Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's hurried departure from Bangkok on Thursday night (Sept 4) to Singapore, his first destination, did not go to plan, according to reports from Thailand.The private jet carrying the 76-year-old billionaire could not land in Seletar Airport on Friday (Sept 5) because the airport shuts at 10pm.Instead, the plane was diverted to Dubai and landed there around 3am (7am, Singapore time), reports said.«I intended to travel to Singapore to have a health check with the doctor who took care of me while I was abroad,» Thaksin said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.But he claimed that Thai immigration officers delayed him for «almost two hours», adding that he has the same rights as any other Thai when it comes to travel.During the flight, the pilot notified him that the delays caused by the immigration officers meant that he could not land at Seletar Airport.AsiaOne understands that Seletar Airport, which receives private jets, operates between 7am and 10pm.«Since I couldn't land in Singapore, I decided to have the pilot change my plans to Dubai,» he wrote.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung recently addressed heightened Government measures to stop vaping, including placing red vape bins island wide.In an episode of local podcast The Daily Ketchup, which was released on Thursday (Sept 4), Ong was asked about the red-coloured vape disposal bins, which allow abusers to surrender their devices without penalties. The hosts of the podcasts narrowed in on the leniency of this initiative in particular.To this, Ong responded that this approach was his call, as there were «a lot of young people» among vape users, with 30 per cent of users being under 30 years of age.To «throw the book at them» with the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) would be harmful for their future as the offences would go on their records, he said.The health minister added that he has faith that young people can be convinced to stop vaping, unlike hardcore drug users who are difficult to persuade.[[nid:720627]]Additionally, when asked if there were locations which had a surprising number of vapes disposed, Ong said: «Certain spots, I don't know why (the bins) are full.»

SINGAPORE — Three new charges were handed to a suspected Kpod peddler on Friday (Sept 5) over allegedly possessing more than 800 Kpods for sale.Jodan Chin Wei Liang, 27, was accused of possessing for sale 804 vape pods which were analysed and found to contain etomidate on July 10 at a carpark in Bishan Street 13.He also allegedly had two more Kpods for the purposes of selling them at a flat in Bishan that day.On Sept 5, a Health Sciences Authority (HSA) prosecutor sought an increase in bail for Chin from $10,000 to $15,000. This was granted by the court.Chin also made an application to leave jurisdiction to Malaysia and Vietnam. But this was rejected by the judge as Chin had indicated he would leave Singapore for an «unlimited» period of time.Chin said: «For my family, I am responsible for grocery runs across the border, so I am not sure of the schedule.»In rejecting the application, District Judge Janet Wang asked Chin to reapply to leave jurisdiction and state his dates of travel.Chin agreed, and added: «I will do my best to co-operate with everything for investigations.»

An enforcement supervisor from a Health and Sciences Authority-contracted company has been charged for attempting to obtain bribes in exchange for information regarding a HSA vape raid.Michael Anthony Pillai, a 34-year-old Singaporean, was charged in court on Friday (Sept 5) under the Prevention of Corruption Act.Pillay had attempted to obtain bribes amounting to $8,000 on multiple occasions in 2024 from Chua Wee Ming in exchange for exclusive information about vape raids conducted by HSA, said a statement by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).He was working for WSH Experts, a private agency subcontracted to aid HSA's tobacco regulation unit, reported CNA.Chua, a 34-year-old Malaysian man, has been linked to a vape stash worth more than $6 million which was seized by HSA.Chua's methods to do so included getting a 38-year-old man to smuggle vapes into Singapore and enlisting a fellow Malaysian man to conduct surveillance on the warehouse holding the confiscated vapes, reported CNA.

Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) have foiled another attempt to smuggle e-vaporisers and related components through Singapore's borders.In a Facebook post on Thursday (Sept 4), ICA said that auxiliary police officers at Woodlands Checkpoint discovered duty-unpaid cigarettes in the car's boot and directed it for enhanced checks. There, ICA officers uncovered 34 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes and 18 e-vaporisers and related components. In response to AsiaOne’s queries, an ICA spokesperson said that the suspect is a 37-year-old male Singaporean.The case has been referred to the Singapore Customs and the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation.Stepped up checks at Singapore's bordersAs part of whole-of-government efforts against vaping, ICA has stepped up checks at Singapore's air, land and sea borders.Over a five-day period between Aug 18 and 22, ICA intercepted more than 850 vapes.

For Wong Nan Hui and Cassandra Yu, the beginning of their relationship started with a literal crush.They first met in 2022, when they were colleagues at a local media company. After finding themselves on the same bus to work one fateful day, Nan Hui tried to strike up a conversation with Cassandra just as tragedy struck her AirPods.«As we were alighting, her AirPods slipped out of her hand and got crushed by a bus as it drove past us,» he recalled. While her AirPods did not survive, sparks between them came alive.Their arbitrary chats blossomed into a relationship when they realised that they had many things in common, such as having similar family backgrounds, personal values and plans for their future.Three years later, the couple were ready to move onto the next phase of their relationship and applied for a Build-to-Order (BTO) flat together. They were successful in booking a three-room flat at Kallang View, a Plus BTO flat.

The first Friday of September - Teachers' Day.But this day is more than just a school holiday; it's also about celebrating our teachers, and their hard work and dedication in educating the young.Prime Minister Lawrence Wong did just that in a social media post on Friday (Sept 5), emphasising the important role teachers play, especially in today's technologically advanced world.«They don't just teach lessons in the classroom — they build character, spark curiosity, and guide our children to grow with confidence,» PM Wong wrote.Thanking all teachers and educators for their dedication, patience and care, he said the government will continue to support them in nurturing and inspiring students.«Happy Teachers' Day!» said PM Wong. 

A 28-year-old man has been convicted in court after losing control of his car and causing a car crash that split the vehicle into two, killing his two passengers.Ong Wei Long was sentenced to two years in jail on Sept 4 after pleading guilty on one count of dangerous driving.He will also be disqualified from driving for 10 years following his release from prison.According to court documents, Ong had been driving at a speed of up to 140 kmh at midnight on Aug 11, 2023 when he lost control of his car and collided into a tree along the slip road from the Central Expressway (CTE) towards Seletar West Link.The impact of the collision resulted in the car splitting into two.Tan Bing Quan, a 26-year-old passenger, was pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics from multiple injuries.Lim Xin Rong Shannon, also 26, died about a week after the accident in hospital, reported The Straits Times. The cause of death was a cervical spine injury.

SINGAPORE - Keep calm and trust ourselves.That is interim Singapore coach Gavin Lee's message for his charges after his debut as the Lions' tamer ended in a 2-1 loss to Malaysia in an international friendly at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Sept 4.The hosts, whose starting XI comprised mainly foreign-born players, led 2-0 through goals by Stuart Wilkin and Joao Figueiredo, before substitute Ilhan Fandi halved the deficit in the second half.In a broadcast interview right after the match, the 34-year-old Lee said: «We should trust ourselves a little bit more. I thought there were some very good phases from us, both in attack and defence, but it's just about repeating it, and I think that requires a little bit of calmness, a little more trust in what we do.»But it's the first step in our journey, and I'm sure we will continue to improve."He sang a similar tune at the post-match conference when asked for the lessons learnt from the loss.

After their multi-purpose vehicles (MPV) were impounded by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), numerous travel agencies in Johor Baru have stepped forward to say that they are facing bankruptcy, reported The Star on Aug 24.Some of these MPV owners reportedly said that their vehicles are still stuck in Singapore, even though they have already paid the fines for ferrying passengers from Johor Baru to Singapore without proper permits. The vehicles reportedly cost between RM250,000 ($76,470) and RM500,000. Some Malaysian vehicle owners have also attempted to go to courts in Singapore to reclaim their assets but have not had any success, The Star reported.«After 11 months in court, the judge told us the car is officially seized with no further appeal. No documents were issued, leaving us unable to audit our accounts properly,» tour operator Cheries Chia said.Tour company Muhammad Siddiq Kunyu shared with The Star that three of his MPVs were seized in Singapore this year.He had hired a lawyer in Singapore to pursue the matter, but there has been no updates.

SINGAPORE - Multi-coloured lights flash for several seconds as Singpass scans users' faces before the authentication tool lets them bank or transact online.This feature activates randomly or when cyber intrusion is suspected, drawing on the intelligence gathered by an elusive anti-fraud team at the Government Technology Agency (GovTech).Facial verification protects citizens' online accounts by matching their faces with government records in real time. It deters remote online activities on users' accounts, including malware infections, without their knowledge.The heightened checks have come on the heels of a spate of phishing scams in 2021 and 2022 targeting OCBC customers, who lost a total of about $13.7 million.The incident, and the discovery that scammers had also targeted Singpass accounts, prompted GovTech to set up its anti-fraud team in 2022.

When he discovered that a man had allegedly molested a female commuter, SMRT Trains employee Tippu Sultan S Hamid sprung into action and detained the suspect until police arrived.On Thursday (Sept 4), 60-year-old Tippu was among four public transport staff recognised for assisting the police in separate cases of outrage of modesty on the public transport network.They each received the Community Partnership Award from the Public Transport Security Command (TransCom) for their contributions.On April 18, 2025, the Senior Station Manager heard shouting and saw a female commuter chasing after a man at Pioneer MRT station. Tippu approached the man and told him that he would need to come with him as some complaints had been made. He also asked to keep the suspect's identification card to ensure the latter did not attempt to escape.When Tippu approached the woman to investigate, she told him that she had felt the suspect grab her left buttock while she was riding the escalator. Realising that he could not handle the situation himself, Tippu alerted TransCom and detained the suspect.

The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) has instructed Meta and X to issue correction notices for Sammy Obeid's social media posts regarding his cancelled Singapore show.This comes after Obeid failed to make the requested corrections.In a statement on Thursday (Sept 4), MDDI said that the American comedian failed to comply with the correction direction issued to him earlier on Monday.Under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma), Obeid was asked to issue correction notices alongside his original social media posts — on Facebook, Instagram, and X — from Aug 27.In particular, MDDI cited Obeid's posts that falsely claimed that the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) asked for multiple rounds of edits to his material, including removing all references to Israel, Palestine, and the conflict in Gaza.Obeid alleged that his stand-up show scheduled for Aug 31 was cancelled despite being «toned down» and «heavily censored» to fit local regulations.

Amid global uncertainty, India and Singapore have set out «an ambitious and detailed road map» to chart the next phase of their relationship which is rooted in shared values, mutual respect and trust, said the prime ministers of both countries on Thursday (Sept 4). Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong were speaking at a joint press conference during PM Wong's official visit to India. The agenda of setting out «an ambitious road map» was also mentioned by PM Wong during an interview with Indian publication Hindustan Times published earlier on Thursday. During that interview, PM Wong said that the road map for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with India will set out all the different areas of cooperation between both countries, and how they want to pursue them further. 

SINGAPORE — Staff at the three public healthcare clusters in Singapore caught vaping or possessing vapes could be dismissed.SingHealth, NHG Health and the National University Health System (NUHS) said they are taking a strong stance against staff vaping and are implementing disciplinary measures.These range from a formal written warning for staff caught for the first time for possessing or using a vaping device to dismissal for repeated offenders and those caught with drug-laced vapes.The Government had earlier announced that it would toughen its stance on vaping, with stricter measures coming into effect on Monday (Sept 1). They include higher fines for abusers and harsher penalties for suppliers.In response to queries from The Straits Times, the three healthcare clusters, which run public hospitals, polyclinics and national speciality centres, said they are aligning their human resources policies with the Government’s stance.NUHS said it has reviewed its policy and guidelines and are communicating these to its staff through e-mail, physical and digital posters, and in-person reminders at meetings.

Amid an uncertain world, there is more reason for Singapore and India to “double down” on their critical relationship, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.In an interview with Indian newspaper Hindustan Times published on Thursday (Sept 4), PM Wong, who is on his first official visit to India as Prime Minister, said that Singapore should proactively work with like-minded countries even as the world goes through profound changes.«Work with like-minded countries to closer links, to operate on the basis of a rules-based trading framework to bring our economies closer together and to find win-win outcomes,” he said. »And we believe we can do so with India, because we have a strategic partnership built on 60 years of friendship and trust.«PM Wong recalled that the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) was initially just an idea to »inject new energy« into bilateral ties and »take the relationship forward", given that the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) was signed 20 years ago.

Cathay Cineplexes' parent company, mm2 Asia, said that the voluntary liquidation of its cinema chain business is unlikely to have a major impact on its core businesses or continuing operations.In a bourse filing on Wednesday (Sept 3), the entertainment company responded to queries from the Singapore Exchange Regulation and said that the liquidation will instead «expected to improve the group’s overall cashflows and profitability».mm2 announced the voluntary liquidation of Cathay earlier on Monday (Sept 1), citing that it was «no longer feasible» to continue with operations due to the group's inability to reach any «mutually agreeable restructuring outcomes of its payment obligations» to creditors.In its filing, mm2 said that its financial performance has already been «fully reflected» and «publicly disclosed» in consolidated earnings that were released on Aug 28, which reflected a net loss of $122.4 million for FY2025.

The police have issued a warning to the public to remain vigilant against a scam variant involving a Johor-Singapore housing subsidy initiative that has been circulating online.In a statement released on Thursday (Sept 4), police said victims would come across advertisement such as «JBSG housing subsidy program» or «Free homes across the causeway» on online platforms such as Facebook.   These advertisements falsely claim that there is a collaboration between the Singapore and Johor governments to provide subsidised housing. The posts often contain embedded links directing interested individuals to apply for the alleged scheme.In one reported case, a document associated with the scam even carried forged signatures purportedly belonging to the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Malaysia.After clicking on the links, victims would be redirected to WhatsApp, and instructed to communicate with the scammers. Victims were then provided with another link to enter their personal information such as Singapore ID, residential addresses and email addresses.

A 22-year-old man will be charged in court on Thursday (Sept 4) for attempting to deposit a counterfeit $10,000 note at a bank, said the police.The youth had presented the fake banknote to counter staff of a bank located along Clementi Avenue 3 at about 2pm on Aug 15.His attempt to deposit the note into a bank account was foiled after the staff suspected that the currency note was counterfeit and informed the manager, who alerted the police.The man was subsequently arrested, and the counterfeit $10,000 note was seized by the police for investigations.The accused will be charged with the offence of using counterfeit currency notes as genuine notes. If convicted, he may be jailed up to 20 years and fined.The police said in their statement that it takes a serious view of any person found criminally involved in counterfeit currency.Police also reminded the public to be cautious of individuals offering money for help to convert counterfeit $10,000 or other large denomination notes with genuine currency of smaller denominations, or to deposit such notes at banks or other financial institutions.

A man was rescued by crew members aboard the Genting Dream after he was found stranded in the Strait of Malacca on Wednesday (Sept 3).According to The Straits Times, Dream Cruises said in a statement that the ship's crew spotted a small boat in distress that morning while on a three-night voyage from Singapore to Phuket.«The individual was observed signalling for assistance, and the ship's crew promptly initiated rescue procedures,» the statement read.The man was brought safely on board after a 30-minute rescue operation where he was given food, refreshments, and a medical assessment by the ship's medical team, reported CNA. In response to queries from CNA, Dream Cruises said that the man — an Indonesian national — had signalled for help after his vessel experienced engine failure.The cruise line noted that he is currently in stable condition and receiving care. The ship's itinerary remained unaffected by the rescue.A spokesperson for the cruise line also stated that Genting Dream is coordinating closely with the relevant authorities to arrange for the individual's safe transfer to shore. 

A sprinkler pipe at City Square Mall burst on Wednesday evening (Sept 3), prompting shoppers to flee the affected area.Pictures posted on Xiaohongshu showed water gushing out of the pipe, which was above a KFC outlet located at basement one of the mall. Parts of the ceiling seemingly also collapsed, with wires seen to be hanging above the eatery.A video posted to TikTok by Olympic wrestling coach Ali Parvin also showed customers of the fast food joint leaving their food behind as the brown-coloured liquid flowed towards them.  The liquid from the pipe can also be seen flowing into the underpass towards Farrer Park MRT station.Sprinkler pipe dislodged A City Square Mall spokesperson told AsiaOne that they were alerted to the incident at about 7.40pm.«Within minutes, the operations and security teams began redirecting traffic from the affected area while the cleaning team was activated to begin clearing the affected area,» the spokesperson said.«Our operations team deployed to the area identified the source to be a dislodged sprinkler pipe, and the related pump was promptly deactivated.»

Ninety-three persons, including a 16-year-old male teenager, are being investigated by the police for their suspected involvement in unlicensed moneylending activities.Their alleged involvement was uncovered during a five-day unlicensed moneylending suppression operation from Aug 25 to 29, the police said on Wednesday (Sept 3).In response to AsiaOne's queries, police said that the 16-year-old is among 42 others believed to have opened bank accounts and provided their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards, personal identification numbers (PIN), internet banking tokens to unlicensed moneylenders to facilitate unlicensed moneylending activities.Thirty-eight others are believed to be runners who had assisted in unlicensed moneylending activities by carrying out ATM transfer, with another 11 alleged to have harassed debtors at their residence.The last person is alleged to have provided false contact information to the unlicensed moneylender. 

Singapore port has been named best in Asia and globally at the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chan (AFLAS) Awards 2025 on Wednesday (Sept 3). The awards are organised by Asia Cargo News, a fortnightly logistics and supply chains publication. In a statement, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said that this is the fourth time the Port of Singapore has been named “Best Global Seaport”, and the 37th time it has won the and “Best Seaport in Asia” accolade. “These awards reflect the collective efforts of our industry stakeholders, international partners, research community, and unions,” said MPA chief executive Ang Wee Keong, adding that the authority remains committed to developing Singapore as a a global hub port and an international maritime centre.“Singapore will continue to strive to be a preferred port of call,” Ang said.The annual awards recognise leading service providers, including air and shipping lines, airports and seaports, logistics, and other associated industry professionals.

Some food delivery riders in Indonesia were moved to tears after receiving food orders placed by overseas netizens demonstrating their support following protests in the country.TikTok user aktaasli, an Indonesian delivery rider, thanked a Grab user from Singapore in an emotional video uploaded on Monday (Sept 1), which has since been viewed 1.2 million times and has over 200,000 likes.In the video, the teary-eyed man said he has had less gigs as roads were closed, and schools and offices were not open.He then showed a chat record on the Grab app with a customer, who said that she is from Singapore, and the order is meant for delivery riders in Indonesia.Wiping away tears, aktaasli said that foreigners empathised and cared for them.

Every city houses a complex society — individuals with their dreams and aspirations, families with their hopes and fears, communities with their own identities and pride — all co-existing in a dynamic and even messy way, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Wednesday (Sept 3). Ong, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Polices, was speaking at the 3rd NUS Cities Symposium, where he addressed how cities are living entities which undergo natural cycles, thereby requiring efforts to be invested to «rehabilitate, nurture, strengthen and rejuvenate themselves». Citing Singapore's addition as a Blue Zone in September 2023, Ong said that he was «not sure Singapore deserved to be one».A Blue Zone is an area where more people live to be centenarians. The first five of such zones identified were Nicoya in Costa Rica, Ikaria in Greece, Sardinia in Italy, Okinawa in Japan, and Loma Linda in the US.Recounting a conversation with Dr Michel Poulain, one of three founders of Blue Zones, Ong shared an insight.

More than a third of Singaporeans, or 35.9 per cent, had decided which party to vote for even before this year’s General Election was officially called, a post-election study by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) has found.Researchers from the IPS at the National University of Singapore polled 2,872 people of voting age from May 8 to June 30.The General Election, which was held on May 3, saw the People’s Action Party (PAP) increase its share of votes to 65.57 per cent from 61.24 per cent.The PAP won 87 out of 97 seats, while the remaining 10, as well as two non-constituency MP seats, went to the Workers’ Party (WP).The results of the survey, which were released on Tuesday (Sept 2), found that over one-third of respondents indicated that they had already made up their mind on which party to back even before Parliament was dissolved on April 15.More than a third, or 36.3 per cent, also said that they decided on their vote following the dissolution of Parliament and during the nine-days of election hustings.Only 18.1 per cent of voters made up their mind on which candidate or party to back on Polling Day.