SINGAPORE — An assistant store manager at a jewellery shop stole 24 pieces of gold jewellery worth over $216,000 from his workplace, replacing six of them with copies from online platform Taobao.Darren Wai Mun Jun, 31, who was then working for CHJ Singapore Jewel in Northpoint Drive, near Yishun Central 1, replaced the remaining 18 pieces with stock items from the store’s inventory.After that, he pawned all 24 pieces but only got more than $131,000 in cash for them. He used the money to gamble and to settle his debts.On Aug 20, he was sentenced to two years, four months and two weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to two counts of theft and one count of dealing with the benefits of his criminal conduct.The authorities have seized 18 pieces of the stolen jewellery from pawnshops, and he has made no restitution.Deputy Public Prosecutor Teng Yin Hang told the court that Wai started working for CHJ in September 2025.Two months later, he hatched a plan to replace the jewellery from the store with copies from Taobao.The DPP said Wai bought many pieces of jewellery from the online platform.

Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today.1. Causeway Link buses from Newton, Queen Street to go cashless from Aug 20, all services from Oct 1Travellers catching a Causeway Link bus to Malaysia from Newton or Queen Street will have to make sure they have a cashless payment method ready from Thursday (Aug 20)... » READ MORE2. 'It's my Liberation Day': Dr Ng Eng Hen on retirement, family and life after politics

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is trialling a humanoid robot named Olly at Little India MRT station on the Downtown Line from Aug 31 to Sep 11.According to LTA's Facebook post on Thursday (Aug 20), the friendly new face will be roaming around the MRT station on weekdays during the two weeks, between 10am and noon.It will guide commuters with wayfinding on the station platform and answer any questions about MRT lines and LTA.The humanoid robot will also be accompanied and supervised by LTA team at all times.It is being trialled to explore how AI-enabled technologies can support public transport operations and improve commuting experiences.LTA said that commuters might spot Olly before his trial begins as he is currently undergoing mapping and testing to familiarise himself with the station environment.This technology follows LTA's recent trial of facial recognition technology for fare payment earlier this month.

Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle hawker Yeo Song Khoon has returned to work a day earlier than expected. The 73-year-old had previously indicated that he would resume work on Aug 21, but was back at his Roxy Square stall on Thursday (Aug 20), where he was seen using a walking aid, limping noticeably and moving gingerly as he prepared for the lunchtime crowd.Speaking to AsiaOne, Yeo said he was still experiencing pain and taking medication for his injuries but was determined to continue working.“I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow and I don’t want to go back. The doctor said that if I were to take the medications, I don’t need to go for surgery,” said Yeo.Despite taking medication, Yeo said his back injury continues to affect his sleep, making it difficult for him to lie down at night. «I have to sit up in a position that is comfortable for me to sleep. It is painful but I just bear with it,» he said.How the incident unfoldedYeo was allegedly shoved to the ground by a male customer at the coffee shop in Roxy Square on Aug 15 after patting the customer's young daughter's head.

Travellers catching a Causeway Link bus to Malaysia from Newton or Queen Street will have to make sure they have a cashless payment method ready from Thursday (Aug 20).The bus operator announced on Monday that cash payments will no longer be accepted onboard its buses at the two Singapore locations.Passengers can tap Visa, Mastercard, ManjaLink or EZ-Link cards, or pay through the Lugo app.They can also purchase a single-journey e-ticket before boarding.For those who prefer to use cash, Causeway Link said tickets can be bought in advance.Passengers boarding at Queen Street can purchase tickets from a ManjaLink kiosk, while those at Newton can get a ManjaLink card from Causeway Link's ground staff.For travellers departing from Queen Street, SBS Transit bus service 170 also runs to Malaysia. Long-distance coaches are another option for those travelling from Newton and Queen Street.Completely cashless from Oct 1From Oct 1, cash payments will no longer be accepted onboard all of the operator's cross-border and feeder bus services.

Phishing scams involving the impersonation of courier companies via Apple iMessage have surged over the past two weeks, with losses now estimated to be around $2.2 million, up from the $1.2 million reported on Aug 5.Police said in an updated news release on Thursday (Aug 20) that their Cyber Command disrupted over 30,000 Apple iMessage accounts linked to the scam campaign since June this year.Spotting signs that you are a targetVictims typically receive messages via Apple iMessage from scammers impersonating recognised courier companies such as NinjaVan, J&T Express, and SPX Express.There were also instances of messages impersonating government agencies and financial institutions.The messages usually originate from numbers bearing country codes such as +212 (Morocco), +63 (The Philippines), +44 (United Kingdom), or from email addresses comprising random alphanumeric strings that appear to belong to couriers, the police said.

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers «put to rest» an attempt to smuggle over 900 vapes and more than 9,000 pods into Singapore via Tuas Checkpoint on Aug 8.Pictures posted on ICA's Facebook on Thursday (Aug 20) show the items stowed in a rest area behind the driver's cabin, under what appears to be a quilt, cushion and pillow.According to ICA, the Malaysia-registered lorry was directed for enhanced checks where its search and examination officers found more than 900 vaporisers and over 9,000 pods hidden in the cabin resting area.A 46-year-old male Malaysian driver was arrested and the case referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigations.

Come Aug 26, the Singapore Arrival Card (SGAC) will have a refreshed interface.Announcing this in a social media post on Thursday (Aug 20), the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said SGAC will also come with enhanced features on its MyICA mobile app and website.The SGAC with electronic health declaration is a mandatory submission all travellers must make before arriving in Singapore.It replaced the paper embarkation/disembarkation card in March 2020.Only those who are transiting through Singapore, and residents such as Singapore citizens, permanent residents, long-term pass holders need not do so while travelling through Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints.Among the enhancements is the availability of more language options.The new interface will offer 19 languages, adding seven more from the current 12: English, Malay, Bengali, German, French, Vietnamese, Hindi, Tamil, Thai, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Korean.AsiaOne understands that the new language options are: Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Dutch, Tagalog, Italian, Spanish and Russian.

SINGAPORE — Singapore's police force said on Thursday (Aug 20) it has received reports about Radiant World, one of the world's largest iron traders, and that it is looking into the matter.It declined to comment on what any complaints might be.A Radiant spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside UK business hours.Radiant has come under scrutiny from counterparties in recent weeks because of concerns about invoices provided to its banks.Commodities broker Marex Group has frozen all Radiant World's accounts following allegations that the iron ore trader used invalid invoices to raise funds, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.[[nid:743055]]

A different perspective, through a child's eyes: «I think the uncle meant no harm.»That was the take on the recent Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle incident from a 10-year-old musician and busker, whose views have gone viral online.The incident sparked widespread discussion after a 73-year-old hawker was allegedly shoved to the ground by a customer at a coffee shop in Roxy Square last week.The shove occurred after the elderly man patted a customer's young daughter's head. The hawker has since reportedly suffered a fractured back following the incident.The incident even captured the attention of former president Halimah Yacob, who shared that she used to pat children on the head as a gesture of affection and called for stronger intergenerational bonds in Singapore.Busker Shayne Ko shared his views on the incident in an Instagram (IG) video posted on Wednesday (August 19).His video has been viewed nearly 300,000 times and liked over 15,500 times as of Thursday morning. 

A 57-year-old man allegedly assaulted his 17-year-old twin children after suspecting his daughter of using a drug-laced vaporiser.The accused, who cannot be named due to a gag order, faced eight charges including voluntarily causing hurt, affray, offences under the Protection from Harassment Act as well as breaches of the Women's Charter, Shin Min Daily News reported.On Wednesday (Aug 19), he pleaded guilty to four of the charges, with the remaining charges to be taken into consideration during sentencing.According to court documents, the man continued to live together with his ex-wife and their children after their divorce.The incident occurred on Jan 13 night. The man, who had noticed his daughter holding an item resembling a Kpod at home, woke the sleeping teen by kicking at her legs.He then snatched the item from her hands.

Former Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen has no plans to follow the path of other retired politicians into corporate boardrooms, saying he would rather reclaim the life he had before entering politics.Dr Ng, who retired from politics in 2025 after 24 years in public service, told Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao in an interview published on Tuesday (Aug 18) that he is now «in a good place», with family life and his five grandchildren keeping him busy.«I keep my mind active ... my five grandchildren [are an] absolute delight,» he said.«My wife and I, we were very fortunate. [Our] children allow us to go out with them, and we take them out quite often.»Dr Ng was elected to Parliament in 2001 and served in several Cabinet portfolios before becoming Defence Minister in 2011. He held the defence portfolio for 14 years before announcing in April 2025 that he would not contest the General Election and would retire from politics.'It's my Liberation Day'Dr Ng said retirement was a conscious decision to step away from public life and recover aspects of everyday life that had taken a back seat during his political career.

Smell a rat? Hopefully not.The National Environment Agency (NEA) has reported a 40 per cent decline in rat burrows in the first four months of 2026, as the agency steps up enforcement and surveillance efforts across Singapore. NEA has doubled down on rat enforcement in recent years, leveraging new surveillance technologies and tapping into new tools, such as artificial intelligence, to improve its operations.According to NEA's two-monthly surveillance, the average number of rat burrows detected per cycle fell from about 4,900 in 2025 to about 2,900 in the January-February and March-April 2026 surveillance cycles.The majority of burrows were found in public housing estates, followed by grass verges along roadsides and industrial estates.AsiaOne spoke to NEA officers on the ground to better understand Singapore's rat problem and the measures the agency has been taking to tackle it.Senior Executive Faizal Hamzah from NEA's Sanitation and Vector Control Branch explained how rats possess exceptional survival skills.«Rats are good at finding what they need to survive,» Hamzah stated. 

After a man suddenly collapsed on the platform at Woodleigh MRT station on June 27, three SBS Transit staff, along with other commuters, sprung into action to save his life.The rail and bus operator said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Aug 19) that station staff Eric Tan and Jonathan Ching were by the man's side within minutes of him falling ill, while another commuter helped to call for an ambulance.However, things took a turn for the worse when the man stopped breathing.Realising this, the female commuter began to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), while Tan rushed to retrieve the station's automated external defibrillator (AED). Another male commuter also stepped forward to assist, and they used the AED on the man who collapsed. Meanwhile, station staff Thangavel Siva, who had just arrived at the scene, joined in to perform CPR. Commuters and the station staff then took turns performing CPR until paramedics arrived.SBS Transit noted that other commuters also stepped in to help where they could.«Thanks to their swift actions, the man began breathing again and was taken to hospital,» SBS Transit said.

Halimah Yacob now thinks twice about patting children's heads, and has called for stronger inter-generational bonds in Singapore.

SINGAPORE - Rough sleepers will get more support to find stability in housing, jobs and rebuild ties with their families, with help from community partners as part of a broader push to tackle homelessness.The 17 initiatives include a drop-in centre offering meals, showers and counselling, a programme matching single rough sleepers with compatible co-tenants to help them access public rental housing sooner, and micro-jobs and apprenticeships to gain work experience and become more financially stable.Homeless youth will also get more support, including mentoring, family mediation, and vocational guidance. Another project will develop a tool to identify people at risk of homelessness so they can receive help earlier.The projects are supported by the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) Partnership to Tackle Homelessness (PATH) Fund, a $450,000 fund announced in January to help community organisations test solutions to the underlying causes of rough sleeping. The fund was launched in April.

SINGAPORE – At least four more primary schools have scrapped the parent volunteer scheme in the last two years.Fairfield Methodist School (Primary) and Mee Toh School stopped accepting such parent volunteers in 2026, while Hong Wen School and Rosyth School did so in 2025.The scheme, which gives parents priority placement when registering their children for Primary 1, is often seen as a way to get a foot in the door of popular schools.Under the scheme, parents clock at least 40 hours of volunteer work by completing tasks like helping out at school events, or serving as traffic wardens or librarians.They get priority to register in Phase 2B of the yearly Primary 1 admission exercise. Children of active community leaders and those with church or clan associations also qualify under this phase.In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Education Ministry (MOE) said on Aug 18 that around one-third of Singapore’s primary schools currently offer the parent volunteer scheme. There are 182 primary schools here.

The police are looking for the driver of a black Porsche sports utility vehicle (SUV) after a hit-and-run accident in Changi on Wednesday (Aug 19) morning.When AsiaOne reached the scene at around 1.20am, debris was scattered across the first two lanes on both sides of Upper Changi Road East before Xilin Avenue. Map showing where the hit-and-run on Wednesday (Aug 19) morning happened. GRAPHIC: Google Maps, AsiaOne/Stringer A section of green fencing along the road divider was damaged, with at least one segment lodged under the front left wheel fender of the vehicle.A male driver, who appears to be uninjured, is seen standing by his car and using his phone.

For most Singaporeans, Formula One arrives in a burst of activity around Marina Bay each September. But ahead of this year's race weekend, Singapore GP is once again bringing some of that atmosphere into the heartlands through the return of its #RevUpSG watch party series.Now in its fifth edition, the community initiative will see live Formula One screenings and fan activities held across three locations from August to September 2026, giving residents a chance to immerse themselves in the sport before the Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2026 gets underway.The #RevUpSG initiative aims to bring Formula One closer to communities across SingaporeThe series begins at Bedok Town Square on Aug 22 to 23 with screenings of the Formula One Heineken Dutch Grand Prix, before moving to HDB Hub in Toa Payoh on Sept 12 and 13 for the Formula One Gran Premio de Espana. The final stop will be Kampung Admiralty on Sept 25 and 26, where fans can catch the Azerbaijan Grand Prix just days before Singapore hosts the world's fastest racing series.

Upset that his father had given his mother traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a man in Toa Payoh allegedly brandished a knife at his dad before he was arrested.The 53-year-old had reportedly flew into a rage in their flat at Block 222, Lorong 8 Toa Payoh at around 12.30pm on Tuesday (Aug 18), resulting in his 82-year-old father calling the police, reported Lianhe Zaobao that day. A Zaobao reporter reached the scene at around 2pm, where they noted that a cordon had been set up around the area and personnel from the Singapore Civil Defence Force had deployed safety life air packs below the block.Five police vehicles were also present, Zaobao reported, and large crowds of onlookers were seen in the area.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the SCDF shared that they were alerted to the incident around 12.45pm.They subsequently deployed two safety life air packs, while rescuers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team remained on standby in the area as a precautionary measure.No injuries were reported.At around 3pm, the air packs were deflated and the man was seen being escorted away from the scene by police officers.

A total of 31 motorists, aged between 24 and 61, will be charged in court on Thursday (Aug 20) for drink driving offences.Police said in a news release on Wednesday that the motorists were arrested between May and July this year after failing breathalyser tests conducted during police enforcement checks.Of these motorists, two will also receive an additional charge of leaving their vehicles in positions causing undue inconvenience to other road users.The duo, aged 28 and 35, were found asleep behind the wheel of their vehicles along Lorong 1 Geylang and Nicoll Highway on July 12 and July 26 respectively.Investigations found that they had driven after consuming alcohol, and their vehicles were left in positions that obstructed traffic and potentially caused danger or inconvenience to other road users.Police reminded motorists that they will not hesitate to take firm action against motorists who drink and drive.«Members of the public should not drive if they intend to consume alcohol. All motorists are reminded to obey traffic laws and play their part in keeping Singapore’s roads safe,» the police added.[[nid:742775]]

Singapore's Asean Championship campaign ended at the semi-final stage, but the Lions leave the competition with stronger results, growing belief and signs that supporters are reconnecting with the national team.World No. 148 Singapore arrived at Rajamangala Stadium on Tuesday (Aug 18) needing to overturn a 3-1 first-leg deficit. They eventually beat hosts world No. 94 Thailand 2-1 but lost 4-3 on aggregate.Still, the victory ended a run of 11 consecutive defeats against Thailand and was Singapore's first win over the War Elephants since 2012.For right-back Ryhan Stewart, who was named player of the match, the performance reflected the mentality Singapore have been trying to build.