During the hustle and bustle of life in Singapore, one young man is handing out acts of kindness like candy. Since May, TikTok user SomethingForSomeone has been sharing videos of himself giving out snacks, drinks and more to strangers in various parts of Singapore. Some of these videos have gained significant traction online —a clip of the 24-year-old handing out cans of Red Bull and 100plus to construction workers has garnered over 144,100 views and over 7,500 likes since it was posted on June 13. In another video, SomethingForSomeone goes around PLQ Mall, giving out boxes of nasi padang donated by People's Nasi Padang to food delivery riders who were gathered outside the mall during lunchtime. A video posted on May 31 shows the TikTok user buying 30 cups of ice cream from an uncle who didn't appear to have much business at the time, and later giving out the icy treats to passers-by in Tampines Hub.

Throngs of travellers opted to walk across the Causeway from Johor Bahru after they faced snaking queues for buses and heavy traffic towards Singapore. From 12pm on Monday (June 17), the Causeway saw uptick in traffic towards Singapore, according to data from Checkpoint.sg. The heavy traffic was expected at the tail end of the Hari Raya Haji long weekend, with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) advising the public last to factor more time for immigration clearance after more than 510,000 travellers cleared Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints on June 13. Some social media posts from Monday evening showed long queues at Johor Bahru Checkpoint's departure hall.

One property agent said he resorted to calling the police on 21 tenants in an HDB flat after they resisted eviction. Real estate agent Ken Tay shared his experience in a series of TikTok videos posted on Saturday (June 15). In the video, Tay says that he was tipped off on Wednesday (June 12) that although the five-room-flat had been rented out to five students, there were 21 people residing in it. He did not name the estate in his videos. Under the instruction of the landlord, Tay visited the flat on the same day to notify the tenants that they must leave the property by 5pm on Friday. Unfortunately, he found the flat in disarray. Some lights and furniture were broken, and two of the three bedrooms were locked by the tenants – who refused to let Tay look inside. https://www.tiktok.com/@askkentay/video/7380290442048359681 When Tay returned to the flat on Friday, the tenants were not ready to leave, and he said he had to call the police to assist him in the eviction. Amidst the chaos, some of the tenants even attempted to take the flat owner's furniture with them, said Tay.

SINGAPORE — From a distance, the multipurpose vehicle is easily mistaken for a police patrol vehicle or ambulance but on closer inspection, the words on the minivan say polite, not police. Scan the QR code wrought large on the walls of the MPV, and you are whisked away to the website of an ice cream shop. The MPV caught the eye of motorists, who have put up photos of the «Polite Car» on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page on June 15. Netizens were divided in their views, with some in the comments section suggesting it was a good idea, while others said it was «intentionally misleading», because it looked like a police car. Speaking to The Straits Times, the owner of the vehicle, businessman Goh Yong Wei, 32, said since he decorated his Toyota Alphard with the decal in May, other motorists have been slowing down to give way to him on the roads. He said: «As a driver and motorbike rider in Singapore, I find that the driving culture here is not gracious, especially during peak hours. »I want to be noticed, I want the attention, I want people to see me and slow down to avoid a collision."

SINGAPORE — The number of cases of diplopia — which causes a person to see double — with no known cause seen at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) is rising, in line with the worldwide trend, said senior consultant Yvonne Ling. Commonly known as double vision, diplopia can occur when one eye is covered (monocular diplopia) or only when both eyes are open (binocular diplopia). A survey of binocular diplopia cases at SNEC conducted earlier in 2024 showed there were 234 patients between 2011 and 2020, up from 15 patients from 2001 to 2010. From 2021 to 2023, there were already 76 patients. These patients are mostly adults. Binocular diplopia is when you see double with both eyes open, and it disappears upon closing either eye, said Dr Ling. It may be due to a neurological problem, or it may be due to too much screen time, especially on mobile phones, she said. «If the 'double vision' happens with one eye alone, see your friendly optometrist first. All you may need is a change of glasses, or it may be early onset of cataract which is a non-urgent condition,» said Dr Ling, of monocular diplopia.

SINGAPORE — A teenager who placed a parang against a 16-year-old boy's neck, ordered him to strip naked and forced the victim to drink urine from a bottle, was sentenced to two years' probation on June 18. As part of his sentence, the offender, who is now 18, must spend a year at the Singapore Boys' Hostel and perform 100 hours of community service. He must also remain indoors from 10pm to 6am every day, and his mother was bonded for $5,000 to ensure his good behaviour. The offender, who was identified in court documents as A1, cannot be named due to a gag order. A1, who turned 18 in September 2023, pleaded guilty in April to one count each of criminal intimidation and being a member of an unlawful assembly. His accomplices were identified in court documents as B1, B2, B3 and B4. They were the offender's friends and were between 15 and 17 years old at the time of the offences in March 2023. The names of all six boys have been redacted from court documents. A1 met his four friends in March 2023 and told them he wanted to beat up the victim for «harassing» a female friend.

She wanted to go on a quick day trip to Batam during the long weekend, but ended up making a U-turn home hours after. A Singaporean woman shared in a Lemon8 post on Sunday (June 16) that she had spent 2.5 hours stuck in a queue at Batam Centre Ferry Terminal. The 40-year-old, who only wanted to be known as Slacker Auntie, told AsiaOne that she had booked last-minute tickets to Batam with her friends and smoothly boarded the ferry on Saturday. However, problems arose once they arrived at their destination. «Ferry managed to reach Batam and then… we couldn't alight,» she wrote in her post. «It's been two hours and I am still stuck in this ferry.» Noting that the snaking queue had extended outside of the customs area, she decided to cut her losses and return to Singapore. Fortunately, the woman had bought a return ticket for 3.30pm that day. She later found out that the long queue has been a recurring problem at Batam Centre Ferry Terminal. Her friends also told her that customs are «always this messy». «I am sticking to Malaysia for short day trips,» Slacker Auntie said.

SINGAPORE – The blade of the knife came off the handle as meat specialist Mike Foo was filleting a 100kg giant grouper in front of a crowd of eager shoppers at FairPrice Xtra AMK Hub on June 17. “It was very difficult to do the filleting because the fish was huge, the meat was very thick and the bones were very hard,” said Mr Foo, 50. “This is the first time in my 24 years of working with seafood that I’ve seen such a big fish, so I was very surprised.” FairPrice said that this was the first time it had a grouper of this size filleted for sale to its consumers.

SINGAPORE — The authorities here are expanding cleanup efforts to more areas following a major oil spill on June 14, with some oil leaking from a damaged cargo tank at Pasir Panjang Terminal having spread to the waters off Changi on June 17. As at June 17, some 1,500m of booms have been deployed to contain the oil spill, with an additional 1,600m to be deployed at several beaches on Sentosa Island and Labrador Nature Reserve by June 18, as well as at Southern Islands, according to a joint statement by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks), national water agency PUB, Sentosa Development Corporation and Singapore Food Agency. Booms have also been installed along stretches of East Coast Park beaches that are badly affected, and at canal openings, to trap oil and prevent it from flowing back into the canal.

Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering) has won ammunition orders of more than S$100 million in total value from Europe between April and early June, the group announced on Monday (June 17). Specifically, the orders are for 155 millimetre (mm) ammunition and 40mm ammunition — both of Nato-standard — ST Engineering said, without giving a breakdown of the contract values for these two types of ammunition or naming the new customers. Nato or North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, an intergovernmental military alliance with 32 members, is reportedly set to take over from the United States the coordination of arms deliveries to Ukraine, which is at war with Russia. ST Engineering's 155mm ammunition system has an extended-range high-explosive projectile and modular charge system designed for 155mm gun howitzers with 39 and 52-calibre barrels. As for the 40mm ammunition, it has more than 58 variants and the engineering ability to customise the munition to meet unique operational needs of users from over 40 countries.

An argument broke out between two customers at a Tyrwhitt Road coffee shop in Jalan Besar at about 11pm on June 14 and it escalated into a physical altercation. Mr Yang, who was at the coffee shop at the time of the incident, told Lianhe Zaobao that the Singha and Chang female promoters apparently had beef with each other because of competition in beer sale. The drinks stall manager, 51-year-old Chen, said a Chang customer acted out of control after drinking that night and was caught on closed circuit television footage slapping the Singha promoter. Another customer stepped in to shield the Singha promoter but ended up fighting with the Chang customer, who is believed to have attacked the Singha promoter in defence of the Chang promoter. «The two beer promoters knew each other, so perhaps this happened because of some personal matters,» said Ms Chen. Both the Chang and Singha promoters even tried to mediate the situation but failed. Tables and chairs in the coffee shop were toppled over during the fight but no other customers were hurt.

Besides blocking the way, the rubbish left piled up at a Build-To-Order (BTO) estate in Punggol has sparked safety concerns among the residents. Photos sent to CNA by Punggol Point Cove resident Andy Ke show large cardboard boxes, nylon bags and other items dumped in the basement car park of Block 448B. The 41-year-old, who moved into his flat in February, likened the stacks of rubbish to a «mountain» and voiced concerns about the estate's cleanliness, adding that the rubbish pile is a fire hazard. «I can't take it any more. I feel that something must be done,» he told CNA. In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, Ke estimated that 30 per cent of the flats in the new estate are occupied. As renovation works in Punggol Point Cove progressed, the resident noted that an increasing amount of rubbish started to pile up along the walkway of the basement car park. «I've caught some people red-handed but there was nothing I could do,» Ke added. Although the authorities had put up notices informing the public not to discard items illegally, they did not to help alleviate the problem.

SINGAPORE - A 70-year-old woman was arrested on June 15 over a series of pickpocketing cases at a market and food centre in Yishun Ring Road. Preliminary investigations found the woman allegedly picked wallets from people who had their bags unzipped, took the cash, and then disposed of the wallets in the vicinity, said the police in a statement on June 16. Between July 24, 2023, and June 13, 2024, the police received several reports from victims claiming that their wallets were missing in the vicinity of Yishun Ring Road. Through images from closed-circuit television and police cameras, as well as ground inquiries, officers from Woodlands Police Division identified the woman and arrested her on June 15. The woman is also believed to be involved in other similar offences, said the police. She will be charged in court on June 17 with theft, they said. The offence carries a jail term of up to three years, a fine, or both.

SINGAPORE - Local fish farms are not affected by the oil spill incident on June 14 and local fish remain safe to eat, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). In a Facebook post on June 16, SFA said that there is low risk of the oil spill spreading to the Johor Strait, where Singapore’s fish farms are located. “To date, none of our fish farms are affected by the oil spill, and our local fish remain safe for consumption,” said SFA, adding that it is in close contact with the farms and will continue to monitor the situation closely. The oil spill was a result of an incident on June 14 involving the Netherlands-flagged dredging boat Vox Maxima and the Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour, which was stationary, at Pasir Panjang Terminal. https://www.facebook.com/SGFoodAgency/posts/792973106290335?ref=embed_post The impact created a rupture in one of the oil tanks of Marine Honour, which caused oil to leak into the sea.

A week after Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny shot to overnight fame in China, the 40-year-old was spotted in Shanghai, much to the delight of Chinese football fans who jumped at the chance to meet him in person. At the invitation of real estate firm CapitaLand, Hassan and his family visited the city on Sunday (June 16), reported The Straits Times. News of his arrival in Shanghai quickly spread on Chinese social media after the football player was spotted at the airport. Fans soon gathered at the three CapitaLand malls where Hassan was scheduled to visit that day. The veteran goalkeeper first visited Raffles City Changning in the morning, where he signed autographs and took photos with fans. Next on the list was Hongkou Plaza, where Hassan — who owns the Muslim food stall Dapur Hassan in Singapore — put together a plate of nasi lemak. Following that, he visited a children's football class held at Raffles City The Bund.

SINGAPORE - A 23-year-old motorcyclist died in hospital after an accident involving a private bus. At around 7.40pm on June 15, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were alerted to the accident that happened at the junction of Bencoolen Street and Stamford Road. Police said the motorcyclist was unconscious when he was rushed to hospital, while his 22-year-old female pillion rider was conscious. The SCDF said both of them were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Shin Min Daily News reported that the victims are a couple, according to relatives who turned up at the mortuary on June 16. Police investigations are ongoing. At least two motorcyclists have died in accidents here in recent weeks. On June 11, a 58-year-old man died after an accident involving his motorcycle and a lorry on the AYE. On June 4, a Land Transport Authority enforcement officer crashed his motorcycle and died while chasing another rider who was attempting to flee.

A Singaporean woman was found dead inside an apartment complex in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday (June 13).  Her «desiccated» body was discovered inside a unit at The Goldview apartment complex by the owner who'd informed the building's management, reported Vietnamese news outlet VN Express.  The woman was reportedly last seen on Jan 31. However, it is not known when she died.  The management then called the police, who went down to the unit to conduct investigations.  According to Vietnamese news reports, the owner claimed he did not rent out the unit to anyone, and the apartment's key card was last used to access the lifts at 10.20pm on Jan 31.  An official police investigation is ongoing, reported Vietnamese media. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) told CNA that its Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City has been in contact with the local authorities regarding the case. MFA and the Consulate-General have been providing assistance to the woman's family.  «We express our deepest condolences to the family,» said an MFA spokesperson. 

A 53-year-old male cyclist who was on his way to work was killed in an accident involving a lorry and a pedestrian near Woodlands Avenue 9 last Tuesday (June 11) morning.  Wang Baohai (transliteration) was taken to the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital after the accident, where he succumbed to his injuries, The Straits Times reported.  He and his wife were both employees of Tee Yih Jia Food Manufacturing, and would cycle to work daily, Wang's eldest daughter, Jingyi (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News.  However, her father would usually leave the house an hour earlier than her mother.   Wang's daughter, 28, added that the accident occurred a mere 10 minutes away from her home.  "My mother left the house at about 8am that morning, when she rode past the [accident scene] she noticed a bicycle that looked like my father's. She also saw a broken basket and a water bottle.  According to her mother, there was a lorry parked at the scene. Two police officers were conducting investigations then. She also saw two pairs of shoes — one of which she recognised as belonging to her husband. 

Do you expect to see lemon in your iced lemon tea? A man was upset that a coffee shop raised the price of its iced lemon tea and took away the lemon. Stomp contributor Raven was having lunch at Cafe Link on Sixth Avenue in Bukit Timah on June 13 when he discovered the missing citrus fruit in his drink. «Not only the price increased by another 10 cents to $1.90, to my horror, the drink that was served to me was without lemon,» railed the Stomp contributor. PHOTO: Stomp «My goodness! The price has went up! They took away the lemon as well. It was previously given in the past. This had never happened before. Inflation is here.» It was only after a few sips when he realised the lemon was not there. Neither was the coffee shop staff for him to complain to as she was already serving another customer.

The excitement of moving into a new home quickly died down for one family, as they fell sick one after another.  Song Hongjun, 52, told Lianhe Zaobao that he purchased a 1,615 sq ft condo unit at Normanton Park in June 2023, and hired Far East Service Centre to handle the unit's renovations and furnishing.  The Songs moved into the apartment on March 13 this year, after renovations were completed.  Trouble began that very day, as Song's eight-year-old daughter developed dry eyes and a sore throat. The 52-year-old businessman and his wife didn't think too much of their child's discomfort, until they also developed similar symptoms.  After losing her voice for two weeks, Song's wife visited the doctor and was told that she might be suffering from formaldehyde poisoning. Formaldehyde is a colourless, pungent chemical that is found in adhesives, composite wood and paint, which are used in furniture such as cabinets. High levels of exposure to formaldehyde can irritate the skin, throat, lungs and eyes, while long-term exposure can potentially lead to cancer.

Three people involved in a collision along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) have been accused of fleeing the scene by the driver of the car they hit. A series of pictures posted to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante on Friday (June 14) showed two men and one woman exiting a dark blue car, which had rear-ended a silver car. One of the men can be seen holding a pink paper bag, while the second is seemingly taking pictures of the collision. The driver of the silver car, surnamed Yeo, said that he is looking to identify the three people who fled on foot after the accident, which took place on Friday morning along the PIE towards Tuas, before Exit 12. «[They] did not even stop to exchange contacts. Spotted [them] carrying some pink bags and [they were] later observed to have crossed the expressway no longer carrying the bags,» Yeo wrote. He added that no record of the car's license plate number could be found on the One Motoring portal, attaching a screengrab of his search.

A man who was travelling with his friends was taken aback by the condition of their rooms at a resort in Phuket. In a post on Lemon8 on Wednesday (Jun 12), user Marcus Toh, a traveller from Singapore, shared his experience staying in a resort while on a trip in Phuket, Thailand. He and his friends had booked the accommodation as it was relatively cheap, but the decision «turned out to be a huge mistake», he wrote. «We had to change rooms twice and downgrade to a smaller room due to how bad the conditions and cleanliness of the rooms were.» The post included pictures of cockroaches in the room, some dead and some alive, and black stains on the bed sheets. Toh said that although he was sceptical of the room's worn-out appearance, he put up with it. However, when the traveller entered the attached bathroom, he was greeted by a large cockroach. The group then called hotel staff to help them remove the bug but found three more cockroaches when they returned to the room after having dinner.

Some Choa Chu Kang residents are crying foul over motorcyclists who have been indiscriminately riding along a pavement and using it as a shortcut, thereby endangering pedestrians. The riders were either diners at the nearby eatery or doing food delivery, reported 8World. A member of the public, Qiu, told 8World that these riders would illegally ride or park on the pavement below Block 160A Jalan Teck Whye, and that they are a menace.  Zheng, a resident who has lived there for over ten years, told 8World that the situation has been ongoing for several years. And that these riders are usually diners at an eatery located nearby or food delivery riders parking their bikes outside that outlet. These motorcyclists usually appear during dinner or supper time. Cai, another resident, said: «I am worried about the children because there is a new HDB block nearby and there are many children running around. If the motorcyclists cannot see them, they may hit them.»

Size matters. A commuter was concerned that man on a personal mobility aid (PMA) was taking too much space on the MRT train and could cause an obstruction in case of an emergency. Stomp contributor Tan shared a photo of the PMA on the East-West Line on June 12 at around 2.30pm. «I saw this huge PMA with this equally huge guy sitting on it,» said the Stomp contributor. «He don't even bother to park his huge PMA properly.» She felt that such large PMAs should be banned from public transport. «In the event of an emergency, huge PMAs like this obstruct fast evacuation. They also take up too much space and deprive commuters,» said the Stomp contributor. «MRT staff must be more vigilant and forbid huge PMAs like this to board the train.» According to the Land Transport Authority, PMAs such as mobility scooters for the elderly or people who have difficulty walking are allowed on MRT and LRT trains. But they should not exceed 120cm in length, 70cm in width and 150cm in height. The total weight of the PMA together with the user should not exceed 300kg.

SINGAPORE - A clean-up operation is under way after oil washed up the coast of Sentosa's Tanjong Beach on June 15, a day after a damaged cargo tank leaked oil into the sea at Pasir Panjang Terminal. A video sent to The Straits Times by a reader showed thick, dark-coloured oil in the waters of Tanjong Beach, staining the sand along the shoreline. In an advisory on its website, Sentosa said: «The waters of Tanjong, Palawan and Siloso Beach on Sentosa are currently closed for beach cleanup, due to instances of oil spillage observed in the sea waters.» It added: «During this period, guests can still use our beaches, but swimming and sea activities in and along the waters will not be allowed.»

A homeowner was left at a loss after he was prevented from exiting his property due to a van parked in front of his gate. In a TikTok video uploaded on Monday (June 10), Thomas Tong, who lives in a landed estate at Upper Paya Lebar, shared details of the incident, which occurred past midnight last Saturday. «I realised there was a van parked right here,» Tong said, referring to the road right outside his front gate.  The 36-year-old property agent had planned on driving to a nearby gym to work out, but was unable to do so because the van was «directly obstructing» his driveway, preventing him from getting his vehicle out of his home. Stating that he «knows for a fact» that this is an issue for the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to resolve, he claimed that the agency doesn't operate 24 hours and would therefore not be able to help him. Desperate, he called the police to seek assistance. When they didn't arrive, it prompted a second call from Tong. This time, the police informed him that it was an issue he had to take up with LTA.

SINGAPORE - A 72-year-old man was fined $600,000 for converting 11 private residential properties into unauthorised dormitories that he then rented out to migrant workers. One of the units housed 23 foreigners. Inspections carried out between January 2016 and April 2018 found that Tan Hock Keng had carved multiple rooms in the residences, which he then packed with workers, who had to live in unhygienic conditions. At a unit in Geylang, enforcement officers from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) found that the floor and walls of the kitchen and toilets were badly stained. They also discovered bedbug stains in a bedroom of another unit nearby. On May 30, Tan was convicted of three charges, with eight additional charges for similar offences at other private residential properties taken into consideration. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in a statement on June 14 said that MOM enforcement officers who inspected properties linked to Tan found that the number of occupants «significantly exceeded» the authority's occupancy cap rules.

A netizen has called out motorists who park their vehicles on a footpath in Choa Chu Kang, which prevent pedestrians from passing through and force them to walk on the road instead. User Kiwis Kiwis posted photos of a lorry and a car parked, on separate occasions, along a pavement in front of Block 216, Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1 on Facebook group Complaint Singapore on Tuesday (June 11). The two-storey block houses shops and eateries, including a coffee shop with stalls that open late into the night.  «The illegal parking on the pavement not only obstructs the way for pedestrians but also forces them to walk on the road, which is extremely hazardous,» the post read. It was a «persistent issue» that the user said has been going on for «an extended period». The post also detailed an instance where the user saw a woman walking on the road because a parked vehicle was obstructing the footpath. «She was nearly hit by a motorbike,» the user said, adding that the incident highlighted the «imminent danger» of the problem. «It is only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs if no action is taken.»

SINGAPORE — A divorced man, who forbade his 11-year-old son to contact his former wife, flew into a rage when the boy disobeyed his orders and slapped the child's face, causing a perforated left eardrum. After that, the man repeatedly struck his son with a rubber water hose, causing multiple bruises. On other occasions, he also punished his son by coiling a chain around either the boy's ankle or wrist before using a padlock to secure it to a fixed metal bar in the bathroom. The court heard that the boy, now 13, could be chained for between two and five hours after his father caught him lying, failing to do his homework or contacting the man's former wife. On June 14, the 53-year-old private-hire driver, who cannot be named owing to a gag order to protect the victim's identity, was sentenced to two years' jail after he pleaded guilty to three counts of ill-treating the child. Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Jocelyn Teo told the court that the man had custody of the victim following his divorce, and the father-and-son pair lived in a flat near Kallang Road.

SINGAPORE — Travellers using the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints over the Hari Raya Haji long weekend are advised to factor more time for immigration clearance, Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on June 14. This is because traffic at these land checkpoints is expected to «remain very heavy» during this period, it said in a Facebook post. ICA added that more than 510,000 travellers cleared the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints on June 13. Hari Raya Haji falls on June 17, and within the June school holiday period between May 25 and June 23. In a statement on May 20, ICA said heavy traffic is expected within this period. During the Good Friday long weekend from March 28 to April 1, almost 2.3 million travellers crossed the two land checkpoints connecting Singapore and Malaysia, marking more than 455,000 crossings daily.

SINGAPORE — From July 1, virtually all SMSes sent by government agencies in Singapore will have a single sender ID, as part of efforts to make it easier for the public to identify authentic government text messages. Such SMSes will show «gov.sg» as the sender ID instead of individual government agencies, such as «MOH» for the Ministry of Health or «Iras» for the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore. Besides the gov.sg sender ID, every text message will begin with the full name of the agency that sent it and end with a note stating that it is an automated message sent by the Singapore Government, to indicate that recipients should not reply to it. Over a two-week period beginning on June 18, government agencies will gradually begin to send messages using the gov.sg sender ID, with all messages displaying the new ID from July 1. There are exceptions, though: Text messages from the Defence and Home Affairs ministries about national service matters and emergency services will have different sender IDs.

Soilbuild Construction Group has clinched a $647.5 million contract for the construction of a development at the upcoming Tuas mega port. This brings the group's order books beyond $1.2 billion for the first time in history. Known for their construction, development and management of residential and Green Mark certified commercial properties, Soilbuild's construction of Port + Hub at Tuas Terminal will consist of warehouse buildings, gate buildings, a main intake substation and ancillary buildings. It will be built to achieve Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy - an eco-sustainable rating for a building under the Building & Construction Authority's Green Mark Certification Scheme. This rating recognises best-in-class Green Mark Buildings that achieve at least 60 per cent energy savings. Executive Director of Soilbuild Construction Group Lim Han Ren shared that the project in Tuas mega port is «one of the most prominent private sector industrial projects in Singapore awarded to date» and «the largest construction project won by the group».

Stop transferring money to me — that is the plea from Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, who was dubbed a hero by Chinese football fans after his performance during Singapore's World Cup qualifier match against Thailand on Tuesday (June 11). Fans have attributed China's progress to the final round of Asia's qualifiers to the 40-year-old's 11 saves during the game. Chinese fans in Singapore flocked to his nasi padang stall in Tampines, Dapur Hassan. Many fans, including those in China, also sent him money through the stall's QR code –which accepts Alipay and WeChat pay and was circulating on social media – to show their appreciation. In an Instagram post written in Chinese on Thursday (June 13), Hassan thanked the fans for their outpouring of support, but urged them to «support him rationally» and not to send any more money. He warned that some scammers had been taking advantage of the situation by circulating fake QR codes. 

A Grab driver was forced to call the police on a verbally abusive passenger, who swore at him for refusing to take a longer route to his destination.  The driver, surnamed Wu, told Shin Min Daily News that he picked up the male passenger from Block 626 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 at about 8am on June 7. He had booked a ride to the  SP Group building in MacPherson.  When the man boarded, he requested that Wu drive to his destination by going past Bishan, Braddell and Serangoon — a different route from what the GPS suggested.  «The original route was to go by CTE. My guess is that he wanted to avoid the ERP charges. But he suggested a roundabout route, which would take an extra 10 minutes,» said the 52-year-old driver. ERP rates along the CTE from 8am to 9am range from $4.50 to $5.  Since he became a private-hire driver in 2016, Wu said he would try to help passengers avoid ERP costs if possible.  «I'll help whenever I can, but I found his request too unreasonable, so I refused.»  When Wu informed the passenger that the route he wanted was too long, the latter told him it «didn't matter» and that he wanted to «kill time». 

SINGAPORE - Eligible families waiting for their Build-To-Order (BTO) units can apply to tap $300 a month in rental vouchers to offset rent for an HDB flat or bedroom on the open market from July 1. The voucher under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS), which provides interim rental housing for families with an unfinished flat from HDB's sale exercises, will run from July 2024 to June 2025. To qualify for the full year of support, which amounts to $3,600, applicants' tenancies must start on or before July 31, 2024, and they must submit their application to HDB by Aug 31. «This gives eligible households who are planning to apply for the PPHS voucher sufficient time to secure a suitable tenancy and apply for the voucher,» HDB said on June 13. The initiative provides these families with more support as HDB works to double its supply of interim rental flats under the scheme from 2,000 units now to 4,000 by 2025.