SINGAPORE — A doctor and an acquaintance were each sentenced to a year in jail on Aug 12 for consuming MDMA, also known as Ecstasy.The doctor, Rayson Lee Rui Sheng, 36, and Tan Li Ming, 29, were among 49 men arrested in a police raid during a party held at a villa at the Sofitel Singapore Sentosa hotel on Aug 9, 2023.Following a trial, each man was convicted of one count of drug consumption in June.In earlier proceedings, the court heard that Lee was at the villa to attend another acquaintance’s birthday party.He arrived at around 8pm on Aug 8, 2023, mingled with friends, and then left for a club in Clarke Quay, where he was introduced to Tan.The two men went to the villa separately in the wee hours the next day.Police, acting on information, conducted checks at the hotel shortly after 5.30am and found substances believed to be controlled drugs.The Central Narcotics Bureau were alerted.During the operation, the authorities also found several substances suspected to be controlled drugs, including Ecstasy and ketamine, and drug paraphernalia.

An orchid-themed park, an activity promenade and more recreational spaces are possible features in National Parks Board's (NParks) plans to rejuvenate the Istana Park and Dhoby Ghaut area. These updates were announced by Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan at an event held at Temasek Shophouse on Wednesday (Aug 12). Under the plan, the current Istana Park will be merged with the existing Dhoby Ghaut Green and Penang Road Open Space, along with the 500m stretch of Orchard Road between Buyong Road and Handy Road that will be pedestrianised. This will create a new park more than three times the size of the existing Istana Park.«The significantly larger space will allow for a refresh of the area with new attractions and offerings, possibly including more family-friendly features, greenery and flexible spaces for activities and programmes,» NParks said. 

This year's Hungry Ghost Festival begins on Aug 13 (Thursday), and many Chinese are expected to make offerings of candles, food, joss sticks and others from Wednesday night onwards.Over the years, this practice has sometimes caused neighbourly disputes and even resulted in fire.It has also caused cleanliness and hygiene-related concerns with food offerings attracting animals and pests such as rats.In an advisory posted on its social media on Wednesday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) urged members of the public to be considerate and to keep shared spaces clean while paying respects.It also sought the public's cooperation not to toss or scatter joss paper, and to clear offerings after prayers.«Leaving items behind may constitute littering,» it added.An infographic shared by the agency suggested that those burning offerings can do so based on sincerity, burning smaller amounts of joss paper to reduce smoke and ashes. 

SINGAPORE — Nearly two-thirds of Sentosa Cove properties changed hands at a loss in the last three years, while resale gains on profitable transactions shrank by some 60 per cent, research by analysts showed.Landed homes seem to fare slightly better than condominiums, with roughly half of landed resale deals closing above water since 2023.Sentosa is the only place in Singapore where foreigners can buy a landed property, subject to approval from the Government. Capital values of the 99-year-leasehold homes built on Sentosa have long trailed those of properties on the mainland.Several factors, from accessibility to pricing, explain its niche demand.But, since 2023, steep increases in stamp duties for foreign buyers have curtailed demand for the luxury homes on the island, heavily promoted from the start as a playground for the wealthy. Data compiled by Mogul.sg, covering landed and non-landed homes, showed that 64.5 per cent of resale transactions between May 2023 and June 2026 were unprofitable, up from 62.8 per cent between March 2020 and April 2023. 

Travellers departing Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint are advised that there is currently heavy departure traffic at Woodlands Checkpoint.In an advisory posted on its social media at 11.19am, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said this is due to tailback from Malaysia.The authority added that delays are expected and advised travellers to check traffic conditions before embarking on their journey.Checks by AsiaOne on the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) traffic camera at 11.45am show that the tailback stretches up to Woodlands Crossing. The tailback extended to Woodlands Crossing. PHOTO: Land Transport Authority However, traffic remains smooth along the Woodlands Flyover towards Woodlands Checkpoint.

A group of people have drawn criticism online for setting up a badminton net across a public walkway at Sembawang Park, obstructing pedestrians using the path.In a photo shared on Facebook on Sunday (Aug 9), five people in red shirts are seen gathered along the walkway, with the net having a Singapore flag on display. Several folding chairs and badminton bags could also be seen around the setup.An eyewitness claimed the incident took place on the morning of National Day, and there were about 10 people involved.The incident garnered mixed reactions online, with some netizens criticising the group's actions while others argued that pedestrians could opt for alternative routes. One commenter said that celebrating National Day with friends and enjoying a game of badminton was perfectly reasonable, but public spaces should remain accessible to everyone.

This year's Hungry Ghost Festival begins on Thursday (Aug 13) and ends on Sept 10, with the 15th day — also known as Ghost Day — occurring on Aug 27.The festival is rooted in folklore that the gates of hell open during the seventh lunar month, allowing spirits to return to the living world to look for food. It is with this belief that many Chinese make offerings of food, joss sticks, candles, paper money and other paper effigies such as houses, cars and clothes to the dead. These offerings are not only made to ancestors but also to wandering spirits in the hope that they will be appeased and hence refrain from disturbing the living. Do hell gates really open?In a 2023 interview, Lee Chee Tong, a 27-year-old ordained Taoist priest, told AsiaOne that the festival is not as scary as many believe it to be.According to Taoist beliefs, the 15th day of the seventh month is the birthday of Di Guan Da Di, also known as the 'earth official'. 

A man spotted a foreign worker cycling on the Seletar Expressway (SLE) last Thursday (Aug 6), and decided to make a «special bike delivery» — giving him and his bicycle a lift and a quick lesson on using Google Maps.  Facebook user Foong WeiSheng shared two videos of the encounter on the platform that day. In the videos, Foong is seen mounting the man's bicycle onto a bike rack at the back of his car, which already had another bicycle secured to it.He then gives the worker a lift away from the expressway.The post captioned: «Did a special bike delivery today. Saw an Indian foreign worker cycling along SLE. I stopped and asked him where he (was) going.»Foong explained in the caption that the man had cycled from North Star towards North Link and that his Google Maps had been set to two-wheeler, which is for motorcycles, and he had just followed the app's directions. «As I am going toward Mandai Zoo, I sent him to Mandai road and guided him (on) how to set his Google maps settings so in future, he will not enter expressway again.»

In a bid to get a better vantage point, some people were seen allegedly scaling a bus stop just to shoot pictures.A photo shared in Facebook group Complaint Singapore by user Mark Tan on Monday (Aug 10) shows at least three individuals standing on top of a bus stop shelter.One person is seen perched on another person's shoulder while taking a photo. «Careful ah,» the post captioned. As the photo was uploaded a day after National Day, netizens speculated that they would have been taking pictures of the fireworks.In response to AsiaOne's queries, Tan said that the photo was shared by his friend, who saw it in a TikTok story by user rcistiredd. The photo was stitched in another TikTok video posted on Monday by user geotalkstoomuch, who alleged that those in the video were taking photos of the National Day fireworks. The post captioned: «NDP fireworks got Singaporeans doing side quests. Would you climb up for the perfect view?»

Lim Tean has been arrested by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) upon his return on Tuesday (Aug 11), the police said.The 61-year-old was arrested by the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) in Johor Bahru on Aug 6, after an arrest warrant was issued for him on Aug 3 for failing to surrender to the State Courts to begin his jail term the same day.

A customer was left feeling uneasy after allegedly finding a cockroach in sushi bought from Don Don Donki's Orchard Central outlet.Sharing the incident on social media on Thursday (Aug 6), the customer said she felt nauseous after noticing it.A photo accompanying the post also shows what appears to be a baby cockroach in the sushi.In a screenshot of a response from Don Don Donki shared by the customer, the chain apologised for the incident and said a detailed investigation with its professional pest control supplier was ongoing.Immediate inspection and thorough cleaning of equipment in the food preparation area, including deep cleaning of relevant sushi-making equipment, were conducted, the firm said.«Furthermore, we have enhanced our inspection procedures before food preparation and reminded the team to be more vigilant when preparing food,» the message read. As an apology, the chain offered the customer a full refund for the meal and a $50 voucher, which could be collected from its Orchard Central outlet by contacting the duty manager. 

Tickets for the first leg of the Lions' Asean Championship semi-final against Thailand at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (Aug 15) will go on sale from 11am on Aug 12, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said.They can be purchased online via Tickethotline, with prices starting at $35 for Category 2 and $49 for Category 1.Fans are reminded that tickets are available exclusively through the online sales channel. There will be no box office or on-site ticket sales.All away tickets have been purchased in full by the Football Association of Thailand (FA Thailand) and are directly managed by the association. Away fans seeking tickets should contact FA Thailand directly, FAS said on Tuesday.The away leg will be held on Aug 18 in Bangkok.Those who manage to secure tickets to the match are reminded that home zones are designated for Singapore fans and supporters only, while away zones are for away supporters.

A 25-year-old male British traveller will be charged in court on Wednesday (Aug 12) for alleged multiple offences at a boarding gate at Changi Airport, including causing injury to the staff.Police said in a news release on Tuesday that they received a call regarding a passenger causing nuisance at a boarding gate in Changi Airport Terminal 1 at about 4.05pm on July 20.The traveller, who was believed to be drunk, was talking and shouting loudly while at the boarding gate for a flight to Kuala Lumpur.As his actions caused annoyance to other passengers, two airline staff approached him, but he allegedly reacted angrily and directed vulgarities at one of the staff.The airline then decided to offload him from the flight.After being informed of the decision, he allegedly started behaving aggressively and pushed past the staff in an attempt to board the aircraft.This caused the staff, who was trying to stop him, to fall to the ground, thereby suffering injuries to her left arm and wrist.His actions also constituted an unauthorised entry to a protected area of the airport.