Applications for the February 2026 Built-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise reached nearly three times the number of flats launched as at 5pm on Wednesday (Feb 11) — the last day of the application — said national development minister Chee Hong Tat.In a Facebook post at around 6.30pm on Wednesday, Chee said a total of 14,052 applications have been received for the 4,692 BTO flats. Checks by AsiaOne on the Housing and Development Board's (HDB) portal at 7pm showed that most three-room and bigger flats on offer received at application rate of below 1.0 by first-timer families. The exception was in Tampines, where two projects — Tampines Bliss and Tampines Nova — saw application rates of between 3.4 and 6.8 by first-timer families. Tampines Bliss saw 536 applicants for the 80 three-room flats, while there were 3,260 application for the 337 four-room flats for both Tampines projects. 

Eighteen men, aged between 21 and 35, were arrested on Wednesday (Feb 11) morning for their alleged involvement in an illegal transaction of marine gas oil in Singapore waters. In a news release on Wednesday, the police said that Police Coast Guard officers arrested the 18 crew members from two foreign-registered tugboats and one Singapore-registered tugboat in the waters off Pandan at West Coast. Preliminary investigations revealed that the crew members had allegedly misappropriated marine gas oil valued at about $13,670 without their company's knowledge. According to the police, the oil was allegedly intended to be sold illegally for their personal financial gain. The 18 men will be charged in court on Thursday for criminal breach of trust by employees. If found guilty, they may be jailed for up to 15 years and fined. The police also warned that they take a serious view of illegal transactions of marine gas oil in Singapore waters, adding that the authorities will continue to conduct enforcement and security checks to prevent, deter and detect such illicit activities. [[nid:727069]]

A motorcyclist allegedly bit off part of a man's ear during an altercation along the Pan Island Expressway (PIE), a court heard on Tuesday (Feb 10). Singaporean Ronald Koh, 36, purportedly also hit Fabian Quak Wei Quan's father on the back and stepped on his foot. Koh, who denied the two charges on the first day of his trial and was self-represented, claimed that the father might have bitten off his own son's ear instead, reported CNA. The incident allegedly occurred at about 2pm on Feb 26, 2024, near the Sims Way exit along the PIE towards Changi.Testifying in court, 63-year-old renovation contractor Quak Beng Gim said that he was driving in the fourth lane along the PIE with his son, who is in his 20s, seated in the front passenger seat. He was filtering into the third lane, when he heard a van next to him sound its horn at motorcycle. Quak said Koh then cut into his lane, adding that he also sounded his horn at the motorcyclist. «The motorcyclist kept gesturing at me,» he told the court, reported CNA. 

Singapore has retained its position as the least corrupt country within the Asia-Pacific region and the third least corrupt country globally, according to the 2025 edition of Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (TI-CPI). The index was released on Tuesday (Feb 10) and ranked a total of 182 countries based on a numerical score from 0 to 100, with higher scores representing lower perceived levels of corruption in the public sector. Singapore maintained a score of 84, which is the same as last year, coming in behind Denmark and Finland which scored 89 points and 88 points respectively. While Singapore scored highly, Transparency International said that Singapore still faces scrutiny for facilitating the movement of «dirty money» across borders. According to the index, the global average came in at 42, and 122 countries scored below 50, with only five countries scoring above 80 in 2025. 

A 24-year-old man was arrested on Monday (Feb 9) for his suspected involvement in scams relating to Pokemon trading cards, the police said on Wednesday. The alleged scammer had allegedly advertised pre-order sales of Pokemon trading cards on Telegram, racking up 21 reports from victims who lost at least $69,000. The suspect purportedly became uncontactable after receiving payments via bank transfer or PayNow, or gave excuses for delays in delivery of the cards. Officers from Woodlands Police Division identified the alleged seller and arrested him on Monday.The suspect will be charged in court on Wednesday with cheating, which carries a punishment of up to 10 years' jail and a fine."The police takes a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law, said the police in a news release on Wednesday.  Under enhanced penalties, which came into effect from Dec 30 last year, scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates will face mandatory caning of at least six strokes, up to a maximum of 24 strokes. 

SINGAPORE — Yet another noise dispute between neighbours ended badly, this time with a man smearing luncheon meat near a woman's flat after he got upset with her children playing outside his unit.Vikneswaran V. Moganaval, 36, was living in a Woodlands Housing Board flat when he became upset with the woman's two children, aged four and seven, for playing along the common corridor on Deepavali on Oct 20, 2025.Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Kee En said Vikneswaran knew that the woman and her family are Malay-Muslim, and that consumption of and contact with pork are forbidden in Islam.DPP Chong said Vikneswaran wanted to throw luncheon meat at the woman's flat but refrained from doing so. Instead, he took a tin of luncheon meat, opened it, poured the contents into the common corridor and smeared them across the floor of the corridor.On Feb 11, Vikneswaran was sentenced to 14 weeks' jail after pleading guilty to one count of wounding the religious feelings of the woman and her family — an offence under the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act.

Chinese New Year (CNY) is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than having some good food with good company?Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and current and former People's Action Party (PAP) Members of Parliament gathered on Tuesday (Feb 10) for a CNY luncheon where they toasted to the Year of the Horse with an inaugral lohei session. Among the attendees were Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, former Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, and former MPs Dr Ahmad Mattar and Zainul Abidin Rasheed. A surprise birthday cake was also presented to SM Lee, who turned 74 on Tuesday.

As Singapore gallops into the Year of the Horse, punters can look forward to an opportunity for more festive cheer as they usher in the Chinese New Year (CNY).Singapore Pools, the city state's only legalised sports, lottery and horse racing operator, typically holds two special draws around CNY — the Reunion Draw, and the Hong Bao Draw — with the latter held towards the tail-end of the 15-day celebrations. This year's Reunion Draw will be held at 9.30pm on Friday (Feb 13), with a jackpot prize of at least $5 million. Singapore Pools' outlets, including those operated by authorised retailers, will also extend their operating hours till 9pm. Punters are advised to use Singapore Pools' outlet locator to confirm the exact operating hours of the outlet they intend to visit. Changes to operating hours for CNYMeanwhile, Singapore Pools announced changes to its operating hours over CNY. In a news release on its website, the gaming operator said all outlets will open till 4pm on the eve of CNY and remain closed on Feb 17 (first day of CNY). 

Parents who wish to register their children for Kindergarten 1 (K1) admission to Ministry of Education (MOE) pre-schools next year can do so between March 23 and 31, said the ministry on Wednesday (Feb 11). A total of 57 MOE kindergartens — including a new pre-school at Rivervale — will be participating in this year's MOE kindergarten registration exercise. The new kindergarten at Rivervale is among three new MOE kindergartens planned for opening between 2026 and 2027. Another MOE kindergarten — MOE Kindergarten @ Townsville — which was originally slated for opening in 2027 at Townsville Primary School's Ang Mo Kio campus, will not be going ahead as planned, after the announcement of the primary school's relocation to Sembawang in 2029.MOE had said in a press release in 2025 that East Canberra, where the school will be relocated, already has a «steady supply» of preschool places. Registration for the admission exercise is open to children of Singapore citizens and permanent residents born between Jan 2, 2022, and Jan 1, 2023, both dates inclusive.

A 79-year-old driver was injured after his car swerved into a road divider and overturned along Braddell Road. Dashcam footage of the incident showed the vehicle drifting into the right-most lane before it mounted the kerb and hit the centre divider, causing the car to overturn. An eyewitness who tried to help the male driver said that the car doors were locked and the engine didn't cut off, reported The Straits Times. The driver was subsequently pulled out of the vehicle through a broken window by other motorists.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to an accident involving a car at about 2pm on Tuesday (Feb 10). The car was believed to have self-skidded along Braddell Road towards Bartley Road, the police added. The SCDF stated that the 79-year-old driver was assessed for minor injuries and he declined to be taken to the hospital.The driver is assisting police with ongoing investigations.[[nid:729704]]esther.lam@asiaone.com 

What was meant to be a short one-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore stretched into hours of waiting for travellers on board a Scoot flight on Monday (Feb 9) night.One affected passenger said in a Xiaohongshu post on Tuesday that the plane had taxied to the runway at Kuala Lumpur International Airport after she boarded the plane at about 9pm on Monday and remained on the tarmac for an hour.«Then, the captain announced that the aircraft was experiencing a brake issue and was being repaired, and asked for our patience,» she wrote.According to her, they waited on board till 1am on Tuesday, when another announcement was made that the plane could not be repaired.Passengers disembarked and boarded a shuttle bus back to the airport terminal.«It was nearing 2am when we returned to the terminal,» she said, claiming that ground staff did not give clear instructions on the passengers' next steps and were unable to answer many of their queries.Eventually, arrangements were made for passengers to rest overnight at an accommodation, and board the 10am flight to Singapore.

A fire broke out at Ang Mo Kio 628 Market along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 on Tuesday (Feb 10) morning. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that it was alerted to the blaze at Block 628 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 at about 3.50am.SCDF firefighters conducted forcible entry and extinguished the fire, which involved the contents of a stall within the market, using a water jet.There were no reported injuries in the incident, added SCDF.The cause of the fire is under investigation. A video posted by Xing Hong Fresh Fruits, located in the market, showed other stallholders rushing to contain the fire with at least one hose reel, buckets of water and a fire extinguisher.Based on the footage, the stall sells dried goods and seasoning.Yip Hon Weng, Member of Parliament for Yio Chu Kang SMC, visited the scene the same morning.In a Facebook post that day, he thanked SCDF for its prompt response and the Town Council for clearing out the debris.The member of parliament also urged stallholders to store items properly and remove fire hazards.[[nid:729706]]

The higher cost of living in Singapore has driven a Singaporean delivery rider to buy a car across the border — a move that left several social media users calling it a «steal».A TikTok video shared on Jan 31 showed Afiq Zayany, 31, showing off his 4.8 litre Porsche Cayenne. The price? A cool RM18,000 (S$5,800), he said.Speaking to AsiaOne on Wednesday (Feb 11), Zayany said he saw «potential» in the used 2004 model - even with its age and faulty engines - when a friend shared its listing on Facebook Marketplace in Nov 2025. «The owner listed it at $8,000. I walked away and he called me back,» he said. «We agreed at $5,800. So, not bad.» A brand new Porsche Cayenne in Singapore — excluding the Certificate of Entitlement —  starts from over $400,000. Meanwhile, listings on SGcarmart show that second-hand models start from $30,000. The cheapest Porsche Cayenne that AsiaOne found online in Malaysia is a 2004 model that cost around $9,000. While the car was paid fully in cash, its affordable price came with an asterisk mark. 

The family of an elderly Singaporean man is appealing for information on his whereabouts after he went missing in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday (Feb 7). In an Instagram post on Monday, the family of Halim Bin Yunos said he suffers from dementia and was last seen near Anggun Residence in a short-sleeved batik shirt.User wan_toh, who is Halim's son-in-law, told Mothership that Halim, who is 76 years old, had travelled with family to Malaysia to attend a wedding. The elderly man went missing sometime after the event. «We saw that actually he went out of the residence,» his son-in-law reportedly said, adding that the family was unable to find Halim despite searching the area. The family made a police report later on Sunday. 

A 16-year-old male pedestrian was taken to hospital after an accident with a car in Toa Payoh on Tuesday (Feb 10) afternoon. The accident happened at about 2.50pm along Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, towards Lorong 7 Toa Payoh. A video posted on the Roads.sg Facebook page showed paramedics attending to the teenager, who appeared to be wearing his school uniform. A passer-by was also seen holding an umbrella over the victim, as he sat slouched on the road. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force said the 16-year-old male pedestrian was sent conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and that a 39-year-old male car driver is assisting with investigations. Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:729636]]editor@asiaone.com 

At least 10 cases involving phishing scams with total losses of at least $24,000 have been reported in the past two weeks, said the police on Tuesday (Feb 10). In this scam variant, Singaporeans travelling to Malaysia would receive an SMS purporting to be from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) about unpaid vehicle tolls. They would receive the SMS after their mobile phones connect to Malaysia's telecommunications network for roaming.The SMS is sent from LTA's former official sender ID named «LTA», which was decommissioned on July 1, 2024 and is no longer in use.Victims are prompted to click on a link to pay the supposedly unpaid tolls. The link redirects victims to a phishing site where they are asked for their bank card details. Victims only realise they have been scammed when unauthorised transactions are made to unknown merchants using their cards. 

If you find yourself receiving WhatsApp messages from your contacts asking you to vote for a «friend's» child at a dance competition, do not click any links in the message, or you may lose access to your WhatsApp account. The scam variant was revealed by the police in a news release on Tuesday (Feb 10), following reports from members of the public. According to the police, victims would receive WhatsApp messages from known contacts asking them to vote for a «friend's» child at a dance competition. The message would contain a clickable link directing the victims to a fake voting website. They would then be asked to "verify' their votes by providing their mobile number for a One-Time Password (OTP) by scanning a QR code. Those who enter the OTP or scan the QR code on their WhatsApp accounts were actually authorising the scammers' devices to access their accounts, the police said.