A clinic at Beach Road that issued medical certificates (MCs) to patients after «very short» teleconsultations is expected to have their licence revoked by the Ministry of Health (MOH). On Thursday (Oct 24), MOH said that its investigations showed that MaNaDr Clinic is unable to continue providing outpatient medical services in a «clinically and ethically appropriate» manner. The clinic's outpatient telemedicine services have been suspended since Aug 16.  MOH's investigations found that a «very large number» of cases involved video call teleconsultations that lasted for a minute or less, and ended with the medicine prescriptions and issuance of MCs. «Such short consultations raise concerns about the safety and quality of clinical care provided to the patients,» the ministry noted. The clinic also issued multiple MCs to the some patients within a short period of time. MOH also said that the clinic had «questionable and poor documentation».

The National Heritage Board (NHB) said on Thursday (Oct 24) that they will commence a study on 38 Oxley Road to assess if it has national historical, heritage and architectural significance to be worthy of preservation.  The property was the home of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew from the mid-1940s until his death in 2015. In a Facebook post on Thursday, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong noted that the house has been the subject of some discussion after the «sad passing» of Dr Lee Wei Ling. Dr Lee, the daughter of Lee Kuan Yew, died on Oct 9. She was living at 38 Oxley Road. «There's quite understandably, a range of different views amongst Singaporeans on the matter,» Tong wrote. «It's important that we approach the matter with an open mind, as well as keep our options open. The passage of time will help us better appreciate the matter in its proper context, with the benefit of some hindsight.»

Winson Khoo was an enthusiastic and friendly man who had helped his fellow residents in Clementi's Trivelis estate, said Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Sim Ann. 41-year-old Khoo died on Monday (Oct 21) after he was attacked by Toh Chee Hong, 50, at Block 311B Clementi Avenue 4. Delivering a eulogy at his funeral wake on Wednesday night, Sim said Khoo «helped a lot of residents» in the estate. He had been a grassroots volunteer with the Trivelis Residents' Network since 2017 and became its vice chairman in late 2022, she added. Khoo had attended the wakes of other residents with her, and offered support to the bereaved families, 8world reported. «I never imagined that there would be a day I say goodbye to him here,» she was quoted as saying. Khoo was also an administrator in the residents' chat group, and would assist elderly residents in repairing issues with their Wi-Fi and CCTV cameras. According to Sim, residents paid tribute to him in the chat group, with one such message saying: "In the past, he helped the neighbours no matter how pressing, significant, or trivial the matters were.

SINGAPORE — The robots are taking over — they could be painting and plastering walls for about half the Build-To-Order (BTO) projects built from 2025, and soon, these machines could even be conducting inspection and remote supervision works. Using robots is part of efforts by HDB to improve productivity and safety at construction sites, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How on Oct 23. Speaking at the Housing Board’s professional engagement and knowledge-sharing forum at HDB Hub, he said that about half of new BTO sites will progressively tap robots for painting and some plastering from 2025. He said adopting robotics and automation tools will allow workers to be trained for higher-order tasks. The plans are part of HDB’s drive to improve overall productivity at public housing construction sites by 40 per cent by 2030. As at 2021, 26.2 per cent of that target had been achieved, HDB said previously. The upcoming roll-out of robots at BTO sites will be done progressively, and follows 10 trials of such robots conducted across several BTO sites since 2023. These trials have yielded positive outcomes, said HDB.

Seven people were taken to hospital after a collision involving a bus, lorry and motorcycle near Tuas West Road MRT station on Wednesday (Oct 23). Photos supplied to Lianhe Zaobao show a mangled lorry in front of a dented bus, as well as two ambulances and several Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel at the accident scene. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to the accident at the junction of Tuas Avenue 20 and Pioneer Road at about 5.40pm. Five bus passengers, aged between 31 and 69, a 39-year-old lorry driver and a 31-year-old motorcyclist were conscious when taken to hospital. Six of the injured were conveyed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, and one to National University Hospital, according to the SCDF. Another person was assessed for minor injuries but declined to be taken to hospital, they added. Police investigations are ongoing.

Former Workers' Party (WP) secretary-general Low Thia Khiang took the stand in his much-anticipated court appearance today (Oct 23), spending less than an hour in the witness box. Low's successor Pritam Singh is accused of lying before the Committee of Privileges about what he wanted former WP MP Raeesah Khan to do regarding a lie she had made in Parliament. Appearing as a prosecution witness in Singh's trial, Low faced questions from Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Ben Mathias, where he recalled a meeting he had with Singh and WP chair Sylvia Lim at his home on Oct 11, 2021. «Sylvia broke the news to me that Raeesah lied in Parliament,» said the 68-year-old Low. «And she was considering holding a press conference for her to apologise.» Low, dressed in a grey suit and blue long-sleeved shirt, told the court he told the WP leaders that since Khan had lied in Parliament, the correct forum would be to apologise in Parliament. «I asked [Lim] if the Government knew [that Khan had lied], she said the Government did not know and it is not easy to know because there are so many police stations in Singapore,» he added.

The death of Clementi resident Winson Khoo has left his family devastated. The 41-year-old grassroots volunteer died in hospital after he was allegedly stabbed by 50-year-old Toh Chee Hong at Block 311B Clementi Avenue 4 on Monday (Oct 21). Both men knew each other, the police's preliminary investigations revealed. In an interview with Shin Min Daily News on Wednesday, Khoo's mother said she was unaware of the ill feelings — if any — between her son and Toh. She pointed out that she does not live with her son and does not know details of his daily life. Describing her son as filial and family-oriented, she said that he would bring his wife and their two sons to visit her every weekend. «My son treated us very well and never denied our requests, he was very filial. I'm extremely sad; the more I think about it, the sadder I get,» she said tearfully. A relative told the Chinese evening daily that the family is grieving.

A motorcyclist died following an accident with a lorry and a trailer along the Kranji Expressway (KJE) on Wednesday (Oct 23) morning. In dashcam footage shared on Facebook, a group of bikers can be seen lane splitting on the expressway. As the motorcyclist speeds up, however, a trailer travelling in the lane to his left accelerates while the lorry in the right lane brakes suddenly. This causes the motorcyclist to collide with the lorry on his right before being crushed between the two vehicles. Multiple chunks of debris are sent flying following the crash and the rider is seen lying on the road. The vehicles involved in the accident as well as the car that captured the footage can be seen stopping along the road. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told AsiaOne that it was alerted to a road traffic accident that occurred along the KJE before Senja Road exit at about 7am on Wednesday. A person was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic, it added. Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that the motorcyclist was a 52-year-old man.

When Farah Charles was selecting a flat in 2017, one of her main considerations was being able to live near her mother and sister, who both have homes in Punggol.  She decided to buy a four-room Build-to-Order (BTO) flat for $317,000 at Sengkang's Rivervale Shores, an estate which was completed in 2023.  Farah and her husband are currently staying in their new flat over the weekends with their five-year-old daughter. The family plan to officially move into their new home when the school holidays begin next month.  Rivervale Shores comprises 2,500 two-room Flexi, three-, four- and five- room flats across 16 residential blocks on 10-hectares of land, making it HDB's biggest BTO project to date.  Speaking to AsiaOne, the 32-year-old homemaker shared that she was drawn to the estate.

It's no Romeo and Juliet, but this is a love story that many Singaporeans can sympathise with. TikTok user ntshatan's husband was seen shedding tears and hugging his car, reluctant to part with it, the user shared in a video uploaded on Oct 10. «My husband had to let go of his car today,» ntshatan wrote in the video. Throughout the video, her husband can be seen gently stroking his Honda Civic and hugging it, staring at it contemplatively. In another instance, he rests his chin on the roof of the vehicle, patting it lovingly. The man is visibly emotional as he inspects his vehicle for the last time, going around it as though to commit the car to his memory. «Breaks my heart to see him cry… but that's the reality of owning a car in Singapore,» ntshtan wrote, referring to the cost of having a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) for cars.

SINGAPORE — The Court of Appeal on Oct 23 upheld the sentence of 16 years' jail that was handed down to a teenager who killed his schoolmate at River Valley High School with an axe in 2021. Singapore's highest court dismissed the teen's appeal for a jail term of between eight and 10 years. The assailant, who cannot be named for legal reasons as he committed the crime when he was 16 years old, had initially faced a murder charge. It was later reduced to a charge of culpable homicide after he was found to be suffering from major depressive disorder at the time of the killing. He had pleaded guilty to the reduced charge on Dec 1, 2023 and was sentenced to 16 years' jail by the High Court.

A relaxing afternoon break at a Serangoon coffee shop was ruined for one man who found an unwelcome visitor in his pants. The incident occcured at about 2pm last Saturday (Oct 19) at a coffee shop at Block 3 Lorong Lew Lian, reported Shin Min Daily News. The diner surnamed Liang said he had felt something worm its way into the leg of his long pants. «My pant leg felt peculiar, then I realised that something had made its way up to my crotch area,» he recounted. The frightened man immediately stood up, shaking his leg while frantically pulling on his pants. To his surprise, a rodent fell to the ground. «I was shell-shocked and very tense,» he told the Chinese evening daily. «The diners at the next table who witnessed this must have been shocked too.» According to Liang, a female coffee shop employee caught the rodent with tissues and tossed it away. He added that when he requested an explanation from the manager, he was told the rodent may have scampered into the coffee shop from elsewhere. The man said he has also reported the matter to the authorities.

A 33-year-old man was arrested on Monday (Oct 21) for allegedly running a prostitution ring. He was arrested along with 16 other individuals in a series of raids conducted by the police within the vicinity of Airport Boulevard, Geylang Road, Dover Road, Jurong West Street 64, Minbu Road, Upper Serangoon Road and Upper Thomson Road. The 12 women and five men, aged between 20 and 50, were arrested for their alleged involvement in vice-related and illegal drug activities, according to a police press release. Two of the men — a 38-year-old and a 50-year-old — are also being investigated by the Central Narcotics Bureau for suspected drug-related offences. Investigations against the other individuals are still ongoing. During the raids, the police seized cash amounting to $6,100, mobile phones, vice-related paraphernalia, controlled drugs and drug paraphernalia.

About 14,000 private and public homes are planned for new estates in Sembawang and Woodlands, National Development Minister Desmond Lee announced on Tuesday (Oct 21). The first two Build-To-Order (BTO) housing projects will be launched next year, he added. Speaking at the yearly HDB Awards ceremony on Tuesday, Lee said that the government will «help Singaporeans fulfil their home ownership aspirations» by maintaining a stable supply of homes to meet «broad-based demand». About 10,000 new homes will be built in Sembawang North, a 53-hectare site within Sembawang town, according to HDB in a press release. At least 80 per cent, or 8,000, will be set aside for public housing. Future residents of Sembawang North can look forward to connectivity initiatives such as the Community Wharves Link - a network of pedestrian connections which will link public housing estates. New recreational, community and commercial facilities - including a neighbourhood centre with retail and dining options - will also be built in the area.

The church bells will ring for two familiar faces in Singapore come 2025.  Workers' Party (WP) chair Sylvia Lim and former national striker Quah Kim Song will tie the knot in January.  Lim, a Catholic, told CNA that the ceremony «will take place in (a) church, in the presence of family members».  In an interview with AsiaOne, Quah, also a Catholic, shared that their marriage will be solemnised at the St Mary of the Angels in Bukit Batok. Lim was a member and cantor in that church's choir, according to the Catholic News in 2014. «We have been together for 12 years.  »It has been blissful, blessed and wonderful, (so) we decided to tie the knot and journey together all the way", said Quah.  The couple reportedly met at a WP variety show in January 2013. Since then, Quah, 72, has often been featured in Lim's Instagram posts.  Quah is a widower, and Lim has never been married.

SINGAPORE — The two men were involved in grassroots activities of the Trivelis Residents' Network, which serves the Trivelis estate at Clementi Ave 4. But in the late afternoon of Monday (Oct 21), shouts and screams shattered the peace of the estate as one of the men, a 50-year-old, attacked the other man, a 41-year-old. The latter was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital where he died, and the suspect was arrested. They were residents of the estate.

The authorities have disabled access to 10 inauthentic websites set up by foreign actors. These websites could be used to mount hostile information campaigns (HICs) against Singapore, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in a joint statement on Tuesday (Oct 22).  The Broadcasting Act allows the authorities to issue directions to take action against content that does not comply with regulations.  Investigations revealed that these inauthentic websites were designed to look like genuine Singapore websites through their domain names and incorporating familiar local features and visuals.  Two of the banned websites utilised domain names similar to popular local websites, such as www.zaobaodaily.com, a name similar to local Chinese news outlet Lianhe Zaobao.