SINGAPORE - He has gone from being a helicopter pilot with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) to flying the uber-rich with American private jet company NetJets. Now, US-based retiree David Tan spends his time transporting rescue animals from kill shelters to prospective foster homes across the US. The 70-year-old Singaporean is one of over 6,000 volunteer pilots at Pilots N Paws, an American non-profit organisation that serves as a virtual hub connecting rescue organisations and volunteer pilots.  Animal rescue groups sign up with Pilots N Paws and put out a call when there is a need for animal transportation.  Mr Tan also works independently with rescuers who contact him directly.  In the 13 years since he started with Pilots N Paws, he has flown more than 420 rescue dogs, 42 cats, three goats, one pot-bellied pig and a bat in his 20-year-old Aermacchi SF-260, a two-person Italian light aircraft. He tells The Straits Times via Zoom from his home in Madison, Wisconsin, that it is rewarding flying animals, even if the costs of these flights are all out of his own pocket.

An online job post by a Buddhist organisation in Singapore has triggered reactions from netizens ranging from surprise to scepticism. The reason? The advertisement published on March 16 for the position of a nun comes with a monthly salary ranging from «$5,000 to $11,000». According to the post on the My Careers Future job portal, the job scope for the Buddhist nun for Ling Jiou Shan Buddhist Society includes «overseeing and managing religious programmes», «teaching and conducting religious training sessions», as well as «providing mentorship and guidance». Applicants for the permanent, full-time position would also need to have 10 years of prior job experience. On Reddit, many users expressed incredulity over the perceived high salary for the position. Wrote one user: «A nun pays much better than a preschool teacher... I clearly had the wrong calling in my life.» However some indicated that the salary was justified, considering the responsibilities.

Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief said he'll be running in the newly created Sembawang West SMC in the upcoming General Election (GE) during a walkabout at Woodlands on Sunday (March 23).  Dr Chee had previously contested in Bukit Batok SMC in 2020 and 2016. This SMC has been absorbed into the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC following the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report on March 11. «In Bukit Batok SMC, I poured my energy, dedication and organisational competence into serving the residents, and I am ready to bring that same passion to Sembawang West,» he said, according to flyers addressed to Sembawang West residents.  At a media doorstop on Sunday, Dr Chee, 62 said he's leaving Bukit Batok with a «heavy heart». «You don't spend 10 years getting to know the residents, building up the community, entering the lives of the residents there, and then have it yanked from you with the stroke of a pen without feeling a void,» he said at a media doorstop. 

SINGAPORE - When former national bowler Carl de Vries was diagnosed with kidney disease and needed a transplant, his brother Marc did not hesitate to offer him one of his. Mr Marc de Vries, 45, who is also a former national bowler, said: «He's family. He's my brother. I didn't think of any other thing except to help save him.» Now, about a year after the procedure, his brother Carl, 42, has recovered well enough to compete in April's Singapore Transplant Games, where those who have had an organ transplant come together to compete in various sports. The brothers' journey from sharing their love of sports to sharing a kidney transplant experience was an unexpected one. Carl, who runs a gym and is married with no children, had always led a very active life, playing various racket games, such as tennis and badminton, three times a week and bowling once a week. He was a gold medallist at the 2006 Asian Bowling Championships. In 2018, he underwent a routine health check and found that he had autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. The genetic disease is one where multiple cysts form in the kidneys, leading to kidney damage and failure.

Hong Kah North SMC MP Amy Khor said she will continue to focus on serving residents, after the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee dissolved her constituency into neighbouring GRCs of Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC and Chua Chu Kang GRC. Senior Minister of State Khor was addressing the media after her walkabout outside the Bukit Batok West hawker centre on Saturday (March 22), where she was accompanied by Prime Minister and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Lawrence Wong. Responding to queries regarding her plans following changes to the electoral boundaries, Dr Khor said that her standing in the upcoming election is a decision that PM Wong — who is also the Secretary-General for the People's Action Party — will decide. «But in the meantime, I will continue to focus on serving residents and really understanding their needs, assisting them, as well as continuing to enhance their living environment as I have done,» she stated, adding that she had  opened the new Bukit Batok West hawker centre just the week before. Dr Khor shared with AsiaOne about the experiences and fond memories of serving the Hong Kah North region for 24 years.

Hong Kah North SMC MP Amy Khor said she will continue to focus on serving residents, after the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee dissolved her constituency into neighbouring GRCs of Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC and Chua Chu Kang GRC. Senior Minister of State Khor was addressing the media after her walkabout outside the Bukit Batok West hawker centre on Saturday (March 22), where she was accompanied by Prime Minister and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Lawrence Wong. Responding to queries regarding her plans following changes to the electoral boundaries, Khor said that her standing in the upcoming election is a decision that PM Wong — who is also the Secretary-General for the People's Action Party — will decide. «But in the meantime, I will continue to focus on serving residents and really understanding their needs, assisting them, as well as continuing to enhance their living environment as I have done,» she stated, adding that she had  opened the new Bukit Batok West hawker centre just the week before. Khor shared with AsiaOne about the experiences and fond memories of serving the Hong Kah North region for 24 years.

Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam has been issued a Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) correction direction over statements he made about the employment of foreign auxiliary police officers (APOs). The order relates to a March 9 article he published on his website The Ricebowl Singapore as well as Facebook and X posts from the day, and marks the 10th correction order issued to the politician. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in their statement on March 21 that Jeyaretnam made false statements alleging APOs have all the powers of regular police officers, and that foreign APOs are hired by the government and used to keep the incumbent political party in power despite violating the Singapore constitution and «using force in breach of fundamental liberties». He also claimed that the government prefers hiring foreign APOs and thus sets their salaries at a level that would make the role of an APO less attractive to Singaporeans, said the MHA. The Minister for Digital Development and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs, Josephine Teo, instructed the Pofma Office to issue the order to Jeyaretnam.

Former lawyer M Ravi was spotted at a walkabout with opposition party Red Dot United (RDU) on Friday (March 21) evening in the new Jalan Kayu single-seat ward. Donning a lanyard identifying him as a volunteer, the 55-year-old was seen chatting with residents and distributing flyers near Fernvale LRT station and at the hawker centre in Fernvale Community Club. When asked if he is contesting in the coming general election, Ravi told the media after the hour-long walkabout that he has «pledged his support» to RDU as a «strong alternative voice in Parliament». While not a member, Ravi said he is attracted to party due to its «sustainable policies». «I live here, and I was born in Jalan Kayu, and so this place is very special to me, he said. »I also know that RDU is contesting in Nee Soon GRC, where I spent my teenage years." Ravi was part of the Reform Party slate that challenged for the six-member Ang Mo Kio GRC against the People's Action Party(PAP) during the 2015 General Election. The PAP, led by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, won with 78.6 per cent of the votes.

A TikToker and former scriptwriter-actor with local YouTube comedy channel Wah!Banana was convicted by the High Court on March 21 for raping a woman he met on the dating app Tinder. Lev Panfilov, a Singapore permanent resident originally from Russia, was found guilty of two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault by penetration, and one count of outrage of modesty. The 28-year-old will be sentenced at a later date. The assault took place on Jan 12, 2021, in his bedroom after he took the woman back to the flat he shared with flatmates to work on her script. The woman, who was then 30 years old, had worked as an actress and model and was trying to branch out into comedy writing. She and Panfilov presented different accounts of the incident. During the trial, which began in May 2023, she was cross-examined for an “unprecedented” 13 days, according to the prosecution’s written submissions. The two matched on Tinder and later moved their chat to WhatsApp before arranging to meet in person at a restaurant in Robertson Quay.

A popular Mediacorp radio DJ was charged with sexual offences at the State Courts today (March 21). The Straits Times reported that Gunalan Morgan, who was an actor and a producer-presenter at the Tamil-language Oli968 station at the time of his alleged offences, was charged with seven offences in total, including three counts of voyeurism and one count of sexual communication with a minor under 16. The 43-year-old Singaporean was also charged with performing an act that could obstruct, prevent, pervert or defeat the course of justice. In response to a query from AsiaOne, Mediacorp stated that Gunalan «was immediately suspended from work upon [their] knowledge of his arrest, and a termination notice has been served on him». According to his charge sheets obtained by AsiaOne, Gunalan is accused of having sexual communication with the minor on four separate instances between Aug 25 and Aug 31, 2024, and then deliberately deleting his Instagram conversations with her on Sept 16 after being informed that a police report had been lodged against him.

A woman was walking home along Kim Yam Road when she was allegedly punched in the arm by a man last Friday (March 14). The 28-year-old woman shared an Instagram post on the incident that took place at 4.20pm which caught her off guard.

A large cement silo blocked two traffic lanes along Balestier Road on Friday (March 21) after slipping off the trailer transporting it, causing a over two-hour traffic jam. Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they were alerted to the accident at the junction of Balestier Road and Kim Keat Road at about 9am. The trailer is believed to have self-skidded. No injuries were reported. A 31-year-old male trailer driver is assisting with police investigations. Photos of the incident circulating online show the cement silo in a perpendicular position to the trailer. The cement silo also hit a traffic light. A cement silo is a large, cylindrical storage container, typically made of steel or reinforced concrete. It is used to store and dispense cement at construction sites. The obstruction meant that vehicles could only use the right-most lane. When AsiaOne arrived at the scene close to noon, traffic had built up, with tailback up to Moulmein Road. Marshalls were directing vehicle flow at the junction.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) are investigating 241 individuals for their involvement in scams. In a two-week operation between March 7 and March 20, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and seven police land divisions placed 165 men and 76 women under investigation, the police said on Thursday (March 20). These individuals, aged between 16 and 75, are suspected to be involved in over 900 cases of scams either as scammers or as money mules, the police said. Their alleged offences include cheating, money laundering or providing payment services without a licence. The scams comprised mainly friend impersonation scams, investment scams and job scams among others, with victims reportedly losing over $8.2 million. If found guilty of cheating, a scammer could face jail of up to 10 years or a fine, or both. Money laundering under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 comes with a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $500,000, or both.

Businessman David Yong has been denied his application to travel overseas to Seoul and Kuala Lumpur for the third time, after a judge found him to be a “serious flight risk”. On March 20, District Judge Brenda Tan said she had previously rejected his application on Feb 19, as the issue of his Cambodian passport remained unresolved. His first application was rejected in Aug 30, 2024. It was earlier revealed in court that Yong, 37, who is facing charges of falsifying accounts, possessed a Cambodian passport under the name “Duong Dara” that he claimed to have surrendered to the Cambodian authorities in June 2024. Judge Tan said she is again rejecting his application to leave jurisdiction, as there was still no official confirmation on the whereabouts of his Cambodian passport. Yong’s bail quantum, which had been set at $1 million, will also remain, as there have been no material changes that warrant a reduction, the judge added. Yong, the chief executive of Evergreen Group Holdings, had applied to visit Seoul and Malaysia from March 21 to April 2 for business. His lawyers also applied to reduce his bail amount.