A tuition centre located at NEWest Mall in West Coast is offering parents free Coach bags - provided their children have attended classes with the centre for four years, Shin Min Daily News reported on Sunday (Nov 17). The Chinese Language Centre (CLC) outlet in that mall put up a sign outside their centre in October, indicating that they would be giving out these Coach bags. «In order to thank you for your support, if your same child has been studying in our centre for four years… you will get a brand-name Coach bag,» the sign reads. «Thank you for your support and trust in the past four years.» Speaking with Shin Min, a centre representative surnamed Zhang (transliteration) said that their centre was established in 2020 and the intention was to thank parents for their support. He declined to share details on the cost of each bag, how many bags they have prepared to give out and how many parents are eligible for the giveaway. Less is more? Reactions from parents about the giveaway have been mixed.

The peace at Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College West was shattered when a loud blast rocked the car park at 11am. Sensing that his presence was discovered, a «suicide bomber» detonated his backpack containing an improvised explosive device, injuring six students who were heading to class. Shortly after the «attack», several students, who are Civil Defence Lionhearters, rushed to the scene and tended to the wounded. Trained in improvised first aid and emergency skills by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), they used items such as belts and ties to stop the bleeding before SCDF officers arrived. The Singapore Police Force's (SPF) Ground Response Force and the Emergency Response Team from Jurong Police Division were also activated to the scene. The drama on Monday (Nov 18) was part of the counter-terrorism and emergency preparedness exercise code-named Exercise Heartbeat. The exercise was organised by the SPF, supported by SCDF, in collaboration with ITE College West and Public-Private Partnership Infrastructure Management, which is the premise owner of ITE College West campus. 

A 70-year-old Yakult delivery woman died a week after she was attacked by a man.  She was making a delivery at Block 272B Sengkang Central on Oct 29 when he punched her on the right side of her face, reported Shin Min Daily News. The attacker, 30-year-old Lim Chuan Xun, had also allegedly hurled vulgarities at the elderly woman.  Despite bleeding from her head, she tried to contact the customers living at the next block to collect their drinks, the woman's daughter told Mothership. Noticing her bloodied shirt and swollen forehead, some passers-by called the police and an ambulance.  The elderly woman was rushed to Sengkang General Hospital. While en route to hospital, she was still able to give her statement to the police. Upon reaching the hospital, however, she felt dizzy and nauseous.  A brain scan revealed the severity of her injuries — she could become paralysed or bedridden, doctors told her family members. The elderly woman fell into a coma and stayed in the intensive care unit for about a week.  On Nov 6, she died after developing a fever as well as breathing difficulties. 

Many people are creatures of habit - just like how saving lives is this man's second nature. A doctor from the Republic of Singapore Air Force has resuscitated a man in Hougang who lost consciousness from a cardiac arrest, according to a post on the RSAF's Facebook page on Saturday (Nov 16). Captain (Dr) Tan Yu Xiang of the 1st Medical Squadron was on his way home along Block 205, Hougang Street 21 when he found a man unconscious, not breathing and without a pulse. «My training kicked in and I immediately responded,» Tan said. As he began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), other members of the public stepped in to assist. «One brought an automated external defibrillator (AED), another fetched a medical kit,» he recalled.  «As his pulse stabilised, we transferred him into the care of Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) paramedics.» Tan, a Search and Rescue Medical Officer, has been taught to handle challenging conditions - training that allowed him to respond effectively to this situation, he said. He added that «every member of the public who helped that evening »played a key role".

Tensions between two warring neighbours in Toa Payoh came to a head when a fight between them left one with a gash on the head. The altercation occurred at Blk 34 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh at about 3pm on Saturday (Nov 16), reported Shin Min Daily News. The 70-year-old man injured in the brawl, surnamed Pan, told the Chinese evening daily that he has not been on good terms with the male neighbour due to a previous conflict. «At that time, he had scolded a cleaner disposing of garbage while he was eating, I couldn't look past [his words] so I retorted on behalf of the cleaner, which may have invoked his displeasure,» he explained. 'Go home and take a knife!' On Saturday, Pan was retrieving items from his sister-in-law, who lives on the same floor as him. The neighbour, who lives in the adjacent unit, allegedly spat in Pan's direction and started provoking him. Enraged, Pan reportedly demanded the neighbour to step out of his flat to explain himself and for a 'one-on-one' fight. «Go home and take a knife!» The latter replied, before rushing towards Pan with a piece of plastic measuring 30cm long.

SINGAPORE - All her life, 42-year-old Janet Yee has lived in a two-room rental flat on the 15th floor of Block 91 Henderson Road. The home is filled with family pictures, Buddhist figurines that belonged to her parents, and old furniture such as two cupboards that store the clothes and bedsheets of Ms Yee, her Malaysian husband, and two children, aged five and nine, in their bedroom. But Ms Yee never intended to live there forever. «I had always wanted to buy my own flat so that my kids have more certainty and security than I did. When you live in a rental flat, you never know when you might be asked to move,» said the senior kitchen leader at a Japanese pizza restaurant. Her fears came true earlier in 2024 when she was told by the Housing Board that her family had until the end of September 2025 to move out. Her family is among 675 households living in two-room rental flats at Henderson Heights - which comprises Blocks 91, 92 and 93 - that are being relocated.

A car caught fire in an open car park in Bukit Batok on Sunday afternoon (Nov 17), with the incident captured in photos and a video shared on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group. The car park is located at Block 239, Bukit Batok East Avenue 5. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to the incident at around 12.30pm. They arrived to the scene and extinguished the blaze with a water jet. «The fire involved the engine compartment of a parked car,» said SCDF. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation. PHOTO: Facebook/Fuad Odem The car was severely damaged from the fire. In a separate post, the car is seen severely wrecked from the fire with various components from the bonnet spilling out onto the ground.

A 70-year-old Yakult delivery woman died a week after she was attacked by a man.  She was making a delivery at Block 272B Sengkang Central on Oct 29 when he punched her on the right side of her face, reported Shin Min Daily News. The attacker, 30-year-old Lim Chuan Xun, had also allegedly hurled vulgarities at the elderly woman.  Despite bleeding from her head, she tried to contact the customers living at the next block to collect their drinks, the woman's daughter told Mothership. Noticing her bloodied shirt and swollen forehead, some passers-by called the police and an ambulance.  The elderly woman was rushed to Sengkang General Hospital. While en route to hospital, she was still able to give her statement to the police. Upon reaching the hospital, however, she felt dizzy and nauseous.  A brain scan revealed the severity of her injuries — she could become paralysed or bedridden, doctors told her family members. The elderly woman fell into a coma and stayed in the intensive care unit for about a week.  On Nov 6, she died after developing a fever as well as breathing difficulties. 

With about 50 massage parlours condensed into two storeys at People's Park Complex, would-be customers are spoilt for choice. But this has irked some mall-goers, one of whom complained to Shin Min Daily News about the staff touting for business outside their stores. «Within a distance of less than 50m, I was solicited five times,» said the shopper. A Shin Min reporter who visited the building walked past the parlours while waving his hand in rejection, but some staff still approached with price lists and tried to sell their services. «The price is the same no matter which one you go to!» shouted one. According to the Chinese evening daily, a 30-minute foot massage costs an average of $15 across the parlours. One massage parlour staff, surnamed Guo, said the competition does not affect business much. «Each store does its own thing. When there are crowds, it's good for everyone and I won't say it's a cut-throat competition,» he explained. The owner of a watch shop located on the second floor of the complex told Shin Min the large majority of massage parlours had sprung up after the Covid-19 pandemic.

A woman who was caught illegally driving in the bus lane along the Causeway attempted to bribe a Singapore auxiliary police officer with RM50 (S$15) and $50. Wang Xiping, 42, was sentenced to three weeks' jail after pleading guilty to one count of violating Section 6(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act on Friday (Nov 15), reported Lianhe Zaobao. According to the charge sheet, Wang frequently drives to Johor Bahru (JB). On July 17, she was driving to Malaysia to show a friend around JB and collect her medical report. The woman and her friend cleared Singapore immigration at about 10.50am that day. A few minutes later, an auxiliary officer spotted Wang's car in the dedicated bus and lorry lane and stopped them. The cop told Wang she was not allowed to drive in the dedicated lane and instructed her to U-turn to Woodlands Checkpoint to re-enter Malaysia. Wang then offered the officer RM50 to let her continue driving. The latter refused and requested her to present her passport.

Before your next road trip up north, a check on your unpaid traffic fines in Malaysia would be advisable. Vehicle owners who have signed up for Malaysia's Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) will be notified of their outstanding summonses at the two land checkpoints in Johor via variable message signage (VMS) displays. In a report by Malaysian publication The Star, a Road Transport Department (JPJ) official said that this was a «good way» to have foreign-registered vehicle drivers pay up their unpaid summonses, before adding that JPJ have carried out regular checks at both checkpoints reminding foreign vehicles to register for the VEP. Over 20,000 Singapore-registered vehicles have been checked, with a few hundred reminders issued out, the official added. There are currently four VEP centres: three in Johor – Danga Bay, Iskandar Puteri and Paradigm Mall – and one in Woodlands.

A man has been taking his dog to a playground at Block 38 Upper Boon Keng Road despite the discomfort it causes other residents. Stomp contributor ST said she has seen the man grooming his husky at the playground on multiple occasions. To make matters worse, the dog would bark and scare children at the playground, she added. The Stomp contributor shared photos and a video of the man brushing his dog, which was on a leash, at around 7pm on Nov 12. She said: «This uncle brought his dog to the playground, tied it to the playground and started to groom it. He was combing the dog and placing the hair on the ground and stairs. »The dog was scaring the kids as it was barking and trying to chase them. I asked the uncle to go somewhere else but he ignored me." https://www.instagram.com/p/DCY9vl6hzw_/ ST, who has a four-year-old-daughter, said it's not the first time she has tried speaking to the man.

LIMA — Singapore has offered to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in 2030, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Nov 16. This is one way that the Republic will contribute to ensuring more inclusive growth, against a backdrop of increasing geopolitical rivalry and weakening support for free trade, said PM Wong. «We find Apec to be a very valuable platform, and we will do our part to support Apec in different ways, including the hosting of Apec summits,» he told reporters at the close of this year’s summit in Lima, Peru. Singapore is a part of the 21-member Apec, which includes major world powers such as the US, China and Russia and whose economies make up close to half of global trade. The last time it hosted an Apec summit was in 2009. PM Wong noted that across the board, there is concern at this year’s summit that support for globalisation and free trade is weakening around the world.

SINGAPORE – Heavy rains resulted in a flash flood in Bukit Timah Road on the afternoon of Nov 16, amid a downpour in several parts of Singapore. National water agency PUB said in a Facebook post that the flash flood was caused by high water levels in the adjacent drains and Bukit Timah Canal. It said: “PUB deployed our Quick Response Team to direct traffic away from floodwaters. The flash flood subsided at 3.30pm.” It added that there are ongoing works to widen and deepen a 900m stretch of Bukit Timah Canal - from Rifle Range Road to Jalan Kampong Chantek - as a long-term measure to enhance flood protection in the area. The works are expected to be completed by 2026. PUB earlier issued flash flood warnings for 10 places, urging people to avoid these areas amid heavy downpour. It added that heavy rain was expected over northern, western and central areas of Singapore from 2.50pm to 3.50pm. The list of places at risk of flash floods were: