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.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has defended Singapore’s stance on combating money laundering amid a series of high-profile cases in the county.At the Bloomberg New Economy Forum Gala Dinner on Wednesday (Nov 19), PM Wong was questioned if Singapore’s «big push to lure» wealthy foreigners might unintentionally attract those who seek to park their ill-gotten gains in the country.This comes after 10 foreigners were arrested in 2023 in a $3 billion money laundering probe, and most recently in October this year when the police seized more than $150 million in assets linked to Prince Holding Group and its founder Chen Zhi.The 38-year-old was charged in the United States for allegedly masterminding a massive cryptocurrency scam that involved forced labour camps in Cambodia.«We do have quite a big fly swatter,» said PM Wong at the event in Clifford Pier.He was responding to a question from Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait on «how many flies can Singapore tolerate».

A 55-year-old man was charged in court on Wednesday (Nov 19) for allegedly importing e-vaporisers and related components into Singapore via Tuas Checkpoint.Lai Mun Leong was caught on Nov 17.In a media statement on Wednesday, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said that 2,380 e-vaporisers and related components were found by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers in the Singapore-registered car driven by Lai. He was referred to HSA and arrested.

Instead of a bed, an elderly man slept on stacked sheets of newspaper for over 10 years.Volunteers from Keeping Hope Alive recently stepped in to help clean up and refresh the cluttered rental flat in Clementi when the 76-year-old man was hospitalised, ensuring that he had a clean, safe space to return to, according to MustShareNews.The volunteer initiative revealed in a Facebook post on Nov 11 that the flat had no furniture — only newspapers which covered every inch of the floor and stacked chest-high.Also, the volunteers realised that he had been stashing cash in the pile, and they managed to pick them out, digging deep into the rubbish.«Uncle had been sleeping on newspapers for over a decade. When they got dirty, he simply laid fresh ones on top. Layer after layer, year after year,» it wrote.Photos shared in the post show piles of newspapers and sundries in the flat.

Singapore's triumphant football team returned home on Wednesday (Nov 19) after making local football history in qualifying for the Asian Cup on merit.Ahead of their scheduled 4.30pm touch down, a smattering of supporters dotted the arrival hall of Changi Airport's Terminal 2, bearing clappers and placards of cheer and encouragement.Banners were then handed out to the crowd, which swelled to some 100, before the Lions squad walked out to rousing screams and shouts at about 5.30pm.The team sung a birthday song for captain Hariss Harun — who turns 35 on Wednesday — before launching into a deafening cheer which continued as players walked down the barricades to greet eager fans, occasionally stopping for pictures.

A 19-year-old Singaporean student has been praised online for volunteering at Sengkang General Hospital (SKH). In a Facebook post on Monday (Nov 17), SKH wrote: «Most students spend their nights studying or sleeping. Justin Tan spends his volunteering at SKH from 9pm to 6am.» Justin has been volunteering as a 'night watcher' at the hospital since 2023, the post said. SKH wrote: «'Medical dramas got me interested initially, but I wanted to see what healthcare actually looks like,' said Justin. So he signed up to be a 'night watcher' — helping nurses with patient care, running lab samples, and keeping an eye on patient safety during the quiet hours.» 

Singapore needs to remain «cautiously optimistic» and adjust its current economic strategies to ensure that it is well-positioned for the future, said Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow.Speaking on the sidelines of a closed-door engagement session between Economic Strategy Review (ESR) members and business leaders on Wednesday (Nov 19), Siow told the media that the conditions for Singapore's success have «fundamentally changed».Amid a global shift that has led to less free trade and intensified competition between economies, the ESR and its five committees are working to recalibrate Singapore's economic strategies and double down on those that may not work anymore, said Siow.In particular, the committee on global competitiveness, which Siow co-chairs, is focused on developing strategies to strengthen Singapore's value proposition as an investment destination.To do so, Singapore is working with its MNC partners, such as Applied Materials and GSK, to bring in more value-added projects that are «on the frontier of their businesses».

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim officially unveiled the Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) new amphibious firefighting and rescue vehicle (ARFV) on Wednesday (Nov 19).Assoc Prof Faishal, who is also the Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, was gracing the inaugural Singapore-International Disaster and Emergency Management Expo (SIDEX) 2025 held at the Singapore Expo.The three-day conference, starting Nov 19, features conferences on civil protection and safety, emergency preparedness and response, and disaster management and humanitarian response. To mark the SCDF's Transformation 2030 vision of being future-ready and prepared the agency has also launched a book which captures the lifesaving force's evolution.

An HDB executive maisonette in Bishan has changed hands for an eye-watering $1.6 million, making it a new record in the area.The price of the two-storey unit at Block 135 Bishan Street 12 is more than the $1.58 million logged in July in the same Bishan Green estate.The unit, which is located between the 22nd and 24th floor, is now the most expensive flat in the Bishan area, according to checks by AsiaOne’s on HDB’s resale flat price records.At 163 sq m, it has around 60 years left on its release.It is less than two kilometres away from Bishan and Braddell MRT stations,and schools such as Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary), Raffles Institution and Pei Chun Public School are also located within the one kilometre radius.According to figures released by HDB on Oct 1, the price of resale flats rose by 0.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2025.The number of HDB flats sold for at least a million dollars also climbed during the same period, said Christine Sun, chief researcher and strategist at Realion (Orange Tee Group and ETC) Group.There were 480 of such units sold, more than the 415 in the second quarter of the year.

Scammers are using a new method to fraudulently take over the food delivery platform accounts of food and beverage (F&B) businesses, the police have warned.They said that at least four cases have been reported since August 2025 with losses amounting to at least $42,000.Claiming to represent food delivery platforms, scammers would call up  businesses and cite upgrades or connection issues to their point-of-sale terminals and ask victims to provide personal information.The information sought include email addresses, mobile numbers, platforms' passwords and/or one-time passwords, purportedly to verify the victims' identities. Victims may also be asked to provide a photograph of their NRIC via chat applications such as WhatsApp.

Two men, aged 19 and 22, were arrested for housebreaking after two schools in Jurong West reported a break-in on Monday (Nov 17) morning.The first case occurred at a school canteen along Jurong West Street 72 at about 8.05am on Monday, the police said on Tuesday (Nov 18). The culprit allegedly made off with cash amounting to $70 and a mobile phone.A second similar case was reported at a school canteen along Jurong West Street 41 at about 8.25am. No valuables were reported missing in this instance.West Grove Primary School is located at Jurong West Street 72, while two government schools are located along Jurong West Street 41 — Fuhua Secondary School and Yuhua Secondary School. The police did not state which schools were targeted.They said on Tuesday that the identities of the two culprits were established through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras and CCTVs.The men were arrested within 11 hours of the reports and will be charged in court with housebreaking on Wednesday (Nov 19).If found guilty, they face a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.[[nid:724133]]

SINGAPORE – After all the years of underachievement, unrealistic dreams, heart breaks and false dawns, the Lions celebrated their biggest accomplishment in Singapore football history as they secured a maiden Asian Cup qualification with a comeback 2-1 away win over Hong Kong at the Kai Tak Stadium on Nov 18.On the back of a remarkable perfect away record against Bangladesh, India and Hong Kong in five Group C games, the world No. 155 Lions have clinched top spot on 11 points with a game to spare.They cannot be overtaken by 148th-ranked Hong Kong, who have eight points but an inferior head-to-head record after this defeat and a 0-0 draw in Singapore in March.The raucous atmosphere created by the majority of the scarf-waving home fans in the 47,762-strong crowd – with about 2,000 Singapore supporters – made for a nervy start with 41-year-old Hong Kong goalkeeper Wang Zhenpeng dropping a 10th-minute Song Ui-young free-kick.