A 73-year-old taxi driver was taken conscious to hospital after an accident in Hougang along Upper Serangoon Road in the early hours of Friday (Nov 21). The crash involved a ComfortDelGro taxi and a Trans-cab taxi. The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said they were alerted to the accident along Upper Serangoon Road towards Sengkang East Drive at about 3.05am. The other driver, a 53-year-old man, is assisting with investigations. A video of the scene shared on TikTok shows a blue ComfortDelGro taxi with the driver's door slightly ajar and its hazard lights on. A red Trans-cab taxi is seen on the other side of the road divider, having stopped against the flow of traffic with debris, skid marks and an oil slick on the road behind it.In a separate video, a passer-by can be heard speaking in Mandarin as he checks on the taxi driver, informing him that an ambulance is on the way.

A 16-year-old was among 250 people who are assisting in investigations for their suspected involvement in scams as scammers or money mules, where victims reportedly lost more than $7.74 million.Officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and the seven police land divisions conducted a two-week operation between Nov 7 and 20, said the Singapore Police Force in a statement on Friday (Nov 21).A total of 84 women and 166 men, aged between 16 and 79, are believed to be involved in more than 950 cases of scams, comprising mainly e-commerce scams, friend impersonation scams, job scams, government official impersonation scams, investment scams and rental scams.They are being investigated for the alleged offences of cheating, money laundering or providing payment services without a licence. Under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871, the offence of cheating carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine. Under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992, the offence of money laundering carries an imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $500,000, or both. 

One hundred and forty suspected drug offenders were arrested and drugs seized in an islandwide operation from Nov 10 to 21, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said in a statement on Friday (Nov 21). The drugs seized include about 4.3kg of heroin, cannabis, Ice and Ecstasy tablets, among others.Also seized was a small amount of ketamine and numerous vape-related products including 316 e-vaporisers and 1,342 e-vaporiser pods believed to contain etomidate.The drugs seized are estimated to be worth more than $892,000, and the heroin, Ice and cannabis could potentially feed the addiction of 2,873 abusers for a week.The operation was conducted in areas including Bedok, Bugis, Bukit Batok, Geylang, Jurong, Sembawang and Yishun.Over 1,600 e-vaporisers and pods seized in YishunOn Nov 13, a 36-year-old Singaporean man was arrested for suspected drug-related offences at a residential unit near Yishun Ring Road. Cash amounting to about $5,320 and various foreign currencies such as Thai baht and Brunei dollars were seized from the unit. 

Online marketplace Carousell will be implementing enhanced safeguards by Jan 31, 2026, to prevent the misuse of verified accounts for scams, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday (Nov 21).It said that the need for additional safeguards comes amid an increasing number of e-commerce scams perpetrated by scammers using Singpass-verified Carousell accounts.To enhance security, the popular online marketplace has committed to improving authentication processes and suspending accounts detected to have been relinquished to scammers.It will also blacklist Singpass credentials used to verify suspended scam accounts from verifying new accounts.Under the e-commerce code of the Online Criminal Harms Act, Carousell was previously required to conduct enhanced verification on selected high-risk sellers and advertisers between July 1 and Dec 31, 2024, with the pilot subsequently extended to June 30, 2025.The ministry said the total number of reported scams on Carousell decreased by about 36 per cent between April and June 2025 from the same period last year.

A Singaporean man who is suspected to be a member of a Cambodian scam syndicate escaped to Thailand and hid at his wife's house in the northeastern Khon Kaen province, Thai police revealed.Brian Sie Eng Fa, 32, whose wife is Thai, was arrested upon request by the Singapore police, said the Thai police's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Nov 19).He was arrested at his wife's house, which is in Si Chomphu district of Khon Kaen province, on charges of overstaying in Thailand, said the CIB.Sie and another alleged syndicate member, Singaporean Wayne Soh You Chen, were charged at the State Courts on Nov 17 under the Organised Crime Act, having been deported to Singapore and arrested on arrival a day earlier. Soh was arrested in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.Thai Police Lieutenant Colonel Narongrit Phumphuang told local media that Sie confessed to working as a «finance administrator» for the scam ring, earning about US$4,000 (S$5230) monthly.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will visit Johannesburg in South Africa from Nov 21 to 23 to attend the G20 summit at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. PM Wong, who is also Finance Minister, will then make an official visit to Ethiopia from Nov 23 to 25.This will be PM Wong's first visit to the two countries, which are member states of the African Union, since he became prime minister in May 2024.The African Union Commission, the administrative headquarters of the 55-member African Union (AU) is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while the AU's Pan-African Parliament sits in Midrand, South Africa. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Friday (Nov 21) that the summit's theme of «Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability» seeks to address the interlinked global challenges of climate change, inequalitym and geopolitical stability. 

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has upgraded Singapore's economic growth forecast for the year to around 4 per cent on the back of better-than-expected performance in the third quarter of 2025.The revision from a projected 1.5 to 2.5 per cent is due to «global economic conditions turning out to be more resilient than expected», said the ministry in a press release on Friday (Nov 21).Meanwhile, MTI expects Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2026 to come in at a slower 1 to 3 per cent.4.2% growth in Q3Singapore's economy grew by 4.2 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025, extending the 4.7 per cent growth in the previous quarter, said MTI.MTI first upgraded the growth forecast for 2025 in August due to the pause in the US' reciprocal tariffs and an improved outlook for Singapore's external demand due to the de-escalation in trade tensions between the US and several of its trading partners. 

Singapore will impose targeted financial sanctions and entry bans on four Israeli individuals with immediate effect, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a statement on Friday (Nov 21). It added that the four individuals — Meir Mordechai Ettinger, Elisha Yered, Ben-Zion Gopstein and Baruch Marzel — have been involved in «egregious acts of extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank». Such actions are considered unlawful and undermine and jeopardise prospects for a two-state solution, said the ministry.«Singapore reiterates its view that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. Their presence and expansion will make it much harder to arrive at a viable two-state solution,» said MFA. As a firm supporter of international law and the two-state solution, Singapore opposes any unilateral attempts to change facts on the ground through acts which are illegal under international law.«We call on the Israeli government to restrain acts of settler violence and to hold the perpetrators accountable,» said MFA.[[nid:724908]]

Singaporean child sex offender Amos Yee is facing deportation from the US to Singapore after being paroled while serving a six-year jail term for child pornography and sexual grooming.Yee, 27, who first rose to notoriety 10 years ago – when he posted an expletive-laden video four days after the death of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew – was released from the Danville Correctional Center in Illinois on Nov 20.A notification from the Victim Information and Notification Everyday, or VINE, service at 7.14am Illinois time (9.14pm Singapore time) said Yee was let out of prison.He was originally supposed to be released on Nov 7, with the service issuing a notification that he had been let out. Not even a minute later, a subsequent notification stated that he was taken into custody again.A post on a blog maintained by his supporters dated some time earlier in the month said his release was delayed as Yee did not have a place to stay that would be located away from children, with the prison needing to find him a halfway house.

At least $6,000 has been lost since October 2025 to scams claiming to have concert tickets to shows by K-pop girl group Blackpink, said the Singapore police.The K-pop group will be staging their Deadline world tour at the National Stadium on Nov 28, 29 and 30.In a statement on Thursday (Nov 20), the police said that there were at least 11 reported cases in which victims bought tickets offered for sales on messaging or social media platforms. These victims had responded to offers for the sale of concert tickets on platforms such as Carousell, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, TikTok and Xiaohongshu. Scammers would then provide screenshots or videos of fake tickets or receipts to convince victims that the tickets were authentic.They would also claim that ticket sales were time-sensitive or limited in quantity and promise to deliver the tickets after payment were made.When the victims told the scammers that they did not receive their concert tickets, the scammers would ask for additional payment, claiming that the initial payment was not received.

Water with a milky appearance allegedly seen flowing from multiple taps in Waterway Point on Wednesday (Nov 19) was possibly a result of maintenance works on the water valves, a spokesperson for the mall told AsiaOne.Preliminary assessment indicated that fine air bubbles may have affected the clarity of the water.Ealgene Mok, a visitor to the mall in Punggol, had expressed alarm to AsiaOne on Nov 20 at the unusual appearance of the water.«I first noticed the issue after observing that the tap water in the Basement 2 toilets appeared chalky and cloudy. It also had a slightly powdery touch,» said the 40-year-old. Wanting to confirm whether the issue was isolated, she proceeded to the Basement 1 washroom, where she said she observed the same appearance from the taps.«At that time, I spoke with a staff member from a cafe who also happened to be in the washroom,» said Mok. 

Water with a milky appearance was allegedly seen flowing from multiple taps in a mall in Punggol on Wednesday (Nov 19), prompting a visitor to raise her concerns.Speaking to AsiaOne on Nov 20, Ealgene Mok expressed alarm at the unusual appearance of the water at Waterway Point's toilets.«I first noticed the issue after observing that the tap water in the Basement 2 toilets appeared chalky and cloudy. It also had a slightly powdery touch,» said the 40-year-old. Wanting to confirm whether the issue was isolated, she proceeded to the Basement 1 washroom, where she said she observed the same appearance from the taps.«At that time, I spoke with a staff member from a cafe who also happened to be in the washroom,» said Mok. She added that the staff member candidly shared that the cafe's tap had shown a similar chalky appearance since Nov 18. 

An elderly man has been fined $3,000 for repeatedly leaving garbage on his neighbour's air-conditioning unit.The 88-year-old man, Choo Hoe Chiang, was sentenced in court on Thursday (Nov 20) after pleading guilty to one charge of using threatening behaviour under the Protection of Harassment Act, with a second similar charge also taken into consideration.Choo, who lives in a HDB flat at Margaret Drive, was reportedly upset with his neighbour living one floor above on the twelfth storey.The dispute persisted for several months, with Choo leaving bags of rubbish on his neighbour's air-con ledge on 24 separate occasions between Nov 14, 2024 and Aug 28, 2025.Choo would attach plastic bags of garbage to the end of a pole and hoist it upwards to discard on his neighbour's aircon ledge, reported CNA.According to court documents, his neighbour perceived his actions as harassment and even feared for his safety when he removed the rubbish from the ledge each time.District Judge Carol Ling sentenced Choo to a fine of $3,000, failing which he will have to serve a jail term of 10 days.

SINGAPORE — A pre-school teacher has been hauled to court for allegedly ill-treating three children under her care, including force-feeding one child until she vomited.The 36-year-old Singaporean woman, who cannot be named to protect the identities of the victims, was handed three charges under the Children and Young Persons Act on Nov 20.Charge sheets state that the incidents took place in September 2024. The location where the incidents occurred was redacted from court documents.On Sept 23, the teacher allegedly force-fed a 12-month-old child until she vomited, and hit her on her face and back.Two days later, on Sept 25, she allegedly stuffed a bib into an eight-month-old baby's mouth and put a blanket over the child's face.That day, she also allegedly ill-treated a third child, who was 10 months old, by hitting the child on the right hand.She purportedly lifted a bumper chair the child was sitting in and dropped it from knee height.The woman did not indicate a plea when her case was mentioned in court.She was offered bail of $15,000. Her case will be heard again on Dec 18.

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has charged a 35-year-old man for allegedly trafficking etomidate e-vaporiser pods, also known as Kpods. The man, identified as Wee Rong Hong Marcus, was charged in court on Thursday (Nov 20). During an enforcement operation at Geylang on Nov 18, HSA officers conducted checks on Wee, who was «vaping and behaving suspiciously», said the agency in a statement on Nov 20.HSA officers found and seized a total of 17 e-vaporisers and pods from Wee, of which 13 pods were meant for sale. Laboratory testing confirmed that the seized pods contained etomidate. Investigations are ongoing and the case has been adjourned to Dec 18. HSA said that it takes a serious view of e-vaporiser and etomidate trafficking offences. Importers, sellers and distributors of etomidate e-vaporisers now face stiffer penalties. If convicted, importers can be jailed for three to 20 years and receive five to 15 strokes of the cane, while sellers and distributors can be jailed for two to 10 years and receive two to five strokes of the cane. 

SINGAPORE — Two women accused of shoplifting at different Sheng Siong outlets in unrelated incidents were each handed a theft charge on Nov 20.Catherine Tan Li Eng, 50, and Leong Seek Yuen, 45, were allegedly identified through the supermarket chain's facial recognition CCTV technology.In a statement on Nov 19, the police said that Tan allegedly stole three bottles of red wine worth around $86 from a Sheng Siong outlet in Punggol Central on Sept 11.A store manager immediately recognised her following an alert from its facial recognition CCTV technology.The police added that Tan was then detained while she was attempting to leave without paying. She was arrested soon after.A police spokesperson added: «Further investigations revealed that the woman was also allegedly involved in earlier cases of shop theft at the same outlet.»Court documents stated that Tan allegedly stole 19 bottles of red wine worth nearly $556 in total from the outlet between Sept 2 and 11.

The police are seeking information on a 15-year-old girl who has been reported missing since Nov 12.Police appealed today (Nov 20) for information on the whereabouts of Fyetrisha Amelia Mohamed Farmi, who was last seen at block 365B Upper Serangoon Road.In their appeal, the police said that anyone with information can contact their 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:724420]]editor@asiaone.com 

A father of three young children died last week after an accident along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), leaving behind his grieving wife and kids under the age of five.Mohamad Syddyq Mohammad Ramlan, 27, had been riding his motorcycle to work at about 10.25am on Nov 10 when a car hit him on the expressway towards Changi Airport.He later succumbed to his injuries at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, according to the Singapore Civil Defence Force.In a Facebook post the next day, Syddyq’s wife Eyzra Nadyrra said that her husband had left her and their three young daughters “far too soon”.“I still can’t believe you are gone,” she said. “Thank you for loving us deeply, for being the best husband and father. You’ll always live in our hearts, and I promise to stay strong for our girls, just like you would have wanted.”The police said that the 31-year-old car driver involved in the accident was arrested for driving without reasonable consideration and causing death.

Two men have been arrested for their suspected involvement in a series of phishing scams targeting WhatsApp users, the police said in a statement on Wednesday (Nov 19). The police had received several reports in October 2025 of victims receiving unsolicited SMSes, informing them of issues with their WhatsApp account due to a prolonged lack of verification. Victims would then be prompted to verify their accounts through a phishing link leading to a fake WhatsApp page. After entering their mobile number and verification code on the webpage, their WhatsApp account would be taken over by scammers, who would send fraudulent loan requests to the victims' contacts. Victims would only realise they had been scammed when they were logged out of their WhatsApp accounts, discovered unknown devices linked to their accounts, or when they were notified by their contacts on the fraudulent loan requests. One victim that fell prey to this scam variant suffered a total loss amounting to about $1,823, said the police. 

SINGAPORE — The general manager of a Tuas incineration plant (TIP) has been fined $145,000 after a 2021 explosion led to the death of two employees.On Nov 20, Ng Wah Yong, 56, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Workplace Safety and Health Act.This comes just two days after Ng's employer, the National Environmental Agency (NEA), was fined $230,000 on Nov 18 for safety lapses in the 2021 Tuas Incineration Plant explosion.Another NEA officer, Christopher Lee Yew Binn, 50, divisional director of the waste infrastructure operations and management division of NEA at the time, is scheduled to undergo a pre-trial conference on Nov 28.Lee also faces a single, similar charge to Ng.The court heard on Nov 20 that Ng had been appointed general manager of the TIP sometime in 2018, and his duties include overseeing the safety and health of employees at the plant and safety at the workplace.