Infrastructure improvements, digitalisation and tailored national programmes are some of the measures that will be explored to support local businesses and address concerns about potential negative impacts from the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project. The RTS Link is a 4km railway shuttle between JB and Singapore, and is targeted to commence passenger service by end of 2026.Speaking to the media at Marsiling Community Centre on Wednesday (Oct 29) after a RTS link task force engagement session, Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development Alvin Tan provided updates on the RTS and ongoing engagement efforts with the community. «I think many of the feedback that we receive is that people are excited generally about the progress of the RTS link, the conveniences that will bring to residents, particularly in the north,» said Tan. 

A Singapore Airlines (SIA) Boeing 777-300ER flight from Melbourne to Singapore encountered a technical issue shortly after take-off and returned to Melbourne on Wednesday (Oct 29).According to flight tracking platform FlightAware, SQ228 took off at around 4.52pm local time (1.52pm, Singapore time). The almost eight-hour flight, which operates daily, would usually make a right turn after taking off, in the vicinity of Melton — a suburb on the outskirts of Melbourne — before climbing and proceeding in a north-westerly direction towards Singapore. This time, data from FlightAware showed the 10-year-old aircraft circling Melbourne before returning to the airport at 5.47pm.

A preschool was slapped with a $26,200 fine and had its licence shortened after its former cook molested three children there.In a statement to AsiaOne on Wednesday (Oct 29), the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) said that it also took action against four members of the school’s management, with three of them banned from working in the preschool sector.All four of them were removed from their posts by the preschool’s operator.The spokesperson said that it conducted investigations into safety procedures of the preschool and found multiple breaches which compromised children’s safety.Besides imposing financial penalties on the preschool and shortening its licence from 36 to six months in May 2024,  the agency also restricted all new enrolments there.«ECDA also directed the preschool to submit a corrective action plan to ensure children’s safety in the preschool,» its spokesperson said. “The preschool submitted this in June 2024."

ROCKHAMPTON, Australia — Being able to have realistic training for airdrop operations helps the crew on board the C-130 military transport aircraft get familiar with safety protocol. Speaking to members of the media at Rockhampton Airport, Loadmaster First Sergeant (1SG) M Magenthiran stated that the operations conducted during the overseas exercise allow the crew to practise processes they are not able to do in Singapore due to land and airspace constraints.«In Exercise Wallaby, we get to drop multiple complex loads...(which) helps us to be comfortable (in real-life operations),» he said.Exercise Wallaby is conducted annually at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, which spans a distance over five times the size of Singapore.1SG Magenthiran also said that the «realistic training» he receives can be transferred into real life airdrop operations.His duties involve working with officers from the 3rd Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Transport Battalion, who pack the load into a container delivery system and attach the parachute before rigging it to the aircraft. 

A migrant worker was recently spotted having a playful moment while at the construction site of a playground in Tampines.The 12-second video posted by TikTok user Qdotsg on Saturday (Oct 25) shows the man sitting on the ground as he plays a tune on the percussion wall with a mallet.The worker appears to be holding a phone as well, seemingly recording the impromptu jamming session.The TikTok user lamented in his post that the audio wasn't clear, but that it was «a fun li'l moment to capture». He added: «Between this and the singing painter, Tampines seems to have lots of musical talent among our foreign worker friends.»

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's wife Loo Tze Lui joined the wives of other  leaders for a spouses programme on Monday (Oct 27) during the 47th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur. In a Facebook post by the Malaysian Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development on Oct 27, it highlighted the initiative to promote family values, social welfare, and the role of women in community development.The ministry added that, aside from being a social gathering, this initiative serves as an important platform for informal diplomacy that strengthens human connections among the 11-member bloc.Hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the luncheon was also featured on her social media, where she highlighted its significance.

Police are looking for a man to assist with investigations into a case of shop theft.The alleged theft took place on Aug 15 at Suntec City. Based on the photograph provided by the police, the bespectacled man was last seen wearing a black roundneck tee-shirt and black-coloured cap. Anyone with information can contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information would be kept strictly confidential, said the police.[[nid:714657]]editor@asiaone.com 

A man was rescued from a HDB flat in Yishun on Tuesday (Oct 28) evening after a fire broke out in the living room.The incident took place just after 7pm at Block 269B Yishun Street 22.Checks conducted by AsiaOne show that the block consists of rental flats.A resident told AsiaOne that an elderly male was rescued by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighters from a 1-room rental flat at the corner of the 15th floor.«They had to cut open the metal gate and door of the unit,» the resident, who did not want to be named, said.  The wooden door of the affected unit showed signs of forcible entry. PHOTO: AsiaOne reader AsiaOne observed that the rental flat was sparsely furnished and did not appear to have suffered extensive damage.

Three men have been fined after they taunted and mocked a policeman who did not let them pass through a police cordon at a murder scene.On Oct 28, Alex Kumar Gnanasekaran, 38, was fined $4,000, while Md Dino Marciano Abdul Wahab, 45, and Mohamed Eusof Mohamed Yahiya, 33, were each handed a $5,000 fine.All three pleaded guilty to using insulting words towards a police officer who was executing his duty as a public servant.Dino and Eusof had previously also committed offences against public servants.Dino was handed a charge under the Protection from Harassment Act for saying vulgarities to a police officer in January 2025, while Eusof had previously been convicted for causing hurt to a public servant in 2022.Mohanan V. Balakrishnan, 39, who recorded a video of Alex, Dino and Eusof taunting the policeman, had been convicted in September and was fined $3,500.On Sept 22, at around 5am, after a night of drinking and clubbing, the four men were walking along the back lane of Sam Leong Road, near Kitchener Road, when they saw a police cordon.The area had been cordoned off by the police to preserve a murder crime scene.

A five-room Housing Board flat in Boon Keng has changed hands for an eye-watering $1.55 million, making it a new record in the area.The price of the unit at Block 8 Boon Keng Road — in a Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) project called City View @ Boon Keng — is more than the previous high of $1.54 million logged in September for a five-room flat in the same project.The unit, which is located between the 31st and 33rd floor, is now the most expensive flat in the Kallang/Whampoa area, according to checks by AsiaOne on the HDB's resale flat price records.At 117sq m, the flat has around 84 years remaining on its lease.It is within a six-minute walking distance to Boon Keng MRT station, with food courts and schools in the vicinity.The most expensive five-room flat resold was $1.65 million for a unit on Dawson Road in June.According to figures released by HDB on Oct 1, the price of resale flats rose by 0.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2025.

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers arrested a 37-year-old Malaysian motorcyclist at Tuas Checkpoint on Oct 14 for attempting to smuggle a bottle of liquid, believed to be kratom, which contains drugs.In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Oct 28), ICA said he was directed to undergo further checks and was asked if he had anything to declare.The man said he had nothing to declare.«A thorough check uncovered (a) bottle containing suspected kratom liquid in the man's bag,» ICA said. The case has been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau for further investigations.