The brother of renowned local food critic KF Seetoh was killed and his 52-year-old Taiwanese wife missing following an explosion at their villa in Tuscany, Italy, on Saturday (Dec 21). Singaporean Seetoh Kwok Meng, 68, was with his wife Chang Kai En at his villa in the Italian town of Molazzana when the tragedy occurred shortly before midnight.  The couple had reportedly just returned home after having dinner with friends. Seetoh's body was found under the rubble outside his house at 9:40am on Sunday, while the search for his missing wife is currently ongoing. According to local news outlet Corriere Fiorentino, dozens of people, including firefighters and 118 volunteers, rushed to the scene to assist.  

Local banks OCBC and UOB will be giving one-off payments to their junior staff to help them cope with the cost-of-living pressures. In a media release on Monday (Dec 23), OCBC announced that about 4,000 Singapore-based junior employees across OCBC and its subsidiaries will receive a payout of $1,000 each. These employees comprise about 40 per cent of the group's workforce in Singapore. The initiative is part of an estimated $7.5 million plan to help close to 11,000 employees across the bank and its subsidiaries across 17 markets cope with cost-of-living pressures. The staff will receive the amount from February to April 2025. For staff outside Singapore, the support amount takes into consideration the respective local market conditions. This is the second one-off payout that the bank has provided to junior staff members. OCBC's head of group human resources Lee Hwee Boon said although inflation is expected to moderate in 2025, the bank acknowledges that cost-of-living concerns persist.

Two new ride-hail service operators — Geo Lah and Trans-cab Services — will enter the Singapore market in 2025. The news comes as licensed operators of point-to-point (P2P) transport services were announced by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Monday (Dec 23), ahead of rule updates to the sector that come into force in 2025. LTA said that Geo Lah and Trans-cab Services will be awarded one-year provisional licences. This will allow the operators to fine-tune their operational capabilities to meet regulatory standards for safety and service provision before they are considered for a full Ride-Hail Service Operator Licence, said the regulator. Existing licencees, including major players in ride-hailing and taxis, will have their respective licences renewed. More details on the updates were also revealed, which include less stringent requirements in obtaining a taxi driver's vocational licence and a move to help drivers compare trip data across various platforms. Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Twelve people were arrested during an island-wide police enforcement operation against drink driving which took place between last Friday (Dec 20) night and early Saturday morning.  This operation involved roadblocks set up on expressways, the first time this was done in over 10 years, said the police in a statement on Tuesday (Dec 24). Ten men and a woman, aged between 31 and 58, were arrested for drink driving, said the police. Among them, the highest Breath Evidential Analyser result was 60 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath - close to twice the prescribed legal limit of 35 micrograms.  Police officers conducting a breathalyser test on a motorist. PHOTO: Singapore Police Force On top of his drink driving offence, a 45-year-old man was also apprehended for driving while under disqualification. 

SINGAPORE - Singapore Post's dismissal of three senior executives, including its group chief executive and group chief financial officer, is unprecedented for a major Singapore-listed company, and highlights the importance of corporate governance, analysts said. However, the company's handling of the whistle-blower's report that led to these dismissals has also left shareholders with unresolved questions. For example, details have not been provided on when the board received the whistle-blower's report and what safeguards were put in place while investigations took place. Disclosures surrounding the terminations are «insufficiently clear» to SingPost shareholders at this point, said Mr David Gerald, president and chief executive of the Securities Investors Association (Singapore), or Sias. SingPost's latest annual report for the 2024 financial year also did not specifically mention the whistle-blowing issue.

SINGAPORE - A 21-year-old man has been arrested for his suspected involvement in a case of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons. The police said they received a call for assistance at 214 Marsiling Lane on Dec 22 at about 10.35pm. According to preliminary investigations, the suspect purportedly got into a dispute with a 25-year-old male victim, and had allegedly used a Swiss army knife to attack him. The suspect was eventually detained by two passers-by and subsequently arrested by the police. The victim is believed to be a GrabFood delivery rider. In a Facebook post on December 23, user Daniel Redha recounted how his younger brother, a GrabFood delivery rider, was attacked the night before at 214 Marsiling Lane following a dispute with a customer over whether the change could be transferred via Paynow, instead of being given in cash as requested. Speaking to The Straits Times, Daniel said his brother met the customer at the lift lobby as no unit number was stated in the delivery address.

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. 

A 69-year-old man died in hospital on Sunday (Dec 22) following an alleged fight with his 71-year-old neighbour. The deceased was identified as Cai Jintong (transliteration) by Shin Min Daily News, which reported that both parties had an argument on the ground floor of Block 805 King George's Avenue that morning. According to Shin Min, Cai had visited the neighbour's flat while armed with a pole as he was unhappy that the latter did not apologise earlier. The two started fighting, with the neighbour allegedly armed with a knife. Cai was injured in the fight and headed downstairs, where he reportedly lost consciousness at the lift lobby. He is believed to have a heart condition, reported Shin Min. The police told AsiaOne they attended to the incident at about 11.35am that day. Preliminary investigations revealed that a 69-year-old man and a 71-year-old man had gotten into a dispute and allegedly fought with each other. The younger man was conveyed unconscious to the hospital, where he subsequently died.

When Singapore secured a spot in the Asean Championship semi-finals after drawing with Malaysia on Dec 20, not all fans present at the match were thrilled at the result. A particular group believed to be supporters of Malaysia's football team seemingly took a photo after the match while holding Singapore's flag upside down. Various versions of the picture were shared across social media platforms and drew significant criticism from Singaporeans. One such picture posted to TikTok on Dec 21 shows about 30 to 40 people posing while holding two Singapore flags upside down. A zoomed-in version of the same photo was also posted on Reddit. It shows multiple men flashing their middle fingers next to the flag. A banner next to the flags, also being held upside down, reads «Singapore». Many Singaporean netizens expressed their anger, stating that the photo was disrespectful to Singapore and its national flag.

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.