After hearing her one-year-old daughter crying in the room, a woman was shocked to discover that her helper had yanked the toddler's arm.  The woman, who only wanted to be known as Lee, told AsiaOne that the incident took place in her Jurong West home on May 9.  Lee had hired the 25-year old Indonesian maid through an agency in March.  «She usually helps to put the baby to bed in our bedroom. That night, I heard my daughter crying so I pulled out the CCTV to check,» said 38-year-old Lee, who also has a four-year-old son.  CCTV footage from Lee's bedroom showed that the maid was trying to coax the toddler to sleep at about 8.30pm.  When the girl refused to sleep and started fidgeting, the helper tried flipping her onto her side before roughly pulling her arm to carry her.  Lee said she confronted the maid about her actions, but the latter denied being rough with the toddler, saying that she does the same to her own children.  «It was only after I showed her the CCTV footage that she admitted she was being rough,» said Lee, who also told her maid that it could also be a potential police case. 

If you've received a SMS asking for payment on outstanding road fees, it may be a scam. In a Facebook post on Friday (Sept 6), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) warned motorists of the re-emergence of a phishing scam with the following message. «Dear customer, due to an error in the information, your vehicle has an outstanding road fee that needs to be paid as soon as possible. Please click on the link to view.» LTA said that it did not send the message, adding that it does not send any links to the public to make payment. The authority reminded recipients of such unsolicited messages or emails not to click on any links provided, and that they should not disclose personal information or one-time passwords (OTPs) to anyone.

On Monday (Sept 2), Pope Francis embarked on a 12-day trip across Southeast Asia — his longest since becoming head of the Catholic Church in 2013. After visiting Indonesia, the 87-year-old is now heading to Papua New Guinea, and will visit Timor-Leste before arriving in Singapore on Sept 11. During his three days here, the pope will celebrate Mass at the National Stadium, visit a nursing home for the elderly and aged sick, as well as Catholic Junior College. Here are six things you may not have known about Pope Francis. He chose 'Francis' in honour of a saint Born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, Pope Francis is the son of Italian immigrants. He was elected as pope in 2013 following his predecessor's resignation. The pope chose his papal name «Francis» in honour of St Francis of Assisi — a 13th-century monk known for his charity and kindness to animals. «Oh, how I would like a poor Church, and for the poor,» said Pope Francis at the time. The name choice was not surprising to observers, given his preference for a simple life even before he became the pope.

All hawker Michael Poh wanted to do was show his appreciation for his customers. On Sept 1, the 44-year-old sold his chicken rice at $2. He had planned to offer the special promotion over three days. But what he encountered at his stall at 206 Toa Payoh North forced him to tweak his Customer Appreciation Day promotion in order to manage the crowd. Poh was hoping to extend the promotion to his regular customers but most of them were put off by the snaking queue of unfamiliar faces. «It was extremely packed but there was not much of my target audience. I did not recognise 80 per cent of the people in line,» said Poh, who runs Poh Kee Chicken Rice with his wife and elderly father. «Many of my regulars said they would return after the promotion was over as the queue was too long and they did not want to 'take advantage' of me.»

A man was left with scars on his face after a night out with his friends turned awry.  Lun Chenxi, 27, told Shin Min Daily News that he was drinking with six friends at a bar at Grantral Mall in MacPherson on Saturday (Aug 31) night.  The group arrived at the bar at about 9pm, and left at 2am on Sunday morning.  Just as he was walking down the stairs, the financial advisor slipped and fell.  «I suspect I was pushed down the stairs. As soon as I fell, someone rushed over and hit me,» Lun said.  As he was tipsy and suffered head injuries, the man had trouble recalling the details of that night.  «According to my friend, the attacker claimed he was unhappy with me for picking a fight with his brother, so he attacked me.  »In reality, I don't know the two brothers very well. When we were drinking together, we got along with one another."  After getting beaten up, Lun vaguely remembered someone helping him up. He was already in the hospital when he woke up. 

Roland Tay Hai Choon, known as an undertaker who arranges free funerals for murder victims or the poor, was fined and penalised for tax evasion on Sept 5. The 77-year-old had under-declared his income from his businesses for three years, resulting in a total of $250,312.49 in income tax being undercharged. He had also failed to register his businesses for goods and services tax (GST) when required, resulting in $286,963 of unaccounted tax. On Sept 5, Tay, who had been charged in 2022 and out on $80,000 bail since, pleaded guilty to three counts of tax evasion and one charge of failing to register for GST. District Judge John Ng then meted out a $3,000 fine for each of the four charges, to be paid on the same day or he would have to serve a three-month jail term for default. The undertaker must also pay to the taxman a total penalty of $529,321.28. This is the mandatory penalty for his four offences.

«This is protocol photo? I want a friendship photo.» This was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unexpected response when asked to pose for an official photo with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the former's two-day official visit in Singapore from Sept 4 to 5.  PM Wong was hosting PM Modi to a meal at the Istana on Sept 4. On PM Modi's arrival, the two prime ministers posed for official photos before he gamely asked that question, as seen in PM Wong's TikTok video posted yesterday (Sept 4). PM Modi then embraced PM Wong, wrapping an arm around each other's shoulders, both smiling warmly. That 'friendship photo' symbolises the excellent, broad-based, and multifaceted bilateral relations the two countries have shared over the past 59 years.  https://www.tiktok.com/@lawrencewongst/video/7410770492023426311?lang=en The two-day visit was at the invitation of PM Wong. PM Modi was sworn in as India's prime minister for a third term on June 9, while Wong took office as Singapore's fourth prime minister on May 15.  This is PM Modi's fifth visit to Singapore. He last visited Singapore in 2018.

It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. That someone is Shahrul Nizam Suhaimi who takes pride in working as a cleaner in Singapore, according to multiple TikTok posts uploaded in July. Shahrul, a 25-year-old Malaysian and father of one, makes a nearly-daily commute to Singapore just to do his job as a cleaner. He documented this journey while working in Bukom Island in a viral TikTok post that has since garnered 1.2 million views and over 42,000 likes. He has been working in Singapore for nearly three years, reported the New Straits Times (NST).

Amid relatively fierce competition for a vacant food stall in Holland Drive, one bidder who made an offer of $7,012 came out on top. If successful, the tenderer will set a record for the highest monthly rental rate at Holland Drive Market & Food Centre, reported 8world. The particular stall received at least four other bids ranging from $4,150 to $4,880 in the August tender exercise, according to a report published by the National Environment Agency (NEA). The space is popular as the stallholder is allowed to sell cooked food, halal cooked food, Indian cuisine, drinks or cut fruits. In comparison, another vacant stall at the same food centre — which can only sell Indian cuisine — also received at least five bids, with the highest offer being $688. NEA says that it reserves the right to not accept any bid, including the highest bid received on the tender notice. The final results of the August exercise has not been released.

It is not unusual to find a Catholic going giddy over Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Singapore, but one Hindu youth – 28-year-old Shukul Raaj Kumar – also cannot wait to create a beautiful moment with the pontiff.  His opportunity will come on Sept 13, when he shares the stage with the Pope, Mr Shukul was handpicked to be part of a small panel of young people who will engage the Pope at an inter-religious meeting at Catholic Junior College. The event, which takes place on the final day of the Pope’s 12-day Asia-Pacific tour, has been described by some observers as the most unusual item on his three-day Singapore itinerary. It will be attended by more than 600 participants, with the majority being young people from more than 50 schools and interfaith and religious organisations. As far as Mr Shukul understands, he was picked because of his significant contributions to interfaith dialogue in Singapore and abroad. Now serving as the chief coordinator of the Inter-Religious Organisation’s youth wing, which has 134 young people from 10 religions, he continues to advocate for interfaith engagement and understanding.

Temasek Foundation has announced the appointment of Jennie Chua as its new chairman of the board.  This foundation is the philanthropic arm of Singapore's state-owned global investment company, Temasek. It supports a diverse range of programmes that uplift lives and communities in Singapore and beyond.  Chua, 80, has served on the board of Temasek Foundation (TF) since its beginnings in 2007.  She succeeds Benny Lim, 68, who has served as the foundation's chairman since 2020.  Lim, who is also the chairman of the Housing and Development Board, will continue to remain on the board of the foundation.  «During his tenure, he (Lim) provided oversight in guiding TF's strategic transformation.» «Together with the board, he also steered the organisation through its Covid-19 initiatives, complementing other nationwide efforts in building resilience against the pandemic and supporting Singaporeans in staying safe», TF said in a media statement.  The foundation also extended its gratitude to Lim for his «valuable contributions and dedication». 

It is not unusual to find a Catholic going giddy over Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Singapore, but one Hindu youth – 28-year-old Shukul Raaj Kumar – also cannot wait to create a beautiful moment with the pontiff.  His opportunity will come on Sept 13, when he shares the stage with the Pope, Mr Shukul was handpicked to be part of a small panel of young people who will engage the Pope at an inter-religious meeting at Catholic Junior College. The event, which takes place on the final day of the Pope’s 12-day Asia-Pacific tour, has been described by some observers as the most unusual item on his three-day Singapore itinerary. It will be attended by more than 600 participants, with the majority being young people from more than 50 schools and interfaith and religious organisations. As far as Mr Shukul understands, he was picked because of his significant contributions to interfaith dialogue in Singapore and abroad. Now serving as the chief coordinator of the Inter-Religious Organisation’s youth wing, which has 134 young people from 10 religions, he continues to advocate for interfaith engagement and understanding.

A search and rescue operation is currently underway in the Eastern Anchorage of the Singapore Straits (off Tanah Merah) after a tugboat, OSHIO, reportedly sunk at about 2.15pm on Sept 4. The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) is coordinating the operation with the Police Coast Guard (PCG) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).  According to shiptracking platform Vessel Finder, the OSHIO's position was last tracked in the Eastern Anchorage (off Tanah Merah). It reportedly sunk at 2.15pm on Sept 4. INFOGRAPHIC: Vessel Finder According to a media statement by the MPA, two crew were reportedly onboard the tugboat at the time of the incident.  A 39-year-old crew member who was earlier rescued by PCG was taken to the hospital, where he subsequently died.  The nationality of both crew members are not known. The gender of the missing crew was not revealed. 

SINGAPORE — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong during a two-day visit to the city-state starting on Wednesday (Sept 4), Singapore's government said. Modi will also meet Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and former Prime Ministers Lee Hsien Loong and Goh Chok Tong during the trip, his fifth to Singapore and first since 2018. He will also participate in a business roundtable with local business leaders and meet semiconductor players. Modi will be accompanied by Indian government officials including the Foreign Minister and National Security Advisor.