This motorcyclist was pulled over by police — not for doing something wrong, but for doing things right. A motorcyclist was pulled over by traffic police and was given a goodie bag for donning full protective gear, according to Instagram user Ohthesecircles in a post on Saturday (June 29). «Who else gets scared when you get stopped by an officer even though you know you did nothing wrong?» The user, Russell Yeo, wrote on his post. Yeo, a 31-year-old motorcycle salesman, was driving along Tampines Expressway (TPE) on his way to work when he was stopped by a traffic police officer on a motorcycle. Coming to a standstill on the white chevron markings dividing two merging lanes, Yeo briefly talks to the officer, who instructs him to head to a bridge in front of them. Once there, both dismount, where the officer reveals the reason for flagging him down. «I stopped you because you're wearing your full [protective] gear,» the officer explained, praising Yeo for additional safety measures taken.  The video then cuts to the officer handing Yeo a goodie bag, opening it to point out its contents to the motorist.

It once broke down on an expressway. A man bought a pre-owned Mercedes-Benz GLC300 from used car dealer Carro and ended up spending more than $40,000 on repairs within a year. The Stomp contributor said that soon after the purchase, issues began to surface. «The engine warning light came on despite multiple repairs,» he recounted. «Although these issues were addressed under warranty, the process was long and painful. I still had to pay for the car loan when it was under repair.» A few months after the engine overhaul, the car broke down on the expressway. «The piston had protruded from the engine. Various third-party workshops advised that this was beyond repair and extremely rare for a relatively young car,» said the Stomp contributor. «A new engine replacement cost me $40,000. All these happen within a year after my purchase.»

She sent her dog for a grooming session, but was horrified to see a cable tie being used on her pet's mouth.  Horrified, pet owner Lim Zhiyi took to Facebook on June 29 to share her experience with First Class Pets at Jalan Jurong Kechil.  Lim shared that saw her Japanese spitz's mouth tied shut when she went to pick up the dog, Mochi, ahead of time.  «It left a deep mark on my dog’s muzzle area, proving how tight and uncomfortable it was.»  She then confronted the shop owner, who explained that the groomer did so as Lim's dog had the tendency to bite.  The owner also claimed that their groomers had tried different types of muzzles, and found that the cable tie worked the best.  Lim wrote: «We were not informed of this practice at all until we saw and probed.»  «Aren't professional groomers supposed to have relevant skills to handle pets properly and do what is best for the pets instead of what is best for themselves?»  Lim's post attracted a flurry of comments from pet owners, who agreed that using a cable tie was «unacceptable». 

SINGAPORE — About two weeks since an incident between two vessels caused an oil spill and blackened some of Sentosa's beaches, footfall at the International Food Street on the island has nosedived by about 80 per cent and revenue has tumbled by more than 50 per cent. Food and beverage supervisor Tasha Daniel, 26, said business worsened in the second week after the oil spill, when the food street — comprising six food kiosks at the Central Beach Bazaar — drew a daily revenue of $1,000 to $2,000. This is lower than the $3,000 earned daily in the week after the oil spill, and less than half of the $6,000 or more the food street raked in every day before the incident, said Daniel.  Waterfront businesses have seen takings and footfall tumble after the oil spill on June 14 stained Singapore's shores, forcing some beaches to close and water-based activities to stop. F&B establishments and an adventure sports centre on Sentosa reported lower foot traffic and earnings, while businesses at East Coast Park were less affected. Vessel charter companies have also taken a beating.

A 21-year-old man is expected to be charged with causing death by rash act on Tuesday (July 2). According to the police, the man was arrested on Monday for his suspected involvement in the death of a 33-year-old man, whose body was retrieved from the Singapore River following a search the day before. The police said that they received a call for assistance about a man who had fallen into the waters of Singapore River on June 30 at about 10.15pm. The Singapore Civil Defence Force deployed divers from its Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team to perform an underwater search and subsequently retrieved the body of the older man.  He was pronounced dead at the scene. The police identified the suspect through investigations as well as the help of police cameras and CCTV images. The two men allegedly had an argument over a woman near Clarke Quay Central after drinking. The suspect allegedly pushed the deceased into the river, reported Lianhe Zaobao. If convicted, the suspect faces a jail term of up to 5 years, a fine, or both.

SINGAPORE – Logistics technology company Ninja Van has laid off 5 per cent of its workforce in Singapore, it said on July 1, as the firm retools itself for its expansion into new logistics segments that was announced in April. There are about 450 staff based at its Singapore corporate headquarters in Kay Siang Road, near the Tanglin area, with those working in technology numbering over 100 in the Republic overall. A LinkedIn search shows over 4,500 people who reported currently working for Ninja Van, which operates in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand. The firm also has a technology team based in Hyderabad, India. The latest round of layoffs follows an exercise on April 30 that cut about 10 per cent of its tech team and drew flak from the National Trades Union Congress for its timing – a day before May Day. The earlier exercise came after Ninja Van’s chief executive and co-founder Lai Chang Wen revealed in March that the company would put off plans for an initial public offering amid profitability challenges.

A woman has accused a massage parlour in Bugis of shirking responsibility after she suffered painful burns and peeling skin following a TCM treatment conducted there. The customer, surnamed He, 24, had visited an unnamed foot massage parlour located along Jalan Sultan at around 3pm on May 10, reported Shin Min Daily News. Under the therapist's recommendation, He decided to undergo a moxibustion treatment, a TCM therapy which involves the burning of herbs on or near the skin.  In the treatment room, the herbs are placed into two metal containers attached to a flexible stand. These containers are placed above the customer lying down on the treatment bed. On the day of the incident, He said that the flexible stand suddenly collapsed after the therapist left the room to retrieve an item. The hot metal container fell onto her exposed skin, and the ash inside spewed all over her body, causing burns on her back and legs. «I jumped up immediately,» she recounted. «I've never experienced this much pain before, it nearly killed me.»

SINGAPORE — A 23-year-old motorcyclist died after he was trapped under a bus on June 30. The police said they were alerted to the accident along Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) towards Woodlands Checkpoint at 2.10pm. The motorcyclist was rescued using hydraulic rescue equipment and was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The police added that the motorcyclist was taken conscious to the hospital, where he subsequently died.  Police investigations are ongoing. Videos posted on social media show SCDF officers and members of the public trying to help the victim, who was trapped under the right side of the bus. The Straits Times understands that it is not a local bus. Traffic accidents claimed the lives of 136 people in 2023, a 25.9 per cent jump from the 108 deaths in 2022. The 136 fatalities figure is the highest since 2016, when there were 141 deaths. In the Traffic Police's (TP) annual statistics report released on Feb 20, 2024, motorcyclists and pillion riders accounted for half of all road fatalities, while elderly pedestrians made up nearly 20 per cent.

A private-hire driver was caught on camera backing his car into the security guards of a condominium in Eunos. A video shared by Facebook group SG Road Vigilante last Sunday (June 30) shows the incident, which took place around 8pm at the entrance of Parc Esta at Sims Avenue. Two security guards are seen pushing the Toyota Prius from the rear, before one of them opens the car door to stop the driver. Another guard is recording the incident with his phone. The driver later exited the vehicle and got into a heated altercation with five guards.  “You are wasting my time. I am just here to drop my passenger, not to serve you,« he yelled. The driver can also be heard hurling vulgarities at the guards.  One guard told the driver that the police are arriving soon. The dispute apparently started when the driver, who was driving a resident into the condo, was stopped at the entrance for security checks, according to the Facebook post. »The resident took a while to look for the card key, but the driver lost his temper and allegedly screamed 'you're wasting my time'," the post read.

SINGAPORE — The teen who used a combat axe to kill his 13-year-old schoolmate in 2021 is appealing against his sentence. The assailant — who cannot be named under the Children and Young Persons Act as his crime was committed when he was 16 — was initially handed a murder charge, but it was later reduced to a charge of culpable homicide. He pleaded guilty to the charge in December 2023 and was sentenced to 16 years' jail. During the appeal on July 1, the teen's lawyer, Sunil Sudheesan, told the court that the sentence was crushing. He said the teen had previously been in the «depths of depression» when he formed the irrational plan, and thus his culpability needed to be calibrated in that context. Sudheesan said that while the teen had control over his physical acts and knew that what he was doing was wrong at the time, his mental illness was what had caused him to come up with the irrational plan. Dressed in a white T-shirt, the teen, who is now 19, remained expressionless in the dock as the court heard the appeal.

Three Singaporean men were rescued in the wee hours of Monday (July 1) morning after they got lost while hiking in Malaysia.  The men, all aged 22, went on a hike with their Malaysian friend at Apek Hill in Selangor on Sunday.  Ahmad Mukhlis Mukhtar, assistant director of the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department said in a statement that they received a call for help at about 7.19pm that night, reported China Press.  They despatched five personnel for the search and rescue operation, during which they were able to keep in contact with the hikers. «All the victims were successfully located at about 11.30pm. They were safe and there were no injuries,» said Ahmad.  The men were brought down from the hill at about 1.02am and handed over to the police for further action.  AsiaOne has reached out to the Selangor police as well as the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department for more information.

Dissatisfied with the stale fish head in their curry, two diners asked for a replacement — only to find a chunk of fish scales in the new dish. A man surnamed Zeng, 60, and his wife had visited Enak Enak Restaurant at Bedok last Thursday (June 27) and ordered a serving of fish head curry, reported Shin Min Daily News. The Zengs often dine at the eatery, but it was their first time trying the fish head curry there that day. «When the dish was served, my wife found that the fish was not fresh. The curry was also cold,» he recounted. The couple alerted a staff member, who later served them a new dish. «The new fish head curry was still steaming when served, showing that it was just prepared. The fish was also fresh,» said Zeng. «However, we noticed that there were still scales on the fish head, which we found very disgusting.» The diner pointed out that chefs would understand the importance of descaling fish and speculated that a staff member had chosen not to do so. When his wife had alerted a staff member to the issue, the latter purportedly left without a word, Zeng added.

A young girl's routine trip to the toilet at SingPost Centre last Saturday (June 29) night turned into an ordeal when a pipe burst in the ceiling and ended up trapping her. Recounting the incident on Xiaohongshu the next day, her mother, Liang Jiaxin (transliteration), said they were shopping at the mall in Paya Lebar when her seven-year-old daughter rushed off to use the toilet urgently. While waiting for the girl outside the toilet, Liang noticed water dripping from the ceiling along the corridor. «The lights went out and the water started gushing down a few seconds later,» said the 35-year-old interior designer, adding that a portion of the ceiling collapsed. While Liang was on the phone with her husband, she heard her daughter yelling for help from the toilet. When she rushed inside, she saw that the girl had climbed onto the diaper-changing table to avoid the pool of water on the floor. «I grabbed her and we ran back through the 'waterfall' together,» added Liang. She said that the experience was harrowing and it made her legs feel weak after leaving the mall.

SINGAPORE - In February 2024, Nina – who is in her mid-40s – quit sex work. A month later, she started full-time work in customer service with the help of non-profit organisation Project X. A former masseuse who provided “happy endings” to clients, the single mother joined the sex trade about 20 years ago to support her child, then a toddler. Nina (not her real name) is one of those who have benefited from a Project X programme called The Next Step, which was set up in October 2023 to help sex workers looking to find alternative career pathways. It is supported by funding administered by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). Such programmes aim to help vulnerable communities get out of a cycle of vulnerability and make better lives for themselves, said an NCSS spokesperson. There are currently 17 sex workers in their 20s to 50s with the programme. The Project X team on June 7 held a presentation on the programme at a social work conference organised by the National University of Singapore’s social work department.

SINGAPORE - Some owners of new motorcycles have been repositioning their new ERP on-board units to reduce what they described as a distracting glare from the display, or to make it easier for the units to be detected by sensors at carpark gantries. Others have chosen to do so out of personal preference, such as to accommodate other gadgets such as mobile phone holders. The repositioning of the on-board unit (OBU) is allowed if it is done by an authorised workshop, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) told The Straits Times. The OBU for motorcycles has a one-piece design that incorporates a small touchscreen and a processing unit, unlike that for cars, which has three separate components. It is part of a nationwide transition to the satellite-based Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) 2.0 system. New motorcycles registered from mid-February have come prefitted with the OBU. On average, more than 1,000 new motorcycles are registered monthly. Installation of the OBUs started for existing motorcycles in June, replacing the in-vehicle units (IUs), the OBU's predecessor.

A speeding Volkswagen Golf crashed into a van early Sunday morning (June 30), causing both cars to flip.  A video of the incident, which happened at around 5.06am along the Tampines Expressway (TPE), was uploaded onto Facebook group Singapore Roads accident.com on the same day.  In the clip, a white Volkswsgen Golf can be seen speeding. It then crashes into a black van ahead of it, causing both vehicles to flip over.  In the process, sparks flew and the black vehicle tumbled to the side of the road.  In response to AsiaOne’s queries, the police said that on June 30, at about 5.10am, they were alerted to an accident involving a car and a van along TPE towards Changi Airport.

What's better than $5 durians? Why, free durians of course. A durian stall in Hougang held a giveaway on Thursday (June 27), dispatching some 1,000kg of Musang King and other varietals to a long line of people gathered. Within two and a half hours, all the fruits were all given away, reported Shin Min Daily News. A video posted on Lexus Durian King's Facebook page at 5.35pm that evening showed the stall packed with people. AsiaOne had previously reported that the durian stall, located at 1001 Upper Serangoon Road, would be selling premium Musang King or Mao Shan Wang durians at $5 each (maximum two per person) to Pioneer Generation customers and CHAS (Community Health Assist Scheme) card holders on June 25. Just two days later, however, they went a step further, announcing that they would be giving away one fruit plus a bottle of water each to members of the same groups as well as those belonging to the Merdeka Generation.

SINGAPORE - More than 10,000 Primary 5 pupils were treated to a spectacle on the evening of June 29 as they caught the first of four National Day Parade (NDP) National Education shows at the Padang. Coming from more than 70 schools across the island, the children cheered and waved their flags as they enjoyed a preview of the 2024 parade. Another 60,000 students will be attending the National Education shows over the next three weeks until July 20. These include current Secondary 3 students in Ministry of Education institutions, who were unable to attend in 2020 when they were in Primary 5 due to Covid-19 restrictions. Students who will be in Secondary 3 in 2025 will be invited to watch the shows in that year. Many of those whom The Straits Times spoke to before the show said they were keen to see the fireworks, a perennial crowd favourite.  «There's nothing like seeing it in real life,» said West Grove Primary School pupil Vellaichamy Gunasekaran Kirthikka, 11.  Greenwood Primary School pupil Aliya Humaira, 11, said she was most excited to see the dances and hear the songs.

A 35-year-old chef at a five-star restaurant has died only three months after getting married. He had also been promoted just four days before his death, Shin Min Daily News reported on Saturday (June 29). According to the Chinese evening daily, chef Daniel Teo's interest in F&B was piqued at an early age. His parents ran a coffee shop where he would often help out and also get to interact with the hawkers. When his parents later opened a chicken rice stall, Teo became in charge of developing the recipes and training employees. He subsequently entered culinary school to further his studies In the past 10 years, Teo worked in different different hotels and restaurant groups, rising through the ranks, reported Shin Min. It added that Teo is currently working at a five-star restaurant and had recently been promoted to executive chef just four days ago. Teo's profile on LinkedIn showed that he was the executive sous chef of JW Marriott Singapore South Beach, since May 2022.

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has been asked to put up a correction notice under the law against fake news, over its statement claiming that three women were prosecuted for organising support for the Palestinian people in the ongoing Gaza war. The SDP was issued a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) on June 29 on the instruction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). On June 27 and June 28, the SDP had put up a statement on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok commenting on the charges brought against three women who were allegedly involved in organising a procession without a permit along the perimeter of the Istana, which is a prohibited area. In its statement, the SDP said the three women - Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 25, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 29, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 35 - were prosecuted for organising support for the Palestinian people and in doing so, expressed views the Government did not agree with.

SINGAPORE – Hong Lim Park was awash in hues of pink on June 29 as thousands turned up for the annual Pink Dot SG rally at the Speakers’ Corner. This year’s rally – the 16th edition since 2009 – sought to highlight discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community and called on participants to envision a more inclusive Singapore. This is the second Pink Dot SG rally since Singapore repealed Section 377A, the law that criminalised gay sex. Hundreds of participants penned messages to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who was sworn in on May 15, to share their concerns on the challenges LGBTQ+ people face and their hopes for a more respectful and accepting Singapore. A number of politicians were spotted at the event, including Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development and for Culture, Community and Youth.  Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Darryl David, Nee Soon GRC MPs Carrie Tan and Derrick Goh, Workers’ Party MPs Jamus Lim, He Ting Ru and Louis Chua, as well as Progress Singapore Party’s Lim Cher Hong and Jeffrey Khoo also showed up dressed in pink.

An unexploded World War II relic was safely removed from a construction site in Ang Mo Kio. The police told AsiaOne they received a report at around 5.45pm yesterday (June 28) about the war relic discovery along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 towards Marymount Road during excavation works. «The Singapore Police Force worked with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit and the item was established to be a World War II unexploded ordnance,» they said. The police added that it was moved away for disposal after it was assessed to be safe for handling. «No danger was posed to the public,» they said. Last September, a WWII bomb was discovered at a construction site in Upper Bukit Timah Road, which led to the evacuation of thousands of residents living in the vicinity.

Two drivers found themselves at an impasse when neither gave way to the other while trying to switch lanes, and their vehicles ended up colliding. Dashcam footage of the collision was posted to Facebook group Singapore Road Vigilante on June 27. In the video, which is slightly longer than a minute, the bus and car are stopped at a traffic light side by side along the two leftmost lanes of a road identified in the comments as Loyang Avenue. The car is seen signalling left from the beginning. As the light turns green and the two vehicles start moving, the bus signals right and starts to move closer to the car. However, neither of the two vehicles slow down to let the other cut in. As a result, the two vehicles collide near a fork in the road after the bus veers into the car's lane, in a supposed attempt to avoid turning left. Both drivers are seen exiting their respective vehicles after a few seconds and their interaction was not caught on video.

After taking a pilates class in the vicinity, a woman returned to the car she had parked at a building in River Valley Road only to find that its wheel had been clamped. Ms Elaine Ong received a shock, as she had only been gone for an hour, and she had got access to the building’s carpark after passing through a gantry. To have the clamp removed from the wheel of her car, the 29-year-old was instructed through a slip issued by management corporation strata title (MCST) 325 - the Chiap Chuan Building’s management office - to pay $400. Ms Ong said about the incident that took place on May 24 that she was told by the building’s management that her car’s wheel was clamped because she had parked illegally within the estate. This was because the vehicle’s rear wheel had mounted the kerb next to the designated parking space. Photos she shared with The Straits Times on June 24 showed her car - with a clamped wheel - parked within a parking space, albeit with its rear left wheel merely touching the line. “It was so frustrating. There was no negotiation, and the building’s management refused to release my car until I made the payment.

An unexploded World War II bomb was safely removed from a construction site in Ang Mo Kio. The police told AsiaOne they received a report at around 5.45pm yesterday (June 28) about the war relic discovery along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 towards Marymount Road during excavation works. «The Singapore Police Force worked with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit and the item was established to be a World War II unexploded ordnance,» they said. The police added that the bomb was moved away for disposal after it was assessed to be safe for handling. «No danger was posed to the public,» they said. Last September, a WWII bomb was discovered at a construction site in Upper Bukit Timah Road, which led to the evacuation of thousands of residents living in the vicinity.

A customer who ordered a bowl of fish soup found an unexpected ingredient in his dish: a plastic clothes peg. The 46-year-old clinic assistant, who wishes to be known as CT Zu, posted a picture of his soup to Facebook Group Complaint Singapore on Thursday (June 27). «Found this clip in my tom yum fish soup, bought from Cantine at Jurong Point,» read the caption. A large, pink plastic clothes peg, which seems to have been fished out of the soup, can be seen in the picture. These clips are also used to attach order slips to containers to inform the kitchen of the order and removed before the food is packed. Speaking to AsiaOne, Zu said that he ordered three portions of fish soup from the food court operated by Kopitiam on Wednesday evening via Grab. Upon opening one of the tom yum fish soups, he was shocked to discover a whole plastic clip inside. «I was agitated, disgusted and annoyed. An angry man is a hungry man,» said Zu. «Luckily I ordered other food as well.» According to a picture of Zu's order receipt seen by AsiaOne, one bowl of tom yum fish soup cost $7.50 and his total order came up to $28.10.