For Colonel Fairoz Bin Hassan, joining the Army was initially a practical decision — a means to fund his education, as his parents couldn't afford the costs.But what began as a necessity gradually transformed into a passion and, ultimately, a calling.Col Fairoz was among 1,282 Ministry of Defence and Singapore Armed Forces personnel promoted over the last two days, and is the second from the Malay community to be promoted to Brigadier General.The promotion will be effective July 1. Speaking to AsiaOne on Friday (June 27), the 46-year-old Chief Infantry Officer recounted a pivotal moment that reshaped his perspective — his deployment to Banda Aceh, Indonesia, in 2005, soon after the 2004 tsunami, in support of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. «My job was a UN liaison officer, and I was tasked with coordinating all the HADR relief efforts, linking up with what the public needed,» he said.

Recently, there were two instances of concrete blocks falling from ceiling of HDB units.FM Love 972 radio DJ Ho Ai Ling narrowly avoided injury on June 22 when a chunk of concrete fell from the toilet ceiling in her flat at Block 81 Commonwealth Close in Queenstown. Ho moved into her 58-year-old flat 14 years ago.Earlier, an elderly man was struck by falling spalling concrete from the ceiling of his toilet in his Yishun HDB flat on the morning of June 19, sustaining injuries to both his leg and head, requiring more than 10 stitches. The flat was completed 41 years ago.While his family received assistance from Nee Soon GRC MP K Shanmugam with payment for repairs, where exactly does the buck stop when it comes to responsibility for spalling concrete in HDB homes?Is it the owner, HDB, or the town council?Owner's responsibility: HDBHDB has said that spalling concrete is a common issue for older buildings, exacerbated by damp conditions such as those in kitchens or toilets.

SINGAPORE - In a cohesive society, people understand the impact of their words and take responsibility for what they say publicly, including in online spaces, Edwin Tong said on June 26.«Sometimes, this will mean sacrificing our own desire to be able to say what we want about anything we want, wherever we want, in favour of being more caring about the impact they have on the person next to us,» he added.Tong, who is Law Minister, noted that people should be especially mindful about hateful speech, as conflict can be triggered by words.«If we are more mindful, we will have more open, honest, public discourse, based on facts and not hate and disinformation,» he said.He was speaking at the close of the three-day International Conference on Cohesive Societies held at Raffles City Convention Centre. It was organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, of which Tong was formerly minister.

A woman was recently accused of being «embarrassing» after she used her CDC vouchers to pay for a $100 meal during a date — prompting fresh debate over the intended use of the government-issued vouchers.In a now-viral TikTok post, the woman shared that she had offered to pay for dinner since she was the one who invited her date out. Upon realising the restaurant accepted CDC vouchers, she decided to use them.«Any normal person would be happy. I didn't even know restaurants can use CDC vouchers... so I used la.» PHOTO: Screengrab/TikTok/SG Confessions But the mood quickly soured. As she was leaving the car, her date remarked: «Why did you use CDC vouchers to pay? It's kinda embarrassing, eh.»The incident sparked a flurry of responses online, with many criticising the man's attitude.

At least $3 million has been lost to impersonation scams involving the WhatsApp screen-sharing function since June. In a statement released on Thursday (June 26), the police confirmed that at least 46 police reports have been lodged. According to the police, in this variant of the scam, victims receive unsolicited calls from local mobile numbers, allegedly from companies such as NTUC Income, NTUC Union, or UnionPay.Scammers would then claim that there were issues with insurance plans that the victims had supposedly purchased.When victims denied purchasing these policies, they would then be directed to a second scammer impersonating an officer from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. This second scammer would inform the victims that their bank accounts had been implicated in money-laundering activities and instruct them to transfer their money to a «safety account» for safekeeping.Victims were then guided through internet banking transfers via WhatsApp's screen-sharing function, inadvertently exposing their bank account and internet banking details. 

SINGAPORE - A panel with artificial intelligence experts convened by the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will assess the appeal of one of the three university students who were penalised for AI usage in their submitted work.All three of them were given zero marks for an essay as part of a module on health, disease outbreaks and politics at the School of Social Sciences.In response to queries, NTU said on June 26 that it had met two of the students in separate face-to-face consultations this week to discuss their cases.The objective of the consultation for the first student was to assess the grounds for appeal and not to make any conclusions about the specifics of her case, said a spokeswoman.For the second student, her request for an appeal was rejected, as “the student had admitted to using Gen AI for the essay and had shared how it was used prior to the preliminary inquiry in April”, she added.The third student told The Straits Times that he did not submit an appeal.NTU said the first student has formally submitted her appeal to the university, adding that details cannot be provided while this process is ongoing.

Private organisations in Singapore should stop using National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) numbers to prove a person's identity as soon as possible, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) has said.In a media release on Thursday (June 26), MDDI said that while NRIC numbers may be used to identify a person over the phone or when using digital services, it should not be used for authenticating access to private services or information meant only for that person.In a joint advisory issued the same day, the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) and Cyber Security Agency (CSA) said NRIC numbers are issued to uniquely identify a person and must be assumed to have been disclosed to at least a few other persons.Noting that organisations are responsible for deciding whether and how to authenticate their users, CSA said passwords are one such method of authenticating a person.Passwords that cannot be easily guessed should hence be used, it said, noting that passwords containing easily obtained information including names, NRIC numbers or birthdates do not make strong passwords.

Several teenagers were spotted behaving erratically after allegedly using drug-laced 'Kpods' vaporisers outside a mall in Punggol. According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday (June 24) at around 1am. In a video uploaded to Sgfollowsall Instagram on June 24, youths could be seen stumbling unsteadily, walking in a zombie-like manner, with one collapsing and another struggling to walk straight after allegedly using the drug-laced vapes.Unlike regular vape liquids, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has warned that 'Kpods' contain etomidate — an anaesthetic agent classified as a poison under the Poisons Act.According to the person who recorded the video, the incident took place at Punggol Waterway. The person also reportedly called the police after leaving the scene. 

Four men, aged 16 to 23, were charged last Saturday (June 21) for using Sheng Siong teller machines to allegedly launder money.Of the four, three were charged under Section 411 of the Penal Code, while one was charged with an offence under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes Act.The scheme came to light when Sheng Siong customer and operations director Lin Zikai noticed multiple suspicious transactions made at the same time by the same account at different $TMs across Singapore on June 18.The service was suspended the next day and restored on June 23.Known as simple teller machines ($TM), the ones at Sheng Siong differ from other ATMs as they generate a PayNow QR code which can be scanned to authorise dispensing of cash.A maximum of $1,000 can be withdrawn in one transaction, with the number of transactions tied to the PayNow daily limit.While the default withdrawal limit for PayNow is $1,000, users can change it up to $200,000.

SINGAPORE — The Workers' Party wants to get to a position where it is ready to step in and govern, should the ruling PAP suffer a «major malfunction», said Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh.«You want to be in a position where you can say: 'Look, we're ready because we've got these years of experience under our belt,'» he added.This would be a «great insurance for Singapore», said Singh, who has been party chief since 2018.«I'm not saying me and my colleagues today will be in that position, but we certainly want to put the party in that position,» he added.Singh, who was making his first podcast appearance, was responding to a question by former Malaysian health minister Khairy Jamaluddin on whether he could see a Singapore without the PAP at the helm. Khairy and former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan are hosts of popular Malaysian political podcast Keluar Sekejap, which translates to «out for a moment».[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/DLOhezFy-Dr/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=YzRzd3VnODdtMGty[/embed]

Several residents at Choa Chu Kang are at their wits' end over a neighbour who repeatedly feeds birds on the HDB corridor railings.This is despite multiple reminders by these residents not to do so. According to the residents, the woman's act has resulted in a dirty and foul-smelling common corridor, with leftover food and bird droppings accumulating in the area.Speaking to AsiaOne, one resident, Alan Khoo, said the constant bird feeding has turned the shared area into a mess. «I have to pass by that corridor to get to my unit, and honestly it is so smelly and dirty. At times, it is unbearable,» said the 58-year-old IT manager. Despite efforts by the neighbours to get the lady to stop feeding the birds, she has remained uncooperative, continuing to feed them daily and even placing more plants along the main corridor.«This neighbour usually wakes up very early to feed the birds, thinking she won't be caught, but we know it's her,» said Khoo. «We've tried numerous times to persuade her to stop, but she gets very angry and ends up adding more plants, further cluttering the common area.» 

A woman narrowly avoided injury last Sunday when a chunk of concrete fell from the toilet ceiling in her flat at Block 81 Commonwealth Close in Queenstown.After reading a report about spalling concrete last week, Ho Ai Ling, 52, began keeping a close watch on a crack in her toilet ceiling and avoided standing directly beneath while showering.She told Lianhe Zaobao that she escaped injury as she was standing close to the wall when the concrete collapsed.«I read a report on Saturday about a home in Yishun where the ceiling collapsed and the man had to get more than 10 stitches on his head. I reminded myself and my roommates to be careful, and it saved my life the next day.»The livestreamer and actress added that she was fortunate the ceiling fan was off, as falling debris could have struck the blades and caused a more serious incident.The flat was built in 1967 and is 58 years old.Since moving in 14 years ago, she has repeatedly dealt with cracks and peeling paint on the toilet ceiling, she said.On June 18, she called the Housing Development Board (HDB) after discovering that the toilet ceiling had bulged again.

You don't need us to tell you that consuming controlled substances is wrong. Not only is it illegal to do so, but any abuse of drugs also affects your well-being, regardless of whether the drugs are taken in Singapore or overseas.That said, it's easy to say «no» to drugs on paper. But when push comes to shove, you might have to get creative in rejecting drugs. We asked our friends for their stories on how they've said «no» and ranked them according to just how extreme they had to be. Here's what our friends had to do:*Ratings have been done just for laughs. These methods may not necessarily reflect the best way to say «no» to drugs. Names have also been changed.'I cut off a friend who tried selling ketamine to our clique'I was hanging out with a group of friends one night when one of them said they felt bored. That's when my friend Diana asked us if we wanted to have some fun and whipped out a small plastic capsule.

Plans to develop Bishan into a business node like Paya Lebar Central are being studied under the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Draft Master Plan (DMP) 2025.In a video posted to Facebook on Thursday(June 26), Minister for National Development and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Chee Hong Tat stated this will make it easier for to Bishan and Marymount residents to travel to work.«This means new office spaces (in Bishan) that could match the scale of Paya Lebar Central — around 200,000sq m — bringing workplaces closer to where you live,» he said. Other projects for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC under DMP 2025 include a new hawker centre, which will be integrated with the revamped Bishan bus interchange, as well as a Bishan Polyclinic.

SINGAPORE — Singaporeans travelling to the Middle East and Europe over the coming days should be prepared for delays and disruptions, despite a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel offering a reprieve to airlines roiled by the fighting in the region.Late on June 23, operations at two of the world's busiest airports in Doha and Dubai were thrown into chaos as several Middle Eastern countries temporarily closed their airspace, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded, including a number of Singaporeans.But even as airlines resume regular operations, those in the industry said the re-routing of aircraft to avoid the conflict zone will lengthen flight times, especially between Asia and Europe.«Airlines are already running late for many of the re-routed flights», said Associate Professor Lin Weiqiang, who studies transport issues at the National University of Singapore's geography department.«We can foresee more flight delays and perhaps schedule changes, if the usual corridors are not reopened soon,» he added.

A nine-year-old boy suffered serious injuries after falling from the monkey bars at a playground in Bukit Batok, resulting in the removal of one of his kidneys.According to Shin Min Daily News on Tuesday (June 24), the incident occurred on June 20 at around 6pm at a playground beside Block 443D, Bukit Batok West Avenue 8.Speaking to Shin Min reporters, the boy's father, Liu Zhiyuan (transliteration), said his son was playing with about four to five other children when he fell from the monkey bars, hitting his abdomen on a plastic divider.The monkey bar from which the boy fell was about 1.8 metres high, according to Shin Min.The 46-year-old air-conditioning technician added that his son, Liu Junwen (transliteration), came home crying and complaining of pain, with no visible external injuries except for a noticeably pale face. The situation escalated when Liu's wife, Zheng Meiyan (transliteration), 38, noticed their son was urinating blood while showering him. Realising the seriousness of the condition, the couple rushed him to the hospital around 9 pm that same evening.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has officially unveiled their new second-generation Marine Rescue Vessel (MRV2G) named Blue Dolphin on Wednesday (June 25).Blue Dolphin operates from West Coast Marine Fire Station, strengthening SCDF's coverage and readiness on the western seaboard, said the agency.Built for major maritime emergencies, this vessel is equipped with modern command systems, chemical detection sensors, improved rescue tools, and green technology like solar panels and biofuel engines.Minister for Law and Second Minster for Home Affairs Edwin Tong was at the commissioning ceremony for this vessel at Republic of Singapore Yacht Club on Wednesday.“Blue Dolphin represents the culmination of months of planning, of designing, careful construction, and testing. Every bolt, every weld, every system onboard carries the dedication and bears the hallmark of expertise of a highly capable team," he said.This vessel is a joint development between SCDF, Penguin Shipyard International, HTX (Home Team Science and Technology Agency), and Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA).

Those seeking homes near the city centre will have greater opportunities to do so under the Draft Master Plan 2025 unveiled by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Wednesday (June 25). A new neighbourhood comprising three clusters at Newton Circus, Scotts Road and Monk's Hill, for example, has been planned next to Newton MRT station. This neighbourhood, said URA, will be a «vibrant, mixed-use precinct» framed by greenery.Over at Orchard Road, the Paterson area will be transformed into a mixed-use hub with residential developments, shops and public spaces above Orchard MRT station.The neighbourhood is planned to be walking- and cycling-friendly, with cycling paths connecting it to the Inner Ring Corridor and beyond.Launching the Draft Master Plan exhibition at the URA Centre on Wednesday morning, Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat said public outreach efforts for the Draft Master Plan 2025 started two years ago. And the authority has engaged close to 220,000 people through surveys, exhibitions, dialogues and workshops so far.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) airlifted a sick crewman on board a container ship to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) on Tuesday (June 24).AsiaOne was at Woodlands Health Campus and observed a H225M medium lift helicopter taking off at around 10.40am from Sembawang Air Base. It arrived at SGH at around 1.40pm. The helicopter flew to a container ship to rescue a crewman who was suffering from serious medical complications, according to a Facebook post by the RSAF on Tuesday.He was evacuated to SGH for urgent treatment. The casualty was reported to be conscious and in stable condition, the RSAF said.

SINGAPORE — It has more than 285,000 members and over a thousand posts and comments a day discussing everything about student life in Singapore — from O-level study tips and university admissions to suggestions on how best to ask your classroom crush out. Behind /r/SGExams, Singapore's largest Reddit forum focused on student life in Singapore, is a team of six young volunteers aged 20 to 26 who spend their free time managing and moderating the forum.Among them is Emmeline Kao, who, like many other Singaporean students, first began using the forum in 2021 while she was in secondary school to discuss school work with peers.«I first started using /r/SGExams during my O levels to discuss the answers to the papers on the (forum) megathreads,» said Kao, 19.She continued to frequent the forum thereafter, as she found its content both helpful and entertaining.«Not only were the study tips and revision advice helpful, I also enjoyed reading the 'slice-of-life content' that other students would post about their lives,» she said.

A 21-year-old man was found dead outside United Square shopping mall on Tuesday morning (June 24).Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to a case of unnatural death at 101 Thomson Road at around 6.50am.The man was found lying motionless near a taxi stand and was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.Photos and videos posted on social media show several police cars parked outside the mall near the taxi stand, with a large area cordoned off by police.A blue tent was seen near the gantry of the mall's car park.Based on preliminary investigations, the police said they do not suspect foul play and investigations are ongoing.[[nid:719367]]eriko.lim@asiaone.com

A case of animal abuse has been referred to the authorities after the suspected perpetrator's manager allegedly refused to cooperate with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' (SPCA) investigations.SPCA said they received a report about a kitten that had allegedly been shoved into a plastic container and rolled around repeatedly, according a Facebook post on Monday (June 23).The informant, a colleague of the suspected perpetrator, told SPCA the incident occurred at a workers' canteen at Tech Park Crescent in Tuas on March 26 between 9.45pm and 10.30pm.According to the informant, the site supervisor was reportedly aware of the abuse.SPCA said they conducted an unannounced inspection on April 1 following the report, and were informed that the cat had been released.SPCA inspectors issued a stern warning to the worker involved, but were unable to conduct further investigations as the manager allegedly refused to cooperate and provide CCTV footage.The society subsequently escalated the issue to the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) for a follow-up.

SINGAPORE – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is on the hunt for its fourth national head coach in six years after Tsutomu Ogura’s decision to step down.In a media statement on June 24, the FAS said that Ogura, who was appointed in February 2024 on a two-year contract, has decided to step down as head coach of the Singapore national team with immediate effect, due to personal reasons.In the interim, the FAS has appointed former BG Tampines Rovers coach Gavin Lee to lead the Lions while the search for a new permanent head coach is actively underway.The FAS said that Ogura informed the FAS of his decision several weeks ago, citing the need to return to his home country to attend to pressing personal matters.“Since then, the FAS executive committee has been in close consultation with Mr Ogura to explore various avenues to facilitate his continued tenure. Despite collective efforts and a mutual desire to sustain the working relationship, the nature of the personal issues involved ultimately made it untenable for him to continue,” the statement said.

The motorcyclist who died in an accident along Admiralty Road last Friday (June 20) afternoon was a single father from Malaysia who worked two jobs, according to Shin Min Daily News.Chan Yong Kang, 30, was believed to have been run over by a garbage truck while on his way back to Johor.According to a Shin Min report published Monday, Chan started working as an electrician in Singapore 11 years ago.He has a five-year-old daughter and has reportedly been estranged from his wife for four years, although formal divorce proceedings were only initiated last year.Chan's Facebook profile states that he is divorced and a single dad.In an interview with the Chinese evening daily, his older sister Cailian (transliteration) said her brother is the third eldest among eight siblings.The victim and his younger brother Yongshun (transliteration) work for the same company in Singapore and would ride across the Causeway together every day.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said on Monday (June 23) that it has rejected former NTUC Income chief executive Tan Suee Chieh's request to meet chairman Gan Kim Yong or a senior MAS representative over the proposed transaction by German insurer Allianz to buy a controlling stake in NTUC Income.This was in response to Tan's letter to MAS on Jun 9, seeking a response to his April 28 open letter, as well as to request for such a meeting.Responding to Tan's three open letters between August 2024 and April 2025 on the Allianz-Income matter, MAS highlighted that the proposed transaction and amendments to the Insurance Act had been extensively debated in Parliament.«Nevertheless, if Mr Tan has further feedback or information to share with us, we will duly consider them,» said the authority in a statement released a day ahead of Income's annual general meeting.

SINGAPORE — The National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) has asked ride-hailing platform Grab to delay the roll-out of changes to its incentive schemes slated for July 1 «for further deliberation».In an in-app message to drivers at 2pm on June 20, Grab announced that from July 1, Streak Zones would be available to all its partner drivers, along with revisions to the existing monthly bonus scheme.Streak Zones was previously trialled from May 2024. It allows drivers to pre-book two-hour time slots where they drive in high-demand areas, during which all their bookings are automatically accepted. These slots are mostly during peak periods.Drivers earn a cashback of five per cent on every completed trip. «Payouts are made the next day, improving cash flow for driver-partners,» Grab told The Straits Times.However, NPHVA is concerned that the changes would result in reduced earnings of most full-time drivers, said Yeo Wan Ling, adviser to the association, in a Facebook post on June 23.

A woman in the UK recently shared a negative travel experience on her travel to Singapore and said that she would not want to revisit, sparking discussions among netizens.The woman was part of a street interview and featured in a TikTok posted by user emma_a_cosmos2, a TikToker based in London, on June 19.@emma_a_cosmos2 Her experience for the first time visiting #singapore ♬ original sound - emma_a_cosmos

Singapore's partnership with China has expanded into «new frontiers» over the years, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on his first visit to China as Singapore's prime minister. PM Wong met Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Monday (June 23) marking the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China.«Over the years, our partnership has gone from strength to strength,» PM Wong said in a Facebook post on Monday, reflecting his visit. «Our three government-to-government projects continue to make good progress.»We're also expanding into new frontiers — from digital and green economy co-operation, to growing people-to-people exchanges.«Singapore and China have an All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership which the two countries had elevated and intend to deepen, PM Wong wrote.He also stated: »I am confident that with continued trust and co-operation, the best days of the Singapore-China partnership are still ahead of us."

All Singapore Airlines (SIA) flights to and from Dubai have been cancelled till Wednesday (June 25).In an update posted to their website today, the national carrier cited the uncertain «geopolitical situation in the Middle East» as a reason for the cancellations.The SQ494 flight from Singapore to Dubai, and the SQ495 flight from Dubai to Singapore, have been cancelled till June 25.SIA also said that the situation remains «fluid», and that its other flights between Singapore and Dubai may be subsequently affected.The airline advised customers to stay updated on the latest information on their flights through the SIA flight status page.Cancellations by other airlinesOther airlines are also reportedly weighing their options amid the US-Iran crisis.French airline Air France cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday, while Finnair cancelled flights from Doha until Tuesday, reported Reuters.Air France has also suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv indefinitely, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.