SINGAPORE — They were recruited through friends or over drinks, and within a few years the Singaporeans found themselves flying on private planes and driving luxury cars as they ran favours for their bosses.From 2017, Alfred Law Hon Kit, Ryan Lee Chee Keong, Jason Teo Jing Shen and Alex Lim Zhongliang ended up working for companies and individuals linked to Cambodian national Chen Zhi.Chen Zhi is the chairman of Prince Holding Group, a conglomerate that was involved in everything from real estate to banking. According to the US Treasury, the company was a front for a multibillion-dollar global criminal syndicate.The Singaporeans claimed they had unknowingly stumbled into a murky world of scam compounds and money laundering.Law, Lee and Teo spoke with The Straits Times, denying knowledge of criminal activities. They said they had cut links to anything associated with Chen Zhi when the US slapped sanctions and criminal indictments against him, his associates, Prince Group and several companies linked to the conglomerate.Lim has been uncontactable.

A woman who had been sleeping at a lift landing for the past four years of a Clementi block can finally return to a clean and safer home, after more than 30 volunteers came together on National Day to clear her heavily cluttered flat.In a Facebook post on Sunday (Aug 9), ground-up community initiative Ang Mo Kio Secondary School Social Move (AMKSS) said the woman had been sleeping outside her home as her unit was packed with hoarded items that had piled up to the ceiling.AMKSS added that the clutter had become so extensive that there was barely enough space for the main door to open, and that the harsh living conditions from years of rough sleeping had taken a toll on the woman's health.«But, today, more than 30 amazing volunteers came together on this special National Day to give their time, energy and love to help clear her home,» it said.Volunteers uncover woman's long-forgotten belongingsThroughout the day, the charity said one highlight was witnessing the woman's reaction when volunteers uncovered some of her long-forgotten belongings.

A 58-year-old Singaporean man was on Tuesday (Aug 11) sentenced to 14 months' and three weeks' imprisonment after he was convicted for entering and leaving Singapore illegally between 2011 and 2016, and for abscondment. Tan Khi Wie was convicted in August 2002 and sentenced to 18 months' jail for cheating the then-Singapore Productivity and Standards Board into disbursing a grant of $195,800 under the Local Enterprise Technical Assistance Scheme. He then filed a notice of appeal against his conviction and sentence the same month, but absconded from Singapore to avoid serving his sentence.A Warrant of Arrest was issued against Tan on February 20, 2003, after he failed to show up at a court mention in January that year.According to ICA, Tan left Singapore illegally for Pasir Gudang in Johor via a fishing boat sometime between August 2002 and January 2003.He then continued on to Thailand, and eventually settled in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he resided thereafter.

Singapore's second-largest bank OCBC has expanded its precious metals offering on its mobile app to include platinum and palladium bullion.Announcing this in a media release on Tuesday (Aug 11), OCBC said this will provide its retail customers with a lower entry point and greater choice to diversify within the asset class.«These new additions build on the bank’s existing digital gold and silver capabilities, which have been available to retail customers since October 2021,» it said.Prior to OCBC's move, the two precious metal types, despite being globally traded, were limited to affluent customers.OCBC's mass retail customers can now invest in platinum and palladium bullion digitally from as little as 0.01 ounces, priced at about S$23 for platinum and S$18 for palladium as of Aug 7.Head of OCBC's group wealth management, Tan Siew Lee, said in a statement that the bank is strengthening its position as a leading wealth management player and as the go-to bank for precious metals.

SINGAPORE — Singapore's economy grew 5.9 per cent in the second quarter of 2026 from a year earlier, government data showed on Tuesday (Aug 11), higher than an official advance estimate of 5.7 per cent.For the first half of the year, GDP growth was 6.1 per cent, the Trade Ministry said.The ministry upgraded its growth forecast for this year to 4.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent, from 2.0 per cent to 4.0 per cent, saying the impact of the Middle East war had been less severe than initially feared while the global AI investment boom had been stronger than expected.«Against this backdrop, the 2026 outlook for sectors of the Singapore economy that are linked to the AI-driven technology cycle has improved, although that for sectors directly affected by supply disruptions arising from the Middle East conflict remains weak,» the ministry said.On a quarter-on-quarter, seasonally adjusted basis, gross domestic product expanded by 1.4 per cent in the April-June period, compared with an advance estimate of a 1.1 per cent growth.

An accident involving a lorry and a van in Choa Chu Kang on Monday (Aug 10) afternoon resulted in the diversion of bus trunk service 983. The accident happened at about 4.35pm at the junction of Choa Chua Kang Avenue 3 and Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4.A photograph of the accident shared on a Telegram motoring group shows a silver van with damages to its front bumper, stopped behind a white lorry at the said junction.Some debris could be seen scattered around the side and rear of the lorry. Checks by AsiaOne on the Land Transport Authority's MyTransport app at 5.10pm on Monday indicate that bus service 983 was diverted due to the accident.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force stated that a 30-year-old male van driver sustained minor injuries but declined to be taken to the hospital.The police added that he is assisting with ongoing police investigations.[[nid:742256]]editor@asiaone.com 

A 34-year-old man was taken to hospital after allegedly stabbing himself on Monday (Aug 10) afternoon.A durian seller from a shop at Clementi Avenue 3 told Lianhe Zaobao that he was cutting the fruits when the man allegedly grabbed a large knife and ran off with it, turning it onto himself.An eyewitness told the Chinese publication that man was shouting and stabbing himself in the head and other parts of his body.Another eyewitness said that a man had rushed forward without hesitation to subdue the former, applying pressure to his wounds.«The two of them were locked in a stalemate for more than 20 minutes until the police and paramedics arrived,» he said.A post on Xiaohongshu shows the aftermath of the incident with police tape in the vicinity, and what appears to be bloodstains visible on the ground.Police officers can also be seen at the scene.

Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information and Health Tan Kiat How welcomed their third child, Micah, on Monday (Aug 10).In a Facebook post on Monday afternoon, the East Coast GRC MP shared that his wife's amniotic sac ruptured during the National Day Parade on Sunday.«Towards the end of the show, my wife’s water started leaking. Thankfully, baby was patient enough for Isaac and Ayla to enjoy the parade till the very end — fireworks, pledge and all!» Tan and his wife then dropped their two children home, packed their bags and headed to the hospital.«Feeling incredibly grateful and blessed as we welcome the newest member of our family,» he wrote.The senior minister of state also thanked the medical staff for their care through the night and in the morning.In a post on Aug 5, Tan shared that his eldest child, Isaac, had just turned six, while Ayla is turning three later this year.Writing in his post then, Tan said that fatherhood has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of his life. 

The Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) has rescued a  72-year-old Singaporean man who was kidnapped in Kedah, Malaysia.Police said in a news release on Monday (Aug 10) that the man's family had alerted them after being concerned for his safety, including after receiving information on Aug 4 that he may have been kidnapped and that a ransom has been demanded for his release.According to the police, he had left Singapore for Malaysia on July 26.Upon receiving information, Singapore police said they collaborated closely with the RMP and shared relevant information with their counterpart. They then supported the investigative effort from Singapore and worked closely with the man's next-of-kin, providing them with support and assistance.On Aug 7, the RMP mounted operations that led to the successful rescue of the man in Kedah. He is now safe and receiving necessary medical attention. A separate statement from the RMP's Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department confirmed that the rescue took place at about 8.40pm on Aug 7.

Former Singapore table tennis player Yu Mengyu, 36, may have spent years competing on the world stage, but her biggest win yet came on Thursday (Aug 6), three days before National Day, when she gave birth to twins.Sharing the news on Instagram on Sunday (Aug 9), Yu described the arrival of her two children as the «greatest gift».«A new chapter, times two. Our greatest National Day gift,» she wrote. The photos showed the twins wrapped in swaddling clothes bearing the letters «KK», suggesting they were born at KK Women's and Children's Hospital.The twins, a boy and a girl were named Asher and Amelia, reported The Straits Times.Speaking to Shin Min Daily News on Sunday, Yu said she underwent a scheduled caesarean section for the birth.Singapore Table Tennis Association took to Facebook to congratulate Yu and extend its well wishes.

While Singaporeans were celebrating National Day and taking some time off to relax over the long weekend, the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) search-and-rescue unit Rescue 10 was hard at work, as always.In a Facebook post on Aug 9, RSAF said that its personnel responded to a medical evacuation request at sea.The incident involved a ship crew member who required urgent medical attention while aboard a vessel at sea.According to RSAF, the crew member was successfully evacuated and transported to Singapore General Hospital, where he is reported to be conscious and in a stable condition.«We wish him a speedy recovery, and salute our RSAF aircrew and healthcare workers who remain ready around the clock to save lives,» RSAF wrote in its post.Based on the photographs posted, the H225M helicopter landed at the hospital's new helipad. 

The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in Singapore on Monday (Aug 10) remains in the moderate range, albeit an improvement from a day earlier on National Day.According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), the 24-hour PSI for Singapore is in the moderate range of 70, in Singapore's central region.In comparison, the 24-hour PSI reading at 1pm on Aug 9 was 81.PSI values of between 51 and 100 are in the moderate range.Meanwhile, the 1-hour PM2.5 reading is in the normal band in all four regions of Singapore, with the reading highest in the central region at 39.In its health advisory on planning for outdoor activities during haze, NEA said normal activities can continue when readings are in the good or moderate range.If readings go into the unhealthy range, members of the public are advised to cut down on prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion.Government agencies 'stand ready'Recent dry conditions have led to an escalation in hotspot activity, with hotspots and smoke plumes observed over parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

A restaurant involved in preparing and cooking seafood foraged from Changi Beach has apologised.In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Saturday (Aug 8), Havelock Palace said it had confirmed the incident following an internal review and apologised for its involvement.«We acknowledge that accepting and handling ingredients outside our approved sourcing channels did not meet the standards we expect of ourselves as a food establishment,» said the restaurant.Havelock Palace said it has since tightened its procedures, including its food sourcing and receiving controls, as well as supplier documentation and traceability.It has also prohibited food from unauthorised or unverified sources, saying that it would conduct refresher training for its management and kitchen teams on food safety and proper food handling.

Two men sit at a blue mosiac table beneath a public housing block in Toa Payoh. The tiled tables and stools are a longstanding fixture of the communal spaces around older housing estates. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Shafiq Apandi A commuter looks out the window of an SBS Transit bus in Singapore. The buses' purple, red and white livery is a familiar sight on the city-state's roads.

SINGAPORE — His curiosity was piqued when a neighbour told him in 2025 about the returns Fun Coffee was giving for investments, but Bryan Ho, who works in finance, found a number of red flags.Ho, 40, said the company's website was poorly done and he could not find details about its headquarters in Vietnam.On its website, the company claimed to be based in Phu Quoc, Vietnam, with assets of more than US$1 billion (S$1.28 billion) and a team of more than 5,000. It advertised annual returns of between 197 per cent and 278 per cent, reported South China Morning Post.Ho said that despite his suspicions, he attended a Fun Coffee event on Oct 20, 2025, at Kent Ridge. The organisers had promised a $50 cash reward for turning up.Participants were instructed by a person named «Stella» over text to meet at Kent Ridge MRT station and were later taken to a nearby open field.Ho said about 10 to 12 people, who were mostly seniors, turned up for the event.He said the group was asked to do «very primary school activities», such as folding paper planes and relay races.

A bus captain has been hailed a hero after he rushed to the aid of driver whose black Lamborghini caught fire near a bus stop along Holland Road on Saturday evening (Aug 8).In a video shared by Instagram user Smb340d, a bus captain can be seen handling a fire extinguisher as he and a Caucasian man carefully inspect a smoking Lamborghini.A short distance behind the vehicle is SBS Transit bus 123, which bus captain Zhang Zhipeng was driving when he noticed the smoke-emitting vehicle.As the driver paces anxiously around his car, Zhang can be seen placing the fire extinguisher at the rear of the Lamborghini and spraying it into the vehicle's interior.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, SBS Transit spokesperson Grace Wu said Zhang safely stopped his bus and informed his passengers of the situation before taking a fire extinguisher from the bus to assist.The 51-year-old approached the still-burning car and found that the driver's fire extinguisher had been depleted. He immediately stepped in to help put out the blaze.«Bus captain Zhang used his extinguisher to put it out before returning to his bus and continuing his journey,» Wu said.

For first-time NDP host Xixi Lim, the most memorable moment of NDP 2026 was not the lights, lasers or fireworks.Instead, it was hearing more than 40,000 Singaporeans recite the pledge and sing the National Anthem in unison at the National Stadium on Sunday (Aug 9).Speaking to AsiaOne after the show, Xixi said she became emotional as the celebrations drew to a close.«At that moment, I cried very hard because it was the culmination of weeks of hard work and I just felt very touched that it has all come to an end,» she said.Asked which part of the performance moved her the most, the comedian and content creator pointed to the echoes of the pledge and anthem ringing through the stadium.Despite the long rehearsal hours and demands of hosting one of Singapore's biggest annual events, Xixi said she would gladly do it again.«It's worth it.»