A grant of up to $2,500 will be given to registered beverage producers after the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) kicks in from April, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a statement on Monday (Jan 19).The BCRS Producer Transition Grant, which will be automatically awarded, can be used to offset costs related to product registration fees, producer fees and the cost of stickers for the scheme. It will be available until Sept 30, 2027.The BCRS is a new recycling initiative, expected to roll out on April 1, under which a 10-cent refundable deposit will be added to all pre-packaged beverages sold in plastic and metal containers. This is to encourage consumers to return them at designated collection points for proper disposal and reuse. 

Despite having purchased a resale flat, a family of three was forced to sleep in a car for two weeks after renovation issues left them without a home. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, homeowner Li, 47, said she and her husband had received the keys to their HDB maisonette at Block 408 Fajar Road in June last year.As the home was still in good condition, they decided to only replace some floor tiles, tear down several walls, and renovate the kitchen.The contractor, whom they found from Facebook in May, told them the work would take up to a month, from August 5 to September 4.Li said that the total cost came up to $13,916, including a $1,688 deposit. This did not include the floor tiles, which she had purchased from Malaysia.She allegedly however, that the contractor had requested on at least six occasions for additional work to be done, including taking down more walls in the kitchen and living room.This increased the cost to more than $20,000, Li claimed, which was more than what was agreed upon.The payments had been made by the time she sensed something was wrong, said Li.

After her car plunged into a sinkhole that appeared in Tanjong Katong last July, Pearlyn Lim found herself hanging upside down with her legs pinned as debris fell around her. In an interview with Christian publication Salt&Light, the 43-year-old recalled her brush with death and how she «felt like giving up» for a split second. Thinking she might never see her loved ones again, Lim felt more «overwhelming sadness» than fear, she said. As she was trapped inside the vehicle, Lim's thoughts fixated on just one thing: Her then-13-year-old daughter, Anya.Lim said: «I remember crying out, 'Please, God, don’t leave my daughter alone in this world.'»«At that moment, I really, really missed Anya,» she added. «I was very thankful that the last thing I’d said to her was, 'love you.' And that I’d hugged her before I left the house.»Upside down, stuck and in shockOn July 26, 2025, a sinkhole suddenly appeared around 5pm at a junction in Tanjong Katong Road and Mountbatten Road. 

Leaders from some 60 countries, including Singapore, have received an invitation to join a US-led «Board of Peace» initiative that would initially aim to end conflict in Gaza but then be expanded to tackle conflicts elsewhere. In response to media queries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed on Tuesday (Jan 20) that Singapore has received an invitation.«The Singapore Government has received an invitation from the US to join the Board of Peace and is currently assessing the invitation,» a spokesperson from MFA said.What is the Board of Peace?Reuters on Monday reported that the board would be chaired for life by US President Donald Trump. Other names on the board include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kusher, according to a White House announcement on Friday. 

Six crew members of a vessel which sunk in Singapore's waters were rescued within 30 minutes and reported safe.The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a social media post on Monday (Jan 19) that the incident occurred sometime last week, without specifying the date and location.The sinking small craft had been spotted by a nearby vessel, which alerted the Marine Safety Control Centre to the situation.MPA immediately deployed its vessels to the scene, and the Police Coast Guard (PCG) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were also informed, the authority said.Six men were found treading the waters and quickly rescued by PCG. One of the men who required medical assistance was treated by the SCDF.

A 27-year-old man died on board a cruise ship docked in Singapore.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they received a call for assistance at Marina Bay Cruise Centre at around 6.35am on Monday (Jan 19).He was found motionless on a cruise ship and was pronounced dead at the scene by an in-house doctor.The cruise ship is believed to be Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas, which docked at the Singapore port at 6.30am according to data from CruiseMapper.No foul play is suspected based on preliminary investigations, said the police. Investigations are ongoing.AsiaOne has reached out to Royal Caribbean for additional information.[[nid:727390]]dana.leong@asiaone.com

A 59-year-old pedestrian died of his injuries in hospital after being hit by a car at Ang Mo Kio on Monday (Jan 19) night.The incident occurred at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to the accident at 8.30pm.An eyewitness who was near the accident site told AsiaOne that he was riding along the park connector network at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 when he heard a loud 'bang'.«When I looked back, the car and a man were on the HDB courtyard between Blocks 230 and 231,» he said.Other passersby also said that the man was crossing the road when the accident happened, though they are unclear of what led to it.Lois Koh, a 25-year-old enrolled nurse, told AsiaOne that she was passing by the area when she heard the collision and went to investigate.«That's why I'm a nurse, I cannot just stand there and do nothing,» she said.According to Koh, the pedestrian was «desperately trying to gasp for air» and «wasn't breathing» at one point.

The police arrested a 61-year-old man on Sunday (Jan 18) for his alleged involvement in a case of voluntarily causing grievous hurt. The police said on Monday (Jan 19) that the alleged incident took place at about 4.20pm on Sunday along Geylang Road, adding that the victim suffered severe head injuries after allegedly being punched by the man during a fight.He was identified through follow-up investigations and with the aid of police cameras.The man will be charged in court on Tuesday (Jan 20).If found guilty of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, he may be sentenced to jail of up to 10 years, and a fine or caning.editor@asiaone.com 

Lower-income households who have yet to receive public transport vouchers (PTV) for the 2025 exercise can submit their applications starting Tuesday (Jan 20).Each household with a monthly per capita household income of not more than $1,800 is eligible for the voucher, worth $60, to help defray transport costs, said the Ministry of Transport and the People's Association in a joint statement on Monday (Jan 19).Bus and train fares had increased by up to 10 cents per journey for adult commuters from Dec 27, 2025.About 300,000 households who previously received the vouchers during the 2024 PTV exercise would have been notified via post or SMS last month.Those who have not received the vouchers can apply online or visit their local Community Centres/Clubs from Jan 20 to Oct 31.Households that require additional help, including those who did not qualify based on the household income eligibility criteria, can also submit an application.

Suspected cases of gastroenteritis are being investigated after 147 students at North View Primary School (NVPS) developed symptoms last week.In a joint statement on Monday (Jan 19), the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said that students across levels were affected.They developed symptoms since Jan 13 and most have recovered as at Jan 18.One student was hospitalised on Jan 17 and discharged the next day in stable condition, said the agencies, who added that the school has been in touch with affected students and their parents.The school said that it will continue to monitor the students' well-being, and that it will work closely with SFA and CDA to investigate the incident. According to the joint statement, NVPS is not one of the 13 schools under the Central Kitchen Meal Model implemented earlier this year.Since the incident, NVPS has also taken precautionary measures including cleaning and sanitising all classrooms and common areas, and minimising whole-school gatherings.

Grab's fleet of self-driving vehicles will continue their test run in Punggol, after an autonomous shuttle operated by ComfortDelGro collided with a road divider on Saturday (Jan 17).Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said in a Facebook post on Monday (Jan 19) that the transport authorities take the safety of all road users seriously.Routes one and three of Punggol's designated shuttle services will operated by Grab and route two by ComfortDelGro.The autonomous vehicles on route one have begun community rides after it completed testing and preparatory work, travelling more than 10,000km without any incident.Sun noted that while the shuttles of both operators bear a similar colour scheme, they use different software and are of a different vehicle type.

Kidneys are vital for removing waste and toxins from our bodies. And when they fail, haemodialysis (HD), which is done at dialysis centres, has long been the option here.There's another option, peritoneal dialysis (PD), which is done in the comfort of the home and also gives kidney failure patients a better quality of life. But among patients in Singapore suitable for it, the take-up rate remains low, despite efforts to encourage its adoption.Both forms of dialysis remove waste and fluid from the body — a process that occurs naturally in healthy patients through urination. HD does it through the blood, while PD extracts them through the peritoneum, the membrane lining the abdominal wall.In Singapore, three out of four new kidney failure patients still opt for HD, where patients go to a dialysis centre three times a week for three to four hours to have their blood removed from their body, cleansed and then put back.

A woman who was recently in the spotlight for tearing down Chinese New Year decorations from the gate of a HDB flat in Boon Keng has apologised for her «spur of the moment» actions after seeing a photo of her relative pasted on the door of Lee, the flat owner. In a TikTok video on Sunday (Jan 18), she admitted that her actions were «completely not right», but explained that Lee is «not just an innocent victim» as he makes himself seem in a YouTube video he uploaded on Jan 12. 

A man was taken to hospital on Saturday (Jan 17) evening after being knocked down by a car in Sengkang.Based on dashcam footage, the accident happened at about 5.55pm at the junction of Buangkok Drive and Sengkang Central. Map showing where the approximate location of the accident on Jan 17. IMAGE: Google Maps In a video posted on TikTok, the pedestrian is seen running across the crossing when the red light comes on.Midway through, he notices a car coming from his left and tried to dodge, but to no avail.The impact sends him flying halfway across the junction before he gets up and limps towards the traffic island. He is seen clutching his left thigh.

SINGAPORE — A Canadian man quit his high-paying job in Singapore and moved back to his home country after his estranged wife applied for maintenance for herself and their four children.A warrant of arrest was issued against him after he failed to attend a court mention in January 2024.The warrant was cancelled only in December that year after he attended a court mention held via Zoom with his lawyers.He has been ordered by a district judge to pay nearly $634,000 in maintenance backdated to September 2023, when he reduced financial support to the family after he moved out to live with another woman.The sum covers the period between September 2023 and September 2025.The judge also ordered him to pay $23,500 in monthly maintenance starting from October 2024, when he started working for an employer in Canada.In a judgment dated Dec 29, 2025, District Judge Phang Hsiao Chung said that until the man started in his job in Canada, his earning capacity should be based on his income while he was employed by the Singapore employer.The man's annual income in 2023 was more than $860,000.

With the United States celebrating its 250th year of independence, its embassy here is calling for «financial contributions» from Singaporean businesses for the July 4 festivities. In a letter dated Jan 8, Ambassador Anjani Sinha wrote that the milestone is «a major White House priority», coinciding with 60 years of diplomatic relations between the US and Singapore. «Your partnership and financial contributions will help us honour the history we are proud to share and inspire us to look to future opportunities,» he said.«We are encouraging our partners to consider substantially larger gifts than in previous years in support of our 250th anniversary.»The letter was sent to members of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Singapore, which represents some 700 member companies, including American firms and global companies with US business interests. Responding to media queries, the US Embassy in Singapore said the practice of soliciting funds is in line with the practices of every American embassy worldwide.