An off-duty Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer died following an accident in Punggol on Tuesday (Aug 12). In a video posted to Facebook on the day of the accident, several people can be seen holding up a white sheet beside a white van to shield the victim from being viewed by other motorists. Towards the end of the video, a blue tent is visible next to a motorcycle, with police officers present at the scene.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police confirmed they were alerted to an accident at about 6.45 am on Tuesday, involving a motorcycle and two vans at the junction of Sumang Link and Punggol Way.A 50-year-old male motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. His 15-year-old male pillion rider was taken conscious to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.Two male van drivers, aged 40 and 54, are assisting with investigations.

SINGAPORE — A total of 466 luxury items and 58 pieces of gold bars from the $3 billion money laundering case have been handed over by the police to professional services firm Deloitte to manage and liquidate.They include Patek Philippe and Richard Mille watches, multiple diamond-encrusted jewellery, Hermes and Louis Vuitton handbags. The gold bars each weighed between 999g and 1kg.The assets were among items seized in an anti-money laundering operation that saw 10 foreigners arrested in multiple raids on Aug 15, 2023, and 17 other suspects who fled Singapore amid the probe.The police said it would progressively hand over all the remaining non-cash assets to Deloitte to manage and liquidate.In total, police seized or took control of around $1.25 billion in non-cash assets during investigations, including cars, properties, art, watches, jewellery, gold bars, handbags and bottles of alcohol.

A team of off-duty nurses from Parkway East Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital managed to save an elderly man's life after resuscitating him at a carpark in Johor Bahru.The incident happened on Saturday (Aug 9) around 4.30pm, when Veenoshini Sandrasagan, Subhashini Subramaniam and Shareen Kaur Rangit Singh were going back home to Johor Bahru after completing a morning shift at the hospital.Two nurses from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Nanthiine GudialKumara and Hemaadewi Balakrishnan, were also part of the group.The group of nurses were waiting for a ride at Johor Bahru Customs when they heard a woman shouting for help and saw that an elderly man had collapsed.The Australian, who appeared to be in his 70s, was unconscious but breathing.The team then sprung into action, with Veenoshini checking the man's pulse while Subhashini called for an ambulance.Initially, the team thought that he was having a seizure and placed a metal key in his hand to alleviate his symptoms, but they later discovered that he had low pulse and had stopped breathing.

A Singaporean woman was deported from Malaysia in the first week of August, the New Straits Times reported.The woman left Malaysia via the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex in Johor Bahru, according to a statement from Malaysian Immigration Department.The statement did not state the Singaporean's age, and the reasons for her deportation.She was among the 53 people reportedly deported from Malaysia since the start of August, which also included 36 Bangladeshis, 11 Thais, two Vietnamese, two Indonesians, and one Chinese national.The Malaysian Immigration Department said that they all paid for their own repatriation costs.«All deportees were blacklisted and are barred from re-entering Malaysia for a stipulated period,» it added.AsiaOne has contacted the Malaysian Immigration Department for more information.On January 19, two Singaporeans were reportedly deported from Malaysia.

The North East Line (NEL) resumed full service at 2.10pm and trains are progressively returning to schedule, said SBS Transit on X at 2.19pm.There are still no Sengkang-Punggol LRT services due to the power fault and free regular bus rides as well as bridging bus services are still available at designated bus stops, the transport operator added.Services along NEL are now available between Harbourfront and Buangkok stations, said SBS Transit in an update on X at 1.05pm.There are still no train services between Punggol Coast and Buangkok stations, it added.«We are working hard to recover service which may likely take two to three hours to restore. Please consider alternative routes,» said the transport operator.Train service on the NEL between Farrer Park and Punggol Coast MRT stations was disrupted due to a power fault on Tuesday (Aug 12).This was announced by transport operator SBS Transit on its social media platforms on Tuesday morning.There are free bus and bridging services available between Punggol Coast and Dhoby Ghaut stations as well as affected Sengkang-Punggol LRT stations during this period, said SBS Transit.

The Johor state government is seeking to strengthen existing legislation and impose stricter action against foreign drivers who illegally refuel with subsidised petrol. The state's executive committee chairman for Investment, Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources, Lee Ting Han, said on Monday (Aug 11) that the idea had been proposed several months ago, reported the New Straits Times. He added that current regulations only penalise petrol station operators who sell subsidised fuel to foreign vehicle owners.«At the state level, we will continue to propose to the federal government that enforcement action [will] be taken against those who violate the country's laws, such as foreigners refuelling their vehicles with subsidised fuel,» said Lee.«Currently, action can only be taken against petrol station owners. We propose that legislation be further enhanced to empower enforcement personnel from the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry to act against offenders directly.»

A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft departed for Jordan on Tuesday (Aug 12) morning to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza for the ninth time.The RSAF C-130 transport craft left Paya Lebar Air Base carrying medical supplies from the Ministry of Health and food from various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) at about 7.10am.The NGOs included Humanity Matters, Caritas Humanitarian Aid and Relief Initiatives Singapore, Mercy Relief, and the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation. These were coordinated through the Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre.The C-130, at the invitation of the Jordanian government, will conduct airdrop operations alongside other foreign air forces to deliver this aid.This is the transport craft's second time conducting airdrop operations to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, Singapore and Singaporeans have conveyed nine tranches of humanitarian assistance for Gaza, amounting to over $22 million, said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef).A total of 58 military personnel were deployed for this operation.

A man suffered a swollen ankle and has been unable to walk unaided after he was hit by an active mobility device allegedly travelling at «high speed» along a walkway in Ang Mo Kio.The victim, Tony Tan, told AsiaOne that the incident occurred under Block 232 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 at about 1pm on July 31.The 61-year-old private swimming coach said he had been walking under the block and towards the car park when a Personal Mobility Aid (PMA) ridden by a couple heading towards the bus stop struck his left leg, causing it to bleed and swell.After the impact, Tan claimed the couple «showed no concern for my well-being».«I confronted them, asking why they were riding so fast at the walkway and reminded them that PMAs are not allowed on pedestrian walkways,» he recounted.The female rider then apologised while the male rider inspected the device for any damage.

Over 53,000 retail workers can expect an increase in wages effective Sept 1, the Tripartite Cluster for Retail (TCR) announced on Monday (Aug 11). The new set of progressive wage model (PWM) recommendations for the retail sector includes an increase of at least $130.The PWM was first introduced in 2022.From Sept 1, retail workers will earn at least the entry-level PWM wage of $2,305, up from the existing wage of $2,175.From 2025 to 2027, the baseline monthly gross wages will increase from $2,305 to $2,565.Retail workers can expect a year-on-year increase of up to $160 in the next three years.Under the PWM, employers must pay at least the PWM wage to eligible workers for their job level and meet the PWM training requirements for eligible workers, according to the Ministry of Manpower.The PWM recommendations involve a «two plus one year» schedule of wage increases approach, which translates to fixed annual wage increments between Sept 1, 2025 and Aug 31, 2028.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will deliver his National Day Rally speech from 6.45pm onwards on Sunday (Aug 17) at the Institute of Technical Education College Central in Ang Mo Kio.Keeping with tradition, he will speak first in Malay, followed by Mandarin. His English speech will begin at 8pm, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Monday (Aug 11). The rally will be broadcast on local TV channels and radio stations, and will also be live streamed on the YouTube channels of PM Wong and PMO. 

A tree in Jurong West caught fire after exterminators reportedly removed a beehive from it on Friday (Aug 8).In a video posted to Facebook a day after the incident, the tree is seen engulfed in flames from a top view.Towards the end of the video, small sparks of fire can still be seen smoldering on the tree.According to Shin Min Daily News, the fire occurred near Block 330, Jurong West Street 93. One witness, Feng Shengkuan (transliteration) told the Chinese daily that he smelled smoke near his home that night before spotting a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicle below the block.Curious, he went downstairs to find out what was happening.The 26-year-old clerk said that by the time he reached the scene, firefighters were already spraying water on the tree, and no visible flames remained. He added that the fire might have started earlier and speculated that a cigarette butt thrown from an upper floor could have ignited the branches.In response to queries from AsiaOne, the SCDF said it was alerted to the fire at about 10.20pm near 329 Tah Ching Road. 

A Malaysian man designed a special SG60 shirt to acknowledge and thank the Singaporeans who supported him during tough times.In a video posted to TikTok on Aug 9, Afiq Abdul Latif shared the newly designed shirt, saying that it represented «memories and love» and «two lands that were once one».The 31-year-old father of two is the founder of Joyy Colony, a store in Johor Bahru where he designs and prints customised shirts. Speaking in the video, Afiq said that when he faced some personal struggles in 2023, it was Singaporeans who supported him even though he was «just someone who creates content» about the country.«This is not just a shirt. This is proof of the love between two nations, two cultures, one soul,» he said.«From Malaysia to Singapore, happy 60th National Day.»Afiq lived in Singapore for a decade, starting out as a crew member for a fast food chain in 2013 and working his way up to a managerial role. He then moved back to Malaysia with his wife and eldest child after the Covid-19 pandemic, reported Berita Harian.

Two Singapore-registered cars were allegedly seized and their drivers detained after they offered illegal ride-hailing services on Saturday (Aug 9), China Press reported that day.In photographs posted on a now-deleted Facebook post of the incident, multiple officers can be seen gathered around two black multi-purpose vehicles (MPV) near Legoland in Johor Bahru.Separate photographs show one of the vehicles on the road, escorted by vehicles from Johor's Road Transport Department.Speaking with China Press, a source by the name of Chen claimed that the drivers had planned on driving their customers back to Singapore when they were stopped by officers.Another source alleged that the Road Transport Department had been acting upon tipoffs by members of the public, China Press reported.The user who uploaded the post also wrote in captions: «You catch me, I catch you, we hurt each other and compare who gets hurt the most: Singapore dollar or Malaysian ringgit car price.»The same post has also been shared on other cross-border Facebook groups with the same caption.

Despite the rainy weather this afternoon, everyone's spirits were uplifted just by basking in the atmosphere at the heartland celebration at Bishan today (Aug 10).AsiaOne was at the Bishan NDP @ Heartlands celebration at about 3.15pm, where more than 200 people were standing in the queue, waiting to enter the event at the open field opposite Bishan Circle Line.Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing was also spotted engaging residents at Bishan before the event started. He shook hands and took selfies with them. Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing was spotted at Bishan NDP @ Heartlands celebration and engaged the residents before the event. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Dennis Palit Due to heavy winds, the Singapore parachute team Red Lions, who was initially expected to arrive at 4pm, were delayed, but the audiences stayed enthusiastic.

The Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (Vers) — a proposed Government buyback programme for Housing Board flats nearing the end of their 99-year lease — will “likely happen” in the first half of 2030s, said Minister for National Development (MND) Chee Hong Tat.In a wide-ranging interview with the local media on Aug 5, Chee said that his ministry will use the current term of Parliament of up to five years to “develop the policy framework and parameters” for Vers. This includes identifying possible sites where the scheme will be first offered, ensuring that there are sufficient homes for those involved to relocate to, and working out a “fair” compensation package for residents whose flats are taken back early. “We do not need to scale up Vers until sometime in the late 2030s when the older flats reach their 70-year mark,” said Chee, who was appointed MND minister on May 23.”When we are ready, MND and HDB will engage Singaporeans on the framework and policy parameters to take in further and feedback. Our plan is to progressively offer Vers to selected estates in different parts of Singapore."

The Government is looking at the possibility of raising the eligibility income ceiling for couples and families, as well as lowering the age at which singles can apply for a new Housing Board (HDB) flat,  Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat has said.In his first sit-down interview with the local media on Aug 5 since his appointment as minister, Chee said that any such changes will depend on whether there is an adequate supply of Build-To-Order (BTO) flats to meet the anticipated increase in demand.The current BTO income ceiling for families and married couples is $14,000 a month, while singles must be at least 35 years old to be eligible to purchase public housing.Chee said that lowering the age limit for singles, as well as raising the income ceiling will lead to more Singaporeans qualifying to buy a BTO flat, causing the demand to go up.“Without a strong supply of BTO flats, we will not be able to meet this new demand… it’s important for us to create the right conditions to be able to make these policy moves,” he said.

There were over 118,000 cases of speed violations in the first half of 2025 —  a 45.5 per cent increase compared to the year before, the Traffic Police (TP) said in a statement on Thursday (Aug 7). Previously, speeding violations reached a 10-year-high of around 201,400 in the whole of 2024, a 72.9 per cent increase from 2023.Since 2024, TP have stepped up enforcement measures and increased the activation function of red-light cameras which have detected over 42,400 speeding violations since April 2024. «However, despite these stepped-up enforcement measures, the persistent rise in violations clearly indicates that enforcement alone is insufficient,»  the statement said, urging road users to «play their part» and curb speeding violations.Determined to end surge in speedingSpeaking with media on Thursday, Superintendent Lian Weixiong, head of the research, planning and organisational development branch of TP, highlighted the surge in speeding violations in the first half of the year.