A «fast-growing» dengue cluster with 135 cases so far has been detected in the Countryside Road/Lentor Avenue area, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Tuesday (July 7).And with Singapore currently in the traditional peak dengue season, there are currently a total of 17 dengue clusters, of which seven are located in the Yio Chu Kang and Seletar-Serangoon area.Just last week alone, 131 dengue cases were reported, a rise of 12 cases from the previous week, said NEA in a statement. According to the agency's website, there have been 1,311 dengue cases in the first 26 weeks of the year.NEA added in its statement that it is stepping up inspections and vector control operations.For the cluster in the Countryside Road/Lentor Avenue area, multiple rounds of inspections have detected mosquito breeding in various receptacles such containers, flowerpot plates and bins. In all, 86 breeding habitats were found, of which 69 were in homes, 15 in common areas and two at construction sites.

The number of fires at coffee shops has remained largely constant between 2021 and 2025, with about 15 to 19 cases recorded annually, said Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam on Tuesday (July 7).Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, was responding to a parliamentary question from Workers' Party (WP) MP Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC), who asked if coffee shop fires at Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks are an area of increasing concern.She also asked if fire standards at coffee shops are monitored by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).In his written reply, Shanmugam stated that food and beverage establishments, including coffee shops, are subject to a suite of requirements under the Fire Code.These include measures to reduce the risk of a fire from cooking-related activities, and to ensure the safety of people in the coffee shop during a fire, he explained.The SCDF also carries out enforcement checks, in the form of both scheduled visits and unannounced inspections based on feedback, to ensure compliance.In addition, annual fire safety checks are conducted at coffee shops by HDB.

Singapore is setting aside $800 million over the next five years as part of efforts to unlock new possibilities to transform the transport ecosystem so as to strengthen its global connectivity and competitiveness.The planned investment, under the National Research Foundation's Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2030, was announced by Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow in Parliament on Tuesday (July 7), as he spoke in support of a motion on reinforcing Singapore's position as a global transport hub.Explaining the impetus, Siow noted that transport is one of Singapore's largest economic sectors, contributing about a tenth of its gross domestic product (GDP), and 7 per cent of jobs held by Singaporeans. The sector keeps people and goods moving by air, land and sea.«Transport is the foundation on which our economy is built,» Siow said, as he recapped the Economic Strategy Review's recommendation that Singapore must further strengthen its role as a connected global hub.

Five workers had previously filed unpaid wage claims against KPA Engineering in 2025, prior to the incident on June 22 when over 100 migrant workers approached the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), said Dr Tan See Leng.In a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday (July 7), the Minister for Manpower said MOM has an existing framework to proactively monitor salary-related risks and protect workers.He was responding to questions raised by Yio Chu Kang SMC MP Yip Hon Weng and Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Choo Pei Ling.Dr Tan referenced the recent incident involving 407 workers from KPA Engineering, SK Industries, and VVR Plant Engineering, who approached MOM and the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) with long-term unpaid salary claims.

Over the past three years, about 85 per cent of full-time national servicemen (NSFs) transport operators attained their civilian driving licence, said Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing on Tuesday (July 7).Chan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Public Services, was replying to a parliamentary question by Workers' Party MP Kenneth Tiong (Aljunied GRC), who asked for the number of NSFs who get civilian driving licences through NS annually.The first-term MP also asked if the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) would consider extending driver training and civilian licensing to NSFs in vocations with periods of low operational activity, and whether those who pass their Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) driving test can convert their qualification on the same probationary terms as new civilian drivers, in lieu of the mileage requirement tied to licence conversion.In his reply, the defence minister reiterated that NSFs' priority must be their military duties and operational training so as to meet the SAF's operational requirements.

Hundreds of drones will take flight inside the National Stadium as NDP 2026 stages its first-ever indoor drone show, alongside the largest special effects and lighting presentation in the parade's history. Singaporeans can expect several NDP firsts this year, said the NDP 2026 Executive Committee.Some 300 drones will perform in synchrony with electronic music artist Jasmine Sokko and two aerialists suspended 30m above the stadium floor.  a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } The show will also feature more than 170 special effects machines — more than double the scale of previous NDPs — alongside an expanded lighting system with the largest deployment of moving lights and lasers to date, comprising more than 1,600 moving lights and approximately 50 lasers.The parade and ceremony segment will feature 32 contingents and the largest civilian parade participation in more than a decade.

Drivers who intentionally use their vehicles to endanger others and cause death or grievous hurt may face harsher penalties, if amendments to traffic laws are passed.The Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday (July 7) by Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann, proposing several amendments to the law.Aside from harsher penalties to drivers for dangerous or careless driving, the Bill also includes stepping up enforcement for the holding of mobile devices while driving and lowering alcohol level limits for drink-driving.According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), traffic fatality rates have risen by about 24 per cent between 2021 and 2025, while traffic violations have gone up by around 38 per cent in the same period.Presently, drivers that deliberately endanger another person using a vehicle and causing death can only be convicted for murder or culpable homicide if it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that he intended to kill, or knew that his actions are likely to cause death.

«Ministers have no time to watch movies.»That was Acting Culture, Community and Youth Minister David Neo's quip in Parliament on July 7, after Workers' Party MP Kenneth Tiong asked whether ministers had watched either the Teochew or Mandarin-dubbed version of Chinese hit film Dear You.While Neo's quip drew laughs in the House, the exchange came amid a wider, more serious discussion involving Singapore's decades-old restrictions on dialect content.In the latest Parliament sitting on July 7, the government's bilingual policy was one of the key topics that MPs raised questions about.Dear You, which became a box-office hit in mainland China, is a drama that follows a man who travels to Thailand to search for his lost-long grandfather. The film's limited Teochew-language screenings have sparked public pushback for the film to be screened in its original dialect for its commercial release, instead of its Mandarin-dubbed version, on account of the Government's bilingual policy.Tiong and Neo were among 11 members of the House who voiced their opinions on Dear You.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has approved 272 screenings of the Teochew version of Dear You and will consider approving more if the film distributor applies for additional screenings to meet audience demand.Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, shared this in Parliament on Tuesday (July 7) while responding to questions from MPs about IMDA's decision to screen the Mandarin-dubbed version, instead of its original Teochew version, on account of the Government's bilingual policy.«Guidelines on language use in media are implemented by IMDA. They support the Government's longstanding policy to promote Mandarin as one of four official languages, and have generally served us well,» the senior minister of state said, as he explained the authority's initial decision.But he also acknowledged that Singapore's language environment has evolved, pointing to how IMDA has exercised greater flexibility to allow more dialect content in films each year.The authority is reviewing the current film classification framework with respect to the use of dialect in films. 

A 29-year-old motorcyclist was taken to the hospital after crashing into a concrete wall along the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) on Sunday (5 July) morning.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said it was alerted to the accident at about 6.35am. The incident occurred along the KPE in the direction of the Marina Coastal Expressway, before the Nicoll Highway exit.According to the police, the motorcycle was believed to have skidded on its own.Dashcam footage posted on Facebook page, Roads SG, show the motorcyclist travelling in the left lane before moving into the centre lane to overtake a car. After completing the manoeuvre, the motorcyclist returned to the left lane but appeared to lose control and veered into the concrete wall.The impact caused both the rider and the motorcycle to fall onto the road. The motorcycle then skidded across the lanes, coming to a stop some distance away from the rider, while the rider rolled towards the road shoulder.The Singapore Civil Defence Force told AsiaOne that one person was taken conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:739670]]

A 52-year-old man was taken to hospital after a car believed to have self-skidded along Balestier Road plunged into a roadside drain on Sunday (July 5).Footage of the aftermath shared on social media show a silver sedan lodged in a roadside drain along a slip road leading to an expressway.Police officers and ambulances were also seen present at the scene.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to an accident involving a car believed to have self-skidded along Balestier Road at about 8.20pm.The accident occurred at a slip road leading to the Central Expressway towards the Ayer Rajah Expressway, said the police.A 52-year-old male passenger was taken conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. SCDF said another person was assessed for minor injuries but declined to be taken to the hospital.A 56-year-old male car driver is assisting with ongoing police investigations. [[nid:739625]]xingying.koh@asiaone.com

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) foiled an attempt to smuggle 3,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore via a Malaysia-registered lorry, according to a Facebook post on July 7.In the post, ICA said search and examination officers at Tuas Checkpoint directed a lorry for enhanced checks and found duty-unpaid cigarettes within the cargo consignment on June 26.ICA officers seized the cigarettes and arrested the 40-year-old Malaysian driver in connection with the case. The suspect and all exhibits have been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.ICA reaffirmed its commitment to «facilitating trade and travel while keeping Singapore’s borders safe and secure».[[nid:739028]]laili.abdeen@asiaone.com

Errant cyclists and unsafe riding behaviour is in the spotlight again after a group of cyclists was caught on dashcam footage riding through at least two red lights in Pasir Ris on Sunday (July 5).Footage of the incident posted by TikTok user Zan M shows a group of at least seven cyclists riding along Pasir Ris Drive 3 at about 9.30am.They were first spotted running a red light at the junction outside Pasir Ris Bus Interchange, where pedestrians were crossing with the lights in their favour.Meanwhile, two buses waiting to make a right turn had to make a narrower turn to keep a safe distance from the group.Moments later, the same group is seen again running a red light outside Pasir Ris Park.

Have you ever tried to outrun an MRT train? In a viral Instagram video on Sunday (July 5), local content creator Michael Collins shared his race against a train from Shenton Way to Marina Bay.In the video, the 26-year-old explained that he had two minutes and 35 seconds to reach Marina Bay station in order to get onto the same train he had alighted from at Shenton Way station.«I have always dreamt of being the first man to beat the MRT,» wrote Collins in the caption.He described how he had «studied every single MRT line» and «researched every newly opened MRT station» to find stations that are less than 600m apart.He told AsiaOne that he started by manually keying in every adjacent MRT station into Google Maps to find which stations were situated most closely to one another.Through his research, he found four pairs of stations that fit the bill: Chinatown and Clarke Quay, Rochor and Little India, Downtown and Telok Ayer as well as Shenton Way and Marina Bay stations.