CNA

JUST IN: Cat A COE premium jumped nearly S$7,000 to record high of S$139,001 in latest exercise. Premiums for larger and more powerful cars in Category B also rose: https://cna.asia/47WBsAA

Haze law debate: The maximum fine for causing or contributing to land or forest fires with a risk of haze in Singapore will rise ten-fold to S$20 million, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu in parliament. https://cna.asia/4imEAvs Follow live: https://cna.asia/47SUJ5Q

Parliament will debate the proposed amendments to the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) today. Follow our live coverage: https://cna.asia/47SUJ5Q

JUST IN: Democrats have won control of both chambers of the US Congress in the country's midterm elections, dealing a major setback to President Donald Trump and his Republican Party. They flipped Republican Senate seats in states long considered out of reach, including South Carolina, Texas and Iowa: https://cna.asia/4BF0NMQ

Nearly 8,000 BTO flats are up for grabs in Bedok, Geylang, Sembawang, Tengah, Toa Payoh and Yishun in the latest sale exercise launched today. It includes 3Gen flats in Tengah, Prime flats in Toa Payoh and Community Care Apartments for those aged 55 and above: https://cna.asia/4kyvzkl

🇸🇬🥇 A historic gold for Singapore! Wushu exponent Ng Zhe Nin, 16, has emerged victorious at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, where the sport made its Olympic medal debut. Her win marks Singapore's first gold medal at the Summer Youth Olympics since 2014: https://cna.asia/4ebqASW

A historic first for Singapore: International Law ambassador Rena Lee has been elected to the International Court of Justice, the UN's highest court, securing the most votes in the General Assembly. She is the first Singaporean and the first woman from Southeast Asia to be elected: https://cna.asia/4ioUmGk

The American man who was found by a court to have used shell companies to live rent-free in landed properties is now under police investigation for alleged cheating. https://cna.asia/4eeWEoO

JUST IN: Three new MRT stations – Bedok South, Xilin and Sungei Bedok – will open on Dec 26, cutting some journeys by up to 25 minutes. With these, commuters in the east will be able to take the Thomson-East Coast Line directly to the city centre as well as up to Woodlands and eventually connect to Malaysia as well: https://cna.asia/4itqYNO

About 46,000 Singapore Airlines booking records were accessed in a data breach involving one of its software providers. Customers' names, booking references and travel details were among the information exposed, but SIA said its own IT systems were not breached: https://cna.asia/48vFVu5