SINGAPORE – A 42-year-old man who stalked an intoxicated woman around Holland Village for nearly an hour and raped her after offering to drive her home was sentenced on Nov 24 to 15 years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane.Dhanabalan Fok Jin Jin was also ordered to pay more than $18,500 in compensation to the victim for the bills she incurred for therapy and antidepressants over the past four years.Fok’s lawyer had argued that his client, a technician with an average take-home pay of about $6,600 a month, was unable to pay the sum as he is married with a child and is looking after his parents.This cut no ice with High Court Judge Valerie Thean, who noted that Fok drove a Mercedes C180 and had tenants in his flat, which suggested he had an additional stream of income.If Fok does not pay the compensation sum, he will have to serve another four months in jail.Fok had claimed trial to a rape charge in July, contending that the victim had consensual sex with him.He was convicted on Sept 22, after the judge found that the victim was unable to consent due to intoxication, and did not consent to sex with him.

At least $10.6 million has been lost due to job scams involving tasks performed on online platforms, running online businesses, or conducting web surveys since October.In a statement on Monday (Nov 24), the police said there have been at least 215 reported cases, where victims encountered advertisements on social media platforms and job portals, or have received unsolicited messages from scammers through platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.The police added that scammers typically offer three types of tasks, all of which eventually require escalating payments.The first scam type involves online tasks, where victims are required to carry out various online activities — such as promoting brands, optimising apps, or completing orders — in return for commissions. Victims are often required to deposit money to complete these tasks.The second variation targets victims through fake online businesses.  

Singapore will be establishing a new embassy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, the city state's third in Africa and first in east Africa, announced Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday (Nov 24).PM Wong made the announcement at a joint press conference with the country's prime minister Abiy Ahmed Ali after a delegation meeting.He said that there is «clear potential» for the two countries - both hubs in their respective parts of the world - to grow their bilateral cooperation, and to bridge and connect the two regions.Calling it a «tangible demonstration» of Singapore's commitment to its partnership with Ethiopia, PM Wong said it also reflects Singapore's belief in Ethiopia's strategic importance and potential.«Our embassy will also enable Singapore to strengthen our ties with Africa as a whole. Because being here in Addis Ababa will allow us to better engage the African Union, deepen our understanding of Africa, and explore new areas of cooperation,» PM Wong said.

The sudden closure of massage chain Wan Yang Health Product and Foot Reflexology Centre has left customers with at least $29,000 worth of unutilised packages.In a Facebook post on Monday (Nov 24), Melvin Yong, the president of the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), said that there were 15 complaints as of Sunday.“Case has reached out to Wan Yang to seek clarification on how the company would refund consumers the unutilised amounts of their prepaid packages as well as any other remedies,” he said. In a Reddit thread on Sunday, several customers complained that they were caught off guard by the abrupt closure of all five of Wan Yang’s outlets.

Six motorists, aged between 32 and 63, will be charged in court on Tuesday (Nov 25) for speeding offences involving heavy vehicles.In a statement on Nov 24, the police said that the offences were allegedly committed while the motorists were driving heavy vehicles that are required to be fitted with speed limiters.Between July and September, the six motorists allegedly travelled at speeds exceeding their vehicles' imposed limits.Three cases involved drivers of cement mixers who exceeded their vehicles' speed limit of 40kmh.The first driver travelled at 53kmh along the Pan Island Expressway, while the second and third drivers travelled at 54kmh and 55kmh along Sheares Avenue in separate incidents.The three other cases involved a bus travelling along the Bukit Timah Expressway at 74kmh, a tipper truck travelling along Upper Changi Road East at 74kmh, and a prime mover travelling along Adam Road at 65kmh.Buses and tipper trucks have an imposed speed limit of 60kmh, while prime movers have an imposed speed limit of 50kmh. 

A 72-year-old motorcyclist died after colliding with a tipper truck on the Seletar Expressway (SLE) on Saturday (Nov 22). The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told AsiaOne they were alerted to the accident along the SLE towards the Central Expressway near the Woodlands Avenue 12 exit at about 8.55am. The male motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. A 71-year-old male tipper truck driver is assisting with police investigations. In a video uploaded to Facebook on Nov 23, a blue tent and a white sheet can be seen laid on the ground.Another video shows a traffic jam as a result of the accident, with two lanes of the expressway closed and two traffic police cars, a tow truck and an SCDF ambulance at the scene. The tipper truck is stopped on the rightmost lane of the expressway.According to police statistics, the number of road traffic accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities rose by 8.9 per cent to 3,818 in the first half of 2025, up from 3,507 in the first half of 2024, continuing the upward trend observed over the past three years.

More than one million people have visited the SG60 Heart&Soul Experience in nearly three months since it opened in end-August, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on Monday (Nov 24).The exhibition, marking Singapore's 60th year of independence, uses immersive storytelling and generative artificial intelligence to create a personalised, imaginative experience — offering visitors a peek into what their future in Singapore can look like.Admission to the national exhibition at Level 1 atria of Orchard Central and orchardgateway is free, although tickets are required for the showcase at Orchard Library.Weekend slots for the ticketed showcase are almost always fully booked, with more than 122,000 tickets issued to date.

An elderly man who was tricked into believing that his bank account had been hacked transferred over $100,000 to another account provided by a supposed «Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) staff» for safekeeping.The 67-year-old victim, surnamed Zhang (pseudonym), told Shin Min Daily News on Monday (Nov 24) that the ruse started with a missed call on Oct 21.He dialed the number and was told that his insurance policy was about to expire. When asked if he was keen to renew it, Zhang declined. But he was then told that someone from MAS would soon contact him.Sure enough, he got a call from a supposed «MAS staff», who said his bank account had been compromised.«They showed me their work ID. I didn't actually have an account with the bank, but I didn't suspect anything at the time,» he told the Chinese daily.The «MAS staff» then instructed Zhang to download a cryptocurrency application. The scammer requested to communicate via a WhatsApp video call and asked Zhang to turn on the screen sharing function.

The first inkling that something was wrong came when she noticed that the delivery rider took about seven minutes to arrive at her door after buzzing him in at her condominium.Angela Hoi, the GrabFood customer, later realised to her horror that the deliveryman had improperly handled the food by attempting to pour the spilled contents back into the takeaway container.Hoi recounted in a Facebook post on Saturday (Nov 22) that her lunch of congee arrived two-thirds full in a «dripping and sticky» plastic bag.«I gave him (the) benefit of doubt — maybe he rode too fast or stored it badly,» she wrote.When she passed by the lift lobby a few hours later, she found a note left there by a neighbour, saying that they saw a food delivery rider transferring spilled porridge back into its packaging.«I asked the driver not to provide this food to the client, as it is not safe,» the neighbour wrote.

Lorry owners who do not have speed limiters installed on their vehicles once the statutory deadline to do so kicks in on Jan 1, 2026, may be charged in court, said the Traffic Police (TP) on Monday (Nov 24).The non-compliant lorries will also be prohibited from being driven and their road tax cannot be renewed.The move towards «strict enforcement actions» comes after «extensive measures» to engage engage and remind fleet owners of the requirement through SMSes, emails and letters, said TP.As of Nov 14, some 30 per cent of these vehicles — 765 out of 2,525 lorries — have yet to have speed limiters installed.Just follow law Under the current law, heavy vehicles weighing over 12,000kg must be fitted with a speed limiter device. The law has been in place since 1999.To further enhance road safety, TP announced in 2023 that it would extend this requirement to older lorries weighing between 3,501kg and 12,000kg.

Paroled sex offender Amos Yee has been taken into the custody of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).ICE's detainee locator system, which displays individuals currently in custody, shows that the 27-year-old Singaporean is detained at Dodge Detention Facility.According to a report in The Straits Times on Monday (Nov 24), ICE had served papers to Yee while he was in prison, indicating that he is likely to be deported from the US to Singapore.ICE states on its website that it detains non-citizens who are subject to mandatory detention, or those that the agency determines are a «public safety or flight risk» during the custody determination process.Yee was released on parole from the Danville Correctional Center in Illinois on Nov 20. He had been serving a six-year jail term for child pornography and grooming.Yee has been jailed twice in Singapore for hate speech against religious communities. After his release in 2016, he arrived in the US and obtained asylum in 2017.

Despite the significant potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve and transform lives, governments must remain «clear-eyed», look beyond the hype, and address real concerns about jobs and livelihoods, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Sunday (Nov 23).He was speaking about creating a fair and just future for all at the third session of the G-20 summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa.AI is evolving rapidly, with tremendous potential to improve and transform lives, noted PM Wong, pointing out that the world is still in the early stages of the AI journey.It is therefore natural to see excitement and exuberance about what smarter machines can do, which, he said, is reflected in the massive investments flowing into infrastructure such as data centres."But as governments, we should be clear-eyed and look beyond the hype. 

A small fire broke out on a Scoot flight from Hong Kong to Singapore on Saturday (Nov 22) when a passenger’s power bank overheated. The incident was documented by a user on social media platform Xiaohongshu, who posted a video of cabin crew extinguishing the fire. No injuries were reported.The passenger had noticed a «strong burning smell» towards the end of the flight and thought a laptop had caught fire.In the video, cabin crew are seen gathering and putting an item into a large plastic bag near the front of the plane.According to the passenger, the cabin crew took a long time putting out the fire with water and a fire extinguisher.She said passengers were only informed of the fire through an announcement by the pilot after landing, and that passengers were not allowed to to disembark until firefighters checked the cabin.«There was some panic as we were unsure if the situation was fully resolved. The smell of smoke and chemicals added to the discomfort,» she reportedly told The Straits Times.Another passenger also commented on the Xiaohongshu post with a picture of the cabin wall that appeared to be burnt.

The police are investigating after a video of a private-hire car flashing a racist message at its rear window made its rounds online.In the video uploaded to the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page on Friday (Nov 21), the offensive remark can be seen repeatedly scrolling on the silver Honda Spada's rear-mounted LED panel.The incident is believed to have occurred on Nov 20 along Woodlands Centre Road.The 53-year-old driver, who wanted to be known only as Maman, told Shin Min Daily News he was unaware of the vulgar message that was displayed.«It was supposed to display the words 'Support Liverpool.' I started work at 7.30pm the day before yesterday and didn't get off until 2am the next day. I didn't notice anything unusual at the time,» the driver reportedly said.He only realised something was amiss after a relative sent him a video of the offensive message that was displayed.