SINGAPORE — A cultural group has released footage to clear the air over a handshake incident that led to online criticism of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang.Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng said it had invited Gan for a Cantonese cultural festival held at Peck San Theng in Bishan Lane on Saturday (May 17).Representatives of the 155-year-old cultural institution, which is managed by 16 Cantonese clan associations, were waiting to greet her when she arrived alone.The footage shows her alighting from the car, with a mobile phone in her right hand. She then slips the phone into her rear right trousers pocket as representatives of the group approach her.Among those who extended their hand was Leong Chee Leng.The 72-year-old is a member of the Kong Chow Wui Koon lion dance troupe, which was scheduled to perform at the Cantonese cultural festival.Leong can be seen extending his hand to greet her, but Gan is also approached by Edward Leong, the chairman of the cultural festival’s organising committee.

Tobacco enforcement officers from the the Health Sciences Authority's (HSA) raided Club Slim, a nightclub in Excelsior Shopping Centre at Coleman Street, on May 15 and uncovered an active trade in illegal e-vaporisers and related accessories.This comes as the authority steps up enforcement and continues to combat the unauthorised sale and use of e-vaporisers at nightlife establishments, it said in a statement on Friday (June 13).The club's manager admitted to selling e-vaporisers to staff members and HSA linked him to an illegal distribution network after they searched his vehicle and residence. The 45-year-old man is currently assisting the authority in investigations.Three men and two women aged between 22 and 40, who were patrons of the nightclub, were also found to have e-vaporisers and components in their possession. They were issued fines by the HSA on the spot.Under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, the possession, use or purchase of e-vaporisers carries a maximum fine of $2,000.

Unable to reschedule flights and receive refunds, many Jetstar Asia passengers are voicing their frustrations as they try to adjust their travel plans.Jetstar Asia announced on Wednesday (June 11) morning that it will be ceasing operations effective July 31 after years of financial losses, and will be operating on a «progressively reduced schedule» for the next few weeks.In a statement on Wednesday, it said that customers with bookings after July 31 would be offered full refunds for their flights, but many are facing difficulties in claiming refunds.'Can't get through to anyone'Speaking to AsiaOne, an affected passenger, who wanted to be known as Megan, said that she has been unable to get help from customer service.The 27-year-old had booked a flight to Bangkok in August and received an email on Wednesday afternoon that provided a form to apply for a refund.

She was preparing for a flight on June 11 when news came in that Jetstar Asia will be ending its operations on July 31.Speaking to AsiaOne, the stewardess who declined to be named, said the news came as a «total shock».The 23-year-old who has been with the airline for over a year and a half, said: «It was very disheartening. To be honest, most of us lost the mood to fly.»She said that despite the relatively short time with the airline, she had built close friendships with many colleagues, making the sudden parting especially difficult.«One of the hardest parts for me is knowing that I had to part ways with my cabin crew colleagues earlier than expected. My heart was not prepared for it,» she said.Despite the devastating news, she expressed gratitude for having a part-time job as a personal assistant on the side.«I'm thankful that at least I have a part-time job. It's going to be difficult for my other colleagues who now have to start looking for jobs,» she said.

This year's National Day Parade (NDP) marks 60 years since Singapore gained independence and will feature 40 marching contingents — the largest number for a parade in the Padang since 1990, where there were 70.NDP 2025 parade and ceremony chairman, Colonel Lim Yu Sing said this during a media event at the National Gallery on Thursday (June 12).The parade and ceremony segment, led by parade commander Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Firdaus Ghazali, will comprise about 2,100 participants from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds, including 18 civilian contingents, he added.Also speaking to media at the National Gallery, LTC Firdaus said that being a parade commander had always been his childhood dream.While participating in NDP 2002 as a performer, he remembered catching a glimpse of the parade and ceremony segment during rehearsals.«I developed a deep appreciation for parades and their significance as the heart and core of our NDPs,» he said.

Travellers will not be significantly impacted with the impending closure of Singapore-based low-cost carrier (LCC) Jetstar Asia, aviation analysts have said.The Qantas subsidiary announced on June 11 that will be ceasing operations, effective July 31. Speaking to AsiaOne, V. Mathivaanan, Covering Programme Chair for Diploma in Aviation Management, School of Engineering, Republic Polytechnic, said that Jetstar Asia's closure does not signal a downturn for the larger aviation industry.«In fact, the global aviation industry is experiencing solid growth, both in passenger travel and financial performance,» he said, citing International Air Transport Association (IATA) data which revealed that global passenger demand for April rose by eight per cent year-on-year.The data also found that international travel demand rose by 10.8 per cent year-on-year, with a record load factor of 84.1 per cent.Escalating cost pressures on LCCsMathivaanan highlighted the competitive environment that LCCs face, especially as they grapple with «tight financial margins while having to balance rising operational costs». 

What was meant to be a dream «French cream style» makeover for a Sentosa flat has turned into a costly nightmare for a homeowner.Luo now finds himself dealing with uneven cabinetry, long delays, the lingering smell of formaldehyde and his daughter's bedroom looking like what he describes as «tombstone style».He told Shin Min Daily News he paid $55,000 to a Malaysian contractor he found on Facebook to renovate the unit at Ocean Way. He also spent an additional $18,000 on electrical wiring and $22,000 on Ziptrak blinds.His decision to go with a Malaysian company stemmed from previous experiences with Singapore-based firms that outsourced work across the Causeway.«I thought it would be more straightforward to deal with them directly,» he said.Instead, the project dragged on for nearly a year and remains incomplete. Construction officially began only after Chinese New Year this year, despite an original move-in date set for November.«There was delay after delay,» he said. «Once, we agreed to meet at 10am and I waited until 5pm. He didn't show up.»

Rental costs are often a major deterrent to aspiring entrepreneurs, especially for young business owners who often opt to run home-based businesses in order to avoid the financial burden of paying rent.Reports emerged last week that I-Health Medical Holdings had successfully bid $52,188 for a unit at Block 954C Tampines Street 96 in March — the highest per square foot rent HDB has ever received for a clinic of that size.Cases of skyrocketing rental fees are becoming an increasing concern for young business owners with physical stores, and Cakeinspiration, a specialty cake shop, is facing the same challenge.Speaking to AsiaOne, 25-year-old Chan Kai Yang, the second-generation owner of Cakeinspiration, said that they'd recently renewed their lease and now have to fork out 40 per cent more in rent to keep their store, located in the heart of Joo Chiat.

Public transport operator SMRT has lodged a police report after a video showing an individual filming on the train tracks was widely circulated on social media.The video was taken in dimly lit conditions, and minimal footsteps can be heard as a train was passing by.It is not sure when the video was recorded, but it has been making the rounds across multiple social media platforms, drawing increasing public attention.It garnered 28.2k views on TikTok as at Thursday (June 12) afternoon, while a version posted on the Facebook page Complaint Singapore has received 9.4k views.The Instagram account Singapura Legends has recorded the highest traction, with 28.6k views. The footage has sparked widespread concern among netizens, many of whom expressed shock over the individual’s actions.One user questioned, “How on earth (did) he access that in the first place?” while another asked, “Why did he do such dangerous things?” Another netizen described the incident as a “life-endangering action”. 

Yale-NUS College (YNC) is organising a book adoption and exchange fair on Saturday (June 14) for the public for the first time since the row over dumping books erupted in May. Less than 2,000 books will be put up for adoption and exchange from 2pm to 5pm at the Central Library, NUS Libraries said in a Facebook post. The first fair was held from  May 28 to 30, but it was open only to the Yale-NUS alumni, staff and their guests.A second adoption drive for the public was scheduled from May 31 to June 9, but due to «overwhelming response» for the first fair, the authorities decided not to go ahead with the second.The fair for the public was thus pushed to June 14.

Yale-NUS College (YNC) is organising a book adoption and exchange fair on Saturday (June 14) for the public for the first time since the row over dumping books erupted in May. More than 2,000 books will be put up for adoption and exchange from 2pm to 5pm at the Central Library, NUS Libraries said in a Facebook post. The first fair was held from  May 28 to 30, but it was open only to the Yale-NUS alumni, staff and their guests.A second adoption drive for the public was scheduled from May 31 to June 9, but due to «overwhelming response» for the first fair, the authorities decided not to go ahead with the second.The fair for the public was thus pushed to June 14.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) recently took down more than 1,000 malicious IP addresses here in a joint operation with Interpol.In a statement on Wednesday (June 11), the SPF said that Operation Secure, which targeted cybercriminal infrastructure, took place from January to April this year.During this period, officers from the Cybercrime Command under the Criminal Investigation Department worked closely with the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) to take down over 1,000 Singapore-based IP addresses believed to be perpetuating infostealers malware.Infostealer malware refers to software which secretly infiltrates computer systems and steals sensitive information. This stolen data will subsequently be sent to a remote server controlled by cyber criminals.The fourth-month operation saw law enforcement agencies from 26 countries working together to locate physical servers believed to be perpetuating infostealers malware, mapping their physical networks and executing targeted take downs. More than 20,000 malicious IP addresses and domains were taken down as a result.

The travel plans of some Jetstar Asia passengers are now up in limbo after the budget carrier announced on Wednesday (June 11) morning it is winding up operations.Among them are university undergraduate Tan and her friends. They had booked round-trip tickets to Bali just days before, but now find themselves in an awkward predicament.Their flight from Singapore to Bali departs on July 31st — Jetstar Asia's last day of operations — and they had booked their return flight home to be on Aug 3.The unexpected news has frustrated 23-year-old Tan, who did not wish to give her full name. She told AsiaOne that they are hoping to proceed with their original flight to Bali but are unsure of how to obtain a refund for their Aug 3 flight, especially since they had purchased tickets through travel provider, Trip.com.«I don't know if Jetstar Asia will refund us for both flights or if they can refund just the returning flight,» she explained.«Our itinerary will be affected by what happens to our return flight as we might have to rebook for a different timing or even worse, a different day.»

To encourage themselves and their peers to hit the books, some Singaporean students have taken to platforms such as Telegram to offer guidance and support.Mohammed Danie Dahlan is one such student.The 18-year-old started a Telegram channel named socialstudieslovers in October 2023 after completing his GCE N-levels, where he shares Social Studies notes and exam strategies.A check by AsiaOne on Wednesday (June 10) showed that the channel has about 1,620 subscribers. While such online platforms can be an effective means to reinforce learning, experts say that students must continue to practice critical thinking and discernment while utilising them.Dr Lee Ai Noi, senior lecturer at the National Institute of Education's (NIE) Psychology and Child & Human Development department, told AsiaOne that peer tutoring can be highly effective when thoughtfully organised.She added that online peer tutoring initiatives, such as student-led groups on platforms like Telegram, offer convenience and immediacy, allowing students to share notes, clarify doubts, and support each other in real time.