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Showing posts with the label International News

China National Jailed for Scams Retailers Using Stolen Credit Cards

  SINGAPORE – A 29-year-old man from China has been sentenced to 30 months in jail for his involvement in a transnational credit card fraud scheme that targeted retailers in Singapore. Zhang Tianyu used stolen credit card information to purchase over $40,000 worth of mobile phones over a three-day period. He was convicted on July 8, 2025, after pleading guilty to charges of cheating and acquiring property representing criminal benefits. Zhang was part of a scam syndicate that exploited phishing victims’ credit card details to make contactless payments at major electronic stores such as Best Denki, iStudio, and Challenger. The purchases were made at outlets including Bugis Junction, Funan, and Plaza Singapura. The case began in November 2024, when Zhang was approached by his acquaintance Zhao Yongzhi with an offer to work in Singapore for a salary of 15,000 yuan (about S$2,600). Zhang accepted and arrived in Singapore with Zhao that same month. Once in Singapore, Zhang was given a s...

Deadly Machete Robbery at Johor Petrol Station: 1 Dead, 3 Arrested

  On July 3, 2025 at approximately 12.10am, a violent robbery attempt took place at a petrol station near the Second Link Expressway in Iskandar Puteri, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Four masked men armed with machetes ambushed a parked vehicle, smashing its windows in what appears to have been a well-coordinated attack. The incident was captured on closed-circuit television and the footage quickly circulated online. In response to the aggression, one of the vehicle’s occupants fired several rounds at the assailants, forcing them to flee. The attackers chose two different escape paths three retreating to a getaway vehicle, and one fleeing on foot. Staff at Hospital Sultanah Aminah informed Johor police chief Commissioner M. Kumar about 1.40 am that a man had arrived at the hospital entrance with multiple gunshot injuries. CCTV showed two individuals leaving the wounded man at the hospital before departing in a dark vehicle at high speed. The victim, confirmed deceased after a post-mortem ...

More Than 1,000 Earthquakes Rattle Japan’s Tokara Islands Since June

  Authorities in Japan issued an evacuation order for 89 residents of Akuseki Island , located in the Tokara archipelago , following a magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck the area on July 3 . The quake marked the latest in a series of over 1,000 tremors that have been recorded in the region since June 21, 2025 . According to a municipal official speaking to media, residents were directed to evacuate to a school playground as a precaution. All individuals were later confirmed safe, and the evacuation order was lifted shortly thereafter. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported that the quake posed no tsunami threat , but warned that strong tremors could still trigger landslides and structural collapses , particularly in affected parts of the island. Akuseki is part of the southern Tokara island chain , situated south of Japan’s Kyushu region . Among the 12 islands in the chain, seven are inhabited , with a total population of around 700 people . The JMA recorded 1,031 ...

Malaysian Man Jailed After Running Illicit Setup with Japanese Women

  A 25-year-old Malaysian man , Goh Boon Hong , was sentenced to one year in jail and fined $4,000 on June 30, 2025 , for his role in running an online vice syndicate that recruited Japanese women for prostitution in Singapore. Goh pleaded guilty to five charges , including harbouring women for the purpose of prostitution and living on the earnings of prostitution . He had joined the syndicate in August 2024 under the employment of Wong Chi San , and initially received a 10 per cent commission on earnings, which later increased to 20 per cent . After Wong was arrested in January 2025 , Goh took over the operations of the syndicate. Court documents did not provide further information regarding Wong's charges or current legal status. In February 2025 , Goh invited a 26-year-old Japanese woman , referred to in court documents as A1 , to provide sexual services in Singapore. A1 worked in the city from February to March , and also brought in her 27-year-old friend , A2 , to join th...

Portugal & Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Dies in Tragic Car Crash

  Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota , aged 28, was killed in a tragic car accident alongside his brother in northwestern Spain on Thursday, July 3, 2025 , according to Spanish authorities. The incident occurred when a Lamborghini reportedly veered off the motorway in the municipality of Cernadilla , located in the province of Zamora , Castile-Leon region, shortly after midnight. The vehicle burst into flames upon impact. Emergency services and the regional fire department responded to the crash site and found two deceased individuals, later confirmed to be Diogo Jota and his 26-year-old brother, Andre Felipe . Authorities confirmed that no other vehicles were involved in the crash. The bodies were recovered and sent to a forensics unit in Zamora, where autopsies will be performed . Police investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing. The shocking news comes just weeks after Diogo Jota’s wedding , which he had publicly celebrated on social media with a heartfelt...

Aggressors Trash Shops in Nighttime Rampage at Sarawak

  A violent fight broke out at “29 Mart” in The Glen, Sarawak at around 9:30 PM on June 29, 2025. A group of over 10 men were seen in a viral video demolishing shop property in what appears to be a coordinated act of aggression. While the exact cause of the incident is unclear, early speculation suggests it may be linked to dissatisfaction with nearby businesses or competition among shop owners. The video also captured an unusual moment when one aggressor threw a chair at a glass wall but accidentally hit another member of the group instead. It is not known if any injuries were reported. As of July 1, no police report or official statement has been released. Public concerns have risen regarding safety and business security in the area. The extent of damages and whether any legal action will be taken remains unknown.

Singapore Drivers Fined RM300 for Missing VEP at Johor Checkpoint

  Traffic congestion began soon after midnight on July 1, 2025, as the Malaysian authorities started full enforcement of the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) requirement for Singapore-registered vehicles entering Johor Bahru via the Causeway. The implementation marks the end of a grace period and enforces a rule first introduced in October 2024. At the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex, 55 Road Transport Department (JPJ) officers were stationed along the exit road to Johor Bahru. They immediately began stopping and fining Singapore-registered private vehicles found without a valid VEP tag. The fine for each violation is RM300 (approximately S$91), which must be settled before the driver can leave the country. The first motorist to be fined was 19-year-old Singaporean student Safir Farhan, who was heading to Johor Bahru for supper with his family. Although he had already registered for the VEP, he had yet to receive the RFID tag in the mail. He was...

Truck Knocks Biker and Drives Away Without Help

  A new hit-and-run case in Johor Bahru has surfaced just days after a widely-publicised road rage incident involving a Malaysian man repeatedly ramming a Perodua Axia with his Toyota Hilux. This latest case, which occurred on June 26, 2025, involves a black Mitsubishi L200 Triton that collided with a motorcyclist during a lane change and subsequently left the scene without rendering assistance. The incident took place at approximately 11:30am at kilometre 10 of Jalan Johor Bahru heading towards Skudai. Dashcam footage of the accident has been widely circulated on social media, showing the pickup truck travelling on the rightmost lane before suddenly swerving into the middle lane. In doing so, the truck struck a motorcyclist riding a Yamaha 135LC, causing the rider to lose control and skid several times across the roadway. Rather than stopping to help the injured rider, the driver of the Mitsubishi Triton continued driving. The video ends shortly after, without any indication that ...

Singaporeans Face Death Penalty Over Cocaine Vape Bust in Malaysia

  On June 26, 2025, three Singaporean men and one Malaysian man were formally charged in Kuala Lumpur with trafficking cocaine-laced e-vaporiser liquid. The case was brought before Magistrate Amalina Basirah Md Top, but no pleas were recorded from the accused, as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court. The three Singaporeans charged are Quek Kien Seng, 45, Tristan Chew Jin Zhong, 25, and Ivan Tan Zhi Xuan, 31. They were charged alongside Malaysian citizen Kong Sien Mee, 57. All four face a serious charge under Malaysia’s Dangerous Drugs Act involving 9,420.2 millilitres of liquid containing cocaine. If convicted, the individuals face the death penalty or, alternatively, life imprisonment along with whipping. The arrests were made on June 19, 2025, in the Malaysian state of Selangor. During the raid, authorities intercepted a car carrying ten boxes filled with 4,958 units of liquid vape cartridges suspected to be laced with cocaine. The total estimated street valu...

Truck Escapes Disaster as Guizhou Expressway Bridge Collapse

  On June 25, 2025 , a section of the Houzihé Grand Bridge along the Xiamen–Chengdu Expressway (G76 Xiarong Expressway) in Guizhou Province , China, collapsed due to a landslide triggered by prolonged heavy rainfall . The incident occurred at approximately 7:40 am . According to transportation authorities, signs of structural instability were detected during a routine patrol at 5:51 am , prompting immediate traffic control measures for uphill lanes . By 7:11 am , full two-way traffic restrictions had been enforced on the bridge. These early actions likely prevented a larger disaster, as the bridge collapsed shortly thereafter. At the time of the collapse, only one vehicle, a truck  was present on the affected bridge segment. The truck driver was successfully rescued and did not sustain any injuries . There were no casualties reported at the scene. Emergency services responded swiftly to the situation, securing the site and confirming there were no additional victims under o...

Road Rage: Driver Arrested After Ramming Car Multiple Times

  JOHOR BAHRU – A 50-year-old Malaysian man was arrested after deliberately reversing his Toyota Hilux into a Perodua Axia multiple times during a road rage incident in Johor Bahru, Malaysia . The incident occurred at Jalan Tun Razak at around 3.10pm on June 22, 2025 , and was confirmed in an official statement by the Johor Bahru Selatan District Police released on June 24, 2025 . A 12-second video of the incident went viral after being uploaded to Facebook by the page “Community Roda Johor.” The footage shows the Perodua Axia parked by the roadside with its 63-year-old driver standing at its rear. Without warning, the Toyota Hilux reversed forcefully into the Axia, hitting it twice before fleeing the scene. The momentum of the impact caused the Axia to knock into its own driver. The suspect was quickly identified and arrested by the Royal Malaysia Police ( PDRM ) following public outrage over the video. The district police chief ACP Raub bin Selamat confirmed that the alte...

Singapore Registered BYD Car Goes Against Traffic in Malaysia

  JOHOR – Authorities in Malaysia are investigating an incident involving a Singapore-registered vehicle that was caught on video travelling against the flow of traffic along the Senai-Desaru Expressway. The event occurred on Saturday, 21 June 2025 , at approximately 11.31am , and was brought to public attention after a 12-second dashcam video of the scene was uploaded to Facebook by a community page named Community Roda Johor . The incident took place around the 55km mark of the Senai-Desaru Expressway . In the video, a white car bearing Singapore registration plates is seen driving in the wrong lane directly toward oncoming vehicles. Despite being approached by the car with the dashcam, the Singapore-registered vehicle did not come to a full stop or make way, instead continuing slowly in the opposite direction, forcing other road users to manoeuvre cautiously to avoid a collision. Kota Tinggi district police chief, Superintendent Yusof Othman , issued a public statement on 22 J...

Chinese National Hits Boy with Bottle, Pulls Knife from Bag Near Haji Lane

  On June 20, 2025, at around 1:30pm, a shocking act of violence occurred outside a café located at 56 Arab Street, near Haji Lane, Singapore. A 26-year-old man was accused of attacking a four-year-old boy with a glass bottle, injuring the child’s forehead. The boy, a tourist from Indonesia, was sitting with his parents outside the café when the unprovoked attack took place. The man, later identified as Xu Chaoyu, a Chinese national, reportedly struck the boy with a bottle without warning. Witnesses described the situation as chaotic. Videos uploaded by bystanders showed the man laughing to himself while sitting cross-legged outside the café. Several members of the public intervened to restrain him and prevent further harm. As the situation escalated, Xu was seen reaching into his black bag. A vigilant bystander quickly noticed this and intervened, restraining him and confiscating the bag. A knife was later discovered in his possession. Witness accounts confirmed that during the in...

Massive Fire Destroys 3 Factories & 15 Vehicles in Johor

  On June 20, 2025, a significant fire erupted at 12:54pm in the Kota Puteri Industrial Park near Taman Megah Ria in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The blaze rapidly swept through several facilities within the industrial area, resulting in the total destruction of three major sites: a used engine oil storage facility, a soap processing plant, and a lorry parking lot. A car wash located nearby suffered partial damage, while another unidentified unit escaped without harm. No injuries or fatalities were reported in connection with the incident. According to Senior Fire Superintendent Rosfarawadi Ismani Ismail, Deputy Chief of State Fire and Rescue Department Zone 1, a total of 34 personnel and nine firefighting appliances from five fire stations were deployed to the scene to battle the fire. The affected area was quickly surrounded by emergency responders working to contain the flames and prevent the fire from spreading further within the industrial park. The fire resulted in severe property ...

Singapore, HK & Malaysia Bust Regional Scam Ring in Coordinated Raid

  Between April and June 2025, law enforcement agencies from Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia jointly executed a large-scale operation that successfully dismantled a sophisticated criminal syndicate responsible for perpetrating scam calls across all three jurisdictions. The syndicate had been operating an advanced Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) GSM gateway system that facilitated large-scale fraudulent activity by routing scam calls through local mobile phone networks, thereby deceiving victims into thinking the calls originated within their own countries. This operation was led by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in coordination with the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP). Singapore’s Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and Police Intelligence Department (PID) worked closely with their regional counterparts under a cooperative transnational framework. The two-month effort involved sustained intelligenc...

Car Wash Worker Crashes Car Off 3rd Floor Parking in Kuala Lumpur

  On June 15, 2025, a 23-year-old Afghan man working at a car wash was seriously injured after a car he was operating plunged from the third floor of a service apartment's parking facility at Jalan Klang Lama in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The incident took place at approximately 5:38 p.m. According to Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa, Chief of the Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT), the man lost control of the Toyota Camry he was driving while attempting to park it after completing a car wash. Initial investigations suggest that he may have accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, causing the vehicle to surge forward, crash through a concrete barrier, and fall several storeys to the ground. The vehicle ultimately landed on two parked cars, a Proton Iriz and a Perodua Myvi, which were situated at the building's ground-level carpark. Fortunately, there were no occupants in the two stationary vehicles at the time of the ...

Two Indian Travellers Theft Cases Lead to Jail and Fine

  On June 16, 2025, two Indian nationals, Garg Prasha and Goenka Simran, were sentenced for theft offences committed while transiting through Singapore’s Changi Airport after arriving from Kolkata, India, on June 2, 2025. Both individuals were scheduled for a connecting flight to Bali and were in transit at Changi Airport, where they separately committed thefts at airport retail stores located in Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. At approximately 7:00 a.m., 30-year-old Garg Prasha entered the Charles & Keith store at Terminal 2. While browsing, she spotted a black haversack on display, took the bag, and placed it into her luggage trolley. Without making payment, she exited the store. An alert store employee witnessed the incident and immediately lodged a police report. Garg was swiftly apprehended by the Singapore Police Force. The stolen item, a black haversack valued at more than S$80, was recovered in its original condition. On June 16, 2025, she appeared before the court and plead...

16 Arrested in Singapore-Malaysia Crackdown on Illegal Horse Betting Syndicate

  On June 11, 2025, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) conducted a coordinated enforcement operation targeting a transnational criminal syndicate believed to be involved in illegal horse betting. The joint operation led to the arrest of a total of 16 individuals, comprising 15 men and one woman aged between 50 and 78. The SPF’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), supported by the Special Operations Command, executed simultaneous raids at several locations across Singapore, resulting in the arrest of 14 men and one woman. At the same time, Malaysian police officers from the RMP Criminal Investigation Department conducted a raid in Malaysia and arrested a 53-year-old Singaporean man. This man will be charged in court on June 13, 2025, for offences under the Gambling Control Act 2022. Investigations into the remaining arrested individuals are ongoing. During the operation, the SPF seized multiple assets believed to be linked to criminal proceeds. The...

17-Year-Old Student Kills Mother and Brother in Melaka Over Academic Pressure

  In a tragic and shocking case from Melaka, Malaysia, police have identified a 17-year-old male student as the main suspect in the brutal murder of his mother and older brother. The incident took place at a home in Taman Rambai Mutiara, Bukit Rambai, during the early hours of June 12, 2025. According to Melaka state police chief, Deputy Commissioner Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar, preliminary investigations suggest that the teenager allegedly stabbed his 51-year-old mother multiple times while she was asleep in her bedroom. When the victim’s 21-year-old eldest son rushed to her aid upon hearing the commotion, he was also stabbed fatally. Both mother and son died at the scene due to the severity of their injuries. The suspect also allegedly attacked his 13-year-old younger brother, who survived the assault but remains in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Melaka Hospital. Police arrived at the house following a report and discovered the lifeless bodies of the woman an...