SINGAPORE — Singapore's key consumer price gauge rose 1.9 per cent in November on a yearly basis, lower than economists' forecasts and the smallest rise in nearly three years, official data showed on Monday. The core inflation rate — which excludes private road transport and accommodation costs — was lower than the 2.1 per cent forecast by a Reuters poll of economists and compared with a 2.1 per cent rise seen in October. It was the smallest rise since November 2021, when it climbed by 1.6 per cent. Headline inflation was 1.6 per cent in annual terms in November, lower than the 1.8 per cent expected in the poll. The Monetary Authority of Singapore had forecast core inflation to be around 2 per cent in the fourth quarter. Slowing inflation has created room for Singapore's central bank to ease monetary policy in January but analysts have said the MAS might wait until later in 2025 on the back of incoming US President Donald Trump's policies.

Buyers and ultimate beneficial owners of all landed residential property transactions, including those of good class bungalows (GCB), are required to disclose their identities and citizenship. «This is regardless of whether a caveat is lodged for the transaction, and regardless of whether the purchase is made by an individual, an entity, or through a vehicle such as a trust or company, including a shell company,» said the Ministry of Law on Monday (Dec 23). As part of the sale process for landed homes, including GCBs, the Singapore Land Authority requires buyers to declare their identities and citizenship when lodging the instrument of transfer at the Land Titles Registry, it added. The ministry was responding to media reports published two weeks ago. Bloomberg, The Edge Singapore, The Independent Singapore and The Online Citizen had reported that there are no publicly available government records of GCB sale transactions if caveats were not lodged.

Visitors planning to tour the National University of Singapore (NUS) campus will need to register and book tour slots from January 2025.  Each guided tour will last about an hour and this will take place during the peak period from Jan 13 to Feb 21, 2025. This is to effectively manage visitor traffic on campus during this peak period, said the university.  Singapore Tourism Board-licensed travel agents and tourist guides may choose to book a group tour guided by a NUS student ambassador or engage a registered student docent to give them a tour of the campus, said an NUS spokesman in response to queries from AsiaOne. Tourists who are not accompanied by a student ambassador or student docent will be asked to leave the premises. These tours will be conducted primarily in English and each group can accommodate between 20 to 40 visitors, according to the NUS website. «All tour groups will also need to submit their bus plate details prior to their visit, as part of the registration requirements,» said the spokesperson. 

SINGAPORE - The former chief executive and chief financial officer of Singapore Post (SingPost), who were both fired on Dec 21 over a whistleblower's report, said the reasons provided for their termination are without substantive grounds and that the process leading to the move was not conducted fairly. «It is our position that the termination is without merits, and was also procedurally unfair,» former CEO Vincent Phang and former CFO Vincent Yik said in an official statement sent to the media on Dec 23. They added: «We vigorously contest the termination of our employment, both on merits and on the grounds of procedural unfairness. »We categorically reject any suggestion that we were grossly negligent, had behaved inappropriately or had sought to misrepresent facts at any point." Mr Phang, Mr Yik and a third official, Mr Li Yu, who was CEO of an international business unit at the company, were terminated from employment with immediate effect on Dec 21 after investigations stemming from a whistleblower's report were concluded.

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has warned fans to avoid purchasing tickets from members of the public for the upcoming Asean Championship semi-final between Singapore and Vietnam. In a Facebook post on Sunday (Dec 22), FAS said that it is aware that tickets to the match, set to take place at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday (Dec 26), are currently being sold by members of the public. «FAS cannot guarantee the authenticity of tickets resold on social media and online shopping platforms,» it said, explaining that purchasing resold tickets may result in fans having invalid tickets. This would lead to them being denied entry and suffering financial loss.

Despite his best efforts to avoid becoming a victim of theft, a Singaporean man visiting Johor Bahru (JB) was allegedly pickpocketed while taking the bus. The man surnamed Chen, 72, lost $450 in cash as well as a credit card, which the thief used for transactions totalling about $800, reported Shin Min Daily News. The incident occurred at about 1pm last Thursday (Dec 19), when Chen and his friend were travelling from KSL City to City Square mall. He told the Chinese evening daily that he had sat at the rear end of the bus, next to a man believed to be in his 50s or 60s. «At that time, the man kept twisting his body, but I didn't pay much attention to him, and didn't feel him touch me,» Chen recalled, adding that the man alighted before they reached City Square mall. Chen only discovered the loss at about 6pm when he took out his wallet to calculate his expenses. He contacted his bank, which informed him of the $800 transactions and helped block his card. He also lodged a police report. The Singaporean added that the thief had not touched the RM200 (S$60) in his wallet.

The harsh heat did little to deter the will of some 1,000 Singapore football fans at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (Dec 22).  Armed with foldable chairs, umbrellas and the company of their friends and families, those in queue waited orderly and patiently for a chance to secure the nearly 6,000 tickets available for the Asean Championship semi-final.  Some came as early as 8am - four hours ahead of the start of ticketing sales at noon.  Lau, who is in his 50s, was one of them. He was joined by his two sons and a friend.  Speaking to AsiaOne, Lau said that the current Singapore football team under Japanese coach Tsutomu Ogura “is more adventurous in play and makes more attacks”. The Lions supporter described Singapore’s late 4-2 loss to Thailand on Tuesday (Dec 17) as “valiant” and hopes that the Lions will now go on to make it to the final. 

The harsh heat did little to deter the will of some 1,000 Singapore football fans at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (Dec 22).  Armed with foldable chairs, umbrellas and the company of their friends and families, those in queue waited orderly and patiently for a chance to secure the nearly 6,000 tickets available.  Some came as early as 8am - four hours ahead of the start of ticketing sales at noon.  Mr Lau, who is in his 50s, was one of them. He was joined by his two sons and a friend.  Speaking to AsiaOne, Lau said that the current Singapore football team under Japanese coach Tsutomu Ogura “is more adventurous in play and makes more attacks”. The Singapore football (Lions) supporter described Singapore’s late 2-4 loss to Thailand on Tuesday (Dec 17) as “valiant” and hopes that the Lions will now go on to make it to the finals. 

Over the past three weeks, residents staying at Blocks 251 to 254 Hougang Ave 3 have been complaining about a foul stench caused by dead rats in the estate.  A resident who stays on the ground floor of Block 254 told Mothership that he saw rats scurrying into his home on Dec 5. He also spotted some rat dead rats on the road and in the drain near the block.  According to him, the carcasses looked like they'd been run over by cars or eaten by cats, as they were covered in blood with their organs exposed. Because the carcasses were left in the estate for several days, they emitted a stench which affected him and his family. In view of the incident, the Aljunied-Hougang town council (AHTC) told Shin Min Daily News that excavation works conducted by PUB likely caused the migration of rats.  The town council added that the dead rats were the result of burrow treatments. It has since increased the frequency of inspections to monitor the rodent situation.  AHTC's pest control operator has also been carrying out site inspections and treatment. 

Scalpers have been selling appointment dates for foreigners here to convert their driving licences for an average price of $350, Lianhe Zaobao reported on Sunday (Dec 22). According to Zaobao, some individuals are believed to have exploited a loophole in the online system to book multiple appointment time slots, leading to a waiting time that has extended beyond six months. The Traffic Police had announced in April the launch of an online appointment system from April 29, in a move towards the digitalisation of certain services. Applications for the conversion of foreign driving licence are now processed via FormSG, and the entire process is expected to take about six weeks. However, one user of the service told Zaobao that when he tried to convert his driving licence some time back, the closest appointment time he could get was for May 2025. The programmer, surnamed Cai, stated: «A friend later told me that many scalpers have been illegally reselling appointment slots online, and you can book a time slot at a closer date for $400.»

The family of the woman who died in a car accident in Taiwan has yet to pick up her body, citing financial and logistical difficulties.  The 33-year-old woman died on Dec 14, after her husband crashed their rental car into a power pole on a highway. They were in Taiwan for a holiday with their three-year-old daughter.  Her husband, a 36-year-old Singaporean, and the girl escaped with minor injuries, but the woman was stuck in the rear seat and eventually succumbed to her injuries.  A family friend of the woman told 8world that her family lives in a remote village in Guangdong, China.  «I heard that her family wanted to fly [to Taiwan] as soon as possible, but they were unable to afford tickets, and they were still trying to settle some administrative matters,» said the family friend.  They are also receiving help from the relevant authorities. 

A Foodpanda deliveryman was caught stealing a customer's food with the help of an accomplice - believed to be his friend.  The incident, which happened on Dec 17, was caught by the customer's CCTV camera, and the footage was posted on Beh Chia Lor's Facebook page.  The location where the incident took place was undisclosed.  In the video, the young male rider was seen hanging the plastic bag on the customer's gate and taking a picture of the item as proof.  A second male individual standing beside him subsequently grabbed the bag and the pair quickly fled the scene, after seemingly being startled by a noise coming from inside the house. In response to AsiaOne's queries, a spokesperson from Foodpanda said they have suspended the delivery rider's account following investigations into the incident.  «Foodpanda does not condone any unlawful behaviour, and appropriate action will be taken against offending delivery partners,» added the spokesperson. 

About 20 cats are believed to have been abandoned in a flat filled with garbage. Netizen Deng shared in a Facebook group on Dec 19 that a resident of 147 Bedok Reservoir Road had found a dead kitten at the foot of the block. On the same night of Dec 16, Deng found a gray kitten curled up behind a pillar. «When I took the injured kitten to the vet, I found out that it had fallen from a height,» she revealed, adding that it was not the first time cats were found at the foot of the block - one was found dead on Dec 11. Deng and a few others went floor by floor to search for the unit the cats could have jumped from. They also notified NParks and SPCA. «While I was waiting for the authorities to come and take the cats away for investigation, another cat fell in front of me and blood was coming out of its mouth,» said Deng. She looked up and saw two other cats sitting on a window sill. The authorities, with the help of a locksmith, gained access to the flat, which was in a deplorable condition. The living room was filled with garbage, the floor covered with faeces and urine. There were cats in the flat.

SINGAPORE - A little blue card, with his name and a few numbers that say who he is and where he lives. To Ricqo Rafiezuwan, a 25-year-old whom The Straits Times featured in September in an article about stateless individuals and the challenges they face, the blue identity card he now guards jealously is more than just a document. He said it confirms he is no longer someone without an identity. As he spoke to ST on Dec 18, Rafiezuwan proudly held up his blue identity card. There it was - his name in big, bold letters. «I cannot believe that I am holding this. I look at it and think, wow, is this real? »Because this is what I have wanted for a very long time, for 25 years," said Rafiezuwan, fighting to hold back his tears. After the photographer was done taking pictures of him holding up the card, Rafiezuwan wiped it with his hands and returned it to his wallet. He slid the wallet into his back pocket, and gave that a gentle pat. His card was safe. Rafiezuwan said he will not forget the day he received the news that he had been granted permanent residency status.

SINGAPORE - The first signs surfaced in February 2024, but 24-year-old Chee Ming Heng, who was healthy and fit, quickly dismissed them. On his first day of work experience on Feb 8, he realised that he struggled to write his name on the time sheet, said the student at LaSalle College of the Arts. «I could hold the pen but I could not find a way to write (my name). It was very mentally tortuous to write it.» He eventually managed to do so, but his writing was a lot more closely strung together than his usual style. It was strange, but he did not think much of it. A day earlier, he had already felt some weakness in his right hand. He also had to miss his family reunion dinner four days earlier because he was unwell. When Chinese New Year rolled around on Feb 10, he went visiting and realised he had difficulty holding cutlery. The next day, he visited a general practitioner, but did not get a referral letter to see a hospital specialist. On Feb 12, his family members noticed that the right side of his face was drooping slightly when they gathered for a family photo.

SINGAPORE - A little blue card, with his name and a few numbers that say who he is and where he lives. To Ricqo Rafiezuwan, a 25-year-old whom The Straits Times featured in September in an article about stateless individuals and the challenges they face, the blue identity card he now guards jealously is more than just a document. He said it confirms he is no longer someone without an identity. As he spoke to ST on Dec 18, Rafiezuwan proudly held up his blue identity card. There it was - his name in big, bold letters. «I cannot believe that I am holding this. I look at it and think, wow, is this real? »Because this is what I have wanted for a very long time, for 25 years," said Rafiezuwan, fighting to hold back his tears. After the photographer was done taking pictures of him holding up the card, Rafiezuwan wiped it with his hands and returned it to his wallet. He slid the wallet into his back pocket, and gave that a gentle pat. His card was safe. Rafiezuwan said he will not forget the day he received the news that he had been granted permanent residency status.

Two HDB flats in the quiet neighbourhoods of Bukit Batok and Choa Chu Kang hid a shocking secret. They were allegedly being used by tenants to offer sexual services, which were promoted and arranged via online messaging apps. In an operation that took place on Dec 5, officers from the Jurong Police Division raided the two units simultaneously. AsiaOne was among the media invited to visit the two scenes, where officers arrested four suspects and found various items such as baby oil, wet wipes as well as a stash of condoms. The police were alerted to suspicious activity in these units via multiple calls and reports. The shoebox containing the hidden camera at the unit along Choa Chu Kang Street 52. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Danial Zahrin At the first flat, located along Choa Chu Kang Street 52, a surveillance camera was concealed in a shoebox placed on a rack outside the flat.

A bus in Rovaniemi, Finland carrying 29 tourists from Singapore tour group Chan Brothers was involved in an accident on Thursday (Dec 19). The incident occurred at around 1pm local time (7pm Singapore time) when the tour bus collided head-on with a minibus, reported Lianhe Zaobao on Dec 19. A total of 37 people, mainly from Singapore and China, were taken to the hospital, said the Finnish police.  Out of the 37, 31 needed further medical assessment.  Two people — the minibus driver and a passenger — died at the scene.  Several of the tourists from Singapore, who had begun their tour on December 11, sustained minor injuries. After being examined at the hospital, they were discharged and continued with the final two days of their tour, reported Zaobao. The Chan Brothers tour group were on a 13-day, 10-night Lapland Northern Lights and Lofoten Islands tour. The tour group members had been wearing seat belts at the time of the accident. According to footage released by Finnish media, the front of the tour bus was severely damaged and the windshield was broken. On the other hand, the minibus was mangled. 

Passengers of a Vietjet flight bound for Hanoi, Vietnam faced a gruelling ordeal at Changi Airport's Terminal 4 on Dec 19, as the flight was reportedly ultimately cancelled after nearly five hours of delays. One of the passengers, Stomp contributor Benjamin, shared with Stomp that flight VJ916 was originally scheduled to depart at 2.55pm. According to the Stomp contributor, passengers were informed of delays hourly, with each update offering no clear information on when the flight would depart. In response to the extended wait, passengers were offered a light bite from Texas Chicken. By 7pm, frustrated passengers demanded answers from airline staff, only to be told at 7.45pm that the flight would not be operating at all. Benjamin said the reason cited for the disruption was a «technical issue». Ground staff and mechanics were observed working on the aircraft during the delay, but no further details about the issue were provided. According to FlightAware, VietJet Air flight VJ916 operates daily from Singapore to Hanoi, but no flight was recorded on Dec 19.

SINGAPORE - Individuals whose full NRIC numbers were exposed on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority's (Acra) database earlier in December face potential cyber-security risks, as organisations frequently rely on NRIC numbers to retrieve personal information. Checks by The Straits Times also found that NRIC numbers can serve as a key to collecting information about individuals, which can be used for targeted scams or mischief. Cyber-security experts cautioned that NRIC numbers can be used by bad actors to trick victims into believing they are authority figures or to commit crime. The exposed NRIC numbers can also be used to collect further information for scams. The experts said the risks highlight how an NRIC number in the wrong hands can pose risks to individuals, who need to be vigilant against scams, even as changes in how NRIC numbers are used in the private sector are afoot.

Upon their release on Dec 16, miniature Grab uniforms for Labubu dolls were snatched up within minutes and were being resold at up to 10 times the price. The uniform set, originally priced at $29.90, includes a shirt, pants, and Grab delivery backpack. It was being sold as part of an initiative inspired by delivery riders who frequently bring plush toys on their bikes, reported MS News earlier in December. Just 50 sets were put up for sale that day on GrabFood Gear, a platform for Grab delivery partners, and they were sold out within eight minutes, a Grab spokesperson told the media outlet. On Thursday (19 Dec), the miniature Grab uniform was reportedly being listed at significantly marked up prices on Carousell with one such listing asking for $288. The other listings were asking for $168 and $99 respectively. On Friday, these listings were either removed or had their prices reduced. The set previously being sold for $288 had its price reportedly slashed by more than half to $138.

BUKIT JALIL - They were the lower-ranked underdogs playing in their archrivals' den, but the defiant Lions secured an outstanding 0-0 draw in Malaysia on Dec 20 to qualify for the ASEAN Championship semi-finals. In the last four, Group A runners-up Singapore will meet the Group B winners who will be decided among Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar on Dec 21. The Lions will host the first leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Dec 26 before playing the second leg away on Dec 29. Meanwhile, Group A winners Thailand, who beat Cambodia 3-2 in Bangkok, will play the Group B runners-up away on Dec 27 and at home on Dec 30. In front of 31,127 fans at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, the Tigers threw the proverbial kitchen sink at world No. 160 Singapore, but Lions goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud would not be beaten, as his teammates also defended resolutely. The 34-year-old said: «It was a mature performance and everybody worked hard. This is a tough place to come to, in front of more than 30,000 fans. We stood our ground and I'm so proud of the boys.»