Two-time Olympian Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman has set her sights on an Asian Games medal after podium finishes at the past two Asian Fencing Championships gave her confidence that she can challenge the continent's best.The 26-year-old won an individual bronze in women's epee at the 2025 Asian Fencing Championships before getting Singapore a team bronze at the 2026 edition in New Delhi.Many of the same fencers will line up at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which will run from Sept 19 to Oct 4.«Obviously, I want to come home with a medal, but it's not going to be easy,» Kiria said after the Team Singapore Flag Presentation Ceremony at OCBC Square on Saturday (Aug 29).«Asia is really competitive for fencing, especially in the women's epee discipline, so it's going to be tough matches all day round.»[[nid:743857]]But her recent results have given her belief heading into her third Asian Games.«We know what to expect,» she said. «It gives us a lot of confidence knowing that we've done it before.»

Singapore football rarely attracts genuine superstar signings. The last bonafide global name that ended up on our shores, seeking a late-career stint, was former Liverpool and Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant, who joined Tampines Rovers. And that was already a decade ago.But that changed this past weekend. Keisuke Honda turning up at Jurong East Stadium in an FC Jurong jersey felt like one of those surreal, pinch-me moments, especially if you’re a long-suffering local football fan.I’ve followed football in Singapore for years, and fresh off the Singapore National Team’s incredible run to the ASEAN Hyundai Cup semi-finals, I felt that we needed another big moment to sustain fan interest in the sport and get them to support local football again in between international tournaments.Enter the 40-year-old Japanese legend. For those who are not familiar, the midfield general’s claim to fame is playing for the likes of Italy’s AC Milan and Russia’s CSKA Moscow. 

A 25-year-old man will be charged in court on Monday (Aug 31) for his alleged involvement in the murder of a 29-year-old man in Tuas on Saturday night.Police said in a statement on Sunday afternoon that the incident happened at about 10.10pm along Tuas South Street 15 towards Tuas South Avenue 14.The victim was found lying motionless on the road by police officers and later pronounced dead at scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic.According to the police, both the victim and the suspect are known to each other.The 25-year-old man was arrested within four hours of receiving the report.Checks by AsiaOne indicate that said road, in an industrial area, is largely deserted except for a few heavy industry companies. There is also a workers' dormitory along Tuas South Street 15.Police investigations are ongoing.If found guilty of murder, the man may be sentenced to death. [[nid:743444]]editor@asiaone.com 

A 46-year-old auxiliary police outrider was taken to the hospital on Friday (Aug 28) night after a limousine taxi rear-ended it at Changi Airport. The incident happened at about 10.40pm along Airport Boulevard towards Changi Airport Terminal 1.Dashcam footage posted on a professional drivers' group on social media shows the enforcement motorcycle lying on its left side.A black Toyota Alphard multi-purpose vehicle bearing a taxi vehicle registration number is seen stopped behind it. ComfortDelGro operates a fleet of Toyota Alphard limousine taxis.Meanwhile, paramedics are seen attending to the outrider lying on the road.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police stated that the auxiliary police officer was taken conscious to the hospital. They added that the 54-year-old male taxi driver is assisting with ongoing police investigations.[[nid:743816]]editor@asiaone.com 

Hawker Zhang Xiaohai was doing cashier duties at a Hougang zichar stall after receiving a $10 note on Aug 2, when he realised something unusual.The portrait of Singapore's first president Yusof Ishak, which is featured on the note, was seen with a piercing stare, and his mustache appeared to be «shaved off» too.The 42-year-old, who works at the stall 21 Seafood, told Lianhe Zaobao in a report published on Aug 28: «My first thought was that I received a counterfeit banknote.»He added he believed counterfeit banknotes are rare in Singapore and as the note doesn't feel different, he only roughly checked when he received it.From a photo and reel released on the stall's Xiaohongshu (XHS) profile on Aug 27, the portrait appeared to have been tempered with, with scratches seen on Mr Ishak's eyelids and philtrum.Zhang said during the interview that he believed it was more likely a prank.Despite feeling something amiss, he and the owner of the stall, only known as Mr Guo, didn't pursue the matter immediately then.

MIT Artspace, a pottery studio in Chinatown, has closed abruptly, leaving customers with unfinished pieces.In an interview with Stomp, a 24-year-old student nicknamed Dylan said he received a text about the studio’s closure on Aug 3, after nearly two months of waiting for his pottery pieces.He had attended their workshop in June but was told the glazing and firing process would take more time.According to a screenshot of the message he provided to Stomp, the studio management was required to “hand over the unit”, and customers could collect their pieces including those which were not completed.The studio also said they were unable to individually pack the items, requesting customers to come and collect their items within a week.Dylan went back to the studio and found his pieces but said none of them were glazed nor fired.Pottery pieces are required to be glazed and fired to be considered food safe.He told Stomp: “What shocked me most was the scale of what we saw there. There appeared to be hundreds of pieces — I would estimate around 400 — left outside, with customers having to search through them for their own work.”

SINGAPORE — Hundreds of Built-To-Order flats with shorter waiting times will be launched in Sin Ming and Toa Payoh, with construction of the new homes underway and slated for completion by mid-2030.In Sin Ming Street, which is part of Bishan town, a 1,076-unit project that will include a childcare centre and a supermarketis currently being constructed across the road from Sin Ming Residences, a public housing project that is nearing completion with 984 units.And in Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, work has started on a 40-storey HDB block comprising 193 units that will be accompanied by a multi-storey carpark with a roof garden, a precinct pavilion and other community facilities.The Housing Board said in a statement to The Straits Times that the flats' launch dates and estimated waiting times will be announced at a later date, although their projected completion date suggests that both projects will likely go on sale in mid-2027 at the earliest.Flats with shorter waiting time have wait times of under three years, with construction work typically starting before these flats are launched for sale so buyers can move into their homes sooner.

An elderly cyclist was seen on her knees after she was believed to be issued a summon by Land Transport Authority (LTA) officers recently.

Team Singapore will head to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games this September without a public medal target, with chef de mission Goh Kee Nguan instead urging athletes to focus on producing their best performances against Asia's top competitors.«We are not going to Nagoya to count medals, especially before the Games begin,» Goh said after the Team Singapore Flag Presentation Ceremony at OCBC Square on Aug 29.«What we are there for is really to make sure that the athletes are there to compete, and we will compete all we can to win as much as we can.»Singapore National Olympic Council president Grace Fu struck a similar note in her address to the contingent.«Performance matters, but so do the memories you create, the challenges you overcome, and the example you set for those who follow,» she said.Singapore will field 304 athletes across 27 sports, with the Republic competing in mixed martial arts (MMA) and kurash for the first time. More than 60 per cent of the contingent will be making their Asian Games debuts.

There was brief panic at Sultan Plaza on Friday (Aug 28) night after jellified insecticide used during fumigation at a Chinese restaurant created smoke that was mistaken for a fire.At least 30 people self-evacuated, and emergency services were called at about 10.45pm, after smoke was seen coming from the first-floor eatery.When AsiaOne reached the scene at about 10.55pm, the area outside the eatery was still slightly smoky and a pungent, choking smell hung in the air. Mallgoers were seen exiting the plaza's premises, with some coughing as they walked out.At least four Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) appliances were present at the scene as firefighters in full breathing apparatus checked the eatery.

A total of 80 luxury properties which were seized in Singapore's largest money laundering case to date will be progressively put up for sale, alongside designer handbags, watches and jewellery forfeited to the state.This was confirmed in a statement by Deloitte to AsiaOne on Saturday (Aug 29).The firm was appointed by the Singapore Police Force in July 2025 to manage and realise the forfeited non-cash assets.It stated that luxury items such as branded handbags, watches and jewellery seized by authorities in Singapore in the landmark case, will be sold through a series of timed, online-only auctions from September this year till mid-2027.The authorities had seized over 200 properties across prime locations such as Orchard Road and Sentosa in connection to the $3 billion money laundering case, according to Bloomberg.Hotlotz, the local auction house appointed to handle the sales, said it plans to hold 15 auctions featuring more than 1,000 items.A Hotlotz spokesperson told AsiaOne that two auctions — one for fine jewellery and another for handbags — will be held on Sept 7 as part of the first phase of the sales process.

The Government plans to do more to build a society where everyone is respected, valued and given the chance to contribute, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at Singapore's inaugural Paralympic Day on Saturday (Aug 29).Speaking at the launch event at East Coast Park, Wong urged Singaporeans to «see ability before disability» and said inclusion goes beyond government policies.«Ultimately, inclusion is not achieved by policies alone. It is built through the choices we make every day, whether we see ability before disability, recognise what every person can contribute, and give everyone a fair chance to do so,» he said.

NEW DELHI - Singapore state investor Temasek, the majority shareholder of Singapore Airlines, on Saturday backed the airline's investment in Air India, as scrutiny grows over its stake in the loss-making Indian carrier.Air India's request for about US$1.5 billion (S$1.9 billion) in fresh equity from owners Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines was first reported by Reuters this week. Singapore Airlines owns 25.1 per cent of India's second-largest airline, with the rest owned by Tata.News of the funding request prompted Kenneth Tiong, a lawmaker from Singapore's opposition Workers' Party, to urge that Temasek's funds not to be used to shore up the Indian carrier.Singapore's Business Times also ran a commentary arguing that Singapore Airlines could not realistically exit its Air India stake, with Tata the only plausible buyer. It questioned what its 25.1 per cent holding offered beyond a board seat and a share of the losses, while saying the strategic logic of the investment still held.