A 70-year-old man died after reportedly falling into the sea while unloading cargo off Pulau Ubin on Wednesday (July 1). The deceased, identified as Huang Laiming (transliteration), was a boatman and had been transporting construction supplies to Pulau Ubin on behalf of a contractor, according to Chinese publication 8world. He had reportedly finished unloading the cargo and was standing at the front of a boat when he lost his balance and fell into the sea. He then struck his head on a rock in the water and later died from his injuries.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted at about 2pm to the incident at 91 Loyang Way, which is the address of both the Police Coast Guard's Loyang Base and the Loyang Marine Fire Post.The deceased was retrieved from the waters and taken unconscious to Changi General Hospital, where he later died, the authorities said. Boatman for over 10 yearsOne of the deceased's younger brothers, Huang, told the Chinese news outlet that he learned of the accident after receiving a call from workers at the scene. 

Pek Kio resident Uncle Thien, famed for using twigs to create portraits on walkways, has died at 83.The retiree was a familiar face around the neighbourhood, often choosing to work on his art in the vicinity of Block 44 Owen Road.MP Alvin Tan, who oversees the Moulmein-Cairnhill division of Tanjong Pagar GRC, paid tribute to the talented twig artist on social media on Thursday (July 2).Uncle Thien was «happiest» when he assembled figures out of twigs in a quiet public spot, said Tan, who first met the elderly man in 2020.«Uncle Thien is dear to us in Pek Kio. He was unwell recently and passed on yesterday (July 1)...Attended his wake today and met his family who told us how he felt so at home here with us,» he added.«We will miss him.» 

Singapore will open up selected sectors and occupations to Timor-Leste workers next year, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on Friday (July 3), during his two-day official visit to the country.Describing it as a «win-win initiative», PM Wong said at the joint press conference with his Timor-Leste counterpart Xanana Gusmao that this will be a valuable partnership for both sides. «(It will allow) Timorese people to gain skills and work experience, and then come back eventually to contribute to Timor-Leste. At the same time, it helps to meet the manpower needs of Singapore in selected sectors,» he explained.The prime minister also pointed out that the move goes beyond being an economic initiative, and could build closer people-to-people ties and business-to-business exchanges, thereby facilitating further cooperation in future.Echoing the point, Timor-Leste PM Gusmao highlighted that human resources is one of the «greatest challenges» faced by the developing country.

Shell on Thursday (July 2) posted fuel prices adjustments twice as Caltex and Sinopec caught up with price changes.In a second price board update at 6pm, Shell announced a 7-cent reduction to its diesel price, following an earlier 5-cent drop across its petrol offerings at 9am.Caltex's subsequent 5-cent reduction across its petrol offerings and 7-cent drop on its diesel offering was followed by Sinopec's 5-cent reduction across its petrol  offerings.But Sinopec kept its diesel price unchanged.Following the latest round of adjustments, the price of the more popular 95-octane petrol now ranges from $2.59 at Cnergy to $3.42 at Esso and SPC.Meanwhile, the price of diesel ranges from $2.58 at Smart Energy to $4.12 at Esso. 

SINGAPORE — A police officer who unlawfully accessed his workplace computer systems and shared his findings with a friend was sentenced to a year and four months' jail on July 2.Shivasuria Maniam Kesaval, 29, was a Traffic Police (TP) investigation officer at the time of the offences, and his friend, Brayden Ong Ying Shan, 25, was the subject of a police report.Ong later made a death threat against the woman who had reported him to the authorities.After a trial, Shivasuria was convicted of four counts of misusing a computer system and one count of an offence under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).District Judge Lim Tse Haw also found Ong guilty of criminal intimidation and an offence under the OSA.On July 2, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin told the court that Ong had fled the country by boat on June 2 following his conviction. There is now a warrant of arrest against him.A review on the matter will take place on July 14.In an earlier statement, the police said that Shivasuria was suspended in August 2022.

A total of 230 suspects believed to have been involved in scams as scammers or money mules were rounded up in a police dragnet between June 18 and July 1.The suspects — 159 men and 71 women — are aged between 16 and 77.They are believed to have been involved in more than 713 scam cases, with victims losing around $9 million.The cases comprised mainly e-commerce scams, friend impersonation scams, job scams, government official impersonation scams, investment scams and rental scams, said the police in a media release on Tuesday (July 2).The suspects are being investigated for the offences of cheating, money laundering or providing payment services without a licence.The two-week police operation was conducted by the police's Commercial Affairs Department and all seven land divisions.The offence of cheating is punishable by up to 10 years' jail and a fine.Money laundering carries a penalty of up to 10 years' imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $500,000.Carrying on a business to provide any type of payment service without a license is punishable by a fine of up to $125,000 and/or up to three years' jail.

Worried about taking the wrong train when the Circle Line (CCL) finally becomes a completed circle on July 12?Finding your way is «easier than you think», the Land Transport Authority (LTA) assured commuters on Thursday (July 2), as it has improved the digital displays at stations based on public feedback.By using a bigger font and removing service icons, the wayfinding display systems will show more prominently the next interchange or terminal station of a train.The interchange stations — there are 12 in total — and terminal stations act as markers to indicate the direction the train goes, and are key to having a smooth journey on the CCL.

All four public healthcare apps will be consolidated under an enhanced HealthHub app by November this year.The consolidated app — which brings together the current HealthHub, NHG Health, NUHS, and SingHealth Health Buddy apps — will offer a seamless way to access public healthcare services digitally, said Senior Minister of State for Health Tan Kiat How on Thursday (July 2).«Today, many Singaporeans still navigate different healthcare applications, different logins, and different ways of accessing care. We can do better,» Tan said.He added that bringing all four apps together makes healthcare «easier to understand, easier to navigate, and easier to participate in».Tan was speaking at NHG Health's 10th Centre for Healthcare Innovation Innovate Conference 2026.In a joint press release the same day, national healthtech agency Synapxe along with the three public healthcare clusters — NHG Health, SingHealth and NUHS — said the consolidated HealthHub app will create a simplified pathway for accessing public healthcare services and allow residents to manage their healthcare needs conveniently in one app instead of navigating multiple platforms.

Singapore will reduce the maximum period that timber scaffolds can remain in use from the current 9 months to 3 months, starting Jan 1 next year, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng announced on Thursday (July 2).The move is part of an ongoing scaffold fire safety review by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), including fire performance requirements for scaffold nettings.In a separate statement on Thursday, the ministry said the reduced duration will mitigate fire risks arising from the prolonged presence of combustible timber materials, particularly in environments involving hot works.It added that this will also address safety concerns associated with the deterioration of timber over time due to weather exposure, wear and tear, and mechanical damage, which could compromise structural integrity.«Shortening the permissible duration promotes regular renewal and replacement of scaffold materials, reduces the likelihood of undetected defects, and encourages the adoption of more durable, non-combustible scaffold systems such as steel, aluminium and metal modular scaffold systems,» MOM explained.