Three people, including a 14-year-old girl, were taken to hospitals after the minibus they were in smashed through railings and fell into a canal in Bukit Panjang, according to a post uploaded to the Singapore Roads Accident Facebook page on Tuesday (Aug 19).In photographs of the incident, a green minibus can be seen stationary inside the canal, perpendicular to the water's flow.The green railing separating the canal from the pedestrian pathway above is also visibly damaged.A separate post of the incident shows video footage of Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel escorting a man, woman and a girl out of the canal via a ladder.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the SCDF said that they were alerted to a road traffic accident near the junction of Bukit Panjang Road and Bukit Panjang Ring Road at about 1.10pm on Tuesday.When they arrived, the SCDF noted the van in the drain and officers used a ladder to gain access to the stranded civilians within.Three persons were brought out to safety, with two being taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, while another was taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

SINGAPORE — What are acceptable pathways of success in Singapore? For Clarice Song, 37, there is no fixed route.It should be shaped through exploration and fun, said Song, co-founder of the youth organisation Bold At Work, adding: «There are not enough conversations about how one can pursue alternate pathways in Singapore.»Hoping to encourage more of such conversations, Song and her team created That's How We Roll!, a tactile game which encourages players to explore their own narratives of success and what it means to them.Inspired by the principles of design thinking and the storytelling elements of the game Dungeon & Dragons, the game encourages players to take charge of their life's narratives.The game is one of many youth-centred resources that will be showcased at the SG Youth Forum 2025 on Sept 6, where 30 organisations will be setting up booths.

A Gov.sg microsite has been launched to educate and deter the public from vaping.The page, titled Stop Vaping, went live the day after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that Singapore will crack down on vaping and treat it «as a drug issue» during his National Day Rally (NDR) speech on Aug 17.Referring to vaping as a «public health threat», the microsite consists of information on how it is harmful as well as resources, avenues for reporting and helplines.It also highlights the government's zero-tolerance stance on vaping, urging users to bin their devices and quit immediately.New anti-vaping posters assuring the public that there will be no penalties for those who dispose of their vapes can also be seen on the microsite.These posters have also been spotted around void decks and lift landings.Vaping has been banned in Singapore since 2018 and those found possessing, using or buying vapes can be fined up to $2,000.

Nine individuals have been arrested on Tuesday (Aug 19) for alleged fixing matches in the 2025 K Star National Basketball League Division 1.The arrested individuals are aged between 19 and 35 years old, of whom eight are Singaporean while one is a Permanent Resident, said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in a statement the same day.According to CPIB, some of the individuals arrested are players in the basketball teams taking part in the competition.One of the alleged fixed matches was a match between Tagawa and Tong Whye which took place on Aug 1. Tagawa won the match with a score of 66 against Tong Whye's 43 points. The individuals are currently being investigated for suspected offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, said CPIB.«Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption, and match-fixing of any form is not condoned in Singapore,» the agency said, adding that it will take firm enforcement action against any parties involved, if they have given, received, or offered bribes to fix a match.[[nid:721106]]dana.leong@asiaone.com

Malaysia's transport ministry is prepared to discuss the implementation of cross-border e-hailing with Singapore, according to transport minister Anthony Loke.Loke told the Malaysian Parliament on Monday (Aug 18) that Singapore was not ready to discuss the proposal when it was previously raised with former Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat.«This matter cannot be implemented by one party alone, both sides must agree before it can be implemented,» Loke was quoted by Bernama as saying.He explained that any proposal to allow cross-border e-hailing requires in-depth discussions at the government-to-government level.«We hope to continue these discussions and hope that Singapore will respond positively so that this idea can become a reality,» NST quoted him as saying.The Land Transport Authority (LTA) had clarified on Aug 3 that there are no plans to «fully liberalise» ride-hailing services between Singapore and Johor Bahru.

A Singaporean man who brutally killed his wife and stepson in Melaka was sentenced by a Malaysian court to 72 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane on Monday (Aug 18).Shahrul Nizam Zuraimy, 36, had murdered and dismembered his wife Norfazera Bidin, 27, and his 11-year-old stepson Muhammad Iman Ashraf between 6pm on Oct 6 and 7.30am on Oct 7, 2019, at a house in Taman Merdeka Jaya in the Melaka Tengah district.He hid their severed heads, dumped some body parts in a bush, and cleaned the house before fleeing to the Republic. He was later arrested in Singapore and handed over to Malaysian police, according to the New Straits Times (NST).In court on Monday, the prosecution and victim's family asked for Shahrul Nizam to be given the death penalty.But he was spared the gallows by Judge Datuk Anselm Charles Fernandis, who sentenced him to 36 years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane for each of the two murder charges.His jail sentence will run consecutively and is backdated to the date of his arrest on Oct 11, 2019, reported Bernama.[[nid:464361]]

Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad visited personnel from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and a non-governmental organisation (NGO) at the King Abdullah II Air Base in Jordan on Monday (Aug 18). SMS Zaqy, who was in Jordan for a working visit from Aug 17 to 18, also met with Major-General Yousef Huneiti, chairman of the Jordan Armed Forces' Joint Chiefs of Staff on Sunday (Aug 17). Personnel from the Singapore Army, Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), as well as from NGO Humanity Matters, along with a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, were deployed to deliver Singapore's ninth tranche of humanitarian aid for Gaza last Tuesday (Aug 12). The aid comprised medical supplies from the Ministry of Health and food supplies from various NGOs. The relief effort was coordinated through the Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre. 

Upon seeing a car on fire near the KK Women's and Children's Hospital, a SMRT bus captain jumped into action to help put out the blaze.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire involving the engine compartment of a car along Bukit Timah Road at about 5pm on Sunday (Aug 17).A clip of the incident posted online showed a man in SMRT uniform attempting to douse the flames razing the front bonnet of a white car.In response to AsiaOne's queries, deputy managing director of SMRT Buses Vincent Gay said the bus captain was operating service 960e along Bukit Timah Road when he noticed the car on fire on the opposite side of the road.With passenger safety in mind, he calmly stopped the bus at the next bus stop outside KKH and rushed to assist without hesitation, using the fire extinguisher on board the vehicle, Gay said.

A man caught smoking at Changi Airport by two National Environment Agency (NEA) officers and accused them of racial bias has been met with backlash from netizens.In a video he posted to TikTok on Aug 16, the man — who goes by thomasong220 — can be heard questioning if the officers are racist for penalising him despite letting an Indian couple and Indian man off for the same offence.The two-minute clip shows a female officer on a call with her supervisor. She does not respond to the man, while the male officer standing beside her only tells the man not to interrupt her while she is on the phone.The man then retorts that he is also on the phone, continuing to question if they are being racist. He also claims that they are refusing to follow him to the police station so he can lodge a report against them.The original TikTok video has garnered over 538,000 views as of Tuesday (Aug 19). The clip was also posted on various other social media platforms.Although a few netizens questioned why others who committed the same offence did not face consequences, they did not fully agree with the man.

Three women and one man, aged between 34 and 59, have been arrested for their suspected involvement in the online sale of counterfeit goods.The quartet were nabbed during a series of raids at multiple locations including Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio, where police found more than 1,100 allegedly fake items. In a media statement on Monday (Aug 18), police said the raids were conducted between July 24 and Aug 15.The items seized included luxury bags, wallets, sunglasses, pouches, scarves and brooches, with an estimated street value in excess of $99,000. Police investigations are ongoing. Those convicted of possessing goods with falsely applied trademarks for the purpose of trade may be fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to five years, or both.[[nid:719899]]editor@asiaone.com

Those caught vaping in public transport premises will be removed and reported to the authorities, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has warned.In a Facebook post on Monday (Aug 18), LTA said that for those found intoxicated, the police may be called in.The authority is the latest Government agency to step up enforcement efforts against vaping, following Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s announcement of a “nationwide enforcement” campaign a day earlier.“Our station staff are on active patrol to keep our public transport safe and smoke-free,” LTA said. “Anyone caught vaping will be removed from the premises and reported to the authorities. For those found intoxicated, the police may be called in too."

The Malaysian Special Branch's former director Dato' Sri Haji Mohd Khalid bin Haji Ismail has been conferred the prestigious Pingat Jasa Gemilang, or Meritorious Service Medal, by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Dato' Sri Haji Khalid was presented with the award by Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam on Monday (Aug 18). The award was given for his instrumental role in enhancing the strong professional ties and cooperation between the Malaysian Special Branch (MSB) and the Internal Security Department (ISD) during his tenure as director, a statement from ISD said. 

Three students at Sengkang Green Primary School have been suspended after they allegedly bullied a classmate and threatened to «dissect» her and her family.A voice message allegedly sent by one of the Primary 3 students was uploaded online by Facebook user Yin Ni, who said she is the victim's mother, on Aug 14.In the clip, the voice of a young boy can be heard spewing vulgarities and saying, « I might dissect her, I might dissect her into pieces like you.»So, which one do you want me to do? Dissect her, or end her life in school? Choose one. Either don't want one, I will kill you instead and your husband. (sic)«In response to media queries, Sengkang Green Primary School said it has engaged with the parents of the three students on their actions, and the students were immediately suspended.The school will review and take further disciplinary action which may include caning after police have looked into the matter, it said, adding that the students involved have been counselled.The school also said that its investigations found that the affected student had also engaged in »hurtful behaviours", and it will address them.