About 20 people were evacuated by the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) after a fire broke out at People's Park Complex on Sunday (Jan 4) afternoon.SCDF said in a Facebook post on the same day that they were alerted to the fire at about 1.55pm.The fire, which happened in the living room of a residential unit on the 21st floor of the mixed-use development in Chinatown, was put out with two water jets after SCDF conducted forcible entry into the unit. According to SCDF, no one was inside the unit at the time of the fire.Videos posted on social media show at least three fire engines along Park Road, where People's Park Complex is located. Smoke is also seen bellowing out from the unit's windows.There were no reported injuries in the fire and the cause of the fire is under investigation.In April 2025, another fire also happened in a storage area on the sixth floor of the same development. Six persons were taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation then.

National water agency PUB has responded to a video online showing water being drained from an underground car park at Fu Lu Shou Complex at Bugis after a pipe purportedly burst.The video, taken at night and posted on TikTok by user _jopig_ on Saturday (Dec 3), stated that efforts to drain the water had started from 3pm.«Flooded in B3 and B2. What a way to start 2026,» she wrote.An eyewitness, surnamed Huang, told 8world that she had heard an announcement in the building at about 3pm requesting drivers to remove their vehicles from the basement car park immediately.She said the water level at B2 was more than ankle-deep, and believed flooding at the B3 level to be worse, although she did not see the extent of the flooding for herself.Huang told 8world that when she got off work at 10.54pm, she still saw workers pumping water from the underground levels to the main road outside the building.Repairs completed within 3 hours: PUBIn a statement on Saturday (Dec 3), PUB said that it was aware of the clip showing water being «pumped out of the basement car park at Fu Lu Shou Complex, into the nearby drains».

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has called on the United States to exercise restraint amid it's intervention in Venezuela on Saturday (Jan 3).The US had, on Jan 3, attacked Venezuela and deposed its long-serving President Nicolas Maduro in an overnight operation, in Washington's most direct intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama.In a statement on Jan 4, a MFA spokesperson said that Singapore is «gravely concerned» by the situation.«Singapore is deeply committed to international law and the principles of the UN Charter that safeguard the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, especially small states.»Singapore has consistently opposed actions contrary to international law by any parties, including foreign military intervention in any country," the spokesperson added.

The nearly $8 million Toto jackpot from Jan 2 will be split among three winning tickets, following no winners in the previous Group 1 draw.The winning numbers were 11, 18, 20, 32, 38 and 39, and the additional number was 34.The Jan 2 draw started out with $5 million prize money but was increased to $6.8 million and later $7.9 million after there were no winners in the previous draw.Each of the three winners will receive $2,653,368.To win Group 1 prize, a ticket must have all six winning numbers. The prize money will snowball to the next draw if there are no winners, up till the fourth draw. After that, the amount will be shared among the winners in Group 2.The three winning tickets were bought through a Quickpick System 7 entry, an iToto System 12 ticket and a Singapore Pools branch in Upper Boon Keng Road.An iToto ticket comprises 12 numbers, increasing the odds of winning and is split into 28 shares. A normal System 12 ticket of 12 numbers is priced at $924, but a person can also buy multiple shares at $33 each.The Group 2 draw on Jan 2 had 17 winners, who will each be receiving about $98,000.

A video of an alleged Singapore-registered car in Malaysia with a partially taped up licence plate and its driver seen pumping Ron95 petrol has gone viral.The clip, believed to have occurred in Kulai, a district in Johor, was posted to X on Saturday (Jan 3).In the clip, a middle-aged man wearing a striped shirt is seen refilling his white Volkswagen car as another driver pulls up from behind and calls out to him. A person in the passenger seat films the interaction.«Singaporean ah,» the male driver questions, to which the Volkswagen driver replies «bukan» («no» in Malay).It can be seen from the video, however, that the licence plate of the Volkswagen is partially taped up to obscure the first letter, 'S', as well as the last alphabet, 'M'.The Volkwagen driver tries to explain himself further when it is clear that the other party did not believe him.«Kita orang Malaysian ('We are Malaysians'),» he says, indicating that he and another middle-aged woman who appears by his side are Malaysian citizens.

About 20 people were evacuated from a HDB block in Telok Blangah on Jan 3 after a fire involving a power-assisted bicycle (PAB) broke out.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post on the same day that they were alerted to the fire at Block 108 Bukit Purmei Road at about 1.20pm.The fire was located in a bedroom of a flat on the sixth floor, and firefighters extinguished the fire with two water jets after forcing entry into the smoke-filled unit, SCDF said.They added that the fire was confined to the bedroom and there was no one inside the unit.There were no reported injuries, but as a precautionary measure, the police and SCDF evacuated about 20 people from the affected block.Preliminary findings indicated that the fire likely originated from the battery of a PAB in the bedroom.

A customer relations officer at Marina Square has been sent to prison for fraudulently obtaining nearly $28,000 in e-vouchers to use at the shopping mall. Aravindran Vallaban, a 26-year-old Malaysian citizen, was jailed for 20 months on Friday (Jan 2) after pleading guilty to one charge of cheating, reported CNA. Between May 13, 2024, and April 3, 2025, Aravindran created 2,172 fake Marina Square membership accounts to use the mall's referral programme. As part of a promotion, new members could use a referral code from an existing member to join, and both parties would receive $5 in e-vouchers to use at the mall. New members also had to confirm their identity using a one-time password (OTP) sent to their phones. Aravindran obtained S$27,915 in e-vouchers fraudulently and spent them on personal expenses. He has since made full restitution. Used supervisor's credentials, ChatGPTAravindran's job as assistant customer relations supervisor saw him handle customer inquiries and help with promotions. 

It's the end of the year, which means it's time to look back and ask one important question: what did we spend way too much time talking about in 2025?Because in Singapore, we don't just experience things and move on. We discuss them to death: in group chats, comment sections and kopi catch-ups, until everyone is tired but no one actually stops.And yes, I've rated each topic based entirely on how unavoidable it was, how loud the discourse got and how long it refused to die.⭐☆☆☆☆ - Mentioned once, then we moved on⭐⭐☆☆☆ - Everyone had a take, then forgot⭐⭐⭐☆☆ - Hard to escape, even if you tried⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ - Group chats would not shut up⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - National-level discourse1. GE 2025 (and the memes that came with it)Even if you didn't follow politics, you followed the memes.GE 2025 wasn't just about policies and speeches. It was screenshots pulled out of context, reaction edits within minutes, and phrases that escaped rallies and interviews to take on lives of their own. The phrase «Look left, look right» became a format, remixed, reused and repurposed across platforms.

A 34-year-old private bus driver is assisting with police investigations after being involved in a chain collision along the Seletar Expressway (SLE) on Friday (Jan 2). The accident involved 5 cars and the private bus, and took place along the SLE in the direction of Bukit Timah Expressway. The police told AsiaOne that it was alerted to the accident at about 7.30pm. A 19-year-old male car driver sustained minor injuries, but declined to be taken to hospital. Dashcam footage of the accident's aftermath was uploaded to Facebook group Both Checkpoint. It showed a private bus with a shattered windshield at the back of the the pile-up. Investigations are ongoing.[[nid:727386]]bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com

The Workers' Party leadership has directed that a disciplinary panel be formed to determine if party chief Pritam Singh has contravened the constitution of the party. In a media statement on Saturday (Jan 3), the party said its central executive committee (CEC) met on Friday to deliberate on matters arising from the High Court judgment last month on Singh's failed appeal against conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee. The Friday meeting also discussed the request for a special cadre members' conference (special CMC). «The CEC has concluded that it is appropriate to call the special CMC after the disciplinary panel has completed its work, considering the need for due process,» WP said in its statement on Saturday. «To prevent undue delay, the CEC has set a timeline that the disciplinary process be concluded within three months. The notice of the special CMC will be issued within two weeks after the conclusion of the disciplinary process.» [[nid:726880]]bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com

Canned and bottled drinks will come with an additional 10-cent charge under a new scheme which will be implemented from April 1. The 10-cent container return deposit will be refunded when consumers return the empty can or bottle at designated reverse vending machines. This was announced by Senior Minister of State of Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary in a Facebook post on Saturday (Jan 3). «This initiative is a significant step towards Singapore's circular economy goals, encouraging the recycling of beverage containers like metal cans and plastic bottles,» he said. The scheme was originally set to start in April 2025, but was pushed back at the request of major beverage producers who said they needed more time to operationalise it.In response, the authorities have extended the transition period to six months — spanning April 1 to Sep 30, said Dr Janil.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) was the fourth most punctual airline in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025. It was ranked third in 2024. The national carrier's on-time performance score was 78.58 per cent, a dip from the previous year's score of 78.67 per cent, according to a report released by aviation analytics firm Cirium on Friday (Jan 2).The top spot was clinched by Philippines Airlines, which scored 83.12 per cent.The airline had an impressive climb from its number 7 spot in 2024 with a score of 76.06 per cent.The second and third place went to Air New Zealand and Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) respectively.In 2024, Air New Zealand was in fourth place — just behind Singapore — while ANA took second place.Responding to AsiaOnes queries, an SIA spokesperson said that they «remain firmly committed to operational excellence, and enhancing the end-to-end travel experience for all [their] customers.»Aeromexico is world's most punctual airlineIn global rankings, Mexico's Aeromexico retained its title as the world's most punctual airline, with a score of 90.02 per cent.