SINGAPORE - The impact of the Iran war has so far been relatively contained in Singapore, with no emergency measures or work-from-home orders, unlike in many countries around the world.The Government has yet to dip into its energy stockpiles of liquified natural gas and diesel, which are enough to last for months, although it has warned of a “bumpier ride ahead”.But the conflict, which has driven up energy costs, has seeped into daily life here, prompting the authorities to take action to ease the burden.

With just about four years to go before the first phase of Singapore’s eighth MRT line — the Cross Island Line (CRL) — commences service in 2030, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow has given the public a preview of the CR151 trains to be used on the line. He posted the photos of the trains on his Facebook yesterday (April 2).Siow, who is also Senior Minister of State for Finance, was in China for the annual Singapore-Shandong Business Council meeting, which he co-chaired with Shandong Governor Zhou Naixiang.A total of 10 agreements covering areas of mutual interest such as trade and connectivity, green economy, and modern services, were inked between Singapore and Shandong companies during the meeting.The acting minister also met up with Singaporean businesses based in Jinan to understand their current business priorities. Visit to Qingdao rail depotHe also took time to visit Qingdao rail depot on Thursday (April 2), to understand their latest rail technologies. 

Long queues were reported at Woodlands Checkpoint on Good Friday (April 3) morning as thousands of Malaysians who work here made their way home ahead of the long weekend, which coincides with Qing Ming Festival.The traditional Chinese festival, also known as tomb sweeping day, falls on Sunday (April 5) this year, and is dedicated to honouring and remembering ancestors and loved ones who have died.From around midnight, social media was abuzz with commuters sharing scenes of huge crowds waiting for buses to cross the Causeway after they have cleared Singapore's immigration.Some Malaysians reported taking four hours to complete their journeys from Queen Street bus terminal to across the Causeway. Others showed screenshots of their WhatsApp chats with family members spanning more than an hour as they waited in the bus queues.'Endless night'Several posts also show hundreds of people standing nearly shoulder-to-shoulder as they wait for buses. Tee Han Long, who shared a short video of the situation at the bus waiting area wrote: «This too shall pass.» 

A 46-year-old male driver was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol in a case of hit-and-run on Good Friday (April 3) morning.The incident happened at about 12.40am at the junction of Serangoon North Avenue 1 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3. Map showing where the accident happened. INFOGRAPHIC: AsiaOne (Map and street view from Google Maps) Ground checks by AsiaOne show that road diversions are in place along the busy stretch of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 due to the ongoing Cross Island Line construction. Videos of the incident sent to AsiaOne show a motorcycle fallen on its side at the rightmost lane of the road, with a motorcyclist seen sitting up against a safety barricade.

There was no reprieve for motorists and commercial diesel vehicle owners here as pump prices continued to rise a second consecutive day on Good Friday (April 3).In the wake of three fuel companies — Caltex, Shell and SPC — raising their respective diesel and petrol prices on Thursday, China-headquartered oil and chemical company Sinopec mirrored their moves on Friday.It raised petrol prices by 5 cents across its petrol offerings, while raising its posted price for diesel by 30 cents.But that's not all. Caltex also doubled-down on its diesel hike — raising its posted price by a further 20 cents, barely a day after posting a 10-cent increase.This means that Caltex has raised its diesel price by 30 cents a litre in just two calendar days.As of 1pm on April 3, Esso is the only major fuel company here which has yet to join the petrol price hike.

The man suspected of murdering a 70-year-old man in Geylang on March 9 was taken back to the crime scene by the police on Friday (April 3) morning.Ong Hou Cheong, 48, arrived at Lorong 16 Geylang at about 9.15am in an unmarked police van, dressed in a red polo shirt, navy blue shorts and clear slippers.The Singaporean, who was restrained around his ankles and wrists, was escorted by four police investigators.They were met by other investigators and crime scene specialists at the scene. Ong, who appeared stoic, spent about 20 minutes answering questions from police investigators. 

A teen in Singapore has been arrested for licking a straw from an iJooz machine and placing it back.iJooz is a popular smart vending machine that provides freshly squeezed orange juice in locations across Singapore.The 18-year-old, who is said to be studying in Essec Business School, filmed himself committing the act and posted the video on what appears to be Snapchat.The clip went viral on Instagram last month and he was arrested yesterday (April 2).In response to AsiaOne’s queries, police confirmed that a report was lodged and the teen has been arrested for public nuisance. Police investigations are ongoing.iJooz said that they've launched an investigation into the incident and have filed a police report, according to Lianhe Zaobao. The company said it has implemented additional internal checks, inspections, straw replacements, and machine sanitation protocols, reported CNA.[[nid:729504]]syarifahsn@asiaone.comNo part of this article can be reproduced without AsiaOne’s permission.

SINGAPORE - Rides on Tada and Gojek will soon cost more as the two ride-hailing operators announced an increase in a surcharge to defray fuel expenses for their drivers.This follows a similar move by Grab on March 31, when the platform announced an increase of its current 50-cent fee to 90 cents effective from April 7, spurred by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.Fuel prices across the world have been surging due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas.In e-mails sent to users on April 3, both Tada and Gojek announced their temporary fare increases from 50 cents to at least 90 cents for all trips, with both clarifying that the full fee goes to drivers to help them cope with the rising cost of fuel. The new fees will kick in from April 10 to May 31.Tada’s fees, however, will see a further increase to $1.20 for trips costing $18.10 or more. Tada also said that it has provided a one-time support payout of $40 on March 20 to selected drivers.

A 16-year-old teenager is among 82 people under police investigations for their alleged involvement in unlicensed moneylending activities.Police said in a news release on Thursday (April 2) night that they conducted an enforcement operation against unlicensed moneylending activities from March 25 to 31.The operation saw officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and the seven police land divisions conduct raids across Singapore.Preliminary investigations revealed that eight persons had allegedly harassed debtors at their residences.Also under investigation are 14 individuals believed to have acted as runners, assisting in unlicensed moneylending activities by carrying out Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transfers.The remaining 60 people allegedly opened bank accounts, provided ATM cards and personal identification numbers, as well as internet banking tokens to illegal moneylenders to facilitate their unlicensed activities.Police investigations against all 82 individuals are ongoing.

Petrol prices in Singapore returned to their recent record high on Thursday (April 2) as Caltex, Shell and SPC became the first fuel companies here to raise petrol prices again.Both Caltex and SPC raised petrol prices by 5 cents — across their respective petrol offerings — while increasing their diesel price by 10 cents and 20 cents respectively. Meanwhile, Shell raised its posted prices for petrol by 6 cents. It also raised diesel price by another 20 cents.Their moves continued the recent trend of diesel price hikes, but also reversed a respite for petrol customers — lasting a grand total of nine days. In comparison, pump prices have been on the rise since March 4.

A social media post by the Singapore Police Force's Hougang Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) on April Fool's Day is going viral, racking up over 270,000 views in just over a day.The video features Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Benjamin Cheah, a ground response force team leader at the NPC, literally «scamming» viewers thrice-in-a-row to send home the message that encounters online may not be what they appear to be.ASP Cheah, 35, who appeared to be holding a mug at the start of the video, showed that it was actually another person doing so. He went on to demonstrate that even a seemingly real voice talking to another person, may again turn out otherwise.Finally, ASP Cheah revealed that the «person» seen in the video since the start was actually his reflection in the mirror.But these mirrors the anatomy of a love scam where scammers look to befriend individuals who are seeking genuine relationships via dating websites or social media.

With the resumption of crow shooting operations since late-March, the National Parks Board (NParks) has introduced safety measures to ensure public safety.In a statement on Thursday (April 2), it said that these include cordoned-off zones with signages, as well as working with stakeholders to inform the public on the location and timing of the operations.The shooters, who are wildlife management contractors engaged by NParks, are also required to ensure that the trajectory of the shotgun pellets is always directed upwards. Signages put up by NParks during a crow shooting operation on April 2.PHOTO: AsiaOne/Shafiq Apandi A 25-minute shooting operation was witnessed by reporters at a heavy vehicle carpark in Jurong on Thursday.

Mediacorp on Thursday (April 2) unveiled its subscription plans for the 2026 World Cup — keeping rates unchanged from 2022 — despite airing 40 more matches as the participating teams go up from 32 to 48.It will be co-hosted across Canada, Mexico and the US from June 12 to July 20.Those who sign up between Thursday and April 30 can enjoy an early bird price of $98. Thereafter, the standard rate of $118 applies.Explaining its rationale for the price freeze, Angeline Poh, chief customer officer at Mediacorp, said that this is the «right thing to do» for Singapore football fans.The 2026 World Cup is the most expansive edition to date, featuring a record 48 teams and 104 matches.Mediacorp's mewatch subscribers will be able to start watching immediately once they sign up, and stream on their existing preferred devices such as smart televisions, tablets and smartphones.

Petrol prices in Singapore returned to their recent record high on Thursday (April 2) as Caltex and SPC became the first fuel companies here to raise petrol prices again.They raised petrol prices by 5 cents — across their respective petrol offerings — while increasing their diesel price by 10 cents and 20 cents respectively.Their moves continued the recent trend of diesel price hikes, but also reversed a respite for petrol customers — lasting a grand total of nine days. In comparison, pump prices have been on the rise since March 4.Petrol prices in Singapore fell between March 22 and 24, with fuel companies here taking turns to drop prices by 5 cents; except for Shell which adjusted its posted prices for petrol downwards by a total of 7 cents — over two adjustments.

Fourteen people aged between 27 and 67 are under police investigation for their alleged involvement in illegal activities in Geylang.The police said in a statement on Thursday (April 2) that the 10 men and four women were arrested during a series of enforcement operations conducted from March 1 to 7 to clamp down on the likes of illegal gambling, the sale of unregistered health products and drug-related activities.Led by Bedok Police Division, the agencies involved are: Criminal Investigation Department, Central Narcotics Bureau, Health Sciences Authority, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Singapore Customs, Land Transport Authority and Singapore Food Agency.On March 1, four men aged between 33 and 61 were arrested for alleged illegal online gambling activities. Cash amounting to $1,700 and various gambling-related items were seized.