A young pianist in Bedok dedicated a performance to Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat despite his shock at being approached by him. In a Facebook post in celebration of Childrens' Day on Friday (Oct 4) DPM Heng expressed his well-wishes and hopes for children in Singapore. «This Children's Day, let us all encourage our young ones to embrace their curiosity - to explore, play, learn, create and try something new,» he wrote. «I'm always happy to see many children in East Coast doing just that and having fun. Whether they are playing sports or musical instruments, exploring nature at the beach or spending precious time with family and friends.» «Just like young Bedok resident, Jace, who is often at Bedok CC (Community Centre) to play the piano or enjoy a game of basketball with his friends. Enjoy this beautiful piece!» Included in the post was a video of DPM Heng's heartwarming interaction with Jace. In the clip, DPM Heng – who is also an MP for East Coast GRC – is seen asking the young pianist which level of primary school he was in, and whether he attended the nearby Bedok Green Primary.

A 42-year-old woman was charged in court on Thursday (Oct 3) for attempting to bribe an auxiliary officer at Woodlands Checkpoint, reported Lianhe Zaobao. Wang Xiping was stopped for illegally driving in the bus lane on July 17 earlier this year, according to the charge sheet. In hopes of avoiding the penalty charges, she allegedly offered an auxiliary officer RM50 (S$15) and S$50 to turn a blind eye. The officer did not accept Wang's bribe. Wang was charged with one count of violating Section 6(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. If convicted, she will be sentenced to a maximum fine of $100,000 or imprisonment for up to five years, or both.  She intends to plead guilty when she returns to court on Nov 15, reported Zaobao.

Billionaire hotelier Ong Beng Seng is set to be charged in court on Friday (Oct 4), a day after former transport minister S Iswaran was sentenced to one year in jail yesterday.  Ong, who is the chairman of Formula One (F1) race promoter Singapore GP, faces one charge for abetment under Section 165 and another charge under Section 204A of the Penal Code.  Section 165 punishes obtaining gifts in public office when there are official business dealings between the parties involved, while Section 204A relates to the obstruction of justice.  The 78-year-old was previously arrested by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau on July 11, 2023, amid investigations involving the former transport minister.  Ong was later released on $800,000 bail, but no charges were filed against him then.  When Iswaran pleaded guilty on Sept 24, the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) said it would «take a decision in respect of [Ong]».  Two of the four counts under Section 165 for which Iswaran was convicted for are related to Ong.

SINGAPORE — A fishball product is being recalled after the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) found that it contained egg, an undeclared allergen. The product, Jing Li Hwa Fish Ball with Fish Roe Filling, is being recalled by its importer Sin Hin Frozen Food, the agency said in an Oct 3 statement. The recalled product is from Taiwan and expires on Aug 5, 2026. While egg is not a food safety issue to most people, SFA said those who are intolerant of, or allergic to eggs could get an allergic reaction after eating them. Symptoms of egg allergy usually happen a few minutes to a few hours after consumption, and they include skin rashes, hives, nasal congestion, vomiting or other digestive problems, according to the Mayo Clinic. Under Singapore's food regulations, products containing ingredients that are known to cause hypersensitivity must be declared on food packaging labels to protect consumers with food allergies, said SFA. Those who are intolerant of or allergic to egg should not consume the fishball product, or seek medical advice if they have already done so and have health concerns, the agency added.

Bidadari resident Darwin has received one too many property agents knocking on his door in the past year. To ward them off from disturbing his dinnertime, the 40-year-old IT solutions executive has since put up a sign outside his four-room flat. «Dear property agents,» it said. «Please do not knock on our door. We are not planning to sell our house anytime soon.» Similar signs were seen outside dozens of other units at Block 106A Bidadari Park Drive when AsiaOne dropped by on Thursday (Oct 3). Darwin and seven other Bidadari residents said that they have been receiving more approaches from property agents after a five-room unit there was sold for $1.2 million last month. According to Housing Board data, three four-room flats in Bidadari Park Drive were sold in the resale market for between $937,500 and $1.17 million.

SINGAPORE – Four people were taken to the Raffles Hospital after a multi-car accident on the East Coast Parkway (ECP) on Oct 3. The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted to the accident – which happened on the expressway towards Changi Airport, after the Fort Road exit – at about 5.20pm. The Land Transport Authority said in a post on X at about 5.30pm that the accident had caused a traffic jam from before the Tanjong Katong Road exit to the Fort Road exit. The authority also advised motorists to avoid the first two lanes of the ECP. Several videos of the accident’s aftermath, posted on social media, show three taxis and five cars involved in the accident. https://www.facebook.com/SGRVigilante/videos/1113256510312331/ Two cars are seen at the top of the heap of vehicles. Directly below them is a red taxi with a crushed front bumper and hood, and its doors are flung open. A black car that is directly behind the red taxi is seen with a crushed hood in the videos.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has reiterated that the integrity of the Singapore system and the tone of our society depend critically on the senior political leadership remaining clean, incorruptible and unflinching in acting against corruption whenever it is discovered. «We will do what is right by Singapore and Singaporeans, regardless of the political costs or the personal pain we feel when a colleague and friend has been jailed,» he said on Thursday (Oct 3) evening. PM Wong's statement came after S Iswaran, a former cabinet minister, was sentenced to one year's imprisonment earlier in the day. He had been found guilty of four charges of obtaining gifts as a public servant under Section 165 of the Penal Code, and one charge of obstructing justice. PM Wong expressed his disappointment and sadness that Iswaran's political career ended this way. He noted Iswaran's contributions as a Member of Parliament for over 25 years and his stints as minister for transport, trade and industry, and communications and information.

Homegrown talents are taking their place on the international stage. After receiving a record-breaking total of 718 film submissions this year, the upcoming 61st Golden Horse Awards unveiled the list of nominees yesterday (Oct 2) and two films — Stranger Eyes and Mongrel — directed by Singaporeans garnered a total of 13 nominations. Thriller film Stranger Eyes, directed by Yeo Siew Hua, received six nominations: Best Narrative Feature, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Lee Kang-sheng), Best Original Screenplay (Yeo Siew Hua), Best Original Film Score and Best Sound Effects. Stranger Eyes is a thriller following Darren, played by Wu Chien-ho (Days We Stared at the Sun, The Last Thieves) whose baby daughter has gone missing. He receives voyeuristic videos from someone who has been filming their daily life and suspects that his neighbour Goh, played by Lee Kang-sheng (Stray Dogs, What Time Is It There?) is behind the disappearance.

SINGAPORE — A 14-year-old girl who ran away from home took refuge in the flat of a man she had met through her cousin as she had nowhere to go. There, the man and his friends plied her with alcohol before taking turns to rape her while she was drunk. Umar Abdul Rahim, then 18 years old and doing national service, was one of the three who gang-raped her in May 2021. Now 21, he was sentenced to 11 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane on Oct 1 by the High Court after he pleaded guilty to a charge of rape. His cousin, Muhammad Uzair Abdul Rahman, 21, was sentenced to 16 years' jail and 20 strokes of the cane in October 2023. He had pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and a count of sexual penetration of a minor under the age of 16. The third man involved in the rape, Noor Asri Mohd Tahil, 37, and another alleged accomplice, Mohammad Shahridzmie Salleh, 21, have not been dealt with yet. The victim, whose identity is protected by a gag order, was placed under a Beyond Parental Control (BPC) order in March 2020.

The body of an 18-year-old man was found at a hostel in the National University of Singapore (NUS) on Thursday (Oct 3). In response to queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at 37 Prince George's Park at about 7.25am. The address belongs to a hostel block in Prince George's Park Residences. The man was found lying motionless at the foot of the building and pronounced dead at scene by a paramedic from the Singapore Civil Defence Force. Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play. Investigations are ongoing. In response to AsiaOne's queries, NUS shared a memo sent to residents of Helix House. Associate Professor Lee Kooi Cheng, who is master of Helix House, expressed the university's deepest condolences to family and friends of the dorm resident who had died on Thursday morning. «We have been in touch with the family and friends of the resident to provide any support and assistance that they need. We would like to encourage everyone to respect the family's privacy,» said Lee.

In the end, neither the prosecution nor the defence got what they argued for regarding the sentence for the five charges former Transport Minister S Iswaran was convicted for on Sept 24.  The defence, led by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, asked for no more than eight weeks' jail, while the prosecution, led by Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong, pushed for six to seven months then. In court today, Justice Vincent Hoong considered the prosecution's request to be «manifestly inadequate' and, therefore, »appropriate to impose a sentence in excess of both parties' positions".  Why general deterrence assumed centrestage Section 165 of the Penal Code punishes obtaining gifts in public office when there are official business dealings between the parties involved. 

Former transport minister S Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months' jail on Thursday (Oct 3) morning.  He looked grim as Justice Vincent Hoong read out his sentence. The judge asked for Iswaran to surrender himself on Oct 7, 4pm at State Courts 4A. The judge, in his sentencing remarks earlier, said that there were two key issues to be examined. One is what the appropriate sentencing approach should be when a public servant receives a valuable item from a person involved in business transactions. The second pertains to the appropriate reduction in sentence, applying guidelines for guilty pleas when an individual pleads guilty to multiple charges before the start of trial. The higher the office, the greater the level of culpability: Judge On the factors of culpability, Justice Hoong said that the higher the position held by a public servant, the greater their level of culpability. This is due to the significant influence these individuals have and the larger impact they can have on the public interest.

SINGAPORE — A hair salon chain with three outlets is being investigated for suspected unfair trade practices, said the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS). The statutory board made unannounced visits to the branches of HairFun salon located at Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh and Tampines on Oct 2. From Dec 1, 2022, to April 22, 34 complaints concerning sales tactics of the outlets were lodged with the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), said Case president Melvin Yong in a Facebook post on Oct 2. They include practices such as exploiting elderly customers, charging higher prices without prior agreement and the concealing of payment amounts during Nets transactions, said the CCCS and Case in a joint statement on the same day. Case had invited the chain's operator to sign a voluntary compliance agreement to cease unfair trade practices and refund affected customers, but did not receive a response. The matter was subsequently referred to CCCS. 

FairPrice Group will give out a $4 return voucher for every $50 spent in a single receipt starting Thursday (Oct 3). The offer will run till Oct 9, and is valid across all FairPrice stores, including Finest, Xtra and Unity — excluding Unity outlets in Changi Airport. Shoppers can receive up to three return vouchers per transaction, which can be used across all FairPrice outlets throughout October with no minimum spend requirement, the group said on Wednesday. Keeping daily essentials within reach for everyone in Singapore has been their guiding mission for over 50 years, said FairPrice Group CEO Vipul Chawla. «Through the return voucher initiative, we want to assure Singaporeans that we will continue to support them in times of need, and strive to make their daily lives and access to healthy and nutritious food a little better every day,» he said.

A tourist heading back to their Orchard hotel from Marina Bay was befuddled when a cabby quoted him $75 for the short ride. The incident occurred at the passenger pick-up point outside the Fullerton Bay Hotel on Tuesday (Oct 1) afternoon, reported Shin Min Daily News. A man surnamed Wu, who manages the traffic flow at the pick-up point, said the tourist had paid over $20 for a taxi ride from Orchard to the nearby Merlion Park. After being quoted the $75 fare for a ride back to his hotel, the tourist had asked Wu why the fare difference was so great. A check on Google Maps showed that the 5km drive from the hotel to Orchard Road will take approximately 15 minutes. The tourist boarded another taxi after Wu explained to him that taxis in Singapore charge metered fares. Wu said that some taxi drivers would also solicit for passengers at the pick-up point, adding that some allegedly accept only cash payments, and they would choose passengers. A Shin Min reporter who visited the hotel's pick-up point on Wednesday morning noted that most people there were waiting for private-hire vehicles, or chartered rides to pick them up.

SINGAPORE — Customers at HDB Hub in Toa Payoh may experience longer wait times for appointments due to a disruption caused by a fire that broke out in the building on Oct 2, the Housing Board said. «A fire broke out at around noon today in the Basement 3 bin centre of HDB Hub at Toa Payoh Lorong 6,» HDB said in a Facebook post. HDB added that its «foremost consideration is the safety of our staff, customers and members of the public at HDB Hub». «We thank the public for their patience,» it said. The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted to a fire at No. 530 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, the address of HDB Hub, at about 12.25pm. «The fire involved discarded items contained within a skip bin located at Basement 3 of the premises,» SCDF said. It added that the fire had been extinguished using a water jet and that the cause of the fire is under investigation. One person felt unwell and was assessed by an SCDF paramedic at the scene. However, the person declined to be taken to hospital.

A day after the the resumption of train services on the MRT’s East-West Line following a six-day disruption, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that it has commenced regulatory investigations into the disruption.  “The severe disruption to East-West Line service affected a large group of commuters over six days. “It also caused substantial damage to rail infrastructure which required extensive repairs”, said the LTA in a media statement on Wednesday (Oct 2).  Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat also said in a Facebook post today that the investigations will ascertain what happened and identify areas for improvement. 

A new government agency to take on online harms will be formed to support victims and promote responsible behaviour online, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced at the launch of the Smart Nation 2.0 initiative at the Punggol Digital District on Tuesday (Oct 1). This agency will act on behalf of victims to direct perpetrators and online service providers to promptly halt online harm. This agency will also be backed by a new law to improve protection for victims of online harms. Over 200 individuals, including Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean and Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo attended the launch. PM Wong said in his speech that supporting victims would be one of the goals of the Smart Nation initiative, which was launched in 2014 by then-Prime Minister Lee. «All victims of online harm want the damaging content online to be removed quickly and permanently,» he said, reported CNA. «Currently, victims can apply to court for a protection order, or make a police report. But legal and criminal proceedings can take time.»

Singaporeans can look forward to more payouts to tackle cost-of-living concerns in the coming months, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has said on Wednesday (Oct 2). In a video shared on his YouTube channel, PM Wong, who is also the finance minister, said that more help will be given to households to offset their utility bills, and up to $600 in cash payouts for every Singaporean. There will also be another $300 in Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers for every household that will be disbursed in January 2025. These measures to cushion the impact of cost of living increases are part of the government-introduced Assurance Package, which has been enhanced three times since 2022, bringing its total to over $10 billion. So far this year, every Singaporean household was given $800 in CDC vouchers, and those living in public housing have received up to $400 in utilities rebates. Eligible Singapore citizens have also received up to $700 in cash payouts.

Dyson conducted a retrenchment exercise on Tuesday (Oct 1), giving the labour union in Singapore only a day's notice of the layoff. The United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries (UWEEI) expressed disappointment with the appliance maker's conduct, saying in a statement on Tuesday that it has «escalated» the matter to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). UWEEI said it was dissatisfied that there was insufficient time for meaningful discussion between the union and Dyson over the retrenchment. The statement did not mention the number of workers affected. A Dyson spokesperson also did not disclose to The Business Times the number of workers that were let go, or the types of roles they had held. The spokesperson said: «We constantly evolve the composition of our teams and take steps to ensure we have the right skills in the right places. Our ambitions in Singapore remain unchanged, and we anticipate that we will continue to grow here in the medium term.»