A total of 17,279 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes and a van were seized by Singapore Customs in its largest inland haul this year, with the total duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded exceeding $1.87 million. A 27-year-old Singaporean van driver and three Indian nationals — aged 30, 36, and 39 — were arrested in two raids on Nov 30 and Dec 1 in Pandan Loop and Jurong Port Road, said the agency in a statement on Monday (Dec 8). On Nov 30, Customs officers spotted a Singapore-registered van reversing into the loading bay of an industrial building in Pandan Loop. Three men then loaded brown boxes into the vehicle. A search of the van found 2,400 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes. The men then led officers to a unit in the building, where 3,195 more cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found. The contraband and van were seized, while the four men were arrested. 

A Tiger God statue made of clay was stolen at a Chinese temple in Balestier on Saturday (Dec 6) shortly past midnight. Calling the theft “disrespectful to the deity”, Rochore Tua Pek Kong Temple on 249 Balestier Road urged the culprit to “do the right thing”. In a Facebook post on Sunday, the temple wrote that closed-circuit television footage captured an elderly man loitering around the altar for about 30 minutes till 12.15am on Dec 6. The statue, one of seven in the temple, pays tribute to the Tiger Deity who is believed to protect people against evil spirits. “We sincerely appeal to the person involved to return the statue immediately and in its original condition”, they said, adding that the statue “belongs to the community”. “Failing which, we will resort to legal action and press criminal charges.” AsiaOne has contacted Rochore Tua Pek Kong and the police for more information. [[nid:725902]]chingshijie@asiaone.com

The Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) has taken Courts and Prism+ to task over unfair practices. In a media release on Monday (Dec 8), the consumer watchdog said that the two retailers of consumer electronics and home appliances have used website design features that mislead consumers. «Courts automatically added unsolicited items into consumers' shopping carts, while Prism+ used fake countdown timers and misleading stock indicators to pressure consumers into purchases,» CCS added. The agency said both retailers have since given an undertaking to CCS not to engage in unfair trade practices. Unsolicited items added to cart by CourtsCourts was found to have charged consumers for products they never selected. In one complaint raised by a consumer who selected an Apple iPad for purchase, an Acer vacuum cleaner was added to the consumer's checkout cart. This practice puts consumers at risk of unknowingly paying for the unsolicited items if they fail to notice and remove such items before checkout. 

Regular train services on the MRT's East-West Line (EWL) will resume from the start of passenger services on Monday (Dec 8), a day ahead of schedule, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA). In a Facebook post on Dec 7, LTA said that they have completed comprehensive testing, including safety and ultrasonic checks on the tracks, power supply, and train signalling systems. The checks and tests follow works over last weekend to remove the existing track, including trackside components, and laying new tracks to connect the EWL to the new East Coast Integrated Depot. Works had originally been planned to be completed by Monday, with normal services resuming by Dec 9. 

Passengers on a Pasir Ris-bound train on the MRT's East-West Line (EWL) were evacuated on Friday (Dec 5) after smoke was found emitting from a passenger's power bank.The incident was posted on XiaoHongShu by a user surnamed Liu. According to Liu, the train was at Tanjong Pagar MRT station when a passenger's power bank started to emit smoke.The commuter added that there were no flames or explosions.Another passenger pressed the emergency communication button and staff arrived swiftly to assist with the evacuation, with a new train arriving within five minutes of the incident.Liu shared that the incident was a «rare sight». It was also the first time Liu had witnessed the emergency communication button being activated. The commuter praised SMRT: «Accidents are inevitable but it matters that they were able to handle the incident swiftly and efficiently. The passengers also did not panic.»Responding to AsiaOne's queries, SMRT Trains President Lam Sheau Kai said that station staff responded immediately after the emergency communication button was activated on the train.

SINGAPORE - The police have issued 121 prohibition of disposal orders against vehicles registered under SRS Auto amid a multi-agency probe into possible money laundering activities in the car leasing business.The order blocks the sale and transfer of vehicles owned by the car leasing firm.Investigations had started in 2024, after police received financial intelligence from the Suspicious Transaction Reporting Office regarding Cambodian businessman Chen Zhi and his associates.The 38-year-old tycoon, who chairs real estate and financial services conglomerate Prince Group, was later indicted in the US on Oct 14, 2025, over alleged wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy, and for allegedly directing the operation of forced-labour scam compounds in Cambodia.The probe in Singapore involves the police and member agencies of the Anti-Money Laundering Case Coordination and Collaboration Network, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and intelligence agencies.The Straits Times understands that police investigators are speaking to a number of industry insiders, including Ms Chen Xiaoxuan.

The Albatross File — created, named and kept by Singapore's first Defence Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee — sheds new and never before published insights on the story of Singapore's separation from Malaysia on Aug 9, 1965.It contains cabinet papers, conversation records and handwritten notes detailing vividly, a «dramatic, blow-by-blow record» of how Singapore came to separate from Malaysia. Speaking at the launch of the Albatross File exhibition and a 488-page book titled The Albatross File: Inside Separation at the National Library along Victoria Street on Sunday (Dec 7), Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he decided, when he was prime minister, to declassify and publish the file. SM Lee said he also asked for the file to be published alongside relevant extracts from the oral histories of key participants involved in the separation, to bring together and put on public record a «full documented account» of the separation, which he describes as «a seminal event» in Singapore's independence journey. 

Two Gojek passengers who identified themselves as doctors have received praise for stopping to help the victim of a fatal accident after their driver drove past the scene.In a dashcam video shared in the Facebook group SG Road Vigilante on Saturday (Dec 6), paramedics can be seen attempting cardiopulmonary resuscitation on an individual laying on the road. A motorcycle can be seen laying on the side of the road.The two passengers can be heard in the video stating that they are doctors and able to help the victim. The driver then stops the car and allows them to do so.According to the caption, the video was allegedly provided by a Gojek driver, who was ferrying the two individuals from Tan Tock Seng Hospital to Bukit Batok.«[I would] like to compliment two doctors from TTSH,» the caption wrote. «It was close to 12 midnight and despite a tiring day at work, both doctors without any hesitation identify themselves as doctors and volunteered in helping.»The video has since received around 130,000 views and 1,600 reactions.