Former transport minister S. Iswaran, who faces 35 charges, on July 5 tried to compel the prosecution to provide conditioned statements for all 56 prosecution witnesses. A conditioned statement is a mode of giving evidence by written statement, rather than by oral testimony. Iswaran, whose charges involve more than $400,000 worth of items, arrived at the High Court with his defence team at around 9.30am. The prosecution team argued they had provided a list of the 56 witnesses and their roles in the case, and are not obliged to provide the conditioned statements of these witnesses. One of the seven prosecution witnesses named in court documents was Iswaran’s wife, Taylor Kay Mary. The prosecution said she had seven statements recorded by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau during investigations. Of the 35 charges Iswaran faces, 27 relate to hotel and property tycoon Ong Beng Seng. Eight charges relate to Mr David Lum Kok Seng, the managing director of mainboard-listed Lum Chang Holdings.

Although August 9 is a day of significance for Singaporeans, it's an extra special occasion for Major Ervin Ng, whose wedding anniversary also falls on the same day.  «I got together with my wife on National Day back in 2013, and we got married on the same day in 2015,» the 36-year-old told reporters during an interview at Tengah Air Base on Thursday (July 4).  However, their yearly celebrations have to be put on ice this year as Ng will be among six pilots flying the F-16 Fighting Falcons over the island as part of this year's parade. Ng is also involved in the planning of the flight routes for the F-16s, a delicate process which requires navigating the air space around urban areas including Padang and the heartlands.  «It's very special this year, because both my children will be celebrating our anniversary together as they see me on the flight path. They have been very supportive and excited,» said Ng. 

After a 20-year-old motorcyclist refused to stop along the Bukit Timah Expressway for a routine check by the traffic police, he ended up self-skidding near a junction in Bukit Panjang. The rider then fled on foot, but did not get far before a traffic police officer caught up to him. A clip of the incident circulating online shows the man, clad in a black shirt and blue jeans with a grey helmet on, putting up a struggle against the officer along a footpath. The man eventually concedes and sits down as other auxiliary police officers arrive. A small crowd of curious onlookers have also gathered. https://www.tiktok.com/@_xredsicezx_/video/7387684958363585800 The drama unfolded near the junction of Petir Road and Gangsa Road at about 3.45pm on Thursday (July 4). An eyewitness named Fandi told Shin Min Daily News that a signboard nearby had been knocked over, and a motorbike was fallen on its side on the grass verge. A traffic police motorcycle was parked next to the kerb. The 20-year-old student, who was on his way home, reckoned that the man managed to run about 50 metres before being nabbed.

A hopeful man from Bangladesh found himself without a job and a place to stay after paying $7,000 to come to Singapore for a better-paying job. A post made on June 11 by the Facebook page of community organisation Migrant Workers Singapore (MWS) detailed the story of a migrant worker who was unable to contact his employer and was then left homeless after the agent who brought him to Singapore returned to Bangladesh without warning. The worker is 25-year-old Jaynal MD, a former auto-rickshaw driver from Bangladesh, reported CNA.

With the season in full swing, the king of fruits is very much in demand — so much so that one school invited a durian seller to set up a one-day pop-up stall on campus.   In just two hours, staff of the primary school in Serangoon snapped up 400kg of Musang King, Shin Min Daily News reported on Thursday (July 4). Wang, a 60-year-old driver, told the Chinese evening daily that he was at the school at noon on Wednesday to pick up students when he caught a whiff of the fruit. It led him to the canteen, where he saw banners and several employees from a durian vendor. «This is the first time I'm seeing durians being sold in the school, so I was curious.» For seller Durian Heroes, it is also a first for them. Owner Sabrina Lim, 46, told AsiaOne that she received the invitation from the school two weeks ago. «One of the teachers had bought durians from us and recommended us to the school management,» she said. She added that her team prepared 400kg of Black Gold and regular Musang King varieties after discussing the number of interested buyers with the school.

SINGAPORE — Five constituencies have seen their voter numbers increase by more than 10,000 since the 2020 General Election, the latest figures from Singapore's updated voter rolls show. They are Pasir Ris-Punggol, Sembawang and Tampines GRCs, and the two single-seat wards of Hong Kah North and Potong Pasir. Hong Kah North SMC now has 38,883 voters, a 65.33 per cent increase from 23,519 in 2020. One contributing factor is the growing development of Tengah New Town. The keys to 2,908 of the 3,753 units in the first three Build-To-Order (BTO) projects in Tengah had been collected by Jan 18, the Housing Board said earlier in 2024. There are another 20 BTO projects still under construction in Tengah. From the third quarter of 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2027, about 19,100 units will be delivered progressively to flat buyers, HDB added. Potong Pasir registered a 68.38 per cent increase from 18,551 to 31,236 voters, largely due to the influx of voters from Bidadari estate.

A father alleged that his 17-year-old son with myelitis was assaulted by a classmate in school on June 26 at around 9am. Stomp contributor N said his son was pushed onto the floor and punched several times. «As my son is still recovering since being hospitalised, he is very vulnerable and wasn't able to defend himself at all,» said the father, who works as a part-time security guard. «He was diagnosed with myelitis in 2018 and he ended up in hospital for almost one year. He still needs the support of a leg splint to walk.»

A Yishun resident was surprised when he recently discovered that his neighbours were rearing chickens. The man surnamed Chen, who lives in Block 429A in Orchid Spring @ Yishun, told Lianhe Zaobao that he heard chickens crowing while he was at home on June 18. He did not find any chickens when he went downstairs to investigate. The next day, the 41-year-old technician discovered the source of the noise — a makeshift chicken coop in the nearby community garden, which is on the roof of a multi-story car park. Photos taken by Chen show that the coop, made up of several wooden boards, is placed inside a fenced area. It houses at least five Silkie chickens. A signboard attached to the fence reads «Uncle and auntie's chicken farm, everyone is welcomed to come and visit». It also includes instructions for visitors to help replenish the animals' water and feed, as well as reminders to keep their hands clean and avoid touching items in the chicken coop. Two regular chickens can also be seen inside a storage container beside the coop.

The owner of the “Polite Car” – which was easily mistaken for a police patrol vehicle from a distance – has removed most of the livery on it after being advised by the police to do so. The police, in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, have given the 32-year-old man a stern warning on July 2 under the Police Force Act 2004. Under the Police Force Act 2004, it is an offence for a person who is not a police officer to wear or possess any police uniform, or to use any police insignia, knowing that any member of the public may believe that he or she is a police officer. If found guilty, the person can be jailed for up to six months, or fined up to $2,500, or both. The Straits Times reported on June 18 that a white multi-purpose vehicle had decals with the word “polite” instead of “police”. Anyone who scans the QR code printed on the side of the car will be taken to the website of an ice-cream shop belonging to the car owner.

When durian claw machines appeared at night markets last year, many people flocked there to try their hand at grabbing the fruit. A YouTube video of content creators attempting to snag the durians also went viral. Now that the durian season is in full swing this year, the claw machines have made a comeback at a few locations across Singapore. Run by local arcade operator Play United, the machines were installed last week at its outlet in Hougang Mall, as well as two night markets near Yishun MRT station and Fajar LRT station in Bukit Panjang. For every two tokens, which cost $2, players get one shot at catching the thorny fruit. For $10 and $50, you get 15 tokens and 100 tokens respectively. They can be used at all the claw machines operated by Play United. Some players have already landed themselves bountiful loots. A content creator called Valentino said in his video that he and his friend managed to grab nine durians at the Yishun pasar malam. The clip, which was posted to his Instagram and TikTok accounts on Sunday (June 30), has since gone viral, garnering 2.4 million views and 500,000 views on the respective platforms. 

At 30, Rezaa Mohammad Salim has been through much more than others his age.  As the only son in a family of four, Rezaa travelled to Singapore in 2012 to work so that he could support his family in Bangladesh.  In 2016, however, he suffered a devastating injury after he was crushed between a crane and an iron pipe at the shipyard where he worked.  The freak accident destroyed the migrant worker's abdomen, and nearly killed him.  He was admitted to the National University Hospital (NUH), where he would spend the next seven years in a high-dependency ward.  «When he came to us, he was losing blood very rapidly in the stomach, and the entire lot of his intestines was severely damaged,» Adjunct Assistant Professor Raj Menon, Centre Director of National University Centre for Trauma, told AsiaOne in an interview on Wednesday (July 3). The young man was immediately rushed into the operating theatre, where Dr Raj and a team of surgeons helped to stop the bleeding.  «It was a catastrophic injury to his abdomen. In many cases, not many could have survived that kind of injury,» said Dr Raj. 

SINGAPORE — A woman who died while kayaking off Sentosa Island in 2023 could have been wearing a personal flotation device that was faulty, a Maritime Port Authority investigator said on July 4. Captain Cheong Kwee Thiam was speaking at a coroner's inquiry into the death of Chew Jia Tian, 33, that was attended by her parents. Chew went missing at sea during a kayaking trip with three other kayakers on the morning of Oct 22, 2023, and her body was found two days later following a search-and-rescue mission. Captain Cheong, who is a principal marine investigator, said in court on July 4 that when he opened up a back pocket of Chew's personal flotation device, he found the crotch strap neatly folded. Part of the strap's buckle was found to be missing, and Captain Cheong said that his resultant finding was that she had bought a personal floating device that was defective. Earlier in the proceedings, Station Inspector Muhammad Ruzaini Osman, the investigating officer from the Police Coast Guard, said Chew, Lee Kuok Ming and Loh Kin Huat had planned to set off from Sentosa on the day of the incident and kayak to the Southern Islands.

SINGAPORE - Allowing MPs to have a full-time job is a pragmatic arrangement, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said at a dialogue with students on July 2. Responding to a question on why this is permitted, he noted that all political office-holders, such as ministers, also have to balance between their full-time job governing and their duties as MP. «In the same way, just to be pragmatic about it, we recognise that some people have other private sector commitments,» he said. «We let them do it, but we fully expect them to discharge their MP duties well.» There are consequences when MPs fail to do so, he said. Either the party decides not to renew them, or voters do so. «Voters will know if their MP is working hard or not. And voters can decide,» said PM Wong. Here are PM Wong's responses to some questions that students asked. On conflicts of interest The same student also asked if Singapore deems it a conflict of interest if politicians push the agenda of their backers or corporate interests ahead of the state's interest, as is the norm in some countries.

[UPDATE: 8.27AM] Regular train services have progressively resumed and free regular and bridging bus services have ceased. SINGAPORE — Services have resumed along the East-West Line (EWL) after a three-hour delay caused by a track fault at Jurong East station on July 4. The delays were a result of a faulty point machine, said train operator SMRT in a Facebook post at 8.18am. «A point machine controls train movements at rail junctions when trains switch tracks. It is crucial for the point machine to be fully functional for the safe operation of trains,» it added. Due to safety reasons, trains travelled at a speed of 5kmh after the fault was detected, said SMRT. «To rectify the fault, our staff went onto the track to investigate the issue.» Free regular bus and bridging bus services, which were available between Clementi and Boon Lay stations at designated bus stops, have now ceased. SMRT first announced the track fault, which occurred at the station at around 5am, at 7.25am.

Singaporeans can look forward to cash payouts and Medisave top-ups in August. About 1.5 million citizens will receive up to $850 in cash as part of the enhanced GST Voucher (GSTV) scheme, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) in a press release on Thursday (July 4). Those living in homes with annual values of up to $21,000 will get $850, while residents of homes with annual values of more than $21,000, and up to $25,000, will receive $450. If you own more than one property, you are not eligible for the payout. About 650,000 Singaporeans aged 65 and above will also enjoy top-ups of up to $450 to their MediSave accounts. The 2024 GSTV disbursements were first announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during Budget 2023 and will amount to $1.4 billion - around $200 million more than the sum paid out to Singaporeans in 2023, said MOF. You can check your eligibility for the GSTV benefits at govbenefits.gov.sg by logging in with your Singpass. Those who have yet to sign up for the GSTV Scheme will be notified to do so by end-August via the Singpass app, SMS or hardcopy letters.

One woman decided to take matters into her own hands after experiencing two incidents of voyeurism by two different men on the same day.  By using herself as a bait and secretly recording him, she managed to get one of the culprits nabbed. Sharing the June 4 encounter in a TikTok video, the woman said she had first felt «violated» after a man allegedly took upskirt videos of her at Scarlett Supermarket in Nex. He had followed her from one store to another in the mall for half an hour. The woman said that she did not alert the police then due to the lack of evidence. Still, she was determined not to let him get away. At around 5.30pm, she went to the Cold Storage outlet in the same mall to look for him.  But she noticed that another man was allegedly filming her while she was browsing flowers. While she initially walked away, she said that she later «mustered the courage» and decided to use herself as bait to catch the culprit red-handed. In her 40-second clip, the man is seen squatted down and holding a phone with the rear camera facing up. She saw that the phone was in camera mode, she said.

Unable to get up again after taking a hard fall to the floor, an elderly man living alone in the Jalan Kukoh area called his church friend for help. When the latter arrived, the man surnamed Chin, who is in his 70s, was trapped in the kitchen of his cluttered two-room flat and could not open the locked door to let his friend in, reported Shin Min Daily News on Wednesday (July 3). The friend, Terry, managed to use a hook to retrieve Chin's house keys through the open window.  Terry found the elderly man lying on a very messy floor and called an ambulance.  While Chin was in the hospital, Terry thought of cleaning up his home, but realised he could not do so alone due to the large amount of clutter. He then contacted charity organisation Helping Joy, which helps hoarders declutter, on June 18. Volunteer Irene Woon told Shin Min that 25 volunteers decluttered and cleaned the flat on Sunday (June 30). They cleared about six to seven large bins of items from Chin's home, she added. In a Facebook post on Monday, Helping Joy shared photos of the flat before and after it was decluttered and cleaned.

Is this form of artistic expression creative or plain weird? Well, either way, it certainly has sparked conversations. Over the weekend, a banner was put up at the foot of Pinnacle@Duxton along Cantonment Road, encouraging passers-by to stare at the windows of the homes above. It reads: «Choose one apartment window above to look at. Keep staring until the inhabitant catches you staring.» Look closer and you will find, in smaller print, that it is a part of a public art initiative by the Singapore Art Museum (SAM). There is also a QR code where participants can leave their feedback. But it has made some residents at the HDB estate a little uneasy, Shin Min Daily News reported. 'It all feels weird'  Resident Huang Xizhen (transliteration) said that she was aware of the banner, but added that she would feel harassed if strangers were to stare at her window from outside. «It does not matter if it's just looking or being stared at. It all feels weird,» said the 35-year-old. «I hope this form of art doesn't affect others.»

A netizen cried for help on Facebook after receiving news that a dog was trapped behind the rear wheel of a vehicle at a multistorey car park in Jurong West. User Chiam Zhi Lin wrote in a post on the Dogs Singapore group at around 7pm on Monday (July 1) that her colleague «saw a dog stuck [behind a car's] tyre» at Block 684 Jurong West Street 64. Chiam added that a couple who were passing by had tried to take the dog out, «but it's impossible… because it's a medium-sized dog». In a photo uploaded with the post, a dog with brown fur is seen stuck in the gap of the car's left rear wheel. Some of the netizens, worried about the canine, leapt into action. One user said she reached out to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Singapore Civil Defence Force for help. Someone also called the police. Meanwhile, passers-by did their best to get the dog out. Another photo uploaded by Chiam shows four people crouched around the car, shining their mobile phone torch lights into the gap. Around 15 minutes later, at about 7.30pm, they managed to free the dog, which did not have a collar.

The new statues of Sir Stamford Raffles and Dr Nathaniel Wallich at Fort Canning Park are to acknowledge their contributions to Singapore's botanical heritage, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Tuesday (July 2). It is also an acknowledgement of Singapore's colonial past, and not meant to glorify or celebrate «a phase in our history», he added in a written parliamentary reply. Lee cited examples of Singapore's administrative, judicial and political systems - including Parliament, which is based on the Westminster model - as current institutions which can be traced back to the British. Lee's statement comes after Nominated MP Usha Chandradas asked the minister about the basis for the installation of the two new statues, given recent trends in local and global art and cultural institutions towards decolonisation and the re-examination of colonial histories. The pair of life-size bronze figures were unveiled at Fort Canning Park in May.

SINGAPORE — Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny has donated $10,000 from the money he received from Chinese football fans to the Muhammadiyah Welfare Home (MWH).  On July 2, MWH put up a post on its Facebook page, with a photo of Hassan presenting a $10,000 cheque to its head Rahmatunnisa Abdul Majeed. He also interacted with the children there. MWH, a children's home that provides shelter and 24/7 residential care for boys from the ages of 10, said «it received a visit from special guest Singapore goalkeeper Hassan... who is no stranger to the Home». «The contribution will go towards our upcoming CharityFest which will take place later this year,» the post added. Speaking to Berita Harian, Hassan, a father of four, said: «I want to put a smile on their faces because it is not easy for children to live their lives like that. When I hear their stories or experiences, I am very sad. »So I hope to see them smile (with this donation)... I think that's enough. I don't come from a wealthy family, so I understand the difficulties they face. So, this contribution is indeed my responsibility."

A total of six single family office (SFO) funds in Singapore given tax benefits were found to be linked to the 10 foreigners arrested and convicted in the nation’s largest money laundering case. This comes after the country’s financial regulator said in December 2023 it had tightened the tax incentive process to include casting a wider net when conducting due diligence and appointing a panel to screen applicants for money laundering risks. On July 2, Nominated Member of Parliament Usha Chandradas asked the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance how many family offices linked to the 10 convicted foreigners were granted tax benefits. Responding in a written reply on behalf of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said there were six SFOs, including those owned by the 10 convicted or their spouses. Family offices are organisations set up to manage the wealth of a single family or multiple families. In Singapore, SFOs are not required to be registered or licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as they do not manage third-party funds.

Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat has addressed questions on the time it took for a contractor to prevent further oil spillage following an allision between a dredger and a bunker vessel at Pasir Panjang Terminal on June 14. After Chee delivered his ministerial statement on the oil spill incident in Parliament on Tuesday (July 2), Workers' Party MP Dennis Tan noted that it took over 14 hours for Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's (MPA) contractor T&T Salvage Asia to deploy 200m of containment booms around the damaged vessel Marine Honour. He then asked the transport minister why Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), the largest international industry-funded cooperative providing oil spill response services, was not mobilised concurrently with T&T immediately after the allision. Such a move would have prevented the oil spill from spreading further into Singapore waters, said Tan, who is also a practising lawyer at a maritime law firm.  Responding to Tan's question, Chee said: «There is a certain underlying assumption (from Tan) that T&T had been slow and had not been doing its work properly. That's not the case.»

SINGAPORE — A 73-year-old woman who, together with her family, abused an intellectually disabled woman they treated like a slave has been sentenced to 17 years and 10 months' jail. Hasmah Sulong had the most serious charges of her family, all of whom have been convicted and sentenced in relation to this case. The horrific acts that she committed on the victim included knocking her teeth out with a hammer, digging a finger into her eye until it bled, splashing her with hot water, and chaining her to a toilet bowl. As a result, the victim, now 33, suffered head injuries, burns, permanent blurred vision in her right eye, and the loss of 10 teeth. On July 2, Hasmah pleaded guilty to five charges relating to the abuse. The victim was a secondary school friend of one of Hasmah's sons, Muhammad Isafi Ismail, and grew close to his family over time. After running away from home in 2016, the victim moved into the family's flat at Woodlands Drive.

Foreigners with multiple passports who are convicted in Singapore can indicate where they prefer to be deported, and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will assess if they can be admitted to that country, said Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling in Parliament on Tuesday (July 2). The assessment is based on the validity of the foreigners' travel documents, she said. She was fielding questions from Members of Parliament (MPs) on the recent money laundering case with over S$3 billion in assets seized. The 10 foreign nationals who were arrested on Aug 15, 2023, were convicted of money laundering-related charges and are serving jail terms of 13 to 17 months. Workers' Party MP Sylvia Lim asked what is taken into account in deciding where convicted foreigners are deported after serving their sentences, and how these considerations were applied to the 10 in this case. Sun replied that foreigners convicted in Singapore, including those in this case, are deported to «any country to which their passport or travel document allows them to go».

Five years ago, Kallang resident Looi starting picking up trash left under his block whenever he was free. After retiring in 2023, he decided to dedicate even more time to keeping the community clean, spending eight hours every day picking up litter around the estate, reported Shin Min Daily News. The 66-year-old man, who lives at Block 467 Crawford Lane, credited his younger sister as his source of inspiration. She had returned to Singapore from Hong Kong five years ago to care for their ailing mother and would help clear litter around the block in her free time. «I'm also a fastidious person and wanted to clean up the rubbish and cigarette butts I see while on my way home, so I joined her,» said Looi. He noted that the high human traffic in the area leads to an inevitable build-up of trash. The estate is located close to Lavender MRT station and several office buildings. «When I was still working, I could only pick up rubbish from 7pm to 10pm. Now that I'm retired, I have more time and will collect rubbish across two periods — from 5am to 7.30am and from 4pm to 10pm.»

SINGAPORE — Singapore is prepared in principle to recognise Palestine as a state and will make this move at an appropriate time, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Parliament on July 2. Its key consideration in doing so is that such a move should help the progress towards peace and a negotiated two-state solution, he added. «In particular, there will need to be an effective Palestinian government that accepts Israel's right to exist and categorically rejects terrorism,» Dr Balakrishnan said. «Both sides have legitimate rights, and both peoples have a right to live in peace and dignity within secure borders.» He was responding to questions on Singapore's May 10 decision to vote for a United Nations (UN) resolution backing the admission of Palestine as a member of the world body, which it said was made after «serious and careful consideration».

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.