SINGAPORE — Singaporean students who are currently undergraduates at Harvard University have been told that autonomous universities here can offer them placements if they wish to discontinue their studies in the US and return home, owing to recent developments.Lui Tuck Yew, the Republic's ambassador to the US, said this during a virtual town hall with the affected students on May 30, The Straits Times has learnt.In response to queries from ST, a Ministry of Education spokesperson said the Republic's autonomous universities «stand ready to support Singaporean students in Harvard if they wish to continue their studies in Singapore».The spokesperson added that this message was shared with affected students so they could consider returning to Singapore as a possible option to continue their studies.There are six autonomous universities here: National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore University of Technology and Design and Singapore Institute of Technology.

SINGAPORE/JOHOR BAHRU — Waves of Singapore motorists showed up at Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) application and installation centres in Singapore and Johor Bahru a day after Malaysia announced that enforcement of the VEP will start on July 1.Singapore-registered vehicles entering the country from that date without a valid VEP will be fined RM300 (S$91), Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on June 4. The drivers will have to pay the fine and complete their VEP registration before leaving Malaysia.On June 5, motorists showed up at VEP centres in Woodlands in Singapore and Danga Bay in Johor Bahru because they needed help with signing up on the online portal or had problems activating their radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.VEP-registered vehicles need to have RFID tags installed and activated in order to make payments for Malaysian expressway tolls and the road charge when entering Johor via the two land checkpoints.The counters in Malaysia are operated by TCSens, Malaysia's ministry-appointed vendor for handling VEP registrations; while the one in Singapore is run by My VEP, a separate company, in collaboration with TCSens.

SINGAPORE — The Court of Appeal has found Goh Jin Hian, a former director of insolvent marine fuel supplier Inter-Pacific Petroleum (IPP), is not liable to pay US$146 million (S$187 million) plus interest in compensation for losses suffered by the firm. In overturning a lower court ruling that found Goh was not entitled to relief from liability, the Appellate division of the High Court clarified that «it cannot be part of a director's duty of supervision and oversight to pick up fraud unless there are tell-tale warning signs. »A director may be a sentinel, but he is not a forensics investigator or a sleuth, unless there are signs that would put him on inquiry,« according to a 63-page ruling on June 5 delivered by Justice Kannan Ramesh, a Judge of the Appellate division. »While we agree with the (High Court) Judge that Dr Goh had breached the care duty by reason of his ignorance of the cargo trading business, IPP has failed to show... that the breach caused the loss in question," the Appellate court said. Goh, the son of former prime minister Goh Chok Tong, served as a director of IPP from June 28, 2011, to August 2019.

The $52,188 monthly rental bid for a general practitioner (GP) clinic in Tampines is the highest per square foot rent that the Housing Development Board (HDB) has received for GP and dental clinics of this size to date. Responding to AsiaOne's queries on Thursday (June 5), HDB said that the tender for the Tampines clinic attracted 13 bids in total. It was awarded to Dr Shaun Lum, the co-owner of I-Health Medical Holdings, in March 2025, at $52,188 a month. The unit at Block 954C Tampines Street 96 in March is reportedly 52 sqm, which is about 560 sq ft big. «This is significantly higher than the average tendered rent of around $9,800 per month for similar-sized clinics let by HDB in 2024 and it is also the highest per square foot rent that HDB has received for GP and dental clinics of this size to date,» said HDB. The housing board added that all tenders awarded for GP clinics thus far are based on tendered price.  And that bids submitted by tenderers — including private clinic operators — are business decisions influenced by various factors including location, shop size, trades, and prevailing market conditions.

Land owned by the Malaysian government will be acquired for the extension of Woodlands Checkpoint, according to a joint press release by the Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) on Wednesday (June 4). The plots of land to be acquired, which total approximately 0.79ha, are opposite HDB blocks 214 and 215 along Marsiling Lane and are currently covered in vegetation and unused. The first phase of the redevelopment will see an extension built at Old Woodlands Town Centre in September this year, alongside an extension of the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE). Around 10 residents whom AsiaOne spoke to shared that they were not aware that the plots of land are owned by the Malaysian government. One of them is Marsiling resident Justin Teo, who has lived in the neighbourhood for the past year and a half. The 17-year-old student said he didn't know the plots of land even existed. Another resident, Chia, 65, observed that the area is «deserted and hardly maintained». He too, was not aware the Singapore government is in talks to acquire the two plots of land.

Staff at Scoot erupted in cheers upon finding out that they would receive almost five months of bonus pay. The big reveal was captured on video and uploaded to Scoot's TikTok account on Wednesday (June 4).

During a recent night ride to his office, the newly appointed Minister for Defence, Chan Chun Sing had a heartwarming encounter that left a lasting impression. Chan shared in a Facebook post on Wednesday (June 4) how a soldier on night duty, Zhong Ting, approached him at the gate of a military camp. Zhong immediately recognised Chan and shared that they had taken a selfie together years ago when the latter visited his school then. Chan previously served as Minister for Education from May 2021 to May 2025. Eager to relive the memory, Zhong showed Chan the photo that they had taken together. «Sometimes it's moments like these that really makes your day (or night),» Chan wrote in his Facebook post recounting the experience. He also added that they had a pleasant chat before he continued on his journey home — with a smile on his face. Chan expressed how «it's a special feeling to see the schoolboys I met while I was at MOE (Ministry of Education) maturing as young men and defending our country». 

A Singaporean businessman was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on suspicion of tax evasion amounting to over 5 million baht (S$197,550), said Thai police in a Facebook post on Wednesday (June 4). David Liu, 71, was arrested after a complaint by Thailand's Revenue Department against media analytics company Isentia Monitoring Services, where he had worked as a director from July 1 to Oct 30, 2015, reported The Straits Times. According to the Facebook post by Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau, the company was found to have reported zero sales, purchase, and net tax obligations, despite generating business revenue — indicating incorrect tax filings. Further investigation into the value-added tax filings of the company revealed that the total damages to the state were close to 5.24 million baht, the police added. An investigation officer from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) had issued a summons for the company's directors to acknowledge the charges, but they received no response, which led to suspicions of evasion.

SINGAPORE — A maid who repeatedly assaulted a frail 90-year-old woman with dementia, including choking and biting her, was sentenced to one year in jail on June 4. The victim, who had to wear adult diapers, was later found with injuries, including multiple broken ribs and bruises on her face and limbs. But a doctor could not state with certainty if her assailant's offences had caused the injuries. Myanmar national Kyal Kyal Tun, 39, who had taken out her frustrations on the senior citizen as she was feeling «very stressed», pleaded guilty to three counts of assault in April. Three counts of using criminal force on the victim and a fourth assault charge were also considered during her sentencing. In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Caleb Looi told the court that, at the time of the offences, the victim lived in a Housing Board flat with her 91-year-old husband, who also had dementia and wore adult diapers. The couple's 32-year-old grandson, who lived elsewhere, had employed Kyal Kyal Tun, and she began working in the flat in late 2024, caring for the elderly couple.

Parents have expressed their frustration at the sudden closure of Little Paddington Preschool in Bishan last week. Speaking to AsiaOne on the condition of anonymity, an affected parent said that that he is currently weighing his options. «I don't think (the situation) has been handled very fairly,» he said, adding that the affected parents have sent a letter on Sunday (June 1) to the preschool management regarding feedback and demands for compensation. In the letter, parents demanded a three-month fee waiver for those who choose to stay with the preschool, and a three-month refund for those who are withdrawing. On Friday (May 30), parents were notified that the school's lease would expire on May 31 and that operations there would cease effectively. The school later received a one-week lease extension to continue operations at Bishan, and offered to enrol the affected children in the Thomson Walk branch. The preschool is under investigation by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) after failing to comply with regulations and giving parents just a day's notice before shutting down the branch.

Salon chain HairFun has admitted to engaging in unfair trade practices by targeting the elderly and misleading them to purchase unnecessary packages. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) said in a media release on Wednesday (June 4) that the salons had unfairly charged some elderly customers thousands of dollars. Investigations conducted by the competition watchdog found that HairFun, which has three outlets in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, Toa Payoh Central and Tampines Central, targeted seniors by offering free or low-cost haircuts costing $4 to $10 between May 2023 and July 2024. The salons had misled its customers, particularly the elderly, about the necessity of treatment packages and charged them for expensive services and packages which were not requested for.

Singapore Pools has introduced a new Toto format called Toto Match, which pays out a fixed prize for every dollar bet, starting with the June 12 draw. While the traditional Toto format has a jackpot prize, Toto Match allows punters to win bigger payouts when they make larger bets. For every Toto draw, six winning numbers and one additional number will be chosen between one and 49. Two bet types are available under Toto Match and punters can participate in both for the same draw. First, players can bet on matching either two, three, or four numbers from the winning draw. For every dollar bet, players will receive $50 for two matches, $500 for three matches, and $7,000 for four matches. Under this type, players must have the selected number of matches to win the corresponding prize. For example, if a player bets on getting three matches but has only two, he will not receive the $50 prize for two matches.

A motorcyclist has earned praise for going out of his way to help buy petrol for a fellow rider stranded by a road divider. TikTok user Wesmybike, who goes by Wesley, was heading home during the day when he spotted the man stuck along Tampines Avenue 10, he told Chinese media outlet 8world. The latter explained that he had run out of fuel and could not start his motorbike. The content creator then offered to help buy petrol for the rider. A nearly three-minute-long video of the incident uploaded to Wesley's TikTok page on May 16 has since garnered over 170,000 views and 10,000 likes. Calling it «the funniest detour I've ever done», Wesley is seen in the video buying a metal tin at a petrol station and requesting for it to be filled with $5 of petrol. https://www.tiktok.com/@wesmybike/video/7504996194309901586 After securing the fuel, he contacts the other rider through an intercom device to check if he is still at the same location. «Thank you so much,» the rider tells Wesley after receiving the container of petrol and refuelling his bike.

Phase one of the redevelopment and extension of Woodlands Checkpoint will begin in September this year, the Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said in a joint press release on Wednesday (June 4). As part of phase one, an extension of the checkpoint will be built at Old Woodlands Town Centre and will comprise new automated clearance facilities for cargo vehicles, arriving cars and arriving motorcycles. Additionally, the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) will be extended to create a direct route for vehicles exiting Woodlands Checkpoint to access the BKE, reducing traffic congestion on local roads during peak hours, ICA said. Following phase one, subsequent phases will see additional clearance facilities and retrofitting of the existing checkpoint. According to feasibility and technical studies conducted by ICA, two separate small land parcels approximately 0.79ha located near the middle of the redevelopment profile are needed to provide the «optimal amount of land needed to meet future traffic and security demands».

The National Parks Board (NParks) has said that the recent deaths of community cats in Punggol and Yishun could be the result of road accidents, not deliberate acts of animal cruelty. One cat was found at Yishun Street 51 and the other at Block 326B Sumang Walk, Punggol.   At a briefing to the media on Tuesday (June 3), Director for Enforcement & Investigation at National Parks Board (NParks), Joshua Teoh said that a post-mortem investigation which was carried out on the cat carcass in Yishun showed no evidence of penetrating, sharp force injuries or wounds. «When the injuries are considered as a whole, a vehicular impact is the most likely cause of the blunt force traumatic injuries,» he added.  King Kong was discovered dead at Yishun Street 51 with gruesome injuries inflicted.  This incident is one of several recent cases involving the deaths of community cats in HDB estates.  

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Tuesday (June 3) that it intends to impose a $3 million fine on SMRT after train services were disrupted on the East-West line (EWL)  in September last year. On Sep 25, a dislodged axle box caused caused the wheels of an SMRT train carriage plying the EWL to fall off the tracks, damaging the tracks between Dover MRT station and Ulu Pandan Depot. Services were disrupted for six days following the incident as repair works went on, with full services being resumed in October that year. During the period where train services were affected, SMRT had provided free bridging bus and regular bus services, as well as shuttle train services at the impacted stations. Travel fees for passengers alighting at Jurong East and Buona Vista stations were also waived. These provisions by the SMRT were taken into consideration in determining the $3 million penalty, according to the LTA. The Authority explained that the quantum also weighed in the fact that SMRT had borne the cost of repairs, bringing SMRT's total expenditure on the incident over $10 million.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has clarified false claims circulating on social media platforms regarding alleged Covid-19 autopsy findings and vaccination laws in Singapore. In a press release on Tuesday (June 3), MOH said that misinformation from 2021 — involving false claims that Singapore is the first country in the world to perform an autopsy on a Covid-19 body — has resurfaced. The message, initially spread through Whatsapp, also claimed that autopsy results revealed that Covid-19 does not exist as a virus but as a bacterium.  MOH said that those claims are false, as previously clarified in 2021. «Singapore has not performed such an autopsy, and it is also not true that Covid-19 is caused by a bacterium,» the release said. MOH also addressed new social media posts claiming that Singapore has enacted laws to mandate vaccines and jail unvaccinated individuals following Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates’ recent visit to Singapore in May. «Singapore has not passed any laws on vaccinations after Mr Gates’ recent visit to Singapore,» MOH said, refuting the false claims.

As a teen, he watched his senior, a drum major, with admiration as the latter skillfully spun his mace while leading their school band. Nearly 17 years later, Station Inspector Muhammad Rasul Md Razali found himself in the same position. But instead of a school band, he led the Singapore Police Force (SPF) Band at the Police Day Observance Ceremony, which also marked its centenary. «I feel incredibly honoured to lead the band once again, especially this year when celebrating our 100 year anniversary,» Rasul told media, referring to it as a «significant milestone».  He was appointed to lead the band for their performance for the 2025 Police Day Observation Ceremony last year as well. «I hope to continue this legacy together with my fellow musicians,» he continued, adding that the SPF Band, which is Singapore's oldest uniformed band, has a very rich history. In an interview with the media, Rasul, 33, said he first heard about the SPF Band while attending the NCO band major course at age 16. There he met the band's concertmaster at the time — who is now team leader of its woodwind section.