SINGAPORE — Gigantic durians, towering cendol cups, colossal noodles and enormous grilled satay skewers will be on display around Singapore's neighbourhoods from December. The first-of-its-kind, community-driven arts initiative will see seven neighbourhoods showcasing upsized food-themed installations in December, with each work of art reflecting the distinct character and heritage of the area. Another seven neighbourhoods will join in a month later. In all, the 14 Giant Delight installations will involve 19 artists and an estimated 1,400 residents. The residents are led by their respective Community Arts & Culture Clubs (CACCs), which comprise volunteers who champion and implement arts and culture programmes in their community. Besides those who regularly participate in CACC activities, the other participating residents were recruited through social media and word of mouth. Some of these installations will be featured at the PAssionArts Street in Chingay 2025 on Feb 7 and 8.

Text messages directing recipients to a fake PayNow website is the latest phishing scam variant to emerge, said the police on Friday (Dec 13). Victims would receive a text message stating their PayNow «certificate» is expiring soon, and that it must be renewed via the linked website to maintain usage of the services. The fake website would require the victim to key in their credit card details and other personal details such as billing address, name and date of birth. In their statement, the police said that PayNow does not have a website which allows one to key in personal and credit card details. Users should only provide details to PayNow through the banks' official sites or applications. «PayNow does not issue any digital certificates to members of public,» added the police. «If in doubt, PayNow users can contact your respective banks through their official hotlines for assistance.» Members of the public can report such scams to the police at 1800-255-0000 or submit an online report at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.

SINGAPORE — On the day that contractors started hacking at the roof of Tan's Housing Board block in Jalan Tenaga in October, a roughly 2m-long crack appeared on the ceiling of his top-floor unit. The crack opened right above the spot in his bedroom where the retired policeman would lay his head when he went to sleep each night. Tan, who declined to give his full name, told The Straits Times in Mandarin: «I worry that if the crack gets worse, the ceiling could suddenly drop on me when I'm in bed.» The hacking is part of reroofing works that are being done at the 17 blocks in the Jalan Tenaga estate in Bedok. Tan is one of at least four households living on the top floor of this estate near Bedok Reservoir that have noticed cracks in their flats after the works started two to three months ago. The 75-year-old, who lives in the flat with his wife, reported the crack in his bedroom to the town council in October, prompting it to send a representative to his four-room executive apartment to take photos of the damaged area.

Online netizens raised privacy concerns over the search function on online portal Bizfile, which allows users to search for the National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) numbers of some citizens — who are likely to be shareholders or directors of private Singapore-registered companies. The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) manages the portal, which is used for business registrations and filings. The concerns were raised after veteran journalist Bertha Henson highlighted the issue on Facebook on Thursday (Dec 12) evening. She noted in a post that she could search for the NRIC numbers of current politicians, as well as those of deceased persons. The ability to search for these details raises privacy concerns. The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) was enacted in 2012 to restrict the collection and disclosure of such personal information. The Business Times has reached out to Acra for comment on the issue. Acra's data policy indicates that the types of personal data publicly available include names, identification numbers, as well as residential addresses — if no contact address is given.

The body of a 73-year-old woman was discovered in her Bedok home on Wednesday (Dec 11), after a neighbour noticed numerous cockroaches and a foul stench emanating from the unit. Singapore Civil Defence Force personnel had to assist the police in gaining entry to the blocked door of the cluttered flat at Blk 23 Chai Chee Road, reported Shin Min Daily News. A Shin Min reporter who visited the scene at about 2pm on Wednesday observed that the wooden door of the flat had been entirely removed and placed aside, and the metal gate appeared to have been pried open. Residents told the Chinese evening daily that the woman lived alone and often brought sundries home. After a resident informed the town council about the pungent smell and cockroaches, some workers reportedly visited the woman's home, but she did not answer the door. One female neighbour, who declined to be named, said the deceased had minimal interactions with them and hardly goes out. «Occasionally, her relatives, friends and volunteers will visit her, but I haven't seen her for at least two weeks,» she said.

Hours before her flight back home, a disgruntled woman returned to her ex-workplace and allegedly smashed the glass shopfront. The incident occurred at a massage parlour along Race Course Road in Little India at about 10am on Monday (Dec 9). A Shin Min Daily News reporter who visited the scene following a reader tip-off noted glass shards scattered all over the parlour's premises as well as the pavement. A door frame was reportedly twisted, and the ceiling light fixtures were broken too. The massage parlour owner, surnamed Lin, told the Chinese evening daily that they had opened for business just several months ago. He reportedly invested $90,000 in this business.  He explained that his former employee had a conflict with her colleagues which affected business operations. That woman, and several others, were terminated from their positions. Her last day of work was on Dec 4.  «I didn't expect this to happen... I don't know why somebody would destroy the store,» said Lin, who added that the massage parlour was not open at the time of the incident.

This year, three Singaporeans have been named in Forbes Magazine's 100 most powerful women list which was released on Wednesday (Dec 11). Among them is OCBC chief Helen Wong, who came in at number 59. Wong, who became Group CEO in 2021 and a director of the bank's board in 2023, is drawing upon four decades of banking experience to lead OCBC, which recorded $13.5 billion in total income for the fiscal year of 2023, Forbes said. She is also a council member of the Association of Banks and the Institute of Banking and Finance in Singapore. Also on the list is Ho Ching, chairman of Temasek Trust, which is responsible for Temasek Holdings’ philanthropic endowments. This year, she ranked number 32, one spot up from her previous ranking in 2023.

A Singaporean who planned a 24-hour trip to Barcelona ended up getting robbed, according to a TikTok post he made on the platform on Wednesday (Dec 11). The TikTok user Daniel Lim, known online as Limey_dan, said he had gotten his rental vehicle from the airport in Barcelona, driving out of the garage. Lim, a 32-year-old lawyer, was then pulled over by another driver, who informed him that there were issues with his vehicle's tyre. While he was speaking with the driver, a second vehicle pulled up beside him, telling him that he couldn't park his vehicle there. «In that split second, my bag in the front seat was taken - with my passport, wallet and keys,» Lim recalled. Speaking with AsiaOne, Lim said that many emotions were running through him during the encounter. «Shock as I've not been robbed or pick-pocketed before, anger at the Albanian gang who would prey on others, and also worried as I had a return flight to catch the next morning.» He attempted to give chase but was unable to catch up with the fleeing vehicles, leaving him shocked.

About 20 people were evacuated after an envelope of white powdery substances was found in the mailbox of an Orchard Road house on Dec 12. The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the incident at 42 Saunders Road at about 5.30pm. SCDF officers donning personal protective gear arrived and retrieved the envelope. SCDF's hazardous material (hazmat) specialists conducted several tests on the white substances but did not detect anything dangerous. The police said that based on their preliminary findings, the contents of the envelope are believed to be drug-related substances. About 20 residents were evacuated from the neighbouring units as a precautionary measure. There were no reported injuries, SCDF said. According to Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, a section of the road was cordoned off till about 7pm. Several emergency vehicles, including an SCDF hazmat control vehicle, were also seen at the location. The case has been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau.

The design of a community garden in Choa Chu Kang has given some residents goosebumps.  Located next to Block 672A Choa Chu Kang Crescent, the gardening plots resemble graves, said some residents.  There are a total of 21 gardening plots enclosed by cement walls, Shin Min Daily News reported.  A woman surnamed Wu, who has lived in the estate for 25 years, told the Chinese evening daily that the new community garden allows residents who love gardening to grow plants.  However, the 74-year-old found the garden's design unsettling.  «When you look down at the community garden from the upper floors, it looks even more like a cemetery,» she said, adding that her friend has similar sentiments. A resident surnamed Wang said: «When I walk past the community garden at night, I get spooked by the inauspicious sight. So, I'll make a detour.» The orderly arrangement of the gardening plots contributed to its cemetery-like appearance, a resident surnamed Huang noted. «If a fence was built around the area, maybe it would look less [like a cemetery], or the plants could simply be grown on land,» said the 79-year-old. 

SINGAPORE — A flight from Singapore to Wuhan on Dec 10 returned to Changi Airport more than four hours into the journey, due to a technical issue. According to information on flight tracking website Flightradar24, Scoot flight TR120 departed from Singapore around 7pm. The plane was flying over the South China Sea when it made a U-turn, and touched down back in Singapore around 11.30pm. In response to queries, a Scoot spokesman said a technical issue was detected around 2½ hours into the flight, without elaborating. «As a precaution, a decision was made to return to Singapore,» said the spokesman. «TR120 subsequently landed uneventfully in Singapore at 11.21pm on Dec 10.» The passengers were transferred to a replacement aircraft, which departed Singapore at 2.18am on Dec 11, said the spokesman, adding that affected customers were offered refreshments and meals. A netizen on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu said he was a passenger on the flight and claimed that the plane had to turn back due to broken glass in the plane. Scoot did not respond to The Straits Times' queries about this.

The 21-year-old woman who died in a motorcycle crash in Johor on Tuesday (Dec 10) had just surprised her mother in Genting. Alssa Lyn Tay was traveling back to Singapore that morning with her 23-year-old boyfriend when he lost control of the motorcycle and crashed into a steel road divider along the North-South Expressway. Tay's stepfather, Xu, spoke to Shin Min Daily News at her funeral on Wednesday and said that he was on a trip in Genting with his wife when Tay called him on Monday night. She had just received her new passport and wanted to surprise her mother in Genting. «I tried to persuade her not to travel [to Genting] by motorcycle, but she insisted on seeing her mother.»

Yip Pin Xiu has earned herself many titles, including Sportswoman of the Year and Singapore's most decorated Paralympian. On Wednesday (Dec 11), the 32-year-old swimmer got a new one — fiancee. The seven-time Paralympic gold medallist announced the good news on Instagram with a series of photos from the proposal as well as a message dedicated to her partner, Bruce. https://www.instagram.com/p/DDcKlF5ysUi/ «I am unequivocally happy,» Yip wrote. Recounting the proposal, she said that Bruce was so nervous that «he couldn’t remember a word of (his whole speech)». «He did not need any words for me to understand him.» Addressing Bruce, she wrote: «With you, I can be softer yet more steady. I have space to be myself. I feel safe and seen.» Bruce reciprocated the heartfelt message in the comments, saying that he was lucky to have her in his life. In her post, the bride-to-be added: «We are in our fiance era… time for us to plan a party!»

A manager of a home-based pet grooming salon appeared in a district court on Dec 11 over the death of a dog she had allegedly left unattended on a table. Vanessa Chiu Yan Er, 29, who is also a partner at Pawkins SG, the home-based salon, was charged with one count of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to a corgi named Fendi in a unit of a Serangoon Central block of flats around 1.45pm on July 24. This case first made headlines in July, after a video of a dog falling off a grooming table and being hanged to death with its leash went viral online. According to court documents, Chiu was Fendi’s groomer, and she allegedly failed to secure the dog with a “double arm lock” and left it unattended on the table. The three-year-old dog slipped off the table and died after it was hanged by its neck with its leash for an extended period. In a video posted on Instagram on July 24, six dogs seen in a room start to bark after being triggered by something off camera. No one can be seen in the footage at this point.

The woman who was stabbed to death in Hougang on Tuesday (Dec 10) has been identified as 34-year-old Vietnamese national Dao Thi Hong.  The mother of three moved to Singapore from Hanoi five years ago, reported The Straits Times.  She worked at the Quan Long Nippon Paint hardware store at Block 210 Hougang Street 21, where she was repeatedly stabbed by a 42-year-old man, who was an employee.  The attack happened at about 11am on Tuesday. According to witnesses, the woman was screaming and the man was brandishing a knife. Another employee at the store, a 26-year-old man, tried to intervene and was wounded.  Dao's friend, who gave her name as Sally, told The Straits Times she took leave on Wednesday to pay her respects to the deceased at a makeshift altar set up behind the store.  «I came to light a candle and pay respects to her,» said the woman. "I wanted to stay here and accompany her for a while. It’s better for her.”

The woman who was stabbed to death in Hougang on Tuesday (Dec 10) has been identified as 34-year-old Vietnamese national Dao Thi Hong.  The mother of three moved to Singapore from Hanoi five years ago, reported The Straits Times.  She worked at the Quan Long Nippon Paint hardware store at Block 210 Hougang Street 21, where she was repeatedly stabbed by a 42-year-old man, who was an employee.  The attack happened at about 11am on Tuesday. According to witnesses, the woman was screaming and the man was brandishing a knife. Another employee at the store, a 26-year-old man, tried to intervene and was wounded.  Dao's friend, who gave her name as Sally, told The Straits Times she took leave on Wednesday to pay her respects to the deceased at a makeshift altar set up behind the store.  «I came to light a candle and pay respects to her,» said the woman. "I wanted to stay here and accompany her for a while. It’s better for her.”

From Dec 16, travellers arriving or departing Singapore by bus will be able to clear immigration without their passports. QR code clearance will be rolled out progressively at all automated lanes and special assistance lanes at the bus halls of Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a media release on Wednesday (Dec 11). The implementation of the passport-less clearance system, which will start at Tuas Checkpoint, is targeted to be completed at both checkpoints by mid-January 2025. This follows trials that were conducted at selected lanes of the checkpoints' bus halls in end-November. The trials recorded over 48,000 travellers as of Dec 1. Feedback collected from these travellers enabled ICA to fine-tune and improve the QR code clearance experience, the authority said.