Entire neighbourhoods in California have been levelled after wildfires tore through parts of Los Angeles since last Tuesday (Jan 7). According to ABC News on Sunday, it is estimated that the fires could be the costliest in US history, destroying more than 12,000 structures, including multimillion-dollar properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars. One Singaporean woman living in the US has also expressed fear that her family's beachfront mansion in Malibu is among the many homes that have been incinerated by the fire. The 39-year-old homemaker, Zeng Xiangting (transliteration), currently lives in West Los Angeles with her husband and children, reported Shin Min Daily News. She shared that while they remain safe from the wildfires for now, their holiday home overlooking Malibu beach is unlikely to have survived the fire. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, she shared that the house is usually used by her mother-in-law to conduct tea ceremony classes.

SINGAPORE - It was an ordinary day at work for assistant station manager Husri Hussein on Jan 3, until he received an alert on his walkie-talkie at 1.45pm that the emergency communication button had been activated on a train pulling into Dover station. With no other information, Mr Husri and Mr Tan Tuck Yong, senior station manager at Dover station, swiftly boarded the train, where they spotted a young man shouting «mummy not picking up» in agitation and slamming his hands on the seats next to him. The other passengers were either moving away from the cabin or staring at the young man in fear, observed Mr Husri, 40. As the father of a child with special needs, the scene was all too familiar to Mr Husri. His 10-year-old son, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also shows his anxiety through actions whenever his daily routine is disrupted. The assistant station manager knew he had to approach the young man gently, so he sat next to him and was quiet for close to 30 seconds to give him time to cool down.

SINGAPORE - The weekend plans of many were scuppered by incessant rain that began early on Jan 10 and continued well into Jan 11 - including travel plans. More than 50 Singapore Airlines flights over the two days were delayed or re-timed due to the inclement weather, said a spokesman for the national carrier. At the Aloha Sea Sports Centre in East Coast Park, where water-sports lovers go to stand-up paddle and windsurf, weekends are usually the busiest, but the constant showers led to 10 cancellations for bookings on both Jan 11 and 12, said general manager Loh Fock Jin. He said on Jan 11: «We've had totally zero business. »It's a very unusual season - the north-east monsoon should be entering a dry spell around this time and we should be getting strong trade winds. «Things are getting unpredictable.» The unseasonably wet weather is the product of a monsoon surge - a sudden increase in wind speeds that causes cold air to rush southwards in the South China Sea.

Exhaustion from long working hours is a common complaint among many. But imagine working over 15 hours a day, with only one rest day a month. This was the reality for domestic helper Ria (name changed to preserve anonymity) whose work day begins pre-dawn at 5.30am and ends at 11pm. The gruelling cycle repeats a few hours later. On Jan 5, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) posted a photo Ria shared with them — her detailed daily work schedule. Based on the photo, Ria's daily chores include sweeping and mopping the car park, preparing food for her employers and clearing the rubbish among others.

SINGAPORE - The home addresses of about 80 people were changed online without their knowledge, after scammers had obtained their NRIC and Singpass details. Scammers had used compromised Singpass accounts to circumvent several security safeguards in the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's (ICA) change of address system. Initially, only several cases were reported in 2024. But they've increased recently, and it appears this is one method for crime syndicates to gain access to and control the victims' Singpass accounts. On Saturday (Jan 11), ICA said it started investigating cases of unauthorised changes of residential addresses in September 2024. All NRIC holders are required to report a change of address within 28 days of moving into a new residence, whether it is located in or outside Singapore. Anyone who reports a false residential address can be fined up to $3,000, jailed for two years, or both. It is also an offence if a user does not fix the new address sticker to the NRIC.

One lucky punter returned to the «source» of her good fortune, this time with even greater grandeur, after her prayers were answered. During a ceremony on Thursday (Jan 9) to express gratitude for winning $130,000 in the Toto New Year Draw, the woman prayed in front of the Erawan Shrine in a store at People's Park Centre in Chinatown. She also hired four traditional Thai dancers, with their 10-minute performance attracting several curious passers-by, who took photos with their mobile phones, reported Shin Min Daily News. The lucky winner, who declined to give her name, said that she had arranged for the dancers after learning that it is a practice punters would do to give thanks after winning the lottery. Photos were also shared on the store's Facebook page that same day, showing the traditional dancers performing before the store's entrance surrounded by a small crowd. There were also photos of a shrine with a cheque worth more than $130,000. She first started buying lottery tickets five years ago on a whim or whenever there was a large prize up for grabs.

Malware scams involving phishing links sent through messaging platform WhatsApp have led to at least $625,000 in losses since last December. Giving the figures in a news release on Friday (Jan 10), the Singapore Police Force said at least 82 cases of such scams have been reported. The victims fell into a recent type of scam when they responded to fraudulent advertisements promoting travel and cleaning services on Facebook or TikTok. After leaving their contact details to indicate their interest, scammers would contact them through WhatsApp to request for a $5 payment as «membership fee or an upfront deposit» made through a phishing link. The victims would key in their credit or debit card details and encounter payment issues. Scammers would then instruct them to download a malicious application in an Android package kit (APK) file format through WhatsApp to 'resolve' the payment issues. The malware, once downloaded, would allow scammers to steal sensitive information such as SMS one-time passwords.

SINGAPORE — A married couple and their teenage daughter lived in the five-room flat in Hougang that was engulfed in flames on Jan 9. The fire broke out at about 12.40pm in the third-floor unit of Block 971 Hougang Street 91. The occupants of the flat were Lee Choon Geak, 62; his wife, Seow Siew Choo, 56; and their teenage daughter. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded and arrived at the scene in eight minutes from the time they were alerted. Firefighters had to force their way into the unit, but faced challenges because of the excessive amount of items and heavily smoke-logged condition inside. The Straits Times understands that only Lee's body has been identified so far, as the bodies of the other victims suffered significant burns. According to records, Lee married Seow in 1992 and the family moved into the flat in 2019. Neighbours said the flat was cluttered, and the family owned several pets, including a cat, a bird and rabbits, causing a stench along the corridor. They said the family would often bring home a mix of items and leave them outside the unit.

SINGAPORE — The teenager involved in a motorcycle chase that led to the death of a Land Transport Authority (LTA) officer in 2024 has pleaded guilty to various charges. Through his lawyer, the offender, now 19, also apologised to the family of the officer and retracted an earlier statement that he made saying he was «not to be blamed» for the officer's death. On Friday (Jan 10), the teen admitted to six charges, including riding a motorcycle in a dangerous manner and drug consumption. Seven other charges will be taken into consideration during his sentencing on Jan 23. The teen cannot be named, as he was 17 years old when he consumed methamphetamine. Those below 18 are protected under the Children and Young Persons Act. On June 4, 2024, the teen illegally rode a motorcycle along the Seletar Expressway in a dangerous manner to evade LTA enforcement officer Zdulfika Ahakasah, 26, who had ordered him to stop. Zdulfika crashed his motorcycle while chasing the teen and subsequently died in hospital.

Four years ago, Xander Lee experienced a meltdown while sitting for a PSLE paper and left the examination hall without completing it. Xander, who was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) when he was nine, was disappointed with his PSLE results. On Friday (Jan 10), however, the 16-year-old roared with delight upon collecting his O-level result slip at Zhonghua Secondary School, exclaiming it to be «way better than expected». The teen achieved an EL1R2B2 score of 11, confirming his spot in Ngee Ann Polytechnic's Film, Sound & Video diploma course which he had secured through the Early Admissions Exercise. Entering Zhonghua Secondary via the Normal (Academic) stream, Xander told AsiaOne he initially faced difficulties in adapting to the new environment and «easily» gave in to impulsive thoughts. With ADHD, Xander struggled to stay focused in class and was hyperactive, while his ODD manifested in frequent bouts of anger and defiance against authority and often led to meltdowns.

Singapore experienced its hottest year in 2024, tied with 2019 and 2016, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Friday (Jan 10). According to MSS' Singapore Climate 2024: The Year in Numbers report, all months recorded temperatures that were equal to or above their respective long-term averages.  Long-term average refers to the average temperature between 1991 and 2020, while MSS's temperature records date back to 1929. April was the warmest month in 2024 with a mean temperature of 29.4 degrees Celsius. It was also the warmest April on record, tied with 2016. It was closely followed by July which had a mean temperature of 29.3 degrees Celsius.

Three residents were found dead after a fire broke out in an Hougang HDB flat on Thursday (Jan 9). The fire occurred in a third floor unit of Block 971 Hougang Street 91 at around 12.40pm, according to a Facebook post by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). Firefighters from Sengkang Fire Station and Ang Mo Kio Fire Station were deployed and conducted forcible entry into the unit but faced difficulties due to excessive items within the unit, SCDF added.  Around 30 residents in the affected block were evacuated by the police and SCDF during firefighting operations as a precautionary measure. Three residents were found inside a bedroom during the firefighting efforts and were pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic. Firefighters used three water jets and a firefighting robot to extinguish the fire. According to the SCDF, the fire was put out at about 3.15pm. A cat, a bird and eight rabbits were also rescued from the unit.

Whether it's jetting off for a trip across the globe or a short getaway nearby, Singaporeans enjoy the luxury of travelling without much worry about getting a visa, thanks to the strength of our passport.  Singapore has yet again emerged strongly, having the world's most powerful passport according to the 2025 Henley Passport Index. This is the second year in a row that Singapore has clinched the top spot since 2024. For those who aren't familiar, the Henley Passport Index is compiled by global citizenship and advisory firm Henley & Partners based on the number of visa-free destinations the passport holders has access to. It includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.  Based on the index's latest rankings released this Wednesday (Jan 8), Singapore currently ranks number one — with visa-free access to 195 travel destinations.  In January 2024, Singapore also ranked first but alongside France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain with visa-free access to 194 destinations.

SINGAPORE - A senior concierge, accused of misappropriating nearly $47,700 in cash earlier collected from a condominium's residents, is also said to have stolen valuables worth over $2 million from a unit at the same property. Eric Lim Jin Rong, 31, who appeared in a district court on Thursday (Jan 9), is accused of one count each of criminal breach of trust and theft. Between December 2023 and June 2024, the Singaporean allegedly misappropriated the money received from residents of the Hilltops condominium in Cairnhill Circle. Court documents stated that the money was meant for condominium-related purposes such as management fees and security deposits. Separately, Lim is also said to have stolen more than $2 million worth of valuables from a unit at the same property on June 4, 2024. They included a Patek Philippe watch worth $1.8 million. His pre-trial conference will be held on Jan 16. If convicted of theft, he can be jailed for up to seven years and fined. Offenders convicted of criminal breach of trust can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined.

Starting Thursday (Jan 9), FairPrice Group will freeze the prices of popular festive essentials across all its supermarkets for the upcoming Chinese New Year. Prices of 15 popular food items such as Chinese pomfret, red grouper, tiger prawns, pork spare ribs and yuan xiao bai cabbage will be locked during the festive period to keep them affordable, said FairPrice Group (FPG).  FPG told AsiaOne that the price freeze will run throughout the festive period from Jan 9 to Feb 12, the last day of Chinese New Year.  The price freeze is coupled with discounts on selected fresh vegetables to keep prices within reach for customers during the festive season, said FPG. Some vegetables on discount are the enoki mushrooms, which will be sold for 45 cents a pack. They typically cost about 80 cents at wet markets, according to FPG's market survey.  Surveys conducted by FPG between Jan 2 and Jan 7 showed that prices for seafood and pork were around 20 to 30 per cent higher than those at FairPrice stores.

A dog died after it was allegedly thrown off a HDB block on Tuesday (Jan 7) evening.  The incident occurred at around 6pm at Block 764 Jurong West Street 74, reported Shin Min Daily News. When reporters arrived at around 8pm, a police cordon had been set up at the foot of the block.  Two men were seen removing the dog's carcass from the scene.  There was a pool of blood on the ground where the dog was believed to have landed, next to some clothes pegs and clothing.  According to Shin Min, the dog was a brown, medium-sized breed. A pool of blood was left at the scene with clothes pegs and some clothing strewn around. PHOTO: Shin Min Daily News A resident surnamed Lin, 36, told Shin Min he heard a loud noise outside his home. When he looked out of the window, he saw the dog laying on the ground. 

Parliament on Wednesday (Jan 8) passed a Bill to protect workers against discrimination following a debate that spanned two days. Manpower minister Tan See Leng said in his opening speech on Tuesday that the Workplace Fairness Bill covers jobseekers and employers under five «protected characteristics». These are: age; nationality; sex, marital status, pregnancy status and caregiving responsibilities; race, religion and language; and disability and mental health conditions. But over the course of two days, several MPs, who supported the Bill, questioned why discrimination against workers on the grounds of gender identity and sexual orientation was excluded. «What message are we sending? Are we telling the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) people that they are not protected from workplace discrimination?» asked People's Action Party MP Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC). «Are we telling employers that it is okay to discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation and gender identity?»

«Employees are a company's most valuable assets, much like raw jadeite freshly unearthed from the ground. With the right guidance and continuous development, they can be shaped and polished into brilliant, unique, and highly valued gems.,» said Ho Nai Chuen, managing director of On Cheong Jewellery. «I see myself as the tool that helps them unlock their potential, providing the finishing touches so they can truly shine», Ho, who is currently in his 60s, added. On Cheong Jewellery is one of Singapore's oldest jewellers, with a longstanding history of 88 years and counting. The hallmark of On Cheong Jewellery is jadeite, a rare gemstone that can be forged into rings, pendants, and other intricate pieces of jewellery. https://www.facebook.com/asiaonecom/videos/1586645058624763 Ho, who holds a degree in accountancy, first joined the company as a director in charge of On Cheong's HR and finance aspects in 1982.

They wanted to take a break for the holidays, but so did their luggage - quite literally. A Singapore traveller was shocked to find her sister's luggage severely damaged after a family trip from Singapore to Japan last year, according to a string of Facebook posts between Dec 4, 2024 to Jan 4 this year. User Elizabeth Seah's outrage began in December last year when her family received their luggage in terrible condition after arriving in Osaka. The luggage's outer shell had been smashed apart on both sides with several chunks gone from it, leaving large openings with sharp, plastic edges. Contents of the luggage could be seen moving about within the cloth interior of the bag as they shifted it around; a wheel was also missing, causing the luggage to tilt when placed upright. «My family happily land in Japan only to retrieve such a luggage,» she wrote. «What is this?»

At 88, Sim Kwang Chai is proud of his «perfect» attendance for working out three times a week at the fitness corner just below his flat. «Almost perfect— except when he's unwell,» his daughter-in-law Suzanne countered with a smile, as Sim stood up mid-interview with AsiaOne, playfully challenging the reporter to guess his age. «Just proving I can still stand on my own,» said the octogenarian, who lives with his wife, 90-year-old Mdm Sui. The couple is among the first homeowners — all aged 65 and above — to move into Singapore's first assisted-living flats in Bukit Batok West Avenue 9 last October. Launched for sale in February 2021, Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok is a 15-storey block featuring 169 Community Care Apartments, which the government says aims to «support seniors in aging independently within the community.» This public housing concept is jointly developed by the Ministry of National Development (MND), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Housing Board (HDB).

An alleged dispute between two secondary one boys led to one allegedly attacking the other with a bottle, causing the latter to suffer a bleeding head wound. The alleged perpetrator is assisting with police investigations into the Tuesday (Jan 7) incident at Admiralty Secondary School and will be disciplined by the school. In a Facebook post that same day, the victim's uncle Jeremy Goh claimed his nephew had been hit multiple times on the head with a water bottle by a classmate on school premises. He said that January 7 was his nephew's fourth day in a new school since he started Secondary 1. The boy suffered a cut of about 5cm long on the back of his head and received stitches for the cut at a hospital. Updating his post on Wednesday, Goh added that his nephew has been discharged from hospital and is on hospitalisation leave until Jan 14. The police told AsiaOne they received a call for assistance at 31 Woodlands Crescent — the address of Admiralty Secondary School — at about 2pm on Tuesday. Singapore Civil Defence Force personnel assessed a 12-year-old boy for injuries.

SINGAPORE - About 100 people were evacuated from neighbouring units after a fire broke out at a two-storey shophouse in Sembawang on Wednesday (Jan 8). In a Facebook post in the early hours of Jan 9, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at the shophouse at 10A Jalan Tampang at 8.25pm on Jan 8. Firefighters had to force their way into the shophouse, and used two water jets to contain the fire, SCDF added. Two water jets were also deployed at the exterior of the building to prevent the fire from spreading to the adjacent units. Eight emergency vehicles and about 40 firefighters were deployed at the height of the firefighting operation, SCDF said. They came from Yishun Fire Station, Woodlands Fire Station, Tampines Fire Station and the Special Response Unit. In a video posted on video-sharing platform TikTok, flames can be seen rising above a row of shophouses. Several firefighters and policemen, as well as a fire engine can be seen in the background. SCDF said the fire was fully extinguished within an hour and it is currently damping down the affected area.

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.