No matter how you prefer your kopi or tea made, the caffeinated beverages are priced the same at this food court in Bras Basah. A hot cup of coffee or tea — no matter the choice of milk — costs $2. The iced version is $2.60, reported Shin Min Daily News on Monday (Dec 15). According to the report, the drinks stall at Bras Basah Complex's Shifu Food Court recently came under online scrutiny for its standardised pricing. Some netizens pointed out that beverages with no milk are typically priced lower than those containing condensed milk or evaporated milk. In response, stall owner Li Yuanquan (transliteration) highlighted to Shin Min the various discounts available for students, hotel guests and members of the complex's merchants association. For example, students can get a cup of hot coffee or tea at $1.60, and the iced version at $2.30. «We set a fixed price so when calculating discounts, it's easier and more efficient to calculate. The drinks we brew using our coffee maker are also of good quality,» he added. 

If you are celebrating Christmas Eve with your family and friends and are thinking about how to get to your destination thereafter, there's good news. Transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT will extend the operational hours of their train services on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). In addition, the operational hours of 56 bus services will also be extended on that day.NSL, EWL, CCL and TEL Train services on SMRT's North-South Line, East-West Line, Circle Line and Thomson-East Coast Line will be extended for those travelling by rail.The last train departing from the North-South Line's Orchard MRT station will leave at 1.15am, while the last train departing from the East-West Line's City Hall MRT station will depart at 1.21am.On the Circle Line, the last train leaving from Dhoby Ghaut and HarbourFront MRT stations are at 12.47am and 12.43am respectively. The last train departing from Woodlands North and Bayshore MRT stations on the Thomson-East Coast Line are at 12.48am and 1am respectively.There will be no extension for Bukit Panjang LRT and Changi Airport services.

Apple users should update the mobile operating system software of their devices, said the Singapore Cyber Emergency Response Team (SingCert) on Sunday (Dec 14). The advisory follows the finding of two zero-day vulnerabilities in Apples' WebKit, which SingCert says have been exploited in attacks. «Users and administrators of affected Apple devices are strongly advised to update to the latest software versions immediately,» said SingCert in its advisory. Apple WebKit is an open-source web rendering engine used to power the Safari web browser on Apple's computing and mobile devices — macOS, iPadOS, and iOS. The two WebKit vulnerabilities identified — CVE-2025-43529 and CVE-2025-14174 — affects the following products:

A 55-year-old man was arrested on Sunday (Dec 14) for his suspected involvement in a case of housebreaking and theft.The alleged theft took place at about 11.42am earlier that day at a food and beverage establishment along Chun Tin Road.In a statement on Dec 15, the police said more than $155 in cash was stolen from the business, adding that the suspect was identified with the aid of images from police cameras and follow-up investigations.He was arrested within seven hours of the report and the stolen cash was recovered and seized by the police.The suspect will be charged in court on Dec 16.If found guilty of housebreaking and theft, the man could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.[[nid:726340]]editor@asiaone.com 

A motorcyclist died after a collision involving five vehicles in Yishun on Sunday (Dec 14) night.Photos of the incident were uploaded to the Professional PHV Drivers Singapore Facebook group. One of the photos shows paramedics attending to a motorist, while others show police officers at the scene.The road appeared to be cordoned off by the authorities, and was littered with debris from the cars involved in the crash.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to a traffic accident at the junction of Yishun Avenue 3 and Yishun Central at around 10.20pm that day.The police said that the collision involved two motorcycles, two cars and a lorry.They told AsiaOne that a 20-year-old male motorcyclist was pronounced dead at scene by an SCDF paramedic. A second male motorcyclist was conveyed conscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, while three other individuals were treated for minor injuries but declined to be sent to the hospital.According to the police, a 38-year-old male car driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing death. 

An elderly man who saw a crow trap set up by the National Parks Board (NParks) in Toa Payoh allegedly cut the cable ties securing the netted structure. This led to the escape of the captured birds. The police on Monday (Dec 15) said it was alerted to the case at about 6.15pm on Oct 20. The crow trap at the grass patch near Block 181 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh had been deployed by NParks as part of operations to manage the bird population. The 77-year-old culprit was identified on Oct 22 through investigations and CCTV footage. He will be charged in court on Dec 16 with committing mischief that disrupted a public agency's work, said the police. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to 10 years and/or fined. «The police take a serious view of such acts of mischief and will not hesitate to take firm action against those who damage public property or any apparatus deployed to serve public functions,» it said. [[nid:718592]]lim.kewei@asiaone.com

BANGKOK — It was a case of third time lucky for Singapore's Letitia Sim, who won the women's 200m breaststroke final on Dec 14 to become the first swimmer to complete the SEA Games hat-trick in her stroke.In doing so, she also underlined her status as South-east Asia's queen of breaststroke.No one has achieved the feat since the 50m event was added to the programme in 2011. Sim had missed out in 2023 and 2022, when she finished second in the 50m and 200m respectively.But the 22-year-old has come of age since, improving on her speed and stamina, as she touched the wall first at the Huamark Aquatic Centre in a Games record 2min 27.37sec. Thailand's Pimchanok Chinveeraphan (2:31.50) was second, with Indonesia's Adellia (2:32.50) third.She said: "This means a lot. It showed the progress that I made throughout the past two SEA Games. I was extremely nervous for this event compared to the other ones because it's definitely one of the tougher races for me mentally and physically because you are just constantly doing it.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has written to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressing his condolences over the recent shooting at Bondi Beach.The shooting, carried out by a father and son duo at the famed beach in Sydney, happened on Sunday (Dec 14) during a Jewish celebration to mark the beginning of Hanukkah. The mass shooting resulted in the deaths of 15 people with some 40 taken to hospital, including two police officers and four children, one of whom later died from her wounds, Reuters reported. The victims' ages ranged from as young as 10 to 87. In a letter on the same day, PM Wong shared that he was deeply saddened to learn about the tragic incident and labelled it as an «act of terrorism».«This senseless violence struck a place cherished by Australians and visitors alike, including many Singaporeans,» he said, condemning the shooting.«Such acts have no place in our societies, and undermine the peace and security we all cherish.»PM Wong also extended his condolences to the affected families and expressed Singapore's solidarity with Australia.

A Chinese national suspected of breaking into three landed properties was brought back to one of his targeted houses in Serangoon Gardens on Monday (Dec 15) morning.Huang Xiaozong, 40, is accused of climbing over the gate of a home along Chuan Drive at about 8.40pm on Dec 7 and stealing a pair of wedding rings, a diamond-studded pendant, several necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings.The pieces of jewellery are valued at about $47,750, according to court documents seen by AsiaOne.The foreigner arrived at the row of terrace houses in an unmarked police vehicle at about 10.55am on Monday.Escorted by two officers, Huang kept his head down as he was questioned by another investigator near the burgled house. He left the scene at 11.02am. 

SINGAPORE - A Singaporean family of six holidaying in Sydney found themselves in the middle of a terror attack on Dec 14 when gunmen fired on beachgoers in Bondi Beach, leaving at least 16 dead and dozens injured.Recalling the harrowing experience, Ms Karin Lee, 44 and Mr Edward Wong, 49, told The Straits Times in a phone interview about 12 hours later that they were at the famous beach from about 1pm (10am SGT) with their triplet daughters, 12, and son aged five.The family had been in the Australian city since Dec 6 to celebrate the girls’ completion of PSLE, and was slated to return home on Dec 15.It was a very peaceful and sunny day when they arrived at the beach, said Ms Lee, with lots of families with young children having a good time. Once they had set up their belongings in the middle of the beach, the kids then went to play in the water.About five hours later, the family decided to pack up when they suddenly heard loud sounds that seemed like gunshots.Mr Wong’s first thought was: This is not normal.

SINGAPORE – A total of 44 people were taken to the hospitals after an accident involving two double-decker buses in Jurong West on the morning of Dec 14.In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident slightly before 11am.Upon SCDF's arrival, a person was trapped in the driver's seat of a bus, it said. The person was rescued using hydraulic rescue equipment, it added.Forty-two passengers and two bus drivers were taken to the hospitals, the authorities said. Police said a 49-year-old bus driver is assisting with ongoing investigations.Bus service 98, operated by Tower Transit, had rear-ended an SBS Transit-run bus service 99, which was stationary, at 10.54am in Jurong West Avenue 1, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post at about 2.10pm.Those who were injured have been taken to the hospitals and are receiving medical attention, LTA said, adding that it and both transport operators are investigating the accident.LTA said: «We would like to apologise for the hurt and distress caused by this accident.»

Singapore on Friday (Dec 12) joined six other countries to enter a new US-led multilateral framework on economic security and technology.The framework, named Pax Silica, combines the Latin word «pax» - meaning peace, stability and long-term prosperity, and the word «silica» which refers to the compound that is refined into silicon used in computer chips that enable artificial intelligence (AI). According to the US State Department, the framework is intended to secure supply chains, trusted technology and strategic infrastructure. The inaugural summit on Dec 12 involved partners which the State Department said are home to the most important companies and investors powering the global AI supply chain.Writing on his X account, Undersecretary of State Jacon Helberg said the Pax Silica declaration operationalises US President Donald Trump's insight that artificial intelligence is the «new backbone of economic power».«This is the first time countries are organising around compute, silicon, minerals and manufacturing as shared strategic assets,» Helberg said. 

SINGAPORE – A total of 44 people were taken to the hospitals after an accident involving two double-decker buses in Jurong West on the morning of Dec 14.In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident slightly before 11am.Upon SCDF's arrival, it said, a person was trapped in the driver's seat of a bus. The person was rescued using hydraulic rescue equipment, SCDF said.Bus service 98, operated by Tower Transit, had rear-ended an SBS Transit-run bus service 99, which was stationary, at 10.54am in Jurong West Avenue 1, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post at about 2.10pm.Those who were injured have been taken to the hospitals and are receiving medical attention, LTA said, adding that it and both transport operators are investigating the accident.LTA said: «We would like to apologise for the hurt and distress caused by this accident.»When ST arrived at the scene at around 12.30pm, the police have cordoned off the accident site. SCDF personnel were also there.Some of the injured were being attended to at a shelter near a HDB block.

A private jet which took off from Singapore's Changi Airport skidded off the runway after landing at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido on Friday (Dec 12) evening.The incident occurred shortly at about 6.40pm, reported Kyodo News Agency and Japan's NHK broadcasting network.There were five passengers on board, including a small child, along with three flight attendants. No injuries were reported, according to firefighters who rushed to the scene.The aircraft's fuselage was not damaged and there was no fire, added NHK.One of the New Chitose Airport's two runways was closed, but other aircraft operation were not affected, according to Japanese broadcaster HBC News, which posted a video of the aftermath on its YouTube channel.The aircraft appeared to have overshot the runway upon landing, coming to a stop on snow-covered ground.The report added that it was snowing at New Chitose Airport at the time. Authorities are investigating the incident.It was the second flight incident to have occurred in the region that day.

SINGAPORE - Even the best teachers struggle with large classes, a sentiment echoed by primary and secondary school teachers The Straits Times spoke to.With Singapore's plans to hire more than 1,000 teachers annually over the next few years, teachers say they hope the added manpower will eventually result in smaller class sizes.Average class sizes grew slightly from 2023 to 2024, based on the latest figures. In primary schools, the average class size rose from 33.6 to 33.8. In secondary schools, it increased from 32.6 to 32.9, and in junior colleges, from 23.1 to 23.2.The pupil-to-teacher ratio in primary schools was 15.6 in 2024, up from 14.5 in 2020. In secondary schools, the student-to-teacher ratio increased from 11.9 to 12.7 over the same period.The number of teachers fell from 30,396 in 2023 to 29,605 in 2024, even as the student cohort continued to shrink. Primary 1 enrolment, for example, dropped from 39,372 to 37,785 over the same period.

Nicholas Khaw, who won Singapore's first gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand on Dec 10, has credited his family and team at the Police Logistics Department (PLD) for their unwavering support. Khaw, a full-time police national serviceman and his partner Diyanah Aqidah, 26, made history in the mixed poomsae pair taekwondo category by beating Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Kim Ha and Nguyen Trong Phuc.In a Facebook post on Dec 12, the Singapore Police Force shared that Khaw, 20, trains on weekdays after assisting with the logical needs of police operations during the day. He also trains during the weekends as well. Khaw also admitted that during the competition, he didn't think they stood a chance of performing well. 

Two women were taken to the hospital after a chain collision along Bedok Reservoir Road on Dec 12. TikTok user Gracie Daisy shared the incident in a video on the same day. The clip shows a damaged white car which had seemingly crashed into the back of a prime mover. There was also some white debris nearby. A few metres in front of the white car was a black vehicle with a dented rear bumper.Another video posted by Daisy on the same day shows a white BMW attached to a tow truck.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to the incident on Dec 12 at around 4.30pm. The accident involved four cars and one prime mover. A 36-year-old female car driver and her 37-year-old female car passenger were taken conscious to the hospital.A 39-year-old male car driver is also assisting with investigations and police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:726702]]melissateo@asiaone.com

Businesses across the Causeway have seen a drop in customers from Singapore by up to 30 per cent this year-end — atypical for the holiday season — according to reports.However, some of these Johor Bahru (JB) businesses have cited reasons other than the stronger ringgit for the dip, according to Shin Min Daily News.The ringgit has appreciated against the Singapore dollar in recent months, with one Singapore dollar now buying RM3.17. It was above RM3.30 for most of 2025, The Straits Times reported.On Dec 5, Malaysian publication The Star reported that Johor business owners have seen noticeably fewer Singapore patrons, with the holiday season being «unusually quiet» this year.Some blamed the decrease in Singapore patrons on the less favourable currency exchange rate, along with the unpredictable weather.«The crowd from Singapore is missing, even on weekends. This is probably the worst year-end crowd we have seen since the Covid-19 pandemic,» business operator Robin Jian was quoted by The Star as saying.

The body of a man was discovered at the foot of an HDB block in Sengkang on Saturday (Dec 13).The 55-year-old is believed to have fallen from height.A photo of the incident posted on Facebook group Singapore Incidents on Dec 13 shows a police tent placed over the body. A police cordon was also seen extending from the grass patch below a stack of units to an area just after the centralised refute chute. Nearby, an ambulance, a police fast response car, and at least four police officers are seen.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to the incident at Block 278C Compassvale Bow on Saturday, at about 9.30am.He was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic.Based on preliminary investigations, no foul play is suspected.Police investigations are ongoing.

Japanese megastore Daiso will be closing its outlet at 100 AM mall in Tanjong Pagar on Jan 5, 2026.The closure was announced by the megastore on social media on Saturday (Dec 13). «It is with great regret that we would like to inform you that Daiso 100AM will cease operations from Jan 5, 2026,» said Daiso in its post. The last day of its operations at the mall in Tanjong Pagar is on Jan 4.  Daiso did not elaborate on the reason behind the closure in its post. Following the upcoming closure, Daiso still has 32 physical outlets in Singapore. Earlier in July, Daiso closed its store at Kinex in Tanjong Katong. 

BANGKOK - Shanti Pereira is an athlete who wears her heart on her sleeve, particularly when it comes to the SEA Games.At the Hanoi Games in 2022, there were tears and disbelief after winning her second gold medal in the 200m, seven years after her first.She was once again visibly emotional and fighting back tears in 2023, when she became the first Singaporean woman to claim a sprint double at the Cambodia Games.On Dec 13, however, after retaining her 200m crown to complete a historic double-double for Singapore at the biennial event, Pereira was cool, calm and candid.«I'm really happy I managed to win today, but kind of disappointed, though. I wish I did a better time today, honestly, because my training indicated I could definitely go faster, and so did my warm-up.»(But) that's okay. The goal was to come and defend my title and I did that, so I'm really happy," said Pereira, who blazed to victory in the final at the Supachalasai National Stadium in 23.05 seconds.Vietnam's Le Thi Cam Tu bagged the silver in 23.14sec, with Zion Nelson of the Philippines taking the bronze in 23.50sec.

Tomorrow, I will be co-chairing the 21st Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) with People's Republic of China Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang in Chongqing. As the apex bilateral mechanism between Singapore and China, the JCBC is more than a platform for dialogue. It has anchored our partnership, allowing leaders and officials from both sides to build trust, review progress, and set high-level direction to deliver substantive outcomes.This 21st edition of the JCBC is especially meaningful, as it coincides with several bilateral milestones. First, we mark the 35th anniversary of Singapore-China diplomatic relations this year, with PM Lawrence Wong and Premier Li Qiang exchanging official visits. Second, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI) — our third Government-to-Government (G2G) project. This follows recent anniversaries of our first two G2G projects — the 30th anniversary of the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) last year and the 15th anniversary of the Tianjin Eco-City in 2023. 

Over $539,000 in suspected scam proceeds was seized and 176 individuals investigated following a 12-day island-wide enforcement operation by the police and local banks, during which over 176 bank accounts were also frozen.The operation took place between Nov 17 and 28, and was carried out by officers from the Anti-Scam Command (ASCom) and the police land divisions' Scam Strike Teams, said the Singapore Police Force in a news release on Friday (Dec 12). The operation was conducted against persons for their alleged involvement in government official impersonation scams, investment scams, and job scams, which were among the top five scams types for the first half of 2025.Through working closely with major industry stakeholders, such as social media companies, messaging platforms and telecommunication companies, the police disrupted over 880 online enablers and terminated more than 1,070 phone lines that were linked to scams.176 persons under investigationOf the 176 individuals under investigation, 128 are men and 48 women, aged between 16 and 85.

Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh and Mediacorp have issued separate apologies to the court over comments made by Singh on an episode of CNA's The Assembly which aired on Nov 5.In a Facebook post on Saturday (Dec 13), Singh, who is also chief of the Workers' Party, said that he accepts his statements may be construed to be in contempt of court.Apart from his comments during the interview, Singh had also posted about the interview on Facebook on Nov 6 and 8.«I accept that my statements may be construed to be in contempt of court, including to impugn the integrity, propriety or impartiality of the court,» said Singh in his post.  «Given that, I wholly and unreservedly apologise to the court and will avoid making comments to the same or similar effect in future.»

Two female car passengers were taken to the hospital after an accident involving two cars along a road near Yishun Dam on Friday (Dec 12) night.The accident happened at about 9.30pm along Seletar West Link towards Seletar Road North Link, before the left turn into Seletar Club Road.The collision was captured on dashcam footage and shared with AsiaOne.In the video, an orange car is seen stopped between two Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ambulances. In front of the first ambulance, a dark-coloured car is seen overturned.Three motorcycles, which did not appear to be damaged, were also stopped near the overturned car.At least three persons are seen trying to reach the occupants in the overturned car.An eyewitness in her 30s, surnamed Ng, told AsiaOne that she was driving home when she witnessed the accident.According to Ng, the accident led to congestion stretching back to the Central Expressway (CTE) before the exit to Seletar West Link.Ng also witnessed parts of the rescue. «I saw the paramedic working on a woman. Nearby, a man sat on the road divider. He seemed to be in shock,» Ng said.

Seven Bangladeshi men aged between 20 and 40 years old were arrested for alleged drug-related offences in separate enforcement operations conducted at migrant worker dormitories in Choa Chu Kang, Jurong and Seletar.In a statement on Saturday (Dec 13), the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said that the operations were conducted from Dec 8 to 11.CNB said that four men aged between 20 and 40 arrested on Dec 11 were from a dormitory in Choa Chu Kang.A small amount of «Ice» and various drug paraphernalia were found and seized from a 24-year-old suspect.During another operation at a dormitory in Seletar on Dec 9, a 23-year-old man was arrested for suspected drug consumption offences.A 29-year-old man who was found with a small amount of «Ice» and various drug paraphernalia was arrested for suspected drug trafficking.The last suspect, a 25-year-old man, was arrested at a dormitory in Jurong West on Dec 8 for suspected drug consumption.

The Singapore government will contribute US$100,000 (S$129,000) as seed money to support the Singapore Red Cross' (SRC) public fundraising efforts for the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The contribution will supplement the SRC's pledge of S$50,000 to supplement the immediate needs of affected communities in Sri Lanka, said Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday (Dec 12).According to the Disaster Management Centre, Sri Lanka's death toll from Cyclone Ditwah climbed to 639 on Dec 11. Most of the fatalities were attributed to landslides triggered by torrential rainfall exceeding 300mm in the first 24 hours as the cyclone lashed Sri Lanka on Nov 28, leaving its eastern and central regions most severely affected. At least a million people have since been affected by the ensuing heavy rains and floods that swept through large parts of the country, forcing some 200,000 people into 1,275 shelters, said the centre in an earlier statement. Sri Lankan authorities have estimated that they would need around US$7 billion to rebuild homes, industries and roads. 

In the first 10 months of this year, at least $615,000 were lost to concert ticket scams, the police said on Friday (Dec 12).The advisory was issued ahead of upcoming concerts such as K-pop groups Super Junior's Super Show 10 in January and Seventeen's world tour New_ in March.Police said there were at least 722 concert ticket scam cases reported from January to October 2025.In those cases, victims would come across the resale of concert tickets on online platforms such as Carousell, Facebook, Telegram, X and Xiaohongshu.Scammers would then provide screenshots or videos of fake tickets or receipts to convince victims that the tickets were authentic.They would also claim that ticket sales were time-sensitive or limited in quantity, and promise to deliver the tickets after payment was made.When the victims told the scammers that they did not receive their tickets, the scammers would ask for additional payment, claiming that the initial payment was not received.

The police will charge a 32-year-old man on Saturday (Dec 13) over his suspected involvement in a knife incident along Boon Lay Drive.The incident, which took place at Block 188 Boon Lay Drive, happened at about 6.55pm on Dec 6.It resulted in a 58-year-old man reportedly suffering injuries to his back, forearm and forehead.The alleged assailant was then seen fleeing towards Block 238 Boon Lay Drive.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said in an updated statement on Friday Dec 12 that they have arrested the man.He will be charged for the offence of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons.If found guilty of the offence, the man may be jailed for up to seven years, fined, caned, or receive a combination of these punishments.«The police have zero tolerance towards such acts of violence in the community and will not hesitate to take firm action against those who blatantly disregard the law,» they said. [[nid:726398]]editor@asiaone.com

BANGKOK – Singapore sprint queen Shanti Pereira’s bid for a historic double-double at the SEA Games got off to a speedy start on Dec 11, when the 29-year-old retained her women’s 100m gold in Bangkok.Competing at the Suphachalasai National Stadium, she clocked 11.36sec to beat home favourite Khanonta Jirapat (11.54) and Ha Thi Thu (11.58) of Vietnam, who finished second and third, respectively.While Pereira said she did not feel “too good” the day before in practice, her coach Luis Cunha’s advice that “you just need to come in first” worked a treat.She said: “I didn’t think about the time too much. Of course, I wanted to do a good one, but it was really just about showing up and trying to attain my goal of defending the title no matter the timing.“I’m happy to go to coach and give him a great hug and get ready for the 200m.”At the 2023 edition in Cambodia, Pereira made history by becoming the first Singaporean to win the 100m and 200m golds.

Two men, aged 24 and 47, will be charged in court on Friday (Dec 12) for their alleged involvement in a government official impersonation scam (GOIS).In a statement on Dec 11, the police said they received a report involving the impersonation of an officer from the Singapore Police Force.Modus operandi: Your personal information was misusedThe female victim who filed the report was allegedly told over a video call, by a man dressed in police uniform, that she had purchased an insurance policy and that her personal information was misused.The woman was also instructed to surrender her money and valuables for the purpose of investigations. Convinced that she was under investigation, the woman handed over cash amounting to more than $7,000, and subsequently, gold worth over $53,000. The police said that the cash and gold were handed to a different unknown person on each occasion. They established the identities of the two individuals, a 47-year-old Malaysian man and a 24-year-old Singaporean man, through follow-up investigations and ground enquiries.

Several people helped fight a fire that engulfed a Malaysia-registered pickup truck along Tanjong Katong Road on Wednesday (Dec 10) afternoon.In a video posted on Instagram by Sgfollowsall, a man believed to be the driver is seen removing goods from the back of the truck while it is in flames. He then returns to the driver's cabin to remove a bag, and is also seen speaking on the phone.While he waits for help, two passersby approach him with fire extinguishers.They are soon joined by an elderly petrol station attendant and a fourth man.As the four use their fire extinguishers to bring the fire under control, thick smoke can be seen forming around the truck.Across social media posts of the incident, some netizens praised the passersby for stepping forward to help put out the fire.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has foiled an attempt to bring an e-vaporiser, or vape, and more than 800 heat sticks into Singapore. On Nov 30, ICA officers at Changi Airport Terminal 1 directed a male Japanese traveller for baggage checks, after first asking if he had anything to declare. Although the man denied having anything to declare, anomalies were detected in the scanned image, said ICA in a Facebook post on Thursday (Dec 11).A thorough check of his belongings found the vape and 849 heat sticks. A heat stick is a tobacco-filled unit inserted into a battery-operated device that heats the tobacco to produce an aerosol containing nicotine, without burning it.The traveller was referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation. «Border security is a crucial aspect of the enforcement strategy against e-vaporisers,» said ICA in its Facebook post.«As guardians of the nation's borders, ICA remains committed to safeguarding Singapore by ensuring our borders remain safe and secure.»

Singapore's largest telco Singtel has been hit with a $1 million fine for a nationwide landline outage that disrupted calls to public institutions and emergency services on Oct 8, 2024. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Thursday (Dec 11) that it has concluded its probe into the incident that affected about 500,000 of Singtel's residential and corporate users. For about four hours that day, about half of the calls made to public service hotlines — including government agencies, banks and hospitals — could not be connected. The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force had urged the public to contact them via SMS instead. IMDA said the disruption had the potential to seriously impact the safety and security of the public. It also said the incident was within Singtel's control to prevent and was not caused by a cyberattack. 

US-bound travellers from 42 countries under the visa waiver programme — including Singapore — could be asked to provide their social media history over the last five years as a condition for entry under a new proposal unveiled by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Other than Singapore, some of the 41 other countries in the visa waiver programme include: Australia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom. Under the programme, citizens from the 42 countries are currently allowed — for the purpose of tourism or business — stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. AsiaOne reviewed the notice published in the Federal Register, the official journal of the US government, on Wednesday (Dec 10). In the notice, social media history was proposed as a «mandatory data element» for an electronic system for travel authorisation (ESTA) application.