Two foreigners, aged 25 and 38, were arrested on May 5 for allegedly dealing in duty-unpaid beer and liquor. In a media release on Wednesday (May 20), Singapore Customs said it uncovered sophisticated concealment methods involving non-alcoholic packaging during its enforcement operation on May 5, adding that more than 9,200 cans and bottles of duty-unpaid beer and liquor were seized.During the operation, Singapore Customs officers observed a man moving a pallet of goods out of an industrial unit along Bedok North Avenue 4.The officers went on to uncover 13 pallets containing duty-unpaid beer and liquor concealed among cartons and packaging labelled as non-alcoholic drinks.A total of 2,460 cans and 6,468 bottles of beer, as well as 320 bottles of liquor, were seized during the operation.According to the Singapore Customs, the total duty and Goods and Services Tax evaded amounted to about $19,791.

A man who vented his anger on his baby nephew by abusing him over three months and recording the acts with his phone was sentenced to 14 years’ jail on May 20.The man, 32, who cannot be named due to a gag order, had in April pleaded guilty to eight counts of ill-treatment of a child.The offender was also ordered to pay $4,000 in compensation to the victim’s parents.In meting out the sentence, District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan called the offender’s acts on his nephew exceptionally cruel and sadistic.Doctors also said the abuse had likely contributed to the boy’s developmental delays, noted the judge.District Judge Koo added that it was deeply distressing to read of the acts, but what was truly harrowing in the case was that the offender recorded the abuse while the baby was crying in agony.The court heard the man was fuelled by his visceral hatred for his wife’s younger brother and wanted to abuse his son.He would watch the videos he took of the abuse whenever he was angry with his brother-in-law. Court documents did not state the reason for his anger.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) firm OpenAI has linked up with Singapore on a new initiative called «OpenAI for Singapore» to support the national AI agenda.The creator of ChatGPT said they will invest over $300 million as part of the collaboration to drive applied AI innovation, grow AI talent, and make AI accessible to Singaporeans, businesses and the public sector.The memorandum of understanding was signed between the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and OpenAI on Wednesday (May 20).Announcing the OpenAI Singapore Applied AI Lab at the ATxSummit 2026, the firm's Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser said the laboratory is its first outside of the US and is looking to fill more than 200 specialist roles focusing on the development of frontier AI.Frontier AI refers to the most recent and highly advanced AI systems available.OpenAI said in a statement that the Applied AI Lab teams will work with organisations on «production-grade AI systems for complex workflows where the answer is not obvious upfront».

11 people were taken to hospital after an accident involving nine motorcycles and a car along the Ayer Rajah Expressway towards the Marina Coastal Expressway on Tuesday (May 19) morning.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at about 6.30am.Two people were taken by SCDF to the National University Hospital and another nine to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.According to the police, those injured comprised nine male motorcyclists aged between 26 and 61, a 21-year-old man, and a 32-year-old female pillion rider.All 11 were conscious when taken to hospital.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:735687]]eriko.lim@asiaone.com

A police report has been made after an image of a woman allegedly placing a baby on an HDB ledge was posted online, sparking concerns over the child's safety.In a Facebook post shared on Tuesday (May 19), the woman, who was believed by some to be a domestic helper, was seen holding the baby with one of the child's legs dangling dangerously outside the ledge. The incident is believed to have occurred at Block 468C Admiralty Drive.According to the poster, the image was originally shared by a helper in a separate domestic helpers' group, purportedly to warn others about the dangers of such behaviour. The poster added that they shared the image publicly in the hope that someone who knows the helper could alert her to the risks involved.Investigations ongoingResponding to queries from AsiaOne, the police confirmed that a report has been lodged and investigations are ongoing.Under the comments section, several netizens criticised the woman's actions and expressed concern over the child's safety.

A couple in their sixties was trapped after a fire broke out at a HDB flat in Hougang on May 19 morning. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted at about 1.30am to a fire at Block 238 Hougang Avenue 1. The fire involved contents of a bedroom in a 12th-floor unit and was extinguished using a water jet, said SCDF. Four people from the affected block were evacuated before SCDF arrived and two people were taken to Singapore General Hospital.The cause of the fire is under investigation. Elderly couple lived in unit for over 40 yearsSitu Xinri (transliteration), a 75-year-old resident who lives on the fourth floor, told Shin Min Daily News the couple have been living in that unit for more than 40 years.They were originally a family of four but their daughter moved out after getting married and their son was not at home when the incident occurred. Lin (transliteration), a 59-year-old taxi driver, told the Chinese daily that he was returning home from work when he saw smoke emitting from the opposite block. 

Singapore is taking additional steps to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus into Singapore, said the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA).In a press release on Tuesday (May 19), the agency said that it is closely monitoring the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda after the World Health Organisation (WHO) on May 16 declared the outbreak an international health emergency.While there are no direct flights from Congo and Uganda to Singapore, CDA said that Singapore will enhance existing measures for the early detection and management of the disease.From May 19, health advisories on the current outbreak will be displayed at all points of entry for incoming and outbound travellers.Inbound travellers from affected destinations will be told to monitor themselves for symptoms of Ebola disease for 21 days from their date of departure and to seek medical attention promptly if unwell.Outbound travellers planning to visit the affected regions will also be advised to take the necessary precautions to reduce their risk of infection.

Two Singaporean men will be charged in court on Wednesday (May 20) for their alleged involvement in fraudulently registering corporate SIM cards for illicit purposes.The men, aged 25 and 39, had allegedly registered between 100 and 238 corporate SIM cards in exchange for cash rewards of up to $1,270, the police said on Tuesday (May 19).Preliminary investigations revealed that they had used their existing companies to purchase the SIM cards in bulk before handing them over to criminal syndicates, who, in turn, use these SIM cards and eSIMs as channels for scams, unlicensed moneylending and vice, among other illicit activities.Both men face a maximum fine of $10,000, a jail term of up to three years, or both if convicted.Those convicted of facilitating fraudulent registration of SIM cards may also be given not more than 12 strokes of the cane.The police also urged members of the public to call its hotline at 1800-255-0000 or make a report at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness if they suspect or know of anyone who may be involved in the registration of SIM cards for illicit purposes. 

The police have alerted the public on malware-enabled scams involving emails and websites that impersonate the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).In an advisory issued on Tuesday (May 19) night, the police said they have proactively detected and blocked at least 10 such websites.Police said the scammers would send emails to the recipients, claiming to be from the ministry, and that the recipients' companies had contravened the Employment Act.The allegations include breaching regulations in relation to salary payments, overtime arrangements, rest day management, foreign employee management, and the performance of employment contracts.

The weather radar in the cockpit of Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321 may have malfunctioned amid turbulence that resulted in the death of a British national in 2024 and injuries to other passengers, according to a report by the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) published on Tuesday (May 19).SQ321 departed London Heathrow for Singapore at around 9.40pm UTC (5.40am Singapore time) on May 20, 2024.At 7.49am UTC the next day, as the plane cruised over southwest Myanmar, it was abruptly hit by turbulence that lasted over a full minute.Despite the best efforts of flight crew to take control, 80 passengers on board the flight suffered injuries, while the British passenger died after suffering complications with his heart and lungs.The Boeing 777-300ER was carrying a total of 229 passengers including crew.After receiving reports of multiple injuries in the cabin, the flight crew declared mayday to air traffic control in Yangon, Myanmar, and was directed to land in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.Arriving at 8.45am, medical personnel helped treat the injured, transporting them to hospitals.

Singapore will be evaluating its ability to potentially deploy nuclear energy through an assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2027, announced Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.Exploring advanced nuclear energy technologies is one of they ways Singapore can build energy resilience and secure its supply chains, said PM Wong during his speech at the Energy Market Authority's (EMA) 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner on Tuesday (May 19).In particular, Singapore has been progressively building capabilities in nuclear science, safety and technology in line with international best practices, and the IAEA assessment will help to validate the current progress and ensure that capability development is advancing in the right direction.The assessment, called the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR), is part of the IAEA Milestones Approach — a structured, internationally recognised framework to guide countries in understanding the commitments and obligations associated with developing a nuclear power programme.

Nuclear power plants pose low risks to the public and could strengthen Singapore's baseload energy supply as the country steps up efforts to seriously study the potential deployment of this energy source, experts said.This comes as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on Tuesday (May 19) that Singapore would be evaluating its ability to potentially deploy nuclear energy through an assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2027, in a bid to strengthen energy resilience amid increasing external shocks.While no decision to pursue nuclear energy has yet been made, experts that AsiaOne spoke to welcomed the move, saying and said that developing nuclear energy can strengthen Singapore's long-term energy security while posing low risks to public safety.'Low risk to the public'While some may have concerns about radiation risks associated with advanced nuclear energy technologies, experts we spoke to say developments in the field — particularly in small modular reactors (SMRs) — have significantly improved safety features, allowing systems to operate without human intervention or external power.

A 40-year-old male motorcyclist was taken to hospital after he allegedly ran over fallen objects on the Seletar Expressway (SLE) on Monday (May 18) night.The accident happened at about 10.35pm along SLE towards the Bukit Timah Expressway, before the Upper Thomson Road exit.  Map showing where the motorcyclist ran over fallen object(s) on SLE on Monday (May 18) night. GRAPHIC: Google Maps, Social media Dashcam footage of the incident posted on a motoring chat group shows the dashcam car travelling along the third of five lanes.As the dashcam car nears a paved over stretch, a motorcycle is seen changing lanes to the right, seemingly to avoid fallen objects on the road.

More than a week after the last round of changes to pump prices in Singapore on May 8 — with diesel prices adjusted downwards and petrol prices kept unchanged — oil and gas company Shell has raised petrol prices but reduced its posted price for diesel.In a price board update published at 4.30pm on Monday (May 18), Shell announced a 3-cent hike across its petrol offerings, while reducing its diesel price by the same amount. The move also pushed its more premium 98-octane petrol past the $4 mark again.Following the latest round of pump prices adjustments, the price of the more popular 95-octane petrol now ranges from $2.64 at Cnergy, to $3.49 at Shell.Meanwhile, the more premium 98-octane petrol is now priced between $3.05 at Cnergy and $4.01 at Shell.