A lone Malayan tapir was recently spotted along Lorong Halus in Pasir Ris.Eric Teo shared a video of his encounter on March 19, sharing that he was cycling when he spotted the animal.«It was skittish, foraging briefly before retreating into the forest,» he wrote in a post on Nature Society Singapore's Facebook group. «Repeated sightings point to one thing, the Serangoon River forest is its home. Should we be doing more to protect a forest this rich in diversity?»In the video, the animal can be seen being wary of Teo and walking towards the forest as he approaches.Teo shared in an interview with The Straits Times that he had spotted the animal at around 2am that day, and felt that seeing a tapir in the wild was «rarer than striking lottery». PHOTO: Screengrab/Facebook This comes after a February sighting of a tapir at the Defu industrial area near Paya Lebar.

SINGAPORE - As the global oil shock pushes pump prices at major petrol retailers well past the $3-a-litre mark, Cnergy’s stations continue to undercut the competition in what its management says is a calculated move to gain market share.By keeping its prices significantly lower than the market average – up to S$1 lower than the competition when excluding discounts – the upstart Singapore brand has triggered localised traffic jams, gained social media fame, and generated a surge of about 40 per cent in the share price of its parent company, Union Gas Holdings.But Union Gas is not relying on hedging strategies, where companies lock in oil prices months in advance to protect against market shocks, to keep pump prices down.Instead, it is absorbing the rising wholesale costs directly, engaging in an aggressive customer acquisition play that relies on volume to offset tight margins.“We make a very, very marginal profit... there are days that we really go without profits,” Union Gas chief executive Teo Hark Piang told The Business Times in an interview on Friday (Mar 20).

A private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver recently took his passenger to the police station after suspecting the latter to be on Kpods.A dashcam video of the incident was shared March 16 on TikTok, and shows a man in a hoodie stumbling around in front of an HDB block as he approaches the car.The clip then cuts to the vehicle pulling up outside a police station, where the man can be seen being dragged inside by a police officer. 

Household electricity contract renewal prices in Singapore have increased by as much as 11 per cent since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.CNA reported that on Feb 27, a day before the war began, fixed-price retail plans for residences ranged from 24.88 to 28.67 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh).By Saturday (March 21), prices increased to between 28.80 and 29.18 cents per kWh depending on plan and retailer, according to AsiaOne’s checks on the Open Electricity Market’s price comparison website.The most expensive plan was from Senoko Energy Supply, whose monthly fixed price plan rose from 25.88 cents to 29.18 cents. This is almost a 12 per cent increase.According to CNA, a four-room HDB flat consuming an average of 357 kWh of electricity per month, will pay $10.42 more for a 24-month fixed price plan from Senoko Energy.But the retailers have different promotional gifts and rebates to lower the cost.Senoko Energy offers customers up to $240 in promotional gifts and rebates, compared to the $160 bill rebares previously.

A 56-year-old woman was arrested on Tuesday (March 17) in a raid that was part of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore's (IRAS) crackdown on Goods and Services Tax (GST) refund fraud.The IRAS said in a statement on Thursday that 179 luxury watches worth over $1 million were seized for investigation.The woman allegedly created fictitious purchases, inflated transactions and used false tax invoices to support fraudulent GST refund claims.Accounting records, electronic devices and other evidence linked to the alleged offences were also seized.In all, tax investigators from the IRAS conducted raids at over 20 business and residential premises island-wide on March 17. Another seven people from other cases are assisting with investigations.IRAS said that businesses across various industries, including logistics and wholesale trade, were identified in separate GST refund fraud cases.Some of them allegedly used shell companies to facilitate fraudulent GST refund claims.IRAS added that they conduct regular audits to detect anomalous GST refund claims and ensure claims comply with GST rules.

If you've noticed a burnt smell in the air over the past few evenings and are wondering if it's the haze at work, here's why.The National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a Facebook post on Friday (March 20) evening that hotspots with smoke plumes were observed in Central Sumatra and Johor.Noting the dry and warm conditions over Singapore and the surrounding region from this weekend until the end of next week, along with prevailing winds from the northeast, NEA said that there may be an increase in hotspot activity and a «continued risk of smoke haze».Checks by AsiaOne on the agency's 1-hour PM2.5 reading at 11.30pm indicate that Singapore's air quality remains in the «normal» band.The 24-hour Pollutant Standard Index ranged from 45 to 57, within the «Good» to «Moderate» range, as at 7pm.Warmer conditions expectedDaily maximum temperatures in Singapore may reach a high of 35 to 36 deg C on some days in the coming week, NEA said.

Adele Tan Shiao Ling, deputy chief executive officer (CEO) and chief planner at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), will be appointed the authority's chief executive officer from Sept 1, said the Ministry of National Development (MND) and URA on Friday (March 20).She will take over from Lim Eng Hwee, who was appointed to the role in 2017. Tan's present roles will be taken over by Yvonne Lim Li Chuen, who is presently group director of physical planning at URA.Tan, 52, formerly chief infrastructure planning officer at MND, was appointed to her current role as deputy CEO and chief planner in June 2023. She has spent nearly 30 years in various public service portfolios across environmental sustainability, liveability, and infrastructure planning.MND and URA highlighted that Tan had steered the review of the Draft Master Plan 2025 and shaped development strategies over the next 10 to 15 years through extensive public engagement.

Four Singaporeans were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) for their suspected involvement in a murder in Johor Bahru (JB), the police said in response to media queries on Friday (March 20).Three men, aged between 23 and 29, and a 27-year-old woman were handed over to Malaysian authorities on Thursday to assist with investigations.The alleged incident happened on March 14 at JB, police said.SPF said a Malaysian court issued warrants for the arrest of the four, while the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) sent in a request for assistance.Subsequently, SPF conducted simultaneous operations island-wide on Thursday, including an operation at a residential unit at Teban Gardens Road.In a video posted to Threads, multiple police and Singapore Civil Defence Force officers can be seen stationed beneath a block in Teban Gardens beside an inflated safety life air pack.Some personnel can be seen gesturing at something above them, although it is unclear what the situation was about.

Muslims in Singapore should go beyond the community to strengthen ties across the nation's diverse society, said Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Assoc Prof Faishal Ibrahim.In his Hari Raya Aidilfitri message on Friday (March 20), he commended Muslims for working together towards the benefit of the larger community.«When we play our part with sincerity and unified purpose, we can move forward together as a community and as a nation, with one heart,» the acting minister said in Malay, citing the Malay proverb «we rise and fall together».Assoc Prof Faishal, who is also Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, delivered his message at the Jamae Chulia mosque in Chinatown. It was broadcast on television channel Suria.The wakaf mosque, built in the 1820s, sits next to Sri Mariammam temple and the Buddha Tooth Relic temple along South Bridge Road. It was designated a national monument in 1974.A wakaf is a permanent dedication by a Muslim of any movable or immovable property for any purpose recognised by the Muslim law as pious, religious or charitable.

A batch of pineapple slices sold at warehouse factory sales is being recalled after the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) detected the presence of sulphur dioxide — an allergen — in them. The food additive was not declared in the packaging label.Tai Sun (Lim Kee) Food Industries, the importer of the affected product — Pineapple Slices (400g) — has been directed to recall them, the agency said on Friday (March 20).One batch of the product — sold at Tai Sun's warehouse factory sales — with an expiry date of July 30, 2026, is being recalled.SFA said that while sulphite does not pose a food safety issue to consumers at large, those who are intolerant of, or allergic to, sulphites may either develop or experience hives, itchiness, stomach ache, diarrhoea, or vomiting.Those who have purchased the affected product, and are intolerant of or allergic to sulphites, should not consume them. They may contact their point of purchase for enquiries.Persons who have consumed the product should seek medical advice if they have concerns about their health. 

Flights between Singapore and Dubai have been cancelled until April 30, according to an advisory by Singapore Airlines (SIA) on Friday (March 20).The airline explained that two flights —SQ494 from Singapore to Dubai and SQ495 from Dubai to Singapore — have been cancelled in light of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East.«As the situation remains fluid, other SIA flights may be affected,» the national carrier added, advising customers to visit its flight status page for information about their flights.This follows multiple flight cancellations from both SIA and Scoot since US and Israel started the war against Iran on Feb 28.Flights had previously been projected to resume on March 28.Those affected by the flight cancellations can either seek a full refund of the unused portion of their ticket or accept re-accommodation on alternative flights.Customers who made bookings through travel agents or partner airlines are also advised to contact the relevant parties for assistance.SIA also apologised to affected customers for the inconvenience caused.

About 600,000 Singtel users faced mobile connectivity problems on Monday (March 16) after a «mechanical fault» occurred at one of its network facilities, reported The Straits Times.A day later on Tuesday (March 17), some customers experienced connectivity issues again.CEO of Singtel Singapore Ng Tian Chong has apologised for the service disruptions, according to media reports.«We know how important it is to stay connected and recognise the impact these incidents may have had on our customers. This should not have happened. We sincerely apologise,» he was quoted as saying.According to Ng, the March 16 outage started from about 10.30am and needed reconfiguration, «which took time to fully take effect».4G services for affected customers were restored by about 1.30pm and full 5G service was restored at around 8pm.Singtel had earlier said there was «no evidence» to suggest it was a cyber-related event.