While train journeys are being disrupted by works on the East-West Line, commuters are heartened by the adequate signage and helpful staff providing assistance.Construction works on the East-West Line began on Saturday (Nov 29) morning, and will continue to Dec 8, as previously announced by SMRT. Stations between Bedok and Tampines, as well as between Tanah Merah and Expo stations will be affected by the construction.To help commuters during the service adjustment period, SMRT will be providing shuttle buses and operating shuttle trains between several MRT stations.Speaking to AsiaOne at Bedok MRT station on the first day of the train disruptions, a commuter Lim Han Siong said that there has been ample signages.

A Malaysian man was convicted of four charges including cheating for sex and extortion on Thursday (Nov 27).According to CNA, Rajwant Singh Gill Narajan Singh, 38, had lured women from Singapore to Malaysia pretending to be a white sugar daddy and had extorted one of his victims of more than US$140,970 (S$183,000).The prosecution sought for 13 years' jail and 15 strokes of the cane for the «horrific and perverse» acts committed by Singh.Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin said that, if the crimes had occurred in Singapore, he could have been charged with rape instead, and called Singh «effectively a serial rapist» who forced his victims to do acts that were «utterly debasing» and «disgusting».Singh was arrested in a joint covert operation by the Singapore Police Force and Royal Malaysian Police Force and charged in Singapore.The then-unemployed man, who lived with his wife and children, gave detailed confessions, claiming remorse and saying he needed the money for his family.However, in court, he was unrepresented and pleaded not guilty, saying he had engaged in the sexual acts but was not the «sugar daddy» in question.

A family is appealing for witnesses after a 35-year-old man sustained severe head injuries during an accident while riding his personal mobility device (PMD) at Punggol.Marcus Lee, the older brother of the injured PMD rider, made a Facebook post on Thursday (Nov 27) calling for witnesses with any information on the incident.His brother had been on his way home from Punggol Marina to Punggol Field, and was found unconscious on the road side at around 1 to 2am that day.His brother had reportedly gone to meet some friends at a club before returning home, Lee told 8world.Lee attached two photos in his post, with one showing his brother hospitalised in critical condition.He requires intensive medical care after suffering very severe head injuries during the accident, said Lee, who added that his brother is currently in a coma and on life support.«The doctor told us to prepare for the worst,» Lee told 8world.With his brother in critical condition, Lee and his family are still unable to find out what happened and if other parties were involved.

15 drivers have recently been caught providing illegal cross-border ride hailing services by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).The agency announced the news in a Facebook post on Friday (Nov 28) that they had nabbed the drivers «at the land checkpoints, airport, and in areas such as Arab Street and Ban San Street» and that all of their vehicles had been impounded.This had come as a result of enforcement efforts by the LTA and tip-offs from the National Private Hire Vehicles Association and National Taxi Association.The LTA warned: «Drivers caught providing illegal ride-hailing services face up to $3,000 fines and/or 6 months’ jail, and possible vehicle forfeiture.»  

SINGAPORE — About $41,000 worth of illegal cough syrup and prescription medicine were seized by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in two separate operations in November.HSA raided two addresses in Yishun on Nov 17 and seized 106 litres of codeine cough syrup worth about $29,000, following a tip-off by a courier company, the authority said in a release on Nov 28.The company had observed two suspicious crates from overseas at its storage facility, which were labelled as a well-known household bleach brand but were suspected to contain illegal cough syrup. They were due to be delivered to two places in Yishun that were eventually raided.A Singaporean male importer, 43, had arranged the delivery for profit, according to preliminary investigations, said HSA.Separately, a 23-year-old foreigner was caught by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers for trying to smuggle about 11,500 units of addictive prescription medicine at Changi Airport Terminal 3 on Nov 19.The medicine, which included sedatives and painkillers, were valued at about $12,000 in street value and were intended for illegal distribution here, said HSA.

SINGAPORE — Sixteen thrill-seekers on the popular Battlestar Galactica: Human vs Cylon attraction at Universal Studios Singapore (USS) had to disembark midway through their roller-coaster ride after it stalled on Nov 28.In response to queries, a spokesperson for Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), which manages USS, said the ride experienced a «temporary technical interruption» at about 5pm.«As part of our strict safety protocols, it automatically stopped at a safe point on the track. Our trained operations team promptly assisted all 16 riders to disembark, in accordance with our standard operating procedures,» the spokesperson said, adding that there were no injuries.RWS added that the ride will resume on Nov 29 when USS opens, following the completion of «a thorough safety check».«The safety of our guests is always our top priority. We regret any inconvenience caused and thank our guests for their patience and understanding,» the spokesperson said.

SINGAPORE — A car driven by a 23-year-old man toppled onto its side next to an HDB block in Bedok after it was believed to have skidded on the morning of Nov 27.In response to queries from The Straits Times, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at around 11am.The incident occurred beside Block 514 Bedok North Avenue 2. Images circulating on social media show the car lying on its left side on a patch of grass near a short flight of stairs leading to the block, with several bystanders gathered around and a person in civilian attire appearing to reach into the car boot.SCDF said two people were assessed for minor injuries, but both declined to be taken to hospital.The car is believed to have skidded, the police said, adding that the driver is assisting with investigations.[[nid:725972]]

SINGAPORE — A 64-year-old man died in hospital after he fell onto the tracks at Fajar LRT station on Nov 19.In response to queries, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said that a passenger on a personal mobility device, or PMD, fell onto the tracks at Fajar station on the Bukit Panjang LRT Line at about 9.35pm that day.«Our staff immediately activated the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for assistance and filed a police report,» said Mr Lam.The man was not struck by any incoming train, as SMRT's operations control centre had promptly switched off traction power, Mr Lam added.SMRT is cooperating with the police in their investigations, he said.The police said they were alerted to the incident at about 9.35pm, and that the man was found lying motionless on the train tracks.The SCDF took the man to the Woodlands Health Campus, where he later died.Based on preliminary investigations, the police said they do not suspect any foul play. Police investigations are ongoing.

Singapore's separation from Malaysia on Aug 9, 1965 — long viewed as abrupt and involuntary, and marked by the late Lee Kuan Yew's iconic and emotional television address — has since been recast as more nuanced in recent years. Following Mr Lee's 1998 memoirs The Singapore Story and former deputy prime minister Goh Keng Swee's 2007 biography, the circumstances surrounding Singapore's independence has gradually been reinterpreted over the years. A string of newly declassified documents, including Cabinet papers and handwritten notes by Dr Goh, known as the Albatross File, are the topic of a permanent exhibition that will open to the public on Dec 8 at the National Library Building. AsiaOne got a first glimpse of the exhibition on Wednesday (Nov 26) and spoke to Executive Creative Director Gene Tan, who shed some light into the process of putting it all together. Centred around the theme of «Feel History», Tan shared that he wanted the exhibition to be akin to an experience — «something that a person takes away». 

The Singapore Sports Hub is now officially The Kallang — in a brand refresh which includes plans for a revamped mall with new alfresco food and beverage establishments.The move comes nearly three years after the Government took over ownership and management of the facility from a private consortium.In a media statement on Friday (Nov 28), The Kallang’s operator Kallang Alive Sport Management — which has changed its name to The Kallang Group — said that the brand refresh honours Singapore’s sporting heritage.«It embraces our collective memories while strengthening our belief that sport, entertainment, lifestyle and community form the pillars of a dynamic ecosystem,» it said.Beyond the name change, the group announced that the existing Kallang Wave Mall will undergo a three-year facelift, which they said will «elevate the experience of everyone stepping into The Kallang».These include new alfresco food and beverage establishments, play areas for children and padel courts.The revamp to the mall will start in phases from the second quarter of next year, with its completion slated for 2028, and will remain operational throughout.

Twelve migrant workers were arrested on Thursday (Nov 27) at a Woodlands dormitory for suspected drug-related offences. In a statement on Friday (Nov 28), the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), which conducted the raid, said that the men — 11 Bangladeshis and a Myanmar national — are aged between 23 and 40 years old.A 34-year-old Bangladeshi, was arrested for suspected drug trafficking and drug consumption offences.The four-hour operation involved officers from the Singapore Police Force, Ministry of Manpower, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and Health Sciences Authority.Superintendent Xanthus Tong, deputy commanding officer of CNB’s J Division, said that the operation is part of the bureau’s law enforcement efforts against drug abuse and trafficking, as well as other criminal and illicit activities.«Drugs have no place in Singapore, be it in the community, workplace or residential premises. Our enforcement efforts are geared towards early detection and intervention,» he said, adding that early detection allows risks from drug abuse or illicit activities to be addressed «quickly» and prevent the spread.

Singapore has edged out global competitors to claim the top spot in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2025 for the first time.In its 11th edition this year, the annual index — produced by business school INSEAD and in partnership with research organisation Portulans Institute — ranked 135 countries based on 77 indicators including soft skills and AI talent concentration.Singapore topped the annual ranking for the first time, bumping Switzerland to second place, with Denmark, Finland and Sweden trailing behind.Last year, Switzerland topped the ranking, and it has been topping the rank since the report was introduced in 2013.

With more than a thousand ships in Singapore's waters daily, and maritime trade accounting for about 7 per cent of gross domestic product, keeping sea lines open is critical to the Republic's prosperity, said Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam on Friday (Nov 28).«The environment is congested and it is challenging. You look at the number of ships that fall into our waters — more than 1,000 ships calling and transiting,» he said.«One of the ways in which (we) can be attacked is through an attack on ships in our waterways, or an attack from the sea on Singapore itself,» added Shanmugam, who is also Minister for Home Affairs.He was speaking to reporters on board the navy's Independence-class littoral mission vessel RSS Justice after observing Exercise Highcrest, an annual inter-agency exercise — held from Nov 24 to 28.

A vacation to Chengdu, China, in November turned into a nightmare for 23 tourists from Singapore when they were taken to various shops and pressured by their guide to buy items.Local singer Shawn Tok, winner of the 2007 Campus SuperStar competition, revealed in a series of now-unavailable Instagram Stories that his tour group had been forced to buy jade, silverware, combs and herbal medicines in the first half of their nine-day tour.«The tour guide literally wouldn't let us leave the store until we hit his sales quota,» said the 31-year-old, who alleged that the guide had shouted at them and behaved passive-aggressively towards non-buyers.«We spent a total of 105,000 yuan (S$19,000) and it still wasn't enough.»Tok also said that the guide would wake those who fell asleep on bus rides, and «make (them) listen to his sales pitch».Exhausted from the early mornings and shopping stops, 16 group members decided to take a two-day break and rejoin the group after.But the agency got «very aggressive» and refused to let them back out, Tok alleged.

Leader of the Opposition and Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh will have the hearing for his appeal verdict heard on Dec 4. The upcoming hearing comes exactly one month after the High Court heard Singh's appeal on Nov 4.According to the public hearing list, the hearing will start at 9.45am.Singh is appealing against his conviction by the State Courts which found him guilty of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee.At the heart of the issue is whether Singh had lied to the parliamentary committee about how he handled the Raeesah Khan incident. During the trial in February 2025, Singh's lawyer Andre Jumabhoy argued that his the Workers' Party (WP) chief had «no involvement» in the «original lie» or the fact that Khan chose to tell the lie in the first place.

Six hundred and eight out of 893 Singaporeans affected by the Hat Yai floods have either reached Hat Yai International Airport or have already departed for Singapore, said the Ministry of Foreign Affaris (MFA) on Friday (Nov 28).These Singaporeans had e-registered with or had reached out to the foreign ministry.MFA officers on the ground are also coordinating assistance, working closely with Thai authorities, added MFA in an update on Facebook.The ministry said that its officers have located and transported 34 Singaporeans from flood-affected areas directly to the airport and will continue to deploy vehicles to support ongoing evacuation efforts. 

The police are investigating after an 82-year-old man was found dead on a fitness corner bench at an HDB estate in Hougang on Wednesday (Nov 26).In response to queries from AsiaOne, the police said that they were alerted to a case of unnatural death at Block 174 Hougang Avenue 1 at about 5.35pm.The man, who was motionless, was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).The police added that based on preliminary investigations, they do not suspect foul play.A large white sheet covering a bench can be seen in photos shared by a witness with news outlet Mothership. The fitness corner was also cordoned off.[[nid:725361]]chingshijie@asiaone.com

The proportion of Singapore residents working or actively looking for jobs has declined for the fourth consecutive year due to an ageing population, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Friday (Nov 28). Singapore's labour force participation rate, which accounts for residents aged 15 and above, fell to 67.9 per cent in 2025, said the ministry in its annual Labour Force in Singapore Advance Release. The labour force participation rate has been declining since it peaked at 70.5 per cent in 2021. It fell to 70 per cent in 2022, 68.6 per cent in 2023 and 68.2 per cent in 2024. MOM attributed the overall decline to Singapore's ageing population. More seniors still workingSingapore's labour force participation rate will continue declining «until we come to a stage where our population ageing stabilises,» said Ang Boon Heng, director of MOM's manpower research and statistics department. «What's balancing all of this that we're not seeing a big decline (in labour force participation rate), is that it reflects the efforts to actually bring people back to the labour force,» he added. 

A man was rescued by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and taken to hospital after he got his entire left arm stuck in a kitchen drain pipe in a Jurong West HDB flat.The incident occurred at about 1.35pm on Thursday (Nov 27) at Block 338A Tah Ching Road, said SCDF in a Facebook post.Firefighters from Jurong Fire Station and rescuers from the SCDF's elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team who attended to the case found the man lying conscious below the kitchen sink, with his arm trapped in the drain pipe.To create sufficient space for the rescue operation, a team of first responders removed the kitchen sink and dismantled the cabinet containing the pipe.Another team proceeded to the unit directly below and cut a segment of the pipe to allow rescuers to see the trapped arm and decide how to carefully manoeuvre the limb to free it.About two hours after SCDF arrived at the flat, the man's arm was eased out of the drain pipe with the help of a lubricant.

A 78-year-old woman was killed in a car accident in Jurong West on Thursday (Nov 27) morning.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted to an accident along Jurong West Street 92 at 8.30am and one person was subsequently taken to National University Hospital.The police said in response to queries that the elderly female pedestrian subsequently died at the hospital.Photos on Facebook page SGRV Front Man show the victim lying along the road with a trolley some distance away. A red car had stopped facing the opposite direction at the side of the road.The police have arrested a 47-year-old male car driver for careless driving causing death.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:725941]]lim.kewei@asiaone.com