Local walking group Pa Pa Zao, founded by comedian-director Jack Neo, held their third anniversary celebrations for a cause at Punggol Coast Mall early on Sunday (July 13) morning.An estimated 3,000 participants attended the event, which kicked off at about 8am with warm-up exercises followed by a walk — naturally.Organised in partnership with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), the theme for the event was Life Unstoppable, and featured games, performances and appearances by around 80 celebrities and personalities.The event was also graced by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Minister for Law Edwin Tong.

The PAP Community Foundation (PCF) held their annual family day event at the Singapore Expo today (July 13) in celebration of Singapore's 60th year of independence.Held under the theme Bridging Generations, Inspiring Our Future, the event saw over 4,000 participants in attendance - a mix of seniors, educators and children from PCF's service arms - with 2,025 taking part in the PCF SG60 jigsaw puzzle challenge and setting a new Singapore Book of Records.The record for the largest number of people to complete a jigsaw puzzle was previously held by 1,716 individuals at Ci Yuan Community Centre.PCF Family Day 2025 Chairperson Yeo Wan Ling said the puzzle represents what PCF stands for.«Just like pieces of a puzzle, each of us plays a unique and important role in our community. When we work closely together, we create something stronger, something wholesome,» she said during her opening speech.«That is what PCF has been doing across generations, across all these decades, helping families come together in new and meaningful ways, building the Singapore that we know and love today.» 

A 40-year-old male driver rammed into a pasar malam (night market) stall at Block 52A Circuit Road on July 11, which killed a 66-year-old woman.Police told AsiaOne they were alerted to the incident at about 11.45pm and the woman was pronounced dead at scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) paramedic.The man was arrested for dangerous driving causing death and driving without licence and insurance.Police investigations are ongoing.In a post by SGRV Front Man on July 12, the aftermath of the crash was shown.A black GetGo car is seen lodged into one of the pasar malam's stalls, which appeared to be located in front of a multi-storey car park.According to the post, the victim, said to be a stall-holder, was crushed against the wall and the driver allegedly tried to flee the scene.[[nid:720107]]syarifahsn@asiaone.comNo part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.

SINGAPORE - Over several weeks in 2025, a woman tried to get her 19-year-old son arrested over his addiction to drug-laced e-vaporisers, specifically Kpods.The once-active teenager had become withdrawn since November 2024, when he started puffing Kpods, which are vapes laced with etomidate, a powerful anaesthetic.He also started cutting his own face and arms with a knife.«We saw many videos of people on TikTok saying Kpods can make a person suicidal, so we tried to stop him,» Susan (not her real name) told The Straits Times, adding that her husband decided to install security cameras at home.They saw him on video stumbling out of his room. He was struggling to walk.«I spoke to him the next day to ask him what happened, and he said he had injured his legs while lion-dancing, so I did not suspect too much,» she said.Over the next few days, they noticed their son would change between five and 10 pairs of shorts throughout the night.

The last image Mr Delfard Tay has of his 19-year-old daughter Shermaine is a video of her stumbling out of their three-room flat in Tanjong Pagar.She looks unsteady in the footage, as she tries to get up from the sofa she slept on in the living room.It was a familiar sight – and Mr Tay knew she had used Kpod, a type of vape pod containing liquid laced with the powerful anaesthetic drug etomidate.For months in 2024, he had argued with his only child, urging her to quit using Kpods.He knew how destructive substance addiction could be – after all, he had criminal convictions for drug trafficking and other offences.Mr Tay, 43, said his daughter had been under drug supervision for using methamphetamine or Ice, which she had consumed at her boyfriend’s home some time between 2023 and 2024.It was her first brush with the law, and she did not abuse drugs after that, he added.She then tried to convince him that Kpods were safe, but her addiction to them ended her life.Mr Tay said with a sigh: “I wanted to lead by example and tell her to stay away from drugs and Kpods... But it was a bit too late.”

Two vehicles collided near Joo Koon on July 11, leaving one on its side. Dashcam footage of the incident, which happened at around 1.30pm, was uploaded onto Facebook group SG Road Vigilante. In the footage, a car can be seen turning at the cross junction of Benoi Road and Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim when it crashed into another that was travelling straight. This caused the latter to tip over onto its side and spin, with the first car nearly toppling over.The police told AsiaOne that the two drivers, men aged 41 and 55, were taken conscious to National University Hospital by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).Police investigations are ongoing. SCDF told AsiaOne they assessed another person for minor injuries, who declined to be sent to the hospital.[[nid:720081]]melissateo@asiaone.com

Do you live in Punggol and are looking to meet new people? Well, we have just the right candidate for you, albeit an unexpected one. Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and MP for Punggol North (Punggol GRC) recently posted an invitation on his Instagram on July 10 which read: «Can we have a date?» The 66-year-old wrote: «I would like to get to know more about residents in Punggol North. So I thought of inviting you and your family to join me for dinner.» He also said that he hopes to do so one family at a time so he can «really really» get to know the residents. 

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has impounded 151 non-compliant Active Mobility Devices (AMD) over the past two months, according to a Facebook post on Friday (July 11).Enforcement officers also detected 232 active mobility offences, the post stated.AMDs include Power-Assisted Bicycles (PAB), Personal Mobility Devices (PMD) and Personal Mobility Aids (PMA).These offences include the use of PABs with improper or missing registration plates, riding or keeping illegally modified PABs and riding bicycles without working handbrakes, LTA said.The LTA also worked alongside police officers from Marina Bay, Punggol, and Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centres as part of this joint operations, targeting large group gatherings of active mobility users over the school holidays.LTA also warned that first-time offenders caught using improper or obscured PAB number plates may face fines up to $1,000 and jail for three months. «Those using non-compliant devices on paths face up to $10,000 fine and/or six months' jail,» the authority stated.

SINGAPORE - A man who is serving a 35-year jail term for abusing his two children, resulting in the death of his five-year-old daughter, had his sentence increased to life imprisonment on July 11, after his appeal for a reduced term failed.The 45-year-old man had appealed for a sentence of between 25 and a half and 30 years' jail.Instead, the Court of Appeal exercised its discretion to enhance the individual sentence for the man's most serious charge, one of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, from the original 15 years to life imprisonment.The man cannot be named owing to a gag order to protect the identity of his son, who survived the abuse.While the prosecution did not file an appeal against the original sentence, the court had asked parties to prepare submissions on whether this case was one of the worst types of cases of culpable homicide that warranted life imprisonment.The man's lawyer, Mr Mervyn Cheong, argued that a life term was not warranted.He noted that neither the prosecution nor the defence appealed against the individual sentence for the culpable homicide charge, and that 35 years was a lengthy sentence.

OCBC will see a leadership change at the turn of the year with Tan Teck Long taking over from current Group CEO Helen Wong, who will retire on Dec 31, the bank announced on Friday (July 11). Tan, 55, who joined OCBC in March 2022 as its head of global wholesale banking, will take on the additional role of deputy CEO effective immediately. Following her retirement, Wong, 64, will remain as chairman of OCBC China and a director of OCBC Hong Kong. She joined OCBC in February 2020 as deputy president and head of global wholesale banking before becoming group CEO in April 2021.She had informed the board last year of her intentions to retire for family reasons and has been spending more time in Hong Kong — where her family is based — since the start of 2025, the bank said.«The board reluctantly accepted Helen's request to retire to spend more time with her family,» said OCBC chairman Andrew Lee. OCBC said that the bank delivered «record profits» for three consecutive years under Wong's leadership.

SINGAPORE — A Singaporean who was trying to avoid his national service (NS) obligations in the 1990s used fake Malaysian passports to enter and exit the Republic to conceal his identity from the authorities.Over a span of five years from 2006 to 2011, Low Eng Kheng, 60, used the fake passports 876 times at various checkpoints in Singapore.On July 11, Low was sentenced to eight months and 18 weeks' jail after pleading guilty to five charges under the Immigration Act.The court heard that in the early 1990s, Low left Singapore for Malaysia as he did not wish to complete his obligations as an operationally ready national serviceman (NSman).He remained in Malaysia and did not return to Singapore, and his Singapore passport expired in June 2000.In 2006, Low wanted to travel to Singapore to visit his family as his mother's health was deteriorating, but was afraid of using his actual Singapore identity as he believed that he was wanted by the authorities for not fulfilling his NSman obligations.

A woman suffered facial wounds after a man allegedly attacked her with a knife at the void deck of a Jurong West block. The incident occurred at Block 965 Jurong West Street 93 at about 6.40pm on Thursday (July 10), reported Shin Min Daily News.A reporter from the Chinese evening daily at the scene saw police officers identifying evidence, which included a fruit knife.It was reported that the woman's face was covered in blood and sported two forehead wounds, with one cut about four centimetres long. A male victim also suffered minor head injuries.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police confirmed they had received a call for assistance, and that a 64-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman sustained minor injuries but refused to be taken to hospital.A 66-year-old man sustained minor injuries and was conscious when taken to the hospital. He was subsequently arrested for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon and suspected drug-related offences.Police seized two knives as case exhibits, and the suspected drug-related offences have been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau. Investigations are ongoing.

Nestled in a densely-populated area in Yishun, lay two unassuming massage parlours where some employees were allegedly providing sexual services to customers.During an operation that took place on June 30, officers from the Woodlands Police Division raided the two establishments simultaneously.AsiaOne was among the media invited to visit the scenes where three women aged between 23 and 35 were arrested for allegedly providing sexual services under the guise of massages.One of them was a Singapore Permanent Resident while the remaining two were foreigners.The two massage parlours were located on the first floor of an HDB block, surrounded by a dental clinic, a musical enrichment centre for children, a traditional Chinese medicine clinic as well as two minimarts and a coffeeshop.

A 77-year-old man succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday (July 8), more than a week after he was knocked down by a reversing car at an Esso petrol station in Geylang. According to Shin Min Daily News, the elderly man, who worked at the petrol station, was struck as he was about to refuel a car on June 28. He was reportedly hit when the driver suddenly reversed the vehicle. When a Shin Min reporter visited the scene on July 9, an employee who did not wish to be named said he learned about the accident from a friend. While he did not witness the incident, he recalled seeing the elderly man lying on the ground at the time.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that they were alerted to a road traffic accident at 638 Geylang Road at about 2.20am. A 77-year-old male pedestrian was conveyed conscious to Tan Tock Seng hospital, police said, but he later died. They added that a 24-year-old male driver has been arrested in connection with the case and police investigations are ongoing.

Retired diplomat Bilahari Kausikan has voiced his support for the nominee for the US ambassador to Singapore after his tough Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday (July 9).Dr Anjani Sinha, an orthopaedics and sports medicine surgeon, drew sharp criticism after he repeatedly struggled to answer questions about Singapore.At one point, US Senator Tammy Duckworth told him he was «unqualified» for the job and that he should «shape up and do some homework».Amidst the questioning from Singaporeans on Dr Sinha's suitability to the role, Kausikan said in a Facebook post on Thursday (July 10): «We should treat the new ambassador with courtesy and respect and not prejudge him.» 

The full-time national serviceman (NSF) operating the Leopard 2SG Main Battle Tank (L2SG) involved in a recent incident responded with the appropriate standard operating procedure, said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef).In a statement on Friday (July 11), Mindef said that investigations into the technical issue experienced by the L2SG on July 5 have concluded and that the tanks will resume participation in the NDP mobile column. «The L2SG operator, a full-time National Serviceman, responded with the appropriate standard operating procedure, and activated the parking brake to bring the affected L2SG to a stop,» said Mindef.This was the first time the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has experienced such a technical fault in its L2SG fleet, added the ministry.«No issues were detected for the affected L2SG before it moved out,» Mindef said, adding that all mobile column assets undergo thorough checks before each deployment.

Ever since the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) for Singapore-registered vehicles entering Malaysia came into effect from July 1, some business owners are feeling the pinch — fewer Singaporean customers are walking in through their doors.Speaking to AsiaOne, Hazel Eng, who works at Kacha Kacha, a self-photo studio located in Eco Palladium in Mount Austin, said that some Singaporean clients have cancelled their appointments after July 1.Eng is among 20 workers/business owners AsiaOne spoke to gauge the effect of the new rule on businesses.«Some customers reached out to say they couldn't secure their VEP in time and didn't want to risk any issues at the checkpoint, so they cancelled their appointments with us,» said the 25-year-old.«Others are unsure about the process or prefer to wait until things settle down before making the trip,» she added.Eng, who has been working at the studio for over four years, said she did not expect such a sudden and significant impact on customer traffic, especially since most of the studio's clientele comes from Singapore.

The increase in greenhouse gas emissions has resulted in rising temperatures and sea levels, leading to extreme weather events like heavy rainfall - all of which are no stranger to those of us residing in Singapore.If ignored, these environmental ills might come at a greater cost in the long run; unpredictable weather results in reduced agriculture yield leading to a food shortage. Worsened climates impact public health with the added burden of heat stress.Temasek Foundation's The Liveability Challenge (TLC) thus called for sustainable innovations to address pressing challenges across two key themes: Cool Earth and Decarbonisation. One winner was selected for each theme, with both securing $1 million each in catalytic funding.The winners are Singapore-based Krosslinker for their cooling paints (Cool Earth) and Canada-based Ayrton Energy for their hydrogen carrier solution (Decarbonisation).Watch the videos as we breakdown how their innovations work to build a greener, more sustainable planet that ensures liveable environments for generations to come.

When the 15th Parliament opens on Sept 5, there will be new chairpersons for all 12 government parliamentary committees (GPC). Among the 12 chairpersons, three have prior experience heading a GPC. MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC Tin Pei Ling, who heads the Transport GPC, was the chair for the Digital Development and Information GPC, while MP for Sembawang GRC Vikram Nair moves from chairing the Defence and Foreign Relations GPC to Home Affairs and Law. Both of them are fourth-term MPs. Saktiandi Supaat, a third-term MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, will move from Transport to chair the Finance and Trade and Industry GPC. 

The Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce (Sert) will be implementing targeted measures for businesses and workers amid heightened concerns surrounding global uncertainties and US trade tariffs.This includes a new grant for businesses directly affected by the tariffs, in addition to temporary enhanced funding support for human resource (HR) professionals.At a press conference on Thursday (July 10), Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, along with members of Sert, shared about recent engagements with over 3,000 businesses, workers and fresh graduates and their concerns regarding employment prospects and the ability to adapt business plans to the ever-changing tariff environment.DPM Gan noted the latest slate of tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump earlier this week «will prolong the uncertainty and challenges for economies around the world, and add to the headwinds in global trade depressing economic growth».

A Chinese national who holds a PhD from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and a Master's degree from Oxford turned to food delivery after being rejected from 10 job interviews.Ding Yuanzhao has been deemed «the food delivery worker with the highest education level» due to his academic qualifications.He garnered attention in June for posting a video encouraging students who had completed China's national university entrance exam, which takes place annually in early June with results released at the end of the month.«If you haven't achieved good results, don't be pessimistic or discouraged. If you've done well, keep in mind that most people's work doesn't make much difference in the grand scheme of things,» Ding said.The 39-year-old from Fujian province said in a WeChat post in April last year that he used to work on postdoctoral research at the National University of Singapore (NUS), where his contract ended in March last year. He added that despite sending out numerous resumes and attending over 10 interviews, he was unable to secure a suitable job. 

Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, who served a total of 24 years across two separate terms, turned 100 on Thursday (Jul 10). The centenarian continues to defy age with his relentless work ethic and continued engagement in global affairs - in June, for instance, Mahathir travelled to Japan to attend the annual Nikkei conference. The former two-time prime minister - from 1981 to 2003, and from 2018 to 2020 - is also known for being active on social media, even crossing 100,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel earlier in July. In a Facebook post on Thursday morning, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong wished Mahathir happy birthday, and also extended his well-wishes to Mahathir's wife Dr Siti Hasmah who turns 99 on Jul 12.«Tun Mahathir was a seminal leader who shaped Malaysia into what it is today - a modern, globally connected, and successful country,» said SM Lee in his post.SM Lee added that Singapore and Malaysia have long shared a deep and multifaceted relationship and that despite the differences on some issues, both countries «have always worked together to overcome differences and find common ground».

Dr Anjani Sinha, US President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to Singapore, endured a torrid time during a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday (July 9).The session, which included four other nominees, saw the nervy Dr Sinha at the receiving end of Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth's barrage of questions about his knowledge of Singapore.«This is not a role you can just pick up on a whim or because you think it will be glamorous, or because Singapore is a great place to live,» said Duckworth, while expressing her doubts about Dr Sinha's qualifications for the post.«I'm concerned about how your lack of understanding may even inadvertently cause friction in our critical relationship. Will you even be able to effectively lead our mission in Singapore?»Duckworth then asked Dr Sinha: «How large was the US trade surplus with Singapore in 2024?»Dr Sinha, who appeared nervous, replied: «$80 billion… $18 billion.»«$2.8, you're off by a huge factor,» said Duckworth. «The United States had a $2.8 billion trade surplus with Singapore in 2024.»

SINGAPORE — In a multipolar world, small countries like Singapore have to develop even deeper relationships with other nations, Singapore's Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said on Wednesday (July 9).«There are more powers playing the game as it were, as opposed to the time when the Americans held the peace across the world. So that's changing, and in such a context, small countries like us have to develop even deeper relationships,» said Shanmugam, pointing to China, the United States and Europe.Shanmugam, who is also coordinating minister for national security, was speaking in an interview at the Reuters NEXT Asia summit in Singapore that covered trade issues as well as domestic concerns such as a fake news law.On trade, Shanmugam said the US was an indispensable nation and its policies impact «every country, allies and non-allies alike», especially for a trade-reliant country like Singapore where external trade is three to four times its GDP.On Monday, US President Donald Trump sent letters to 14 countries, including allies Japan and South Korea, notifying them of tariffs of 25 per cent to 40 per cent that will kick in from August 1.

A 50-year-old Singaporean man who was on the run for suspected drug trafficking was nabbed by Thai authorities on Saturday (July 5) and subsequently handed over to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on July 9.In a statement released the same night, CNB said that the man had been out of Singapore since July 27, 2023, and that it had reached out to its foreign counterparts for information on his whereabouts.An arrest warrant was issued for the man for his suspected involvement in supplying drugs to associates for their subsequent trafficking and sale in Singapore.His involvement was uncovered during CNB's investigation into a drug trafficking case in July 2024.The accused in that case was a 64-year-old Singaporean at the time of arrest, and he faced a charge for trafficking about 4,990g of cannabis mixture. Monies amounting to more than $1,000 was also seized from him by CNB for suspected money laundering offences.The 50-year-old man will be charged in court on July 10 for drug trafficking offences related to the case, said CNB.It has also commenced money laundering investigations against him.