A 24-year-old Singaporean has become one of the 13 finalists in Icelandair's global search for a «really bad photographer».The Icelandic carrier took to social media on Thursday (May 28) to announce the list of finalists for its campaign which closed applications on April 30.Singapore's Mikael is amongst finalists from cities like Hamburg and Paris, who are in the running for a 10-day trip to Iceland in June with travel expenses covered, and a whopping US$50,000 (S$64,000).According to Icelandair, the campaign drew 127,642 applications, which were whittled down to «the best of the worst» — 13 individuals aged between 24 and 73.

Singapore's defence minister Chan Chun Sing met with his Malaysian counterpart Mohamed Khaled Nordin on Saturday (May 30) at the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue. The call at Shangri-La Hotel, where Asia's premier security summit is being held, saw both defence ministers reaffirming the warm and longstanding bilateral ties between the two countries.They also discussed ways to further enhance mutual trust and understanding between the two defence establishments, Singapore's Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said on Saturday. According to Mindef, the two defence establishments hold regular interactions across a wide range of activities, including bilateral and multilateral exercises, visits, professional exchanges, and cross-attendance of courses.The ministry added that these regular interactions underscore the warm and longstanding defence relations between the two countries, and help strengthen mutual understanding and trust.

SINGAPORE - The big question hanging over this year's Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier defence forum, is: «Where is China?»For the second year running, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun has given the free-wheeling Singapore security meeting a miss, skipping opportunities to meet US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as well as counterparts from Australia, France, Britain, Japan and other nations.In his place, Beijing sent a low-profile delegation of People's Liberation Army «experts and scholars» - a step down from the usual high-powered presence.A highlight of the dialogue's annual programme has been a robust speech by China's defence minister or senior official laying out Beijing's defence doctrine and outlook on global tensions. But the speech helmed by China has been dropped from this year's programme, like in 2025.Even Hegseth took note.«I wish my counterpart was here at this conference, but I look forward to other options when we can cross paths and communicate, talk about things where often actions at sea or actions in the air are perceived differently,» he said during his own keynote speech on Saturday.

The victim of an alleged murder in Choa Chu Kang was laid to rest on Thursday (May 28).The body of Chua Bee Ting, 21, was claimed by her parents and sent for cremation later that evening, reported Shin Min Daily News. They also returned to the crime scene to perform a ritual.The funeral started at Mandai North Crematorium around 7pm, attended by Chua's parents and three relatives.According to the Chinese daily, when staff removed the casket lid and her family viewed her remains, Chua's father broke down in tears.«You said you'd earn a lot of money after your internship, buy your favourite car, and give me money to spend,» he said.«You don't need to give Dad money. Dad can earn it, but you've gone so soon!»Her mother also sobbed: «I can't bear to part with her.»Family members reportedly all wept as they paid their last respects before Chua's casket was closed and her body cremated.Man charged with murderOn May 26, Chua was allegedly stabbed to death by Mohamad Faiz Umar in Lift A of Block 248 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 2, sometime between 8.53pm and 9.22pm.The pair are believed to be ex-lovers.

Final moments with loved ones in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) may be fleeting, but nurses at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) have found a way to help patients and their families create long-lasting memories — hand sculptures.In a Facebook post on Tuesday (May 26), the hospital shared about Sumini, an ICU patient, and her family who participated in the activity.The hand sculpting exercise was started in 2025 as a «gesture of compassion», and turned into a care initiative to help families to cherish the final moments with their loved ones.«The ICU can be scary and painful place to be, but with a little compassion, kindness and innovation, it is also a place of where one can hold on to the memories of their loved ones,» the hospital wrote.Capturing final momentsIn a series of photos, TTSH showed the sculpting process, which began with Sumini's husband, Jumaat, tightly gripping her hand while a nurse helped with the moulding mixture.«Moments after their hands left the moulding mixture, they continued holding on to each others' hands,» the hospital wrote, adding that the couple had been together for over 50 years.

Seeing red and blue lights flashing behind him, this driver gave way thinking it was an emergency vehicle — but a closer look left him confused.The incident involved a black Toyota Voxy multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) that was travelling along Clemenceau Avenue at 8.15pm on Wednesday (May 27).In a video uploaded to SG Road Vigilante's Facebook page on Friday, the MPV can be seen approaching the rear of the dashcam driver's vehicle as an LED panel placed on the MPV's windscreen flashes red and blue lights.The dashcam driver slows down as they exit the underpass to allow the MPV to overtake. A second LED panel on the rear window of the MPV can also be seen flashing red and blue lights.At the next traffic stop, a clearer view of the rear LED panel appears to show slight blemishes in the lighting, with lines of dead diodes visible from the driver's perspective.The video ends with a screenshot of Land Transport Authority (LTA) records indicating that the car is a registered private-hire vehicle.«Gave way to a car with blue and red LED blinkers on Clemenceau Avenue, assuming it was a police vehicle,» the Facebook post read.

A 34-year-old male motorcyclist died after an accident along the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) that involved a trailer.The accident happened at about 9.50am on Friday (May 29) along BKE towards the Pan Island Expressway (PIE), after Dairy Farm Road exit.Videos posted on social media show a Malaysia-registered motorcycle lying on its side between the two rightmost lanes of the expressway. The motorcyclist can be seen lying on his back a short distance away from his motorcycle. Debris was strewn along a 200-metre stretch of road.Meanwhile, the trailer was seen stopped along the road shoulder with a traffic police officer standing nearby.At least three Traffic Police (TP) expressway patrol cars, two TP motorcycles, and a crime scene investigation van were present at the scene.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the male motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.The police added that the 29-year-old male trailer driver is assisting with ongoing police investigations.

A teenager accused of licking a straw from a vending machine before putting it back has returned to Singapore after an overseas trip, and his case has been adjourned to June 26.French national Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, had been allowed to leave Singapore for a school-related trip to the Philippines in May.Defence lawyer Kanthan Raghavendra of Kalidass Law Corporation had said in April that the trip was a requirement for him to graduate.Maximilien, a student at Essec Business School located at one-north, was expected to be away from May 2 to 25.On April 24, he was charged with committing mischief and being a public nuisance.He allegedly committed the offences at Goldhill Centre in Thomson Road on or around March 12.Maximilien allegedly licked a straw from an iJooz machine before putting it back in the straw dispenser. He allegedly filmed himself doing it and uploaded the clip on social media.Court documents stated that iJooz, known for its vending machines that serve freshly squeezed orange juice, had to replace all 500 straws in the dispenser after the alleged incident.

A safety inspection at a construction site for a two-storey terrace house in Thomson Green on Friday (May 29) uncovered a string of safety lapses that exposed workers to serious injuries.AsiaOne followed Ministry of Manpower (MOM) inspectors on the site visit and observed unguarded openings, building materials placed near unprotected edges, unguarded machinery, and cluttered walkways, among other lapses.There was also no safe evacuation route for workers in an emergency.The house being built includes an attic, but it was deemed too dangerous for the inspectors to access. The temporary staircase leading to the attic did not provide adequate footing and anyone who slipped risked sliding towards exposed rebars.«On the findings today, we will certainly take the necessary enforcement actions,» said Audrina Chua, director of MOM's occupational safety and health inspectorate. 

A 27-year-old man will be charged in court on Saturday (May 30) for his alleged involvement in a case of loanshark harassment in Bukit Batok.The police said in a news release on Friday night that they were alerted to the case at about 9.50am on Friday.The alleged incident took place at a home along Bukit Batok West Avenue 8.A photograph of the alleged crime scene provided by the police shows a debtor's note placed at the gate of the unit. The gate was also secured with a bicycle lock.The note reads: «Paying back debts is a matter of principle.»Officers from Jurong Police Division identified the man via follow-up investigations and with images from police cameras, and arrested him the same day.The bicycle lock and debtor's note were seized as case exhibits. The penalty for loanshark harassment for first-time offenders is a jail term of up to five years, along with a fine of between $5,000 and $10,000, and mandatory caning of up to six strokes.The police reiterated that they have zero tolerance for loan shark harassment.