The Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) marine division will be able to better monitor and coordinate emergency responses in Singapore's waters when its new headquarters on Pulau Brani is completed in March 2026.  At the heart of the new four-storey building, spanning a floor area of 6,120 square metres, is an Integrated Command Centre (ICC), the SCDF said in a media factsheet on Friday (Nov 15). The ICC will allow the SCDF to conduct real-time collaboration with various maritime stakeholders, including the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Singapore Police Coast Guard, and other government agencies such as the Republic of Singapore Navy.   This will help them better deal with major maritime incidents such as rescues, fires and oil spills. The SCDF is also trialling the Marine Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) which is capable of marine firefighting. This will allow the SCDF to optimise deployment of resources and reduce operational risks faced by firefighters at sea.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has advised consumers to avoid buying or consuming seven drink products containing medicinal substances that are not allowed in food. The products are Berryshine Pure Enzyme Fiber with Prebiotics as well as six flavours of Bum Energy Drinks — Blue Snow Cone, Champion Mentality, Peach Mango, Cherry Frost, Citrus Burst and Orange Sunrise, the agency said in a statement on Thursday (Nov 14).  Sold on various local e-commerce platforms, the Berryshine drink is marketed as a fibre enzyme drink which claims to support digestion and aid weight loss. It contains sennosides, a substance typically used to treat constipation. Common side effects of sennosides include abdominal pain, spasms, diarrhoea and low potassium levels that can lead to muscle weakness. SFA added that the Berryshine drink originates from Malaysia but is wrongly labelled as a product of Singapore. The Bum Energy Drinks, from the US, are pre-workout supplements that claim to enhance mental clarity. These energy drinks were found to contain citicoline, a substance used in treatments for stroke patients.

From January to October this year, 13,099 travellers were caught across Singapore's air, land and sea checkpoints for evading Goods and Services Tax (GST) payments. A total of $3,471,043 in fines was collected, with 46 offenders handed the maximum penalty of $5,000 for making incorrect or incomplete declarations of dutiable and taxable goods to customs. The Singapore Customs said in a press release on Friday (Nov 15) that common violations involve goods across the categories of commercial goods, apparel and accessories, health and food products and cigarettes and alcohol. One of the offenders was a woman returning from a business trip in London who had failed to declare branded goods and toys brought back as gifts. During a bag inspection, customs officers found various bags and accessories from luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Prada, YSL, Dior and Balenciaga, as well as Pop Mart toys including the popular Labubu figurine in her possession.

SINGAPORE — A man cheated seven people of more than $154,000 in total by different methods, including convincing at least two to take part in an «investment scheme» that did not exist. Tee Wei Jie, 32, who was working as a personal assistant at a Paterson Hill condominium at the time of the offences, also misappropriated another $9,200 from one of his victims. On Thursday (Nov 14), he was sentenced to 22 months' jail after he pleaded guilty to five counts of cheating involving more than $140,000. They involved five victims. Three charges involving the remaining amount were considered during sentencing.

SINGAPORE - A Facebook page claiming to be that of Plaza Singapura has been flagged after it gained traction online by promoting the sale of Labubu figurines at a discount. Shoppers were urged to click on a link to buy “The Monsters Fall In Wild Series” – a limited edition plush toy by Pop Mart – at a discount. The scam page, which showed a photo of a crowd outside a toy store, claimed that customers queued for up to six hours at the Pop Mart store in Plaza Singapura on Nov 11 to purchase the dolls. But the photo does not appear to have been taken in Singapore. The page also said that due to “unexpectedly high demand”, not all those who queued were able to buy the dolls, and provided a link for customers to purchase them at $89 each. Priced at $109.90 on the official Pop Mart website, the doll is currently sold out online and at Pop Mart stores in Singapore, with resellers charging up to $200 for each doll. The character went viral globally when South Korean girl band Blackpink’s Lisa first posted photos of herself with Labubu in April.

SINGAPORE — The level of trust Singapore consumers have in general insurers and their intermediaries like brokers and advisers slipped in 2024, compared with the previous year, a study has found. The 2024 insurance trust indicator study, commissioned by the local insurance sector to help improve confidence and practices, found that consumers' trust in general insurers dipped to 73 from a score of 75 in 2023. Consumers' trust in general insurance intermediaries fell further — to 62 points in 2024 from 68 a year earlier. However, consumers' trust in life insurers edged up to 70 points in 2024 from 68 in 2023.

Four lucky punters walked away with over $3.2 million each after the latest Toto draw on Thursday (Nov 14) night. After three consecutive draws with no Group 1 winners chosen, the prize money snowballed to a grand total just over $13 million. The winning numbers for Thursday's draw were 12, 16, 29, 36, 39 and 40, with the additional number 37. The Group 2 prize of around $1.5 million was split among 13 winners who each won $114,990. 'Huat' betting outlets According to the Singapore Pools, three of the winning tickets were purchased from popular outlets known for being particularly lucky. One of the tickets was sold at the famous Tong Aik Huat outlet located at Block 685 Hougang Street 61. This is the fifth time that the outlet has produced a winning Group 1 ticket this year. Last month, a Group 1 winner who bought his ticket at the same outlet won $6.6 million. 

On Aug 29, as the nation still basked in the glow of its 59th birthday, the Singapore flag entered outer space. The flag was proudly carried by entrepreneur Nicolina Elrick, who has been calling Singapore home since 1995. «Singapore is an amazing country and I'm so proud to be here,» the permanent resident told TNP. «Everyone assumes I'm a tourist all the time, but this is my home.» Elrick, who is in her 50s, was born in Scotland. She hopes to become a Singapore citizen one day. In her drive to become the first person to take the Singapore flag to space, she overlooked the chance to achieve the same feat for her birth country. «When I was interviewed at the launchpad, someone said, 'Wow, you must be so excited. The first Scottish woman ever to go to space,'» recounted Elrick. «I was like, 'Really? I am? Oh my goodness, I had no idea.»

A woman was sent flying after she was hit by a car on Wednesday (Nov 13) morning. The incident occurred at the junction of Orchard Road and Handy Road. In a video posted to the SG Kaypoh Facebook group, the woman is seen crossing the road while the traffic light was not in her favour.   She appears to be looking down at her phone. The driver involved in the accident did not notice her till it was too late and collided with her head-on. In the video, the woman is sent flying and lands several metres in front of the car upon impact. She manages to sit up after landing, and looks stunned from the impact.   The driver and his passenger also rush out of the vehicle to assist.  Speaking to AsiaOne, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said that the female pedestrian was conveyed conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. When contacted, the police said they were alerted to an accident involving a taxi and a pedestrian at the junction of Orchard Road and Handy Road on Nov 13 at about 3.15am.

About 2.9 million Singaporeans aged 21 and above can look forward to receiving between $200 and $600 in cash this December. The payout comes under the Assurance Package (AP) scheme which aims to help alleviate cost of living pressures for Singaporean households and provide more support for lower- to middle-income families. To be eligible for this, adult Singaporeans must have an annual assessable income of not more than $100,000 and not own more than one property. Recipients will receive AP Cash every December from 2022 to 2026.  In a joint press release on Thursday (Nov 14), the finance, health and manpower ministries also announced measures to help offset healthcare costs as well as the upcoming increase to MediShield Life premiums. About 1.4 million Singaporeans born between 1974 and 2003 will receive a one-time MediSave top-up of $300 to $500 in December. Under the Majulah Package - MediSave Bonus, about 1.6 million Singaporeans born in 1973 or earlier will receive a one-time MediSave top-up of $1,250 or $2,000.

A property agent was shocked to discover a leased home in a filthy condition, left behind by tenants who moved out several months earlier, according to a TikTok video uploaded by user HomesWithHaziq on Saturday (Nov 9). «For my future landlords, beware,» Haziq wrote in the video description. Introducing the video, he also stated: «If you're planning to rent out your whole unit, watch this video first.» According to Haziq, the home had been tenanted out for less than two years to a group of foreigners who had little interaction with one another, keeping to their own rooms. The location of the property was not disclosed, but Haziq shared with AsiaOne that it is located in the west. Starting with the living room, things appear to be clean at first glance - if a little cluttered - but Haziq soon points out in the video visible spots of black dirt hidden behind the couch. «The condition of the house will speak for itself,» he added. The first toilet certainly proved his point - the toilet seat was yellowed, with the bottom of the bowl stained black.

SINGAPORE — A law was amended on Wednesday (Nov 13) to implement more government-paid parental leave and mandatory paternity leave, which had been announced earlier in August. Under the amendments to the Child Development Co-Savings Act, parents-to-be will get another 10 weeks of shared leave on top of their current leave entitlement, bringing the total amount of government-paid parental leave to 30 weeks by April 1, 2026. From April 1, 2025, eligible fathers of Singaporean children will also be entitled to four weeks of mandatory government-paid paternity leave.  The new shared parental leave scheme will be rolled out in two phases, starting with six weeks from April 1, 2025, and increasing to 10 weeks from April 1, 2026. This shared leave is to be taken within 12 months of the child's birth, and employees must inform employers at least four weeks before going on leave in a continuous block.

Parliament voted in favour of an amended version of a motion put forth by Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Non-Constituency MPs Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa on Wednesday (Nov 13) after a debate that lasted five-and-a-half hours. This motion called for the Government to «review its policies relating to hawkers and the management of hawker centres to provide better support for hawkers to sustain and grow Singapore hawker culture, so that Singaporeans can continue to enjoy good and affordable hawker food». During his speech, Leong highlighted that high operational costs, harsh working conditions, and the expectation to provide cheap food are pressing issues faced by hawkers here. The PSP secretary-general then proposed that social enterprise hawker centres be phased out as contracts expire, replacing them with centralised management under a new government agency called Hawker Singapore. This new agency would oversee the management of all hawker centres in Singapore and the promotion of hawker culture domestically and internationally, working together with other relevant agencies, he added.

SHOALWATER BAY, Australia - The expansion of the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) in Queensland has been completed after eight years of development. With the expanded training area now five times the size of Singapore, this means that the scale and complexity of overseas exercises involving the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) can be increased in the future, Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How said on Wednesday (Nov 13). Heng was speaking to reporters after witnessing Singaporean and Australian soldiers being put through their paces during a simulated beach landing as part of Exercise Trident. He also flew on a CH-47F chinook to view the new facilities within the expanded SWBTA and interacted with SAF and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) soldiers who participated in the bilateral exercise. Jointly developed by Australia and Singapore since 2016, the expansion of the overall training area was set out in a treaty between the two countries in 2020. State-of-the-art facilities such as the combined arms air-land ranges and urban operations live-firing facilities have been included in the expansion.

The body of a 52-year-old man was discovered in his Toa Payoh flat last Sunday (Nov 10), several days after his death. The police told AsiaOne they were alerted to the case at 11.15am on Sunday, where they pronounced the man dead at the scene. It is not known when he died.  The man, Bai Zongren (transliteration), had been living alone in his unit at Block 157 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 for several years after divorcing his wife, according to a neighbour who spoke to Shin Min Daily News. He also had a daughter, who moved out with his ex-wife after they split.  The neighbour, who did not want to be named, added that Bai would occasionally get visits from relatives. «His mother used to live on the fifth floor, but she died a few years ago.»  The neighbour told Shin Min that she was unaware of Bai's death when she passed by his unit several days ago. As Bai's door was locked, she assumed the flat was empty.  When she passed by his unit again on Saturday, she detected a foul smell but thought that it was from wastewater. She said she only found out about his death when she saw the police at his door.

After their rental agreement with a sublessor fell through, a couple asked for their deposit to be returned. They waited three weeks to no avail and decided to visit the sublessor's home for discussions. But the negotiations turned physical, with the woman brandishing a knife at the couple after she was attacked. The incident occurred at about 7pm last Sunday (Nov 10) at a condominium in Yishun, reported Shin Min Daily News. Chen, 41, said he had seen an advertisement for the four-bedroom unit on Oct 13 and contacted the poster, who said she had rented the apartment from the original tenant. The woman told Chen she could sublet the unit to him and his wife if the homeowner was agreeable to it.  After viewing pictures and videos of the apartment, the man immediately made a PayNow transfer of $1,000 to the woman as deposit. The couple viewed the unit the next day, where both parties discussed the rental agreement in detail. A week later, however, the woman told them that she had not gotten the approval of the condo owner to sublet the apartment.

SINGAPORE — Pupils who sat the PSLE will receive their results from 11am on Nov 20. The Education Ministry and Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board, in a joint statement on Nov 13, said arrangements have been made for pupils to collect their results. Pupils will get details on collection arrangements from their schools, it added. Those who are unable to collect their results from school in person can appoint someone to do so on their behalf on Nov 22. Eligible pupils will receive the Secondary 1 (S1) Option Form to select secondary schools with their PSLE results. Pupils are required to use their unique S1 personal identification number found on the top-right hand corner of the form to log in to the S1 Internet System to submit their school choices from 11.30am on Nov 20 to 3pm on Nov 26. Parents who need help with the online submission can contact the primary school before 3pm on Nov 26. Posting results will be released between Dec 18 and Dec 20 through SMS, the statement said. This information can also be accessed through the S1 Internet System or at the pupil's primary school.

Fugitive lawyer Charles Yeo, who is in custody in the UK, is currently awaiting an extradition hearing, reported CNA on Tuesday (Nov 12).  A court date for the extradition hearing has not been determined, but Yeo is set to attend a bail hearing on Friday, according to the report. In an Instagram post on Nov 1, the former chairman of the Reform Party said the Singapore government had made a formal request for his extradition. In his post, Yeo also said that he will be presenting himself, together with his legal team, at Westminster Magistrates Court on Nov 11. Yeo left Singapore in July 2022 after being charged earlier that year with multiple offences relating to harassment and wounding the religious feelings of Christians in several social media posts. In August 2022, a warrant of arrest was issued against him for breaching the conditions for overseas travel while on bail. 

12 men and three women, aged between 19 and 63, were arrested for various offences during a multi-agency enforcement operation against errant public entertainment outlets on Friday (Nov 8) night. The offences include working without a valid work permit, suspected drink driving, driving without a valid license and insurance, suspected consumption and possession of controlled drugs, and the possession of scheduled weapons.  Members of the media, including AsiaOne, were invited to observe the enforcement operations, led by Bedok Police Division, in Joo Chiat on Friday night.  The enforcement operation is part of their ongoing efforts to clamp down on illicit activities and regulatory offences in the area, said the police in a statement on Wednesday. Upon arriving at the scene just after midnight on Saturday, members of the media were led to the second floor of the first KTV outlet.