A fire broke out at an industrial building in Sungei Kadut on Wednesday (Jan 7) evening.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that it was alerted to a fire at 14 Sungei Kadut Avenue at about 6.40pm.Checks online by AsiaOne indicate that the location is a four-storey building occupied by Da Di Glass Private Limited, a glass production company.According to the company's website, they moved to the given address in 2013. In a second update posted just before 9pm, SCDF said that the production area on the second-floor of the building was on fire when firefighters arrived at the scene.«Firefighters deployed three water jets to contain the fire within the workshop,» it added.The fire was extinguished at about 8pm.About 30 persons from the affected building self-evacuated before SCDF's arrival.One person was taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.The cause of the fire is under investigation.editor@asiaone.com 

Punggol residents will soon be able to travel round the neighbourhood on driver-less shuttles, with the first of three fixed-route services expected to begin full service in «two to three months», Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said.In a Facebook post on Wednesday (Jan 7), the MP for Punggol GRC said that the shuttles plying route one has completed testing and preparatory work and have travelled more than 10,000km without any incident.The 10km-long route connects Matilda Court, Punggol Clover, Punggol Plaza and Oasis Terraces. Operated by Grab, the service will run from 9.30am to 5pm on weekdays.Sun said that stakeholders including key grassroots leaders and agency partners will be invited to take a ride in the vehicles in January. «Apps will also be rolled out then by the AV shuttle operators to enable commuters to check ride availability,» she said.

The Indonesian National Defence Forces' (TNI) Chief of Defence Force, General Agus Subiyanto, has been conferred the prestigious Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera), or Distinguished Service Order (Military), by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.Gen Subiyanto was presented with Singapore's highest military award at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) on Wednesday (Jan 7) afternoon.The award was given for his «significant role» in strengthening defence ties between the TNI and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), said Mindef.The statement added that the high cadence of professional exchanges and regular bilateral exercises have «greatly promoted» interoperability and friendship between the two armed forces.«Under General Subiyanto's leadership, the implementation of the Defence Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force in 2024, has continued to be smooth.»Both militaries also maintained a high cadence of professional exchanges and regular bilateral exercises such as Exercise Safkar Indopura, Exercise Eagle Indopura, Exercise Elang Indopura, Exercise Chandrapura and Exercise Manyar Indopura," said Mindef.

A motorcyclist was flung off his bike after a car rear-ended him along Lavender Street on Wednesday (Jan 7) morning.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they were alerted to the accident in the direction of Crawford Street at about 8.20am.The 37-year-old male motorcyclist was conscious when taken to hospital.Dashcam footage shared by Facebook page SGRV showed that the motorcyclist was originally in the middle of the four-lane road, where traffic had appeared to build up.He is seen turning to check for oncoming vehicles when he turns left and switches lane, but did not appear to do the same when he crossed to the left-most lane, where a black car was travelling at.The approaching car slams into the motorbike, and the rider briefly ends up on the bonnet before being thrown to the roadside when the car brakes.He pulls himself to sit upright as a passer-by walks over and checks on him.The police said that the 64-year-old male car driver is assisting with investigations, which are ongoing.[[nid:727766]]lim.kewei@asiaone.com

A 32-year-old woman was arrested on Tuesday (Jan 6) for her alleged involvement in a case of loanshark harassment in Kallang.It took place at about 8.05pm on Monday (Jan 5) at a residential unit along Geylang Bahru in Kallang, the police said on Wednesday (Jan 7).A photograph of the items seized from her shows a blue plastic bag containing red paint, and a debtor's note which reads «Owe $ Pay Money $. This is just (a) warning. Next time will go burn your house (sic)».The woman was identified by officers from Central Police Division through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras.She will be charged in court on Thursday (Jan 8).The offence of loanshark harassment carries a penalty of imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to $50,000. In addition, those found guilty may receive up to six strokes of the cane.As caning can only be imposed on male offenders below 50 years old, she may receive an additional sentence in lieu of caning if she is found guilty.[[nid:727764]]editor@asiaone.com 

Middleton International School will be able to resume operations of its food business effective Jan 6, having implemented the necessary requirements by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), said the agency in a statement on Wednesday (Jan 7).The business, located at 2 Tampines Street 92, had its food business operations suspended since Nov 21. This was after SFA and the Communicable Diseases Agency received reports of 263 persons at E-Bridge preschools who developed gastroenteritis symptoms between Nov 19 and Dec 10, 2025 after consuming food supplied by Middleton International School. At the time, four individuals were hospitalised, and SFA had issued a suspension notice to «protect consumers from further public health risks».According to SFA, Middleton International School cleaned and sanitised their premises, including equipment and utensils, and disinfected food preparation surfaces, tables and floors during its suspension period.

Three SBS Transit staff at Newton MRT station have earned the praise of a train commuter after they tried to repair her sandals which broke during her journey last month.On Wednesday (Jan 7), SBS Transit shared the post by Susan Loh, the affected commuter.The public transport operator said that three station staff — Station Managers Mohamed Yadly and Jeffrey Chen and Assistant Station Manager Maharaja Chettier — had tried to fix the commuter's sandals.«When that wasn't possible, they went the extra mile by borrowing a pair of slippers from an off-duty colleague for Ms Susan so that she could continue her journey safely,» wrote SBS Transit.Recounting the incident on Facebook, Loh said that the incident happened on Dec 13.«I was rushing out and didn't want to wear track shoes (as it was raining heavily), so I wore a pair of sandals.»Suddenly, my sandals broke at Newton MRT. Luckily, I met so many kind souls helping me. They even offered me their slippers to wear for the day!," wrote an appreciative Loh.

A 47-year-old Malaysian man was arrested by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers on Dec 23 for attempting to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint.ICA said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Jan 7) that the Malaysia-registered car driven by the man was directed for enhanced checks where its search and examination officers found over 420 cartons and 1,600 loose packets of duty unpaid cigarettes.In the video posted by ICA, its officers were seen removing the contraband items from the car's roof cargo box and various compartments of the car, including the door panel.The driver was arrested and the case has been referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigation.Intensified checks against smuggling at Singapore's checkpointsIn an advisory on Nov 17, ICA had warned travellers that it will be conducting more intensified checks against the smuggling of e-vaporisers and contraband items during the year-end school holidays.

A 102-year-old Singaporean matriarch was given an elaborate farewell by her family, featuring a grand white tent, red carpets, 16 banquet tables and even a replica slot machine.Centenarian Chen Shuying (transliteration) died on Jan 3, reported Shin Min Daily News. She is survived by her seven sons, seven daughters and their families, which together include 78 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Chen's wake is being held at an open field near Block 230, Choa Chu Kang Road. 'Considered a joyous occasion'63-year-old Lan Wenchang (transliteration) is Chen's youngest son and founder of a funeral home, while his wife is a well-known spirit medium, reported Shin Min.Considering the family's size and their large social circle, Chen's family felt it was only appropriate to have a grand funeral. Lan told Shin Min that since they anticipated many relatives and friends would come to pay their respects, they decided to hold the wake for seven days. 

The 2025 Singapore-Cambridge O-level examination results will be released on Jan 14 at 2pm, the Ministry of Education said on Wednesday (Jan 7).Details on the collection arrangements will be shared by the respective schools, the ministry said.Candidates who are unable to collect their results in person can appoint a proxy to do so. Proxies will have to produce relevant documentation when collecting results from the school.If they are unable to appoint a proxy, they are advised to approach their schools for assistance.Private candidates eligible for Singpass can use their Singpass account to obtain their results online through the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board's (SEAB) candidates portal from 2.45pm until 11pm on Jan 28.Those ineligible for Singpass can get their results using the account they created during their examination.With their O-level results, students can apply for admission to junior colleges, Millennia Institute, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) via the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE).

Grab has kicked off a three-month drone delivery pilot in Tanjong Rhu, leveraging autonomous technology, the company said in a blog post on Tuesday (Jan 6).The pilot, conducted in partnership with ST Engineering's Unmanned Air Systems - which developed the drone solution - aims to test how autonomous technology can boost Grab's delivery efficiency.The pilot for Grab's drone delivery (Beta) service began on Tuesday and will run till April 12, with service running every Tuesday to Sunday, between 10am and 6pm.Up to 28 drone deliveries will be made daily, and operations will be halted during wet weather conditions and on public holidays.A typical round-trip flight takes around eight minutes.The pilot follows a similar one done in the Philippines in June 2025, where drones were used to transport food between delivery points. Geographical constraintsUsing drones will help circumvent geographical constraints that slow down deliveries and affect efficiency, said Grab.

Incoming Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Haresh Singaraju has said that he is no longer affiliated with any political party, after a photo of him wearing a shirt bearing the People’s Action Party (PAP) logo surfaced online.The family physician at National University Polyclinics said in an Instagram on Monday (Jan 5) that the 2023 photo was taken during a party activity he had previously volunteered at.Dr Haresh had initially told the South China Morning Post that it was during a People’s Association (PA) event, which he later clarified in his Instagram post that it was incorrect.«This activity did not involve the PA. I’m now not a member of any party,» he said.The photo showed Dr Haresh wearing a shirt with the PAP logo and the word «Tampines». It has since been removed from his Instagram account, but was shared several times on Reddit.His LinkedIn profile indicates he has served as a PA grassroots leader since January 2023.Dr Haresh said that the post was archived as part of a «clean up of his Instagram account» and to «protect the identities of individuals in the pictures as I made my account public».

A 39-year-old man was arrested on Monday (Jan 5) for his alleged involvement in a case of loanshark harassment in Choa Chu Kang.It took place at about 1.35pm on Jan 2, at a residential unit along Keat Hong Link, the police said on Tuesday (Jan 6).In a image provided by the police, the front door, gate and a section of the common corridor in front of the said unit are covered with white paint.The man was identified by officers from Jurong Police Division through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras.He will be charged in court on Jan 7.If found guilty, he may be fined up to $50,000, jailed for up to five years, and receive up to six strokes of the cane.The police warned that they have zero tolerance for loanshark harassment activities and will deal severely with those caught doing so, in accordance with the law.They also advised members of the public to stay away from loansharks and not to work with, or assist them, in any way.[[nid:727187]]editor@asiaone.com 

Four persons were taken to the hospital after an accident along the Central Expressway (CTE) on Tuesday (Jan 7) evening.Dashcam footage posted on social media showed a white sports utility Vehicle (SUV) sitting atop the roof of a red car. Ahead of the two vehicles are a ComfortDelGro taxi and a red multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) at the frontmost, with the MPV's rear tailgate visibly dented.An ambulance from Sengkang General Hospital is also seen in front of the four vehicles involved in the accident. Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said they were alerted to the accident involving three cars and one taxi along CTE towards the Seletar Expressway at about 7.20pm.A 69-year-old male taxi driver and his 49-year-old male passenger, another 54-year-old male car driver and his 27-year-old female passenger were conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.A 42-year-old male driver is assisting with investigations.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:727747]]editor@asiaone.com 

A 39-year-old man was arrested on Monday (Jan 5) for his alleged involvement in a case of loanshark harassment in Choa Chu Kang.It took place at about 1.35pm on Jan 2, at a residential unit along Keat Hong Link, the police said on Tuesday (Jan 6).In a image provided by the police, the front door, gate and a section of the common corridor in front of the said unit are covered with white paint.The man was identified by officers from Jurong Police Division through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras.He will be charged in court on Jan 7.If found guilty, he may be fined up to $50,000, jailed for up to five years, and receive up to six strokes of the cane.The police warned that they have zero tolerance for loanshark harassment activities and will deal severely with those caught doing so, in accordance with the law.They also advised members of the public to stay away from loansharks and not to work with, or assist them, in any way.[[nid:727187]]editor@asiaone.com 

A 36-year-old male Chinese national, who attempted to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore by wrapping the contraband items in aluminium foil, had his attempt foiled by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at Changi Airport.The incident took place on Dec 27, said ICA in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Jan 6).The authority's search and examination officers noticed anomalies in the scanned images of a baggage and proceeded to conduct further checks.During the checks, 209 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found wrapped in aluminium foil in the baggage.Based on the pictures in ICA's post, there was an assortment of at least three different brands/flavours.

A New Zealand woman who flew to Auckland from Singapore was caught with 18.45kg of methamphetamine in her luggage.New Zealand Customs said on Tuesday (Jan 6) that the 33-year-old had arrived at Auckland Airport on Jan 4.She was referred to Customs for further questioning, where officers checked her belongings and discovered 18 vacuum-sealed packages containing a white crystalline substance in her baggage.Tests determined that the substance to be meth, also known as «Ice».The seized drug could produce 922,500 doses and has a potential street value of NZ$5.53 million (S$4 million), estimated the New Zealand Customs.According to the New Zealand Herald, the woman was on flight SQ285, which flies directly from Singapore to Auckland.It is unknown if she had departed from Singapore, or if she was transiting through Changi Airport.She was charged in court on Monday Jan 5 with importing a Class A controlled drug into the country.The New Zealand Herald also cited court documents as showing that she does not have a registered home address in New Zealand.She could be given the death penalty if found guilty.