SINGAPORE – A total of 44 people were taken to the hospitals after an accident involving two double-decker buses in Jurong West on the morning of Dec 14.In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident slightly before 11am.Upon SCDF's arrival, a person was trapped in the driver's seat of a bus, it said. The person was rescued using hydraulic rescue equipment, it added.Forty-two passengers and two bus drivers were taken to the hospitals, the authorities said. Police said a 49-year-old bus driver is assisting with ongoing investigations.Bus service 98, operated by Tower Transit, had rear-ended an SBS Transit-run bus service 99, which was stationary, at 10.54am in Jurong West Avenue 1, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post at about 2.10pm.Those who were injured have been taken to the hospitals and are receiving medical attention, LTA said, adding that it and both transport operators are investigating the accident.LTA said: «We would like to apologise for the hurt and distress caused by this accident.»

Singapore on Friday (Dec 12) joined six other countries to enter a new US-led multilateral framework on economic security and technology.The framework, named Pax Silica, combines the Latin word «pax» - meaning peace, stability and long-term prosperity, and the word «silica» which refers to the compound that is refined into silicon used in computer chips that enable artificial intelligence (AI). According to the US State Department, the framework is intended to secure supply chains, trusted technology and strategic infrastructure. The inaugural summit on Dec 12 involved partners which the State Department said are home to the most important companies and investors powering the global AI supply chain.Writing on his X account, Undersecretary of State Jacon Helberg said the Pax Silica declaration operationalises US President Donald Trump's insight that artificial intelligence is the «new backbone of economic power».«This is the first time countries are organising around compute, silicon, minerals and manufacturing as shared strategic assets,» Helberg said. 

SINGAPORE – A total of 44 people were taken to the hospitals after an accident involving two double-decker buses in Jurong West on the morning of Dec 14.In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident slightly before 11am.Upon SCDF's arrival, it said, a person was trapped in the driver's seat of a bus. The person was rescued using hydraulic rescue equipment, SCDF said.Bus service 98, operated by Tower Transit, had rear-ended an SBS Transit-run bus service 99, which was stationary, at 10.54am in Jurong West Avenue 1, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post at about 2.10pm.Those who were injured have been taken to the hospitals and are receiving medical attention, LTA said, adding that it and both transport operators are investigating the accident.LTA said: «We would like to apologise for the hurt and distress caused by this accident.»When ST arrived at the scene at around 12.30pm, the police have cordoned off the accident site. SCDF personnel were also there.Some of the injured were being attended to at a shelter near a HDB block.

A private jet which took off from Singapore's Changi Airport skidded off the runway after landing at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido on Friday (Dec 12) evening.The incident occurred shortly at about 6.40pm, reported Kyodo News Agency and Japan's NHK broadcasting network.There were five passengers on board, including a small child, along with three flight attendants. No injuries were reported, according to firefighters who rushed to the scene.The aircraft's fuselage was not damaged and there was no fire, added NHK.One of the New Chitose Airport's two runways was closed, but other aircraft operation were not affected, according to Japanese broadcaster HBC News, which posted a video of the aftermath on its YouTube channel.The aircraft appeared to have overshot the runway upon landing, coming to a stop on snow-covered ground.The report added that it was snowing at New Chitose Airport at the time. Authorities are investigating the incident.It was the second flight incident to have occurred in the region that day.

SINGAPORE - Even the best teachers struggle with large classes, a sentiment echoed by primary and secondary school teachers The Straits Times spoke to.With Singapore's plans to hire more than 1,000 teachers annually over the next few years, teachers say they hope the added manpower will eventually result in smaller class sizes.Average class sizes grew slightly from 2023 to 2024, based on the latest figures. In primary schools, the average class size rose from 33.6 to 33.8. In secondary schools, it increased from 32.6 to 32.9, and in junior colleges, from 23.1 to 23.2.The pupil-to-teacher ratio in primary schools was 15.6 in 2024, up from 14.5 in 2020. In secondary schools, the student-to-teacher ratio increased from 11.9 to 12.7 over the same period.The number of teachers fell from 30,396 in 2023 to 29,605 in 2024, even as the student cohort continued to shrink. Primary 1 enrolment, for example, dropped from 39,372 to 37,785 over the same period.

Nicholas Khaw, who won Singapore's first gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand on Dec 10, has credited his family and team at the Police Logistics Department (PLD) for their unwavering support. Khaw, a full-time police national serviceman and his partner Diyanah Aqidah, 26, made history in the mixed poomsae pair taekwondo category by beating Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Kim Ha and Nguyen Trong Phuc.In a Facebook post on Dec 12, the Singapore Police Force shared that Khaw, 20, trains on weekdays after assisting with the logical needs of police operations during the day. He also trains during the weekends as well. Khaw also admitted that during the competition, he didn't think they stood a chance of performing well. 

Two women were taken to the hospital after a chain collision along Bedok Reservoir Road on Dec 12. TikTok user Gracie Daisy shared the incident in a video on the same day. The clip shows a damaged white car which had seemingly crashed into the back of a prime mover. There was also some white debris nearby. A few metres in front of the white car was a black vehicle with a dented rear bumper.Another video posted by Daisy on the same day shows a white BMW attached to a tow truck.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to the incident on Dec 12 at around 4.30pm. The accident involved four cars and one prime mover. A 36-year-old female car driver and her 37-year-old female car passenger were taken conscious to the hospital.A 39-year-old male car driver is also assisting with investigations and police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:726702]]melissateo@asiaone.com

Businesses across the Causeway have seen a drop in customers from Singapore by up to 30 per cent this year-end — atypical for the holiday season — according to reports.However, some of these Johor Bahru (JB) businesses have cited reasons other than the stronger ringgit for the dip, according to Shin Min Daily News.The ringgit has appreciated against the Singapore dollar in recent months, with one Singapore dollar now buying RM3.17. It was above RM3.30 for most of 2025, The Straits Times reported.On Dec 5, Malaysian publication The Star reported that Johor business owners have seen noticeably fewer Singapore patrons, with the holiday season being «unusually quiet» this year.Some blamed the decrease in Singapore patrons on the less favourable currency exchange rate, along with the unpredictable weather.«The crowd from Singapore is missing, even on weekends. This is probably the worst year-end crowd we have seen since the Covid-19 pandemic,» business operator Robin Jian was quoted by The Star as saying.

The body of a man was discovered at the foot of an HDB block in Sengkang on Saturday (Dec 13).The 55-year-old is believed to have fallen from height.A photo of the incident posted on Facebook group Singapore Incidents on Dec 13 shows a police tent placed over the body. A police cordon was also seen extending from the grass patch below a stack of units to an area just after the centralised refute chute. Nearby, an ambulance, a police fast response car, and at least four police officers are seen.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to the incident at Block 278C Compassvale Bow on Saturday, at about 9.30am.He was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic.Based on preliminary investigations, no foul play is suspected.Police investigations are ongoing.

Japanese megastore Daiso will be closing its outlet at 100 AM mall in Tanjong Pagar on Jan 5, 2026.The closure was announced by the megastore on social media on Saturday (Dec 13). «It is with great regret that we would like to inform you that Daiso 100AM will cease operations from Jan 5, 2026,» said Daiso in its post. The last day of its operations at the mall in Tanjong Pagar is on Jan 4.  Daiso did not elaborate on the reason behind the closure in its post. Following the upcoming closure, Daiso still has 32 physical outlets in Singapore. Earlier in July, Daiso closed its store at Kinex in Tanjong Katong. 

BANGKOK - Shanti Pereira is an athlete who wears her heart on her sleeve, particularly when it comes to the SEA Games.At the Hanoi Games in 2022, there were tears and disbelief after winning her second gold medal in the 200m, seven years after her first.She was once again visibly emotional and fighting back tears in 2023, when she became the first Singaporean woman to claim a sprint double at the Cambodia Games.On Dec 13, however, after retaining her 200m crown to complete a historic double-double for Singapore at the biennial event, Pereira was cool, calm and candid.«I'm really happy I managed to win today, but kind of disappointed, though. I wish I did a better time today, honestly, because my training indicated I could definitely go faster, and so did my warm-up.»(But) that's okay. The goal was to come and defend my title and I did that, so I'm really happy," said Pereira, who blazed to victory in the final at the Supachalasai National Stadium in 23.05 seconds.Vietnam's Le Thi Cam Tu bagged the silver in 23.14sec, with Zion Nelson of the Philippines taking the bronze in 23.50sec.

Tomorrow, I will be co-chairing the 21st Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) with People's Republic of China Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang in Chongqing. As the apex bilateral mechanism between Singapore and China, the JCBC is more than a platform for dialogue. It has anchored our partnership, allowing leaders and officials from both sides to build trust, review progress, and set high-level direction to deliver substantive outcomes.This 21st edition of the JCBC is especially meaningful, as it coincides with several bilateral milestones. First, we mark the 35th anniversary of Singapore-China diplomatic relations this year, with PM Lawrence Wong and Premier Li Qiang exchanging official visits. Second, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI) — our third Government-to-Government (G2G) project. This follows recent anniversaries of our first two G2G projects — the 30th anniversary of the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) last year and the 15th anniversary of the Tianjin Eco-City in 2023. 

Over $539,000 in suspected scam proceeds was seized and 176 individuals investigated following a 12-day island-wide enforcement operation by the police and local banks, during which over 176 bank accounts were also frozen.The operation took place between Nov 17 and 28, and was carried out by officers from the Anti-Scam Command (ASCom) and the police land divisions' Scam Strike Teams, said the Singapore Police Force in a news release on Friday (Dec 12). The operation was conducted against persons for their alleged involvement in government official impersonation scams, investment scams, and job scams, which were among the top five scams types for the first half of 2025.Through working closely with major industry stakeholders, such as social media companies, messaging platforms and telecommunication companies, the police disrupted over 880 online enablers and terminated more than 1,070 phone lines that were linked to scams.176 persons under investigationOf the 176 individuals under investigation, 128 are men and 48 women, aged between 16 and 85.

Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh and Mediacorp have issued separate apologies to the court over comments made by Singh on an episode of CNA's The Assembly which aired on Nov 5.In a Facebook post on Saturday (Dec 13), Singh, who is also chief of the Workers' Party, said that he accepts his statements may be construed to be in contempt of court.Apart from his comments during the interview, Singh had also posted about the interview on Facebook on Nov 6 and 8.«I accept that my statements may be construed to be in contempt of court, including to impugn the integrity, propriety or impartiality of the court,» said Singh in his post.  «Given that, I wholly and unreservedly apologise to the court and will avoid making comments to the same or similar effect in future.»

Two female car passengers were taken to the hospital after an accident involving two cars along a road near Yishun Dam on Friday (Dec 12) night.The accident happened at about 9.30pm along Seletar West Link towards Seletar Road North Link, before the left turn into Seletar Club Road.The collision was captured on dashcam footage and shared with AsiaOne.In the video, an orange car is seen stopped between two Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ambulances. In front of the first ambulance, a dark-coloured car is seen overturned.Three motorcycles, which did not appear to be damaged, were also stopped near the overturned car.At least three persons are seen trying to reach the occupants in the overturned car.An eyewitness in her 30s, surnamed Ng, told AsiaOne that she was driving home when she witnessed the accident.According to Ng, the accident led to congestion stretching back to the Central Expressway (CTE) before the exit to Seletar West Link.Ng also witnessed parts of the rescue. «I saw the paramedic working on a woman. Nearby, a man sat on the road divider. He seemed to be in shock,» Ng said.

Seven Bangladeshi men aged between 20 and 40 years old were arrested for alleged drug-related offences in separate enforcement operations conducted at migrant worker dormitories in Choa Chu Kang, Jurong and Seletar.In a statement on Saturday (Dec 13), the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said that the operations were conducted from Dec 8 to 11.CNB said that four men aged between 20 and 40 arrested on Dec 11 were from a dormitory in Choa Chu Kang.A small amount of «Ice» and various drug paraphernalia were found and seized from a 24-year-old suspect.During another operation at a dormitory in Seletar on Dec 9, a 23-year-old man was arrested for suspected drug consumption offences.A 29-year-old man who was found with a small amount of «Ice» and various drug paraphernalia was arrested for suspected drug trafficking.The last suspect, a 25-year-old man, was arrested at a dormitory in Jurong West on Dec 8 for suspected drug consumption.