The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 4,200 packets of chewing tobacco into Singapore via Tuas Checkpoint on Oct 2. In a Facebook post on Friday (Oct 10), ICA said that the Malaysia-registered lorry was identified for enhanced checks and more than 4,200 packets of chewing tobacco were found concealed in its consignment of goods declared as mattresses, polyfoam pillows, and plastic sheet rolls. The 23-year-old male Malaysian driver was arrested and the case referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation. Chewing tobacco, which contains carcinogens, or chemicals known to cause cancer, is a prohibited substance in Singapore. If convicted, the driver can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000, or both.On Sept 11, ICA officers foiled a similar attempt to smuggle prohibited items into Singapore via consignments of goods on a Malaysia-registered goods vehicle.

Amid increasing global uncertainty, Singapore and New Zealand have elevated bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) to «turn challenges into opportunities», said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday (Oct 10). PM Wong and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon were speaking at a joint press conference during PM Wong's first official visit to New Zealand this week, coinciding with 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.«Singapore and New Zealand may be small in size. But we have shown time and again that the power of our partnership far outweighs our scale. »By working closely together, I am confident [that] we can continue to turn challenges into opportunities, and deliver benefits for our peoples and the wider region," said PM Wong. Comprehensive Strategic PartnershipNew Zealand was Singapore's first bilateral free trade agreement partner in 2000. 

The woman found dead in a Sengkang HDB unit on Monday (Oct 6) reportedly held degrees from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the University of Cambridge.The 47-year-old woman, Xu Na, had been found dead along with her father in their home at Block 324D Sengkang East Way at around 1.35pm, according to the police.Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Xu Rong (transliteration), Xu Na's classmate from NUS, said that he immediately recognised Xu Na upon seeing the photo released by the police in their appeal for her next-of-kin.He subsequently contacted his classmates and confirmed her identity, and they all expressed sorrow over her passing.According to Xu Rong, he and Xu Na were undergraduate students at the same time and studied Computer Science at NUS. He also described her as introverted, polite and kind.«At first, we weren't very close. Then she joined the Chinese Language Society at NUS, so I got to know her better. She also likes sports, and I used to play table tennis with her,» he told Shin Min.

Singapore welcomes the agreement by Israel and Hamas to commence the first phase of US President Donald Trump's proposed plan to end the conflict in Gaza, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said. In a statement on Thursday night (Oct 9), an MFA spokesperson said the ceasefire and release of hostages «will bring great relief» to the people in Gaza and Israel. «Singapore commends the leadership of President Trump and the tireless efforts of all the mediators involved, especially the US, Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye, who have been instrumental in securing this agreement,» the ministry said.MFA also urged all parties to make further progress towards resolving outstanding issues in subsequent phases.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said he welcomes the agreement by Israel and Hamas to commence the first phase of US President Donald Trump's proposed plan to end the Gaza conflict. In a Facebook post on Friday (Oct 10), PM Wong said that “it has been two long years” since the Oct 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas. “Far too many lives have been lost, and the suffering has been immense”, said PM Wong.He also acknowledged the role of US President Donald Trump and the regional intermediaries.“I commend the leadership of President Donald Trump, and the invaluable efforts of Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye in helping to achieve this breakthrough”. PM Wong added that the “road ahead will not be easy” and hopes that Israel and Hamas will soon reach a final agreement so that Gazans can begin to rebuild their lives and homes.

Unhappy with a six-year-old boy who had kicked a styrofoam wall at a mall, causing his daughter to fall, a man slapped the boy’s face and bruised it.The 39-year-old Singaporean was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Oct 9. He had pleaded guilty on Aug 20 to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt.He cannot be named to protect the identity of his daughter, who was around three years old at the time of the incident and is referred to as X1 in court documents.In sentencing, District Judge Janet Wang called the assault unwarranted and unprovoked.“Even if the accused was upset by the victim’s (act)… this reaction was way in excess of proportion,” said Judge Wang.The court heard previously that the man, his wife and their three daughters had gone to an indoor playground at Westgate shopping mall in Jurong on Dec 22, 2024.At around 2.30pm, he saw the boy kick a wall made of multicoloured styrofoam building blocks while at least one of his daughters was standing near it.At least one of the building blocks then fell on the floor, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Joelle Loy.

A man who visited a car wash in Johor Bahru has warned other drivers against patronising the business, calling it a «nightmare».In a TikTok video posted on Wednesday (Oct 8), the man, believed to be Singaporean, is heard saying that the establishment's staff refused to do a «normal wash» for his vehicle.The short clip then shows three employees confronting the man, with one of them repeatedly asking him what his problem was and why he was filming.The video has over 431,000 views and nearly 8,900 likes as of Thursday.The Singaporean driver claimed that one of the employees had refused to wash his car as he had rejected the «water wax treatment», which was a pricier service. He also claimed that the staff member had said that because they did not get enough customers that day, they would only do a «water wax treatment» and no «normal wash».The driver added that when he tried to leave, the employees became aggressive and even pulled on his car door to stop him from closing it. They also demanded he delete the videos he took of the place.

Parts of The Clementi Mall were flooded on Wednesday (Oct 8) night, with some areas unwalkable due to the excess water.The incident was captured by a user on Xiaohongshu who uploaded three pictures of the mall at around 8.55pm on Wednesday night.The photos showed various parts of The Clementi Mall, located at 3155 Commonwealth Ave West, with its floors covered in water. One picture also showed some areas being cordoned off with «Caution wet floor» signs placed on the ground.A separate video of the incident was posted to TikTok on Thursday, showing staff cleaning the wet floors.@lunachloe0573Nowadays the weather a bit erratic...♬ Yuletide Reverie - Cotoshu

The long-sought deal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release would not have been possible without US president Donald Trump, said Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam on Thursday (Oct 9).This came after Trump on Wednesday announced that Israel and Hamas have signed off on the first phase of his peace plan.It involves Hamas releasing 20 living hostages it is still holding, while Israel will withdraw its troops to an agreed line and free nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees.Shanmugam cautioned that due to the volatile situation between the two sides, a peace deal agreement is “never done until it is done”.«At least there is more hope than there was previously,» he added. «Trump has to be commended tremendously for pushing both sides, and ultimately, only the United States of America can influence Israel's cause of action.»And he has done that. I think a lot of credit, even for us to be here, has to go to him."

A 3-room HDB flat in Bidadari has just been sold for a record price of $930,000.According to property news portal EdgeProp, the transacted price in October is the highest for three-room flats in Toa Payoh, which the Bidadari estate is part of.The 764 sq ft unit at Block 115C Alkaff Crescent began its lease in 2020 and has since fulfilled its five-year minimum occupation period (MOP), with approximately 94 years left on its lease to date.The selling price for the unit, located around the 16th to 18th floor, surpassed the $920,000 fetched by a unit on a lower floor in July this year.According to HDB data, another unit within the same block and located around the 13th to 15th floors changed hands for $900,000 in December last year.Potential windfallWhen it was first launched in the November 2015 Build-To-Order exercise, the indicative starting price for a 3-room HDB flat in the Bidadari estate was from $297,000, excluding grants.

A 66-year-old woman died after falling from a Toa Payoh HDB block on Wednesday (Oct 8).The police said in response to media queries that they were alerted to the case at Block 195 Kim Keat Avenue at about 10.20am.The woman was found lying motionless at the foot of the block and pronounced dead at scene by a paramedic from the Singapore Civil Defence Force.A photo shared with Stomp showed three individuals — two of whom were holding cloths — standing by a body covered with a white sheet. An object that appears to be a black shoe can be seen on the pavement.The police said that foul play is not suspected, based on their preliminary investigations.Police investigations are ongoing.

A car crashed into a road barrier in Yishun after speeding and attempting to overtake another vehicle on Oct 4.In a video posted to the Facebook page SGRV, a white Honda Civic can be seen accelerating and moving from the rightmost lane to the left in attempt to overtake a car.The car being overtaken was simultaneously moving towards the left lane, causing the Honda Civic to swerve.The Honda driver then hit a road barrier on the left, bumped into the car in the next lane and crashed into the road barriers.A netizen in the comments noted that the street has been undergoing construction for a period of time, while another added that there are often roadblocks due to the construction works.In response to queries from AsiaOne, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that the traffic accident occurred at around 3.10pm along Lentor Avenue.SCDF also said that one person was conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.Migrant workers help driverThe aftermath of the accident can be seen in a separate video posted to TikTok on Oct 5. 

A dog died in a hit-and-run accident in Serangoon on Monday (Oct 6), after its owner had allegedly allowed it to roam freely.In a Facebook post uploaded on Oct 6, a neighbour who recognised the dog said the accident occurred along Serangoon Avenue 1, outside Serangoon Terrace.A video shared in the post showed animal paramedics performing CPR on the dog, which appeared unresponsive. Speaking to AsiaOne, the neighbour, who wished to be known only as Adeline, said she was walking her two dogs at around 11.40pm when the incident happened.«As I was walking, I heard a loud thud, like something had fallen, and saw a van, so I thought something might have fallen from the vehicle,» she said.She added that as the van drove off, she noticed something lying on the road and felt that something was amiss.

National Trade Unions Congress (NTUC) chief Ng Chee Meng has expressed «deep concern» over a civil suit where the district court expressed its «unmixed dissatisfaction» at Income Insurance over its «wholly unreasonable behaviour». The court expressed its disappointment at how Income Insurance had handled claims by the family of a man who died five years after a traffic accident. In a Facebook post on Wednesday (Oct 8), Ng extended his sympathy to the late Ko Wah.«I wish to express my sincere sympathy to the family of the late Mr Ko Wah for the grief and the emotional distress they have had to go through in the past year,» said the labour chief. Court chides Income Insurance Ko was left bedridden and mentally incapacitated after he was knocked down by a van at the basement carpark of an industrial building in Toh Guan Road East in June 2019. He died in October 2024.Ko's son sued the driver of the van and the building contractor to seek damages for his father's disabilities, loss of income and medical and other related expenses in 2021.

The principal of River Valley Primary School has denied a parent's allegation that his son was assaulted by a fellow pupil during recess on Oct 6.In a TikTok clip that has since garnered over 750,000 views overnight, the Primary 3 pupil's father, Adrod, recounted the incident that happened earlier that day.In response to queries from AsiaOne, Jennifer Pang said on Wednesday (Oct 8) their investigation established that the incident involved three students, aged between eight and nine years old, instead of only two students as recounted by Adrod.Referring to the alleged bully as Pupil A and Adrod's son as Pupil B, Pang said that the third student, Pupil C, was a friend ofPupil B's.She said Pupil A had not punched Pupil B during the incident, as was alleged in the video.Pupil B and C chased down Pupil A to retrieve B's stolen wallet, when Pupil C «accidentally hit Pupil B's lips with the wallet during the tussle», she added.Pang also said that the school will help the students learn from the incident and work towards a positive resolution of the matter.  

FairPrice Group has received approval from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to operate driverless vehicles on public roads to transport goods.In a statement on Wednesday (Oct 8), the company said it is the first organisation in Singapore to receive approval from LTA to operate such vehicles.The group, which operates supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice, partnered with autonomous driving technology company Zelos Technology (Zelos) to conduct cargo transportation trials in October 2024, and obtained approval to transition to remote operations with the autonomous vehicles (AVs) in 2025, the statement said.The group aims to add about 30 such vehicles to its fleet.The Zelos Z10 AVs are the first fully driverless vehicles designed for logistics. It has a load capacity of up to 1.5 tonnes and a range of up to 210 km, and will be used for move goods between FairPrice's distribution centres, enhancing operational efficiency.

An eatery in Ang Mo Kio has accused a customer of trying to cheat his way to free meals by submitting dubious refund claims through food delivery platform Grab.Speaking to AsiaOne, Eleanor Ng, the owner of Soi 19 Thai Wanton Mee, said that they have encountered the same customer more than once — in June, August and the latest on Oct 1. His modus operandi was to make an order through the Grab app indicating special requests, but later claimed that items were missing from his delivery after they were delivered. Ng, 44, added that Grab then deducted the full amount from the eatery’s earnings after the customer made the complaint through the delivery platform. The eatery’s boss said that she had make two appeals to Grab through the app before the payments were released to her a week later. “That’s where we found [it was] unfair and started to take notice of the customer’s name,” she said. In a Facebook post on Oct 1,  the eatery said that the same customer had ordered from them again — but this time, the eatery was prepared.