The Johor government and ride hailing company Grab are in discussions to update the Cross-Border Travel Agreement between Singapore and the Malaysian state.This aims to make travel between Singapore and Johor smoother, said Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi in a statement posted to Facebook on Thursday (June 19). Stating that these discussions were raised during a recent meeting with Grab's senior management, amongst other key matters, Onn Hafiz explained that the talks form part of broader efforts to enhance Johor's tourism and transportation sectors ahead of Visit Johor Year 2026 (TMJ 2026).TMJ 2026 is a statewide campaign which aims to attract 12 million tourists to Johor and generate RM42 billion in revenue, reported Bernama.«The discussions also explored potential cross-border collaborations involving the Malaysian and Singaporean transport ministries, alongside the role of Grab and other public transport providers in facilitating smoother travel between the two countries,» Onn Hafiz said.AsiaOne has reached out to Grab for more information.

The Asian Art Association Singapore (AAA) has shut down claims that it misused artist profiles and falsely associated its events with the Singapore Botanic Gardens.In a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday (June 18), the association said it was recently made aware of remarks circulating on social media which it described as «false and misleading».One of these remarks was about the artist profile of a Japanese illustrator who had been formally invited to join the association in 2022.A screenshot of the profile, which was shared with AsiaOne, showed the illustrator's name, place of origin, works and awards. It also had a short description of how aspects of his life influenced his art style.The person who made the accusatory post has since deleted it. Responding to AsiaOne's enquiries, AAA chairman Jay Chau said the illustrator had voluntarily submitted his materials for publication and was sent a draft webpage of his artist profile on Aug 23, 2022. The profile was only published after receiving the illustrator's written confirmation, according to the chairman.

SINGAPORE — New details have emerged to show that the cyclist who suffered a gunshot wound, and his friends, may have taken steps to conceal from the authorities the route they took on Sunday (June 15).The Straits Times learnt that the 42-year-old did not initially disclose to the police and the National University Hospital (NUH) that he had been riding near the Nee Soon live-firing range when he was hit by a projectile.The area between Upper Seletar and Upper Peirce reservoirs in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) is gazetted for live-firing, with clear signs warning hikers and riders against trespassing.The cyclist, identified as L, often tracks his rides on hiking and cycling tracking app Strava. Checks by ST showed him entering the cycling trail from Chestnut Nature Park at about 9.50am on June 15, a Sunday.He was with a group of about 10 cyclists at the time. At least one other cyclist, identified as W, was his regular riding partner.W deleted details on Strava of his ride on June 15. But the route he took was mapped out on W's Garmin account, which is accessible to the public.

Two firefighters were among four people sent to hospital following a fire at Block 5 Holland Close on Thursday (June 19) evening.Firefighters from Alexandra Fire Station had responded to the call at the HDB block at around 7.25pm.According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), one of the bedrooms in a 23rd-floor unit was on fire and firefighters entered the smoke-filled flat, extinguishing the fire with two water jets. However, the fire and smoke had already damaged the unit.About 100 people were evacuated by the police and SCDF from the affected block to a nearby futsal court.Two people who had fled the unit prior to SCDF's arrival were assessed for smoke inhalation before being taken to Singapore General Hospital.During the operation, two firefighters suffered heat exhaustion and one was taken to Singapore General Hospital, while the other was taken to National University Hospital.One of the two firefighters was discharged from hospital on Friday morning and given five days of medical leave.

One lucky punter hit the jackpot in the June 19 Toto draw with a windfall of $12,323,051. [[nid:719144]]This is also the third highest winning share since October 2014. The sole winner’s winning ticket is a System 7 ticket, which costs $7, purchased at a FairPrice outlet in Yew Tee Point. This outlet is not among the top 10 winning outlets.The winning numbers are 1, 10, 37, 40, 45, 47, with 19 as the additional number.According to Singapore Pools, the top winning share of $13,123,509 won on May 9, 2024, was a System 7 ticket purchased online, followed by a winning share of $13,077,918 won on Oct 2, 2023. The punter had bought a System 8 ticket for $28 from a Race Course Road outlet. The Group 2 prize of $108,637 for the June 19 draw was split between 13 people. The next draw will be held on June 23 (Monday), with the prize money reset to $1 million. [[nid:718705]]editor@asiaone.com 

More than 900 people have signed a petition calling on the Government to require food and beverage outlets to provide free tap water to diners.They want restaurants already imposing a 10 per cent service charge to offer what they consider a «basic necessity» at no extra cost.The petition on Change.org, which started in May 24, comes despite earlier concerns from the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) about water wastage and the additional costs such a move could impose on businesses.Petition creator Yee Yucai, a consultant at Singapore General Hospital’s Internal Medicine department, told AsiaOne on Thursday (June 19) he observed how food and beverage outlets seem to be «encouraging» diners to buy drinks to «boost profit margins» - even though the Government has been urging Singaporeans to cut down on sugar in their diets.

SINGAPORE — A man who was found with 178 videos and 153 still images of child pornography in his possession was sentenced to a year and nine months' jail, and two strokes of the cane on Thursday (June 19).Gan Qi Xuan, 26, had earlier downloaded such content from the Dark Web before categorising his collection on his personal electronic devices and online platforms.Court documents did not disclose how his offence came to light, but he was nabbed in a raid at his home in August 2023.On Aug 19, 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of being in possession of child pornography.In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Koh Yi Wen told the court that Gan got to know about the Dark Web around 2015 and found a forum on child pornography on it.Initially, he did not download anything during his first visit as he was wary of viruses. But curiosity got the better of him about three months later, and he downloaded such videos and images from the Dark Web, including child abuse material.Soon after, Gan began to access the Dark Web regularly to download pornographic material, including those involving children.

One of two DNA profiles found on the body of a Singaporean woman killed in Spain in April 2024 has been linked by Spanish experts to the only suspect, a Singaporean man.Two male DNA profiles were earlier found on Ms Audrey Fang's body, and Spain's National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Science found that one of them matches the paternal lineage of suspect Mitchell Ong, news outlet La Opinion de Murcia reported on Wednesday (June 18).The match was for the Y-chromosome haplotype, which is a set of genetic markers passed directly from father to son.The second DNA profile has no links with Ong's DNA.Ong's lawyer Maria Jesus Ruiz de Castaneda said the findings cannot be used to identify a person conclusively, as the genetic marker is shared with all male members of Ong's paternal lineage.She added that the finding «reinforces the need to expand the investigation to include other possible individuals».«Mitchell Ong maintains his innocence, fully trusts the work of the Spanish justice system, and will continue to collaborate in all necessary to clarify the truth,» she said.

Hundreds of book lovers turned up at NUS Library's book adoption and exchange drive on Saturday (June 14) to pick up some of the discarded books from Yale-NUS College.Held outside the NUS Central Library, members of the public were given access to about 2,000 books.After the controversy over the disposal of hundreds of books in May, Yale-NUS College decided to host a donation drive for students, staff and their guests that month which saw «overwhelming response».'A piece of nostalgia'Over at NUS Central Library on June 14, AsiaOne noted hundreds of people, ranging from children to graduates to elderly, queuing up and collecting books. «I just wanted to grab a piece of nostalgia,» Yip, who declined to give his full name, said as he waited in the middle of a snaking queue.The 60-year-old, who studied economics in NUS about 20 years ago, added he was interested in collecting books on social sciences, humanities and history, as well as books on communication.

SINGAPORE — Two local Zika cases have been confirmed at Woodlands Street 11 and Street 32, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in conjunction with the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA), in a Facebook post on June 19.Following each case notification, NEA commenced wastewater and mosquito surveillance surrounding the residential areas.The agency added that enhanced surveillance has revealed persistent Zika virus signals in the area, which suggests that this is an area with likely Zika transmission.The surveillance is a regular effort by the agency, in a bid to minimise the spread of vector-borne diseases in Singapore.It most often comes in the form of gravitraps that are placed around Housing Board estates to catch the urban-dwelling and day-biting Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which spread both Zika and dengue.A check of NEA's website found that three Zika cases have been reported locally since the week of May 25, with the latest being confirmed on June 11.In total, there have been seven cases reported for 2025 as at June 12.There were 13 reported Zika cases locally in 2024.

A Singaporean man was arrested by the Thai immigration police at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday (June 18) for his suspected involvement in cases of human trafficking and money laundering.The man, identified as Dexter, had arrived in Thailand on a Singapore Airlines flight SQ 714 from Singapore, reported Thai media outlet Khaosod English.Thai authorities had been informed that a foreign national wanted on charges related to prostitution and money laundering would be entering Thailand through the airport.A video posted by Khaosod English showed about eight individuals from Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and immigration police approaching Dexter upon his arrival at the airport, before arresting and escorting him away.The media outlet reported that Dexter faces multiple charges, including, conspiracy to procure, entice, or transport persons for immoral purposes, and promote and facilitate prostitution while receiving various forms of benefits.He was transferred to Thai authorities under the Technology Crime Suppression Division for legal proceedings and further investigation.

Round-the-clock mental health support is now readily available with a call or text away with the launch of Singapore’s first national mental health helpline and textline service.Launched on Wednesday (June 18), the national mindline 1771 is part of the Ministry of Health's (MOH) efforts to enhance the mental health support ecosystem in Singapore.Individuals can seek help via three modes of communication — by dialling the telephone hotline 1771, sending a WhatsApp message to +65-6669-1771 or by using the chat widget at https://mindline.sg/fsmh.«The national mindline 1771 provides a safe space where individuals can seek help without fear of stigma,» said MOH. The ministry added that all conversations will be kept confidential and individuals seeking help will have the option to remain anonymous.The national mindline will be operated by a team of around 30 full-time counsellors and staff who have experience in dealing with mental health conditions and operation mental health helplines.

Her graduation ceremony is still a month away, but Singapore Management University (SMU) student Britney Kon is already working full-time.The 25-year-old Economics major landed a business analyst role at a tech firm in March — after submitting more than 270 job applications since December.Kon believes that most of her applications were not seen by employers. Still, at one point, she was landing up to three interviews a day.«Some had five rounds of interviews. I had to wait a week between each round,» she said. «A few ghosted me after round four. Companies posting job listings on LinkedIn are also farming for followers. It's a new type of hell altogether.»Kon first received a job offer from a tech firm about two weeks after finishing her final examinations.«I later got an email saying the company would be winding up due to legal troubles,» she said. «I basically lost my first job soon after signing for it.»Kon's job hunting struggles are in contrast to her university's rising reputation in global rankings.

The male cyclist who was hit by a stray bullet while cycling in a restricted area gazetted for live-firing exercises is being investigated for wilful trespass, the police said on Wednesday (June 18) in response to media queries on the case.The 42-year-old man was cycling with his friends in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve between Upper Seletar and Upper Pierce reservoirs on Sunday (June 15) when he suffered a gunshot wound, with a bullet slug lodged in his left lower back, at around 11.40am. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) was at the time conducting an authorised live-firing activity at its Nee Soon 500m range, about 2.3km from where the man was. The area has clear signages to warn members of the public of the dangers and against entering the area.The man was taken to the National University Hospital by his friends, where he underwent surgery to remove the bullet slug, and is in a stable condition.Under the Military Manoeuvres Act, unauthorised individuals are not allowed to enter gazetted areas designated for SAF live firing for their own safety.

A tenant who rented a room in Bedok said he endured a month of strict house rules, round-the-clock surveillance, and bizarre text warnings, including a ban on leaving shampoo in the bathroom, before deciding to move out.Ye Guohua, 48, told Shin Min Daily News that he rented a bedroom at Block 529 Bedok North Street 3 for $1,050 a month after seeing the listing on Facebook. But the living situation turned out to be far from what he expected.«I really didn't think it would be so strict,» said Ye, who works at a mobile phone shop. «It felt like I was in prison.»He added that the property agent didn't explain the house rules in detail, and he hadn't read the rental agreement carefully before signing.After moving in, Ye discovered the landlord had imposed more than 20 rules, some of which he found unreasonable.Tenants were not allowed to use mobile phones or make noise in the living room, and could only use the washing machine on Fridays. They were also instructed to pick up every strand of fallen hair after showering, and not to leave any shampoo or soap in the bathroom.

Weddings are often once-in-a-lifetime events, and months of preparation go into ensuring every detail is perfect.But what happens when things do not go as planned, and a bride ends up with the wrong dress on her big day?This was the reality for one bride, who recently walked down the aisle in a dress that was not her first choice.Lee (not her real name) ordered a custom cheongsam from local boutique Outpost a month before her wedding. She provided her measurements and was told the finished dress would be ready for collection a week before the ceremony.But when she tried on the cheongsam on the collection day, she said, panic set in. The dress, she discovered, was unaltered.Photos provided by Lee show an unflattering fit — a stark contrast to the form-fitting silhouette a traditional cheongsam is known for.

He was only seven years old when racial riots broke out in Singapore in 1964, but the memories of those dark, scary times remain vivid in his mind more than 60 years on.«I felt insecure all the time,» Dennis Tan, 68, told AsiaOne, as he recalled his formative years and the fear that gripped his neighbourhood during the turbulent period.Tan, a retiree, is a participant in the Senior Engagement Programme organised by the Founders' Memorial to mark Singapore's 60th year of independence. The programme, which is part of the Project Citizens – The First Million initiative, collects stories from Singapore's founding generation of citizens which bring to life the values they exemplified during the nation-building years.

A joint operation targeting a transnational scam syndicate saw the arrest of 11 individuals aged between 24 and 48 across Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.The operation, which took place from April to June this year, involved the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) and Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), said SPF in a statement released on Tuesday (June 17).During the operation, officers from SPF's Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), Criminal Investigation Department and Police Intelligence Department worked closely with their counterparts from HKPF and RMP to target multiple locations across the three jurisdictions.Investigations revealed that the syndicate had established a sophisticated criminal network spanning Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.The syndicate utilised Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Global System for Mobile (GSM) gateway devices, allowing scam calls to be placed from computers and laptops to mobile phones.It was also discovered that the syndicate employed an advanced, cloud-based remote operating system.

The Workers' Party (WP) has co-opted four rookie MPs into its central executive committee (CEC), the party said in a statement on Wednesday (June 18).Sengkang GRC's new face Abdul Muhaimin Bin Abdul Malik becomes deputy organising secretary, while Aljunied GRC's Kenneth Tiong is deputy treasurer.Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Andre Low is now the deputy head of the party's media team.Eileen Chong, who was earlier chosen as an NCMP, will lead the party's youth wing as president, taking over from Dr Jamus Lim who was leading the youth wing since 2024.«We wish to extend our appreciation to Dr Jamus Lim for his contributions to the development of our youth wing,» the party said.WP will continue to be led by secretary-general Pritam Singh and chairperson Sylvia Lim, who had been elected at the party's Cadre Members' Conference on June 30, 2024.

SINGAPORE - Insurance group Great Eastern (GE) has temporarily stopped issuing pre-authorisation certificates for policyholders admitted to Mount Elizabeth hospitals from June 17.The insurer said in a message to its panel doctors that high costs from both Mount Elizabeth and Mount Elizabeth Novena hospitals, compared to other private hospitals, were the reason for this decision.Pre-authorisation confirms that the insurer has approved the medical treatment, including the costs, before the treatment begins.It may cover the cost of the procedure, medications, and other related expenses. Patients who are policyholders have a clear understanding of the costs that will be covered, reducing the risk of unexpected medical bills.GE told doctors its decision was not a reflection of their clinical quality, but the insurer was “prioritising facilities that deliver the same high-quality care with greater cost transparency and cost-effectiveness”.It said its policyholders can still seek care from the two hospitals with no change to their benefits and claims, and that claims would be processed according to the usual procedures.

An eight-year-old girl was among three people who were taken to hospital after being involved in a three-vehicle collision in Boon Lay.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to the accident at the junction of Upper Jurong Road and Pioneer Road North on Monday (June 16) at 9.50am.The accident involved two cars and a motorcycle. The motorcyclist is a 31-year-old man, and one of the cars was driven by a 34-year-old woman with her eight-year-old daughter as a passenger.All three of them were taken to National University Hospital.The woman is assisting with investigations.Photos posted on SG Road Vigilante shows paramedics attending to a person on the ground, and a motorcycle helmet is seen lying beside the front right wheel of a car with a severely damaged front bumper.In a separate incident on the same day, a 53-year-old man died after the car he was driving skidded and crashed into a tree along Paya Lebar Road.SCDF and the police said that they were alerted to the accident at about 12.05pm.

A Malaysian man has been sentenced to jail after he attempted to touch an auxiliary officer's gun at Woodlands Checkpoint, according to Lianhe Zaobao on Tuesday (June 17).Fazli (transliterated), an SMRT bus driver at the time, had approached an auxiliary officer at Woodlands Checkpoint's bus area around 3.50pm recently.The 28-year-old Malaysian tried to speak to the officer in Malay, which the officer couldn't understand, the Chinese publication reported.Fazli then asked in English: «Does your gun have bullets?»He then reached for the officer's weapon, prompting the auxiliary officer to use both hands to protect the gun, preventing Fazli from touching it.The officer also called for assistance and a second auxiliary officer arrived to help. But Fazli attempted to reach for the second officer's weapon as well in an episode that was captured on security camera footage.Fazli was arrested and charged on two counts of using criminal force to voluntarily obstruct a public servant in the discharge of their duty.