For those finding another reason to visit South Korea, there's now one — with the country extending its automated immigration clearance system to Singaporeans. In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Dec 23), the Singapore Embassy in Seoul said the authorities in South Korea have expanded the use of their smart entry service to Singaporeans aged 17 and above since Dec 1. The service is an automated immigration clearance system which the Korea Immigration Service (KIS) says provides a «simple and convenient process» where travellers can verify themselves with biometric data. To enjoy the service, a one-time, on-site registration is required on arrival in South Korea. As of Dec 23, registration is only available at Incheon International Airport. Once registered, eligible Singaporean travellers can use the electronic gates immediately, including at any South Korea airport on subsequent visits. KIS said that the registration remains valid alongside the passport's validity. South Korea is a popular destination among Singaporeans with more than 370,000 visitor arrivals from Singapore in 2024. 

For 22-year-old Brandon Peh, there was nothing higher on his bucket list than visiting all HDB blocks numbered «67» as part of an online trend. Speaking to AsiaOne on Tuesday (Dec 23), Peh, a sociology student at Nanyang Technological University, shared why he specifically chose the number. «I chose to visit blocks 67 because it felt like something I wanted to do before I die. The number itself has no meaning, and sometimes it’s okay to just do nothing. People often ask me why I do it — I think the better question is, why not?» he said. Peh, who visited the five HDB blocks numbered 67 over a two-week period, said he plans to continue visiting any new ones that emerge. «During my research, I could only find five blocks numbered 67, so I visited all of them and plan to continue doing so,» he added. Peh, who also runs a personal YouTube channel documenting his explorations across various blocks, said that he enjoys playing card games with his friends in his free time. 

A man, currently serving a jail sentence over his links to a case involving husbands who had their wives drugged and raped, has been ordered to spend an additional eight weeks behind bars.This took place on Dec 23 after the 47-year-old man, who cannot be named due to a gag order, pleaded guilty to one count of posting multiple obscene images on an online portal.He was one of the offenders involved in an unprecedented case where husbands with sexual fantasies conspired with other men to have their own partners sedated and raped.In January 2024, he was sentenced to 13 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane after he was convicted of being part of a conspiracy to commit rape between 2010 and 2011.He will start serving his latest sentence only after completing his previous one.For the current case, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sruthi Boppana told the court that in 2010, the man started a thread titled “Wife Fantasy” on the online portal.Court documents stated that he also invited other men with such fantasies to contact him.

The Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) will be getting a new leader at its helm. In a media release on Tuesday (Dec 23), HEB announced that Sarojini Padmanathan, who had previously served as its finance member, will be appointed as its new chief executive officer on Wednesday.Padmanathan, 63, is an experienced human resource practitioner with over four decades in Singapore's healthcare sector, having held senior roles in the Ministry of Health and the Health Sciences Authority. According to HEB, she was also involved in organisational resilience and people transformation efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. In its announcement, HEB said Padmanathan is well-positioned to lead HEB in fulfilling its mission.«Mrs Sarojini Padmanathan's extensive leadership experience, strong governance background and prior service on the board position her well to lead HEB in fulfilling its mission of managing Hindu endowments and programmes for the benefit of the community.»She takes over the reins from Jeevaganth Arumugam, 58, who was appointed in mid-September 2024.

A Bukit Panjang resident returned home to a rude shock when he saw fallen concrete debris in the kitchen of his HDB flat. The incident reportedly happened on Monday (Dec 22) morning in a fifth-floor unit at Block 416 Saujana Road. A 46-year-old-man surnamed Wong told Shin Min Daily News that his father had just returned home after 9am when he found a 8cm-wide hole in his ceiling, adding that parts of the steel bars in the ceiling were also exposed. «As it was the first day of renovation works for the unit, there were a lot of noisy works. I had my earbuds on, so I wasn't sure when they broke our ceiling,» Shin Min reported Wong as saying. Checks by AsiaOne indicate that works at a sixth-floor unit in the HDB block are permitted to be carried out from Dec 22 to Jan 20, with demolition and hacking works permitted from Dec 22 to 23, and again on Dec 26. Wong shared that two workers carrying out the renovation works later came by to explain the situation. According to Wong, the workers said that they were removing the floor tiles when the incident happened. They were unsure what had caused the damage. 

After several months of repeated advisories and direct engagement with lorry owners, the police said on Tuesday (Dec 12) that the Traffic Police (TP) will now take «stern enforcement action» against those who fail to comply when the statutory deadlines kick in from Jan 1 onwards.Since early 2025, the police have been issuing repeated reminders to lorry owners through advisories, including sending them SMSes, emails, and letters. Most recently, on Nov 24, the police warned that those who do not do so may be charged in court, adding that they will take «strict enforcement actions». The non-compliant lorries will also be prohibited from being driven and their road tax cannot be renewed.Yet, despite a reduction, 402 lorries - or about 16 per cent of the 2,485 lorries - have still not been installed with speed limiters as of Dec 20. 

A 79-year-old man died on Monday (Dec 22) after being hit by a car in Bukit Batok.The fatal accident occurred along Bukit Batok West Avenue 9 at about 5pm.A now-deleted post on Xiaohongshu showed a blue police tent in the middle of the road and curious onlookers gathered nearby.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said the elderly male pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).A 61-year-old male car driver has been arrested for driving without due care and attention causing death.If charged and convicted of the offence, the driver may face a fine of up to $10,000, or a jail term of up to three years, or both.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:727090]]lim.kewei@asiaone.com

A taxi driver was outraged after two passengers, accused of vomiting in his cab, allegedly refused to compensate him and called him a «beggar». The driver, Sam Loo, shared in a Facebook post on Sunday (Dec 21) that the incident took place at around 4.02am that day. He had dropped off the two male passengers at The Gazania condominium in Bartley, alleging that the two men were intoxicated and had vomited in the rear seat. He added that they had refused to pay for the cleaning and were only willing to compensate him $10, in addition to calling him a «beggar». He said he did not accept the compensation.The security personnel on night duty, whom he asked for water to help clean the mess, also allegedly witnessed the incident, said Loo. Photos of the incident showed a car mat covered in tissue, which Loo said was «undigested curry and alcohol» that had been spewed on the rear seat on the right side. According to Loo, the incident meant that he could not continue fetching customers, resulting in a loss of income which he said goes towards his children's studies and family expenses. 

With no money and just a backpack, local content creator Kevin Wee is «going homeless» during the Christmas season.From Dec 23 to 25, the 31-year-old behind social media channel Radical Kindness will walk barefoot around Singapore to raise $30,000 for special needs school MIJ Hub.«I'll bring no money, no food, just a bag, some clothes and rely solely on the kindness of strangers,» he declared in a video uploaded on Saturday (Dec 20).Quipping that this fundraising effort «is my version of a holiday», Wee revealed that he had once walked around half the country in 2021 on a similar premise, sans the charity bit.He called it «one of the most profound» personal life experiences and explained that he wants to reshare the journey with viewers while campaigning for good.

A 49-year-old man from Singapore has been arrested by the Indian Police Service over his alleged use of a pair of camera-fitted smart glasses inside the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, India. Indian news outlet The Hindu said the man is of Sri Lankan descent and resides at Punggol Northshore in Singapore. He was identified by one name, Thiruneepanar. The incident happened at about 9.25am on Saturday (Dec 20), The Hindu reported. Thiruneepanar allegedly recorded visuals of the temple's northern side and a designated area for religious rites known as the Thulabharam mandapam. His actions were noticed by temple security personnel and he was referred to the local police. Thiruneepanar is now being investigated for disobedience of a lawful order and has been served a notice to appear for further police investigations. Checks online by AsiaOne indicate that, due to the temple's religious significance, image capturing or recording is forbidden. Earlier in July, a 66-year-old local man was also arrested for a similar offence at the temple. [[nid:713387]]

Large crowds are expected in Orchard Road on Christmas Eve and the police will be implementing security and traffic arrangements such as enhanced patrols and road closures to keep revellers safe. In a media release on Monday (Dec 22), the police said the arrangements will be in place from the evening of Dec 24. «Police officers, auxiliary police officers, and security officers will be deployed to manage crowds in the vicinity of Orchard Road,» said the police, adding that crowd control barricades and directional signages will also be deployed. Certain entrances and exits of Orchard MRT Station may also be closed to regulate crowd flow, and the police advised using Somerset MRT Station or other public transport options. Those visiting Orchard Road are encouraged to check the Crowd@OrchardRoad map to view real-time crowd levels and area closures. The platform will be accessible from 5pm on Dec 24. 

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a 74-year-old man. In a news release on Monday (Dec 22), the police said Chan Tuck Chew was last seen in the vicinity of Block 505 Jelapang Road at about 4am on Sunday. Chan suffers from dementia and Parkinson's, and was last seen wearing a grey-and-white checkered polo shirt, his family told Mothership.According to the family, this is not the first time he has wandered off, but he would usually be found within an hour or two. «It's already been over 30 hours. We are afraid he pass out with no food or water,» a family member reportedly said. The police urged anyone with information to contact their hotline at 1800-255- 0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information will be kept strictly confidential.[[nid:727068]]xingying.koh@asiaone.com

A 73-year-old man died after a fight at the Koufu food court at Woodlands Mart on Sunday (Dec 21).The victim had apparently got into a dispute with a 57-year-old man, which escalated into a scuffle, said the police, who received calls for help at around 9.20pm. Officers arrived at the incident location at Block 768 Woodlands Avenue 6 and found the elderly man unconscious. He was taken by officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force to Woodlands Health Campus, where he later died.The 57-year-old man was arrested the same day for causing grievous hurt, said the police in statement on Monday.He will be charged in court on Tuesday. If found guilty of his charge, the suspect faces up to 10 years' jail, along with a fine or caning. [[nid:725220]]xingying.koh@asiaone.com

Two infractions related to active mobility devices were caught on separate dashcam footages on Sunday (Dec 21). The first case involves an elderly man seen using his personal mobility aid (PMA) along the slip road from the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) towards Clementi Avenue 6. The incident allegedly occurred at about 10.30am. In a video posted to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante, the elderly man is seen moving slowly along the slip road. He is seen glancing over to his left as a BYD electric car approaches him. Thankfully for the elderly PMA user, the driver is seen slowing down. He even turns on his hazard lights and is seen making a slow manoeuvre around the PMA — to warn other oncoming motorists to the presence of the man. In response to AsiaOne's queries, a police spokesperson said they received a call for assistance. However, officers dispatched to the scene could not locate the PMA or the elderly man. It is not known if the elderly man made his way off the road on his own, or if he was assisted by a passing motorist. 

Two Singaporean men were arrested in Johor Bahru on Sunday (Dec 21) after being involved in two separate altercations — one of which took place inside a police station.  The first incident began after the wife of one of the suspects called out the other for running into her and spilling beer on her, reported Malaysian news outlet The Star. Johor Bahru South police chief Raub Selamat said the two men, aged 46 and 56, were involved in a brawl at a shopping mall at around 5.20pm, which required intervention by officers. «At 6.15pm the same day, one of the suspects was filing a report at the police station when the other suspect attacked him, leading to another fight,» said Assistant Commissioner Raub. He added that both suspects sustained minor injuries and were taken to a local hospital for treatment. According to videos shared on social media, two men in T-shirts can be seen exchanging blows as cans — believed to be beer — fall to the ground.