Ride-hailing operator Grab on Friday (May 23) announced that it will extend its temporary fuel surcharge and adjustment to metered taxi fares for an additional two months, to provide its driver-partners with continued relief amid elevated pump prices.In a media alert on Friday night, Grab said both the 90-cent fuel surcharge for ride-hail services and the 1-cent increase in metered fare will be extended till July 31.The operator reiterated that the amounts will go entirely to its driver-partners, with no commission taken by the platform.Alvin Wee, senior director of transport and country operations at Grab Singapore said that they recognise the pressure faced by their driver-partners due to higher pump prices.«We are maintaining these adjustments to ensure driving remains a viable livelihood while keeping the marketplace sustainable,» Wee said. 

A 26-year-old Malaysian man will be charged in court on Saturday (May 23) over his alleged role in a scam involving impersonation of Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) officers.Following his arrest on Friday, the number of Malaysians caught in Singapore for allegedly helping scam syndicates to collect cash and valuables since March this year now stands at 27.On May 21, a 34-year-old Malaysian woman was charged for assisting a crime syndicate to collect cash amounting to $13,700 and gold from a female victim.Modus operandi: Money laundering investigationPolice said they received a report on May 19 from a 61-year-old female victim who had received a call from an unknown person claiming to be from YouTrip on May 13.The victim was told that her account was involved in a money laundering investigation, and she was instructed to contact a purported MAS officer for further details.

Seven persons, aged between 19 and 49, will be charged in court on Saturday (May 23) for their alleged involvement in fraudulently registering SIM cards that facilitated criminal activities.Police said in a news release on Friday night that the individuals, comprising a Singaporean and six Malaysians, were arrested during an island-wide enforcement operation between May 21 and 22.The operation targeted errant retailers who were allegedly engaged in the registration of postpaid SIM cards that were subsequently used by overseas syndicates in crime.According to the police, the seven men had allegedly used the information of actual customers to register for additional postpaid SIM cards. These cards were then supplied to other people, and the mobile lines were subsequently used in impersonation scams.Those convicted of facilitating the fraudulent registration of SIM cards that facilitate criminal activity will face a fine of up to $10,000, jail of up to three years, or both.

After crashing her car into a kerb in Bugis, a woman decided to leave it behind and have supper with her friends.Carrissa Loh, 30, had also refused to return to the scene of the accident when contacted by the police.For this incident, Loh was charged with failing to drive with due care for others, failing to remain at the scene to assist a police officer after an accident, and leaving a vehicle on a road in a position that can cause danger and obstruction to other road users. She also faced charges for an unrelated incident where she swapped seats with a disqualified driver and provided false information to police officers, local media reported.The woman faced a total of seven charges, five of which she pleaded guilty to on Wednesday (May 20). The remaining charges will be taken into consideration during sentencing, according to Shin Min Daily News.The crash took place at about 3.03am on Feb 1, at the junction of Middle Road and Queen Street.

By sheer luck, a woman from Singapore reportedly won the 31.9 million ringgit (S$10.3 million) jackpot at a Genting casino.She had been gambling at one of the casino's 30 «Dragon Link» slot machines at about 2pm on Thursday (May 21) when she won the huge sum, according to China Press.The Malaysian publication also stated that this was the highest recorded slot machine jackpot in the casino's history.According to a Facebook post by user Rex Chang, the woman had only bet 40 ringgit at the machine.Netizens who saw the post were in awe and congratulated her on the win.The slot machine had been accumulating the jackpot amount for quite some time. It was popular with bettors as it had reached a jackpot of 12 million ringgit last year, reported China Press.The highest amount it accepts at a time is 880 ringgit, which some high-stakes players would bet, the publication added.[[nid:735696]]bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com

Multiple police reports have been filed against a former part-time actor who allegedly borrowed up to $500,000 from various people and has failed to pay them back.Back in 2013, it was reported by Shin Min Daily News that the man, referred to as A, had borrowed money from several Mediacorp and Hong Kong actors, allegedly amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.He reportedly did not pay them back and subsequently disappeared.The Chinese daily has now reported that A has since resumed his borrowing habits, and at least six people have reported him to the police so far for being owed around $500,000.Claimed he was scammed, deposits for tour groupOne of his alleged victims, a housewife in her 50s surnamed Chen, told Shin Min she has lent him over $50,000.She met A at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in 2022 through a friend, where he introduced himself as a tour guide agent.Chen subsequently joined his tours to locations in Asia, Alaska and the Mediterranean.She said that A had started complaining about being scammed and having his bank account frozen in 2023, and in May 2024, she lent him $10,000.

SINGAPORE - The lawyer for two ministers suing Bloomberg and one of its reporters over an allegedly defamatory article said the case is unprecedented for the malice directed at Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng.In closing submissions on May 22, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh said that ill-intent was illustrated in e-mails exchanged within the financial news organisation in the lead-up to the article, and in its decision to drop its paywall and provide access to the wider public, after it was issued with a correction direction under Singapore's fake news law.In summarising the claimant's case, Mr Singh said it was important to note the context in which Mr Shanmugam and Dr Tan are mentioned in the article «Singapore mansion deals are increasingly shrouded in secrecy», which was written by Mr Low De Wei.He said an ordinary and reasonable reader in Singapore would have taken these mentions to falsely mean that the ministers took advantage of there being no checks and balances or disclosure requirements for their transactions, and that they wanted to hide their transactions and avoid scrutiny.

SINGAPORE — Singapore's top breaststroke swimmer Letitia Sim has retired from competitive sport, Singapore Aquatics announced on social media on May 22.Just five months ago, the 23-year-old enjoyed a standout campaign at the SEA Games in Thailand, where she became the first swimmer to complete a hat-trick of breaststroke titles at the regional meet after sweeping the 50m, 100m and 200m crowns in Games records.She also added golds in the 200m individual medley and women's 4x100m medley relay.In a statement, Sim said: «I am grateful for my time with Singapore Aquatics and for all of the opportunities and support they have provided me over the past few years.»While I am proud of my accomplishments in the pool, I am even more thankful for the relationships, experiences, and memories created both in and out of the water that have shaped me into the person I am today.«Noting that it was not an easy decision, Sim said it was the right path as she looks to pursue a career outside of swimming.She added: »I will forever be thankful for this chapter of my life, but I am excited for the new opportunities and challenges that lie ahead."

The family of a student, who was involved in a near-fatal drowning accident in April, has come forward to seek donations to support his recovery. Wang Yan, an undergraduate at NUS' School of Computing from Qingdao, China, moved to Singapore at the age of 25 and was due to graduate this year before the incident upended his studies.He almost drowned in a swimming accident on April 9 and by the time he was rescued, he had gone without oxygen for an extended period before being rushed to the National University Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, according to crowd-funding platform Give.Asia.The location where the incident took place was not disclosed. Wang has since been on advanced life support, including ventilator and oxygen support, while brain scans showed swelling and serious injury caused by oxygen deprivation. In the midst of this, Wang’s aged parents were unable to be by his side. They are unfamiliar with Singapore and are already facing severe financial issues.Following the accident, Wang's close friend, who is also from China, initiated a fundraising campaign on Give.Asia, to support Wang's recovery. 

Singapore and its people must master frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) — ensuring that both companies and individuals not only know how to use them — but are also able to do something new in the AI economy if their existing jobs are superseded, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He made these comments when asked for his takeaways for Singapore's Economic Strategy Review and its future resilience as he wrapped up a five-day visit to Guangxi and Shanghai on Friday (May 22).On Thursday, SM Lee visited the Shanghai Municipal Humanoid Robot Innovation Incubator — the first in China focusing on humanoid robots. It has plans to set up an office in Singapore in October.In a Facebook post after the visit, he noted that robots and AI are rapidly advancing and transforming the way we live and work.

A performer at Universal Studios Singapore's (USS) WaterWorld suffered a medical emergency during a training session on Tuesday (May 19).The performer was engaged by an appointed vendor for USS' WaterWorld, according to a Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) spokesperson in response to AsiaOne's query on Friday, adding that fellow performers noticed the victim was in distress and rendered immediate assistance.Emergency services were called and he was taken to the hospital by ambulance.«Our thoughts are with the performer and his family during this difficult time. Out of respect for the performer and his family’s privacy, we are unable to share more about his condition,» said the RWS spokesperson.«Safety is our priority,» said the spokesperson, adding that training is conducted with safety protocols in place and they are reviewing the circumstances of the incident together with the performer’s employer.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for assistance at 30 Sentosa Gateway at about 10.35am on Tuesday, adding that one person was taken to the Singapore General Hospital.

A total of 12 people, aged between 17 and 28, will be charged in court between May 25 and 28 for allegedly providing fraudulently registered SIM cards in return for money.The eight men and four women purportedly received between $10 and $20 per registered SIM card.Police said each of the 12 persons handed over «multiple SIM cards», registered under their names, to a criminal syndicate. They did not specify the number of SIM cards handed over per person.The suspects were allegedly instructed to buy SIM cards in bulk across different retailers before handing them over to couriers.Those convicted of knowingly providing a registered SIM card to another person to facilitate a crime for any gain will face a fine of up to $10,000 and/or a jail term of up to three years.The police also warned would-be perpetrators that they take a serious view of SIM cards being misused as a conduit for crimes. 

A total of 78 drug offenders were arrested and drugs worth over $200,000 were seized during an islandwide operation by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).In a news release on Friday (May 22), CNB said it carried out the operation between May 18 and 22, covering areas such as Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Batok, Jurong West, North Bridge Road, Punggol and Tampines.About 1.9kg of heroin, 469g of cannabis, 351g of 'Ice', 30g of 'Ecstasy', 1,190 Emirin-5 tablets, two bottles of liquid gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and cash amounting to $5,637.60 were seized.The bureau said the the heroin, 'Ice' and cannabis seized can potentially feed the addiction of 1,196 abusers for a week.

Sixty-nine people were arrested for their suspected involvement in illegal horse betting activities during a recent crackdown by the police.The islandwide enforcement operation saw over 160 officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and the seven police land divisions deployed during raids between May 6 and May 17, police said on Friday (May 22).Raids were carried out at multiple locations including Jurong West, Marsiling Lane, Eunos Crescent and Rivervale Crescent, where 65 men and four women, aged between 29 and 87, were arrested.Cash amounting to more than $50,000, mobile phones, and horse betting paraphernalia were seized as case exhibits.Preliminary investigations revealed that those arrested are believed to have performed various roles such as illegal bookmakers, runners.They are being investigated for offences under the Gambling Control Act 2022.Those convicted of gambling with an unlawful gambling service provider will face penalties including a maximum fine of $10,000, a jail term of up to six months, or both.

SINGAPORE — The Court of Appeal has upheld a woman’s 99 per cent stake in a $1.865 million condo even though her former boyfriend paid for most of it, after finding that his evidence for a bigger claim was “inconsistent and unreliable”.And even if the three-judge court had not found that the couple intended for the 99:1 ratio to reflect their legal and beneficial ownership, Justice of the Court of Appeal Hri Kumar Nair pointed out on May 20 that allowing the man’s claim for a bigger share would amount to condoning an illegal purpose to evade the additional buyer’s stamp duty (ABSD).The man, Mr Jake Ngor, 35, was also ordered to pay his former girlfriend, Ms Millie Wong, 38, $50,000 in costs for the appeal. In December 2019, they had bought a Hillcrest Arcadia condominium unit in Bukit Timah and registered their ownership in the ratio of 99:1. But several months after the condo’s purchase was completed in 2020, they broke up, and Mr Ngor in 2023 sued Ms Wong after a dispute arose over ownership.

The Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council (MPBHTC) is trialling the use of a cleaning robot which can independently call for and take the lift at an HDB block.It is the first time that such a robot is being tested in a public housing estate, said the town council on Friday (May 22).Based at the 19-storey Block 37C Eunos Road 2, the automaton is programmed to sweep and mop floors and can also be tasked to scrub lift lobbies.On a full charge, it can work for three hours, and it takes about 20 minutes to clean one floor and will return to its docking station to recharge when battery runs low.As it has been integrated with the block's lift system, it can self-activate an available lift to independently travel across different floors.MP Tin Pei Ling, who is council chair, said on Friday that the robot will support the work of estate cleaners and boost productivity.«We had explored this idea some time ago, but the solution wasn't as ideal back then especially given the unique, highly built-up environment in a HDB estate,» she said.

Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Health Koh Poh Koon said his decision to resign was «made with a heavy heart» after «much deliberation and discussion» with family.In a video on Facebook on Friday (May 22), Dr Koh described serving as a political officer holder as «one of the greatest honours» of his life.However, this came at a price: «I have been an absent husband, father, and son since I stepped into politics in 2015, placing the needs of Singapore and my constituents above my family,» the 54-year-old father of two said.«For too long, my wife has carried much of the burden at home, often having to look after our parents and our children on her own.»Right now now, my family needs my attention in a way that is not compatible with the demands of political office. Even as I continue my work as Member of Parliament, I will need to step up and better support my wife and do what is right for our family," he added.