Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday (May 11) spoke to his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araghchi and discussed the long-term future of the Strait of Hormuz.In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Dr Balakrishnan, who is in on a three-day working visit to Indonesia till Wednesday, said he had a «good candid exchange of views» with Iran's foreign minister.«We shared our views on the long-term future of the Strait of Hormuz. »Singapore's consistent position is that all states should enjoy unimpeded right of transit passage through the straits used for international navigation as set forth by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and customary international law," he added.Dr Balakrishnan also shared Singapore's view that full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is critical to regional stability, global energy security and international trade.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Balakrishnan on Tuesday (May 12) expressed Singapore's «deepest appreciation» to Indonesian search-and-rescue personnel for taking «significant risks» during their mission to rescue 20 hikers, including Singaporeans, after the eruption of Mount Dukono on May 8.The search-and-rescue mission later evolved to become a recovery operation after local authorities confirmed that three people had died — an Indonesian woman and two Singaporeans. Timothy Heng, 30, and Shahin Muhrez Abdul Hamid, 27, were found near the summit on Sunday, with their remains recovered the same day.

Six people were taken to hospital after an accident involving three lorries and a motorcycle along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) on Tuesday (May 12) morning.  Videos of the aftermath shared on social media showed a traffic jam building up. At least three lorries were involved in the accident, with two Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) fire engines at the scene.Police officers and SCDF firefighters were also present. 

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers had to «pull apart» a modified Malaysia-registered lorry during an enhanced check at Tuas Checkpoint on April 29.In a video posted on its social media, ICA officers are seen pulling out partitions from the lorry's rear cargo box. The video also shows what appears to be the modified floorboard being taken apart. As the modified compartments were dismantled, cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes could be seen concealed within them.ICA said its search and examination officers found more than 2,400 cartons and 40 packets of contraband cigarettes.The border authority added that the 49-year-old male Malaysian driver was arrested and the case has been referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigation. 

More than 500 scam attempts were disrupted during a two-month-long joint operation between the police and five banks, preventing potential losses of over $37 million.Police said in a news release on Tuesday (May 12) that they partnered with five banks — DBS, GXS, OCBC, Standard Chartered Bank and UOB — for the operation which began on March 1.This is immediately after it completed another two-month-long operation on Feb 28, disrupting over 300 scam attempts and preventing potential losses of over $24 million.Similar to the earlier operation, the police utilised robotic process automation (RPA) for upstream detection of potential victims.RPA is the technology that enables computer software to emulate and integrate actions typically performed by humans interacting with digital systems. In this instance, the use of RPA allowed them to streamline information exchange, thereby enabling the police to swiftly reach out to potential scam victims through SMS alerts.

A Kia multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) driver made a discretionary right turn at a signalised junction in Ang Mo Kio on Monday (May 11), despite two cars hurtling towards him from the opposite direction. This led to an accident involving the MPV and one of the cars.The accident happened at about 8am at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. Map showing where the accident took place. GRAPHIC: Google Maps, SG Road Vigilante Dashcam footage shows the traffic lights were in favour of oncoming traffic; vehicles intending to make a right turn would need to do so on a discretionary basis.Based on the footage, the Kia MPV made the discretionary right turn when a Mercedes sports utility vehicle (SUV) and a Mercedes saloon car were travelling straight.

SINGAPORE — The High Court on May 11 ordered The Online Citizen (TOC) chief editor Terry Xu to pay more than $154,000 in legal costs to Cabinet ministers K Shanmugam and Tan See Leng over the defamation suit they had brought against him.The sum comprises $78,000 in lawyers’ fees — $39,000 for each minister — and more than $76,000 in disbursements, which are out-of-pocket expenses.Mr Shanmugam, the Coordinating Minister for National Security, was awarded $44,398.25 in disbursements, while Dr Tan, the Manpower Minister, was awarded $32,064.25.Mr Xu was not present or represented by a lawyer at the hearing to determine legal costs.In March, Mr Shanmugam, who is also Home Affairs Minister, and Dr Tan were each awarded $210,000 in damages over an article that TOC had published in December 2024, titled Bloomberg: Nearly half of 2024 GCB transactions lack public record, raising transparency concerns.The TOC article referred to a Dec 12, 2024, Bloomberg article on good class bungalow (GCB) transactions which mentioned the property deals made by the two ministers in 2023.

A pet owner is appealing for help to locate her missing ginger cat after it was startled and ran away at Gardens by the Bay on Sunday (May 10). In an Facebook post on May 11, user Shermaine Tan wrote that the incident occurred near the Bayfront Plaza car park. The ginger cat, Bravo, had been taken out of its carrier and initially appeared calm, but panicked moments later and bolted towards nearby bushes that lead into a vegetated area. Tan wrote that food and snacks were placed in the area where it fled, in hopes of luring it back. One person was stationed at the spot it was last seen while another went searching within a 500m radius, she said in her post.Tan added that park rangers were also alerted and are helping in the search. Bravo's owners, Tan and Wei Cheng, also created a Telegram group titled Bravo Search Party 2026 on May 11 to coordinate search efforts, adding that they believe Bravo «hasn't eaten or drunk in the last 20 hours». The channel has 479 subscribers so far. 

Two public holidays — Hari Raya Haji and Vesak Day — are around the corner. If you are making plans to unwind or catch up with friends on the eve of these public holidays, you can do so with peace of mind.Public transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT will extend the operating hours of train services on the eve of Hari Raya Haji (May 26) and on Vesak Day's eve (May 30).In addition, the operating hours of 53 bus services will also be extended to complement the extension of train operating hours. Commuters are advised to plan their journeys early and to note the changes. NSL, EWL, CCL and TELThe last train will depart the North-South Line's City Hall MRT station for Marina South Pier and Jurong East at 12.30am.Meanwhile, the last train to depart from the East-West Line's City Hall MRT station for Tuas Link and Pasir Ris will also be at 12.30am.On the Circle Line, the last train will leave Dhoby Ghaut and HarbourFront MRT stations at 11.57pm and 11.30pm respectively.The last train to depart from the Thomson-East Coast Line's Bayshore and Woodlands North MRT stations will be at 12am and 12.12am respectively.

Netizens have been paying their tributes to Singaporean hiker Timothy Heng, 30, who died on Mount Dukono, Indonesia, during the volcanic eruption last Friday (May 8).He had reportedly climbed the mountain again despite evacuating safely to save another hiker who was stranded at a higher elevation.Heng, also known as «Timo», was found dead near Shahin Muhrez Abdul Hamid, 27, near the volcano's crater rim near the summit.In an Instagram post on Monday (May 11), Kenneth Wong, co-founder of outdoor apparel brand Goliath, described the shock when he heard of Heng's passing.Wong highlighted the impact Heng made in the past year with the founding of The Outside, a company that helps would-be hikers with training and coaching for mountaineering and trekking.Said Wong: «You inspired people to go outside, to explore, to climb mountains, to see the beauty of this world, and to live more courageously.»Seeing the number of lives you've impacted in such a short time has been incredible.«Heng's final act of ascending the volcano to help Shahin was »just so undeniably you", Wong added.

A private-hire vehicle (PHV) passenger alleged online that his driver had been «constantly using his phone while driving».Instagram page Sgfollowsall shared the passenger's recount of the journey in a post on Tuesday (May 12).According to the post, the complainant had taken a Grab ride with his pregnant wife on May 9 when he noticed the driver multitasking.«There were multiple times he swerved lane and had hard braking,» the passenger claimed.«I had enough and recorded him holding his phone on the emergency lane on PIE.»In one video shared by the page, the driver can be seen holding his phone in his left hand and scrolling the screen with his right hand while the car is moving.Four other photos also show him looking at the device. In one of them, a navigation app is seen on the mobile phone screen while other pictures reflect what appears to be a call and messaging app open.It is unclear if the vehicle was moving or stationary when the photos were taken.The passenger added that he had submitted a report to Grab.

Jurong Central SMC MP Xie Yao Quan said he will be «working closely with shop owners in Yuhua Place in Jurong to bring in quality tenants at fair and sustainable rents».He posted several photos on his Facebook page on Sunday (May 10) showing many vacant units in the shopping mall.This comes after several shops located along Jurong East Ave 1, housing beauty and wellness establishments, were shut down after anti-vice raids. The police conducted enforcement operations between March and April leading to the arrest of 19 women aged between 24 and 55 for their suspected involvement in vice-related activities and breach of work-permit regulations.In his post, Xie said he took a walk «to see first-hand the shuttered shops» and also acknowledged that there is much more work to be done, adding that the goal is to rejuvenate the «neighbourhood centre into a destination for families, seniors and residents of all ages».

A Malaysian driver was furious when he returned to his car and saw it had a dent, an apology note for the damage and RM100 (S$32) cash wedged between the door handle. In a Threads post on May 7, user @putra.hadiii1 shared photos of the incident which showed a white sedan with a long horizontal scratch and dents along the right side.The post captioned: «Hmm they hit someone's car and only gave RM100. It makes my blood boil just looking at it.» Another photo shows the note of apology and rolled up RM100 (S$32) cash wedged behind the driver's door handle. “I'm so sorry. I'm an 18-year-old girl with little experience in driving," the note read, adding that she didn't have much money on her at the time. Netizens say 'she's only 18'While netizens empathised with the car owner, they also commended the young driver for trying to take responsibility. One netizen noted that not many people carry cash with them now since most payments are done via QR code scans. 

A 16-year-old male teenager was arrested on Monday (May 11) for his suspected involvement in the theft of a motorcycle in Tampines.In a press release on May 12, the police said they received a report at about 2.10pm on May 10 that a motorcycle parked in the vicinity of Tampines Street 45 had allegedly been stolen.With the aid of images from police cameras and follow-up investigations, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identity of the teenager and arrested him.The stolen motorcycle has since been recovered.The teenager is expected to be charged in court on May 13 with the offence of theft of motor vehicle. If found guilty, he faces an imprisonment term of up to seven years and a fine.[[nid:733258]]eriko.lim@asiaone.com 

SINGAPORE — Hengli Petrochemical International, the former Singapore trading arm of sanctions-hit Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, plans to cease operations, four industry sources said on Monday (May 11).The operation is likely to wind down in late May, three of the sources said.China-based Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) did not respond immediately to an emailed request for comment.Hengli Petrochemical International employed about 100 people and traded mostly oil and petrochemical derivatives before the parent company was placed under US sanctions, two of the people said.Some staff have been told they were being made redundant while some are to be moved to other parts of the Hengli group that were not under US sanctions, some of the sources said.The sanctions on Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery were imposed by the US Treasury last month over alleged purchases of Iranian oil, which Hengli denies.

Child sex offender Amos Yee has called for compassion towards his attacker and appealed for donations to help cover his medical expenses.In a four-minute video uploaded on Sunday (May 10) to his X account @amosyeeishere, he addressed the incident, which occurred on the afternoon of May 9 at the Doujin Market anime convention held at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.The clip, titled «My video response to my attack at the animecon» has since garnered more than 37,000 views and more than 190 comments.An 18-year-old teen has been arrested and charged with assault and being a public nuisance. He was offered bail of $5,000 and is due back in court on June 2.'Pray for him'Yee began the video by saying that he had been filming a video with his phone at the event when a stranger suddenly attacked him.He also addressed rumours circulating online about what triggered the attack, including claims that he had attacked the assailant first or had been looking up a girl’s skirt, prompting the assailant to confront him.He described these allegations as «completely untrue».

Singaporean loan sharks were allegedly the masterminds behind a blaze that scorched four homes in Bukit Indah, Malaysia, Iskandar Puteri MP Liew Chin Tong said in a Facebook post on Sunday (May 10).Liew, who is also Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Finance, shared the loan sharks purportedly attacked a targeted home at Bukit Indah in Iskandar Puteri twice - the first took place last Friday, and the second a day later on Saturday.Visiting the site on Sunday, Liew wrote that the attack was carried out by «Ah Long terrorists» utilising a petrol bomb.«The mastermind behind the crime is believed to be the Ah Long Singaporean syndicate,» he claimed.«The petrol bomb is believed to be targeted at a house but the fire has spread to three neighbouring homes.»In photographs of the homes uploaded with his post, the fire appears to have caused significant damage to the garage of one of the homes, with the garage roof torched through.Two cars and one bike parked in the garage were also completely burnt - the cars in particular only had their chassis remaining, with one even lacking its entire bonnet.