The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 390 vapes into Singapore via a Malaysia-registered car at Woodlands Checkpoint. In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Sept 30), ICA said that its officers had detected 398 vapes concealed in the modified dashboard of the car after directing it for enhanced checks.The 41-year-old female driver and her 43-year-old male passenger, both Malaysians, were arrested, and the case referred to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for further investigation.“Border security is a crucial aspect of the enforcement strategy against e-vaporisers,” said ICA.“As guardians of the nation’s borders, ICA remains committed to safeguarding Singapore by ensuring our borders remain safe and secure.”

Amid a sea of students at a lecture hall in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), a young bespectacled boy listens curiously.At just seven years old, Theodore Kwan has been attending freshmen chemistry lectures at the university thrice weekly since August. The homeschooled Singaporean sat for the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Chemistry paper — the equivalent of the GCSE O-levels — this April when he was just six years and 10 months old.He obtained an 'A', setting two records in the Singapore Book of Records for being the youngest Singaporean to attain an IGCSE certificate, and an A-grade.Now, the prodigy is stretching his science knowledge with the help of senior lecturer Dr Sumod Pullarkat, according to NTU's student magazine, Hey!.«I thought that sitting in as a guest in my freshmen chemistry lectures would give Theodore an avenue to probe the depth of his interest in chemistry,» said Dr Pullarkat. Theodore does not attend lab sessions or sit exams.The boy's presence at lectures has surprised some students and netizens.

SINGAPORE - A man and his former lover, who were on trial over the alleged sexual abuse of the woman's daughter when the complainant was between 11 and 16 years old, were acquitted of all charges on Sept 30.The 74-year-old man, who used to provide massages at a temple, was accused of sexually violating the girl under the guise of massaging her to «cure» her menstrual condition, and performing «ritual showers» to get rid of her «bad luck».The woman, 66, was accused of helping the man commit the offences, including holding down her daughter's ankles.The pair had contested the allegations in a trial that began in November 2021.Delivering his verdict on Sept 30, High Court Judge Pang Khang Chau said he did not find the complainant's evidence to be sufficiently credible and convincing.He concluded that the prosecution's case has not been proven beyond reasonable doubt, and thus, it would be unsafe to convict the pair of the charges against them.The pair cannot be named under a gag order to protect the identity of the complainant, who is now 24 years old.The man faced 15 charges for alleged offences committed between 2012 and 2017.

A Singaporean woman refused to cooperate when Malaysian traffic police officers issued a summons against her on the Tuas Second Link on Sept 27.The 29-year-old was later arrested for verbally abusing police officers there, the New Straits Times reported.Police chief Assistant Commissioner M. Kumarasan said police officers manning a roadblock found that her Singapore-registered vehicle had an illegally modified exhaust.«She refused to cooperate when stopped and obstructed the policemen from carrying out their duties by uttering profanities,» he added. According to Malaysian law, offenders caught obstructing a public servant from carrying out his duty face a fine of up to RM10,000 (S$3,069), two years’ jail, or both.Using insulting words carries a maximum fine of RM100.Malaysian police said that she is also being investigated for not having valid documents to remain in Malaysia, which carries a fine of up to RM10,000 and up to five years’ jail.There have been several recent incidents involving Singaporeans running afoul of the law in Malaysia.

Two pedestrians were hit by a car while crossing the road in front of Khatib Polyclinic on Tuesday(Sept 30) morning.A man living in the area, surnamed Huang, told 8World that he was in his living room at about 10.25am when he heard loud noises. He claimed that when he looked out of the window he saw two women lying on the road.They had seemingly been hit while at the zebra crossing. One of them fell on the pavement, while the other was flung further, Huang was quoted as saying.The car stopped after it hit a road sign and its airbags were deployed, said the resident, adding that the driver appeared to be in his 30s.Pictures of the accident show that the car is a white Mercedes Benz.Another witness surnamed Lin told Shin Min Daily News that both women were seriously injured, with blood all over their heads. The man driving the car also had blood coming out of his mouth, according to Lin.The second pedestrian was lying on the grass in front of the polyclinic and some employees from the polyclinic administered medical aid to her, said the witness.

A 57-year-old man involved in a chain collision along the Seletar Expressway (SLE) in 2022 was found to have been killed by a foreign metal object discharged from a defective Takata airbag.It was stated in a coroner's court on Monday (Sept 29) that this is the first death in Singapore involving the airbag, which has a defect that may cause metal shrapnel to be ejected when deployed, CNA reported.Over the past decade, more than 100 million vehicles fitted with Takata airbag inflators have been recalled worldwide, including 67 million in the United States, reported Reuters in 2024.To date, in Singapore, 198,800 vehicles with the airbag issue have been recalled, with a completion rate of 94 per cent, the court heard.Michael Ong was driving along the SLE at about 8am on Oct 10, 2022 when he got into in a chain collision involving six cars.His vehicle, fifth in the collision, had an impact with the car ahead that was «quite extensive». Of all the vehicles involved, only Ong's airbags were deployed, reported CNAOng was taken unconscious to hospital in traumatic arrest and was pronounced dead later that morning. 

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is currently investigating a case of rat infestation after a rodent was spotted at a food stall in the Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) campus in Punggol.In a 16-second video posted on Reddit on Friday (Sept 26), a rat can be seen crawling around the cashier counter of a food stall. The stall, said to be located within the campus' Foodgle Hub food court, appeared to be closed at the time the video was taken. In response to queries from AsiaOne, the food court operator Foodgle stated that the incident had occurred at its Economy Rice stall on Sept 25 outside of opening hours. The company was alerted to the issue at around 10pm. Immediate action was taken, and the stall was disinfected at 6.30am the next day before operations resumed, said Foodgle.«We sincerely apologise that this occurred on our premises and take full responsibility. Food safety and hygiene remain our top priority,» it added.

More than 950,000 Singaporean HDB households will receive rebates for their utility and conservancy bills in October.In a statement on Tuesday (Sept 30), the Ministry of Finance said that depending on their flat type, eligible households will receive up to $190 in U-Save for their utility bills, and a maximum of a month of rebates for their service and conservancy charges (S&CC).For example, people living in a four-room flat will get $150 and half a month in rebates for their U-Save and S&CC respectively.Those living in one and two-room flats will receive $190 in U-Save and a month of rebates for S&CC.The utility and S&CC rebates will be credited directly into the eligible households’ accounts with grid operator SP Services and town councils respectively.The rebates are part of the GST Voucher scheme and Assurance Package which helps to offset the utility bills and conservancy charges for lower- to middle- income HDB households, said the Finance Ministry.They are disbursed quarterly each year — in April, July, October and January.

Two winnings tickets will be sharing the $12.2 million Toto prize money in Monday’s (Sept 29) draw. One of the two tickets was a System 12 ticket costing $924. The other winning ticket was a $44 System Roll ticket. The System 12 ticket was purchased at a 7-Eleven store at Block 1A Eunos Crescent, while the other winning ticket was purchased at Singapore Pools’ People's Park Centre outlet. The winning numbers were 15, 16, 22, 34, 35 and 43.According to Singapore Pools, the total prize money is the 20th highest since October 2014. Monday’s draw is the 10th Toto draw of this year that had a jackpot of over $10 million, with the most recent one on Aug 28, where three winning tickets won the $12.5m prize. The next draw will be held on Oct 2, with a prize money of about $1 million. [[nid:723178]]editor@asiaone.com 

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of Teo Mai Lan, 15.In a news release on Monday (Sept 29), they said she was last seen on Sept 29 at around 3.20pm in the vicinity of 1 Aljunied Walk.According to checks done by AsiaOne, the location is the registered address of Nexus International School. Anyone with information is urged to contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential, said the police. [[nid:722427]]editor@asiaone.com 

The Ministry of Health (MOH) submitted its intention on Monday (Sept 29) to suspend operations of cord blood banking services at Cordlife for a year.Cordlife has 14 days to submit its written representations to the ministry.MOH said that a follow up audit on Cordlife conducted in July had found significant lapses in the collection and processing of new cord blood units (CBU).Cord blood is the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta after childbirth and contains blood stem cells, which have been successfully used in stem cell transplants to treat blood cancers, immune and genetic diseases.The suspension will require Cordlife to focus on properly maintaining the safety and quality of its existing CBUs. It will be disallowed from banking new CBUs.This intended action by MOH comes a year after the cord blood banking facility partially resumed operations in September 2024.It was revealed in November 2023 that seven of Cordlife's 22 storage tanks had been exposed to suboptimal temperatures, damaging around 2,200 CBUs in one affected Tank A.

A heated brawl erupted between two motorists heading to Johor Bahru on Sunday (Sept 28) afternoon after one accused the other of cutting the queue.A video shared by Facebook Group I Love JB showed the two men punching and kicking each other against a Causeway Link bus near the Bungunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex.Another man is seen trying to break up the fight. It is unclear how the conflict between the pair was resolved.The video has since garnered over 90 comments, 470 reactions and 175,000 views. Several netizens criticised the pair for allowing their frustrations over the heavy traffic on the Causeway to get the better of them.“You end up in the police station if you win, the hospital if you lose,” said a Facebook user named Wallace.

Three teenagers aged between 14 and 15 were arrested for their suspected involvement in a case of loanshark harassment by fire.In a statement on Monday (Sept 29), the police said they were alerted to an incident at a Housing Board flat along Boon Lay Drive on Sept 24 at around 3.05pm.The main door and gate of the unit had been set on fire, while a wall at the staircase landing near the unit was also scribbled with loanshark-related graffiti.With the aid of police camera images, officers from the Jurong Police Division and Criminal Investigation established the identities of the teenagers and arrested them within six hours.A mobile phone, black marker, black hoodie and a pair of sunglasses were seized as case exhibits, the police said.«Investigations against the three teenagers are ongoing,» they added.For first-time offenders, a loanshark harassment offence carries a fine of between $5,000 and $50,000, up to five years’ jail and up to six strokes of the cane.«The police have zero tolerance for loanshark harassment activities,» the statement said. 

Singapore's total population has risen to 6.11 million — with a 0.7 per cent increase in its number of citizens — up 1.2 per cent from last year.The figures were published on Monday (Sep 29) in the annual Population in Brief report by the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) of the Prime Minister's Office and its partner agencies.Of the 6.11 million, there are 4.20 million residents — comprising citizens as well as permanent residents (PRs) — and 1.91 million non-residents, which include the foreign workforce, migrant domestic workers, dependants and international students.The citizen population rose from 3.64 million to 3.66 million, while the PR population remained stable at 540,000, said the report.While citizen births in 2024 saw a 1.2 per cent increase from 2023, the average number of births per year in the last five years (30,400) was lower than in the preceding five years (32,900).In addition to citizen births in Singapore, there are also children born overseas to at least one Singaporean parent. 1,409 children born overseas to at least one Singaporean parent were granted citizenship by descent in 2024.

Permanent residents (PRs), who are overseas without a valid re-entry permit (REP), will no longer automatically lose their PR status from Dec 1. Instead, they will be given six months — or 180 days —  to apply for a new REP, during which they will still be allowed to return and remain in Singapore, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)  in a news release on Monday (Sept 29). «We encourage PRs to obtain a new REP or to renew their expiring in a timely manner before travelling out of Singapore, to minimise the risk of losing their PR status,» the ministry said.Currently, all PRs here who go overseas need to have a valid REP, which allows them to re-enter Singapore.Under the existing laws, a PR who is overseas with an expired REP would automatically lose his PR status, and has only a one-month grace period to apply for reinstatement.MHA said that it has been exercising flexibility by allowing some PRs who miss their deadline to have their PR status reinstated if they have «legitimate reasons», such as if they were hospitalised overseas.