Waiting in line to collect the Health Promotion Board (HPB)'s free fitness tracker at an appointed time will soon be a thing of the past. Ahead of the launch of National Steps Challenge on Oct 1, HPB has rolled out self-collection via vending machines in 25 shopping centres across the five regions of Singapore.  This is similar to the collection of free masks and hand sanitisers distributed by the Temasek Foundation during the Covid-19 pandemic.  How to collect AsiaOne tried collecting a fitness tracker via vending machine on the first day of operation at Frasers Centrepoint in Orchard.  The redemption process is straightforward, only requiring five clicks and one scan:

The driver of a Singapore-registered car and its passenger have come under fire for tossing trash out of the window while driving in Malaysia. The incident, captured on a TikTok video that has since gone viral, shows the driver's shameful act being swiftly rebuked by a fellow motorist. The video, which began circulating on social media around Sept 15, shows a black Mitsubishi with a Singapore licence plate stopping at a traffic light. The car's passenger, who appeared to be a man sitting up front in the passenger seat, can be seen tossing an orange peel out the window and onto the road. However, the litterbug's actions did not go unnoticed. In a display of civic duty, another driver, dressed casually in a khaki shirt and jeans, is seen getting out of his vehicle and approaching the Mitsubishi. He calmly picks up the discarded peel, knocks on the passenger window to get the occupants' attention, and proceeds to return the trash through the partially opened window. While the exact location and date of the incident remain unspecified, some netizens have speculated that it took place in Klang Valley, Selangor.

SINGAPORE — Teachers are not required to share their personal phone numbers, and do not need to respond to work-related messages after school hours, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing. Instead, they should use official channels like their e-mail and office number when contacting parents, and respond to work-related messages after school hours only in the event of emergencies, he added. «Within a normal work day, if it's not an emergency, beyond 5pm, you don't have to respond to whether (the parents') son must wear a brown or yellow T-shirt,» said Chan, who was speaking at the Ministry of Education (MOE) Schools Work Plan Seminar on Sept 18. «All this is to establish boundaries, to allow educators to focus on conducting class and student activities, and to ensure that our educators have protected time after school hours to take care of (their) families, rest, and recharge,» he added. The event was held at the Singapore Expo and attended by over 1,700 people, including teachers, school leaders and parents. Minister of State for Education Gan Siow Huang and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education Shawn Huang were also present. 

A couple seeking to rent an apartment believed they had done their due diligence to avoid a scam but they still fell victim to one. After verifying their property agent's licence and meeting his assistant for house viewings, a woman and her husband found themselves waiting for their keys alongside two other couples on Monday (Sept 16), all of whom had signed leases for the same unit. Their agent has since remained uncontactable, said the woman who only wanted to be known as JM. In an interview with AsiaOne on Wednesday, JM, a fitness instructor in her 30s, shared that she and her husband saw a condo unit at Paya Lebar Road listed for rent on Facebook Marketplace. After getting in touch with the agent, they were introduced to his «personal assistant», and had only met her during the two house viewings. For JM, who has been renting for 12 years, this is not an unusual move as she and her husband have encountered similar arrangements in the past.

SINGAPORE — Cordlife resumed its cord blood banking services on Sept 15 after a hiatus of 9½ months, during which it overhauled its facilities and operations to meet the standards required by the Ministry of Health (MOH).  The green light it has received from the ministry comes with caveats, including being allowed to receive no more than 30 new cord blood units (CBUs) a month for the first six months. This is less than 10 per cent of the roughly 400 units a month that it used to get. The majority of parents sign up to bank their babies' cord blood in the third trimester of pregnancy, so it will likely be a month or so before Cordlife starts receiving new CBUs when the babies are born. MOH shut down the firm's operations on Nov 30, 2023, after finding that seven of its 22 storage tanks had been exposed to temperatures above minus 150 deg C, which could result in damage to the stem cells in the cord blood, making them non-viable. Cord blood contains stem cells that may be used to treat blood diseases and some cancers, such as leukaemia and lymphoma, should the baby develop these illnesses later in life. 

A man riding a personal mobility aid (PMA) appears to have lost his temper while crossing the road — he kicked a car that was blocking his way. In a video clip posted to Facebook group Singapore Road Vigilante on Tuesday (Sept 17), the PMA user and his female pillion can be seen crossing a busy road that leads to Lorong 4 Toa Payoh while vehicles are waiting to make a left turn. As the slope connecting the road to the pedestrian walkway is blocked by a silver car, the PMA user is seen trying to go around the vehicle to get across the road. However, the car moves forward with traffic and ends up cutting him off. The man is then seen kicking the car's rear bumper before the vehicle drives off, allowing him to ride his PMA onto the walkway. The PMA user's actions sparked criticism from some netizens, who questioned whether he truly needed mobility aid. One such netizen commented: «Looks like an able-bodied person [who] misused the system. Singaporeans are becoming lazy». «Can still kick. Obviously not handicapped,» wrote another commentor.

Two people were caught on camera peeing in a public place in separate incidents. The first incident took place on Aug 6 afternoon. Stomp contributor Norman shared a video of a little girl who had apparently just gone No.1 under an escalator on the Bugis MRT station platform for the East-West Line and was returning to her mother waiting nearby. «This behaviour is both unsanitary and disruptive to other commuters,» said Norman. «I have witnessed individuals urinating on the platform, ignoring the discomfort and safety concerns it creates for others. This situation poses serious hygiene risks and affects the reputation of the MRT service.» Since it was a child, the behaviour may be forgivable, but the next incident involved an adult. It happened at the Geylang Lorong 9 carpark on Sept 15. Stomp contributor Keat shared a video of a grown man in T-shirt and jeans who stood on the grass facing the wall of a building and looking down. It was in broad daylight. «So brave to wee in a big open area where people are walking by,» said Keat. «He thinks Singapore is a kampong.»

A woman has been feeding birds every day in Bukit Merah even after enforcement action was taken. Facebook user Goh Andy shared a video of the woman throwing pieces of bread onto a grass patch at Block 78 Redhill Lane, where a large flock of birds can be seen. In his post, Andy said he «advised» the woman not to «scatter and toss bread», only for her to ignore him and walk away. The incident occurred on Sept 11, at around 2.40pm. In the video, Andy can be heard saying in Hokkien: «Told you so many times not to feed but you still do it, I am going to report to NEA, I tell you.» However, the woman, who is holding a loaf of bread, does not respond. She is instead seen putting away the bread into a trolley bag and leaving. In response to a Stomp query, a spokeswoman for Tanjong Pagar Town Council said: «The town council and National Parks board (NParks) are aware of the feeder who is feeding the pigeons daily at 85 Redhill and Bukit Merah Central. »We have spoken to the feeder and enforcement actions were taken by NParks but unfortunately the feeding still persists.

SINGAPORE — A local site engineer and a Bangladeshi construction worker died on Sept 17 after they were struck by heavy machinery at a worksite in Lentor Avenue for the upcoming North-South Corridor. The Bangladeshi worker, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic, while the engineer, 38, was unconscious when taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he died due to his injuries. Two other workers, aged 32 and 47, were also taken to the same hospital after the accident, which happened at about 1.20pm. They suffered minor injuries and have since been discharged, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in response to queries. LTA said the four were assembling a winch drum that was resting on two concrete blocks when the winch, which is typically used in the lifting of heavy materials, slid off the blocks and struck them. Photos of the accident's aftermath that were shared on private messaging platforms showed two workers, wearing high-visibility jackets and safety helmets, lying face-down on the ground. A third worker can be seen trying to help one of them up.

SINGAPORE — Not sure if you can recycle a frying pan? What about that takeaway plastic container with food? Or maybe clothes that are still in good condition but you do not want any more? You can now ask an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot if an item, especially one that is not obviously recyclable, can be placed in the blue bins for recycling near your homes. The National Environment Agency's (NEA) Bloobin AI chatbot, named after Singapore's blue recycling mascot, was rolled out on messaging applications WhatsApp and Telegram on Sept 16. Those unsure can ask it questions or send the chatbot a picture of an item to check if it can be recycled. Go to https://www.cgs.gov.sg/recycleright/check-my-item/, or scan these QR codes to access the chatbot directly on WhatsApp or Telegram.

SINGAPORE – Strong winds and heavy rain lashed Singapore on the evening of Sept 17, toppling trees, snarling traffic and causing damage to a glass canopy outside UOB Plaza.  A resident who lives near Mount Faber told The Straits Times that he was running up the hill when he experienced strong winds and saw tree branches falling. “The next moment, one part of the tree that was in front of me fell,” he said, adding that it was the first time he had witnessed a tree falling since he started exercising in that area about five years ago. “The route is a one-way road, so all the vehicles and I had to turn around and leave the area.” Photos and videos seen by ST show fallen trees in various locations in Singapore, including Beach Road, Xilin Avenue, Jalan Membina, on the Pan-Island Expressway before the Bukit Timah Expressway exit, and on the Central Expressway near the Yio Chu Kang Flyover. In one video, an uprooted tree opposite Parkroyal on Beach Road is seen causing a standstill on a three-lane road as motorists try to manoeuvre their way out via the rightmost lane.

SINGAPORE - A power fault on the Circle Line (CCL) on Sept 17 caused delays of about 30 minutes during the evening peak-hour commute. In an update, transport operator SMRT said on Facebook that there was a momentary power fault on the CCL at about 5.50pm on Sept 17 and there were no train services in both directions. The fault was resolved within 15 minutes, it said. “Our engineers recovered power to the network and train services resumed. Our station staff have been deployed to assist commuters who have been affected by the delay,” SMRT said. SMRT advises commuters to take other lines and said that free regular bus services have been activated. “We are sorry to affect your evening commute,” it added. Commuter Lars Gruenitz, who said he has been stuck in the train at Bartley station for close to an hour, told ST that there were no announcements made. The 48-year-old added that the doors are kept closed and there is “no aircon” half the time. “I am heading home after a long work day… It does not feel nice, and scary to some extent,” said Dr Gruenitz.

From blessing babies at the National Stadium to greeting nursing home residents, Pope Francis touched the hearts of many people during his recent visit to Singapore. For one man, exchanging words with the 87-year-old pontiff on Sept 13 was an «unexpected gift». Donning a red tie, Lawrence Chong greeted the Pope as he arrived for an inter-religious dialogue with youths at Catholic Junior College (CJC) on the final day of his visit here. Some netizens later gushed on social media about the images of Chong and Pope Francis embracing while engaged in a warm conversation, which was captured during a live-stream of the event. «What a beautiful moment with the Pope,» one commented in Chong's Facebook post. 

SINGAPORE — At least eight victims in September have fallen for a phishing scam involving a fake local motoring website, the police said on Sept 17. The victims lost at least $28,000 in total after they were led to the fake website where they keyed in their personal details. They received e-mails from a sender pretending to be OneMotoring by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), informing them that their vehicles' road tax or road licence was expiring, the police said. The victims were then directed to a website that masqueraded as the OneMotoring portal, where they keyed in their vehicle registration numbers, personal information and credit and debit card details. They realised they had been scammed only when they saw unauthorised transactions made on their accounts. The police said LTA does not inform vehicle owners of expiring road tax via e-mails, and their correspondences will not contain payment links. Instead, they do so via text messages sent from «gov.sg», e-letters in users' OneMotoring accounts or hardcopy letters sent to their place of residence.

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing is a familiar face in the public sphere, but behind the political figure lies a devoted father of three. In a recent interview with 8world, the 54-year-old offered a glimpse into his family life, sharing the joys and challenges of raising his children, one of whom has cerebral palsy. Speaking about his 13-year-old son, Chan admitted to longing for more time with all his children. «Whether or not a kid has special needs, they will always have their individual requirements. So as a parent, as a dad, of course I wish for them to enjoy the best life,» he said. The weight of public scrutiny is something Chan acknowledged his children face, particularly his 23-year-old daughter. He recalled how people would comment on her academic performance: «When my daughter used to do well in school, others would often laugh and say, 'You're the minister's daughter, of course you should do well.'» He recognised that she would face criticism regardless of her results, with some who may say she didn't meet expectations as a minister's daughter if she didn't excel.

A tourist found himself in trouble after he insisted on paying for his meal only after he was done eating. The police were eventually called in to mediate the spat, which took place at the Chinatown Complex Food Centre on Sept 8, reported Shin Min Daily News. The 'cai fan' stall owner, surnamed Yu, said that the middle-aged tourist is from China, and the food he ordered had cost $3.60.  «He said that in his hometown, they pay after eating. He also pointed at his crossbody bag and said he had money,» said 34-year-old Yu. «I saw him sitting at a table near the stall and decided to let him eat first.» Sometime later, the man returned to the stall and asked for additional rice and dishes. When Yu asked the tourist to first pay for his earlier order, the man refused. «I've never encountered such a situation, so I told him he affected my business and I'd call the police,» recounted the stall owner. The tourist reportedly tried to leave the stall about five minutes later, but was stopped by Yu's wife. Police officers then arrived, and spoke to the man.

The bubble tea may have been cool, but couldn't survive one man's hot temper. A security guard at a Hougang condominium recently threw out a bag containing cups of bubble tea after getting into an argument with a delivery rider. A video uploaded to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante on Sunday (Sept 15) showed the delivery rider — who filmed the incident — telling a security guard at Central View that he will place the items on a stool outside the guardhouse. «I throw,» the security guard threatens as he picks up the plastic bag with bubble tea. «You put here, I throw already.» In response, the rider asserts that the guard cannot throw away the drinks, which the latter disputes. «Guard house cannot put! You understand or not?» The guard says as he swings the bag of bubble tea. According to the rider, he had called the resident who placed the order. The resident, however, didn't pick up the phone and did not provide a unit number for the delivery. He said that his solution was to leave the drinks at the guard post for the resident to pick up.

SINGAPORE – The police said they are investigating a bullying incident involving a group of secondary school students, after a 2023 video showing the group taunting a fellow student surfaced online. In the TikTok video posted on Sept 15, at least five teenagers who appear to be wearing Bukit View Secondary School uniforms are seen surrounding a peer with a backpack at the void deck of a Housing Board flat. The group, dressed in long pants, appear to be laughing at the smaller boy who is in shorts. One of them then grabs the boy’s backpack and kicks him in the back, sending him sprawling to the ground. The video, which is now deleted, had clocked almost 600,000 views as at 11am on Sept 16. In response to The Straits Times’ queries, Bukit View Secondary’s principal Jaswant Singh said the incident took place in October 2023 outside the school’s premises. It was not reported to the school at the time. He added that the school immediately checked on the victim following the circulation of the video. The victim did not report any injuries at the time.

Some may find comfort of home in a tub of gelato — and it appears Pope Francis isn't too different. To welcome the 87-year-old pontiff, a fridge in his residence in Singapore was stocked with the icy treats. Pope Francis stayed several days in a retreat centre tucked in a sleepy estate in Punggol during his visit to Singapore from Sept 11 to 13. On Monday (Sept 16), AsiaOne had the opportunity to take a look inside his room at the St Francis Xavier Retreat Centre, amid preparations for Chancery archival of items used in the trip. «It was a special request by the Vatican team to fill the fridge up with gelatos,» Helen Seah, property manager of the retreat centre, told AsiaOne.  «Apparently, the Holy Father's favourite treat is gelato.»

A woman who was caught on video using her body to block a car at the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link on Sunday (Sept 15) has spoken out about the matter. The woman, surnamed Zhuang, said that she and her husband had been forced out of their lane earlier by the other driver. Facebook user Elexio Kim had uploaded dashcam footage of the incident, which shows the woman signalling to a Toyota Prius driving on leftmost lane to cut in front of the car. But Zhuang told Chinese publication 8world that the clip did not show the full story, adding that she and her husband were not queue cutters. The woman explained that they had just exited a toll booth and had joined the leftmost lane when a black car from the right lane tried to cut into their lane. «My husband felt that [the space] was too tight and there wasn't a safe distance between the cars, so he didn't let the other driver cut in,» she said.

SINGAPORE — A restaurant in North Bridge Road with ties to a Malaysian conglomerate embroiled in an alleged child abuse case in Malaysia has denied having direct involvement with the investigations. In a statement on Facebook on Sept 15, Mihrimah Restaurant said that Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB) Holdings, which has links to the religious sect Al-Arqam that is banned in Malaysia due to its deviant religious teachings, serves only as its business consultant. The restaurant added that it is concerned about the potential reputational impact on its business due to the investigations. The eatery serves Malaysian-inspired dishes including roti canai. The Malaysian police have rescued 402 children from 20 welfare homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan linked to GISB, where some children had allegedly been sodomised by their caregivers and forced to do the same to others. Some children were also physically abused, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said on Sept 11.

LYON, France — Over four days, 19-year-old Victoria Cheong's task was to create eye-catching visual displays for the windows and interiors of shops and department stores, to maximise sales. The third-year student in experiential product and interior design from Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) did so well, she beat 13 others from around the world to win a gold medal in the visual merchandising category at the biennial WorldSkills international competition. This was the first time Singapore has won a gold in this skill area, and it was one of two gold medals for the Republic at the contest of vocational skills, which was held in Lyon, France. The event was held from Sept 10 to 15. The Singapore contingent also won four silver medals, two bronze medals and 11 medallions of excellence which are given to competitors who score 700 or more points, but are not awarded a gold, silver, or bronze medal. Overall, China emerged top with 49 medals, 36 of which were gold, while Korea came in second with 10 golds among its 32 medals.

Yishun residents have been breeding birds and planting illegally in the turf area in front of Block 272 Yishun Street 22. Stomp contributor Anonymous shared a video tour of the ground floor of the block where several birds can be seen inside a large coop on Sept 6. Bird noises can be heard throughout the video. «Around six pigeons were in the chicken coop,» said the Stomp contributor. «We are not supposed to keep pigeons or chickens in HDB estates due to the risk of bird flu and noise pollution.» The Stomp contributor added that residents had dug up the ground to grow their own plants. «A mess of banana trees was planted. One white rooster was brought in and released to roam around. It crows from 4 am to 8 am at the void deck daily.» The Stomp contributor claimed a resident had been breeding the birds for decades. «When I moved in a few years ago, my neighbours told me the rooster crowing had been an issue for many years,» recalled the Stomp contributor, who also shared a photo of the notice by Nee Soon Town Council informing residents that digging and planting in the turf area was disallowed.

SINGAPORE — French bulldog Wangcai started life with a slew of chronic health issues. First-time dog owners Jackie See and Judyvein Cheng bought the male dog as a four-month-old puppy in 2018 for $4,800 from a local backyard breeder. Soon the married couple discovered Wangcai had mites, stomach issues, a yeast infection and rashes. «As first-time pet owners, we felt anxious and helpless. We kept going to the vet to find out what was wrong and constantly switched from premium kibbles to a hypoallergenic diet from the clinic. We spent between $2,000 and $3,000 (on the vet visits and food), but his condition did not improve,» Cheng, an event organiser, told The Straits Times. Wangcai was also given cytopoint, an antibody used to treat atopic dermatitis, a chronic condition he was diagnosed with which causes dry, itchy and inflamed skin, but his condition worsened. «He was scratching more and that led to some open sores and bleeding every day. He also developed hives, redness in his groin, 'armpit' area and between his toes, rashes on his belly, fur loss and scabs and dandruff-like flakes,» Cheng said.

LYON, France — A nosy handyman tests your professionalism. Attendees of a wedding party create a ruckus in the hotel lobby. A distraught guest crumbles in panic after losing her passport. These were the nightmare scenarios that Rachel Yu, 19, had to handle as a competitor in the hotel reception skill area of the 47th WorldSkills Competition in Lyon, France, being held from Sept 10 to 15. Unlike other participants from Singapore who learnt about this competition when they enrolled in the Institute of Technical Education or a polytechnic, Yu found out about it while still in secondary school. She was introduced to the competition, dubbed the «Olympics of vocational skills», when she was in Secondary 4 at Marsiling Secondary School, during a visit to Republic Polytechnic (RP) for its open house. A lecturer there piqued her interest when he spoke about an RP student who represented Singapore in the hotel skill area when the competition was held in Switzerland. «At that time, I had not taken my O levels yet. But I told myself that I was going to get into RP, get into the School of Hospitality and be a WorldSkills competitor.»

SINGAPORE — A senior employee with the Housing Board and the director of a construction company who were accused of corruption have each been granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal. This means that Tan Siam Chua, 61, an HDB senior estate manager, and Liong Ah Chye, 62, the director of Liong Construction, cannot be charged again with the same offence. On Sept 16, the day the trials for both men were slated to start, the prosecution applied to withdraw the charges against them. Deputy Public Prosecutor Eunice Chew did not elaborate on this in court. The Straits Times has contacted the Attorney-General's Chambers and HDB for more information. In September 2023, Tan was handed one charge of abetting corrupt transactions with agents. Liong was charged with one count of corrupt transactions with agents. He was accused of giving a false quotation from his company, through one of his employees, to an HDB senior estate manager, upon instigation from Tan. Speaking to The Straits Times after the hearing, Tan said: «I'm happy my name has been cleared. It is a relief for me and my family.»

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — On Day One of Pope Francis' visit to the Asia-Pacific, I called him «Your Holiness», unsure of how he would react if I misspoke. But on Day 12 — the last day of moving as a unit of about 150 as part of his entourage — «Papa Francesco» and «Santita» are no longer awkward terms for me. «Papa Francesco,» I said, my words opening a press conference that would round up the arduous 12-day tour with Singapore as its last leg. I was the first reporter to ask a question. We are not in a room somewhere in the Vatican City, but 10km above ground on a chartered Singapore Airlines flight conveying the pontiff — who has not been away from the Vatican City this long in his 11-year tenure — from Singapore back to Rome, Italy.  A few minutes earlier, the rear section of the plane was abuzz with activity as some among the approximately 80 Vatican-accredited media personnel rolled out wires across the floor of the Airbus A350-900 plane to catch a clean audio feed. Portable speakers were also brought out and placed on overhead stowage bins to combat the loud droning sounds of a plane in motion.

The family of a man who was killed in July while attempting to help an injured motorcyclist is looking for witnesses to the accident. Muhamad Sabri, 35, was travelling along Seletar Expressway (SLE) towards Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) on the early morning of July 28 when he exited his vehicle to assist a man who had collided with a private hire vehicle. The private hire driver surnamed Zhang told Shin Min Daily News then: «I think the motorcyclist was trying to switch lanes and somehow hit my right rear door and then fell to the ground. I immediately got out of the car to help.» He added that «the situation was quite hectic» and that another motorcyclist had helped him move the injured man to the road shoulder. «Unexpectedly, about three minutes later, I heard a loud sound and realised that the male driver who had just gotten out of his car was hit by another black car and had fallen on the rightmost lane,» the 43-year-old added.

A forested area near Kranji MRT station has become the turf of illegal sex workers offering their services to migrant workers. A car factory employee surnamed Zhang told Shin Min Daily News that he was walking through the woodland on his way to work last weekend when he spotted two tall «beautiful women» standing at the entrance of a trail next to a drain. «They ogled me and even waved and called me over. It's obvious they're soliciting customers,» said the man. He added that he often sees migrant workers loitering around the area at night and believes there is a hidden brothel in the jungle. Acting on the tip-off on Thursday (Sept 12), a Shin Min reporter retraced Zhang's route and found a migrant worker standing by the drain at about 9pm. The worker was seen looking around him and appeared to be waiting for someone. The reporter returned at about 10pm and saw migrant workers surrounding two «beautiful women» wearing low-cut tops and tight bottoms. Subsequently, one of the «women» and a worker headed into the bushes.