A 44-year-old male driver has been arrested for suspected drink driving following an accident along the Central Expressway (CTE), before the Moulmein Road exit on Sunday (Dec 7).The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to the accident involving two cars and a taxi at about 3.55am on Dec 7.«A 65-year-old male taxi driver and another 33-year-old female car passenger were conveyed conscious to the hospital,» the police said.SCDF added that the two persons were conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.AsiaOne understands that the male passenger in the taxi was assessed for minor injuries and declined to be sent to the hospital.In a video posted to Facebook page SG Road Vigilante on Dec 8, a dark-coloured multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) is seen braking suddenly while travelling on the second rightmost lane of the CTE towards the Seletar Expressway. Within seconds, the MPV makes a sharp left turn, swerving across several lanes before colliding with a white sports utility vehicle (SUV) in the leftmost lane.

Hiring sentiment in Singapore is expected to weaken significantly amid heightened economic uncertainty and reach a four-year low in the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest survey by ManpowerGroup. Conducted in October, the survey collected responses from 504 employers and found that Singapore's net employment outlook for the first quarter of 2026 is 15 per cent. Comparatively, the global average stands at 24 per cent. Within the region, India leads with an outlook of 52 per cent, while the outlook in Hong Kong remains subdued at 1 per cent. While remaining positive, Singapore's outlook declined by five percentage points from the fourth quarter in 2025, and 11 percentage points from the same period last year. According to ManpowerGroup, the last time Singapore's net employment outlook was 15 per cent was in the first quarter of 2022 during the global pandemic. Out of the employers surveyed this time, 46 per cent expect to maintain current staffing levels. 32 per cent plan to increase headcount, while 18 per cent anticipate a decrease in their staffing levels. 

SINGAPORE — A former photographer for the National Dental Centre of Singapore (NDCS) was sentenced to two years and three months' jail on Dec 9 after he took voyeuristic pictures of female patients he found attractive.Elgin Ng, 29, who had taken more than 600 of such photographs of 25 victims and even sent some of them to a friend, pleaded guilty in November to nine charges, including multiple counts of voyeurism.Twenty-one other charges were considered during his sentencing.In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin told the court that as an NDCS photographer, Ng was tasked to take pictures of the teeth and jaws of patients who were scheduled for surgery.He would then take pictures of patients' faces, primarily of their teeth and jaw.For added modesty, he had to provide patients with a blue board to cover their chest, regardless of his or her gender.When dealing with girls and women, Ng had to either have a female colleague present to assist in the photo-taking process, or keep the curtains in the room open.

Mailing rates in Singapore will increase by 10 cents from Jan 1, 2026, owing to declining mail volume and rising network costs, said Singapore Post (SingPost). The new rate for standard regular mail and standard large mail will be $0.62 and $0.90 respectively, according to a statement by the national postal service provider on Tuesday (Dec 9). Rates for domestic bulk mail used by businesses will also increase. According to SingPost, the increase in postage rates will go towards investing in modernisation efforts to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. Over the past year, SingPost has undertaken significant initiatives to improve service quality and efficiency, including expanding service touchpoints and enhancing e-commerce capabilities. At the same time, mail volumes have fallen by over 40 per cent since the 2019/2020 fiscal year while operating costs have risen, said SingPost. 

Marathoner Soh Rui Yong has been medically cleared to compete in the 2025 SEA Games following his previous abnormal pre-Games medical result that put his bid for a medal at risk. According to the Team Singapore website, the 34-year-old is listed to compete in the men's 5,000m finals on Saturday (Dec 13) and in the men's 10,000m finals on Tuesday (Dec 16) at the National Stadium in Bangkok. In response to media queries, a spokesperson for Singapore Athletics (SA) said: “Following an irregular finding during his routine pre-Games screening last week, Soh was referred for a specialist cardiology assessment. The specialist conducted a full evaluation and concluded that Soh is fit to compete, with no cardiac concerns that would prevent him from racing.” Previously, an abnormal finding surfaced during Soh's pre-Games medical screening which put him at risk of missing the Games. 

A 49-year-old male motorcyclist was taken to hospital after a multi-vehicle pile-up along the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) towards Tuas on Monday (Dec 8) evening. The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the collision on the PIE, after the Whitley Road exit, at about 5pm. The accident involved a motorcycle, two vans and three cars. SCDF said the male motorcyclist was conveyed conscious to the National University Hospital, while another motorist declined to be sent to the hospital after being assessed for minor injuries. When AsiaOne passed by the scene at about 6pm, a Malaysia-registered van was seen lying on its side on the rightmost, or first, lane of the expressway. Behind the van was a stationary white car, while a red Kia sedan was stopped on the second lane — beside the white car — with its trunk door opened. A white Lalamove van and a black Honda hatchback were also stopped beside the Malaysia-registered van. 

A motorist driving along Woodlands Close on Sunday (Dec 7) morning came across three motorised personal mobility devices (PMD) at speeds of allegedly up to 50kmh.In a video posted by Facebook page SG Road Vigilante (SGRV), a driver is seen turning left onto Woodlands Close when two PMDs appear near the right rear of his vehicle. About eight seconds later, a third PMD appears in the rear camera's view.All three PMD riders do not appear to be wearing any helmet or protective gear.Based on the footage, the vehicle was travelling at about 40kmh. As the vehicle accelerates to 50kmh, the default speed limit for roads, the third PMD is seen overtaking the vehicle.Meanwhile, the first two PMDs remained behind the vehicle.«These individuals who are riding on modified [PMDs] are engaging in reckless behaviour on the road, showing a complete disregard for their own safety,» SGRV quoted the driver as saying.«The speed which they are travelling at is comparable to the car, which significantly increases the risk of serious accidents,» the driver added.

A total of six people were arrested following a three-day islandwide enforcement blitz conducted by the Traffic Police (TP) at night.In a news release on Monday (Dec 8), the police said that a total of 74 vehicles were checked during the three-day operation from Nov 27 to 29.Five of the six arrested were suspected to be driving under the influence of alcohol, while the remaining individual was arrested for driving without a valid licence.Another 18 summonses were issued for various traffic offences such as speeding and using a mobile device while driving.During the operation, eight violations related to the Land Transport Authority were also detected. Those found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol may be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to 12 months, or both.Driving without a valid licence carries a penalty of up to three years' jail, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.The Traffic Police also advised motorists to comply with Singapore's traffic laws, adding that they will continue with enforcement efforts to ensure road safety.

Former Member of Parliament (MP) Carrie Tan married her long-time partner Kevin Teo on Sunday (Dec 7).The couple of seven years were all smiles when they appeared in a Facebook livestream hosted on Tan's page, ready for the solemnisation ceremony.In the presence of their families, Tan and Teo exchanged vows and wedding rings, leaning in for a peck and a tight embrace.After signing the marriage certificate, they served tea to their parents in a simple Chinese tea ceremony.Tan, 43, proposed to Teo in April shortly after announcing her departure from politics. She had been elected Nee Soon GRC MP only in 2020.Teo is chief technology officer at non-profit organisation AVPN. The couple have both been through divorce.A week prior to the ceremony, they shared a «music video» of their pre-wedding shoot in Yunnan, China, over an audio of Tan singing the love song It's You by Miya Wang.«Already feeling so married,» she quipped then.«Borrowing this song from [Miya], because it's how I feel about our union.»

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

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

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