NewsLite

With Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums breaking records soaring and brand-new cars now costing over $180,000, buying second-hand might seem like the smart way forward. For many first-time buyers, the appeal is simple: lower prices, less upfront stress.

But not every used car is a good deal — especially when you factor in COE cycles, depreciation trends, and hidden long-term costs. Some may look like bargains but end up costing more over time.

In this guide, we break down what you're really paying for, when used cars offer real value, and when you might be better off walking away. If you're trying to decide whether buying used makes sense in 2025, this is where to start.

Let's say you're considering a practical and popular model like the Toyota Corolla Altis Elegance 1.8L-a go-to sedan for families in Singapore.

Try searching for "Aoshima" in Japan. Guess what, you'll get two different islands. Same name, wildly different experiences: one where cats outnumber humans 20 to 1, and another where tropical beaches meet ancient spirituality.

Welcome to Japan's most fascinating case of mistaken identity.

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Location: Ehime Prefecture, Western Japan

We've all heard this one before: the would-be investor who spends years "thinking about it," only to never buy a single property. That's not a mistake this Malaysian real estate investor made: if anything, he jumped in almost too fast.

This week, we sat down with John to talk about what he's learned from investing (and working as a property agent) in Malaysia, why he sticks to Johor Bahru, and what he wishes more people knew before they sign on the dotted line:

John's property journey started while working in Kuala Lumpur, and it was driven by plain old math. "The rent I was paying was about the same as a mortgage instalment," he recalls. "So I thought, why not just buy it?"

Now, for the record, we don't think it should be that straightforward: we understand John's point of view, that rental is pure overhead, whereas a mortgage leads to ownership. However, this must be considered in conjunction with other factors, such as available capital and future rental/resale concerns (although in this case, John was acting more as a pure owner-occupier).

SEOUL - Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min will bring his 10-year spell with the Premier League club to an end this summer, the 33-year-old South Korean said on Saturday (Aug 2).

Son, who is under contract until 2026, led Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years with their win over Manchester United in the Europa League final in May, having joined the North London club from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.

While Son did not disclose his next destination, British media have linked him with a move to Major League Football club Los Angeles FC.

"I have decided to leave the team this summer," Son said at a press conference ahead of Spurs' pre-season friendly against Newcastle United in Seoul on Sunday.

Motorists living in Punggol West will have another way to access Tampines Expressway (TPE) when a new six-lane vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link opens on Aug 3.

This alternative route to enter and exit Punggol town will help relieve traffic pressure on existing major arterial roads such as Punggol Way and Punggol Road, which feed into the TPE.

The new bridge, located near Yusof Ishak Secondary School, comes with upgraded road junctions and barrier-free paths that link to the Punggol Park Connector, said Punggol GRC MP Sun Xueling in a Facebook post on July 31.

It will form part of a new road called Seletar South Link.

On a typical Friday night, many youths would either be hanging out with friends, preparing for a night out or heading to bed.

And then there is Delonix Tan, who is just waking up and getting ready to go to the wet market at Kim Keat Palm Market and Food Centre.

For the 27-year-old, this is a weekly routine that will only get more hectic when his new F&B venture at MyVillage called San Dai Yong Tau Foo, which sells hearty bowls of yong tau foo, opens in September.

Prior to pursuing this project, Delonix juggled a full-time job at a catering company — which he recently resigned from — while helping his parents with the daily tasks at their family wet market stall, San Dai Fishball.

Hulk Hogan never met his grandchildren before his death.

The wrestling legend died July 24 aged 71 after suffering a heart attack at his home in Florida and his son-in-law Steven Oleksy has revealed that Hulk showed "no interest" in meeting his estranged daughter Brooke's twins Oliver Andrew and Molly Gene when approached following their births in January.

Former NHL player Oleksy told People: "I sent text messages once again to kind of gauge where he was at, but there was no interest."

Oleksy explained how he and Brooke moved from Michigan to Florida to be closer to Hulk - whose real name was Terry Bollea - as he "was getting older" and suffering with his health.

A man was held in Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) custody after allegedly vaping on a public bus.

AsiaOne understands that he has since been released.

A video shared by SGFollowsAll recently went viral showing the individual, dressed in a No. 4 military uniform, taking several puffs from a pink device, presumably an e-vapouriser.

Mindef told AsiaOne in a statement today (Aug 2) that the man had been identified and put in SAF custody to assist with the investigation.

Gary Busey has pleaded guilty to groping a woman at a New Jersey horror film convention.

The 81-year-old actor admitted that he deliberately touched a woman inappropriately while posing with fans as he pleaded guilty to criminal sexual misconduct at a virtual court appearance on Thursday (July 31).

The incident occurred at the Monster-Mania Con in August 2022 as Busey was accused of groping several women who filed reports with the police.

The Lethal Weapon star was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree, one count of attempting criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree and one disorderly count of harassment.

Ghislaine Maxwell has been transferred from a Florida prison to a lower-security facility in Texas to continue serving her 20-year sentence for helping the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, the US Bureau of Prisons said on Friday (Aug 1).

Maxwell's move from FCI Tallahassee, a low-security prison, to the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, comes a week after she met with Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche, who said he wanted to speak with her about anyone else who may have been involved in Epstein's crimes.

Maxwell's lawyer, David Markus, confirmed she was moved but said he had no other comment. Spokespeople for the US Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Asked during a White House interview with Newsmax on Friday about the possibility of pardoning Maxwell, President Donald Trump said, "I'm allowed to do it, but nobody's asked me to do it." He added, "I know nothing about the case."