SINGAPORE — Singapore's longest serving central banker, Ravi Menon, will head a new non-profit to drive fintech innovation and growth globally, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said on Wednesday (Oct 30). Menon, who led the central bank for 12 years until 2023 and is a strong proponent of financial technology, will chair the Global Finance and Technology Network, the MAS said. He sees the non-profit — with around 40 staff currently — as a way to drive innovation for the common good «to create economic value, to expand economic opportunities for people, to create more resilient and robust financial systems», Menon said. A key role of the network will be advisory services provided to governments and organisations, building on Singapore's reputation as a financial hub. The network could help governments adapt their fintech needs to local conditions and connect governments and regulators to multilateral agencies such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and partners in the private sector, he said.

SINGAPORE — Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng has been granted permission to leave Singapore amid ongoing court proceedings which saw him handed two charges earlier in the month. The 78-year-old, who appeared in the State Courts with his lawyer, Aaron Lee from Allen and Gledhill, just before noon on Oct 30, has to provide additional bail of $800,000 for a trip to London, Boston, Gibraltar and Spain for work and medical treatment. Ong, who will leave Singapore on Oct 31, must return by Nov 9 and surrender his passport within 24 hours. During his trip, he must also remain contactable by the investigation officer, and he is also not allowed to travel with his bailor. Ong was already on an $800,000 bail following his appearance in court on Oct 4 over a criminal investigation that involved former transport minister S.Iswaran. The billionaire was charged with one count of abetment under Section 165, which makes it an offence for a public servant to accept anything of value from any person with whom he is involved in an official capacity without payment or with inadequate payment.

Unable to handle the constant smell of cigarette smoke wafting into her unit, a resident in Bukit Panjang resorted to filing a court order against her neighbour. The 56-year-old woman surnamed Zhong, who lives on the ninth floor of Block 241 Bukit Panjang Ring Road, complained of her downstairs neighbour's incessant smoking habits in an interview with Shin Min Daily News. She said cigarette smoke would drift into her unit from 8pm to 2am daily, and was worried about the detriment to her health from constantly inhaling second-hand smoke.  In 2021, Zhong even recorded her neighbour's «smoking schedule», which amounted to over 150 times in the span of two weeks.

KUALA LUMPUR — Singapore motorists can soon collect the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) to enter Malaysia from two new locations in Johor state, including popular shopping destination Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru, while two existing permit centres in Larkin and Taman Daya are set to close. A spokesman for TCSens, the private vendor appointed by Malaysia's Road Transport Department (JPJ) to handle VEP matters, said one of the two new permit centres will open on Oct 30 at Paradigm Mall in Skudai town, about 15 minutes away from the Causeway checkpoint in Johor Bahru. The second VEP centre will be at a mall in the Iskandar Puteri area, near the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link that connects Tuas in Singapore to south-west Johor, but details have yet to be finalised, he said. Meanwhile, the two permit centres at JPJ Academy in Larkin and JPJ in Taman Daya will cease VEP operations on Oct 30, JPJ said in a statement on Oct 29. The TCSens spokesman said the VEP Collection Centre at Paradigm Mall will be located on the seventh floor of the mall's carpark and will operate until Jan 31, 2025.

SINGAPORE - A true leader who was colossal in defence and a gentleman off the pitch are among the vivid descriptions of former Singapore footballer Rahmat Mawar, who died on Tuesday (Oct 29) at the age of 81. Rahmat's family said that he had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which causes restricted airflow and breathing problems. He died just after 12.30am at Woodlands Health Campus, leaving behind three daughters and 11 grandchildren. Rahmat - whose name on his identity card reads Rahmat Mohawar - was a national footballer in the 1960s and 70s and the uncompromising centre back wrote his name into local football history when he became the first man to lift a trophy at the old National Stadium in June 1973. In what was the first football match to be held at the stadium, Rahmat captained the Singapore Malays, who boasted the likes of Dollah Kassim, Mohamed Noh and Arshad Khamis, to a 4-1 win over Kelantan Malays before lifting the Sultan's Gold Cup in front of a 32,000 crowd.

Up to 20,000 additional Certificate of Entitlements (COE) will be released across all vehicle categories progressively from February next year. In a media release on Tuesday (Oct 29), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that the move is possible after studying «evolving» travel patterns in recent years, along with their ability to manage congestion through ERP 2.0. Total vehicle mileage on the roads have decreased by around six per cent from 2019 to 2023, partly due to an increase in flexible work arrangements since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to LTA. LTA also observed that in the same period, the rail network has expanded by 18 per cent with the opening of the Thomson-East Coast Line stages one to four. «Concurrently, our ability to manage congestion is being enhanced through ERP 2.0, which uses the Global Navigation Satellite System technology,» said LTA.  The agency said that they'll be able to introduce new «virtual gantries», which allows for more flexible and responsive congestion management.

A 55-year man was found dead in his Ang Mo Kio flat last Sunday (Oct 27), two weeks after he was last seen by a neighbour in public. The private-hire driver lived alone in his fourth-floor unit at Block 101 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, reported Shin Min Daily News. Neighbours living in the same flat told the Chinese evening daily that they noticed a foul stench permeating from the ground floor. Several police officers, who went to investigate, reportedly found the decomposing body of the resident inside his flat. One woman, who declined to be named, said that the man had been living alone for the past few years and had few friends or relatives visiting him. «He initially lived with his parents. But after his father died, his mother moved into his sister's home,» she said. Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police confirmed that they had received a report on the unnatural death. The man was found lying motionless in his unit and later pronounced dead. Neighbour: He looked pale and weak The Ang Mo Kio resident last saw her deceased neighbour outside his flat two weeks ago.

Some customers of StarHub found themselves unable to access the internet on Tuesday (Oct 29) as their mobile network was disrupted. At 7.39am on Tuesday (Oct 29) morning, outage monitoring site Downdetector received 1,014 reports regarding StarHub, 80 per cent of which were related to mobile internet disruptions. The remaining reports were regarding mobile phone network and signal issues. On a different page on Downdetector by the name of StarHub Singapore, there were another 1,921 reports regarding an outage at 7.45am. Responding to AsiaOne's queries, a StarHub spokesperson said that the disruption occurred during a scheduled software upgrade early Tuesday morning. «Our teams responded quickly to resolve the issue, and full service has since been restored,» the spokesperson said, adding that all other StarHub services remained unaffected. «We appreciate our customers' patience and understanding and apologise for any inconvenience caused.»

A family of four owed their landlord $6,800 in rent and were given two days to pay the amount owed. But they packed up their belongings and moved out overnight. In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, the landlord, surnamed Li, had rented out his two-bedroom condominium unit in Yishun to the Singaporean family. A two-year lease was signed in December 2023, with a monthly rent of $4,300. The family was punctual with their payments for the first three months of the lease before they began to fall behind. According to Li, they would pay varying amounts each month, giving a range of excuses to his property agent. By Oct 19, the family owed Li a total of $6,800. Frustrated with the situation, the landlord instructed his property agent to give the family an ultimatum to pay the full sum by Oct 21 if they wanted to continue living in the unit. The tenants seemed amenable to the deadline and agreed to pay their debts. However, the family failed to make any payment when the deadline rolled over. They also moved out of the unit overnight. Li's property agent made a police report after failing to contact the family.

She is still shaken by the incident. A Joo Chiat resident was verbally abused by a van driver after she complained about his parking on Friday (Oct 25). Facebook user Aresha Krishnan said in a post that his van had parked too close to a part of her plant in a pot by the road. She contacted the company listed on the side of the vehicle and asked if the van could be moved. PHOTO: Facebook/Aresha Krishnan «The company was very understanding. They apologised and shared that they were a leasing company,» recounted the resident. «They also said that they would try to contact the hirer to move the vehicle. I had left it as that and went to put my kids to bed. »About 40 minutes later at 11pm, I heard a violent explosive bang on my front door which frightened everybody in the house.

SINGAPORE - An oil spill took place off Changi on Oct 28 during a bunkering operation between a Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier and a licensed bunker tanker. In a statement sent in the wee hours of Tuesday (Oct 29), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the incident reportedly occurred at 5.40pm and the bunkering operation ceased immediately. According to information found on the agency's website, bunkering is the process of supplying fuels to ships for their own use, and Singapore is one of the largest and most important bunkering ports in the world. MPA said its craft arrived at the scene of the incident at around 5.50pm and sprayed dispersants. Dispersants are chemicals that break up oil into smaller droplets, which can be mixed with water. There is no impact on navigational traffic, and relevant government agencies have been alerted to keep a lookout for oil sightings along local shores, said the agency. This is the third incident involving an oil leak or spill to take place in Singapore waters since June.

A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight headed to Tokyo was diverted to Taipei on Monday (Oct 28) morning after a windshield on the plane cracked mid-flight. Flight SQ636 took off at Changi Airport at 11.16pm on Sunday (Oct 27) and was scheduled to reach Haneda Airport at 6.20am on Monday, according to FlightRadar24. However, the plane had to divert to Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan due to a cracked windshield that occurred mid-flight, an SIA spokesperson told AsiaOne. The Boeing 777-300ER, which was carrying 249 passengers and 17 crew members, landed «uneventfully» at about 4am local time, the spokesperson added. Hotel accommodation was arranged for affected passengers. The flight has since been renumbered to SQ9876 and set to depart Taipei at 8.30pm local time, the spokesperson said. «SIA sincerely apologises to all affected customers for the inconvenience caused,» said the spokesperson. «The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority.»

Some residents at an undisclosed HDB estate have gotten into the spirit of the spooky season by putting up their very own Halloween decorations at their doorstep but not everyone has gotten into the spirit. A now-deleted video showcasing the ghoulish decor along the common corridor made its rounds on Reddit earlier on Monday (Oct 28), sparking debate among netizens.  The clip showed an area decked out with various Halloween props such as fake dismembered limbs, as well as spiders and cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and strewn across the floor. Fake knives, cloth bloodied with fake handprints and warning tape were also draped across the ceiling. Several netizens criticised the scary displays, saying that the decorations could be a fire hazard or cause inconvenience to wheelchair-bound residents. «Neighbours would be running an obstacle course daily (sic),» wrote one netizen.   

A 50-year-old who allegedly killed a grassroots volunteer was brought back to the crime scene at Clementi Ave 4 by police on Monday (Oct 28). Toh Chee Hong was charged with the murder of 41-year-old Winson Khoo last Wednesday after being arrested on scene following the incident last Monday evening. Khoo and Toh are known to each other, according to preliminary investigations by the police. Toh arrived at the roundabout below Blocks 311B and 311C just before 10.20am, alighting from a black police van with four police officers. The police had cordoned off the area spanning the playground, void deck, car park and roundabout below Blocks 311B and 311C, preventing passers-by from entering the area. He had reportedly stabbed the victim repeatedly with a small object at the foot of Block 311B. Toh, unshaven and unkempt, kept his head down as he was escorted from the drop-off point under Block 311B to the lift lobby of Block 311C, where he was brought up to a unit on the 19th floor.  The block is part of Trivelis, a HDB development under the Design, Build and Sell Scheme where the lift lobbies are gated.

She will take over the reins from DBS chief executive Piyush Gupta next year, but veteran banker Tan Su Shan doesn't consider herself an alpha woman.  In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao published last Sunday (Oct 27), Tan described herself as an empathetic leader who speaks in a straightforward manner.  She first joined DBS in 2010, and is currently the deputy CEO and group head of institutional banking. Come March 2025, Tan will become the first female CEO of Singapore's largest bank.  When it comes to work, Tan shared that she likes gathering people of different strengths and backgrounds together. «It makes the team stronger and tougher,» she said.  The 56-year-old is also a proponent of «reverse mentoring», where she treats her younger colleagues as mentors.  «We'll help each other understand perspectives from different ages, as well as what goals they want to achieve,» she said. 

Blame it on the little Swiss flags around the restaurant. A Singapore-based Swiss content creator said she felt «cheated» by all the non-Swiss food served in Swiss restaurant Marche. Swizzyinsg, whose real name is Marion Müller, posted a 29-second video on Oct 17 with the disclaimer: «I am not saying the food does not taste good, it is just not what you would consider Swiss food!» She said in the video: «They said it's a Swiss restaurant, but all these are not Swiss food.» The expat showed the Spanish paella and French crepes sold in the restaurant. «The next thing I saw was seafood pasta, which actually looked pretty good, but in a Swiss restaurant?» she asked. «Garlic chilli prawns on pizza is definitely not Swiss either.» But all was not lost. «Then I was so happy to find Swiss rösti, which they make from scratch,» said Müller. «But you would never eat it with sour cream. »The only really authentic thing was the Mövenpick ice cream and these wooden chairs. You would find these exactly in Switzerland."

The Ministry of Health (MOH) aims to include traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in its Healthier SG initiative to provide «preventative care» alongside western medicine. Speaking at the Public Free Clinic Society's (PFCS) 50th anniversary charity dinner on Sunday (Oct 27), Health Minister Ong Ye Kung highlighted the importance of TCM as a «holistic approach to health». Integrating TCM into Healthier SG is not a decision for the government or western doctors to make as it is already done by many Singaporeans who are choosing TCM, said Ong. «Our job is to synergise the efforts between Healthier SG and TCM and ensure that high quality and appropriate preventive care is delivered to as many Singaporeans as possible.» While over one million people are currently enrolled in Healthier SG, this number is less than 50 per cent of MOH's targeted population, he noted. Additionally, the enrolment rate among those aged between 40 and 59 is one-third, which Ong said can be improved.

One man thought he had lost his month-old iPhone 16 Pro Max forever after throwing it into the rubbish chute by mistake. Woon Ban Chee, 22, was taking the trash out from his Teck Whye flat on Oct 18, when he accidentally tossed his $2,900 mobile phone out.  «I only realised it a few minutes later,» said Woon in an interview with AsiaOne on Monday (Oct 28). «I was like, 'Did I just throw my phone away?'» Woon, who recently resigned from his full-time job as a waiter to care for his sick mother, frantically called Chua Chu Kang Town Council and the waste disposal company for help. «I panicked the whole night,» he said. «I went to the Apple Store on Orchard Road to see if I can get a replacement,» he said. «But they didn't allow me to get a new one.» Woon was reunited with his phone when eagle-eyed workers from the e-waste recycling firm Alba spotted the device while searching through the trash at their Tuas plant. «[There were] no scratches and dents. The case was very smelly, so I threw it away. Everything else is normal,» said the young man. «I now clean my phone with alcohol wipes every day. It's a lesson learnt.» 

SINGAPORE – One person was taken to hospital after an accident involving three cars in Stamford Road towards Fort Canning Link in the early hours of Oct 27. Police said they were alerted to an accident at the location at 1.30am. Photos uploaded on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page show a red car that had flipped over and a yellow car that suffered heavy damage to its bonnet. Another photo locates the scene of the accident as near the tunnel. An advisory posted on the Land Transport Authority Traffic News X page at about 2.10am warned motorists of an accident in the Fort Canning Tunnel and that the tunnel was closed. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said one person was taken to Singapore General Hospital. The police identified him as one of the car drivers. They added that the 21-year-old man is assisting with investigations. Three other people were assessed for minor injuries but declined to be taken to hospital. ALSO READ: Bus, lorry and motorcycle crash in Tuas: 7 taken to hospital

SINGAPORE — Diners who are keen to buy unsold food from eateries at up to 80 per cent off the retail price before closing time, instead of letting it go to waste, can tap a new mobile phone application. The new app, called Yindii, was launched in August and aims to beef up efforts to reduce food waste by eateries. Customers who use the app can order a «surprise bag» in advance, and they can get any type of unsold food from the menu at day's end for between 50 per cent and 80 per cent off the usual retail price. The app touts itself as a «high-quality food surplus marketplace», and it already has tie-ups with popular restaurants, cafes and bakeries, including Paul, Baker & Cook and SaladStop!. Founded in 2020, the app is also available in Hong Kong and Thailand. Yindii co-founder and chief marketing officer Mahima Rajangam Natarajan said: «We chose to launch in Singapore because it's a forward-thinking city with a growing focus on sustainability and reducing food waste.»

When it comes to keeping the neighbourhood safe, sometimes a little help from the neighbourhood itself goes a long way. With the help of passers-by in the area, the police managed to subdue a suspect outside Block 107 Jalan Bukit Merah, earning the praise of a resident, according to a video uploaded to TikTok on Wednesday (Oct 23). In the video, approximately five men can be seen working alongside officers to hold down an individual, pressing him to the ground.  While the officers secure the torso of the suspect, the passers-by pin down his legs, preventing movement. One individual even hops the fence to get a better angle, using his knees and body weight to push the man down. «Another good example of good community spirit,» a resident can be heard narrating as he films the incident. «A group of quick-thinking residents and workers have helped to subdue a violent man.» He adds that the police response to this situation was «swift» and «professional», and that an ambulance was also called. Once the man is placed in handcuffs, the passers-by then disperse, standing at the sides and letting officers do their work.

Two weeks ago, local video game streamer Julynn Lau announced that she was engaged to her partner Benjamin Loh. The scene was picturesque, with the proposal taking place at night on a beach with candles and a light-up sign reading «Marry Me» behind them. There was also a drone display with hearts and the silhouette of a man proposing to a woman in the sky. https://www.instagram.com/p/DA8qZ6dz8Do/ However, in a video uploaded Oct 24 on Instagram and TikTok, she shared more about what really went on behind-the-scenes with the unnamed photography crew hired to shoot it. «POV: Your photographer thinks she's the main character of the proposal and missed the most important part of the engagement,» the in-video caption reads. As the couple looks up at the sky, presumably to see the drone display which is out of frame, a voice can be heard saying: «You can just kneel down already, kneel down.» A male and a female voices continue talking in the background and when Loh asks Lau if she'll marry him, the man can be heard saying: «Wide shot, wide shot, wide shot.»