Pope Francis arrived in Singapore on Wednesday (Sept 11) afternoon, the final stop of his 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region. At Changi Airport, the Pope was greeted by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, archbishop of Singapore and leader of the Roman Catholic Church Cardinal William Goh and former cabinet minister and labour chief Lim Boon Heng, among other guests. There, four children performed to the song Singapore Town, and presented him with flowers. The 87-year-old then headed to Changi Jurassic Mile, where he was welcomed by about 1,000 Catholics. His arrival in Singapore marks the first visit by a pontiff since 1986, when the late Pope John Paul II made a five-hour stopover.

It doesn't have to be a Taylor Swift concert — a brass band for the Pope is more than enough to bring people together. And that's what Hai Sing Catholic School student Arissa Nabilah Arman did.  The 14-year-old, who plays the tuba in her school's concert band, shared with AsiaOne why she decided to perform for Pope Francis' visit to Singapore. Arissa, a Malay-Muslim, is one of the volunteers in the combined schools' brass band that will play in the papal mass at the National Stadium on Thursday (Sept 12). «I've always decided if there was a music event — including religion — I would participate in it no matter what,» she said.  «Music always brings people together, regardless of religion, race, or anything of that matter.» Her parents were of the same mind when they learnt that she wanted to perform for the Pope. «They were the ones who encouraged me to join in the first place,» the teen said. «My family doesn't mind because they know my passion for music, and they know music knows no bounds whatsoever, so they know I'll perform either way.»

Operations by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) are still taking place following a fire in Loyang on Tuesday (Sep 10) morning. The fire, which began at around 7.45am on Tuesday, took place at Digital Realty, a data centre located along 3 Loyang Way. The SCDF were alerted to the fire at about 8am. «The fire involved lithium-ion batteries housed in battery rooms on the third floor of a four-storey building,» the SCDF said in response to AsiaOne's queries.  Four water jets were deployed to combat the fire while the sprinkler system was activated in the building. Around 20 individuals were evacuated from the building prior to the arrival of the SCDF. No injuries were reported. An unmanned firefighting robot was also deployed for a damping down operation to cool the batteries, the SCDF stated, also highlighting that this would likely be a «prolonged operation». No reported injuries Digital Realty, an international real estate firm, operates three data centres locally. Two of these centres are in Loyang, while the last is in Jurong.

An elderly personal mobility aid (PMA) user selling tissues outside a temple in Bugis has been accused of terrorising fellow tissue sellers and residents of the area. One of the tissue sellers, surnamed Hong, told Shin Min Daily News that he has been bullied by the «hot-tempered» and «notorious» man several times over the past year. The 84-year-old claimed that the PMA user would verbally abuse the other tissue sellers outside the popular Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple. The man often occupies the area near the exit of the temple, which has high footfall, and would supposedly scold others who get in his way. «He treats the entire street as his own territory,» said Hong. When a Shin Min reporter visited the temple, many said they recognised the PMA user and knew of his ferocious temper. Another tissue seller, 80, said she has seen the man throwing away items at the temple exit that belonged to others. Hence, she dares not approach the temple and can only sell tissues at one corner.

SINGAPORE - Gamblers at Singapore's two casinos must abide by new laws regarding the withdrawal of bets after results have been announced, and the recording of games on the premises. With the passing of the Casino Control (Amendment) Bill on Sept 10, it will also be a crime for people to breach family visit limits when the changes take effect. During the second reading of the Bill in Parliament, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling said casino-related crime remains low in Singapore. Only 0.2 per cent of all crimes reported in 2023 happened at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa. That year, 137 criminal cases were reported at both casinos, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in August. MHA said the changes to the Casino Control Act, which was last amended in 2012, are part of a regular review to ensure it keeps up with changes in the gambling industry. Ms Sun said the Bill was drafted after a review by MHA, the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has voiced its support for the new Platform Workers Bill, which was passed in Parliament on Tuesday (Sept 10). In a media statement on the same day, NTUC said that the passing of the bill is welcomed and strongly supported by it as well as its affiliated associations: the National Taxi Association, National Private Hire Vehicles Association and National Delivery Champions Association. «This development marks a win for our platform workers, and a significant milestone in NTUC's ongoing efforts to safeguard platform workers' livelihoods,» it said. It added that the Platform Workers law will allow NTUC to protect and enhance platform workers' rights and welfare when it forms Platform Work Associations (PWAs) in the future. 'Significant win for platform workers' The law will open up more grievance resolution mechanisms for platform workers, including conciliation with the Ministry of Manpower and escalation to the Industrial Arbitration Court, when necessary. This structured system ensures platform workers have access to fair dispute resolution depending on their issue's severity, said NTUC.

SINGAPORE — A Singaporean casino high-roller who incurred a multimillion-dollar baccarat debt with The Star Gold Coast Casino has been ordered to repay the casino about A$38.7 million (S$33.6 million). Wong Yew Choy incurred an A$43 million debt at the casino in Queensland, Australia, between July 26 and Aug 2, 2018, but left Australia on the last day without settling it. Star Entertainment Queensland, which operates the casino, attempted to recover the debt with a signed blank cheque he had previously given Star Sydney, a related establishment. Wong had exchanged the cheque for gambling chips in May 2017 as part of a cheque-cashing facility agreement. But the cheque was not used then because he settled his gambling losses on that occasion via a bank deposit. The Supreme Court in Brisbane heard that when The Star Gold Coast Casino tried to cash the cheque in 2018, it bounced. It emerged that Dr Wong had instructed his bank on Aug 3, 2018, not to honour any cheque purporting to draw on his account in favour of The Star Gold Coast Casino.

Six men were charged in court for their suspected involvement in illegal cyber activities committed in Singapore, the police and Internal Security Department (ISD) said in a joint statement on Tuesday (Sept 10). All of them — five Chinese nationals and one Singaporean — have been remanded for further investigations as the police continue to investigate their local network of contacts and the global syndicate to which they are linked.  The men, aged between 32 and 42, were arrested on Monday.  About 160 officers from the Singapore Police Force's Criminal Investigation Department, Police Intelligence Department, Special Operations Command, and the Internal Security Department conducted simultaneous raids at multiple residential locations island-wide. «This is a significant operation as the individuals are suspected to be carrying out global malicious cyber operations from Singapore,» the police said. 

SINGAPORE — After having some drinks at the bar where he worked, Pua Yui Loon, 28, drove on the BKE at an «extreme speed» of 141kmh in the early hours of Feb 6. The Malaysian then hit a motorcycle, killing the motorcyclist and injuring the pillion rider. But instead of stopping, Pua drove across the Causeway back to his condo in Johor Bahru, and was only caught when he tried to enter Singapore via bus the next day. On Sept 10, Pua was jailed for three years and 10 months, and was disqualified from driving for 10 years after pleading guilty to one charge of dangerous driving causing death. Another five charges, relating to failing to render assistance, failing to report the accident, failing to stop, moving the car and dangerous driving causing hurt, were taken into consideration for the sentence. On Feb 6, Pua had beer with customers at the lounge bar in Geylang where he worked as a cashier, before leaving the premises at around 1am. He drove one of his colleagues to Paya Lebar, before driving towards Woodlands Checkpoint via the BKE.

Several children at an award ceremony were reportedly left close to tears, after some adults in the audience jeered at them. The incident occurred at final of the National Chinese Creative Reading Competition held on Sept 6 at the Woodlands Regional Library, reported Shin Min Daily News. The event, organised by Popular Bookstore chain and National Library Board, saw three groups of participants competing — those from preschool, Primary 1 to 3 and Primary 4 to 6. A parent of a participant told Shin Min that a video of the prize-giving ceremony for the winners of the last group was later shared in a chat group. The ceremony to award the top five finalists saw about 200 parents and 80 children in attendance and everyone was in high spirits, she added. «When I got home, I saw a video posted in the chat group of the scene at the time,» said the woman. But the contents of the clip were shocking. The woman alleged that from what she saw in the clip, two women sitting in the audience had booed loudly and made hand signals when some of the children went up on stage to receive their prize.

SINGAPORE - The upcoming Founders' Memorial at Gardens by the Bay's Bay East Garden is set to cost $335 million to construct. Responding to a question from Mr Louis Chua (Sengkang GRC), Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong told Parliament on Monday (Sept 9) that the development cost is based on current outlook and projections. The sum «encompasses building construction and fit-out costs for the exhibition galleries, viewing gallery and outdoor amphitheatre, education and family spaces and amenities, and a 5ha outdoor public garden», said Mr Tong in a written response. He added that the annual operating cost of the memorial «is being worked out in tandem with the development of operational plans». Slated to open in end-2028, the memorial - which was mooted in 2015 following founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's death - will be dedicated to independent Singapore's pioneers and the values they exemplified. It broke ground on June 5.

A fiery debate erupted in Parliament on Monday (Sept 9), after Workers' Party (WP) MP Gerald Giam raised concerns of the «symbiotic relationship» between the People's Action Party (PAP) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) at the second reading of a draft law. The Aljunied GRC MP was debating the Platform Workers Bill, which proposes better labour protection for workers such as ride-hailing drivers and on-demand delivery workers. If the law is passed, platform workers would be able to join union-like associations, which the NTUC had said on Aug 29 that it would formally represent platform workers. In his speech on Monday, Giam pointed out that many PAP members serve as advisors to NTUC-affiliated unions, and questioned if they could fully advocate for workers' interests. «Over time, the deep entrenchment of PAP influence within unions could lead to the perception that unions are not independent bodies representing workers but extensions of the PAP's political machinery,» he said.

SINGAPORE — The chorus of popular National Day song Home greeted the 10-member Team Singapore contingent as they arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 3 on Sept 10 to a warm welcome from a crowd of 100 consisting mostly of family and friends. The group, which also included a handful of fans, members of the Purple Parade — a movement to support the inclusion of people with disabilities — and Team Nila supporters sang «This is home truly» from local singer Kit Chan's song as the athletes walked through the arrival hall shortly after 6.45am. There were smiles and some tears as the Paralympians returned home to a busy week — they will embark on an open-top bus parade through the heart of the city on Sept 14. Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong was first to greet the athletes who competed across six sports during the Aug 28-Sept 8 Games. They earned three medals — two gold and a silver — in their best showing at a Paralympics.

Adult commuters taking public transport can expect to pay 10 cents more per journey starting from Dec 28. Meanwhile, concession card holders will see an increase of 4 cents per journey. This group includes students, seniors, persons with disabilities, and those on the Workfare Transport Concession Scheme (WTCS). The Public Transport Council (PTC) announced the revised fares at a press conference on Monday (Sept 9), noting that it has granted a 6 per cent overall increase in fares, which is less than a third of the 18.9 per cent maximum allowable quantum. The remaining 12.9 per cent will be deferred to future fare review exercises. Graduating students will continue to enjoy concessionary fares for four months after the end of their course of study, the PTC said. This extension will apply to students whose concession eligibility ends on or after Dec 28, 2024.

SINGAPORE — Singapore is forecast to have the largest share of passenger electric vehicles (EVs) in South-east Asia by 2040, according to a report from Bloomberg's energy research service BloombergNEF.   A total of 80 per cent of all passenger vehicles here are expected to be electric by that year, compared with a regional average of 24 per cent, the report said. Thailand, in second place, is forecast to have a 41 per cent share, followed by Vietnam (31 per cent), Indonesia (25 per cent), Malaysia (15 per cent) and the Philippines (10 per cent). Singapore had the highest EV adoption rate among the six South-east Asian countries in 2023, according to BloombergNEF, with EVs accounting for about 19 per cent of all vehicles sold here. In the first seven months of 2024 alone, EVs formed 32.1 per cent of new car registrations, based on data from the Land Transport Authority.

His visit may be brief but this experience will leave a memory enough to last the staff of St Theresa's Home a lifetime. The staff of St Theresa's Home have expressed their eagerness to meet Pope Francis in person, they shared with AsiaOne. St Theresa's Home is a nursing home under the Catholic Welfare Services that provides care to the elderly and aged sick, so that they may recuperate or live out their final years with proper support. Executive director Victor Seng is among the staff members of the Home who are excited to meet the pontiff. «Pope Francis' visit to Singapore is something the whole country is very happy about,» he said. «What makes me happier still — a dream come true — is that the Pope is coming to visit St Theresa's Home.» Speaking on behalf of residents and staff, Seng said that he feels «privileged and honoured» to have the Pope visit the Home.

SINGAPORE — A new Bill will put in place measures to counter digitally manipulated content during elections, including misinformation generated using artificial intelligence (AI) — commonly known as deepfakes. The proposed safeguards under the Elections (Integrity of Online Advertising) (Amendment) Bill will apply to all online content that realistically depicts a candidate saying or doing something that he or she did not. This includes content made using non-AI techniques like Photoshop, dubbing, and splicing. If the Bill is passed, candidates will be able to ask the Returning Officer (RO) to review content that has misrepresented them. A false declaration of such misrepresentation is illegal and could result in a fine or loss of a seat. Others can also make requests to review such content, which is set to be made illegal from the issuance of the Writ of Election to the close of polling on Polling Day. The move comes ahead of a general election that must be held by November 2025.

SINGAPORE - A new four-year Olympic cycle begins with new equipment for Singapore kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder, yet some things remain the same. The teenager dominated the competition to claim the KiteFoil World Series Austria title on Sunday (Sept 8), four days before he turns 18. His training partner, Croatia's Martin Dolenc clinched silver, while Frenchman Benoit Gomez took the bronze and German Florian Gruber finished fourth in the grand final. Home favourite and surprise Olympic champion Valentin Bontus placed seventh. Throughout the five-day competition, Maximilian won 11 out of 12 races in the opening series. Needing just one win in the medal series, he clinched it on his first try for his fifth victory in six events in 2024. The only blip was in his last competitive outing in Marseille, where he captured a nation's imagination with a historic Olympic bronze on Aug 9. The two-time world champion inspired and touched Singaporeans with his tears and down-to-earth demeanour during the Olympics and post-Games festivities.

SINGAPORE — About 14,000 suggestions from the public were received by the National Parks Board (NParks) and, on Sept 8, visitors got to see how the new and the old blended together at the reopening of the Chinese and Japanese gardens in Taman Jurong. After extensive rebuilding works over the last five years, familiar landmarks such as the Twin Pagoda, Grand Arch and Stoneboat remain — alongside new spaces such as Water Wall Court and the Japanese Garden's Guesthouse, a multipurpose hall that can accommodate up to 1,000 people. At the reopening, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who unveiled a commemorative plaque and planted a Syzygium aqueum tree, described the Sept 8 event as a long-awaited milestone.

SINGAPORE — Opposition leader and Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh has failed in his attempt to have his upcoming trial heard in the High Court, after he sought to compare his case to that of former transport minister S. Iswaran. On Sept 9, Justice Hoo Sheau Peng dismissed Singh's application for his case to be transferred to the High Court, saying that he has failed to establish that the transfer of his case is expedient for the ends of justice. Singh, 48, faces two charges of lying to a parliamentary committee that was convened in November 2021 to look into the lying controversy involving his party's former MP Raeesah Khan. A 16-day trial in the State Courts is scheduled to take place between Oct 14 and Nov 13. The trial is slated to be presided over by Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan. On Aug 26, Singh's lawyer, Andre Jumabhoy, argued before Justice Hoo that it was «expedient for the ends of justice» for his client's case to be heard by a High Court judge. Jumabhoy cited the case of Iswaran, whose trial was transferred to be heard in the High Court after the prosecution applied to do so on grounds of public interest.

A pregnant woman from Padang Lembu, Malaysia was visiting her husband working in Singapore when she had to give birth via an emergency caesarian section due to gestational hypertension. The baby was born on Aug 22 after a gestation period of just six months, and weighed only 705g, said the baby's grandfather, Jiang Tingfeng (transliteration), who held a press conference in their village near Gurun, Kedah, on Friday (Sept 6). Jiang told Malaysian media that his pregnant daughter-in-law had gone to visit his son, Yipeng (transliteration), the previous day with their five-year-old. The newborn, named Junxuan (transliteration), is currently in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) and is expected to stay there for the first 120 days of his life, China Press reported. «He is still in critical condition and, according to doctors, due to his extremely premature birth, he is also facing some complications,» the elder Jiang said. «The oesophagus is not yet fully developed and he cannot consume milk normally, thus he requires constant monitoring.»

A Singapore-registered vehicle was seen getting into a road accident on Sept 3, with the incident purportedly occurring in Johor Bahru. In a video uploaded on SG Road Vigilante's YouTube channel on Sept 4, a red Audi SUV with a Singapore registered licence plate was seen making an illegal U-turn, crossing the double white line markings on the road. As the car attempts to manoeuvre into the lane, it narrowly misses brushing against a grey SUV parked at the side of the road. Following this, the driver moves off but at an unsteady pace, braking intermittently with hazard light signals still on.  Several seconds later, dash cam footage from the car trailing behind showed the Audi colliding with a stationary black MPV, causing a part of the MPV's rear bumper to fall off. As the Audi pulls to a stop, a woman is seen alighting from the black MPV to check on the car. She also speaks to two security guards who are at the scene. While it is uncertain if both car drivers reached a settlement over the accident, the woman from the black MPV was seen getting back in her car at the end of the video.

SINGAPORE - A doctor on his way to work at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital saved a heart attack victim, and then took a bus to the accident and emergency (A&E) department where he ended up being the man's attending physician. Paramedics who rushed the man to the hospital were not aware Dr Lim Shi Ping was working that day. The 63-year-old man survived the heart attack and was discharged from hospital five days later. The incident happened around 7.30am on Aug 18. The 27-year-old junior doctor told The Straits Times that he had left his car at home to catch the train, from where he lives in Novena, to Yishun because it was a Sunday. At the Yishun MRT station, he noticed a crowd at the bottom of the escalator. A man had collapsed and was gasping for air. Dr Lim, who has been a doctor for two years, pushed through the crowd and introduced himself as a medical doctor. The man had no pulse by then. The doctor immediately commenced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and directed people around him to call for an ambulance.