Are the golden days of dreaming about owning a car in Singapore truly behind us?The enduring pressure of six-figure COE premiums notwithstanding, this week's industry-changing announcement - revealed as part of Singapore's 2026 Budget - now threatens to make financing a car more arduous still.The new regulations announced on Feb 12 threaten to make car ownership more financially difficult stillMoving forward, Preferential Additional Registration Fee (PARF) rebates are set to be slashed by 45 percentage points across all age groups for PARF-eligible cars. Rebates will also be capped at just $30,000 now, from $60,000 previously.According to the authorities, the move comes as EVs, which are less pollutive (they don't have tailpipe emissions regardless of age), continue to gain traction in Singapore, thus reducing the need to incentivise owners to de-register their cars early.

A piece of Singapore pop-culture history has made a reappearance online.We are referring to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong's 'magic cup'.For the uninitiated, the blue tea-cup was thrown into the spotlight during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when it was used during then-prime minister Lee's multi-lingual televised addresses.It gave rise to the lore that the cup had magical language-changing abilities, as Lee would launch into each of his speeches in a different language after taking a sip of water from the cup.The memes that followed the moment gave Singaporeans reason to smile amidst a difficult time as the nation and others grappled with the virus.Curious netizens also dug into where the cup was made — Japan — what it was made of — porcelain — and where to buy it. Last we checked, an inspired version is still available on online store Supermama for $26.Netizens were also intrigued when Lee did not use the cup again during the following year's televised update on the Covid-19 situation.

Two Singaporeans are purportedly among the more than 50,000 soldiers enlisted in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) as of March 2025 — 17 months into the Gaza war — who held at least one other citizenship. This is according to information obtained by Israeli non-governmental organisation Hatzlacha through the country's Freedom of Information Law. The data obtained by Hatzlacha was first reported by British investigative news portal Declassified UK on Feb 11. Isreali news outlet Yedioth Ahronoth reported on the data on Feb 14, followed by Qatari media outlet Al Jazeera on Feb 15. According to the data, one Israeli soldier was listed as a dual Israeli-Singapore national, while another soldier was listed to have multiple nationalities — having at least one other passport alongside his or her Singaporean and Israeli ones. Singapore does not allow dual citizenship, but minors can hold two passports until they turn 21, when they have to decide whether to renounce Singapore citizenship. The Government may reject the application if a male citizen is subject to the Enlistment Act and has not done his National Service. 

About 150 people were evacuated after a fire broke out at a HDB flat in Jurong East on the first day of Chinese New Year (Feb 17).The incident happened at about 4.20pm on Tuesday at Block 34 Teban Gardens Road.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the fire involved the living room of a 11th-floor unit, adding that firefighters had to forcibly enter the smoke-filled flat, before putting out the fire with a water jet.«About 150 persons from the affected block were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precautionary measure,» it said.No one was inside the unit at the time of the incident, and there were no reported injuries.Preliminary findings indicate that the cause of the fire was likely from an electrical origin in the living room.In a Facebook post on Tuesday evening, MP Cassandra Lee (West Coast-Jurong West GRC) said that residents of the affected block had helped each other to evacuate and account for neighbours.She said that a resident in a flat next to the affected unit had mobility difficulties but was evacuated safely.

A stallholder at Yuhua Place Market and Hawker Centre has apologised after a video of him cleaning the tables with a broom sparked hygiene concerns.On Feb 15, a netizen posted a few videos of the man using what looked like a broom to scrub the tables and stools in front of the Wellcome Food cai fan stall.Netizens were split, with some finding it «unhygienic», while others sided with the man.«Maybe the broom was used solely just for table and chairs... What's the big deal. If I use paintbrush to clean the table, would you even care?» said one netizen.«Honestly there is no need to make life difficult for the cleaner,» remarked another.In response to 8World News, Yuhua Constituency Street 31 Shop-Proprietors & Hawkers Association chairperson Karney Ngai Ching Kwan clarified that the man isn’t a cleaner and runs a cai fan stall with his sister and brother-in-law.The tool he used was a long-handled brush that he bought to clean tables, the chairperson added.

A fire broke out at a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown in the early hours of the second day of Chinese New Year (Feb 18).The incident happened at about 2.10am at 52 Smith Street.Checks by AsiaOne show that the address is the location of Chinese restaurant Wan Nian Stone Pot Fish.Responding to media queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said that its firefighters found a fire in the kitchen of the restaurant on the ground floor, adding that the area was filled with smoke.The fire was put out with two water jets.No one was in the restaurant — which operates seven days a week, from 11.30am to 10.30pm — at the time of the incident. There were also no reported injuries.Fire investigation by SCDF is ongoing. [[nid:730009]]editor@asiaone.com 

Flash floods hit Jurong on the evening of the second day of Chinese New Year (Feb 18) amid heavy rain over several parts of Singapore.In a series of updates on its flood alerts channel on Telegram, national water agency PUB had also warned of the risk of flash floods occurring in two other locations.In its Telegram post at 5.55pm, PUB said that there was a flash flood at Jurong Town Hall Road, from Jurong East Street 11 to Jurong East Street 12.It came about five minutes after the agency first alerted the public of the risk of flash floods occurring there.The flash flood at Jurong Town Hall Road subsided at about 6.04pm.Between 5.25pm and 5.3pm, PUB also advised the public to avoid the junction of Sunset Drive and Sunset Way Road, and Jln Boon Lay — Enterprise Road to International Road. The Meteorological Service Singapore at 5.14pm warned of moderate to heavy thundery showers over the southern, western and central parts of Singapore between 5.20pm and 6pm.

He was driving along the Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) tunnel early in the morning when he spotted a cat sitting on a drain cover.User Kazoku1606 recently shared his story on TikTok, adding that it happened at around 3.50am.In the video, the expressway appears to be empty.«Managed to save the cat,» he said, adding in the comments section: “When I tried get closer, the cat got frightened but I tried to calm it down and managed to get it out from the drain in about 20 minutes.”The feline is currently safe in his brother’s home, he said.The video has garnered over 57,000 views, with some netizens commending him for being «kind» while others expressed worry.«What if she has kittens to feed?» asked one netizen, to which he responded with a clarification that it was a male cat: «I searched and there were no more cats.»Another asked if there were vehicles driving by, and he said there were none while he recorded the video. «Thank you for rescuing the kitty. It probably felt so scared and needed a home,» said one netizen.Another remarked: «You are simply awesome and kind-hearted, may God bless you abundantly.»

Two crew members have died on board the Singapore-registered bulk carrier Mandy after an engine room fire on Tuesday (Feb 17).The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement that the incident took place at around 7.35pm Singapore time off the coast of China, and that the fire was extinguished by the crew.The authority reported that the ship was manned by 25 Myanmar nationals, and there were no Singaporeans on board.Two crew members died, while a third was evacuated to a shore medical facility for treatment.A bulk carrier is a specialised, single-deck vessel that transports large quantities of unpackaged, dry bulk cargo like grain or ore.There have been no reports of pollution due to the fire, and the ship will be towed to Yantai Port in China.«MPA extends its condolences to the families of the deceased,» the statement added. «MPA is in contact with the company and the relevant Chinese authorities to provide the necessary assistance.»The authority will be conducting an investigation into the fire.[[nid:728455]]drimac@asiaone.com

A tree fell across Pipit Road, causing traffic to be diverted on Wednesday (Feb 18) morning.MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling shared in a Facebook post that the police and Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Town Council were on the scene «first thing» to help manage the traffic and pedestrians.While nobody had been injured nor cars damaged, bus services were affected.«This tree was last checked to be healthy by the Horticulture contractor in November last year,» she added.«I have nonetheless asked that the specialists investigate the cause of the fall and to check all the trees again.»Photos posted by Tin show the tree sprawled across the entire road, with a pole bent in half and a sign damaged.There is also tape cordoning the area off.