Amendments to the Penal Code and other legislation have been proposed to further rationalise Singapore's criminal laws, better protect vulnerable victims, and tackle emerging crime trends. Among the key amendments to the Bill introduced in Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 14) is the introduction of caning for scams and scam-related offences. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement that judicial caning serves the function of deterrence and proportionate punishment. «There are currently 161 offences that attract caning: 96 attract discretionary caning, while 65 attract mandatory caning.»Fighting scams continues to be a top national priority. The number of scam cases and scam losses remain concerning. MHA will introduce caning for scams and scams-related offences for stronger deterrence," added the ministry. Earlier on March 4, former MP Dr Tan Wu Meng had called for mandatory caning for scammers in egregious cases. 

Amendments to the Criminal Law Bill has been proposed to further rationalise Singapore's criminal laws, better protect vulnerable victims, and tackle emerging crime trends. Among the key amendments to the Bill introduced in Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 14) is the introduction of caning for scams and scam-related offences. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement that judicial caning serves the function of deterrence and proportionate punishment. «There are currently 161 offences that attract caning: 96 attract discretionary caning, while 65 attract mandatory caning.»Fighting scams continues to be a top national priority. The number of scam cases and scam losses remain concerning. MHA will introduce caning for scams and scams-related offences for stronger deterrence," added the ministry. Earlier on March 4, former MP Dr Tan Wu Meng had called for mandatory caning for scammers in egregious cases. 

Almost exactly a year ago, 48-year-old Roger Tan was told he had only 12 months left to live.Today, the former bank risk manager, who was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer in 2024, is still defying the odds.Tan writes daily letters of encouragement to prison inmates and leads charity work for inmates and the community, reported Shin Min Daily News.He has even complied a collection of his letters written to inmates over the years into a book, and all 200 copies have sold out.Liver problems run in his familyLiver problems run in Tan's family. Since the age of 14, he has gone for yearly check-ups, all of which showed no issues.But during a routine screening in 2024, doctors found a tumour in his liver.After his diagnosis, Tan told Shin Min, he underwent surgery in August. However, during the operation, the tumour ruptured unexpectedly, causing blood clots which worsened his condition.Last October, doctors told him his cancer was terminal and that he had only a year to live.

A nine-year-old boy was taken to hospital after he was hit by a taxi while crossing a traffic junction along Middle Road towards Nicoll Highway on Monday (Oct 13).A video of the incident recorded by a dashcam camera was posted on the SGRV Facebook page the same evening.The short clip showed a boy on a kick scooter dashing across the junction before being hit by the ComfortDelGro taxi. The video did not show the aftermath of the collision.According to the caption to the video, the boy had been crossing the junction of Middle Road and Bencoolen Street and had failed to conform to the red-light signal.The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force told AsiaOne that they were alerted to the incident at 2.40pm and 2.45pm respectively on Oct 13. A nine-year-old pedestrian was taken while conscious to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:723860]]candicecai@asiaone.com

SINGAPORE - Singapore's economy beat expectations in the third quarter, supported by resilient activity in the manufacturing and domestic consumer-facing sectors.The economy grew by 2.9 per cent from the third quarter of 2025, moderating from the 4.5 per cent growth in the previous quarter, according to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on Oct 14.The performance was better than expected, beating economists' forecast of two per cent growth in a Bloomberg poll.On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted basis, the economy expanded by 1.3 per cent, slightly slower than the 1.5 per cent growth in the second quarter, MTI said.In a separate release, the Monetary Authority of Singapore said the economy grew 3.9 per cent in the first three quarters of 2025, faster than the same period last year.MAS assesses that the output gap should stay positive for the year as a whole.However, the central bank added that Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to «moderate from this above-trend pace in the upcoming quarters as activity normalises in the trade-related sectors».

A 9-year-old boy who was reported missing on Monday (Oct 13) has been found. In a news release on Monday night, the police said Zulfi Amzi Abdullah was last seen in the vicinity of Block 48 Lower Delta Road at around 11.10am of the same day.They updated on the same evening that he has been found. In their earlier appeal, the police had said that anyone with information was urged to contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information would be kept strictly confidential, said the police.[[nid:723311]]editor@asiaone.com

A doctor who consumed methamphetamine outside work for about eight years has been sanctioned by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) and barred from practising medicine in the country.Dr Leong Kok Cheong Darren will be de-registered as a doctor under Part I of the Register of Medical Practitioners, according to the disciplinary tribunal's grounds of decision published on Monday (Oct 13).To practise medicine in Singapore again, he will need to apply under Part II of the Register, which requires him to satisfy a list of conditions including submitting a letter of undertaking, practising under a supervising medical practitioner and attending drug rehabilitation for at least 12 months.According to the disciplinary ruling, Dr Leong has been a medical practitioner since April 2006. He was practising at the Changi General Hospital (CGH) in the Department of Sport & Exercise Medicine at the time of the offence.On June 11, Dr Leong pleaded guilty to a charge under the Medical Registration Act for improper conduct which brought disrepute to the medical profession. 

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of Zulfi Amzi Abdullah, a 9-year-old boy.In a news release on Monday (Oct 13) night, the police said that Zulfi was last seen in the vicinity of Block 48 Lower Delta Road at around 11.10am of the same day.Anyone with information is urged to contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information will be kept strictly confidential, said the police.[[nid:723311]]editor@asiaone.com

A 76-year-old hawker, who is facing financial problems, was left disappointed when all of her Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers were allegedly claimed by a stranger.The woman, surnamed Shen, told Shin Min Daily News that all $800 in CDC vouchers were also used up without her knowledge.Shen, who runs an economical rice stall at People’s Park Food Center in Chinatown, first received a reminder in July to collect her SG60 vouchers.After redeeming her SG60 vouchers, staff at Hougang Community Club then asked her if she had collected her CDC vouchers.The Government had disbursed $300 and $500 in vouchers in January and May respectively to all Singaporean households to help with daily expenses.«I was shocked to find out that they had been sent twice this year,» said Shen. «When I asked the staff to help me print them, they told me that the vouchers had been claimed a while ago.»Shen said that the staff at the community club told her that the vouchers were claimed on Jan 12 and May 18, both in the afternoon.

SINGAPORE — An average of 420 employers were hauled up each year from 2021 to 2024 for hiring foreign workers without valid work passes in Singapore.About 200 of them were prosecuted or fined annually, while the rest — mainly cases involving first-time offenders or illegal employment over a short period — were given a warning, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Oct 13 in response to queries.An MOM spokesman said: «In general, foreigners must possess valid work passes to work in Singapore.»Businesses and individuals engaging foreigners to work in Singapore must ensure that they hold valid passes before starting work in the specified job. This is not a new requirement."He added that MOM also takes into account a host of factors in deciding the penalty, including the duration of the offence and how many illegal workers were involved.On Sept 11, MOM — in a joint statement with the Visual, Audio, Creative Content Professionals Association (Singapore) — said foreigners on tourist or student visas are not allowed to provide creative services in Singapore.

An owner of a Malaysian-registered car was accused of allegedly providing illegal cross-border service in Singapore.In dashcam footage shared on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook group on Sunday (Oct 12), a man was seen helping a family load several pieces of luggage into the vehicle in Gardens by the Bay.A man was heard asking the car owner if they are his relatives, to which the latter ignored.The video has since garnered over 500 comments, 620 shares and 230,000 views. In the comments, several netizens were shocked that a Malaysian private-hire vehicle driver was providing an illegal cross-border service in broad daylight.“The fine is too light. They are not scared,” said user Kym Wong.“Just report online. No point confronting them,” added Tan Chow Hong.

Five people, aged between 15 and 37, were caught for possessing e-vaporisers and other related components during joint enforcement operations  by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) from Oct 8 to 10.A total of six e-vaporisers and related components were seized, including one e-vaporiser suspected to contain etomidate, a sedative-hypnotic drug. The seized pod has been sent for further testing, said HSA.The operations targeted areas including Khatib, Yishun, and Punggol.In a statement released on Monday (Oct 13), HSA said that all five individuals were fined the maximum of $2,000 on the spot. «Following public feedback received from our reporting platforms, we identified vaping hotspots and conducted enforcement operations in these areas,» said HSA.

Those travelling to Malaysia during the Deepavali long weekend — from Oct 17 to Oct 20 — can expect longer waiting time to clear immigration at both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a statement on Monday (Oct 13).It also sought travellers' understanding to cooperate with its officers, observe traffic rules and maintain lane discipline.Travellers can check the Land Transport Authority's One Motoring website or ICA's Facebook and X (former Twitter) account for the traffic situation at the land checkpoints before embarking on their journey.Those who are travelling during peak periods can also consider taking the cross-border bus services to avoid congestion.Meanwhile, more than 5.8 million travellers crossed Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints during the September school holidays from Sept 5 to 15.The peak was on Sept 5 with over 575,000 travellers clearing immigration at the land checkpoints in a single day, the ICA said on Monday.

A 30-year-old motorcyclist died after colliding with an SBS Transit bus along the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) on Thursday (Oct 9).Dashcam footage of the accident, posted by Facebook page SG Road Vigilante shows an SBS bus and a van travelling along the expressway when they suddenly come to a stop.Moments later, an orange scooter is seen lying on the road.Frontal video footage also revealed a man, believed to be the bus driver, and another driver checking the situation after the collision.In another video posted on TikTok, police cars can be seen at the accident site, conducting investigations.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that they were alerted to a road traffic accident involving a bus and a motorcycle along PIE towards the airport at about 5pm.A 30-year-old female motorcyclist was taken unconscious to Changi General Hospital where she subsequently died.Police investigations are ongoing.

When Jiya Sharma, 15, went to Starbucks at Downtown East two months ago to study, she could not buy a drink as the outlet has stopped accepting cash.The Secondary 3 student, who had visited the outlet weekly over the past two years, left empty-handed that day.She also recalled having a similar experience about a year ago while trying to buy food from Wok Hey at White Sands mall, after the store stopped accepting cash.Indeed, “cashless-only” signs have been popping up across stores in Singapore as shop owners get used to the convenience of not having to handle notes and coins, after making the switch for hygiene reasons during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.This is a sharp contrast from store encounters before the pandemic hit, when many shops insisted on “cash-only” payments.Associate professor of finance Fu Fangjian of SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business attributed this to the success of the Government’s go-digital campaign.Said Prof Fu: “Singapore’s Government has been very deliberate in driving the Smart Nation agenda... Grants under the SMEs Go Digital programme have made it easier and cheaper for merchants to go cashless.”

Almost 3,300 Build-To-Order (BTO) flats with wait times of less than three years will be offered in the upcoming October sales exercise.In a press release on Sunday (Oct 12), HDB announced that the Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) flats will be offered across four BTO projects in Bedok, Sengkang and Yishun. Among the SWT flats, a variety of flat types will be offered, including 2-room Flexi units, 3Gen flats for multi-generation families and Community Care Apartments (CCAs) for seniors.A total of 9,100 BTO flats will offered during the exercise, with other projects located in Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Bukit Merah, Jurong East, and Toa Payoh.With the upcoming October exercise factored in, the total number of SWT flats launched in 2025 will reach 4,690, exceeding HDB's earlier commitment of 4,500 for the year.«Over the next two years, we will launch another 4,000 SWT flats per year as part of our continued efforts to reduce waiting times and expand housing options for home buyers with more pressing housing needs,» said HDB.

A Vietnam Airlines flight bound for Hanoi from Singapore scheduled to depart on Friday (Oct 10) afternoon only ended up departing the next day, leaving passengers stranded at Changi Airport for nearly 14 hours. According to global travel data provider OAG, flight VNN660 was scheduled to depart Terminal 3 at 1.05pm on Oct 10 and land in Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport at 3.35pm the same day. However, the flight only took off on Oct 11 at 2.54am and landed in Hanoi at 5.05am. Over 100 passengers were affected and the departure time was repeatedly delayed throughout the day, reported Shin Min Daily News on Oct 11. A civil servant surnamed Wei told the Chinese daily that his wife and two relatives were supposed to go to Hanoi for a five-day trip till Oct 14. They had spent $400 on round-trip tickets, with return flights booked on Singapore Airlines. They first learned that their flight had been delayed while waiting at the boarding gate around 12pm on Friday and the staff did not share the reason why.