A total of 13 motorists were caught for various traffic offences at Woodlands Checkpoint over the National Day long weekend.The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Saturday (Aug 15) that stepped-up operations, conducted between Aug 6 and 10, were intended to detect and deter motorists who had committed traffic offences, engaged in queue cutting and displayed other dangerous road behaviour.According to ICA, the offences committed at the departure lanes included crossing double white lines, making illegal right turns, stopping in positions likely to cause danger, obstruction or undue inconvenience, and queue cutting.Of these, 11 vehicles were directed to make a U-turn and re-queue, while two drivers of foreign-registered vehicles were subjected to entry ban into Singapore for offences including crossing double white lines and queue cutting.10 of the 13 motorists were referred to the Traffic Police for further action.

With over 3,700 condominiums in Singapore, we sometimes see disputes regarding estate management escalate to the point where the courts have to be involved.Usually, these disagreements arise when residents disagree with the management corporation strata title (MCST) over renovations, condo maintenance spending, safety measures, or how meetings are conducted.In a recently concluded legal case brought before District Judge Sim Mei Ling, the disagreement began over basketball hoops, specifically installing protective netting behind the hoops. This eventually escalated into a legal case involving the chairman of the MCST of Costa Del Sol, a leasehold condominium on Bayshore Road, and a condo resident.How did basketball netting lead to a lawsuit?Like many disputes involving this type of strata developments, it started with a straightforward question: should protective netting be installed behind two basketball hoops within the condominium?

SINGAPORE - A Singapore Airlines flight bound for New York on Aug 12 returned to Changi Airport shortly after take-off.Flight SQ22, which was scheduled to depart at 11.35pm for New York (Newark) that day, returned because of a technical issue, said an SIA spokesperson in response to The Straits Times' queries on Aug 14.In a response to follow-up queries, SIA said on Aug 15 that the technical issue laid with the aircraft's hydraulics system.The Airbus A350-900 ultra-long-range aircraft returned to Singapore at 3.06am on Aug 13, the spokesperson said.SQ22, with a typical flight time of more than 18 hours and covering approximately 16,700km, is one of the longest non-stop commercial flights in the world.«As the aircraft had to be towed to a remote parking bay for repairs, all 133 customers and 17 crew disembarked the aircraft and travelled to the airport terminal via buses to board the replacement aircraft,» said the spokesperson.Passengers were provided with food vouchers as they waited for the replacement aircraft and crew, as the original flight crew would have exceeded their regulatory flight time limits, the spokesperson said.

The owner of a Vietnamese restaurant in Geylang has taken to social media to warn others after she fell victim to an alleged scam.An La Ghien – Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine posted a Reel on Thursday (Aug 13), appearing to call and confront a man whom they said had placed a large takeaway order worth $288.25 at around 5.24pm.When staff had sent him the QR code for payment, he had responded with a screenshot «showing that the payment was supposedly successful», the accompanying caption read.The restaurant then booked a Lalamove delivery to the address that was provided, only for the resident there to refuse the food and say they had never ordered food from them.An La Ghien staff and the Lalamove driver both called the man who had placed the order. He claimed it was the correct address.«Thankfully, the driver became suspicious and returned the food to our restaurant,» An La Ghien's owner said. «When my staff informed me, I immediately checked our actual bank account.»She then discovered that they had not received the payment after all, and that it had been a fake screenshot.

A 29-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly driving while under the influence of drugs.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at 5.30am on Thursday (Aug 13) at Block 333 Yishun Street 31.Upon arrival at the scene, police officers woke the man who was sleeping in a van's driver's seat.He was found in possession of suspected drugs, one vaporiser and an assortment of weapons including knuckledusters and karambits.The man was subsequently arrested for the possession of offensive weapons, driving under the influence of drugs, suspected drug- and vaporiser-related offences.The police referred the suspected drug offences to the Central Narcotics Bureau and also referred the vaporiser related offences to the Health Sciences Authority.Investigations are ongoing.In photos published by Shin Min Daily News, the van appears to be from LoadUp Singapore.The van-sharing platform told The Straits Times that it is investigating the incident.LoadUp Singapore said that none of its staff was driving the vehicle at the time.[[nid:742716]]syarifahsn@asiaone.com

A Chinese national was sentenced to three years and eight months' jail on Friday (Aug 14) after burgling homes on his first visit to Singapore last year. Huang Xiaozong, 41, broke into two houses in Serangoon and a suite at Capella Singapore, stealing an estimated $105,750 worth of valuables, CNA reported.He pleaded guilty to two counts of housebreaking, and an additional count of trespass was taken into consideration for sentencing.Police previously recovered stolen jewellery, including a pair of wedding rings, a diamond-studded pendant, several necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings, and seized $1,000 in cash, four ez-link cards, a cap and a wig during their investigations.Considered Singapore 'very nice and rich'The court heard that Huang had visited Singapore for the first time on Dec 5, 2025, and noticed that the country was «very nice and rich». 

A vegetation fire broke out at a Housing and Development Board (HDB) estate in Whampoa on Thursday (Aug 13) at about 3.30pm.The affected area, about the size of a boxing ring, is near a carpark.A thick smoke plume was seen from across the road at about 500 metres away.When AsiaOne arrived at the scene, items such as candles, joss sticks and partially burnt joss paper were seen scattered along a stretch of pavement and grass patch near the area affected by the fire.Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighters arrived shortly after. 

Before Nathaniel Zachariah Tan died aged 27 from a rare brain disease last August, he told his fiancee that he wished to donate his organs.A year on, he managed to change the lives of at least three people.The National Organ Transplant Unit (NOTU) sent his mother, Queenie Tan, tokens of appreciation including a letter expressing «heartfelt gratitude» and detailing the lives he got to save, which she shared in a Facebook post on Thursday (Aug 13).Nathaniel's liver went to a 64-year-old man diagnosed with liver disease and liver cancer. The organ recipient's and his family's lives have «changed for the better», the letter read.The young man's kidneys were transplanted to two women with chronic glomerulonephritis: A 52-year-old who had been on dialysis for three years, and a 35-year-old who had been on dialysis for 10 years.«They can now spend more quality time with their loved ones,» NOTU said.

The numbers are unkind to Lions, but Singapore head coach Gavin Lee seems unfazed as they take on regional powerhouse Thailand in the first leg of the Asean Championship semi-finals at a sold-out Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (Aug 15).World No 148 Singapore have lost their last 10 meetings against the War Elephants.Also, the world No. 94 and record seven-time champions are on an unbeaten run having won all four matches at this year's tournament without conceding a goal.But Lee, whose side also remain unbeaten after four matches, remains optimistic.«All these numbers... it just gives you the context. It just informs you, but it doesn't own us,» said Lee at a pre-match press conference on Friday.«If we allow the numbers to own us, then shame on us.»Lee's focus is firmly on what his players can control rather than the weight of history.«We respect them as our opposition, but we respect ourselves even more for the growth that we have,» he said.The Lions finished runners-up in Group A after victories over Cambodia and Timor-Leste and draws against defending champions Vietnam and Indonesia.

Government official impersonation scams, where scammers pretend to be officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and China, are on the rise.Police said on Friday (Aug 14) night that they have received at least 72 reports of such cases since January this year, with losses amounting to at least $6.1 million.In these cases, the victims would receive unsolicited calls from scammers claiming to be from ICA. They are then told that their details have been misused, or that their phone numbers are linked to criminal activities, such as spreading false rumours or transmitting scam messages.Those who deny any involvement are then transferred to another scammer claiming to be a China official, who would then demand money for «investigation or bail purposes».The victims are then instructed to transfer money to bank accounts, or asked to withdraw and hand over the money to the purported China official to facilitate «investigations».They would only realise that they have been scammed when the scammers became uncontactable, or when victims seek verification from the relevant government agencies.

A 51-year-old man, who worked as an interior designer, will be charged in court on Saturday (Aug 15) for allegedly cheating clients of over $100,000 to fuel his gambling habits.Police said on Friday night that a report was filed against him on June 29.According to the victim, the man had allegedly devised a scheme offering discounts on renovation services if payment were transferred directly to him.The victim then did so, instead of making the payment to the company's account. But after collecting the money, the interior designer did not complete the renovation.After a call to the company, the victim was advised to lodge a police report, and he did so.The interior designer's identity was established by officers from Bedok Police Division through follow-up investigations.Preliminary investigations have indicated that he is believed to be involved in other similar cheating cases, with losses exceeding $100,000.He had allegedly used the monies for gambling, the police said.If found guilty of cheating, he could be jailed for up to 10 years, and fined and/or caned.

A 67-year-old male driver was taken to hospital after a multi-vehicle accident involving five cars and a motorcycle at the junction of Geylang East Central and Geylang East Avenue 2 on Friday (Aug 14). A photo shared on Threads by user diyananasir02 on the same day shows the vehicles spread across all three lanes, before a four-way junction. The motorcycle is seen lying on its side in the first lane, while three cars with damaged doors are stopped slightly ahead, surrounded by debris. Two more cars are parked further ahead, with one appearing to have rear-ended the other. An ambulance is also parked at the front of the scene, just before the traffic light.A video of the incident shared on the Telegram channel SGRoad Blocks/Traffic News by a passing motorcyclist shows a slanted lamp post, suggesting that it had been knocked loose.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at about 5.55pm at the junction of Geylang East Central and Geylang East Avenue 2 towards Sims Drive.

Government official impersonation scams, where scammers pretend to be officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and China, are on the rise.Police said on Friday (Aug 14) night that they have received at least 72 reports of such cases since January this year, with losses amounting to at least $6.1 million.In these cases, the victims would receive unsolicited calls from scammers claiming to be from ICA. They are then told that their details have been misused, or that their phone numbers are linked to criminal activities, such as spreading false rumours or transmitting scam messages.Those who deny any involvement are then transferred to another scammer claiming to be a China official, who would then demand money for «investigation or bail purposes».The victims are then instructed to transfer money to bank accounts, or asked to withdraw and hand over the money to the purported China official to facilitate «investigations».They would only realise that they have been scammed when the scammers became uncontactable, or when victims seek verification from the relevant government agencies.

When Charlene Tan was in secondary school during the Covid-19 pandemic, she felt isolated from her peers and uncertain about what she wanted to do with her life.As she spent hours scrolling through social media at home, the constant stream of devastating global news left her feeling helpless in the face of injustices she could do little about.The newly-minted President's Scholar told AsiaOne that while studying at Nanyang Girls' High School, it was easy to feel like «just a student stuck in Singapore» who could not make much of a difference to the sociopolitical and geopolitical tragedies unfolding around the world.That changed when she began speaking to Singapore Police Force (SPF) officers at recruitment events as a junior college student. Through those conversations, Tan realised that a career in policing could offer the opportunity to make a tangible difference.The first officer she met, named Stefan, spoke about how the SPF balances fighting crime with empathy and compassion. His perspective reinforced the SPF scholar's desire to be part of an organisation whose values aligned with her own. 

From supporting children with chronic illnesses to engaging migrant workers through community football, the two President's Scholarship recipients for 2026 share a common mission: to make a tangible difference.Charlene Tan, 20, and Samuel Poh, 19, both turned their passion for community service and football respectively into a greater calling to serve the community.Tan is Singapore's first female Singapore Police Force scholar to receive the President's Scholarship, while Poh is also a double scholarship recipient of both the President's Scholarship and the Singapore Armed Forces Scholarship.Both of them received their scholarship awards from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at a ceremony held at The Istana on Friday (Aug 14).About 70 guests were in attendance, including Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence, Chan Chun Sing and Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Goh Pei Ming.

The funeral wake of Physics teacher Lau Chu Beng was attended by «a few hundred» people, including former students from nearly 30 years ago and old classmates who had lost contact with him.Many young students and ex-students who came to pay their respects also wrote farewell notes and placed it on the casket, a gesture which deeply touched Lau's family.The 55-year-old lead teacher at Yusof Ishak Secondary School (YISS) died on Aug 6, and the wake was held till Aug 10.Online tributes described Lau as a caring, friendly and inspirational teacher and mentor.When Lau's younger brother, who declined to be named, reached out to AsiaOne in the days after, he said the family wished to thank the numerous visitors to the wake.«I really lost count (of the number of mourners),» he told AsiaOne on Friday (Aug 14), recounting how current students, ex-students, parents, ex-colleagues and friends had steadily streamed in over the five-day wake.