SINGAPORE — A certain religious organisation's council member, whom the prosecution described as «outwardly pious», committed sexual offences against his friend's son when the child was between 11 and 12 years old.The offender, 66, even recorded a video of himself touching the child's private parts and took more than 40 pictures showing the victim's genitals.Details about the religious organisation have been redacted from court documents.Stressing that the man's conduct was «abhorrent», Deputy Public Prosecutor Dhiraj G. Chainani said: «(He was) so strict in his religiosity that he forbade any females from staying the night in his home.»Yet, behind closed doors, he revealed a markedly different self — a man driven by perverse intent, who consumed child pornography involving young males before turning his predatory attention to a young child who trusted him."The man, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim's identity, was sentenced to 13 years and three months' jail on Sept 16.

The Government will take strong action against vaping and enhance support for students' holistic development to build a fairer and more inclusive society that supports Singaporeans at every stage in life.These plans were announced on Wednesday (Sept 17) in their addenda to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam's address at the opening of Parliament, by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and Ministry of Education (MOE).In his address on Sept 5, President Shanmugaratnam highlighted the importance of «comprehensive social support systems in place» that will support social mobility and help Singaporeans navigate through challenging and uncertain times.As such, the ministries will enhance support for families, nurture the youth, and strengthen care for the elderly so that all Singaporeans can be reassured throughout their various stages of life.[[nid:722675]]Here are the highlights from the statements by each ministry.

The recent train disruptions are isolated incidents and not indicative of systemic issues, said SMRT Trains President Lam Sheau Kai.Speaking to media at Kim Chuan Depot on Wednesday (Sept 17), Lam explained that a faulty component in the power system caused a signalling failure, affecting services between Aljunied and Tanah Merah stations on Sept 16.«The component has since been isolated, and train services resumed as normal this morning,» he said.For the Sept 17 breakdown on the Thomson-East Coast Line, Lam said SMRT is working with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to investigate a signalling fault that required a system restart.«To minimise inconvenience during the morning peak, commuters were disembarked and advised to use alternate lines,» he said, adding that train services were temporarily suspended for about 30 minutes.

Train services along the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) have resumed after a two-hour disruption on Wednesday (Sept 17) morning, said SMRT.In a Facebook update at 8.54am, the train operator said that all train services on the TEL have resumed, and that free regular bus and bridging bus services have ended.The disruption, which occurred at around 7am, spanned across all stations on the TEL from Bayshore to Woodlands North, and was caused by a signal fault, said SMRT.Commuters were then advised by SMRT to allow for an additional 15 minutes of travel time due to the train disruption.In an update at 8.38am, SMRT said that TEL services were «progressively resuming to normalcy» and that free regular and bridging bus services were still available.Commuters were later informed at 8.49am that they could return to TEL stations to continue their journey, and that bridging bus services had ceased.

The perennial debate of which food is better — Singaporean or Malaysian — had netizens chiming in again after Malaysia-based American content creator, Terry Pernell, gave his two cents' worth.Pernell and his partner, Mag, posted several TikTok videos on Sept 11, where both expressed surprise at the cost of food in Singapore.They ordered 10 sticks of satay, stir-fried beef, and a large plate of egg fried rice at Newton Food Centre and the bill was about $45.They noted that it was pricey.«This food better knock me off my feet,» Pernell stated while tasting the satay. And while it didn't quite hit the mark, he admitted that the satay was «good» and raved about the peanut sauce.«I can't say the food (is) bad though,» he concluded.In one of her videos, Mag also wrote that «Singapore is not for the poor», lamenting the high cost of a beer.[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@travelwithmag/video/7548500222763076870[/embed]To those thinking of visiting Singapore, Pernell had one piece of advice — «Bring all your money, don't leave none of your money at home,» he quipped.

Thundery showers and gusty winds are expected to continue into the second fortnight of September due to Sumatra squalls, said the Meteorological Service Singapore on Tuesday (Sept 16).Sumatra squalls are an organised line of thunderstorms that typically develop over Sumatra island or the Straits of Malacca. It generally moves eastwards towards Singapore and the surrounding region under the influence of south-westerly or westerly winds.According to the Met Service, this weather phenomenon commonly occurs during the south-west monsoon and inter-monsoon periods, and usually affects Singapore overnight or in the morning.The Met Service said that the prevailing south-west monsoon is forecast to persist for the rest of the month, adding that Sumatra squalls may bring widespread thundery showers and gusty winds in the pre-dawn and morning on several days.Localised short duration thundery showers are also expected over parts of the island on some afternoons, with a few dry days. «Overall, the total rainfall for the second fortnight of September is forecast to be near average over most parts of the island,» it added.

As part of ongoing efforts to improve vehicle and road safety, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Tuesday (Sept 16) that it will require all newly-registered motorcycles to be equipped with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) from April 1, 2027.ABS is a safety feature that prevents the wheels on motor vehicles from locking up during sudden or hard braking.This allows the driver or rider to maintain steering control and stability. All new cars here are already equipped with it, even though it has not been a legal requirement.LTA has been studying the impact of ABS for all motorcycles since 2023. Last year, the transport regulator was in talks with motorcycle retailers on the feasibility of requiring all new two-wheelers here to be fitted with this system.Citing a World Health Organisation study in its latest announcement, the authority said that motorcycles equipped with ABS have a 37 per cent lower fatal crash rate compared to those without it.

The co-location of the new Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) within a business district means more opportunities for applied learning and industry collaboration, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Tuesday (Sept 16).He was speaking at the official opening of the new campus in the Punggol Digital District (PDD).The PDD currently hosts companies like Panasonic, with organisations such as dConstruct, GovTech, UOB, OCBC, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, and the Association of Information Security Professionals set to move to the district.Speaking at the opening ceremony, PM Wong highlighted that SIT is the only university in Singapore co-located within a business district.SIT comprises two plots — the 42,000 sq m Campus Court facing the Coney Island waterfront and the 49,000 sq m Campus Heart featuring the Punggol Heritage Trail. The campus has been fully operational since May, after about six years of development following its groundbreaking in 2019, with approximately 11,000 students and nearly 1,300 staff.

SINGAPORE — The 6.3m-long carcass of a baleen whale was found in the waters off Tanjong Pagar on Sept 6.Announcing the discovery in a statement, the NUS Lee Kong Chian National History Museum said the cause of the whale's death is unclear.The carcass was in an advanced stage of decomposition, and research is underway to find out more about the animal, said the museum's curator of mammals Marcus Chua.Officers from the National Parks Board (NParks) had alerted the museum researchers to the carcass.However, while preparations were ongoing, the whale's «delicate carcass» was reported on Sept 12 to have drifted towards the Marina Bay Cruise Centre.To prevent it from being lost to the open sea, museum staff worked with Singapore Salvage Engineers to secure the remains.

SINGAPORE — Another eatery has reported being targeted by a fake bulk order, bringing the total number of reported cases in just over a week to six.The latest case to surface affected Hapiha Mediterranean Taverna, located near Holland Road, and involved the impersonation of someone from Singapore Chinese Girls' School.Hapiha's co-owner, who wanted to be known only as Ali, told The Straits Times that a man contacted the restaurant on Sept 10 at around 3.45pm, claiming to be from Singapore Chinese Girls' School and the «education sector».The caller wanted to book the restaurant, which serves non-halal food, for three days between 3pm and 6pm for 30 people each day, on Sept 12, 13 and 14, said Ali.The estimated value of the booking, inclusive of operating costs, was more than $3,000, said Ali.«(The caller) told us he had been to the restaurant before. It was as if he knew the restaurant very well,» she added.The restaurant, which has been operating for two years in Ridgewood Close, in the Mount Sinai area, seats a maximum of 30 people.

A Singaporean man accused of drug trafficking has been handed fresh charges of possessing vape cartridges containing Class A controlled drugs.47-year-old Lim Heong Sheng was allegedly found in possession of a vape cartridge containing methamphetamine and another containing MDMB-4en-PINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid or designer drug. According to court documents, Lim allegedly consumed methamphetamine on or before Jan 16 this year.He was found with the drug-laced vape cartridges at around 10.20am at a carpark in Jurong West Street 65 on the same day.He was also accused of having other drugs on him at the same location, including a packet of cannabis, a packet of ketamine, and drug utensils. His other alleged offences include trafficking methamphetamine and possessing a single 7.62mm hollow point ammunition round in a laptop bag found in the boot of his vehicle.Hollow point bullets are specially designed with a hollow cavity at the tip. This feature makes the bullet expand upon impact, especially when it comes into contact with a soft target.

SINGAPORE — The mastermind of an operation to illegally rent out short-term accommodations at 31 private residential properties has been fined $1,144,902.Between July 2018 and November 2021, Robin Koh Guohui, 41, had engaged four others to be part of an unauthorised short-term accommodation operation in return for a monthly salary, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Sept 15.The four are Pandy Lim En Xiang, 33, Chew Lam Yong, 61, Low Ah Tee, 81, and Chua Lian Beng, 71. A fifth person, Ryan Chow Yan Kit, 34, was also involved.The five men — all Singaporeans — were fined between $8,000 and $32,500, and sentenced between August 2024 and March 2025.Koh, who was sentenced on Sept 15, was the sole director of a company named SG Auto Car, which he used to facilitate the illegal activities. The company was renamed SG Bizloan Consultant in July 2021.Chow and the four whom Koh had approached each served as the sole director of one of four companies — KCA, Edrich Group, Ed Werks Holdings and ANZ Management Services — at different times.

A male Sunda pangolin by the name of Berani, who underwent the first orthopaedic surgery of its kind on his hind leg after he was rescued in 2018, has died.The Mandai Wildlife Reserve announced his death in a Facebook Reel yesterday (Sept 15).The post reads: «We are deeply saddened to bid farewell to Berani, our beloved rescued Sunda pangolin.»His keeper, Shahnom, shared in the Reel that he was rescued seven years ago and had been under their care since: «Whenever we shared Berani's story with guests, they were often amazed by his incredible journey from rescue to recovery.»Shahnom added that a few months ago, Berani, who was housed at the Night Safari, was diagnosed with a rare skin disease by the veterinary team and underwent five months of intensive treatment.«Throughout this time, our teams gave our best to ensure he was well cared for and received the best treatment possible. Despite all efforts, his condition worsened and with great sadness, we had to make the difficult decision to let him go,» he said.

A Singaporean woman has expressed disappointment with a dating agency’s services, claiming she was matched with a man significantly older than her preferred age range. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the 63-year-old woman revealed that she had purchased a one-year premium package for $3,199 from dating agency, Lovestuck, in 2022. The woman, who wished to be known only as Zhang, said that a staff member from the dating agency had initially mentioned a man in his 60s, who was investing in China, as a potential match.«I thought he was suitable, since I'm also a businesswoman,» said Zhang.However, after a month or two, the staff failed to arrange a meeting between the two, claiming that the man had gone abroad. Instead, the mobile app kept recommending a man in his 80s — more than 10 years older than the age range she had reportedly specified.«I told them I didn't want anyone too old, but they kept sending me inappropriate matches,» said Zhang.Feeling dissatisfied, she requested a refund, but her request was reportedly denied.

The fake bulk order from an «army camp» struck again — this time a nasi lemak shop and a bakery were the victims.Reports said that there have been at least five such cases in the past week. Nasi lemak shop Sedap! in Novena received an order for 150 pax of nasi lemak and bottles of mineral water on Sept 8, due the following day, but it was neither paid for nor the food collected, according to the shop's an Instagram post last Thursday (Sept 11).In its post titled «A lesson to learn», the shop said it received a phone call from «Luke» who placed the order for the army camp on an «urgent basis».«Luke» said advance payment was not possible as the shop was a «first time supplier» and that documentation was needed for approval.This sounded reasonable at the time for the shop, the Sedap! spokesperson wrote, and it agreed to accept the order and deliver food at 1pm on Sept 9, when it would receive payment.«On the day of delivery, there was insufficient time to get his 'office approval', but we decided to still proceed with the delivery,» the spokesperson said.

SINGAPORE — A Singaporean arrested in Malaysia for allegedly trying to move vapes laced with etomidate and cocaine to South Korea was an engineering student at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).Ivan Tan Zhi Xuan took a year off school in 2019 to run a bak chor mee (minced pork noodles) stall in Ang Mo Kio.Tan, a 31-year-old Singaporean, is facing accusations in Malaysia that he was the ringleader of a criminal group which tried to recruit students in South Korea to set up a distribution network for drug-laced vapes in Seoul.The Straits Times learnt that the syndicate's operation was first detected by South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS).The agency said Tan and three of his associates had allegedly tried to smuggle each month 20,000 vapes mixed with etomidate and cocaine, an amount significant enough to feed the addiction of two million people.Tan was arrested on June 19 with two other Singaporeans — Tristan Chew Jin Zhong, 25, and Quek Kien Seng, 45 — and 57-year-old Malaysian Kong Sien Mee at a luxury hotel in Selangor, where the vapes were packed.Malaysian law enforcement agencies were tipped off by the NIS.

A TikTok post by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Sunday (Sept 14) is going viral, racking up more than 500k views in just over a day. The video shows two police officers running into a man impersonating as a uniformed police officer — the second time he is caught doing so — after being 'caught' as a police impersonator in an earlier TikTok post.Realising that he is about to be exposed again, the impersonator breaks out into a series of dance moves popularised by Chinese dance group Buqi Crew as the song Pao Mo (Bubbles) by Hong Kong singer G.E.M aptly plays out in the background.

Seventeen students and two staff from E-Bridge Pre-School's Circuit Road branch have come down with what is suspected to be food poisoning. They started showing symptoms of gastroenteritis from Sept 9, said the Communicable Diseases Agency, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in a joint statement on Sunday (Sept 14).Gastroenteritis refers to the inflammation of the stomach and intestines. It is often caused by infections from bacteria, parasites or viruses in contaminated food, water or surfaces and results in symptoms like fever, vomiting as well as abdominal pain.No one was hospitalised and the case is being investigated, the statement said.ECDA is monitoring the situation and working with the pre-school operator to ensure pupil and staff wellbeing. It has also reminded the pre-school to comply with infection prevention and control guidelines.«Pre-schools are required to adhere to the food safety and hygiene requirements specified in the Early Childhood Development Centres Code of Practice,» said the statement.

A beloved coffee hawker, known for serving traditional coffee at his stall in Chinatown, died on Wednesday (Sept 10) at the age of 80.For more than 60 years, Tan Chew Ning operated his coffee stall — a craft he began after learning to brew coffee from his father at the age of 13.According to Shin Min Daily News, Tan began learning to make coffee from his father after dropping out of school as a teenager, and later went on to run his own stall at Chinatown Complex Food Centre. The stall was named Tai Hwa Coffee Stall.In an interview with Shin Min, Tan's 50-year-old son said his grandfather had opened a coffee shop in the Pagoda Street area, which was taken back in 1993.After that, Tan worked at various coffee stalls before eventually partnering with a friend to take over the current stall.Despite the departure of his business partner and the passing of his wife in 2018, Tan continued operating the stall. 

A day after returning from a four-day visit to the United States on Sept 13, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing is on a four-day introductory visit to China till Thursday (Sept 18).Chan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Public Services, will meet with senior Chinese leaders in Beijing and speak at the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum.He will visit the People's Liberation Army (PLA) National Defence University, where he will engage senior PLA and provincial officials in a roundtable discussion. The minister will also be hosted to a visit to the PLA Southern Theatre Command in Guangzhou and the STC navy in Zhanjiang. Established in 2016, the Southern Theatre Command is one of five theatre commands of the PLA. It is responsible for parts of mainland China and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, the South China Sea, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. 

A 44-year-old man was arrested on Saturday (Sept 13) for drink driving and driving under disqualification after his car crashed into a traffic light pole.Footage posted to the Singapore Road Accident Facebook page showed the aftermath of the incident, which occurred in the wee hours.The clip, believed to be taken by a passenger in a passing vehicle, captured a black BMW that had crashed into a traffic light pole, with the car still lodged against the pole at the scene. Its parts were strewn about, with its bumper visibly damaged and the driver's door open.The traffic light pole was severely damaged and leaning at an angle.In response to queries, police told AsiaOne that the Traffic Police officers were conducting a patrol on Sept 13 at about 1.45am along Beach Road when they signalled for a car to stop. Shortly after, the car sped off and crashed into the traffic light pole.The incident occurred at the junction of Nicoll highway and Sims Way.The man was conscious when the Singapore Civil Defence Force took him to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the authorities said.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:722270]]

MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — About six months into his posting to the Republic of Singapore Air Force's Peace Carvin V detachment in Idaho, US, Military Expert 5 (ME5) Esley Pwee received a text from his older sister Emily.It wasn't to check in on how he was doing, but to ask what items ME5 Esley's three-year-old son Hayden would like.That was how the 32-year-old senior maintenance officer learnt that Emily, a military intelligence expert with the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS), would be joining him in the US for Exercise Forging Sabre.Held from Sept 6 to 21 at Mountain Home Air Force Base, this year's sense and strike exercise involves over 800 personnel from the Singapore Army, RSAF, DIS and the defence technology community.It is both ME4 Emily, 37, and ME5 Esley's second time at Exercise Forging Sabre, but their first time participating together.

For mechatronics systems student Ian Lim, having access to larger, revamped lab facilities would significantly enhance his learning environment and motivation throughout his curriculum.Speaking to AsiaOne, the 25-year-old student from the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) shared that his wish has now been realised, thanks to the revamped spaces at the new campus in Punggol. «I think it really shows SIT's commitment [in] preparing students for the future. Having access to nearby research labs and upgraded facilities gives us the chance to do hands-on work that complements what we learn in class,» said the Year 4 student. Lim, who is in his final year, added that the new labs provide him and his teammates with ample space to test ideas quickly and gain hands-on experience, while preparing them for future research.