Fourteen men were arrested for offences involving contraband cigarettes after authorities raided an industrial building and a foreign worker dormitory in Jurong East on Jan 28.Singapore Customs said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Feb 4) that the targeted enforcement operation conducted along Toh Guan Road East was to combat the sale and demand of duty-unpaid cigarettes.Customs officers seized over 170 packets of cigarettes with duties unpaid.Following investigations, 12 people were issued compounded fines, with the amount ranging from $500 to $800.The two other men were charged in the State Courts for their offences on Jan 30.It is illegal to buy, sell, store, or smoke duty-unpaid cigarettes under the Customs and GST Acts. For every packet of duty-unpaid cigarettes, an offender can be fined $500.The public can report illegal activities to Singapore Customs online.[[nid:726397]]lim.kewei@asiaone.com

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) on Wednesday (Feb 4) launched 9,012 flats for sale, with about half of them being Build-To-Order (BTO) flats. A total of 4,692 BTO flats across six projects in Bukit Merah, Sembawang, Tampines and Toa Payoh are available in the February BTO sales exercise, said HDB in a media release.Another 4,320 balance flats have also been put up in the concurrent Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise, with close to one in five SBF units completed.This is up from the 3,000 units that HDB previously committed, said Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat in a Facebook post on Wednesday. Among the BTO flats launched in this exercise are 1,052 Prime units under the popular Redhill Peaks project in the Bukit Merah area. The first half of the project was offered in the October 2025 sale exercise with another Prime project, Berlayar Residences, and together received 8,376 applications. 

SINGAPORE — ST Engineering is showing off two distinct platforms at the Singapore Airshow that mark a significant expansion into next-generation aviation technologies for the world's largest airframe maintenance and repair services provider.At Asia's largest aerospace and defence event, the Singapore-based company launched the DrN-600, a large all-electric vertical take-off-and-landing cargo drone, and announced partnerships with ferry operators for its crewed hovercraft-like AirFish Voyager.Drones represent «a new market — in a way, it's a disruptor, because that product never existed before that is viable,» Jeffrey Lam, chief operating officer of ST Engineering and president of its commercial aerospace business, told Reuters in an interview on the show's sidelines.The DrN-600, with a range of over 70km and a 100-kg payload capacity, is the company's highest-capacity drone to date and aimed at medium-lift cargo operations, with certification expected by 2028, according to ST Engineering.

The specific impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on entry-level professional, managerial, executive, and technical (PMET) jobs remain uncertain, with employment rates of fresh graduates from Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) remaining broadly stable over the decade.This update was given on Tuesday (Feb 3) by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Shawn Huang in response to a parliamentary question by NMP Assoc Prof Terence Ho.Assoc Prof Ho had asked whether the Government has recorded a slowdown in the hiring of fresh graduates by employers in certain sectors due to the adoption of AI. He also asked if the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has plans to help boost the employability and opportunities available to fresh graduates facing such challenges.In his response, the senior parliamentary secretary said that the specific impact of AI adoption on entry-level PMET jobs remains uncertain.

Police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of an 82-year-old Nee Soon resident, Low Kow, who went missing on Sunday (Feb 1). According to a press release on Tuesday, Low was last seen in the vicinity of Block 101 Yishun Avenue 5 on Feb 1 at around 7.30pm.In a Facebook post on Tuesday evening, Nee Soon GRC MP K Shanmugam shared the police statement and publicly appealed for «everyone to keep a lookout for him».Facebook user Hong Yao Lew, who claimed to be Low's grandnephew, made a separate post on the Missing Persons Singapore Facebook group.In the post on Tuesday, he shared that his granduncle had been missing since Monday afternoon, adding that Low is deaf and mute.«If you have seen him or have any information, please contact us,» he said.Across both posts, many users indicated that they will be helping to keep a lookout for Low. «Wishing for his safe return and reunion with family,» a user said.Several commenters also expressed concern for the wider population of elderly in Singapore.

A total of 77 traffic accidents over the past three years have been linked to suspected drug use, said Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam. In a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday (Feb 3), the minister said that out of the 77 accidents, 25 involved drug use while the rest involved etomidate use. Of all the cases, two were suspected to involve both drug and etomidate use. Shanmugam was responding to Pasir Ris-Changi GRC MP Valerie Lee, who asked for statistics regarding traffic accidents linked to vaping or drug use. Asking if stricter penalties can be considered for such crimes, Shanmugam, who is also MP for Nee Soon GRC, said that there are already enhanced penalties if a motorist causes an accident while driving under influence. Shanmugam said the traffic police will conduct a blood test if motorists are suspected of drug or etomidate use. A first-time offender found guilty of dangerous driving causing death while driving under influence faces up to 10 years' jail and a minimum 12-year driving disqualification.  

A 33-year-old Malaysian man's apparent hopes of hiding his crime under the guise of a 'perfect family' were dashed by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at Woodlands Checkpoint on Jan 28. In a video posted to its Facebook page on Tuesday (Feb 3) night, ICA said that at the time of the offence, the man’s 33-year-old wife and three children, aged between 3 and 8, were with him in the Malaysia-registered car. ICA added that its search and examination officers found boxes containing e-vaporisers in the car’s boot and proceeded to direct the vehicle for enhanced checks where they found 1,200 e-vaporisers and related components. The 33-year-old Malaysian man has been arrested and the case referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation. Under the enhanced penalties introduced on Sept 1 last year, those convicted of importing vapes into Singapore will face a jail term of up to six months, a maximum fine of $10,000, or both, for their first offence. 

A total of $3.995 billion worth of Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers, including SG60 vouchers, were spent over the last four years.The update was given on Tuesday (Feb 3) by Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo in a written response to a parliamentary question by MP Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC).Saktiandi had asked how many households have claimed the 2026 CDC vouchers, and how much of the spending were at heartland businesses.He also asked about the impact of CDC vouchers on household consumption and small business resilience.In his response, Neo — who said that he was answering in his capacity as the minister charged with the responsibility for the People's Association — explained that it is «still early» to share the claim and spend rate of the latest tranche of $300 CDC vouchers.Eligible Singaporean households were able to claim and use $300 in CDC vouchers only just slightly a month ago, from Jan 2.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has no plans to introduce the central kitchen model to all school canteens, Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau said on Tuesday (Feb 3).Responding to questions from several MPs, she said there is also no target in mind to replace traditional canteens where students buy food from individual stallholders.From last month, 13 schools had switched to the model where a single operator manages their canteens.Lau said that the central kitchen model was not introduced to replace traditional canteens, but rather as an alternative to help schools that were struggling to attract stallholders and had severe shortages of functioning stalls.«We want to avoid putting students in these schools at risk of not having good access to affordable, nutritious and balanced meals,» she said.Yusof Ishak Secondary School was the first to pilot the central kitchen model in 2022.Lau said that after seeing «positive results», MOE decided to roll out the model to 13 additional schools that face challenges in securing sufficient stallholders.Some of these schools are using hybrid models, she said.

Persistent hotspots in eastern Johor have resulted in smoke plumes which are moving towards Singapore due to the prevailing north-easterly and north-westerly winds, said the National Environment Agency (NEA).In a Facebook update after 7.30pm on Tuesday (Feb 3), the agency said that the detection was made during a satellite pass just after 2pm, adding that showers over Singapore and the surrounding areas expected from Wednesday (Feb 4) should help to improve air quality. On Tuesday afternoon, AsiaOne was on the ground in Tampines, Paya Lebar and Whampoa, where passers-by said they noticed a burning smell in the air. 

A routine school day turned into a mother's worst fear when she was informed that her seven-year-old daughter Alex had gone missing.Speaking to AsiaOne on Tuesday (Feb 3), Angel Liu, 43, recounted the trauma she went through on Jan 28 afternoon after her elder daughter Andrea, 10, called her with the news.But an act of kindness by a stranger ensured that Alex reached home safely, but not before Liu, a mother of two, endured more than three hours of agony and despair.«I was at work when I received a call from Andrea. She was crying when she told me that that my younger daughter, Alex, had gone missing,» said the financial adviser.«It happened so fast that I didn't really have time to process it. I just knew that I had to find my daughter as soon as possible because something might have happened to her.»Liu added that both her daughters attend Ngee Ann Primary School and it is their usual practice to meet after class before heading home in the Joo Chiat area, typically arriving by around 2.30pm.

The closure of popular nasi padang eatery Warong Nasi Pariaman last month was not due to high rent, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development Syed Harun Alhabsyi in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 3). Dr Syed Harun was responding to questions from MPs Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC) and Fadli Fawzi (Aljunied GRC) on concerns about protecting long-standing businesses in heritage districts such as Chinatown and Kampong Glam from rising rents. «It was reported in the media that the representative from the family clarified that the closure was not related to rental issues, and we should not wrongly conclude that this was due to a high level,» he said. Warong Nasi Pariaman, which closed on Jan 31 after 78 years and was reportedly the oldest surviving nasi padang stall in Singapore, was located in a shophouse near Sultan Mosque. 

As night fell and most of Singapore went to bed, a woman was up distributing food and drinks to rough sleepers at Our Tampines Hub.TikToker naivanderwaal had visited the centre at about 2am on Friday (Jan 30) to give away meals from a home-based business as well as packaged drinks she had bought.In a video uploaded on Saturday (Jan 31), Nai remarks that there are «quite a number» of people at the hub, and that she and her group would leave the food next to those who were asleep at that time.She then weaves through the chairs at the Festive Plaza, handing out food to individuals resting there. Some rough sleepers are also seen on benches at another area.The video has more than 29,000 views.Nai, 24, told Stomp that there were about 15 to 18 beneficiaries that night.The meals are contributed by customers of home-based businesses who support the initiative by covering the cost of an extra meal.«The people who usually join me when I help distribute food are my viewers and supporters who voluntarily participate,» she was quoted as saying.

An Australian expat who works here has said the corporate culture in Singapore is always about «being urgent» even when «not everything is actually urgent».In a TikTok video uploaded last month, Nim, 26, shared three things she doesn't like about the corporate work culture here.She moved to Singapore three years ago from Perth and is a lawyer in the trading and shipping industry, MS News reported.Nim said in the video: «Clients would also want everything done ASAP which is just unrealistic and often there is no pushback.»She said that at times she only gets one day to complete work that the management may not even review until weeks later, adding that the general urgency isn't actually driven by deadline — an aspect of Singapore's work culture that she finds unique. «Hierarchy is everything» in most environments, she said, and junior employees are often expected to simply adhere to established norms and not share their opinions unless asked, which doesn't happen often. 

The Parliament of Singapore has released a new seating plan, effective Tuesday (Feb 3), ahead of its sitting the same day.In a revised seating plan dated Feb 3 and uploaded to the Parliament's website, Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh's seat was moved from the middle — where he used to sit across from Prime Minister Lawrence Wong — to a seat two seats to the left.His seat will now be occupied by Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Christopher de Souza, who also serves as Deputy Speaker. In turn, MP for Jurong Central SMC Xie Yao Quan will take up de Souza's previous seat. 

Some 70,000 vehicles in Singapore — or seven per cent of the total vehicle population — have yet to install the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system's new on-board unit (OBU) as of Jan 31 this year. Singapore will transition to the use of the satellite-based ERP 2.0 system in 2027, and all owners of Singapore-registered vehicles are advised to have the OBU installed — a final reminder to do so will take place on Feb 15. Speaking in Parliament during the Second Reading of the Land Transport and Related Matters Bill on Tuesday (Feb 3), Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow said that distance-based ERP charging will not be introduced anytime soon. «My intent is to ensure a smooth transition so that ERP 2 experience will be similar, as similar as possible to the ERP 1 experience as we switch over.»This means that we will not be introducing distance based charging in the immediate term. Distance-based charging is something that we will continue to study and explore after motorists have gotten more used to the new system and the situation is more stable," he said.