SINGAPORE — A man who was on death row for drug trafficking has had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment after succeeding in his petition for clemency, which is rarely granted.Tristan Tan Yi Rui, 33, was sentenced to death in February 2023 after he was found guilty of trafficking 337.6g of methamphetamine. His conviction and sentence were upheld by the Court of Appeal.In response to queries from The Straits Times on Friday (Aug 15), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that on Aug 14, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, on the advice of the Cabinet, granted a pardon to Tan.The statement said the Cabinet was advised that the sentence imposed on Tan was legally sound.«Nevertheless, a recommendation was made to grant clemency to him because of the specific facts and circumstances of the case,» said MHA.The statement said Tan was arrested as part of a Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) operation which involved the arrest of several other subjects.One of the other subjects arrested in the operation, who was tried separately on a capital charge, eventually received a non-capital sentence.

Three Singaporean men were arrested by Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) for suspected drug offences on Aug 14 in separate operations.CNB said in a news release that a 36-year-old man was arrested for suspected drug trafficking in a residential unit around Bukit Batok West Avenue 9.About 892g of methamphetamine, also known as Ice, and 100 nimetazepam, or Erimin-5, tablets were seized, and his wife and four young children, aged between one and eight years old, were present at the scene.Around the same time, a 41-year-old man was arrested for suspected drug trafficking offences in a residential unit near Jalan Kayu, and CNB officers seized about 158g of Ice and 9g of MDMA, or Ecstasy.Earlier that day, a 42-year-old man was arrested in his residence near Tampines Street 86 for suspected drug offences. Drug paraphernalia was discovered under the coffee table in the living room, where his 10-year-old daughter was also present.[[nid:721123]]

Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre has decided to hold back on its Pay-It-Forward initiative where hawkers must provide free meals for the needy each month or risk being penalised.The issue was first raised by local food critic KF Seetoh on Aug 8, when he posted a screenshot of what appears to be a contract stating the breakdown of the requirement for the hawkers and calling it «forced charity».Amid public backlash, the management at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre said in a Facebook post on Friday (Aug 15) that it will be removing the clauses requiring the provision of free meals when the tenancy agreements are renewed in September. The hawker centre is managed and operated by Canopy Hawkers Group, a subsidiary of Food Canopy.It added: «No hawkers have been penalised for not providing free meals under the tenancy agreements and we also do not intend to enforce the obligation in the future.»Seetoh's remarks about hawkers being «contractually forced» to provide budget meals priced up to $3.50 were also addressed.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will deliver his National Day Rally (NDR) speech from 6.45pm onwards on Sunday (Aug 17) at the Institute of Technical Education College Central.In a Facebook post on Friday afternoon, PM Wong offered a preview of his speech, saying that he will be sharing more about the government's plans for the economy, the young and seniors.PM Wong will also talk about how Singapore will chart its way forward beyond SG60.  The uncertain economic outlook, and the need for Singapore to rise above the new challenges has been a recurring theme since General Election 2025. 

Billionaire and property tycoon Ong Beng Seng will have his Singapore permanent residence (PR) status reviewed following his conviction and sentencing for abetting obstruction of justice on Friday (Aug 15). In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that it will review the residency status of Singapore permanent residents who have been convicted of an offence.«ICA will review Mr Ong Beng Seng's PR since he has been convicted and sentenced,» added ICA. The 79-year-old pleaded guilty on Aug 4 to one charge of abetting former Transport Minister S. Iswaran in obstructing the course of justice.A second charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts was taken into consideration for sentencing.Ong, who was born in Malaysia in 1946, was fined $30,000 on Friday. This is also the maximum fine the district court can impose.

Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng has been granted judicial mercy by the courts, and fined the maximum stipulated sum of $30,000 for abetting the obstruction of justice.The 79-year-old, who has incurable cancer, listened intently as District Judge Lee Lit Cheng passed the sentence on Friday (Aug 15) afternoon.The offence of abetting the obstruction of justice carries a jail term of up to seven years, or a fine, or both.Ong pleaded guilty on Aug 4 to one charge of abetting former Transport Minister S. Iswaran in obstructing the course of justice.A second charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts will be taken into consideration for sentencing. Iswaran was handed a 12-month jail term on Oct 3, 2024. This term included four months' jail for obstructing the course of justice by making payment to Singapore GP to cover the cost of the flight from Singapore to Doha.Judge Lee noted Ong's «lower culpability», as it was Iswaran who had asked Ong to bill him for the Doha trip.Judicial mercy is when the courts give leniency to offenders with exceptional personal circumstances, on humanitarian grounds.  

Dr Lee Wei Ling, the daughter of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, has a wish fulfilled nearly a year after her death.In a Facebook post on Thursday (Aug 14), Lee Hsien Yang said that he took his sister «on one last boat ride» from Edinburgh, Scotland to scatter her ashes out at sea.«Farewell Ling. My principled, steadfast and indomitable sister,» he added.Dr Lee, a neurologist, died at the age of 69 on Oct 9, 2024, four years after she was diagnosed with a rare, degenerative brain disease.Lee described the country where he strewn Dr Lee's ashes upon the waves as one that held deep significance for both of them.He recalled: «Ling and I went to Scotland on our own when we were still in school. We toured the countryside, and stayed in Edinburgh, climbed Arthur’s Seat, and visited Edinburgh castle.»She returned by herself from time to time over the years for her medical exams, and to hike the rugged hills she loved so much."

Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng has arrived at the State Courts on Friday (Aug 15) to await the sentencing of his case linked to former transport minister S. Iswaran.The 79-year-old Malaysian pleaded guilty on Aug 4 to one charge of abetting Iswaran in obstructing the course of justice. A second charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts will be taken into consideration for sentencing.Before his hearing scheduled for 2.30pm, Ong arrived wearing a white shirt and a mask.He remained silent as he walked into court alongside his lawyers and staff.[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@asiaone/video/7538692473908989202[/embed]Ong suffers from multiple myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer, and other health issues.If convicted of abetting the obstruction of justice, he may face a jail term of up to seven years, or a fine, or both.[[nid:720857]]At the Aug 4 hearing, the defence asked the court to exercise judicial mercy, on grounds that sending Ong to prison would significantly endanger his life.

There is no train service on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) due to a power fault, said rail operator SBS Transit on Friday morning (Aug 15). In a Facebook post just before 9am, SBS Transit added that free regular bus services are available at designated bus stops near affected stations and Sengkang bus interchange.It added that free bridging bus services are also available. The Friday morning disruption comes three days after a power switchboard failed and caused a major disruption affecting 11 MRT stations on the Northeast Line and the entire SPLRT. [[nid:721257]]editor@asiaone.com

A python spotted at a coffee shop along Teck Whye Lane was seen lunging at some members of the public when they tried to capture it using brooms.In a video posted to the Sgfollowsall Instagram page on Wednesday (Aug 13), a large python can be seen slithering along the roof of a coffee shop located at Block 145 Teck Whye Lane as a crowd watches.One man is then seen standing on a chair while trying to take a video of the snake.Shortly after this, the python falls off the roof and starts slithering away. A few men give chase, hitting it with brooms.The snake then lunges at them, seemingly in retaliation, and this causes some people in the crowd to scream.Throughout the nearly three-minute-long video, various onlookers prod, hit or pin down the snake as it tries to go further into the coffee shop and even into a stall.One man can also be seen gripping onto the snake's tail in an attempt to hold it back as it thrashes and resists.One grabs the snake's headThe ordeal ended when a middle-aged man grabbed the python's head and shoved it into a plastic bag before instructing another man holding its tail to do the same.