SINGAPORE — When a young, smartly dressed Indonesian man approached Mr Mohamed in a dimly lit nightclub and asked him if he wanted «Nike» or «Superman», it confused the Singaporean.The 53-year-old, who gave his name only as Mr Mohamed, had visited the club in Nagoya town, Batam, with other Singaporeans after a round of golf earlier in the day.Mr Mohamed said: «I couldn't really hear what he was saying but he opened a small tin box with tablets placed on a bed of sponge.»I thought they were sweets but he told me he was selling Ecstasy pills (embossed with Nike and Superman logos).«Mr Mohamed said he repeatedly declined the offer, but was then shown »Batu" (rock in Bahasa Indonesia), also known as crystal methamphetamine, in a small clear plastic bag. He turned that down as well.Mr Mohamed continues to play golf in Batam, at least four times a year, but now visits only nightclubs recommended by the golf tournament organisers.He recounted the July 2025 incident to The Straits Times after learning about the Central Narcotics Bureau's (CNB) participation in an anti-drug blitz at a Batam nightclub on Jan 18.

SINGAPORE — Standing at just 1.51m tall, with her hair tied up in a high ponytail, Ms Neo Hui Qin is not your typical fishmonger.After graduating from ITE in 2012, she worked as a dental assistant for 10 years but left the job in 2023 after her beloved boss, a dentist, passed away.Ms Neo, now 32, knew that she could not work for anyone else, and so she began to look for a job that both excited her and pushed her out of her comfort zone.She liked the idea of becoming a fishmonger as she had helped out at her friend's fish stall in Hougang during the Covid-19 pandemic and enjoyed the experience.«Why not try the market, try being a fishmonger? Everything is hands-on, and I am good with hands-on,» said Ms Neo.With lots of moral support from her husband, family and friends, she took the plunge and opened a stall in Tiong Bahru Market in April 2024.Her husband, who used to be in the navy, also became a fishmonger in November 2025 and runs a stall in Kovan Market.At first, Ms Neo sold only prawns.

More than 244 million travellers passed through Singapore's checkpoints in 2025, up from around 230 million in 2024.The number constituted a 6.3 per cent increase, said the ICA in a statement on Monday (Feb 23).The rise was largely due to an increase in land checkpoint crossings, which accounted for about 76 per cent of the total traveller volume.On Dec 19 last year, nearly 589,000 travellers passed through the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints, setting a new single-day record.  QR code clearance, which was fully implemented at both land checkpoints in January 2025, was used by 134 million travellers since its roll-out in March 2024, according to ICA.The take-up rate for QR code clearance across all types of travellers also increased in 2025.

Singapore will likely be subjected to US president Donald Trump's new global tariff rate of 15 per cent, said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, highlighting the need for the country to prepare for its impact.Speaking to media at a doorstop interview on Sunday (Feb 22), DPM Gan noted that the increase is «a stark reminder... that [Singapore is] now facing a very unpredictable and uncertain operating environment», describing the situation as «very fluid».Elaborating on the element of «uncertainty» around the tariffs, DPM Gan said the government will monitor developments to assess its next steps and explore alternatives, and possible exemptions on the levies.«We will continue to work with our counterparts in the US to seek greater clarification on how the tariff will be implemented...because Section 122 has a time limit and therefore we can expect there will continue to be changes in time to come,» he told the media.

Eleven men, aged between 32 and 58, were arrested on Sunday (Feb 22) morning for their alleged involvement in the illegal transaction of marine gas oil in Singapore waters.The police said in a news release on Sunday afternoon that Police Coast Guard officers arrested four crew members from a Singapore-registered tugboat and seven crew members from a foreign-registered tugboat in the waters off Selat Puah — a stretch of waterway to the south of Jurong Island, between Pulau Bukom and Pulau Sudong. 

Diners at a food court in Lucky Plaza shopping centre were joined by an unexpected guest — a hungry rat — during their meal.In a Facebook video posted on Feb 19, a rat can be seen on a yellow plate with food as diners scrambled away from the table.The rodent could be seen climbing across the table while diners hastily removed their belongings.Ten seconds into the video, a staff in red appears and calmly picks up the rat with a tablecloth before walking away. A staff caught the rat smoothly with a table cloth. (PHOTO: Screengrab/Reddit/uandurfader) The video posted by Facebook user Sheryle O. Oro has garnered over 70,000 views and reactions from netizens.However, it is not clear when the video was taken.Many commenters appeared to be tickled by the scene.

A person allegedly entered a private residence in Upper Thomson without permission on Saturday (Feb 21) night.The police said in response to AsiaOne's queries that they received a call for assistance at an estate along Marigold Drive at about 9.40pm.Officers responding to the call learnt that the individual had allegedly entered the house and had left before their arrival.Efforts to trace the suspect are underway, and investigations are ongoing, the police said.According to The Straits Times, five Special Operations Command police vehicles were spotted along Upper Thomson Road at about 11pm.Lianhe Zaobao reported that the suspect is a man, and that he had been discovered by the homeowner who called the police upon seeing the stranger.No one was injured and there was no loss of property, stated the report.Anyone with information relating to this incident is advised to contact the police at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information received will be kept strictly confidential.

A 31-year-old motorcyclist died in hospital on Sunday (Feb 22) after an accident with a tipper truck on the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE).The police said they were alerted to the traffic accident before the Lower Delta Road exit at about 4.10am.The male motorcyclist was unconscious when he was taken to hospital and subsequently succumbed to his injuries.A video uploaded to Facebook group Malaysia-Singapore Border Crossers showed at least five police vehicles along the expressway, which had two lanes cordoned off with traffic cones.Several officers are seen near an upright motorcycle, with the truck parked further ahead.The police said a 38-year-old male tipper truck driver is assisting with ongoing investigations.[[nid:730232]]lim.kewei@aisaone.com

Mistakenly undercharged $198 for a lobster dish at a Siglap eatery, a family returned the next day to pay the correct amount.In a heartwarming Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 19), the owner of Cheng Ji Seafood Restaurant thanked the diners for their honesty.Owner Dai Xingying (transliteration) told Shin Min Daily News that she had wrongly keyed in the price of two small Australian lobsters as $2 instead of $200 when calculating the bill for the family of four.The error went unnoticed due to the bustling Chinese New Year (CNY) crowd, and Dai did not find any discrepancies when recording their sales at the end of the day.To her surprise, two teenagers from the family returned on Thursday night to inform her that they had been undercharged.

SINGAPORE - The family of Ms Audrey Fang, who was killed in Spain in 2024, has asked a Spanish court to keep suspected perpetrator Mitchell Ong in custody for another two years.Ms Fang, a Singaporean who had travelled to Spain alone, was found dead with 30 stab wounds on April 10, 2024, in a field in the town of Abanilla. Ong, also a Singaporean, was arrested in Spain on April 16 that year.Lawyer Manuel Martinez, who is representing Ms Fang's family as a private prosecutor, noted that Ong's pre-trial detention will soon be up, according to a document seen by Spanish media outlet La Verdad.A private prosecutor allows victims to actively participate in criminal proceedings by presenting evidence and seeking compensation alongside or independently of the public prosecutor.Citing a possibility that Ong might try to evade justice if released, Mr Martinez asked the judge to keep Ong detained for longer.The document viewed by La Verdad stated that Ong has no financial resources or ties to Spain, and warned of the risk that he could try to influence the investigation.

SINGAPORE - A passenger on board a ship where a fire broke out early on Feb 20, killing a crew member, has described the incident as «a truly terrible and traumatising experience».The World Legacy cruise ship, which had 271 passengers - including 139 Singaporeans - and 388 crew members on board, was en route to Singapore when a fire broke out in the lounge area on deck nine at about 4am. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said an Indonesian crew member died. He was a 23-year-old laundry attendant aboard the ship, said the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore in a statement on Feb 21.Identified only by his initials PL, he was found collapsed in the lobby of deck nine by firefighters, the embassy said in response to queries by The Straits Times.Despite medical assistance, the crew member was pronounced dead at 4.30am with the cause of death determined as cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to asphyxiation.