Two Singaporeans were arrested after the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) conducted two separate operations on Thursday (Oct 30), seizing about $4,920 in cash and a total of 115 e-vaporiser pods and 13 e-vaporisers believed to contain etomidate.In a statement on Friday (Oct 31), CNB said it acted on a tip-off and arrested a 42-year-old Singaporean man at his Yishun Ring Road residence for suspected drug offences.A search of the unit uncovered vape-related products and about $3,900 in cash. Suspecting that the man had discarded items down the kitchen rubbish chute, officers searched the chute linked to the unit and recovered 109 e-vaporiser pods and 11 e-vaporisers believed to contain etomidate.On the same day, CNB officers conducted an operation at another residential unit in the vicinity of Fernvale Lane, which led to the arrest of a 31-year-old Singaporean woman for suspected drug offences.

About 500,000 personnel from the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will see an increase in their group insurance scheme from Nov 1.The coverage will go up to $350,000 each, from $300,000. In a joint statement on Friday (Oct 31), the two ministries said that coverage will increase for both the Group Term Life and Group Personal Injury insurance for full-time national servicemen, eligible operationally ready national servicemen, eligible regulars, and eligible volunteers in the ministries as well as the Home Team.«Insured individuals who wish to increase their coverage or insure their dependants can purchase additional coverage from the appointed insurance company, Singlife,» the statement said.The scheme was introduced in 2016.In January 2023, coverage under each policy for all service personnel and eligible volunteers was increased from $150,000 to $300,000. [[nid:724001]]xingying.koh@asiaone.com

In the face of global uncertainties and with multilateralism under pressure, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) grouping's mission to champion free and open trade and investments in the Asia-Pacific region «is now more important than ever,» said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday (Oct 31). He was speaking at the first session of the Apec economic leaders' meeting (AELM) being held in Gyeongju, South Korea.The non-binding 21-member grouping accounts for 50 per cent of global trade and contributed 61 per cent of real gross domestic product in 2023. Said PM Wong: «Apec can make a difference by embracing the spirit of cooperation, being pragmatic, and staying forward looking. »Doing so will deliver tangible outcomes for our economies, while reinforcing the rules-based global order."

SINGAPORE - Minister for Sustainability and Environment Grace Fu has made it to the Time100 Climate 2025 list, which highlights the most influential leaders driving business climate action.Fu, who is also Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, was recognised for the Singapore government's significant investments and plans to prioritise nature in the Republic and help the city adapt to climate change.She was named on the list on Oct 30, along with others like Pope Leo XIV, Suriname president Jennifer Geerlings-Simons and actor Samuel L. Jackson, in the third edition of the annual list by New York-based magazine Time.The list lauds decision-makers, executives, researchers and innovators who have unlocked funding and resources needed for climate action, despite a year beleaguered by geopolitical conflicts and trade tensions.It comes less than two weeks ahead of the COP30 UN talks in Brazil, where governments of nearly 200 countries will discuss how to limit climate change and prepare for its impacts.

About 500 car parks in HDB estates across the island experienced technical issues with their parking systems on Friday (Oct 31).In a Facebook post on Oct 31, HDB said it is currently investigating the cause of the issue.«In the meantime, we have lifted the barrier arms of affected parking gantries to allow motorists to enter and exit the car parks expeditiously,» said HDB. It added that it is working closely with service providers to resolve the issue as soon as possible.According to comments on the Facebook group TADA Drivers Club, one user noted that when he returned home at 12pm, there was a long queue to enter the car park.Others added that drivers had to alight from their vehicles to manually lift the barrier arms in order to enter and exit the car parks.AsiaOne has reached out to HDB for more information. This is a developing story.[[nid:705330]]xingying.koh@asiaone.com

With the rise in traffic offences, new Traffic Violation Enforcement Cameras (TVECs) have been rolled out islandwide to commence progressive testing and calibration to detect various traffic violations.Speaking to the media at the Traffic Police (TP) headquarters in Ubi on Thursday (Oct 30), Inspector Toh Xin Le, team leader of the patrol team, said: «These cameras enforce against traffic violations such as illegal U-turns and crossing of double white lines.»The TVEC, which was first implemented in September for trials, uses Video Analytics (VA) and automatic number plate recognition to detect and capture traffic offences in real time.«It is capable of detecting movement patterns and identifying violations such as crossing double white lines, red light offences, violations of directional signs and vehicles stopping in yellow boxes,» said the police in a statement. 

A shop in Yishun selling personal mobility devices (PMDs) was recently raided by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).In a Facebook post on Thursday (Oct 30), the authority said the retailer is suspected of illegally modifying PMDs by adding extra batteries.Active mobility enforcement officers (AMEOs) seized three non-compliant devices during a raid on Oct 29. Investigations into the retailer are ongoing.«We'll continue to take firm action against retailers and individuals suspected of offering illegal device modification services,» said LTA, adding that unapproved alterations put PMD users and the public at risk.Individuals are urged to only buy compliant devices from trusted retailers and to check second-hand devices for defects and modifications before buying.Members of the public can report errant retailers or path users at www.lta.gov.sg/feedback, and LTA will take into consideration the feedback in planning enforcement operations.

Six properties and various financial assets worth over $150 million were seized by police following an island-wide operation against China-born Cambodian businessman 38-year-old Chen Zhi, the founder and chairman of Prince Holding Group.Police said in a statement on Friday (Oct 31) that the operation on Thursday (Oct 30) was in relation to alleged offences of money laundering and forgery.In a statement on Oct 14, US Department of Justice had accused Chen of being the «mastermind behind a sprawling cyber fraud empire operating under the Prince Group umbrella».Calling it a «criminal enterprise» built on human suffering, Assistant Attorney-General for National Security John Eisenberg said: «Trafficked workers were confined in prison-like compounds and forced to carry out online scams on an industrial scale, preying on thousands worldwide.» 

SHOALWATER BAY, Australia — While out and about in her uniform, Stephanie Krishnan tends to draw attention, especially when she begins speaking.Contrary to her distinct Australian accent, this 52-year-old has been living in Singapore for nearly 30 years.And she is also an Auxillary Security Trooper with the Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) where for the past two weeks, she has been carrying out sentry duties at Camp Tilpal in Shoalwater Bay, Australia as part of Exercise Wallaby 2025.The Singapore Permanent Resident and Australian citizen told media at the camp on Wednesday (Oct 28) that she wanted to give back to Singapore by being part of the service.«So when I saw the ad in 2015, I signed up. And by the time I went through all the interviews in 2017, I was a SAFVC member,» she added.She continued that while here, she encountered locals who would do a double take upon hearing her speak.«They do find interesting ways to ask me what an Australian is doing in a Singapore uniform,» she said.

Low-cost carrier AirJapan will wind up operations in 2026, with its final Singapore to Tokyo (Narita Airport) flight departing on March 19, 2026.AirJapan is a subsidiary of ANA Group, which also owns the airline brands All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Peach Aviation, which is also a low-cost carrier.Peach Aviation launched direct flights between Singapore and Osaka's Kansai Airport in December 2024. This is currently their only Singapore route.Meanwhile, AirJapan began its popular Singapore to Tokyo service in 2024 and had just announced this September that it would scale up its schedule by offering daily flights starting Nov 21.The shuttering of budget airline AirJapan was announced by ANA Group on Thursday (Oct 30), which said the closure is part of a brand strategy restructure to maximise profitability and competitiveness «while flexibly responding to recent changes in the business environment».The group also pointed to global concerns such as prolonged war in Ukraine and aircraft delivery delays, as well as an Aircraft On Ground (AOG) situation involving its Boeing 787 aircraft.

Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) foiled an attempt to smuggle undeclared currencies of $200,000 into Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint on Oct 23.In a Facebook post on Thursday (Oct 30), ICA said that officers had directed the Malaysia-registered car for enhanced checks, during which they discovered cash concealed under the passenger seat, in a luggage and in a backpack. The total amount recovered was 200,000 Brunei dollars (S$200,000). Preliminary investigations revealed that the 54-year-old Malaysian driver was allegedly transporting the money into Singapore on behalf of another party. He had failed to submit the required electronic declaration. The case was subsequently referred to the police for further investigation.

Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim will be making his first working visit to Egypt as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs from Oct 31 to Nov 2.In a statement on Thursday (Oct 30), the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said that Assoc Prof Faishal's visit is intended to strengthen bilateral engagements.«The visit, his first to Egypt as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, aims to strengthen Singapore's bilateral engagements with Egypt in Islamic education, scholarship and student development, as well as to enhance partnerships for student and Islamic religious teacher (asatizah) development,» Muis said.When in Egypt, Assoc Prof Faishal will call on key individuals such as the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheik Dr Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Al-Tayeed, and the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Nazir Mohamed Ayyad. The acting minister will also meet with Singaporean students in Egypt to reaffirm Muis' support for their well-being and growth. 

The Public Service Division (PSD) announced that Manpower Permanent Secretary Ng Chee Khern, who has served 41 years in the public service, will retire on Dec 1.This is among several changes for permanent secretaries announced on Thursday (Oct 30).Ng, 60, began his career in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1984, rising through the ranks to become Chief of Air Force from 2006 to 2009.After leaving SAF, Ng was appointed Security and Intelligence Division director in 2010.In 2014, Ng was appointed permanent secretary for defence development. He was concurrently the second permanent secretary for health, overseeing emergency preparedness and capacity building for the public healthcare sector.He was later appointed as the first permanent secretary for smart nation and digital government in 2017, where he led the government's efforts to develop digital enablers for citizens and businesses, said PSD.Ng took on his current role in the manpower ministry in 2022.Other changesSustainability and the Environment Permanent Secretary Stanley Loh, 54, will take over from Ng on Dec 1.