A 22-year-old Malaysian man was arrested on Jan 13 for attempting to smuggle over 250 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore.In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Jan 20), the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that the attempt was detected at Tuas Checkpoint.After directing the vehicle for enhanced checks, ICA's search and examination officers found the cigarettes concealed behind the Malaysia-registered car's rear passenger seats.The case has been referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigations.Buying, selling, conveying, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act. Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded, jailed for up to six years, or both. Vehicles used in these offences and proceeds of sales of duty-unpaid goods may also be forfeited.

A Tower Transit bus captain has earned praise from a young mother after going out of his way to assist her with the baby stroller.In a Facebook post on Monday (Jan 19), Tower Transit shared the heartwarming feedback sent in from the new mother about her experience on bus service 169 with bus captain Liew Kok Soon.It was her first time taking the bus with the stroller, and was «completely unfamiliar with how to board the bus with it».«I was very fortunate to meet Kok Soon,» she said.Speaking about the encounter, she said that Liew alighted from the bus to help her take the stroller onboard.He also alighted to assist her when she reached her destination at Ang Mo Kio Interchange, and even explained the proper procedures and safety measures for boarding and alighting the bus with a stroller to her.«I truly felt his strong sense of responsibility and care for passengers,» she said, adding that Liew was «very patient and kind».He said that he thought of his own children and empathised with the mother.

Bus captains have received plaudits in recent weeks for jumping into «hot situations» to put out fires, and it seems this trend is not stopping.In a series of Instagram stories posted to his account, user milokopipeng shared videos showing a Tower Transit bus captain of service 858 putting out a vegetation fire in Sengkang.«Just as I thought the service 858 bus driver for my bus is driving off, he actually helped extinguish the fire...He later on apologised to the passengers for the delay,» the user wrote.The incident happened at about 12.10am on Tuesday (Jan 20), at a bus stop before Punggol Road and along the Tampines Expressway.In the video, the bus captain is seen approaching a bush fire behind the bus stop with a fire extinguisher, calmly douses the fire, and observes before going in for a second pass.He appeared unfazed even as commuters passed him.

A grant of up to $2,500 will be given to registered beverage producers after the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) kicks in from April, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a statement on Monday (Jan 19).The BCRS Producer Transition Grant, which will be automatically awarded, can be used to offset costs related to product registration fees, producer fees and the cost of stickers for the scheme. It will be available until Sept 30, 2027.The BCRS is a new recycling initiative, expected to roll out on April 1, under which a 10-cent refundable deposit will be added to all pre-packaged beverages sold in plastic and metal containers. This is to encourage consumers to return them at designated collection points for proper disposal and reuse. 

Despite having purchased a resale flat, a family of three was forced to sleep in a car for two weeks after renovation issues left them without a home. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, homeowner Li, 47, said she and her husband had received the keys to their HDB maisonette at Block 408 Fajar Road in June last year.As the home was still in good condition, they decided to only replace some floor tiles, tear down several walls, and renovate the kitchen.The contractor, whom they found from Facebook in May, told them the work would take up to a month, from August 5 to September 4.Li said that the total cost came up to $13,916, including a $1,688 deposit. This did not include the floor tiles, which she had purchased from Malaysia.She allegedly however, that the contractor had requested on at least six occasions for additional work to be done, including taking down more walls in the kitchen and living room.This increased the cost to more than $20,000, Li claimed, which was more than what was agreed upon.The payments had been made by the time she sensed something was wrong, said Li.

After her car plunged into a sinkhole that appeared in Tanjong Katong last July, Pearlyn Lim found herself hanging upside down with her legs pinned as debris fell around her. In an interview with Christian publication Salt&Light, the 43-year-old recalled her brush with death and how she «felt like giving up» for a split second. Thinking she might never see her loved ones again, Lim felt more «overwhelming sadness» than fear, she said. As she was trapped inside the vehicle, Lim's thoughts fixated on just one thing: Her then-13-year-old daughter, Anya.Lim said: «I remember crying out, 'Please, God, don’t leave my daughter alone in this world.'»«At that moment, I really, really missed Anya,» she added. «I was very thankful that the last thing I’d said to her was, 'love you.' And that I’d hugged her before I left the house.»Upside down, stuck and in shockOn July 26, 2025, a sinkhole suddenly appeared around 5pm at a junction in Tanjong Katong Road and Mountbatten Road. 

Leaders from some 60 countries, including Singapore, have received an invitation to join a US-led «Board of Peace» initiative that would initially aim to end conflict in Gaza but then be expanded to tackle conflicts elsewhere. In response to media queries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed on Tuesday (Jan 20) that Singapore has received an invitation.«The Singapore Government has received an invitation from the US to join the Board of Peace and is currently assessing the invitation,» a spokesperson from MFA said.What is the Board of Peace?Reuters on Monday reported that the board would be chaired for life by US President Donald Trump. Other names on the board include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kusher, according to a White House announcement on Friday. 

Six crew members of a vessel which sunk in Singapore's waters were rescued within 30 minutes and reported safe.The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a social media post on Monday (Jan 19) that the incident occurred sometime last week, without specifying the date and location.The sinking small craft had been spotted by a nearby vessel, which alerted the Marine Safety Control Centre to the situation.MPA immediately deployed its vessels to the scene, and the Police Coast Guard (PCG) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were also informed, the authority said.Six men were found treading the waters and quickly rescued by PCG. One of the men who required medical assistance was treated by the SCDF.

A 27-year-old man died on board a cruise ship docked in Singapore.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they received a call for assistance at Marina Bay Cruise Centre at around 6.35am on Monday (Jan 19).He was found motionless on a cruise ship and was pronounced dead at the scene by an in-house doctor.The cruise ship is believed to be Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas, which docked at the Singapore port at 6.30am according to data from CruiseMapper.No foul play is suspected based on preliminary investigations, said the police. Investigations are ongoing.AsiaOne has reached out to Royal Caribbean for additional information.[[nid:727390]]dana.leong@asiaone.com

A 59-year-old pedestrian died of his injuries in hospital after being hit by a car at Ang Mo Kio on Monday (Jan 19) night.The incident occurred at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to the accident at 8.30pm.An eyewitness who was near the accident site told AsiaOne that he was riding along the park connector network at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 when he heard a loud 'bang'.«When I looked back, the car and a man were on the HDB courtyard between Blocks 230 and 231,» he said.Other passersby also said that the man was crossing the road when the accident happened, though they are unclear of what led to it.Lois Koh, a 25-year-old enrolled nurse, told AsiaOne that she was passing by the area when she heard the collision and went to investigate.«That's why I'm a nurse, I cannot just stand there and do nothing,» she said.According to Koh, the pedestrian was «desperately trying to gasp for air» and «wasn't breathing» at one point.

The police arrested a 61-year-old man on Sunday (Jan 18) for his alleged involvement in a case of voluntarily causing grievous hurt. The police said on Monday (Jan 19) that the alleged incident took place at about 4.20pm on Sunday along Geylang Road, adding that the victim suffered severe head injuries after allegedly being punched by the man during a fight.He was identified through follow-up investigations and with the aid of police cameras.The man will be charged in court on Tuesday (Jan 20).If found guilty of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, he may be sentenced to jail of up to 10 years, and a fine or caning.editor@asiaone.com