Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has reportedly left Singapore as of Monday (Sept 8) afternoon.This comes a day before Thailand's Supreme Court is due to rule on his hospital detention.Thaksin's private jet departed Singapore's Seletar Airport at 1.46pm, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.The aircraft landed in Bangkok at 2.55pm local time (3.55pm Singapore time).Shortly after the aircraft landed, a black-and-silver Mercedes sedan — frequently used by Thaksin — entered the private jet terminal, which had been cordoned off by airport authorities with barricades and uniformed guards, Reuters reported.Thaksin had told Thai Enquirer on Monday that he had landed in Singapore and will be returning to Bangkok that same evening, as planned.Departure delayedThe 76-year-old billionaire left Thailand on Sept 5, just hours before a Parliament vote confirmed tycoon Anutin Charnvirakul as the replacement for Thaksin's daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra as the country's Prime Minister.

SINGAPORE — While visiting his bedridden friend who was in hospital and unable to speak, a man used her mobile phone to unlawfully access her Central Provident Fund (CPF) account and transferred $54,000 to her bank account.Yu Mingyan then transferred the 62-year-old woman's money to his own bank account.Yu, 34, who committed the offences after correctly guessing her passwords, was sentenced to 18 months and two weeks' jail, and a fine of $30,000 on Sept 8.He will spend an additional month behind bars if he fails to pay the fine.The Singaporean pleaded guilty to two counts of misusing a computer system.Yu also admitted to two other unrelated charges — one count each of helping to carry on the business of an unlicensed moneylender and misappropriating $197 from his then workplace.When caught, he told police investigators that he had misappropriated the money «out of habit».On Sept 8, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin told the court that the authorities had looked into Yu's financial records and found out that he has no means to make any restitution.

A 16-year-old girl missing for over two months has been located.The teen, Jermaine Lim Xinyi, was last seen on July 2 at around 6.55am near 11 Rivervale Link, where North Vista Secondary School is located, according to a police statement on Friday (Sept 5).In an update on Monday morning, the police said that Lim has been found.The police had, on Sept 5, made an earlier appeal to the public requesting that anyone with information about the teen to call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or contact them via online submission at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness/All information will be kept strictly confidential, the police stated.[[nid:722001]]dana.leong@asiaone.com

Four foreigners have been arrested for working illegally as delivery riders here, after islandwide operations conducted by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) over the past few months.Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon said in a Facebook post on Monday (Sept 8) that enforcement checks were carried out in over 30 potential hotspots following complaints from the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA).In recent MOM operations, 269 delivery workers were checked. A foreigner was arrested and is under investigation for allegedly working illegally without a valid work pass.“In total, we have checked 644 delivery workers in the past few months, leading to the arrest of four foreigners for working illegally without valid work passes,” said Koh.Work group formed to address illegal platform work In July, a trilateral work group was formed to address the issue of foreigners working illegally as delivery riders, and how it affects the earnings of local platform workers.

SINGAPORE — Those with outstanding library fines can have their fees waived by the National Library Board (NLB) under a one-time initiative ending on Dec 31.This is the first time the library is offering a waiver of fines, with the aim of encouraging more people to access its services, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on Sept 6.NLB will also offer one free book delivery for patrons till the end of the year, Teo said, speaking at the library's 30th-anniversary celebration held at the National Library Singapore in Bugis.The delivery service, typically worth $8.72, will be complimentary for 300 patrons every week until the end of 2025.The one-time waiver will apply to fines incurred before Sept 6. Currently, patrons with outstanding fines are unable to borrow items. But with the waiver, they can borrow items again until Dec 31.To have their fines waived, patrons must borrow either a physical or digital item from NLB by Dec 31. Loan renewals do not count.

SINGAPORE - From 2026, all upper secondary students can opt to do computing as an elective subject, in a bid to equip students with increasingly important digital and computational thinking skills.Previously offered only to G3 students, or those in the Express course, it will now include G2 students as well.Students now take subjects at G1, G2 or G3 levels, which are broadly mapped from the Normal (Technical), Normal (Academic) and Express standards, respectively.Mr Ong Kong Hong, the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) divisional director of curriculum planning and development division 1, said: “The syllabuses seek to develop students’ appreciation of computing as a creative field while raising their awareness of cyber security, emerging technology and the impact of computing.”Other life skills, such as inventive thinking, communication, as well as striving for accuracy and thoroughness, will also be honed through the subject, he added.The content covered increases in complexity and depth across the three levels.

If you have tried accessing the Singapore Police Force's (SPF) e-services via its website on Monday (Sept 8) morning and found it looking different, do not worry - it's not a phishing site. In a statement on Sunday (Sept 7), police said it it is changing the access methods for its e-services and refreshing its corporate website. «This is part of our ongoing efforts to enhance data protection, as well as provide a more user-friendly online experience for the public,» police added.The change and refresh began on Sunday evening and were effected after midnight on Monday. Following the change, Singpass and Corppass are now the means of access to police's e-services. [[nid:722208]]Two e-services that do not require Singpass or Corppass are the use of foreign identification number (FIN) when paying for, and checking the status of a Certificate of Clearance, and the use of a foreign vehicle number to check outstanding traffic offences and paying traffic fines. 

A 61-year-old man’s decomposing body was found in his Housing Board flat in Sembawang after neighbours noticed a foul smell from the unit.The man, a security guard who lived alone, had only moved in a few months ago, residents told Shin Min Daily News.They added that he was very friendly and got along well with the neighbourhood children.The police told AsiaOne that they received a call for assistance at Block 363C Sembawang Crescent on Thursday (Sept 4) at around 2.10pm.The man was found unresponsive and was pronounced dead in the unit by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic, they added.A 53-year-old resident, who wanted to be known only as Bai, said that he had noticed a putrid smell and the lights in the unit were turned on for several days.He called the police after consulting with the neighbours.Another resident, 29-year-old Wu, said that the door of the unit was locked when the police arrived.The housewife added that the cops peered through the window and saw the man had collapsed inside.The police said that they do not suspect foul play. Investigations are ongoing.[[nid:713727]]

SINGAPORE – A TikTok user who has racked up multiple correction notices over the years was issued another one on Sept 7.This time, it was over false claims about a government-funded initiative to groom future leaders of the Chinese community.The Pofma Office, which administers the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, has been instructed by Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo to issue the correction direction under Singapore’s fake news law.In a since-deleted post that had originally been put up on Aug 26, Mr Jay Ish’haq Rajoo claimed that National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat had announced that the Government would provide money and resources to attract mainland Chinese to Singapore and nurture them for leadership roles.[[nid:721530]]Mr Jay also claimed the Government is using its money and resources to nurture only leaders who are Chinese.

A fire broke out at Chai Chee Avenue on Friday (Sept 5) night, and 50 residents were evacuated. Four of them were taken to the hospital.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to a fire at Block 31 Chai Chee Avenue at about 11.05pm.«Upon arrival, the living room of an eighth-floor unit was on fire. The fire was extinguished by firefighters with a water jet. There was no one inside the unit when SCDF arrived,» the spokesperson said.SCDF added that four persons, including a firefighter, were assessed for smoke inhalation and sent to the hospital. Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.The Singapore Police Force said a 58-year-old man was arrested for «causing or contributing to risk of dangerous fire», adding that investigations are underway.According to a report by Lianhe Zaobao yesterday, residents said they heard arguments and the smell of gasoline from the flat before the accident.

Two Chinese nationals have been arrested for their suspected involvement in a case of cheating. The 31-year-old man and 30-year-old woman had scammed the victim of $800, shared a news release from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Friday (Sept 5). On Sept 4 at around 2.25pm, SPF received a report from the victim who was allegedly cheated by the duo.Preliminary investigations revealed that on Sept 3, the man and woman had approached the victim at the main entrance of a supermarket located along Joo Koon Circle. They had presented themselves as tourists from Hong Kong who were facing financial difficulties due to a malfunctioning bank card.To fulfil an «urgent hotel payment», the man asked the victim for $800 in cash and showed the victim a fabricated bank transfer receipt as purported proof of payment. The victim was also presented with a counterfeit gold ring and told that it was worth RM11,980 (S$3,656). Believing the duo, the victim withdrew $800 and gave it to them. 

SINGAPORE - Teenager Ryan Lim slipped into depression after a series of post-transplant infections in 2023.The Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School student received a liver transplant on Sept 7, 2023 - 10 years after he was first diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).It is a rare condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the liver, causing chronic inflammation and, in severe cases, liver failure. There are about two to five cases of AIH per 100,000 children worldwide.Because of his infections, Ryan had to spend more time in the hospital to ensure that his body did not reject his new liver.The teenager, who was looking forward to returning to school, felt that life had dealt him a harsh blow.«I thought I could go back to a normal life after the surgery, like any teenager my age. Instead, I had to be in the hospital longer while doctors battled my infections,» said Ryan, who is now 17 years old.He was five when his mother noticed a yellow hue in his skin and the whites of his eyes, and bloating in his abdomen.

We are oftentimes told that wisdom and street smarts come with age.However, Caleb Chua did not let his age stop him from making a difference in the community when he founded the Homewarmers initiative in April this year alongside some friends he met at a youth leaders programme.Speaking to AsiaOne on Saturday (Sept 6), the 18-year-old, who is pursuing a diploma in Human Resources, said that the ground-up initiative aims to provide seniors living alone with a sense of companionship and belonging through home visits and community events.He continued: «We just want to make sure that there are no seniors left behind in this very busy world, you know?»Chua said that in view of the large number of lonely deaths among seniors and social isolation among youths, he and his team believe connecting with the elderly through in-depth conversations would benefit both parties.When asked if a particular instance stuck with him in his journey, Chua said that visiting an elderly woman surnamed Khoo was one such experience.

Everyone had to leave by 6pm. A thoughtful nod to work-life balance? Or was it to conceal something spookier when this rule was enforced at 35 Hendon Road?The two restored colonial bungalows, which were the training campus for a large European bank, were a stone's throw from the old, disused Changi Hospital. Closed since 1997, it had gained the reputation of being the most haunted place in Singapore.One evening, a member of the staff lingered slightly past 6pm, freshening up in the bathroom for a dinner date. She heard a toilet flush and out of the corner of her eye saw the reflection of a colleague in the mirror, stepping out of a cubicle and moving towards the washbasin.«Oh, you are still here. I thought you had already left,» she said, making casual conversation.After a while, she felt something was not right; her colleague was not responding. When she turned around, the toilet was empty.But when she looked into the mirror again, the reflection of her colleague remained - smiling at her.

«Stunning, traditional, authentic» - that is how some visitors describe the bread at Le Fournil de Saint-Robert, a small bakery in a south-western French village.Local residents and travellers alike are reportedly drawn to the bakery, whose aroma of wood-fired sourdough wafts into the cobbled streets and whose products and services have garnered it an average of 4.7 stars over 67 reviews on Google. The man behind it all is 51-year-old Singaporean Ewan Irwan.Originally from Tampines, he worked in the engineering sector before meeting his then wife, Sophie, a Frenchwoman, in Singapore. In 2003, they moved to France, hoping to build a life together. Engineering jobs proved elusive, but a new calling soon emerged: bread-making.«Baking here is on another level. Most bakers are so dedicated to their craft,» he told The Straits Times on Sept 5.Determined to master the art, Mr Ewan enrolled in a one-year diploma course in Lyon and spent two years in professional bakeries, learning the traditions and techniques of French baking. Yet the hustle and bustle of city life never suited him.

We are oftentimes told that wisdom and street smarts come with age.However, Caleb Chua did not let his age stop him from making a difference in the community when he founded the Homewarmers initiative in April this year alongside some friends he met at a youth leaders programme.Speaking to AsiaOne on Saturday (Sept 6), the 18-year-old, who is pursuing a diploma in Human Resources, said that the ground-up initiative aims to provide seniors living alone with a sense of companionship and belonging through home visits and community events.He continued: «We just want to make sure that there are no seniors left behind in this very busy world, you know?»Chua said that in view of the large number of lonely deaths among seniors and social isolation among youths, he and his team believe connecting with the elderly through in-depth conversations would benefit both parties.When asked if a particular instance stuck with him in his journey, Chua said that visiting an elderly woman surnamed Khoo was one such experience.