Some food delivery riders in Indonesia were moved to tears after receiving food orders placed by overseas netizens demonstrating their support following protests in the country.TikTok user aktaasli, an Indonesian delivery rider, thanked a Grab user from Singapore in an emotional video uploaded on Monday (Sept 1), which has since been viewed 1.2 million times and has over 200,000 likes.In the video, the teary-eyed man said he has had less gigs as roads were closed, and schools and offices were not open.He then showed a chat record on the Grab app with a customer, who said that she is from Singapore, and the order is meant for delivery riders in Indonesia.Wiping away tears, aktaasli said that foreigners empathised and cared for them.

Every city houses a complex society — individuals with their dreams and aspirations, families with their hopes and fears, communities with their own identities and pride — all co-existing in a dynamic and even messy way, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Wednesday (Sept 3). Ong, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Polices, was speaking at the 3rd NUS Cities Symposium, where he addressed how cities are living entities which undergo natural cycles, thereby requiring efforts to be invested to «rehabilitate, nurture, strengthen and rejuvenate themselves». Citing Singapore's addition as a Blue Zone in September 2023, Ong said that he was «not sure Singapore deserved to be one».A Blue Zone is an area where more people live to be centenarians. The first five of such zones identified were Nicoya in Costa Rica, Ikaria in Greece, Sardinia in Italy, Okinawa in Japan, and Loma Linda in the US.Recounting a conversation with Dr Michel Poulain, one of three founders of Blue Zones, Ong shared an insight.

More than a third of Singaporeans, or 35.9 per cent, had decided which party to vote for even before this year’s General Election was officially called, a post-election study by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) has found.Researchers from the IPS at the National University of Singapore polled 2,872 people of voting age from May 8 to June 30.The General Election, which was held on May 3, saw the People’s Action Party (PAP) increase its share of votes to 65.57 per cent from 61.24 per cent.The PAP won 87 out of 97 seats, while the remaining 10, as well as two non-constituency MP seats, went to the Workers’ Party (WP).The results of the survey, which were released on Tuesday (Sept 2), found that over one-third of respondents indicated that they had already made up their mind on which party to back even before Parliament was dissolved on April 15.More than a third, or 36.3 per cent, also said that they decided on their vote following the dissolution of Parliament and during the nine-days of election hustings.Only 18.1 per cent of voters made up their mind on which candidate or party to back on Polling Day.

SINGAPORE — A 16-year-old boy who used to help his father with online banking broke that trust when he withdrew over $25,000 from the man's Central Provident Fund (CPF) account.The teen also took loans of over $68,000 from his father's insurance policies.After the money was deposited into his father's bank account, the youngster transferred $91,149 to his own bank account via PayNow.On Sept 3, the now 17-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge under the Computer Misuse Act.As he was 16 when he committed the offences, he cannot be named under the Children and Young Persons Act.Deputy Public Prosecutor Foo Yang Yi said since 2023, the victim would get his son's help to make premium payments on insurance policies and check the balance in his CPF account, among other things.As a result, the teen knew the login credentials to his father's accounts and how much money he had in his CPF account.In August 2024, the teen logged into his father's CPF account and made two unauthorised withdrawals amounting to over $25,000.

As the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of Singapore celebrates its 10th anniversary, it highlighted the threats that our country faces.The Singapore Cyber Landscape 2024 by the agency shows how it has responded to threats over the years, countering advanced persistent threat (APT) groups and evolving scams.Specifically, APT activity has increased globally, with a focus on Government and critical infrastructure among those targeting Southeast Asia.CSA pointed out that ransomware and infected infrastructure were key concerns locally in 2024.Reported ransomware cases increased from 132 cases in 2023 to 159 in 2024, while infected infrastructure surged from 70,200 to 117,300 within the same period.«CSA's analysis revealed that most of these infections involved old malware strains with readily available remediation measures which were not adopted,» the agency said.«This underscored a troubling fact — that even as ransomware and other cyber threats grew, users were still failing to update and patch vulnerable software.»

Two people escaped with minor injuries following a collision between a Lamborghini and another car in Yishun on Tuesday (Sept 2) evening.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at around 7.45pm along Yishun Street 51.Two people were assessed for minor injuries, but declined to be taken to hospital, SCDF added.Dashcam footage of the accident, posted on SG Road Vigilante Facebook page, showed a black Mazda crossing a junction as the traffic light was turning from amber to red, when it then collided into the onrushing Lamborghini from the other direction.The impact left the Mazda’s bonnet completely smashed, while the Lamborghini sustained damage on its side and its hood flung open.The clip on Facebook has since garnered over 400 comments, 900 reactions and 220,000 views.

An Alaskan malamute seen confined in the service yard of a Toa Payoh HDB flat has been removed by the National Parks Board (NParks).The case had drawn outrage online after non-profit organisation Chained Dog Awareness Singapore posted a public appeal for help on Monday (Sept 1) evening.The large dog was filmed pawing at and squeezing its head into the open windowpanes between the service yard and kitchen, with the organisation stating that the animal was «at serious risk of jumping from the ledge». In a follow-up post about an hour later, the organisation said the dog had been «howling and crying for help for over a month», and its owner had refused to speak to concerned observers who had visited the unit.

Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today.1. New Suzuki showroom opens as Champion Motors celebrates its 50th anniversaryChampion Motors, the authorised distributor of Suzuki cars in Singapore, celebrated its 50th anniversary with the opening of its new showroom on Aug 27... » READ MORE2. Are you an art junkie, theatre geek or heritage seeker? Here are some SG Culture Pass events to check out

HDB has unveiled its masterplan for the Mount Pleasant area, with about 6,000 new flats planned, according to a press release on Monday (Sept 1).The number of new flats is up from the previous figure of 5,000 announced in July 2023, while the number of BTO projects within the 33 ha site has decreased from six to four.National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said: «This will provide more housing options for Singaporeans and better support young families who wish to live near their parents for mutual care and support.»Come October, the first BTO project, Mount Pleasant Crest, will be launched with about 1,350 units of two-room Flexi to four-room flats, alongside 270 units of public rental flats.More details on the project will be announced during the sales exercise in October, while the remaining three projects will be progressively launched in the years ahead.Integrating heritageThis Mount Pleasant site was where the Old Police Academy (OPA) was located between 1929 and 2005.

A man has been fined $60,000 for purchasing imitation firearms through Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao, then illegally importing the goods for sale online here. Ng Jie Sheng, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of contravening Singapore's import and export regulations on Tuesday (Sept 2).He was allowed to pay half of the fine initially, with the remaining half paid over six-month instalments.According to previous news reports, Ng was nabbed after posting the items for sale online in 2023, Shin Min Daily News reported.He was eventually charged with importing over 150 replica guns, including toy rifles and toy pistols, into Singapore without a permit, The Straits Times reported in March this year.Under the Regulation of Imports and Exports Regulations, police approval is required for the importation of replica guns.According to Shin Min, police had received a tip-off in May 2023 about the sale of replica guns on an e-commerce platform and raided Ng's home at Race Course Lane on May 26.

The existing cross-border scheme has its shortcomings and has room for improvement, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday (Sep 2).«We recognised that the current cross-border scheme can be improved, such as designating more pick-up and drop-off points, and facilitating expedited clearance,» LTA stated, acknowledging that there is demand from Singaporeans travelling to Malaysia which the taxi service is unable to meet.«This includes large families with young children, elderly Singaporeans visiting relatives in Malaysia, and businessmen travelling across the border for meetings. There are Singaporeans willing to pay for these services, and Singaporean drivers who are keen and able to serve this demand,» said LTA.The post stated that Acting Minister Jeffrey Siow and Senior Minister of State Sun Xueling had met representatives from the National Taxi Association (NTA), National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) and the Singapore-JB Taxi Association alongside LTA last week to discuss cross-border point-to-point travel.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will make a two-day official visit to India from Sept 2 to 4 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced on Tuesday (Sept 2). During his visit, PM Wong will call on India President Droupadi Murmu and meet with Prime Minister Modi, and will also have meetings with India's ministers in charge of chemicals and fertilisers, education, external affairs, health and family welfare, and national security adviser Ajit Doval. PM Wong, who is also the finance minister, will visit the Raj Ghat on Wednesday (Sept 3) to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.The visit «reaffirms Singapore and India's mutual commitment to strengthen ties», added PMO in its statement.This year, Singapore and India celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations. 

A 20-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly performing a dangerous stunt on his motorbike along East Coast Park Service Road on Sunday (Aug 31).A video posted on TikTok shows two riders mounting the pavement and riding past a bus stop, before seemingly avoiding Traffic Police officers seen in the background.In response to queries from AsiaOne, the police said that Traffic Police officers were patrolling in the location when they spotted a group of motorcyclists gathered at a car park.  The group was then stopped for a routine check.Preliminary investigations revealed that the 20-year-old had allegedly performed a dangerous stunt with his motorbike at the said location. He was subsequently arrested for dangerous driving. Police investigations are ongoing.

More thundery showers and strong winds are expected over the next two weeks due to Sumatra squalls, said the Meteorological Service Singapore on Monday (Sept 1).Sumatra squalls are an organised line of thunderstorms that typically develop over Sumatra island or the Straits of Malacca. It generally moves eastwards towards Singapore and the surrounding region under the influence of south-westerly or westerly winds.According to the Met Service, this weather phenomenon commonly occurs during the south-west monsoon and inter-monsoon periods, and usually affects Singapore overnight or in the morning. In its forecast for the coming fortnight, the Met Service said that Singapore and the surrounding region have been experiencing the south-west monsoon, adding that Sumatra squalls may bring widespread thundery showers and gusty winds in the pre-dawn and morning on several days. Moderate to heavy thundery showers are also expected over most parts of the islands on several days.

A 59-year-old man who sexually abused his young grandniece over four years was sentenced to 21 years’ jail by the High Court on Sept 1.The man admitted that he began molesting the girl in 2019 when she was seven years old.The sexual assaults took place at home, in the back of a van, and even at a cinema.He pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated rape and two charges of aggravated sexual assault by penetration.Six other charges, for sexual offences against the victim, were taken into consideration during sentencing.The man cannot be named owing to a gag order to protect the victim’s identity.Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Yu Hui told the court that in 2019, the man moved into the unit where the girl lived with her parents, younger brother, grandmother and uncle.The man had his own room, while the girl slept in the living room.From 2019 to 2021, he would call the victim into his room and touch her inappropriately.Given her young age, the victim did not tell anyone about the incidents as she did not understand what the man was doing to her, said the prosecutor.

SINGAPORE — A camp instructor who sent sexually explicit messages and an obscene photo to a 15-year-old girl he met at a school camp was jailed on Sept 1.Ilyas Mohd Yusoff, 24, was sentenced to eight weeks' jail after pleading guilty to sending the obscene photo to the girl on Snapchat.He did this for sexual gratification as he wanted the victim to threaten to leak the photo to others, so that he would be aroused when blackmailed in this manner, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Gladys Lim.The victim cannot be named owing to a gag order to protect her identity.In March 2023, the victim's secondary school engaged the company where Ilyas worked to run a three-day school camp.After the camp, Ilyas and the victim followed each other on Instagram, even though his company prohibited instructors from maintaining contact with students through social media after the camp.For around three months, Ilyas and the victim chatted on Telegram and Instagram, with Ilyas later asking the victim for her Snapchat account, so he could send her images that would disappear after a set time.

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