SINGAPORE: On Oct 17, 2025, officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) at Tuas Checkpoint were able to stop an elaborate smuggling attempt when they discovered 4,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes cleverly hidden among boxes of perfumes and knitted garments in a Malaysia-registered lorry. According to ICAs Facebook post, the lorry caught officers attention []

SINGAPORE: On October 14, 2025, officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) uncovered a bottle of suspected kratom hidden in the bag of a 37-year-old Malaysian motorcyclist trying to enter the country. According to ICAs update posted on their Facebook page, the rider was pulled aside for further checks and asked if he had []

SINGAPORE: How does a fresh grad survive in Singapore these days? A local NUS graduate recently posed this question online after realising just how exhausting and expensive adult life has become. Posting on the r/nus subreddit on Tuesday (Oct 28), the graduate wrote that when he was still in university, life was simple. All he []

SINGAPORE: Its rush hour, you squeeze into the MRT, grab a handlebar, and just as youre about to relax bam! A nasal assault hits you square in the face. Not from a malfunctioning aircon, not from an overturned cup of kopi but from someone's untreated, full-blown body odour! Which is why one Singaporean commuter []

HONG KONG/SINGAPORE: In Hong Kong, a local non-profit called Look Up Hong Kong is making a bold appeal to parents: hold off on giving your child a smartphone until they turn 14. The group recently surveyed 651 parents with children in primary and secondary schools. The results were eye-opening more than half (52%) of []

SOUTH KOREA: After months of tough negotiations and rising tension, US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced a landmark trade deal on Wednesday (Oct 29) a breakthrough that both leaders hailed as a win for their countries economies and workers. The agreement, finalised during Trumps visit to the historic []

SINGAPORE: If youve ever walked under an HDB block and felt a sudden jolt of existential dread looking up at a precariously placed flower pot, youre not alone. A concerned Singaporean resident took to Reddits r/SgRabak to ask the seemingly innocent question: Flower pots in HDB flats allowed? Its unsafe though And with that, he []

SINGAPORE: When one non-Singaporean man met a Singaporean peer abroad, he wasnt expecting the conversation to dive into national defence, dishonour, and a possible act of theatrical escape. He (Singaporean) mentioned that he never finished his national service and got kicked out dishonourably discharged, I believe after only a year, the non-Singaporean shared []

SINGAPORE: Looks like the internet has done what it does best once again dug up an old wound and poured fresh salt on it. A video, originally uploaded six years ago by Singapore Incidents, titled PRC lady telling Singaporean neighbour: "Singapore is not your land!!!" has resurfaced with a vengeance, sparking yet another round []

SINGAPORE: A home-based fried chicken seller is facing criticisms online due to hygienic concerns over his way of handling the food with his bare hands. People also reacted to the long delays between his cooking and the delivery time of the food. After the seller went live on the social media platform TikTok, a debate []

TOKYO: Chinas biggest automaker, BYD, is about to shake up one of Japans most sacred automotive traditions the kei car. The company is set to unveil its first-ever all-electric kei vehicle at the Japan Mobility Show this Friday, marking its boldest move yet into Japans tightly protected market. The tiny EV smaller than []

SINGAPORE: A rather fiery debate has erupted on Reddit over whether foreigners should be expected to speak Mandarin in order to work in Singapore. The discussion began after a user shared a Threads post in which a man angrily questioned why his brother, offered a dentist job in Singapore, was being forced to learn some []

SINGAPORE: A recent Reddit thread asked women if they expect their partners to have a provider mindset, and one 35-year-old womans reply quickly caught peoples attention. She admitted, quite unapologetically, that she now prefers her partner to have a provider mindset, and she has absolutely no plans to change her mind anytime soon. Writing on []

MALAYSIA: Malaysias critical part in brokering the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord between Thailand and Cambodia was a defining episode in the countrys diplomatic expedition. The momentous ratification not only accentuates Malaysias reliability as a peace enabler but also stresses its increasing capacity and maturity in using soft power to foster accord in Southeast Asia. A []

MALAYSIA: When every brand message starts sounding like it was written by a robot fresh out of a coding bootcamp, it might be time to hit pause on the AI hype. Thats the warning issued by Zuraida Malek, project management director of the upcoming Global Public Relations Conference and Festival 2025, who believes too much []

CHINA: When DeepSeeks revolutionary AI model rocked the tech world earlier this year, it wasnt just the product that grabbed headlines it was the people behind it. And leading that charge was a quiet, unassuming figure named Luo Fuli dubbed by Chinese media as the "AI genius girl" who has now become []

SINGAPORE: After a woman took to social media when she found a foreign object in her food, Burger King apologised in a comment and vowed to look into the matter. On Monday (Oct 27), a netizen posted photos of a burger she claimed to have purchased at the popular fast food chain on the COMPLAINT []

If Elon Musk is right, your future resume might just say: Retired at birth. In yet another provocative forecast, the Tesla and SpaceX boss has declared that AI and robots will replace all jobs, turning work into a quaint hobby much like growing your own vegetables in your backyard. Musk's viral comment came in []

SOUTH KOREA: In a move that could turn your next AI-generated video into a career-launching masterpiece, South Korean mobile game publisher Supercent is calling all creators to join not one but two global AI video contests, boasting a combined prize pool of $1 million (S$1.37 million). So from now until November 23, 2025, anyone with []

SINGAPORE: At the live broadcast of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on Sunday (Oct 26), a commentator from Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM)mistakenly identified Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as Lee Hsien Loong, whom he succeeded in May 2024. However, this was not RTMs only mistake during the ASEAN summit. The same commentator []

SINGAPORE: A passenger shared a photo on social media, showing how a young man mopped spilt tea on the MRT using his T-shirt. He was praised for his "civic- mindedness." On the Facebook group Singapore MRT System, a netizen named Julie Tan wrote: This young man actually took his spare T-shirt to mop up spilled drink []

SINGAPORE: A Chinese woman has taken to social media to warn others about an alleged overseas employment scam after claiming that her salary was withheld while she was working as a singer in Singapore. The woman, identified as Guo Liping (transliterated from Mandarin) from Sichuan, China, shared her experience in two videos titled Singapore Job []

SINGAPORE: A 54-year-old American man has been sentenced to 24 years in prison in Singapore for the horrific crime of raping his own daughter, who was only 11 years old at the time of the assault. The mans girlfriend Albao, a 33-year- old Filipino domestic helper, was also handed a 22-year sentence for instigating the acts. []

SINGAPORE: A mandatory treatment order (MTO) for two years has been issued to Alina Meridian, a 31-year-old Singaporean who pushed a security officer at the MRT station at Lorong Chuan in August last year. An offender who has specific psychiatric conditions that are treatable has to undergo treatment if issued an MTO. The incident caused []

CHINA: China is calling on its neighbours Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian nations to strengthen cooperation in science and technology, pointing to shared opportunities in fast-growing fields like artificial intelligence, robotics, and biomedicine. At a leaders summit in Malaysia with ASEAN, Japan, and South Korea, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said deeper partnerships []

NARA, JAPAN: In a courtroom heavy with emotion and history, the man accused of assassinating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calmly admitted to the killing a stark moment in a case that has haunted Japan since 2022. It is true that I did it, said Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, speaking softly yet clearly in his []

SINGAPORE: A new survey by ERA Realty Network and Ngee Ann Polytechnic found that only about half of respondents51%feel that BTO flats are still affordable. The sentiment dips sharply for other housing types: Just 28% believe resale HDB flats are affordable, while only 13% think the same about new private homes, and 16% about resale []

SINGAPORE:MoneyHero Group has launched its AI-powered Car Insurance SaverBot Beta on WhatsApp and is in final testing phases. It will enter a staged market rollout in Singapore this November, with regional expansion expected in 2026. The Car Insurance SaverBot helps users compare, understand, and complete the purchase of their chosen policy in less than three []

SINGAPORE: The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) said on Monday (Oct 27) that a 27-year-old woman was charged in court on Oct 24 with tax evasion offences. IRAS' media statement says that Chong Jia Ling, Genevieve, a businesswoman, distributed and sold products in 2020 and 2021. Chong is charged with making false entries in []

THAILAND: The Royal Thai Police (RTP) have issued a public warning about a rise in foreign-run call centre scams, which are increasingly operating out of residential areas. These scams often involve criminals pretending to be government officials in order to defraud people. Pol Maj Gen Siriwat Deepor, deputy spokesman for the RTP, said that national []

SINGAPORE: Scoot Airlines has issued a statement following reports that a passenger developed itchy, red, and swollen skin after boarding a flight from Penang, Malaysia, to Singapore on October 19, raising suspicions of bedbug bites. According to the passengers account, the redness and swelling appeared mainly on the thighs after the flight. The incident prompted []

SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user sought advice, and perhaps some empathy, on how to increase their earning power. At present, they are taking home around S$2,300 each month. In a post on the r/askSingapore subreddit on Sunday (Oct 26), u/potatoepotata asked those who are earning S$3,000 a month before CPF, Hows life for you? The []

SINGAPORE: City Developments Ltd (CDL) and Mitsui Fudosan (Asia) sold 590 of the 706 units at Zyon Grand during its weekend launch, achieving a take-up rate of 84% as of 6 p.m. on Sunday (Oct 26), at an average price of S$3,050 per square foot (psf). CDL said in a press release on Sunday (Oct []

Asias youngest nation, East Timor, has officially joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), marking a historic milestone nearly 50 years in the making. Also known as Timor-Leste, the small nation became ASEANs 11th member on Sundaya dream first envisioned by its current president, Jos Ramos- Horta, back when the country was still under Portuguese []

SINGAPORE: A British woman living in Singapore took to TikTok to express how much she appreciates the level of safety in the city-state, noting how even now that her husband is away for work, the issue barely crossed her mind. Acknowledging that Singapore is generally known to be one of the safest countries across the []

SINGAPORE: With its cutting-edge cityscape and flawless sense of order, Singapore often feels like a city built for the future, but one traveller discovered that its true beauty lies in something timeless: the kindness of its people. Posting on the r/SgRabak subreddit on Monday (Oct 25), the foreigner shared that she has been visiting the []

President Donald Trump began his Asia tour on Sunday with a flurry of trade agreements aimed at reshaping Americas economic ties in the region and securing key supplies of critical minerals. Touching down in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, Trump oversaw the signing of a peace accord between Cambodia and []

SINGAPORE: Canadian content creator Chris Zou, known for his humorous videos on social media, deadpanned in a recent video that If facts over feelings were a country, it would 100 per cent be Singapore. Mr Zou gained popularity in 2023 because of his videos during SydneyWorldPride, to the point of becoming a meme. Hes been []

SINGAPORE: A commuter posted a video of himself confronting a bus driver for waiting at an unoccupied bus stop. On TikTok, the passenger was seen walking up to the driver and asking him in Mandarin why he was not driving off even though the bus stop was empty. The driver then pointed to the Driver []

AUSTRALIA: Australia is increasingly standing alone in pushing back against Chinas growing influence in the Pacific, as the United States and other Western partners scale back their involvement, according to the 2025 Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map released on Sunday. The report shows that official development finance (ODF) to Pacific nations dropped by 16% in []