nid:728079]]editor@asiaone.com 

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers have arrested a 26-year-old Malaysian lorry driver for attempting to smuggle 8,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes at Tuas Checkpoint on Jan 2. In a Facebook post on Friday (Jan 16), ICA said that anomalies were detected in a scanned image of the vehicle, which declared its consignment as plastic products. The Malaysia-registered lorry was directed for further checks, and officers found a total of 8,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes.From the video posted by ICA, the «plastic products» appear to be tupperware containers. The case has been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.Buying, selling, conveying, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act. Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded, jailed for up to six years, or both. Vehicles used in these offences and proceeds of sales of duty-unpaid goods may also be forfeited.[[nid:727812]]editor@asiaone.com 

Eighty-eight people have been arrested in an island-wide anti-drug operation which began on Sunday (Jan 11), said the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on Friday (Jan 16). A total of about 213g of cannabis, 170g of Ice, 1g of heroin, five Ecstasy tablets, 23 Erimin-5 tablets, vape-related products — including 37 pods believed to contain etomidate — and around $1,100 of cash was seized, said CNB in a press release. The street value of the drugs is estimated to be more than $23,000.The operation covered areas such as Bedok, Woodlands, Race Course Road and Telok Kurau. In one of the arrests involving a 34-year-old Singaporean woman in Edgedale Plains on Jan 12, CNB officers found about 160g of cannabis and 59g of Ice in a plastic box behind her children's bedroom door. The next day, officers arrested a 39-year-old Singaporean man at his home in Hougang Avenue 5, having found a small amount of Ice, five Ecstasy tablets, 2 Erimin-5 tablets and drug utensils.  

A man seen having a spat with a mother over her child's alleged misbehaviour on the MRT has sparked online debate about parenting in public spaces.In a video shared on Facebook on Tuesday (Jan 13), he can be seen confronting the woman for allowing her son to jump around on the train. Based on the MRT's next-station display, the incident is believed to have occurred on the purple line.He can be heard questioning the woman's parenting, saying, «What kind of mother are you? Everybody is looking at you.»Unhappy with the confrontation, the woman responded, «I did not ask him to jump around.» 

Two SBS Transit bus captains were presented the Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) Community First Responder Award on Friday (Jan 16) for putting out a car fire in Ang Mo Kio on Thursday morning. Lim Swee Shen, captain of service 133, and Liew Poh Chye, captain of service 71, told reporters at the presentation ceremony at Seletar Depot that they are extremely happy to receive the recognition.At about 7.45am on Thursday, 35-year-old Lim was plying his route along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 when he noticed smoke emitting from a black BMW ahead.Fearing that an explosion might occur, he immediately stopped the vehicle and grabbed a fire extinguisher, running towards the car without hesitation.«I saw the smoke and thought I needed to extinguish the fire quickly, else the situation might become more dangerous later,» said Lim, who has been a bus captain with SBS Transit for 10 years.«It's my duty as a bus captain, and also human nature,» he said on his decision to help.Video footage of the incident posted on social media showed the BMW driver opening the car's bonnet to reveal fiery flames.

A woman received a call from an unknown number and then went to strike up a friendship with the stranger who claimed they had met before.Over the next two months, she handed him $60,000 in cash, believing that he was helping her invest the sum.The physical transactions took place without her ever seeing the man.The 55-year-old cleaner, surnamed Wang, realised she had fallen for a scam when the man cut off contact after learning that she had no more funds, reported Shin Min Daily News.The victim told the Chinese evening daily that a person named «Li Lindong» (transliteration) had called her on messaging platform WhatsApp last October.«He said he had seen me in Chinatown several days ago and called as he wanted to know me. I occasionally accompany my mother there, so I didn't think too much about it and believed him,» she said.Wang said the man frequently called her to chat and had sent her pictures of himself in luxury cars and a mansion, as well as photos of his «daughter».About two weeks after they connected, Li suggested that Wang join him in forex trading.

A new dance space has opened at Marina South Pier MRT station, offering young performers a free and accessible venue to practise their moves.SMRT announced the MirrorMoves initiative in a TikTok video uploaded on Thursday (Jan 15), showcasing the open space fitted with full-length mirrors for dancers to utilise.According to SMRT, the new space at Marina South Pier MRT station is the first of its kind, and is free for all to use.

A woman was caught ripping off Chinese New Year decorations from the gate of a HDB flat in Boon Keng on Sunday (Jan 11).The resident, identified as Lee, shared a YouTube video on Jan 12 documenting the incident. In the eight-minute recording, three women are seen stepping out of the lift at around 7.33pm as they approach the unit. There was a fourth woman in the lift who did not step out. One woman, dressed in a white top with sunglasses, approaches the unit. As she rings the doorbell, her two other friends, dressed in a black tube top and purple halter top, laugh and move back towards the lift. The woman in black later walks forward and points at something on the HDB gate saying, «What do you mean? He caused violence here?» The women in white then rings the doorbell again and takes a photo of the unit. She continues waiting outside the unit as her friends wait near the lift. She repeatedly says, «Are you okay, sir? I just want to talk to you,» claiming that she saw the Boon Keng resident in a Reddit thread and wanted to «know if you're okay». 

Catholic Junior College (CJC) will be relocated to a new campus near Punggol Digital District (PDD) in 2034, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Friday (Jan 16).The relocation under the second phase of the JC Rejuvenation Programme — previously announced during MOE’s Budget debate in February last year —  will be the third-oldest junior college’s first since its founding in 1975.CJC’s move from its Whitley Road campus in Novena will bring it closer to firms and institutions in the 50ha tech park, which is touted as Singapore’s first smart district.This means that the school can explore collaborations and partnerships, as well as «enrich» the educational experience of students with opportunities in the digital sector, MOE said.Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said that CJC’s relocation — a «deliberate» choice — aims to allow students to better connect their pre-university education to a “world beyond college”.He cited the Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) move to a new campus within the PDD last year as an example of how schools can apply learning to real-world practice and deepen collaboration with industry partners.

SINGAPORE — A 22-year-old man was convicted on Jan 15 by the High Court of raping his younger cousin at his home when he was a teenager.The assaults took place between 2016 and 2018, when the perpetrator was between 12 and 15 years old and his victim between eight and 10 years old.The man, who denied all the allegations, went on trial in May 2025 on three charges.On Jan 15, he was convicted of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault by penetration.In a written judgment, Justice Valerie Thean found the victim's testimony on these two charges to be unusually convincing.On the other hand, the man's evidence was not credible, said the judge.The judge acquitted him of the third charge of rape because the victim could not give sufficient details about a specific incident.Justice Thean said: «While I accept she was a truthful witness, I am concerned with the sufficiency of detail on (the charge). I find it unsafe to hold that the prosecution has met its burden of proof on this charge.»

A teenager is among five persons to be charged in court on Friday (Jan 16) for their alleged involvement in money mule and scam-related activities.The five persons —three men, a woman and the teen — aged between 18 and 32, are suspected to be involved in offences such as cheating, unauthorised access to computer materials, unauthorised disclosure of Singpass access code, assisting in retaining proceeds from criminal conduct, and abetting by conspiracy to commit cheating.Police said on Thursday night that the 18-year-old had allegedly set up two bank accounts in April 2025, with the intention of surrendering the internet banking credentials to a criminal syndicate.He was promised $1,000 for each bank account, but had received only $1,000 after relinquishing both accounts. For his actions, he will be charged with four counts of abetting by conspiracy to commit cheating and abetting to secure unauthorised access to computer systems. The offence of abetting by conspiracy to commit cheating carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine, or both.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was sworn in on Thursday (Jan 14) by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam as a member of the President Council for Minority Rights (PCMR).According to the President's Office, the role of the council is to examine all legislation to ensure that they are not disadvantageous to any racial or religious community. It also considers matters affecting any racial or religious community referred by Parliament or the Government. Finally, the council also advises the President on nominations to the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony, Malay Community Committee and the Indian and other minorities communities committee.Former Singapore prime ministers had been appointed as permanent members of the council, which is currently chaired by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon. Some of the permanent members are: Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam, former foreign minister S Dhanabalan and former Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi.Writing in a Facebook post on Thursday, PM Wong acknowledged the important work of the PCMR.