NUS student allegedly deflated car tyres in Woodlands, charged with being a public nuisance; Singapore's economic growth upgraded to around 3.5% in 2024: Singapore live news

A woman was upset when a Tampines popiah stall turned her away after a 40-minute wait.

The 69-year-old woman, identified as Tan, told Shin Min Daily News that she pre-ordered $33 worth of popiah from the stall, which is located along Tampines Street 81, last Sunday (17 Nov).

Tan had paid for the food in advance too.

However, when she turned up at 10.40am on the collection day, she was asked to queue up.

As she was in a rush, and there were more than 10 people in line, Tan asked for a refund. She alleged that the owner insisted she queue up. When it was finally her turn after 40 minutes, the owner rejected Tan's business and gave her a refund without an explanation.

Tan was upset over the lack of a reason and said, "If she didn't want to accept my order, she should have just refunded me on the spot instead of making me wait in the queue."

The shop owner, who declined to be identified, told Shin Min that her assistant was the one who took the order. The owner also said Tan was informed that she had to queue when collecting her order on the day itself.

They clarified that they had already prepared the ingredients and needed time to complete the order.

However, when Tan was upset that she had to queue, the shop owner decided to do a refund as they "figured she would be unhappy even after eating the popiah".

The owner admitted that they were also unhappy with the experience and had to throw away the ingredients for Tan's orders.

"I am running the stall on my own, and it sometimes gets overwhelming. I hope customers can understand this," said the owner.

Mariah Carey has 'defrosted', which means Christmas is coming.

And in Singapore, which may be small, there is no lack of events to celebrate the festive season with your loved ones or special someone.

From the annual Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay, to our very own Christmas Market, there's a plethora of activities to get you in the holiday mood.

To see a full list of Christmas events in Singapore, read here.

Singapore's prime minister Lawrence Wong has made the list of world's richest leaders, ranked alongside others like Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim, Canada's Justin Trudeau, and America's Joe Biden.

However, Wong, who took over from Lee Hsien Loong, isn't as rich as his predecessor who is said to be worth at least US$50 million (S$67.3 million).

Wong was the former minister of finance and became Singapore's fourth Prime Minister in May 2024.

For more on how much Lawrence Wong might be worth, read here.

A Singaporean woman is under investigation for suspected terrorism-related activities, said the Internal Security Department (ISD).

Messages about the woman first appeared on a Telegram channel on Tuesday (19 Nov), reported The Straits Times (ST). The channel has over 20,000 subscribers and provides updates on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The messages claimed that the woman had been arrested by local authorities and confiscated electronic devices. There was an update on the same day that said the woman had been released.

The agency confirmed the investigation to ST on Friday (22 Nov) in response to their queries. ISD was unable to provide details due to the ongoing investigation.

Bitcoin neared a landmark US$100,000 level amid optimism over Trump's support for the digital asset.

The digital asset traded at US$98,500 on Friday (22 Nov) morning in Singapore after briefly hitting US$99,000 on Thursday in the US. The crypto market as a whole has gained about US$1 trillion since Trump’s 5 November election win.

The rise in value is also further complemented by the news that Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler plans to step down on 20 Jan, 2025. Gensler’s tenure was marked by a flurry of SEC crypto enforcement actions, which the industry expects will peter out under Trump.

Despite the surge, experts warn against going all in on Bitcoin.

Themis Themistocleous, EMEA chief investment officer at UBS Wealth Management, said on Bloomberg Television, "It’s very volatile, and we think you can have in your portfolio other hedges like gold, that all the time prove to be a much more effective hedge."

For more on Bitcoin as an investment, read here.

US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Pam Bondi to replace former nominee Matt Gaetz for the position of US Attorney General.

Gaetz withdrew from consideration after a federal sex trafficking investigation and ethics probe. He has denied wrongdoing.

Bondi, 59, is the former Florida attorney general, and has been associated with Trump for a long time. She was a potential candidate for the role during Trump's first term, and was part of his defense team during his first impeachment trial.

When announcing his pick on social media, Trump said Bondi will end the politicisation of federal prosecutions.

He said, "Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again."

For more on Pam Bondi's nomination, read here.

NUS student Benjamin Chia Yit Loong allegedly deflated the tyres of five cars at two multi-storey carparks in Woodlands.

The 23-year-old was charged on 21 Nov with being a public nuisance.

He reportedly committed the offences between 10am and 12pm on Tuesday (19 Nov) at the multi-storey carparks at Block 517A and Block 519A Woodlands Drive 14.

Chia was arrested within eight hours.

He is also accused of leaving fliers on windscreens of the vehicles, which were linked to a climate activist group against the use of sport utility vehicles. This is believed to be the first case in Singapore linked to the group.

A police prosecutor requested that the case be adjourned pending further investigations. They added that Chia would likely face more charges.

Chia's lawyer, Anil Sandhu, said it was the exam period for his client and requested that the next mention of the case be after his exams.

District Judge Lorraine Ho set his bail at $5,000, and his case will be heard again on 9 Dec.

For each charge of causing annoyance to the public, he could face a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to S$2,000, or both.

For more on Chia's charges, read here.

Singapore increased its projected economic growth to about 3.5 per cent on Friday (22 Nov).

In August, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) projected the gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast to be between 2 per cent and 3 per cent.

However, the "better-than-expected performance" of the economy in the first three quarters of the year led to MTI upgrading its forecast.

MTI sees next year’s growth in a 1 per cent to 3 per cent range, reflecting global volatility given likely trade tensions generated by Donald Trump’s presidency, China’s slowdown, and other geopolitical fissures in the Middle East and Ukraine.

It also cautioned on risks for 2025 given an expected barrage of tariffs from Trump.

MTI noted that Singapore’s overall external demand outlook is "expected to remain resilient for the rest of 2024", but added that "global economic uncertainties have increased."

For more on Singapore's 2024 economic forecast, read here.