A Singapore-registered container ship, Nawata Bhum, struck a river embankment along the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, while en route to Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, on Wednesday (Aug 12).Videos of the incident posted on social media show the container-laden ship heading directly towards the riverbank. The ship does not appear to slow down or alter course before the collision.The ship's horn can be heard sounding repeatedly as it approaches the riverbank. Moments later, the ship's bow becomes lodged in the embankment. Based on the footage reviewed by AsiaOne, there were no other vessels in the ship's immediate path at the time of the incident.The road running alongside the embankment also appeared deserted, with no visible damage from the collision apart from affected vegetation.Checks by AsiaOne on vessel-tracking platform MarineTraffic showed the vessel making a right turn north of Latpatia at around 10.26am (India time).Its declared next port of call was Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, formerly known as Kolkata Port.

Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh has been struck off the roll of advocates and solicitors.He had arrived at the Supreme Court on Thursday (Aug 13) morning at 9.37am for a disciplinary hearing initiated by the Law Society of Singapore.This is over his conviction for giving false evidence under oath. Singh's appeal against the conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee in 2021 was dismissed by the High Court last December.He had earlier told the media scrum: «No questions.»His case was heard before the Court of Three Judges, comprising Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Justice Kannan Ramesh and Justice See Kee Oon.Chief Justice Menon said in court on Thursday that it is not disputed that the offence Singh was convicted of involved dishonesty, reported CNA.Singh was represented by Peter Low Chambers lawyers, Peter Low, Elaine Low and Senior Counsel Chelva Retnam Rajah. LawSoc is represented by a team from Drew & Napier, led by Senior Counsel Cavinder Bull.

Eligible Singaporeans will be receiving between $400 and $600 in cash as part of the Enhanced Budget 2026 cost-of-living special payment in September.In a press release on Thursday (Aug 13), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said that over 2.4 million Singaporeans will be eligible for the payment, which will be automatically credited from Sept 9.The cost-of-living payment, announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong earlier in March, previously ranged from $200 to $400 in cash but was increased in light of the impact of the Middle East conflict on Singapore's economy, Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow said in Parliament on April 7.The payment is meant to help Singapore citizens with their living expenses, with more assistance provided for lower-income individuals, said MOF.Singapore citizens aged 21 and older in 2026, who own no more than one property will be eligible for the payment. Also, they must not have an assessable income in the year of assessment 2025 that exceeds $100,000 and reside in Singapore.

Students and staff in Xinmin Secondary School were evacuated after the school was alerted to a bomb threat on Thursday morning (Aug 13).The Hougang school shared in a message to parents and guardians that they had been notified of the threat and subsequently evacuated the premises at around 8.30am, The Straits Times reported.«The police conducted a thorough search of our premises and no suspicious items were found,» said the school.All staff and students were accounted for, the message also stated.The students have reportedly resumed classes after returning to their classrooms.AsiaOne has contacted Xinmin Secondary School and the police for more information.[[nid:739933]]khooyihang@asiaone.com

Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh has arrived at the Supreme Court on Thursday (Aug 13) morning at 9.37am for a disciplinary hearing concerning the Law Society of Singapore's bid to strike him off the rolls.This is over his conviction for giving false evidence under oath. Singh's appeal against the conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee in 2021 was dismissed by the High Court last December.Singh tells the media scrum: «No questions.»The Court of Three Judges, which has the power to disbar or suspend a lawyer, will hear the disciplinary proceedings.Singh, who is an MP for Aljunied GRC, is a non-practising lawyer.According to the Singapore Courts' hearing list, the proceedings — scheduled to take place at 10am on Thursday — will be heard by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Justice Kannan Ramesh and Justice See Kee Oon.The nature of the hearing is described as «disciplinary proceedings for advocates and solicitors of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Singapore».

A 23-year-old Malaysian man was arrested on Tuesday (Aug 11) for his alleged involvement in scams after he was found with fake inking instruments and employee passes at Woodlands Checkpoint.Police said on Wednesday night that he was directed by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers (ICA) to undergo enhanced checks at Woodlands Checkpoint's bus arrival hall.There, ICA  officers found fake stamps bearing the emblems of the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Home Affairs.Several fake employee passes bearing his photograph were also found on him.Investigations have since established that he had not worked for any of the organisations whose passes were found on him.According to the police, such counterfeit passes and official-looking instruments are tactics commonly employed by scammers to lend credibility to their operations, deceiving victims into believing they are dealing with representatives of a legitimate organisation.He will be charged in court on Thursday with the offence of making or possessing a counterfeit instrument with intent to commit forgery.

Malaysian authorities rescued two Singaporeans in Johor Bahru (JB) on Tuesday (Aug 11) after they were allegedly kidnapped and held for ransom.One of them, a 33-year-old Singaporean fugitive wanted for breaching parole for a drug offence, had been hiding in Malaysia for three months before being kidnapped, reported The Star. The police discovered this after rescuing him and his 28-year-old Singaporean girlfriend, said Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director M. Kumar on Wednesday.Six Malaysians, including the mastermind, aged between 32 and 46, have been arrested, according to local media reports. Five of the suspects reportedly have criminal records, while four of them tested positive for drugs. The two victims also tested positive for meth and are currently in police custody, reported New Straits Times (NST). The police also seized an array of items, including ransom money and items totalling RM264,440 (S$82,800), said Kumar 

Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was willing to listen to the views of younger ministers, and would ask for alternatives to be put up should there be a disagreement on views, said former deputy prime minister S. Jayakumar on Wednesday (Aug 15) at the launch of his book.Titled Creating Three Unique Singapore Laws: An Inside Story, Prof Jayakumar's book provides an insider's account of how the elected presidency (EP), Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMP) and Group Representation Constituencies (GRC) were conceived, debated and established through constitutional amendment.Addressing common misconceptions about decision-making in Lee Kuan Yew's Cabinet, Prof Jayakumar wrote in his book: «But, contrary to prevailing myths, especially in the mid-1980s, he was not a dictatorial prime minister who railroaded his proposals through a meek, compliant Cabinet. »Instead, he took a collegial approach, consistent with the principle of collective responsibility in a Cabinet government.”

Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday (Aug 12) warned members of the public of the presence of fake websites impersonating seven Home Team agencies and itself. The seven Home Team agencies are: the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Singapore Prison Service (SPS), Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX), and Home Team Academy (HTA).In a statement posted on its Facebook page, MHA said that HTX has detected over 500 such fake websites, adding that steps were taken to take them down, with all identified websites removed by Tuesday.The ministry said the fake websites replicated the official branding and publicly available content from its website and that of the seven agencies.«(This) could have potentially misled members of the public into believing that they were accessing official MHA or Home Team agency websites,» it said.

The three institutions — elected presidency (EP), Group Representation Constituency (GRC), and Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMP) — are unique to Singapore and have stood the test of time to serve the country well, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Speaking at the launch of a new book, titled «Creating Three Unique Singapore Laws: An Inside Story», by former Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Tanglin on Wednesday (Aug 12), SM Lee noted that the true test of these institutions was how well they would work out in practice through the years, and across successive governments.He said that in evaluating them, the overriding concern must always be about what is in Singapore's long-term interests, and what will maintain a stable and well-functioning political system in Singapore. «And from that point of view, I am happy that all three have worked out well in practice. The institutions that Mr Lee and his team created have stood the test of time,» SM Lee added.

At 19, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Engineering Scholarship recipient Choo Le Xuan has already overcome a major hurdle to a career with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).The Hwa Chong Institution graduate was initially medically classified PES E9 due to her autoimmune condition that was diagnosed in primary school, but she was determined to pursue a career in the armed forces.After her condition stabilised, she was eventually upgraded to PES B1.Spending six years with the National Cadet Corps at Hwa Chong had already sparked her interest in a career in defence, but it was an internship with the RSN's Engineering and Logistics Department that cemented her resolve.Through that experience, she saw first-hand how engineering and innovation help keep naval platforms operational.“When you see people who speak with such a spark in their eyes, where they really love their job, where they are really passionate about what they do, I think that was my biggest takeaway," Choo told AsiaOne.

Grab on Wednesday (Aug 12) launched a new customised rider safety programme to help its food delivery riders stay safe while navigating their everyday work.The programme — named «GrabAcademy RideSafe 2026» — is designed specifically for food delivery riders and was launched in partnership with the Riding Safety Association of Singapore (RSAS) and the National Delivery Champions Association.It was officiated by Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash.In a media statement on the same day, Grab said that while motorcyclists would have learnt the fundamentals of safe riding while obtaining their motorcycle licences, delivery riders operate in a «different environment» from most road users.Its programme is therefore designed to address the everyday demands of delivery work, including riding with loaded delivery bags, managing frequently stop-start journeys, and navigating tight spaces on Singapore's busy roads.Practical safe-riding tipsThe curriculum focuses on the situations delivery riders encounter every day and the techniques needed to ride safely and confidently, Grab said.

A 26-year-old man will be charged on Thursday (Aug 13) for various offences, including allegedly operating five illegal massage parlours, the police said on Wednesday.Several enforcement operations were conducted on massage parlours islandwide between June and December 2025.Preliminary investigations revealed that he had allegedly operated these outlets at Little India, Beach Road, Macpherson Road, Serangoon Garden and Balestier Road. Investigations also revealed that he was allegedly involved in two other cases.In October 2021, he allegedly caused a fire after dropping a lit cigarette from the fourth floor of a building along Admiralty Street .In September 2024, he allegedly provided his bank account details to a criminal syndicate for $500. The account was later used for scam operations.If convicted of operating unlicensed massage parlours, he can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to two years, or both, and for causing or contributing to the risk of dangerous fire, he can be jailed for up to 18 months, fined, or both.

Homegrown transport giant ComfortDelGro (CDG) on Wednesday (Aug 12) announced the rebranding of its electric vehicle charging business as CDG Energy.The move follows the acquisition of the remaining stakes of its former joint venture, CDG Engie, and its evolution to an integrated energy management company, expanding beyond electric vehicle (EV) charging, the group said in a statement.CDG Energy's charging network now comprises 2,600 charging points across 800 locations in Singapore and Malaysia, with further expansion planned for as EV adoption accelerates in the region, it added.Touching on its next phase of business growth, CDG said it is broadening its focus to include supporting customers’ evolving electrification and energy management needs.CDG Energy said its fleet electrification and smart energy solutions can help customers use energy more efficiently, improve operations and reduce carbon emissions.ComfortDelGro's group CEO and managing director Cheng Siak Kian, noting the increasing interconnectedness between mobility and energy, said that CDG Energy represents «a natural extension» of the group's broader mobility ecosystem.