A 39-year-old woman was sentenced to 19 weeks' jail on Wednesday (Nov 12) after being arrested for vice activities.Du Chaomei (transliteration) was arrested in five separate raids across three locations and granted bail four times before being sentenced. She faced a total of seven charges under the Women's Charter and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.Du pleaded guilty to three of the charges on Nov 12, with the remaining charges taken into consideration during sentencing.According to Shin Min Daily News, Du, a Chinese national, worked as a receptionist for a prostitution ring, handling payments, taking orders, and directing customers.Charge sheets revealed that Du was first charged on July 4, 2024, at about 1.10 pm at 251A Geylang Road, where she had used a remote communication service with a Singapore link to organise sexual services for payment. 

A man said he was fined $300 after leaving his extinguished cigarette butt on top of a rubbish bin on Tuesday (Nov 11). According to Stomp, Sathais, a 30-year-old ad-hoc security officer, claimed that the incident took place along Stirling Road in Queenstown.He recounted the incident in a TikTok video uploaded the same day and captioned: «Woah seriously (I didn't know) like this also can get fine. Can my life get anymore hard?»In the 73-second video, he claimed he was smoking on his way to the MRT station after work and had stopped to extinguish his cigarette, leaving the butt on top of a rubbish bin. He said he was then stopped by a man, who identified himself as a National Environment Agency (NEA) officer, who informed him that he should have disposed of the cigarette butt in the rubbish bin instead. The officer then asked for his ID and issued him a fine amounting to $300 as it was his first offence. 

A 69-year-old man was found dead in the waters near Esplanade on Thursday (Nov 13) morning .Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police confirmed that a call for assistance was made where a body of a man was found floating in the waters along Queen Elizabeth Walk at about 9am. The body was subsequently retrieved from the waters and was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic.Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play. Queen Elizabeth Walk is a promenade located at the Esplanade Park.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:724201]]xingying.koh@asiaone.com

A male youth, dressed in what appears to be a Catholic Junior College (CJC) uniform, was allegedly slapped and forced to kneel on the ground along a HDB corridor.A 38-second video of the incident was shared on Thursday (Nov 13) by SGFollowsAll on Telegram, and shows a boy with a bloodied face and hands being berated by the person holding the camera.The video appears to be taken at night, with the victim being forced onto the ground. With his arms folded against his chest, the victim is repeatedly slapped by someone off-camera who can be heard saying «angkat paiseh», meaning to apologise.The victim is heard pleading with the person off-camera while apologising for allegedly riding his bicycle.The camera zooms in on the boy's face towards the end of the video, before he is forced to say «amitofo», a Buddhist chant.Investigation yielded no further information: CJCIn response to AsiaOne's queries, a spokesperson from CJC said that the school was alerted to the video in June this year.

To better reflect rail reliability and passenger experience, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be including three additional indicators in its monthly rail reliability reports. These include train service delivery, train punctuality and passenger impact of rail disruptions — and they are meant to give the public a more comprehensive representation of the MRT network's performance, said the authority on Friday (Nov 14).The agency released its monthly rail reliability report, which for the first time includes more detailed data on train trips and disruptions.Singapore's rail reliability is mainly tracked using the mean kilometres between failure (MKBF) metric, which counts the average distance a train travels before it meets a delay lasting over five minutes.Alongside this, the number of train delays that last over 30 minutes is also included in rail performance reports.Beginning Friday, the monthly report will see the addition of the three performance indexes, which the authority has been tracking as a regulatory standard, to complement the currently reported data by measuring other facets contributing to rail reliability.

A 67-year-old man was taken to the hospital after his motorcycle was struck by a lorry in Eunos on Wednesday (Nov 12).In a video posted to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante on Thursday (Nov 13), a motorcycle can be seen stopping at a junction.A lorry driving behind the motorcycle fails to brake in time, rear-ending the bike and sending it flying forward, knocking the motorcyclist off.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they were alerted to an accident involving a motorcycle and a lorry along Eunos Link towards Hougang Avenue 3. The 35-year-old male lorry driver is assisting with investigations, added the police. Responding to AsiaOne's queries, SCDF said the 67-year-old male motorcyclist was taken conscious to Changi General Hospital.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:725190]]esther.lam@asiaone.com 

SINGAPORE — The «symbiotic relationship» between the PAP government and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) lets hard decisions be made by Singapore to overcome crises, sustain growth and protect livelihoods, said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on Nov 13.Speaking at the NTUC Ordinary Delegates' Conference, DPM Gan touched on the heightened relevance of the three-way partnership between the Government, labour movement and employers amid geopolitical, technological and demographic shifts.«(Tripartism) also gives businesses and investors confidence that Singapore remains a place where change can be managed responsibly, where policies are rational and predictable, and where workers and employers can both have a stake in our success.»DPM Gan was the guest of honour at the event, which was held at Downtown East. It marks the midterm of the current central committee, the labour movement's highest decision-making body.While much has changed in the world of work, he said, NTUC's mission to champion the interests, dignity and progress of every worker has remained.

SINGAPORE — Britain's Princess Anne met President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Istana on Nov 12 and discussed issues relating to sustainability, biodiversity, education and skills development during their meeting.They also reaffirmed the longstanding and multifaceted ties between Singapore and Britain, including strong people-to-people ties, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Nov 13.Princess Anne was in Singapore on a two-day trip from Nov 12 to 13, during which she also met Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.PM Wong and the Princess Royal, as she is also known, marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Singapore and UK, MFA said.They also reaffirmed Singapore and Britain's strong co-operation across different sectors and exchanged views on how greater collaboration can be achieved in emerging areas such as trade, artificial intelligence and cyber security.

A 35-year-old Malaysian man will be charged in court on Friday (Nov 14) over his alleged involvement in two separate cases of government official impersonation scam (GOIS). He is the third Malaysian to be charged this week for this scam variant involving the impersonation of government officials purportedly from the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).In a statement on Nov 13, the police said they received two separate reports on Nov 11 and 12 from two different victims.Modus operandi: Your account, identity is compromisedThe first victim was allegedly told over the phone by an unknown person, claiming to be from UnionPay, that an insurance policy she purchased was due to expire and she had to pay for it.When she denied doing so, the person suggested that her identity may have been misused and that he would file a case with the police. Shortly after, she received another call from a «government official» claiming to be from MinLaw and MAS. 

National carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) saw a nearly 68 per cent drop in the first half of 2025/2026, it reported after the markets closed on Thursday (Nov 13) .This was due to lower interest income and share of losses from associate airline Air India. Despite operating profit rising by 0.9 per cent to $803 million, net profit fell to $239 million for the first half of the financial year that ended on Sept 30, down from $742 million in the corresponding period last year.«Interest income fell $103 million from lower cash balances and interest rate cuts, while the group's share of results of associated companies was $417 million lower year-on-year, notably reflecting Air India's losses which were not included in the previous year,» SIA said.Air India's financial results were previously not part of the group's results until December 2024, when Vistara was fully integrated into Air India. SIA describes its 25.1 per cent stake in Air India as part of its «long-term multi-hub strategy», providing it with a stake in «one of the world's largest and fastest-growing aviation markets». 

New regulations for private housing developers are set to come into effect early next year.These changes will require developers to be more transparent with homeowners regarding the property being sold and the former's track record, said Minister of National Development Chee Hong Tat on Thursday (Nov 13).In a speech during the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore's (Redas) 66th anniversary dinner at Shangri-la Hotel, Chee said that the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Building and Construction Authority (BCA) wish to better safeguard homeowners' interests by supporting them in making informed decisions.According to a factsheet provided by the authorities, developers are currently required to provide scaled unit floor plans, with rooms and spaces clearly marked, alongside site plans showing communal facilities.They also have to share the date of completion and descriptions of previous projects.The changes proposed by the URA and BCA will require developers to provide additional information to potential homeowners at the point of sale.

A 61-year-old man who reversed his car into an elderly woman in Ang Mo Kio is assisting police investigations.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police stated that they were alerted to an accident involving a car and a pedestrian at about 2.30pm on Wednesday (Nov 12).The incident took place at JIn Chengam,  in Sembawang Hills Estate off Upper Thomson Road.The pedestrian, a 77-year-old woman, was conscious when taken to hospital, said the police.According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force, she was taken to Woodlands Health Campus.Police investigations are ongoing.The incident was caught on CCTV footage, which was uploaded to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante the next day.In the video, a man can be seen getting into a white car parked along the road as a woman comes out of her landed home.As she moves the rubbish bin outside her home, he suddenly reverses at a high speed and collides into her.He then parks his car and walks away.The nearly two-minute-long clip has garnered over 122,000 views as at Thursday night.[[nid:725162]]bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has taken enforcement actions against 10 doctors between January and October 2025 for making non-compliant MediShield Life claims.In a statement on Thursday (Nov 13), MOH said that these claims involved several improper practices. These included inappropriate multi-coding — submitting multiple unnecessary procedure codes — and upcoding, where a code is assigned for a more complex procedure than what was actually performed.MOH added that some cases also involved inappropriate treatments and the submission of cosmetic procedures as medical claims.Under the Escalation and Enforcement Framework, the ministry said that these doctors will be required to undergo mandatory training on proper claiming practices and adherence to clinical guidelines.

SINGAPORE — Most of the affected children from Beyond Social Services' (BSS) pre-school have found places in other centres, following the agency's move to close the school at the end of 2025.Of the 14 enrolled children, six will graduate from the pre-school, known as Healthy Start Child Development Centre (HSCDC), by the end of 2025 and are unaffected by the closure.Of the remaining eight, seven children have found places at alternative pre-schools or secured care arrangements, with help from BSS and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).BSS and ECDA gave these figures on Nov 13 in response to queries from The Straits Times.BSS had announced in October that HSCDC will shut down operations at the end of 2025 after more than 20 years due to declining enrolment.The number of children enrolled had dropped from more than 50 in 2018, to 14 in 2024, the organisation said, with fewer referrals when families relocated due to housing redevelopment.

Grab and WeRide will be stepping up their autonomous vehicle (AV) testing programme in Punggol after receiving approval from the Land Transport Authority (LTA).WeRide, an autonomous driving technology company headquartered in China, partnered with local superapp Grab and began AV testing in mid-October.The latest approval from LTA allows them to conduct testing on the entire Ai.R (Autonomously Intelligent Ride) fleet which comprises 11 AVs, according to a joint statement on Thursday (Nov 13).They said they plan to increase the total number of AV test runs on shuttle service routes in Punggol by up to four times by the end of the year.According to the statement, Ai.R will serve two dedicated shuttle service routes  in Punggol and is expected to take its first batch of passengers by early 2026.With Ai.R, Punggol residents will have greater access to key amenities like Punggol Coast MRT station, Punggol Coast Mall bus interchange, malls, and clinics.

There was no time to hesitate for SBS Transit bus captains Hu Jinshuai and Jamaludin Bin Mohamad Taib, who kicked into action immediately after spotting a car blaze along their bus route.In a Facebook post on Sunday (Nov 9), SBS Transit commended the two bus captains for their quick thinking and initiative.The fire occurred on Oct 3 near the junction of Circuit Road and Circuit Link at around 3.25pm, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in response to AsiaOne's queries.The fire involved the engine compartment of a car, SCDF added.Describing the events that unfolded, SBS Transit stated that bus captain Hu had spotted the car ablaze while driving his usual route on Service 135. He immediately pulled his bus to the side and used a fire extinguisher onboard to contain the car fire. «I was worried there were still people in the car and knew I had to help,» he said.Jamaludin, who was driving the same route but in the opposite direction, also noticed the fire and stopped his bus to help Hu.

Two Singaporean men have been arrested following their deportation from Thailand and Cambodia, after they were believed to be involved in transnational scam operations and money mule offences.  In a statement on Thursday (Nov 13), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that both men, aged 44, were arrested on Nov 11 upon their arrival in Singapore. Ong Kwang Wee, was arrested by the Royal Thai Police during a raid in Bangkok, Thailand, for his alleged involvement in a transnational scam syndicate believed to be operating a scam centre in Myanmar. The syndicate had purportedly carried out government official impersonation scams targeting Singaporeans.«Preliminary investigations revealed that the (Ong) had travelled to Myanmar and was involved in administrative functions at the scam centre before fleeing to Thailand after the scam centre was raided by Myanmar authorities,» said the police.