Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Foo Cexiang has called for a «refresh» of the area's plaza following complaints by residents of vice activities, he shared in a Facebook post on Saturday (Sept 20).In the post, he said that several residents have provided feedback on the number of massage establishments and beauty salons Tanjong Pagar Plaza (TPP), raising concerns over vice activities in some of them.«There are several pre-schools in the Plaza and parents are uneasy whenever their children go past these shops,» he stated.While most of these businesses are legitimate, «a few are casting a bad light» on the Plaza and turning away both residents and customers, Foo said.When the reputation of the Plaza is affected, Foo added, business viability of other tenants will also be impacted, which will in turn hinder the residents in the area who depend on the mall for daily necessities.He further explained how the «retail mix» in the Plaza is a result of shop owners attempting to maximise rental yield amid low footfall in the area.

When four 'lucky numbers' appeared at the end of a seventh month ceremony at Mei Ling Market & Food Centre, participants and bystanders did the most reasonable thing — buy 4D. The digits ended up winning the top prize in that evening's draw.The ceremony commemorating the Hungry Ghost Festival was held at the market, located at Block 139 Mei Chin Road last Wednesday (Sept 17), Lianhe Zaobao reported.The chairperson of the committee of residents and shopkeepers, Cai Quanhai (transliteration), 78, told Zaobao that the numbers '8704' had turned up after the paper offerings were burned in the afternoon.He later heard murmurings during the dinner banquet that the same number had emerged as the top prize in that evening's 4D draw.«I was sceptical at first, but it was later confirmed, and many people were overjoyed by the news,» said Cai.Cai added that this is the first time this has happened during the committee's seventh month celebrations in the last 50 years.Cai had also heard that people had been coming forward to make donations after their unexpected windfall.

1,023 persons have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in just the first seven months of this year - an increase of 6.6 per cent from the same period in 2024 - despite repeated warnings from the Traffic Police (TP) that drink driving constitutes a dangerous and irresponsible act.As part of its ongoing efforts to enhance drink driving enforcement capabilities, TP has started trialling the use of a handheld breath evidential analyser (HBEA) in its enforcement operations, since Sept 5. Unlike the current handheld breath analyser (HBA) device - which is used as a preliminary screening tool - the HBEA produces accurate readings that can be used as evidence in legal proceedings.This means that police officers will no longer need to administer a second breath evidential test using a different machine at its headquarters in Ubi. If adopted, TP officers will not only be able to ensure accurate measurements before alcohol levels diminish, but streamline its processes. Such breath evidential analysers are known to conform to the International Organisation of Legal Metrology’s standards. 

The People's Action Party (PAP) is placing renewed focus on the unique and evolving challenges that Singaporean women face in starting and building strong families.Speaking at the PAP Women's Wing conference at Paradox Singapore Merchant Court on Saturday (Sept 20), Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Ong Ye Kung, emphasised the importance of recognising the evolving role of women in Singaporean families.The theme of the conference was «Reimagining Family».«If we want to reimagine families, we must first recognise the central role of women in families and acknowledge the tremendous progress women in Singapore have made in just one generation,» he said.Led by organising chairperson Jasmin Lau, and supported by vice-chairpersons Cassandra Lee and Valerie Lee, the conference brought together over 400 activists, guests, and MPs.PAP Women's Wing chairperson Sim Ann said: "Singaporean women have many options when it comes to life choices, and that's a good thing.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced that it will progressively deploy three fixed-route autonomous shuttle services in Punggol starting from 2026.The services will help to improve first-mile-last-mile (FMLM) connectivity within the town, and will help connect residents to key amenities and transport nodes in Punggol, potentially cutting travel times via public transport by up to 15 minutes.Two of the routes will be operated by Grab, while the third route will be operated by ComfortDelgro. The first route, which is a 10km round trip operated by Grab, will connect Punggol residents living in Matilda Court and Punggol Clover to the polyclinic at Oasis Terraces, and the market at Punggol Plaza.This will go into service from the second quarter of 2026, and operate from 9.30am to 5pm from Monday to Friday.

SINGAPORE - The PAP took a measured tone during campaigning that voters were more comfortable with, and this contributed to its improved showing at the May general election, said party chairman Desmond Lee.He also cited the electorate's desire for a stable government at a time of significant uncertainty, and their vote of confidence in Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his first general election at the helm of the ruling party.«They wanted to have a strong, stable government that could work for Singaporeans externally. With the geopolitical tensions and shifts that are happening, we shouldn't underestimate how important this is,» Mr Lee said.The PAP increased its nationwide vote share from 61.24 per cent in 2020 to 65.57 per cent at GE2025, going against past trends of a dip in vote share after a new prime minister took over.Mr Lee said the results were a nod to PM Wong's personality and his team's more open and consultative style of governance.

A 17-year-old girl was arrested along with two men, aged 21 and 28, for bulk order scams involving the impersonation of Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel, the police said on Friday (Sept 19).The arrests were made after the Commercial Affairs Department's Anti-Scam Command and Central Police Division conducted simultaneous raids around Bukit Batok West, Fernvale Lane, and Northshore Drive from Sept 18 to 19.Preliminary investigations found that the trio were allegedly acting on instructions from a scam syndicate.The 28-year-old man had allegedly relinquished his Singpass credentials to the syndicate for monetary gains.Meanwhile, the teenager and 21-year-old man assisted unknown individuals to subscribe to phone lines, some of which were found to be linked to the bulk order scams.Police investigations are ongoing.Those who disclose their Singpass credentials to facilitate an offence may face an imprisonment term of up to three years, or fine, or both. The offence of knowingly providing a fraudulently registered SIM card to another person carries a $10,000 fine or jail term not exceeding three years, or both.

Singaporean violinist Cathy Chen Xi, 11, has clinched first prize in her age category at the prestigious Hengqin International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians.The Tao Nan School student topped the under-12 category, which drew 27 competitors worldwide. In the third and final round on Sept 18, Cathy performed Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Salzburg Chamber Soloists, the competition's orchestra.The competition, formerly known as the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition, is now in its sixth edition.Singapore's best-known violinist Chloe Chua, 18, came in third in the same category in 2017 before going on to win joint first prize in the Junior section of the Menuhin Competition the following year.Speaking to The New Paper a day after her win, an elated Cathy said: «I can't believe it, and I am too excited.»She added: «When I got into the finals it was already too unbelievable, but I continued to work hard, aiming for second. I never thought I would get first.»Cathy, who was accompanied to Zhuhai by her parents, admitted to being nervous before going on stage.

Agoda has reached an agreement to work with unions and support its retrenched workers with the transition, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees' Union said in a media release on Friday (Sept 19).They explained that Agoda has had several discussions with NTUC, SISEU, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (Tafep).Agoda has since acknowledged that «it was inappropriate for employers to include provisions that discourage or inhibit employees from approaching trade unions, government agencies, or statutory bodies for all situations», the release stated.«We appreciate the management of Agoda for taking a proactive approach in engaging NTUC, SISEU and the Government, and for its transparency in sharing information regarding the exercise,» the unions said, adding that they have determined the workers' retrenchment benefits to be in line with industry guidelines.They also added that the Agoda management has agreed to work with the unions to support affected workers through their transition.

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers intercepted over 1,100 vapes that were hidden in a Malaysia-registered car at Woodlands Checkpoint, according to a Facebook post on Friday (Sept 19).Search and examination officers had directed the vehicle for enhanced checks on Wednesday (Sept 17), where they discovered 1,169 vapes concealed within the modified seats, foiling their attempt to smuggle the devices into Singapore.In a video taken by ICA, officers can be seen pulling out multiple packages of vapes sealed in transparent plastic bags out of a pocket behind the car's backseat, collecting them in a container before bringing them away.A separate video shows an officer demonstrating how the backseat could be shifted forwards to reveal the vapes hidden within.The case was subsequently referred to the Health Sciences Authority(HSA) for further investigation.Just two days before, ICA had intercepted over 18,400 vapes and more than 1,400 related components in a single smuggling attempt at Tuas Checkpoint.

The public service must make sure that its policies reflect both long-term goals and current, lived-in realities to reinforce mutual understanding and trust with the public, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Friday (Sept 19). «As public service leaders, we must demonstrate not just competence, but also compassion and empathy in how we lead. We must believe in what we do. »We must connect national priorities with the everyday concerns of Singaporeans,« he said.DPM Gan was speaking at the Annual Public Service Leadership Ceremony held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention centre.Also present were Minister-in-charge of Public Service Chan Chun Sing, chairman of the Public Service Commission Lee Tzu Yang and head of Civil Service Leo Yip.Reflecting on Singapore's 60 years of independence, DPM Gan said that the public service has been »at the centre of every chapter of our nation's development« — from building public housing estates and world-class infrastructure, to establishing strong economic, healthcare and social institutions — adding that »these achievements are not because of chance". 

Various legislation relating to criminal and traffic offences will be amended to deal with evolving criminal threats and situations, and ensure Singapore remains a safe country.The Government is also committed to address the population challenges of a falling fertility rate and rapidly ageing population.These plans were revealed on Friday (Sept 19), in ministries' addenda to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam's address at the opening of Parliament.The ministries are the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth (MCCY), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Law (MinLaw), Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and Ministry of Finance (MOF).In his address on Sept 5, President Tharman said that in a tense geopolitical environment, Singapore cannot take security for granted — foreign actors will seek to manipulate public opinion while dangers at home such as terrorism scams and drugs will threaten society.

A company director has been charged with misappropriating over $400,000 intended for foreign exchange (forex) investments, on Friday (Sept 19).In a statement on Sept 19, the police said that Yeo Wei Zhi Lloyd, sole director of Lloyd Capital Pte Ltd, was charged in court with six counts of criminal breach of trust. Additionally, he faces three counts of carrying on a business in a regulated activity of fund management without a capital markets services licence.According to the police, Yeo allegedly operated a fund management business both personally and through Lloyd Capital between June 2017 and November 2019.This included handling forex trading, leveraged forex trading, and managing portfolios of capital market products on behalf of investors.Between August 2018 and November 2019, 17 investors paid a total of $639,406.02 to Lloyd Capital for the purpose of forex investments. 

A car caught fire in the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) tunnel during the evening peak hour, bringing traffic to a halt.In a video posted to Facebook page Singapore roads accident.com on Thursday (Sept 18), a car is seen stationary on the road shoulder, engulfed in flames.The tunnel's sprinkler system is seemingly activated, causing traffic to come to a standstill as the fire gets extinguished.Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicles and personnel can also be seen in the clip, which is over a minute long. Responding to AsiaOne's queries, SCDF said that it was alerted to the fire along MCE towards the AYE at about 6.40pm on Thursday.The blaze was extinguished by MCE's deluge system and SCDF firefighters using a compressed air foam jet.