Paranormal activity, natural phenomenon or artificial intelligence (AI)? Sightings of purple glowing spheres around Singapore had gone viral on TikTok recently, with the orbs being seen bouncing around Tampines, Yishun and Pasir Ris.«Mystery solved: Seen these purple ball lightning videos online? That was us,» said fintech-company YouTrip, in an Instagram post on Monday (Sept 22), adding that the videos were all part of marketing promotions.The first TikTok clip surfaced on Sept 19, with dash dashcam footage from a car capturing a luminescent purple orb bouncing across the street in Tampines.

Transport operator SMRT has filed a police report against a man who was caught drinking water in front of a «no drinking or eating» sign on board a train. In a video shared on Instagram on Sunday (Sept 21), the man was seen standing in front of the gantry at Chinese Garden MRT station holding a bottle of water. «Everyone knows it is prohibited to drink on Singapore trains, but today, let's do a challenge where I'll drink water on the MRT train,» the man said in Mandarin.The video then shows him inside a train cabin, pointing to a «no drinking or eating» sign, which indicates a $500 fine.After seemingly checking his surroundings, the man, believed to be a foreigner, opens his bottle of water and takes a gulp before nodding and giving a thumbs up.Towards the end of the video, on the Outram Park MRT platform, the man holds up his bottle and claims that his actions prove one can drink freely on Singapore trains.

New parliamentarian Jeffrey Siow has gotten less sleep since his election as MP for Choa Chu Kang GRC in this year's General Election, and subsequent appointment to the Cabinet.The Acting Minister for Transport quipped in Parliament on Monday (Sept 22): «My daughter has observed that my eyebags have their own eyebags.»Siow was speaking at the debate on the President's Address, where he opened up at the beginning of his address on how life has changed since he entered politics.«I have less time to play football with my friends on Sundays. And even when I do, I am the most polite of players. When I get kicked at the back of my leg, I am the first to say, 'sorry, sorry',» he described.What keeps him going is his family, he said, thanking his wife, brother, children and his mother — who chips in by volunteering at his Meet-the-People sessions.«My family makes me feel that I am part of a team,» Siow added.[[nid:723011]]

Public consultations for the next transport master plan will begin in a few weeks’ time, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said on Monday (Sept 22).Speaking during the debate on the President’s Address in Parliament, he said that he hopes to engage more Singaporeans «than ever before» to help shape the country's transportation future.«Commuters, drivers, cyclists, seniors, persons with disabilities, mobility device users. We want to bring all of them together to have deeper conversations and to weigh trade-offs,» he added.«My hope is simple. That more Singaporeans feel the system works for them and that their story matters.»Siow said that since his appointment as acting transport minister in May, he has heard stories from «some people who feel that the system is sometimes not working for them».These include a single mother who uses a personal mobility scooter to take her three kids to preschool even though it is illegal, and an office worker who ran in the rain to catch a bus.

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has worked alongside global counterparts to seize over 100kg of drugs in a transnational operation, according to a Facebook post by the bureau on Monday (Sept 22).It worked with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Narcotics Control Bureau of Brunei Darussalam (NCB), New Zealand Customs Service, New Zealand Police, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) to intercept and disrupt trafficking attempts at multiple borders.CNB's involvement came in April this year, when it received information about freight parcels that were suspected to contain controlled drugs transiting through Singapore.These parcels — originating from the US and bound for New Zealand — were intercepted, and officers discovered over 10kg of Ice, also known as methamphetamine.But this was not the end of the trail as follow-up investigations allowed CNB to identify other similar parcels headed for New Zealand and Australia and inform the relevant parties.

Malaysia began its trial of a new QR code immigration system on Monday (Sept 22) at the Johor land checkpoints.However, some travellers from Singapore to Johor Bahru reported issues generating the QR code.The National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) is currently limited to passenger cars, said the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday (Sept 20).A total of 16 car lanes — eight each for entry and exit — have been fitted with the system at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex in Johor Bahru.Similarly, the Sultan Abu Bakar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex at the Second Link has 12 car lanes — six each for entry and exit — in operation.The ministry added that as at Sept 19, the app had been downloaded by over 10,000 users which shows «positive initial acceptance».However, some comments under posts by the MyNIISE Facebook page raised issues with the new app.One comment read: «Loading non-stop, can't scan (my) passport...very, very slow.»

Singapore will formally recognise the state of Palestine when it has an effective government that accepts Israel’s right to exist, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Parliament on Monday (Sept 22).The Palestinian government must also renounce terrorism, he added in a ministerial statement.He was replying to 13 questions filed by MPs on the issue, including whether Singapore is reconsidering its position on recognising Palestinian statehood, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.Outlining Singapore’s “consistent” support for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Dr Balakrishnan acknowledged the barriers to recognise Palestine.There is no unified Palestinian government that exercises “effective control” in Palestinian Territories in both the West Bank and Gaza for the last 18 years at least, he said.He noted that Hamas had “violently seized” Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 and that “what will happen in Gaza after the ceasefire is unclear”.Dr Balakrishnan added that Hamas has also consistently rejected Israel’s right to exist, and that it has yet to renounce terrorism or agree to disarm.

Looking to cross the Causeway by hired car? Travellers will now have one more cross-border ride hailing option to choose from as Strides Premier has joined the ranks of licenced taxis.The ride-hailing service operator announced last Friday (Sept 19) that rides between Singapore and Johor Bahru will cost between $60 and $120, depending on the pick-up and drop-off location.There is no date yet on when the service will start.Trips from Ban San Street Terminal in Rochor to JB's Larkin bus terminal will cost $60.The fixed fare for each one-way ride goes up to $80 and $120 when commuters are picked up at any one location in Singapore and Changi Airport, respectively.Meanwhile, a ride from Larkin Terminal to any one location in Singapore will cost $70 if an advanced booking is placed, and $60 if hired on the spot there.And if travelling back to Ban San Street, the drive will cost just RM120 (S$36).Ban San Street Terminal and Larkin Terminal are each country's designated point for cross-border taxis.Strides Premier's online enquiry form has already opened for bookings, according to The Straits Times.

SINGAPORE — Nicholas Tan, the Singaporean founder of popular home-grown handbag brand Aupen, has been ordered to post correction notices on his personal and business Instagram pages over accusations made against the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (Ipos).The Pofma Office, which administers the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, was instructed by Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong to issue the correction direction to Tan and Aupen under Singapore's fake news law, the law ministry said on Sept 22.Tan had claimed on three separate occasions in September that Ipos told him not to pursue a trademark dispute with American retail giant Target as he would likely lose, and that Singapore's trademark laws favoured foreign businesses over local ones.He also said Ipos had told him legal reform against bad faith trademark registrations in Singapore were impossible and that the trademark office had flip-flopped on its advice to him in its public statement issued on Sept 11.The statements were posted on Instagram, once to Aupen's official Instagram page and thrice to Tan's personal page.

The same law that makes it illegal for Singapore residents to consume drugs overseas also applies to those found using vapes laced with etomidate, said Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Faishal Ibrahim on Monday (Sept 22).Associate Professor Faishal was responding to a parliamentary question from Member of Parliament Yip Hon Weng on whether the Government will consider prosecuting Singapore citizens who abuse vapes laced with Kpods.Parliament resumed today after it was dissolved in April, to debate the President’s Address. Under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) it states that a citizen or permanent resident who consumes drugs overseas “may be dealt as if that offence had been committed within Singapore”.With etomidate classified under the MDA as a Class C drug since Sept 1, Assoc Prof Faishal said that the law applies to those who abuse the drug overseas.Etomidate was previously listed under the Poisons Act, where abusers only face a fine when caught.

The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has handed over nearly $1.2 million in aid to the Egyptian Red Crescent for humanitarian relief operations in Gaza and Egypt.The latest tranche of aid comprises the previously pledged $440,000 worth of tents and a new commitment of $758,000 in funds for Palestinian evacuees in Egypt.The funds will be used for medical consumables and equipment, which will benefit about 4,000 evacuees and their companions, as well as the retrofitting of a mobile education unit that will conduct classes for some 2,000 Palestinian children staying in Egypt's accommodation centres.President Tharman Shanmugaratnam witnessed the handover of donations on Sunday (Sept 21), during his state visit to Cairo, Egypt.He said in a Facebook post earlier on Saturday that Egypt continues to be a key partner in Singapore's efforts to provide humanitarian support to Gaza civilians.President Tharman also wrote that Singapore supports international efforts in calling for an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages and continues to support the right of the Palestinians to a state of their own.

A man wanted by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) attempted to bite some of the police officers while resisting arrest along Ubi Avenue 3 last Saturday (Sept 20).The police had been alerted to the 41-year-old's suspicious behaviour at around 11.30am that day and, upon arrival at Ubi Avenue 3, found the man sitting on the road beside his car.Officers then approached the man, who verbally provided a false identity.During the arrest, the man allegedly did not go down without a fight — he shoved officers and attempted to bite them, the police said.In a video taken by a Shin Min Daily News reader, the man can be seen shirtless by the roadside as he struggled to break free from the five officers that grappled him.Despite his attempts, the man was swiftly brought to the ground and restrained by the officers, while a small pomeranian could be seen circling them, barking at officers.«Necessary force had to be used to restrain him,» stated the police.Drugs, vape foundFurther checks revealed substances suspected to be controlled drugs, drug paraphernalia, a vape and a bank card not bearing his name on his person.

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.