SHOALWATER BAY, Australia — In the midst of an ever-changing defence landscape, the Singapore Army faces various challenges while carrying out its operations.To counter these obstacles, it is adopting the use of various unmanned systems — some of which are being trialled at Shoalwater Bay Training Area during Exercise Wallaby 2025.Speaking to the media at the training area on Saturday (Oct 25), the exercise's Operational Field Trials Safety Lead Military Expert (ME) 5 Teo Liang Kai said that with the army increasingly operating in urban terrain, it encounters more blind spots.Instead of risking officers' lives to check such places, the army sends a fleet of drones to map out the area and mark hotspots — which they can avoid or preemptively neutralise, ME5 Teo said.He added that harnessing technology also allows the Army to do things faster and easier while covering bigger areas.«We can...enhance our situational awareness — like using unmanned systems to (support) our army tanks or soldiers on the ground (and) see a bit further so that they can prepare for the threats ahead of them,» said ME5 Teo.

A woman who allegedly attacked two other women with a knife at Upper Serangoon Road on Sunday (Oct 26) has been arrested.In a statement, the police said they had received a call for assistance at about 12.20pm to 756 Upper Serangoon Road.The address appears to be the location of Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre.According to police, the 44-year-old woman was detained by members of the public upon officers' arrival.She was subsequently arrested for voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapon, and she will also be referred for psychiatric assessment.Preliminary investigations revealed that the woman had acted alone, said police.They added that the two women, aged 36 and 44, sustained injuries during the attack and were taken conscious to hospital. A knife was seized as case exhibit and investigations are ongoing.candicecai@asiaone.com

Local chef Benny Se Teo posted an apology on Facebook on Friday (Oct 24) following the «strong opinions» he had expressed about the death of four-year-old Megan Khung, who died in 2020.A subsequent Facebook exchange between Se Teo and Megan's father, local content creator Khung Wei Nan, better known as Simonboy, has also touched many hearts.A report on the fatal abuse of Megan by a review panel convened to examine how the case was handled by agencies was released on Thursday (Oct 23).Megan died after sustained abuse at the hands of her mother and her mother's then-boyfriend. A fatal blow inflicted by the latter killed her on Feb 22, 2020.The case has horrified most Singaporeans, many of whom who have shared their opinions in comments and posts online.'Spoke out of emotion'In his post on Friday, Se Teo, 65, stated that he had «spoke out of emotion and without verifying the facts».

A 15-year-old were among 24 persons arrested for their suspected involvement in a government official impersonation scam. Another nine are assisting with investigations.This follows an island-wide anti-scam enforcement operation conducted between Oct 23 and 24.The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a press release on Sunday (Oct 26) that those arrested are aged between 15 and 34, while those assisting with investigations are between 16 and 70.SPF's Commercial Affairs Department conducted the operation after a victim lodged a report on Oct 22, claiming he had been tricked by scammers impersonating officers from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).Over $1.1 million in lossesThe victim had received an unsolicited call from someone posing as a staff from M1, claiming he had an existing mobile plan contract.When he denied this, the call was transferred to scammers acting as MAS officers, who allegedly told him that a bank account under his name was frozen and his assets have to be safeguarded for investigations.Between Oct 14 and 22, the victim was deceived into transferring over $1.1 million.

A python was successfully captured by two female NParks personnel, described as 'heroines', in Ang Mo Kio early this week, but the action on the sidelines was what has also garnered attention.The incident, which was recorded and posted on Facebook, occurred at Block 338, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.A Xiaohongshu video taken from a different angle and posted on Oct 20 revealed another commotion which had occurred behind the unfolding action. The clip showed a police officer behind the railing, standing guard to discourage onlookers from getting too close to the operation.The policeman was seen approaching a man in white who had managed to come close to the railing while pointing his phone camera at the women.From the clip, the police officer could be seen placing his hand on the man's forearm as the man then backs away.However, the man could be heard responding agitatedly in Chinese, «Don't push me... I'll fall, don't push me.»He was also heard explaining that he was «just (standing) here», before walking off.

Amid a late-night downpour on Friday (Oct 24) night, a tree collapsed onto the Seletar Expressway (SLE), hitting passing motorcycles and sending two riders to the hospital.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call at 10.10pm regarding a road traffic accident on the SLE towards the CTE, just before the Lentor Avenue exit.Two people were taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, according to SCDF.Dashcam footage posted on Facebook shows heavy rain over the expressway as three motorcycles travel along the right-most lane.A tree from the central divider then falls over, crashing onto the lane.One motorcyclist appeared to be hit by the tree, bumping into the central divider, but managed to regain control.Another was hit but lost control and fell onto the road while the bike skidded forward, producing sparks from the friction.

SINGAPORE – SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) has penalised two training providers and warned another two that violated its marketing guidelines in 2024 and 2025.Acctrain Academy had its contract with SSG terminated on Sept 30 for not supervising the actions of parties marketing its courses, at least one of which paid cash to learners, said SSG on Oct 21 in response to queries from The Straits Times.The termination means the firm can no longer receive SSG funding.The other company penalised is FirstCom Academy, which was suspended from January to March 2025 for using a referral programme to market its courses.The penalties come ahead of new rules barring SkillsFuture training providers from using third parties to promote their courses from Dec 1, after public complaints about undesirable marketing practices.«Marketing agents from third parties have a higher risk of deploying aggressive marketing practices to drive sales volume and achieve sales targets, instead of prioritising the value of training for learners,» said an SSG spokeswoman.

A 10-year-old boy has been reported missing since Wednesday (Oct 22).In a news release on Saturday (Oct 25), the police said Zulfi Amzi Bin Abdullah was last seen near Block 48 Lower Delta Road at around 6.45pm on Oct 22. Earlier this month, the boy was also reported missing and found on the same evening after police put out an appeal for information. Anyone with information can contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information would be kept strictly confidential, said the police.[[nid:723907]]editor@asiaone.com 

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and China Premier Li Qiang expressed confidence in the future of bilateral ties between the two countries.The two leaders were speaking at the official dinner hosted by PM Wong for Premier Li at Gardens by the Bay on Saturday evening (Oct 25).The Chinese premier is on a two-day visit to mark 35 years of diplomatic relations, after PM Wong visited China in June.Pointing to the Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-City and Chongqing Connectivity Initiative as examples of longstanding and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries across varied sectors like finance, green development, logistics, transport and sustainability, PM Wong said: «These projects show how our cooperation have evolved with times.»They have built trust and understanding between our two countries and laid the foundations for our 'All-Round, High-Quality, Future-Oriented Partnership'."

ROCKHAMPTON, Australia — Integrating training between the Singapore Army and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) could be of «great value», said the Air Director of Exercise Wallaby 2025 Colonel Woo Sin Boon.Speaking to the media at Warriors Camp in Rockhampton, Australia on Friday (Oct 24), COL Woo explained that RSAF and the Singapore Army have traditionally been using «very rudimentary» methods of communication. «(This) is because a lot of our systems were developed individually,» he said. «There's a great value to make sure that both the Army and Air Force can operate seamlessly, exactly like (what is expected) in real combat.»COL Woo added that integration between the two would be done through digital means and will «greatly facilitate» the success of any joint missions they conduct.Exercise Wallaby, SAF's largest overseas unilateral exercise, is being held from Sept 7 to Nov 2 in Shoalwater Bay Training Area. The training area is approximately five times the size of Singapore.

SINGAPORE - Singapore and China have agreed to work together to decarbonise and digitalise shipping routes between the two countries, with the establishment of a national green and digital shipping corridor.This memorandum of understanding (MOU) is one of eight agreements exchanged on Saturday (Oct 25) during an official visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, as Singapore and China pledged to deepen co-operation and bilateral ties.Mr Li, who is visiting Singapore for the first time at the invitation of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, was welcomed by a guard-of-honour at Parliament House.In his opening remarks during a meeting between the two delegations, PM Wong said: «We would like to see how we can deepen our co-operation further, and also how we can work together to uphold the key principles of free trade and the rules-based multilateral order.»Mr Li said he looks forward to further deepening China-Singapore relations during his visit here - the first by a Chinese Premier in seven years.

A 10-year-old boy has been reported missing since Wednesday (Oct 22).In a news release on Saturday (Oct 25), the police said Zulfi Amzi Bin Abdullah was last seen near Block 48 Lower Delta Road at around 6.45pm on Oct 22. Earlier this month, the boy was also reported missing and found on the same evening after police put out an appeal for information. Anyone with information can contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information would be kept strictly confidential, said the police.[[nid:723907]]editor@asiaone.com 

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will attend the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit and related meetings in Kuala Lumpur from Oct 26 to 28. The summit is the second of two meetings hosted by Malaysia as this year's Asean chair. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Saturday (Oct 25) that the theme of «Inclusivity and Sustainability» — at a time of geopolitical and economical challenges — encapsulates the region's efforts to build a forward-looking, cohesive and resilient Asean.The leaders will reaffirm their commitment to Asean's community building efforts and discuss ways to promote «an open, inclusive, and stable regional architecture» among the soon-to-be 11-member bloc and with its external partners, PMO added.