SINGAPORE — Some stubborn scam victims lost so much money to scams — despite advice from banks, police, friends and family members — that they asked the Government for financial assistance. But with the passing of the Protection from Scams Bill, the police will be able to control the bank accounts of such victims to prevent them from transferring money to scammers. The new law will give the police powers to issue restriction orders (ROs) to banks, which will then restrict the banking transactions of an individual's accounts. These include money transfers, the use of ATM facilities and all credit facilities, affecting even PayNow and in-person, over-the-counter transactions. The law was initially intended to deal with remote scams, such as overseas syndicates targeting victims through calls, social media and messaging channels. When the Bill was introduced in Parliament on Nov 11, 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had said the laws would not cover traditional cheating cases, such as those involving in-person interactions with errant renovation contractors or family members and friends.

SINGAPORE — Flick knives and knuckledusters will be added to the list of six regulated weapons in the first half of 2025 to safeguard public safety following several knife attacks in 2024. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) currently regulates the sale of daggers, swords, spears, spearheads, bayonets, and dangerous bows and arrows through the Arms and Explosives Act. On Jan 7, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling said in Parliament that this list will be expanded to include flick knives and knuckledusters when the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act is operationalised in the first half of 2025.  Sun was responding to questions from Dr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong GRC) and Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) on incidents relating to knife crimes and what the authorities were doing to protect Singaporeans. Their questions come after a priest was attacked at St Joseph's Church on Nov 9, 2024. Basnayake Keith Spencer, 37, allegedly approached Reverend Christopher Lee while the Catholic priest was giving communion and stabbed him in the mouth.

Both the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) and the People's Action Party (PAP) have alleged that the other party's volunteers harassed their own during a walkabout in Bukit Gombak. This comes after PSP member S Nallakaruppan gave an account of how he and other volunteers from his party were allegedly stalked and harassed throughout their walkabout in that area last Saturday (Jan 4). «They (PAP volunteers) said it's 'their territory' and they have a right to follow us,» Nallakaruppan wrote. «Whenever we managed to reach out to a resident, they quickly handed out their flyers as well. »It was really unprofessional of them to do so but we did not want to have any confrontation and went about doing our job." Nallakaruppan was a candidate for PSP in Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the 2020 elections.  The PAP volunteers also purportedly took photos and videos of them without their consent.

Singapore introduced legislation on Tuesday (Jan 7) to safeguard clans and business associations linked to racial groups against foreign interference. If passed, the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Bill will allow a «competent authority» to designate such organisations as «race-based entities». The organisations would then have to disclose foreign and anonymous donations, foreign affiliations and their leadership composition. The government can also impose a restraining order to stop an entity from accepting donations from a foreign principal, prohibit anonymous donations or require the entity to return or dispose of donations. In a media statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said: «Singapore is vulnerable to external actors exerting malicious foreign influence to exploit race or undermine our racial harmony, to achieve their agenda. Organisations that promote the interests of a racial group or sub-group are potential entry points for such influence.»

A 29-year-old construction worker died in hospital after being hit by a concrete pump hose at a worksite in Tengah last Thursday (Jan 2). The incident occurred at around 8.40pm at the construction site for Plantation Edge I and II, a Build-To-Order (BTO) project by the Housing Development Board (HDB). In response to AsiaOne's queries, Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that the Indian construction worker was carrying out casting works using a concrete pump truck when one of the truck's four outriggers punctured through the concrete ground it was sitting on. Outriggers are used to provide stability in construction equipment.  The machine subsequently tilted and the worker was struck by the pump hose. MOM said they are currently investigating the incident, and that «there must be no compromises on workplace safety at all times.» Construction firm in contact with victim's family Speaking to AsiaOne, HDB said that the worker was conveyed to Gleneagles Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Feeling uneasy after noticing a neighbour standing outside her home, a MacPherson resident decided to made a U-turn towards the lift. But the 82-year-old woman was chased down by the male neighbour instead, who attacked her in the lift of Block 62 Circuit Road at about 12.30pm on Sunday (Jan 5), reported 8world. Tearfully recounting the incident to 8world, the woman's daughter, surnamed Wu, said her mother was kicked in the chest and then to the ground, and her head had hit the floor. «My mum kept shouting for help, but no one dared to approach,» added the hairdresser.  CCTV footage show the man running after the elderly woman and into the lift, with the latter's shrieks captured in the video. The elderly woman managed to escape to the first floor, where other residents called the police and ambulance for help. Wu said her mother suffered multiple injuries from the assault. She vomited in hospital and experienced palpitations and was placed under observation. She told Lianhe Zaobao that she and her mother are currently renting the MacPherson flat and had moved in last July.

SINGAPORE - Members of the public are advised to stay calm and back away if they encounter a crocodile, after one such reptile was spotted near Yishun Dam. In response to a query from The Straits Times, National Parks Board (NParks) group director of wildlife management How Choon Beng said NParks was alerted to the crocodile sighting on Jan 6. A video posted on Instagram by @sgfollowsall on Jan 6 shows a crocodile swimming along and close to the edge of a canal near Yishun Dam. People can be seen walking by and sitting near the waterway. Mr How said the animal is likely to be an estuarine crocodile, also known as crocodylus porosus, which is known to be found in the Straits of Johor. The species is usually found in the water or on mudflats away from visitor routes. They feed mostly on fish but may also eat mammals, birds, and carrion or the carcass of dead animals. “We are monitoring the sighting and have placed advisory signs around the area to warn public to stay away from the water’s edge. “We have also shared advisories with kayaking operators and stakeholders to stay clear of the waters,” said Mr How.

SINGAPORE – Eight telemedicine providers have been or are currently being investigated for lapses in clinical care or inappropriate advertisements of services, said Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary in Parliament on Jan 7. Enforcement action has been taken against three of the providers, including MaNaDr Clinic, Dr Janil added. MaNaDr Clinic was found to have more than 100,000 teleconsultations that lasted one minute or less in a sampled month, among other lapses. The Ministry of Health (MOH) revoked the clinic’s licence on Dec 20, barring it from providing outpatient medical services. Responding to parliamentary questions on whether there are similar trends of unethical telehealth providers following the MaNaDr case, Dr Janil said that the eight telemedicine providers have been or are being investigated for non-compliances in two categories. The first is in clinical care, such as doctors issuing prescriptions and medical certificates without proper clinical assessment or not conducting video consultations for first-time patients.

SINGAPORE — Singapore and Malaysia have inked an agreement to create a new special economic zone for business and investment. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim on Jan 7 witnessed the exchange of the agreement for the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) at the 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Speaking at a joint press conference at the end of the two-day retreat, PM Wong said the JS-SEZ will create good jobs and more opportunities for the people of both countries. «When negotiating the agreement, both sides have actively engaged stakeholders to ensure that the JS-SEZ has the conditions to help our businesses grow together for the longer term,» said PM Wong. «So we are confident about the JS-SEZ, and we look forward to taking it forward.» There are many strengths that can be harnessed from both sides to make the zone a more competitive and attractive venue for businesses to operate from, said PM Wong. On Singapore's end, the authorities have engaged many businesses who are keen to do more out of Johor, he added.

A cyclist died after being hit by a bus at a zebra crossing near Jurong West. The accident occurred on Tuesday (Jan 7) at around 7.20am. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that the private bus, driven by a 44-year-old man, was turning from Pioneer Road North into a slip road along Jurong West Avenue 4. The bus hit and ran over the 61-year-old cyclist, killing him on the spot, Shin Min Daily News reported. The Singapore Civil Defence Force told AsiaOne that the cyclist was pronounced dead on the scene. A Shin Min reporter who visited the scene saw a blue police tent set up near the zebra crossing and an orange bus parked nearby. The bus driver was also being questioned by the police. A man surnamed Liang, who is in charge of the bus company involved in the accident, was also present at the scene. Liang told Shin Min said that the bus driver is from China, and is familiar with the traffic conditions in the area, having been with the company for five or six years. 

An 18-year-old woman has been arrested for her suspected involvement in a Chinese officials impersonation scam, the police said on Tuesday (Jan 7). On Jan 5 at about 11am, the police was alerted to the scam by the victim, an elderly woman. She suffered losses amounting to $290,000 after she was deceived by scammers who posed as Chinese officials and claimed her identity had been misused in China. Officers from the Anti-Scam Command, Woodlands Police Division and Police Operations Command Centre established the identity of the 18-year-old woman involved in the scam through follow-up investigations and arrested her within eight hours of the report. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect, a student on social visit pass, had fallen victim to the same scam. She was believed to have been manipulated into travelling to Singapore and assisting in the scam operations under the false belief that she was helping with official investigations, said the police.

Three new MRT stations in the north-western region of Singapore are slated to open by 2035, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Monday (Jan 6). The train stations, currently termed DE1, DE2 and NS6, are part of the Downtown Line 2 extension (DTL2e) and will begin construction in the fourth quarter of 2025. DTL2e will be a 4km stretch connecting the Downtown Line from its existing terminus at Bukit Panjang station to a new NS6/DE2 interchange station on the North-South Line, LTA said. DE1 will be an underground station located along Sungei Kadut Avenue near the Rail Corridor, in close proximity to Pang Sua Fishing Deck and Yew Tee Village. A new pedestrian link bridge will be built, extending from the station and connecting it to Pang Sua Park Connector. DE2, also an underground station, will be an interchange connected to the new above-ground NS6 station between Kranji and Yew Tee MRT stations. This interchange will be situated beside the Sungei Kadut Eco-District, which is undergoing developments aimed at rejuvenating the old industrial estate.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) suspended the licence of Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh restaurant at 251 Geylang Road for one day last Friday (Jan 3). The 60-year-old eatery accumulated 12 demerit points within a 12-month period and was fined $800 for failing to keep its premises free of infestation and failing to provide toilet paper and soap in its toilet. Also on Jan 3, Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh was one of 26 brands that received a Singapore Prestige Brand Award at the presentation ceremony where Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo was the guest of honour. The restaurant has been featured in several TikTok videos. Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh was not the only Geylang eatery suspended that day. SFA also suspended Kim San Leng Food Centre at 306 Geylang Road for one day on Jan 3. The coffee shop accumulated 12 demerit points within a 12-month period and was fined a total of $1,100 for failing to maintain sanitary fittings in good working condition and repair as well as failing to keep its toilet clean and in good repair.

An employee was caught on camera assaulting a co-worker at a Japanese restaurant in Suntec City. Stomp contributor Alai, the victim, shared a video of the incident that took place on Dec 22 at 10.15am. She said that her attacker had verbally abused her on two previous occasions. On the Sunday morning of the attack, only the two of them were working in the restaurant. «As I was doing my routine service opening, he suddenly shouted at me from the kitchen, asking why I didn't push 'my' kitchen pots trolley into his kitchen for him,» recounted the Stomp contributor. «I was like, 'my' kitchen pots trolley? Mine? Which was a red flag that his delusional sickness was coming because I didn't work in the kitchen. »Clearly that trolley's pots were under his responsibility. I tried to explain to him I was not the one and he kept shouting like mad. He came out to the food pick-up point and pushed me so hard that I flew.

SINGAPORE — Three teenagers who harassed a Singaporean couple who were taking videos in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung in Indonesia have apologised, putting an end to police investigations. The Indonesian police halted their probe into the case after the victim accepted an apology from the teens, CNN Indonesia reported on Sunday (Jan 5). «The victim has confirmed that she will not continue the legal process into the case as she saw the perpetrators had apologised on social media and thought this would serve as a lesson as the perpetrators are children,» said Bandung City police chief Budi Sartono, reported CNN Indonesia. The Jakarta Globe, citing the Indonesian police, said the teenagers were arrested on Jan 3, and have admitted to the Dec 29, 2024, encounter with the married couple. Two of the teenagers are reportedly minors, or under 17 years old. The Indonesian police on Jan 4 said one of the teenagers admitted to making inappropriate gestures and touching the woman, the report said. The other two have denied any involvement.

A man who recently found a lottery ticket with a $10,000 prize has handed it over to the police, hoping the owner will come claim it. On Dec 31, the man surnamed Wu was on board bus service 925 travelling towards Marsiling MRT station when he noticed three 4D tickets on a seat.  Wu noticed that one of the tickets had the winning number 6777 — the first prize of the Dec 29 draw. «I also buy 4D, so I'd pay special attention to the numbers drawn,» 70-year-old Wu told Shin Min Daily News.  "I remembered the first prize number of the day, that was how I realised the ticket had won a prize.” While he has a habit of picking up stray lottery tickets to look at them, but this is his first time finding a winning ticket. Wu said he wasn't able to identify the owner of the tickets that day as many passengers alighted the bus at the same time. Therefore, he handed the 4D ticket over to the police in Toa Payoh via the found property drop box on Jan 1.  Wu said he also made a report at a police station in Yew Tee on Jan 3, thinking that the owner might live near Marsiling.

SINGAPORE — A businessman and his former wife came up with a sham with the intention of reducing the value of his assets as he was going through a divorce with his current wife, a High Court judge has found. In August 2023, the former wife, Chiang Ai Ling, filed a $13.7 million lawsuit against Tan Kian Chye and his second wife, Ang Siew Yan. Ang had filed for divorce from Tan in December 2022. Chiang alleged that Tan had failed to pay her the sum in exchange for her transferring all her shares in his company to him. She claimed that he had orally agreed in 2015 to pay her 25 per cent of the proceeds from the sale of his company. Tan, who has a child with each woman, did not contest the lawsuit. But Ang contended that the purported 2015 agreement was a sham conceived by Chiang and Tan to reduce the assets liable for division in the ongoing divorce. In a written judgement issued on Dec 30, Justice Audrey Lim said the evidence showed that the purported agreement never existed and that the sham was conceived after Ang filed for divorce.

SINGAPORE – Lionesses forward Danelle Tan’s eagerly anticipated A-League Women debut lasted only about 20 minutes, but the drama and intensity have left her yearning for more. After missing Brisbane Roar’s first eight games of the season due to knee surgery, the 20-year-old Singaporean ran onto the Perry Park pitch to cheers from her father and many among the 3,612-strong crowd on Jan 4. Coming on for Evdokiya Popadinova in the 72nd minute, the No. 9 was involved in some attacking moves, and within seconds, she was celebrating with her teammates as Laini Freier opened the scoring against the visiting Canberra United with a neat finish into the bottom corner. But Emma Robers equalised in the 81st minute with a long-range effort before Michelle Heyman completed the comeback for Canberra seven minutes later despite suspicions of handball. With the defeat, the Roar missed the opportunity to leapfrog Melbourne City to the top of the 12-team league after nine games. On Jan 5, City extended their lead to four points after a 1-1 draw at bottom club Sydney FC, but have played a game more.

Extra-large eggs at the supermarket cost about $3 for six. But those sold at the back of trucks that drive into selected HDB carparks cost about $7 for a tray of 30. Residents in the central area of Singapore would wait for the egg truck every Thursday morning. When approached by Lianhe Zaobao, the seller told the reporter that the eggs were «local». As to their expiry date, the seller said «there is no specific deadline» and subsequently ignored the reporter's questions. One of the residents told the Chinese daily that his mother started buying the eggs from the back of the truck after neighbours told her the eggs were bigger and cheaper than those sold at the supermarket. «These eggs look and taste just like normal eggs, so I will eat them, but I still have doubts about where they came from,» said Mr Luo, who pointed out that the eggs had no barcode or stamp on the shell. Singapore Food Agency said all locally-produced and imported eggs must be stamped to ensure that the source can be traced in compliance with the food safety standards set by the authorities.

A fire broke out in a semi-detached house along East Coast Road on Sunday (Jan 5) and 35 people were evacuated as a result. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post on the same day that it was alerted to a fire at the three-storey house at 305 East Coast Road at 12.45am. Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters from the Kallang and Paya Lebar Fire Stations saw that flames had engulfed the first floor of the vacated house and were spreading to the upper floors. They immediately conducted forcible entry into the house, using two water jets to contain the fire, SCDF added. SCDF also deployed a combined platform ladder to conduct aerial firefighting. The fire was fully extinguished at around 3am. As a result of the fire, the upper floors of the house sustained smoke and burn damage, and an adjacent unit was also partially affected. About 35 residents from neighbouring units were evacuated as a precautionary measure. There were no reported injuries, said SCDF.

She was heading towards the MRT train to get home on New Year's Eve when she was allegedly punched in the head by a man in the same lift. The 68-year-old cleaner ended up in hospital for two days and was given nine days' medical leave. The woman, Saniya, had been working at the Supreme Court for four years and would take the MRT train from City Hall back home after work, Shin Min Daily News reported. On Dec 31 at about 4pm, Saniya was making her way home as usual and took the lift at the MRT station. In the lift with her was an elderly man who looked to be in his sixties, Shin Min reported. According to Saniya, the man had with him a big bag of items and stood beside her. «He was standing to my right and the bag touched my leg. He then suddenly raised his fist and punched me on the right side of my head,» Saniya told Shin Min. She added that the two did not engage in conversation prior to the incident, which was over in a flash.

She had accidentally left her carry-on luggage at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and only remembered it when she was already back in Singapore. When she returned to KL two days later, the bag was found thanks to a thorough five-hour search by airport police. The woman, identified as Wang Liyue (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that she had flown to Osaka, Japan to attend a conference in December. As she could not get a direct flight back to Singapore, she opted to fly to KL before returning home via car. Said Wang, who works in academic publishing in the field of biology: «After touching down at the airport on Dec 20, I had to go through two security checks. After passing through the first check, I was busy preparing for the second check.» As the driver of the vehicle was getting impatient, Wang hurriedly rushed out, bringing only her check-in luggage with her. «I believe my friend had helped me to carry my bag to the security checkpoint, hence after it was done I didn't take it with me,» said Wang. She only realised to her horror that her bag was missing once she returned home.

SINGAPORE – More help will be provided to Singaporeans in February, when the new Budget is announced. During a visit to Jalan Besar GRC on Jan 4, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said he knows that many Singaporeans are concerned about challenges such as the cost of living, and the Government is dealing with that head-on. On Jan 3, $300 worth of CDC vouchers was disbursed to every Singaporean household. PM Wong said: “I hope this will be a good start for you, and it will help you as you prepare for the year ahead. “We will continue to provide more help for Singaporeans. The Budget is coming next month.” He added: “So we will continue to look at schemes and programmes and ways in which we can provide more help for Singaporeans, for cost of living, for your daily concerns and, importantly, to help all of us realise our dreams and aspirations together.” With 2025 also marking the Republic’s diamond jubilee, or SG60, PM Wong said people can see how much Singapore has progressed, because everyone worked together, especially the Pioneer and Merdeka generations.

SINGAPORE - As a graphic designer, Mr Pow Jun Yang's lifelong dream was to stage his own art exhibition. This became an item on his bucket list, when the 31-year-old bachelor was told recently by doctors that he has about three months left to live. Diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in early 2023, he has since exhausted all treatment options, including several cycles of chemotherapy. He has stage 4 urachal cancer, which arises in the urachus or its remnants. The urachus connects the umbilical cord to the bladder in a foetus, and usually closes before birth. While shocked, Mr Pow initially thought he could overcome the cancer, given his young age. But all the cycles of chemotherapy and operations he underwent to tackle the cancer failed to bring good news. Around May 2024, his doctors told him that he probably had a lifespan of around six months left. He has since outlived those six months. «I just tell myself to take each day at a time,» he said. Around November, his doctors gave him a three-month prognosis. That spurred him into action - to try to turn his dream of holding an art exhibition into reality.