Category: Singapore

Business

Beer Was Declared as ‘Food’ and ‘Machinery’ in Singapore Tax Scheme — Then Customs Opened the Warehouse

SINGAPORE — Thousands of bottles of beer entered Singapore on paperwork that allegedly made them look like something entirely different. Food. Industrial machinery. Anything, investigators said, except the dutiable alcohol actually sitting inside the shipments. The scheme eventually led Singapore Customs to more than 35,000 bottles of duty-unpaid beer, a Singapore company used to store and distribute them, two men prosecuted in court—and a S$560,000 fine for the man authorities described as

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Singapore

20-Year-Old SCDF NSF Dies Weeks After Becoming a Firefighter — But Police Still Haven’t Said What Happened in Marina Bay’s Training Yard

SINGAPORE — A 20-year-old Singapore Civil Defence Force full-time National Serviceman has died after he was found unconscious inside the training yard of Marina Bay Fire Station on Sunday morning, triggering a police investigation into what happened during one of his first weeks at an operational fire station. Lance Corporal Muhammad Nur Ilham Mohammed Iswadi was on duty when he was discovered unconscious at about 8.10 a.m. on Sept. 6, according to SCDF. Colleagues immediately began cardiopulm

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Entertainment

Patrick Garcia’s 13-Year-Old Daughter Flies to Singapore Every Week for K-Pop Training—And This May Be Just the Beginning

MANILA, Philippines — At just 13 years old, Michelle Celeste Garcia, the daughter of actors Patrick Garcia and Nikka Martinez, is taking her K-pop dream to an international level. Michelle has been traveling from the Philippines to Singapore every Friday for a 10-week K-pop training program at SM Universe Singapore, an academy established under the training system of South Korean entertainment powerhouse SM Entertainment. But this is more than just a weekend hobby. For 10 consecutive weekends

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Singapore

Nine Singaporeans Are Still Missing After Nepal’s Catastrophic Flood — Now DNA Teams Are Searching for Answers

KATHMANDU — More than a week after catastrophic floods tore through Nepal's northern border region and swept destruction hundreds of kilometres downstream, the disaster has entered another agonising phase: identifying the dead while thousands of families continue searching for the missing. Among those waiting for answers are the families of nine Singaporeans who remain unaccounted for. Singapore police forensic specialists are now working alongside Nepali authorities and international teams, u

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Singapore

Singapore’s Haze Just Eased — But the Smoke Threatening the City May Not Be Over Yet

Singapore’s air quality improves after unhealthy haze levels — but regional fires remain a threat Singapore's air quality has improved after several parts of the city-state briefly entered the unhealthy range, but authorities are warning that transboundary haze could persist as dry conditions continue across parts of Southeast Asia. By Saturday night, all five regions of Singapore had returned to the moderate range. The central region's 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) stood at 96 at 10

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China

Miss World 2026 Coronation Night Underway in Vietnam—Then the Philippines’ Asia Rose Simpson Makes the Cut

NHA TRANG, Vietnam — The highly anticipated Miss World 2026 coronation night has officially begun in Vietnam, with 111 delegates from around the world competing for the coveted blue crown in the pageant's 75th Anniversary Edition. The grand finale is taking place at April 2 Square in Nha Trang, where thousands of spectators are watching the outdoor spectacle unfold. The event marks the culmination of weeks of competitions, advocacy activities, cultural showcases and challenges involving contest

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Singapore

Simon Lane House Fire Sends One to Hospital, Forces 30 to Flee—Then Flames Appeared Again

SINGAPORE — A fire that broke out at a two-storey house along Simon Lane in Kovan on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, sent one person to hospital for smoke inhalation and forced about 30 people from neighbouring homes to evacuate as firefighters battled the blaze. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the fire at around 3 p.m. When firefighters arrived, the two-storey property was already ablaze. SCDF deployed three water jets to surround, contain and extinguish the fire. A person fr

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Business

Singapore’s Air India Fight Takes a Sharper Turn — Kenneth Tiong Responds After Shanmugam’s Racism Warning

A political and commercial dispute surrounding Singapore Airlines’ investment in Air India has taken a sharper turn after Workers’ Party MP Kenneth Tiong said his concerns about the investment were purely commercial and condemned racist and xenophobic comments that have surfaced online. Tiong’s response came after Senior Minister K. Shanmugam warned on Sept. 5 that authorities were looking into “shameful” racist and xenophobic comments connected to both the Nepal-Tibet disaster and the controve

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Singapore

Singapore’s Flu Cases Are Rising — But the Next Vaccine Won’t Arrive Until October. What Happens Now?

SINGAPORE — Singapore is seeing a noticeable rise in influenza activity just as the country prepares for its next seasonal flu season — but the updated Northern Hemisphere vaccine will arrive about two weeks later than usual, creating a potential timing challenge for people at higher risk of serious illness. The Ministry of Health (MOH) and Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said the 2026–2027 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccines are expected to become available in Singapore in early to mid-O

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Singapore

Singapore Police Probe Racist Online Comments Targeting Indians—Shanmugam Warns: “They Should Be Unmasked”

SINGAPORE — Singapore authorities are investigating a wave of racist and xenophobic comments posted online in connection with two unrelated developments: the deadly Nepal floods involving nine missing Singaporeans, and Singapore Airlines’ investment in financially troubled Air India. Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam said on Sept. 5 that the comments were “shameful,” “nasty” and unacceptable, warning that allowing racial prejudice to become normalised o

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