The Lions have defeated Malaysia 3-0 in a football friendly on Sept 4.If this is not the scoreline you recall, it is because Fifa has overturned the results of three Malaysian men's national team matches as part of the finding that they had fielded ineligible players.It seems like sometimes in life, there can indeed be takebacks.In a statement on Wednesday (Dec 17), the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said that the world governing body's disciplinary committee has declared the team's matches against Cape Verde on May 29, Singapore on Sept 4 and Palestine on Sept 8 as losses with a default score of 3-0.The association was also fined 10,000 Swiss francs (S$16,200) as punishment.The match with Singapore was initially a 2-1 victory, while Cape Verde ended in a 1-1 draw and Palestine lost 1-0.Although the Malaysia-Singapore match was not a competitive fixture, friendly results contribute to Fifa rankings, therefore the Lions stand to gain from this reversal.FAM stated that it will make a written request to obtain the reasons for the decision from Fifa before considering the next steps regarding this matter.

A total of 26 motorists, aged between 21 and 61, will be charged for drink driving on Thursday (Dec 18).In a media release on Wednesday, the police said the 26 were arrested between July and November after failing breathalyser tests. Two of them, aged 34 and 51, who were stopped for checks on July 12 and Oct 25 respectively, were found to have been previously convicted for the same offence.If found guilty again, the men will serve a mandatory jail sentence.Three other men, aged between 21 and 34, will each face an additional charge for leaving their vehicles in a manner that caused undue inconvenience to others.Police said the trio had fallen asleep at the wheel after allegedly consuming alcohol, and left their cars stationary along Bukit Timah Road, Sengkang Central and Corporation Road respectively.If convicted of leaving their vehicles in a manner that causes undue inconvenience to others, the three may each be fined up to $2,000, jailed for up to three months, or both.For the offence of drink driving, motorists can be fined between $2,000 and $10,000, jailed for up to 12 months, or both. 

A total of $179,700 in fines were issued from September to October over vehicle safety at worksites, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Wednesday (Dec 17).In a Facebook post, MOM said that 1,318 «unsafe observations», six remedial orders and one stop-work order were recorded at 627 sites across Singapore.«Many of the lapses were preventable,» the ministry said, adding that these included poor vehicle maintenance and weak traffic management, across sectors such as construction, transport and storage, manufacturing, marine, and services.MOM highlighted four areas for employers to review in terms of their vehicular safety measures: forklift operation, forklift modifications, vehicle maintenance, and traffic management.Employers should ensure that their workers who are operating forklifts undergo refresher training every three years. In addition, keys should be kept locked when not in use.Forklifts should also be kept in their safe and original conditions. This means only using parts provided by the forklift's manufacturer or supplier.

The Singaporean community in Hong Kong has raised HK$1.8 million (S$304,000) for the victims of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po that broke out on Nov 26.In a joint statement by the Singapore Consulate-General in Hong Kong, the Singapore Association Hong Kong, the Singapore Chamber of Commerce (Hong Kong), and the Singapore International School (Hong Kong) on Wednesday (Dec 17), the group said that the funds were raised through a donation drive.«The Hong Kong people have proven time and time again that their 'Lion Rock Spirit' and resilience will always shine through in the face of adversity. During this difficult time, the Singapore community in Hong Kong stands together with Hong Kong and its people,» the statement read.The «Lion Rock Spirit» is a term used by Hongkongers for their determination, especially when against the odds.Funds raised by the Singaporean community will go towards the support fund set up by the Hong Kong government to assist the victims.

Parliament will debate Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh's convictions when it sits in January next year, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah on Wednesday (Dec 17). In a statement issued in her capacity as Leader of the House, Indranee said the matter will be raised for discussion at the upcoming Parliament sitting. «It is necessary for Parliament to take notice of Mr Singh's actions and convictions, and deliberate on an appropriate response. This matter will therefore be raised for discussion at the upcoming sitting of Parliament in January 2026,» the House leader said. Singh, who is also the Workers' Party's (WP) chief, had his appeal against his convictions for lying to a parliamentary committee in 2021 dismissed by the High Court on Dec 4. The High Court found that the two counts of lying to the committee were supported by evidence. 

SINGAPORE — Unhappy with a male bus passenger who had flashed him an obscene hand gesture, a man flung a glass bottle at the vehicle from the side of a road.The bottle broke a window of the double-decker bus and struck the passenger's 57-year-old wife, causing the woman to sustain facial wounds that had to be stitched up.Three days after the incident in July, Quztaza Kamarudin, 38, was arrested after he was identified as the man who had thrown the bottle.While out on bail, he stole a bottle of whisky from a convenience store.On Dec 16, the Singaporean pleaded guilty to one count each of causing hurt to the woman by performing a rash act, committing mischief and theft.Court documents stated that the incident involving the broken bus window took place on July 5.Quztaza boarded bus service 190 in Bukit Panjang at around 5.30pm that day and sat on the upper deck of the vehicle.He then drank soju from a bottle before the vehicle reached a bus stop near The Heeren shopping mall in Orchard Road at around 6.40pm.He was about to walk down from the upper deck of the vehicle when Lim Phang Kai, 60, and his wife blocked his way.

The police have, on Wednesday (Dec 17), charged three key executives of online trading platform Samtrade FX for allegedly engaging in fraudulent practices and money laundering. In a news release on Dec 17, the police said that the three men — Goh Nai De, Goh Li Xiang and Yue Jingyuan Alfred — conspired to make 11 «Ultimate Trader» accounts appear profitable — by fraudulently tilting the trades in these accounts. These accounts were then offered in Samtrade FX's «copy trading» product where clients could choose to «copy» the trades executed in the said accounts. This led to the vast majority of Samtrade FX's clients copying the allegedly rigged «Ultimate Trading» accounts, which the police said were under Yue's control. Between a nearly 12-month period —  from Jan 1, 2021, to Dec 27, 2021 — Yue allegedly adjusted the bid-ask spreads of trades in these accounts so that copied trades appeared profitable to Samtrade FX's clients, without them knowing that the trades were fraudulently tilted, the police added. 

A company director will be charged in court on Wednesday (Dec 17) over her alleged involvement in cases of criminal breach of trust by agent and forgery-related offences.In a statement on Tuesday (Dec 16), the police said that the 55-year-old woman is suspected to have misappropriated over $400,000 in maintenance fees paid by residents of four condominiums.The acts were uncovered following a series of reports made between April 2021 and May 2024.According to the police, the woman's company was the appointed managing agent (MA) of the four condominiums.Under the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act (BMSMA), the MA assists the management council of a development in the day-to-day running of the estate. This may include handling the monthly maintenance fees from residents. Contrary to the established procedure for residents to issue cheques to the bank accounts of the respective condominium's Management Corporate Strata Title, the woman offered alternative modes of payments to residents.These include paying in cash to her or making transfers to the bank account of her company as the managing agent.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is warning the public against two products being sold on e-commerce platforms that contain controlled substances.The agency detected tadalafil, a prescription medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction, in a product called Ferrari Candy — which is marketed as a sexual enhancement product claiming to boost stamina and vitality, it said in a statement on Tuesday (Dec 16).The product's logo looks similar to that of the car manufacturer of the same name, but they are unrelated. It is also advertised as «Rerrarii Candy» on TikTok.The inappropriate use of tadalafil is dangerous and can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, headache, migraine, irregular heart rate, and priapism (painful and exceedingly long erections), said SFA.The medication can also pose serious risks to individuals with heart-related problems as it can cause potentially life-threatening low blood pressure in those who are on heart medications, especially those containing nitrates.

Some of the athletes representing Singapore at the ongoing SEA Games in Thailand were caught by surprise when they received their competition bibs.Only parts of their names had been printed by the organisers, and a few of them were tickled at the outcome.The moment was captured by distance runner Soh Rui Yong and posted to TikTok on Dec 12.«We're doing bib collection now and we have some really interesting results because I don't think they got the names in order,» Soh said in the clip.The 34-year-old points out that the name on his bib «was not so bad» as it was just his French name Guillaume, which he rarely uses publicly.National 800m record holder Thiruben Thana Rajan's bib, however, simply said «Rajan».«That's my dad's name, my dad's running tomorrow,» Thiruben quipped amid laughter from some of his teammates.Muncherji Zubin Percy was also in a similar predicament with his bib reading his father's name, Percy.On the other hand, national 3,000m steeplechase record holder Vanessa Lee was handed a bib which simply read «Zhuang» — the last character of her Chinese name.«This is what my mum calls me,» she said.

He owns a card purportedly worth over $1 million — equivalent to a piece of private property in Singapore — but he isn't about to sell it just yet. At the recently concluded Singapore Card Show, held at the Singapore Expo over two days from Dec 13 to 14, one collectible in particular stole the limelight — a Japanese Pikachu Illustrator Promo card. The card — owned by Singaporean card collector, Chew Zhan Lun, 33 — is considered one of the «holy grails» in the Pokemon card-collecting world due to its rarity. Chew, who is the co-founder of card trading platform CTRL Collectibles, told media at the event that he had rejected a US$1 million (S$1.3 million) offer just last week by an individual to purchase the card. Speaking to AsiaOne on Tuesday (Dec 16), Chew shared that he had bought the card for «around $600,000» from a private collector. Why so expensive?According to Sports Illustrated, the cards were awarded to winners of a comic illustration contest in Japan in 1997 and 1998, with only 39 copies of it believed to exist. 

Donations have been rolling in for the Boys' Brigade Share-a-Gift charity initiative, but help is needed to deliver gift hampers to low-income families. The urgent public appeal for volunteers was put out by The Boys' Brigade on Tuesday (Dec 16), which revealed that only about a quarter of its daily delivery slots have been filled. «At this point, we are still 75 per cent away from meeting our daily delivery targets,» said project chairman Henry Tan in a statement. «We kindly urge the public to join us as delivery volunteers, and continue supporting our online donations, so that we can fulfil the wishes of all 40,251 beneficiaries and bring Christmas joy to the homes in need.» According to its website, food hampers will be distributed to 10,586 of the beneficiaries. Hamper distribution started on Dec 9 and will continue until Dec 26, except on Christmas Eve and Christmas. A check by AsiaOne found that multiple time slots through Dec 18 to 26 are still open for signups for vehicle owners. 

The current wet weather in Singapore is likely to continue for the rest of December due to the prevailing northeast moon, the Meteorological Service Singapore said on Tuesday (Dec 16). Thundery showers are expected in the afternoon on most days, extending into the evening on some days. On a few days, the showers could be widespread and heavy, added the weatherman. The total rainfall is expected to be near average over most parts of the island — with daily maximum temperatures between 32 deg C and 34 deg C on most days. The first half of December also saw mostly thundery showers. Temperatures were similar — at between 32 deg C and 34 deg C, with a high of 34.5 deg C recorded at Newton on Dec 5. On Dec 4, heavy thundery showers affected many parts of the island in the afternoon, with a total rainfall of 134.2mm — the highest rainfall recorded for the first half of December — in Jurong West. [[nid:726094]]editor@asiaone.com 

A Singaporean man lost all his digital assets of at least $100,000 after being tricked into downloading a 'beta game launcher' which contained malware.Phishing scam victim Mark Koh, 44, told Lianhe Zaobao on Monday (Dec 15) that he is an angel investor interested in Web3 — a term describing the next generation of the internet, one which is decentralised and blockchain-based.Angel investors are individuals who support the funding of startups or entrepreneurs, typically in exchange for equity.Koh explained that he had seen a Telegram message about a new project called «MetaToy» and got into contact with a user named «Shanni», who reportedly claimed to be co-founder of the «Meta team».He said the user patiently answered his questions about the game project and did not pressure him.«As someone who has evaluated countless Web3 projects, I believed I could identify scams, and this project looked legitimate,» he told Zaobao.The man subsequently downloaded a «game launcher» provided by «Shanni». Unknown to him at that time, he had downloaded malware targeting his crypto wallets.

SINGAPORE — An online post in September 2025, which made allegations of workplace bullying at the Law Society of Singapore, has sparked an ongoing probe at the organisation.The Straits Times understands the allegations come in the wake of a spate of resignations at the Law Society in 2025, with about a third of more than 70 full-time employees leaving their jobs.A chief executive had quit less than four months into the job. Separately, the departure of a long-time senior executive spurred further resignations.At one point in time, the human resources department was unstaffed.The investigation, which is being conducted by TSMP Law Corporation, was commissioned by the Law Society's audit committee in September.When asked about the probe, TSMP's joint managing partner, Senior Counsel Thio Shen Yi, said a progress report has been submitted to the audit committee.He declined to give further details.ST understands a number of former and current employees were interviewed between October and December.A number of other issues were highlighted during the probe.

PATTAYA — Singapore's Olympic bronze medallist Maximilian Maeder has claimed the kitefoiling gold at the SEA Games on Dec 16 with a day to spare after a perfect run in 12 races in the waters off Jomtien Beach.There will be four more races on Dec 17 but the SEA Games debutant has an unassailable lead over his rivals.Thailand's Joseph Weston currently sits second, ahead of Warner Janoya of the Philippines and Indonesia's Wayan Wiranatha.The 19-year-old Singaporean has had a year of change after the Paris Olympics in 2024, where he clinched a bronze medal.Maeder switched his coaching set-up ahead of his next Games bid in Los Angeles in 2028.After spending five years with coach Ivica Dolenc, he began training with the Swiss team under coach Matthieu Girolet in mid-2025.His 2025 campaign has seen some highs and lows. He first retained his Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta title in April, before placing second at the French Olympic Week.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be replacing its older diesel buses with more than 600 new electric buses that will be rolled out progressively for passenger service from end-2026. Six contracts for a total of 660 new electric buses, comprising 360 single-deck and 300 double-deck buses, were awarded by LTA to four tenderers including BYD and ST Engineering Mobility Services, said LTA in a news release on Monday (Dec 15). The contracts are valued at over $320 million and mark LTA's first large-scale purchase of electric double-deck buses. «LTA is committed to having a 100% cleaner energy bus fleet by 2040,» said the authority, adding that electric buses are expected to make up half of the public bus fleet by 2030. The new buses will feature improved battery technology and capacity, enabling the buses to travel over longer ranges and operate more efficiently. Each bus will also be equipped with a passenger information display system that provides real-time audio and visual updates to assist commuters with navigation throughout their journey. 

SINGAPORE — A man who crashed his car near his home after consuming alcohol asked his passenger to get him a bottle of alcohol from his apartment.Court documents stated that Claire Sng Wei Ying returned with a gym shaker bottle containing gin and Samuel Gomes-Lim Jia'En, 35 then drank almost all of its contents.As a result, a Traffic Police officer could not determine his actual breath alcohol concentration at the time of the accident.On Dec 15, Sng, 27, was fined $10,000 after she pleaded guilty to performing an act that could obstruct the course of justice. Gomes-Lim's case is still pending.Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Teng Yin Hang told the court that shortly before the accident, the pair had lunch at a Sentosa beach at around 2pm on April 14, 2024, and shared two cans of alcoholic soda, among other things.The pair left the beach about three hours later and entered the car.The DPP said that Gomes-Lim was entering his condominium complex in the Dairy Farm area at around 6pm when the vehicle crashed into a pillar.Gomes-Lim and Sng then exited the car and took a lift to an unspecified floor at the property.

The Bondi Beach shooting on Sunday (Dec 14) presents a stark reminder for Singapore — as history has shown — that hate speech has «real and serious consequences», said Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam.In a Facebook post on Dec 15, Shanmugam, who is also the Minister for Home Affairs, said that while the precise causes and reasons for the attack in Sydney are not known yet, hate speech has often been one underlying cause in other cases. «It creates an environment more prone to violence,» said Shanmugam, noting that the Executive Council of Australian Jewry had indicated in a special report on Dec 2 that the number of reported antisemitic incidents in Australia has continued at «unprecedently high levels» for a second consecutive year. Australia is among the world's seven largest Jewish diaspora communities in the world.