The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a 14-year-old male teenager, Daryl Tan Jing Kang.In a news release on Friday (April 10) morning, the police said he was last seen in the vicinity of Block 25 New Upper Changi Road at about 5.15pm on Thursday.He was wearing a black shirt and black pants.Those with information are urged to contact the police hotline at 999 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information will be kept strictly confidential, the police said.[[nid:732837]]editor@asiaone.com 

Singapore's Olam Group said on Friday founder and CEO Sunny Verghese, along with several senior executives, will step later down this month, as the conglomerate presses ahead with a reorganisation plan to split into separate operating businesses.The company has been undergoing a transformation since 2020, reorganising its operations into three distinct units: Olam Agri, ingredients maker ofi, and Remaining Olam Group. The restructuring aims to simplify the corporate structure, reduce debt levels and give investors clearer visibility into each business segment.Verghese, who co-founded Olam nearly four decades ago, will relinquish his role as group CEO at the conclusion of the company's annual meeting on April 27. He, however, will remain chief executive of Olam Agri, the food staples and grains division that is in the process of being sold to Saudi agricultural investment firm SALIC.Olam said on Friday (April 10) that Chairman Lim Ah Doo will also step down, while CFO N Muthukumar will exit, joining Verghese to help run Olam Agri as the COO, which he assumed since March 2025.

A passenger said they felt «slightly offended» during a private-hire vehicle (PHV) ride after noticing a sign stating that the driver would only speak Mandarin to Chinese passengers.In a TikTok posted on Tuesday (April 7), user @aliciatadah was seated in a PHV vehicle with her husband and looked visibly confused as she pointed at a sign written in Chinese hanging from the driver's seat. The incident took place on Sunday (April 5) as they were on the way home from Kallang. It read: «If you're Chinese, please speak Chinese. I don't speak in English to Chinese people. Sorry!»She added that her husband, who is Peranakan Chinese but cannot read and speak Mandarin well, was saddened by the sign. «Is this race discrimination? Also, what happened to all Singaporeans conversing in basic English so we have racial harmony,» captioned the post. In another post on Wednesday (April 8), the passenger shared that she booked a Grab ride, and when she greeted the driver and confirmed the location, as she usually does, the driver merely grunted at her. 

Transport service providers will receive temporary support from the Government between April and June to defray rising operational costs due to higher fuel prices and ensure continued operation in the near term. Government contracted or subsidised transport service providers will receive the equivalent of 13 per cent of transport fare revenues during the three-month period, said the Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a joint statement on Thursday (April 9). Transport service providers «should keep fares stable during this period», the ministries said, adding that transport fares may have to rise if fuel prices remain elevated beyond June.Additionally, there are existing subsidies to support students, seniors, patients and persons with disabilities if they are not able to afford their transport.School bus operatorsFor the school bus sector, MOE will provide support to operators providing services for primary schools and special education (SPED) schools.

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers «flagged down» a Malaysia-registered taxi at Woodlands Checkpoint on April 3, but not because they needed a ride.Pictures posted by ICA on its social media show a yellow cross-border taxi and a haversack filled with e-vaporisers.ICA said that the vehicle, driven by a 70-year-old Malaysian man, with two passengers aged 28 and 72, was profiled and directed for enhanced checks.During the checks, ICA's search and examination officers found over 40 e-vaporisers and related components, and 26 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes in the haversack of the 28-year-old male Singaporean passenger.He was arrested and the cases referred to the Health Sciences Authority and Singapore Customs respectively.Parliament on March 6 passed new anti-vaping laws, which will come into force on May 1.

Malaysia's Armed Forces chief Malek Razak Sulaiman is on a three-day visit to Singapore till Friday (April 10).In a statement on Thursday night, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said General Malek is making his introductory visit to Singapore after becoming the 24th armed forces chief on Feb 1. «Both countries' armed forces interact regularly through a wide range of activities, including bilateral exercises, visits and professional exchanges, cross attendance of courses, as well as through multilateral platforms like the Five Power Defence Arrangements, the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM), and ADMM-Plus,» Mindef said.It added that such interactions have strengthened professional ties and mutual understanding between both armed forces, and have contributed to regional security and stability.General Malek called on Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing on Thursday morning.

Amidst a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, Brent oil prices fell back below US$100 per barrel on Wednesday (April 8), continuing into Thursday, with Shell becoming the first fuel company here to calibrate petrol prices downwards — by 4 cents. But it has kept its diesel price unchanged, at $4.68.Shell's adjustment also moves its posted price for the popular 95-octane petrol back to the $3.42 per litre mark, last set in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.As at 6pm, no other fuel company has adjusted pump prices.

A 30-year-old male cyclist was injured after a car collided into him at a pedestrian crossing in Geylang on Wednesday (April 8) night. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at the junction of Sims Way and Geylang Road at around 10.10pm. Dashcam footage of the incident was posted online by Facebook page SGRV Admin.The victim, dressed in a red top and white bottom, is seen cycling across the crossing when a car turns right and collides into him. The cyclist stands up and walks back to the pavement before lying down on the ground. He was taken conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The 73-year-old male car driver is assisting with investigations, said the police.[[nid:733091]]esther.lam@asiaone.com 

Normal train services on the Circle Line will resume on Friday (April 10) as tunnel strengthening works at affected stations were completed nine days ahead of schedule.The stations are Mountbatten, Dakota and Paya Lebar stations. Peak-period shuttle buses servicing the affected stations will operate at a reduced frequency before ceasing operation after April 13.With tunnel strengthening works completed, LTA will proceed with the final systems integration testing works in preparation for the opening of the final three Circle Line stations which is slated for mid-2026.As such, train services on the entire Circle Line will be shortened on weekends between April 11 and May 17, providing necessary engineering hours needed for safe and rigorous testing and commissioning of the train systems.Train services will end earlier at 11pm on Saturdays and start later at 9am on Sundays, said LTA and SMRT.With the shortened service hours, shuttle bus services will be provided on Sunday mornings between 5am and 9am.

Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on a three-day official visit to Singapore from Thursday (April 9) to April 11.Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Thursday that the visit reaffirms the bilateral relations between the two countries.«Prime Minister Albanese's visit reaffirms the excellent state of bilateral relations underpinned by the Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) 2.0 launched by Prime Minister Wong and Prime Minister Albanese in October 2025,» MFA said.The two countries upgraded bilateral relations on the 60th year of diplomatic ties during PM Wong's visit to Australia in October last year.

After a day-long detour and health check-up, one of the three remaining peregrine falcon chicks that made a recess in OCBC Centre their home took flight once more on Wednesday (April 8), according to the National Parks Board (NParks).The fledgling, tagged as «G00» by NParks via a green tag around its leg, was found by the public at South Bridge Road a day prior.NParks shared with the media that falcon G00 was found on Tuesday evening and promptly picked up by NParks contractors who then brought it to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation.The bird was responsive to food, which is «always a good sign», said Dr Malcom Soh, the principal researcher for Wildlife Management Research at NParks.«Just this morning, when they checked it, it was still active and doing well,» Dr Soh told the media on Wednesday. «That's why we're able to release it today.»Before they let the bird go, however, NParks placed a Bluetooth tracker on the falcon's tail feathers.This tracker is not a permanent addition, Dr Soh assured, explaining that the object weighs around two grams and will drop off as the bird ages and moults.

A total of 172 men and 79 women, aged between 16 and 84, are under investigation for their suspected involvement in scams as scammers or money mules following a island-wide operation from March 26 to April 8. In a statement on Thursday (April 9), police said the operation involved officers from the Commercial Affairs Department and seven Police Land Divisions, and it targeted suspects believed to be linked to more than 665 scam cases.These scams include e-commerce, friend impersonation, job, government official impersonation, investment, and rental.Victims reportedly lost a total of over $3.9 million.The alleged offenders are being investigated for cheating, money laundering, and providing payment services without a licence.The offence of cheating carries up to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine, while money laundering carries up to 10 years' imprisonment, a fine of up to $500,000, or both.Since Dec 30 last year, scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates face mandatory caning of at least six strokes, up to 24 strokes. 

SINGAPORE — A migrant worker has won a two-year legal battle after the High Court overturned a lower tribunal's ruling and ordered his former employer to pay more than $5,700 in overtime.In a decision on April 7, High Court Justice Philip Jeyaretnam allowed an appeal by Indian national Gena Hulash Ram against Lim Joo Huat Enterprise, finding the company's treatment of overtime pay unlawful.The case turned on whether a fixed monthly allowance could be used to offset overtime pay. The court ruled that it could not, finding the approach incompatible with Singapore's employment laws.Mr Gena worked as a packer for the fresh produce wholesaler from December 2022 to August 2023.Before he was hired, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) issued an in-principle approval letter stating his basic salary as $1,000 a month, with two allowances: $200 for housing and $300 for «others». His total fixed monthly pay was $1,500. The letter also set his overtime salary rate at $7.87 per hour.The unspecified «others» allowance became the crux of the dispute.[[nid:733254]]

SINGAPORE – The lawyer defending Bloomberg in an ongoing defamation trial said on April 8 that an article it ran on high-value property transactions was not targeted at Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam.Senior Counsel N. Sreenivasan contended that good class bungalow (GCB) transactions are routinely reported by mainstream media, and that issues relating to landed properties are a matter of public interest in Singapore.The lawyer cited a few high-profile GCB transactions that were reported in The Straits Times.They include the sale of a Cluny Hill bungalow that was owned by Dr Lee Wei Ling, daughter of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, to Mr Shi Yonghong, the co-founder of hotpot chain Haidilao, for $50 million.He also cited the sale of a bungalow in Nassim Road to the wife of the founder of Nanofilm Technologies International, a local nanotechnology solutions company.Ms Jin Xiao Qun had bought the property from businesswoman Oei Siu Hoa, also known as Sukmawati Widjaja, for $128.8 million.

Singapore welcomes the announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East, and the commitment under the ceasefire to restoring shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.The war, now in its sixth week, has claimed more than 5,000 lives in nearly a dozen countries, including at least 1,600 civilians in Iran, according to a Reuters report based on tallies from government sources and human rights reports.Pakistani sources have purportedly said mediation efforts to halt the war nearly collapsed as Iran struck a Saudi petrochemical facility on Tuesday, but the country's military and civilian leadership continued speaking to senior United State and Iranian, Saudi and other officials until Trump announced the breakthrough.