Thirty-nine people caught using e-vaporisers laced with etomidate, also known as Kpods, have started or are about to begin rehabilitation.The cases were detected in the first three weeks after stricter penalties for vaping came into effect on Sept 1, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said in a press release on Saturday (Sept 27).From Sept 1 to 21, 656 people were caught for vape-related offences, with 44 confirmed to be in possession of Kpods.Three etomidate abusers have already begun rehabilitation at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) or with Social Service Agencies (SSAs) under the Ministry of Social and Family Development's Youth Enhanced Supervision Scheme programme. Another 36 are expected to start this week while five remain under investigation.Rehabilitation instead of prosecution Under the enhanced framework, those found possessing, using or buying vapes face higher penalties than before.

A watch shop at Far East Plaza has lodged a police report after a man stole a pre-owned Rolex priced at over $40,000.The theft occurred at about 3.25pm on Thursday (Sept 25), reported 8world.A HJ Luxury employee, surnamed Liu, said a man had walked into the store and requested to view a Rolex GMT Master II worth over $40,000. He asked if he could get a discount on the watch and then requested to try it on.«Many customers will want to try on watches, and we allowed him to do so too. Right after I helped him clasp the strap, he immediately ran off,» she recounted.She and her brother-in-law, who owns the store, chased after the man for about 150 metres before they lost track of him.Footage from HJ Luxury posted to TikTok shows a man wearing a mask walk up to the exterior display of the shop before entering.When Liu comes to the shopfront, he gestures at a watch on the display, and she retrieves it. Both parties are seen talking before Liu takes the timepiece to the back of the store.Meanwhile, the man fidgets and looks around while waiting for her to return.

A 33-year-old Singaporean man has been arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, for selling vapes laced with etomidate, also known as Kpods, reported Thai media outlets on Friday (Sept 26). Thai police said the man was caught in a sting the same day, after he accepted 100,000 baht (S$4,037) from officers posing as buyers, reported Siam Rath.Officers raided his condominium in Din Daeng, Bangkok, and seized 130 Kpods, more than one million baht in cash, two mobile phones, and a rental agreement for the condominium where the incident occurred.His 24-year-old Thai girlfriend was also arrested, reported Khaosod English.

SINGAPORE - At a POSB branch in Yishun, staff repeatedly foiled a daughter's attempt to gain access to her elderly father's savings account, which had less than $5,000 in it.A few months ago, the woman went to the branch alone, claiming that her father was becoming forgetful and she needed access to help him withdraw money.She wanted to be added as the joint account holder for her father's account.Ms Ivy Keh, 59, branch service manager at POSB Yishun West, said: «We told her we need to talk to her father as he is the account holder, and we need his consent.»Days later, the daughter returned with her father and a relative.Ms Keh said: «When we asked if he consented to adding his daughter to his account, he kept quiet. He looked uncomfortable and avoided eye contact with us. His daughter kept staring at him.»Ms Keh told the senior that in a joint-alternate account, his daughter could withdraw his money without his consent as just one account holder is needed to perform any transaction.

SINGAPORE - An elderly woman was left penniless and homeless after she sold her house to live with her only son who promised to take care of her, but he disappeared after pocketing the sales proceeds.A woman in her 70s handed her ATM card to her son to help her withdraw money as she has mobility issues - only to find out that he took at least $20,000 to $30,000 from the account without her consent, leaving her with almost nothing.Social workers and lawyers told The Straits Times they have seen such cases of seniors financially abused by loved ones, and that elder financial abuse remains a hidden, under-reported problem.A Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) spokeswoman told ST that it is currently studying the issue with its partners. Financial abuse remains a concern, especially among the elderly, she said.Such cases include adult children forcing their parents to monetise their assets for the children's benefit, and withdrawing money from their parents' bank accounts without their knowledge.In some cases, the perpetrator turned violent.

A 66-year-old man who allegedly stabbed his upstairs neighbour over a noise dispute did not attend mediation at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC), the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and Ministry of National Development (MND) said on Saturday (Sept 27).Singaporean Koh Ah Hwee has been charged in court with the murder of 30-year-old Nguyen Phuong Tra.He is accused of stabbing Nguyen and her husband at Block 323 Yishun Central on Sept 24. The mother-of-two later died in hospital, and her husband suffered serious injuries.Residents told AsiaOne that Koh and Nguyen's family had been entangled in a neighbour dispute over noise purportedly originating from the victims' unit.Nee Soon GRC MP Jackson Lam said to members of the media that a woman had raised the concerns at a Meet-the-People session in July, and an appeal was submitted to HDB.[[nid:723075]]In a joint statement on Saturday, MinLaw and MND clarified the deceased woman had applied for mediation at the CMC on June 12.

Pharmaceutical companies in Singapore aim to build manufacturing plants in the US to gain an exemption to the recently-announced 100 per cent tariff on branded drugs.Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong told local reporters on Saturday (Sept 27) that Singapore had already been in talks with the companies «to better understand their concerns and the situation with regard to their exports to the US» previously and subsequently learnt about their plans following the new tariffs.«In the meantime, they are also continuing to clarify with the US administration, to better understand the conditions and the criteria, and to confirm that whether there are plans for the [new] plants in place, whether they will be eligible for tariff exemption,» he said.DPM Gan, who's also the Minister for Trade and Industry, added that pharmaceuticals make up 13 per cent of Singapore's exports to the US, amounting to $4 billion.

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said in a media release on Friday (Sept 26) that there is «currently no robust scientific evidence» to support the link between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and autism in children.This follows a statement made by US President Donald Trump during a news conference at the White House on Sept 22, where he advised pregnant women to avoid using the painkiller Tylenol — which contains acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) — citing concerns over a possible increased risk of autism in children.In response, HSA noted: «Paracetamol has been used worldwide for decades to manage pain and fever, including in pregnant women».«It remains the recommended treatment for pain or fever in pregnant women when used as directed.»HSA also emphasised that «while some studies have reported an association between paracetamol and neurological conditions such as autism, a causal link has not been established, and many other studies found no such connection».

A 6.3m-long baleen whale carcass was found in the waters off Tanjong Pagar on Sept 6. PHOTO: Facebook/Lee Kong Chian National History Museum Retrieval efforts by researchers from the Lee Kong Chian National History Museum and Singapore Salvage Engineers allowed the carcass to be secured before it was lost to open sea, and it's currently being studied by the researchers.This is the first time in a decade that a whale carcass has been found in Singapore's waters. In 2015, a sperm whale carcass later named Jubi Lee, washed up near Jurong Island.

A 61-year-old Chinese man was charged in court today (Sept 27) with one count of deliberately intending to wound racial feelings.Bill Tan Keng Hwee was arrested on Sept 25 for his suspected involvement in delivering an envelope containing pork to Al-Istiqamah Mosque in Serangoon.According to court documents, it allegedly contained a piece of pork with an offensive note and it was placed in the sight of a Malay man.In a media statement on Sept 27, the police said they were alerted to a suspicious parcel delivered to the mosque at 2 Serangoon North Avenue 2, at about 5.20pm on Sept 24.Police officers from the Bedok Police Division and the Criminal Investigation Department established the man's identity through ground enquiries and footage from police cameras.Preliminary investigations also revealed that he was allegedly involved in several similar cases at other mosques around Singapore.Tan will return to court on Oct 3. If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to three years, or a fine, or both.

SINGAPORE — A couple was fined in a district court on Sept 26 for instructing 15 foreign workers to hold placards at two worksites to demand outstanding payment owed to a company.Rebecca Rubini Ravinthiran, 33, pleaded guilty to three charges of organising a public assembly without a permit and instigating various foreign employees to break a condition in their work passes.Court documents showed that Rebecca had organised two public assemblies at Dakota Breeze in Jalan Satu, and Tengah Garden Walk on Oct 24, 2024, with the help of her husband, Vee Derrick Mahendran, 36.

A woman who worked with an accomplice to transport cash totalling $450,000 into Singapore without informing the authorities was fined $16,000 on Sept 26.Believing her fellow Indonesian accomplice, the woman, Col Vinna, 33, thought that the 45 pieces of $10,000 notes in Singapore currency were genuine, but they were not.She also thought that she could earn up to $45,000 in commissions from the plan.Col was handed the fine after she pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a conspiracy with Sofia Martha to move more than $20,000 in cash into Singapore without alerting the authorities.Sofia, then 51, was sentenced to two months’ jail in May.Deputy Public Prosecutor David Koh said: “This case exemplifies the pressing public interest in defending our financial system against money laundering and other illicit funds.“As these notes turned out to be counterfeit, this placed Singapore at risk of the circulation of counterfeit currency.”

The police nabbed 16 people for e-vaporiser related offences in a series of raids on public entertainment outlets.The suspects, aged between 21 to 50, were caught in establishments such as pubs, bars and KTV lounges, said the police and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in a joint release on Friday (Sept 26). More than 70 e-vaporisers and related components were seized from those who were caught and they were fined under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act.A total of nine island-wide, multi-agency enforcement operations were conducted between Sept 11 and 19 by all seven police land divisions and the Criminal Investigation Department, supported by officers from HSA.More than 780 people were checked across 101 public entertainment outlets by a total of 150 police and HSA officers.These enforcement operations are part of ongoing efforts to crack down on vaping.Those who are caught possessing, using or purchasing e-vaporisers now face higher penalties under an enhanced enforcement regime which kicked off on Sept 1.[[nid:721857]]

Yip Pin Xiu added an eighth world title to her long list of career achievements on Sept 26, clinching gold in the women’s 50m backstroke S2 at the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships.It was the first gold for the Singaporean at the meet – and her fourth consecutive world title in the event – after she claimed silver in the 100m backstroke S2 on Sept 23.At the OCBC Aquatic Centre on Sept 26, the 33-year-old touched the wall first in 1min 04.31sec, ahead of Russian neutral athlete Diana Koltsova (1:05.72) and Italy’s Arjola Trimi (1:05.83) who finished second and third respectively.Yip had qualified first in the morning’s heats, clocking 1:09.58. Italy’s Angela Procida (1:10.89) was second fastest, while Mexico’s Fabiola Ramirez Martinez (1:10.94) was third.In the morning’s other heats, Wong Zhi Wei clocked 4:47.22 to finish 12th out of 12 in the men’s 400m freestyle S13, while Sophie Soon (1:30.84) was last out of nine in the women’s 100m back S11 heats.

The Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) has voiced deep concerns regarding the incident at  the Al-Istiqamah Mosque in Serangoon North.A parcel, found to contain meat that appeared to be pork, caused the mosque to be evacuated on Wednesday (Sept 24) night.In a Facebook post on Thursday (Sept 25), the IRO said that it takes a strong stand against any actions that threaten the peace and safety of places of worship or undermine religious harmony in Singapore.«An act against one religion is an act against all religions,» it said The IRO is a non-governmental organisation founded by leaders from the Hindu, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Taoist, Jain, Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Baha'i religions. 

The Government temporarily listed etomidate under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) as the situation involving vapes laced with the drug was deemed urgent, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said in Parliament on Friday (Sept 26).The interim measure allows tougher enforcement as well as rehabilitation for abusers, pending the strengthening of vape laws, he added.Associate Professor Faishal was responding to a question from Vikram Nair (Sembawang GRC) who had asked why etomidate was classified as a Class C drug for only six months till Feb 28, 2026.To counter the growing problem of vaping, the Government announced that etomidate would be listed as a harmful drug from Sept 1.This means stiffer penalties for those who abuse and traffic the drug which was previously classified under the Poisons Act.On Friday, Assoc Prof Faishal said that the Ministry of Home Affairs takes the decision to list a substance under the MDA «very seriously».

The Government will make changes to the income ceiling for couples and the eligibility age for singles applying for Build-To-Order (BTO) flats when sufficient conditions are met, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Sun Xueling.Speaking during the debate on the President's Address in Parliament on Sept 26, Sun said that policy space and a higher supply of BTO flats is needed before any changes to current policies can be made.Addressing the demand for public housing, she said that the Government is taking «active steps to ensure there is housing to meet the different needs of our people».Sun said that there is «strong broad-based housing demand» in «land scarce Singapore», highlighting young families who want their own homes and singles who want to live independently.BTO income ceilingIn particular, she recognised concerns over the current BTO income ceiling of $14,000, which was last revised in 2019, despite incomes having gone up over the years.

A Singaporean man whose drug trafficking charges were temporarily dropped has been issued a detention order, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Friday (Sept 26).Benny Kee Soon Chuan, 32, is suspected of supplying and distributing drugs in Singapore. In September 2024, he was repatriated from Thailand and charged with engaging in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine.However, on Sept 8, 2025, the prosecution applied for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal, which was granted, reported CNA.Kee's lawyer Ramesh Tiwary told CNA that his client «is innocent» and «very grateful to be reunited with his family» once released from remand.On Friday, MHA said Kee was arrested under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act (CLTPA) the same day he got a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.He was subsequently issued a detention order on Sept 22.It explained that drug offences are typically prosecuted under the Misuse of Drugs Act, and the CLTPA is invoked «only as a last resort» when prosecution is not possible.

Nine drivers were caught for providing illegal ride-hailing services in Singapore and for trips to and from Malaysia. In a Facebook post on Friday (Sept 26), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that the drivers were caught during recent patrols in Arab Street, Marina Bay Cruise Centre, Marsiling Road and Changi Airport. The nine foreign-registered vehicles have since been impounded.The authority added that on top of ongoing regulatory efforts, it had acted on tip-offs from the National Private Hire Vehicles Association and National Taxi Association.Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said in a Facebook post on Friday that the drivers will be charged for providing illegal ride-hailing services.«As their vehicles are unlicensed, they also do not have adequate insurance coverage for passengers who engage their services,» she said. 

Excessive checks against foreigners working illegally as delivery riders are unsustainable and risk inconveniencing customers, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon said in Parliament on Friday (Sept 26).He added that a «balance and calibrated approach» would be for delivery platforms to conduct their own checks, such as random facial recognition for riders on their mobile applications throughout the day.Koh was responding to parliamentary questions from MPs, including Leader of Opposition Pritam Singh, on foreigners working illegally on delivery platforms.The senior minister of state said that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) receives an average of 50 complaints of illegal platform work each year since 2023, with the number of enforcement checks ramped up over the past few months.Out of the 644 delivery workers checked in more than 30 hot spots islandwide since July, four foreigners were caught without a valid work pass.But Koh cautioned that «excessive» enforcement checks at hot spots, where “huge crowds” of such workers congregate during peak hours, can lead to unintended “side effects”.

The Government will make changes to the income ceiling for couples and the eligibility age for singles applying for Build-To-Order (BTO) flats when sufficient conditions are met, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Sun Xueling.Speaking during the debate on the President's Address in Parliament on Sept 26, Sun said that policy space and a higher supply of BTO flats is needed before any changes to current policies can be made.Addressing the demand for public housing, she said that the Government is taking «active steps to ensure there is housing to meet the different needs of our people».Sun said that there is «strong broad-based housing demand» in «land scarce Singapore», highlighting young families who want their own homes and singles who want to live independently.BTO income ceilingIn particular, she recognised concerns over the current BTO income ceiling of $14,000, which was last revised in 2019, despite incomes having gone up over the years.

SINGAPORE — Music producer and former Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim, 61, has been convicted of a molestation charge involving a 25-year-old woman.The incident happened at the Hype Records office in Henderson Road on Nov 23, 2021. Lim was the executive director of the record label company at the time.In delivering her decision on Sept 26, Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng said that she found the victim's testimony to be unusually convincing, which left no reasonable doubt of Lim's guilt.The judge noted that Lim had «jokingly» sent the woman a message stating that he could tie her up.She also found him to be an untruthful witness, who was willing to make claims to serve his own interests.In 2024, Lim had to fight off allegations involving a different woman who had accused him of using inappropriate words while they were at Hype Records' premises on July 25, 2012.After a trial, District Judge Wong Peck found Lim not guilty of insulting a woman's modesty.She said the woman, who was then 25 years old, had embellished her evidence and was not a credible witness.

A grand prize of approximately $10 million is up for grabs at the next Toto draw on Monday (Sept 29) after the past three draws yielded no winners.This is the tenth time that the Toto Group 1 prize has snowballed to $10 million in 2025. The upcoming draw will be a cascade draw, which is triggered when there are no Group 1 winners for three consecutive draws.If there is no Group 1 winner at the end of the fourth draw on Monday, the final jackpot amount will be paid to the next prize group's winners and shared equally.According to Singapore Pools' website, the prize money snowballed from nearly $1.24 million on Sept 18 to $3 million on Sept 22 and $5.66 million on Sept 25 with no winner for the Group 1 prize. The most recent draw on Thursday saw 23 winners for Group 2, who split a prize of $24,231.The last time a jackpot surpassed $10 million, a grand prize of $12.5 million was split between three lucky winners on Aug 28.The upcoming draw on Monday will take place at 9.30pm.[[nid:721923]]dana.leong@asiaone.com

Eleven people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at Block 510, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, on Thursday (Sept 25) night.In response to queries from AsiaOne, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed that a call for assistance was made at around 8.25 pm.SCDF added that the fire, which involved a personal mobility aid and bicycles at the lift lobby on the 7th floor, was swiftly extinguished by firefighters. Eleven individuals, aged between 18 months and 85 years old, were assessed for smoke inhalation and subsequently conveyed conscious to the hospital, said the police.As a precautionary measure, about 90 persons from the block were evacuated by the police and SCDF.Two male teenagers aged 16 and 17 were arrested for the offence of mischief by fire. 

SINGAPORE — Two people who were accused of working together with other unknown individuals to cheat three victims of nearly $263,000 in total have walked free after they were given stern warnings.Chinese national Wang Rui, 34 and Malaysian Sau Young Seng, 38, were then granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal.Those given such a discharge cannot be charged again with the same offences.Without disclosing details, the Attorney-General's Chambers responded to queries from The Straits Times in a statement on Sept 24, saying: «After carefully considering the facts and circumstances of the matter, the prosecution directed that stern warnings in lieu of prosecution be issued to both Wang and Sau.»Following the administration of the stern warnings... the prosecution applied for a discharge amounting to an acquittal in relation to the charges against them."District Judge Brenda Tan granted the discharge on Sept 17.Wang and Sau were each handed three cheating charges on Nov 15, 2024.