A video of a monitor lizard lounging in foamy water in Pasir Ris has raised pollution fears, in addition to sparking concern among netizens.The video of the reptile at Sungei Api Api river was posted in the Facebook group Singapore Wildlife Sightings on Sunday (July 5).«This morning, my friend witnessed this sad sight of a monitor lizard 'bathing' in soapy residue that was pouring into Sungei Api Api at Pasir Ris,» said the concerned netizen.The original poster (OP) added: «Is this what our wildlife has to put up with?»The incident was also not the first time it had been observed in the area, claimed the OP, who urged the authorities to look into the matter.Several netizens in the comments section supported the OP by calling for investigations into the origin of the foam and whether it posed any risk to wildlife.

A man who emailed fake bomb threats to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) was hauled to court on Thursday (July 9).Koh Jye Shyang, 40, was charged with two counts of communicating false information of a bomb threat for the two messages he sent in the afternoons of July 3 and July 6, according to charge sheets seen by AsiaOne.On July 3, he allegedly submitted a false message to HTX via FormSG, saying: «There is a bomb in the Home Team Science and Technology Agency building in 1 Stars Avenue, #12-01, Singapore 138507. Please evacuate the premises immediately.»Three days later, on July 6, he purportedly sent the following message to PM Wong's email addresses: «There is a bomb placed in the Parliament House at 1 Parliament Pl, Singapore 178880. Please evacuate the premises immediately.»Koh was arrested on Tuesday (July 7).The police said in a statement on July 8 that thorough checks of both premises were conducted, including a systematic sweep of the buildings and their surroundings. No items of security concern were found.

When his vehicle was struck, this driver didn't react with rage, but compassion instead.A driver has earned plaudits after a Malaysian motorcyclist rear-ended him along the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE), as seen in a video uploaded to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante on Wednesday (July 8).In the video, which has garnered over 322,000 views and 1,400 likes as of Thursday morning, the driver can be seen in a white sedan along the rightmost lane of BKE.When a car in front stops, the white sedan follows suit but lane-splitting motorcyclists continue to zip past both vehicles.However, one motorcyclist with a Malaysian license plate wasn't able to manoeuvre past the white car fast enough, striking it in its left rear.The impact sends the motorcyclist tumbling head-over-heels, smashing face-first into the asphalt.Rolling into a sitting position, the man orientates himself before pushing up the visor on his helmet, looking ahead and gesturing while shouting: «Hey!»He can be seen grasping at the white sedan's door, possibly attempting to get back on his feet, but seemingly fails to put strength into his legs.

A man who used a 13-year-old girl to satisfy violent sexual fetishes while profiting from prostituting her was sentenced to 22 years' jail and 24 strokes of the cane on Monday (July 6).Amongst other things, Foong Yong burned the girl's buttocks with a lit cigarette and scratched her chest with metal keys.Foong, 27, pleaded guilty to six charges of statutory rape, according to court documents obtained by AsiaOne. A further 14 charges for various sexual offences were also taken into consideration during sentencing.Prosecutors told the High Court that Foong engaged in multiple penetrative sex acts with the victim between May and July 2023.He also took advantage of the girl's youth and vulnerability by suggesting that she have sex in exchange for money, from which he later benefited financially.Violent fetishesIn the early morning of May 19, 2023, Foong first met the victim on Omegle, an online video conferencing platform. 

A $500 flower garland might look like a generous show of appreciation. To IRAS, it also looks like taxable revenue. At some nightclubs in Singapore, patrons can buy flower garlands to present to hostesses and performers as a form of tipping.But the venue operator, as the entity managing the entire flower garland offering and sales process, should be clear that the income from such activity is considered business revenue and taxable, said the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).«[Customers] are paying for the right to publicly honour a performing artiste and to partake in the entertainment experience provided by the establishment,» it explained in an article published on its website. «This transaction constitutes a supply of service under the GST Act and is subject to GST.»The GST amount should be accounted for using the total sum paid by a patron for the garland, even if the operator and the giftee take different cuts of the sale.For example, if a customer pays $500 for a flower garland and the nightclub keeps $300 while giving $200 to the performing artiste, GST still applies to the full $500.

National carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its subsidiary Scoot on Thursday (July 9) announced flight timing changes and cancellations on services operating to and from Sapporo, Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo due to weather conditions caused by Super Typhoon Bavi. At least 16 flights scheduled for July 10 and 11 have been cancelled:TR874 and TR875 between Singapore and Tokyo's Narita Airport on July 10;TR872 and TR873 between Singapore and Seoul on July 10 and 11;TR866, TR874, TR867 and TR875 between Singapore and Tokyo's Narita Airport on July 11;TR892 and TR893 between Singapore and Sapporo via Taipei on July 11;SQ876, 877, 878, 879 between Singapore and Taipei on July 11.In addition, the following flights between Singapore and Taipei on July 10 have also been retimed: 

Eight people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a dormitory in Tuas on Wednesday (July 8), with two suffering minor burn injuries.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the fire at No. 1 Tuas Avenue 8 at 11.40am that day. The fire involved items at the entrance of a dormitory unit on the second floor and was extinguished with a hose reel, according to the SCDF.Eight people were taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation, including two of them, who sustained minor burn injuries.The cause of the fire is under investigation.More people were injured in fires — rising from 80 in 2024 to 94 in 2025 — according to SCDF's annual statistics report released on Feb 11.[[nid:737901]]helmy.saat@asiaone.com

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers called the bluff on the driver of a Malaysia-registered lorry during an inspection at Woodlands Checkpoint on June 27.Pictures posted on its Facebook on Thursday (July 9) show a refrigerated truck with cartons stacked on several pallets.Shrink wrap was also used to pack the cartons neatly together, giving the cargo a legitimate appearance. According to ICA, the lorry, driven by a 56-year-old Malaysian man, had its consignment of goods declared as «tube ice». Acting on information received from its Integrated Targeting Centre, and anomalies in the scanned images of the vehicle detected by an ICA image analyst, the truck was directed for enhanced checks, where search and examination officers found over 2,400 cartons and more than 3,000 lose packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes.In this instance, the driver was arrested and the case referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.Buying, selling, conveying, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act. 

Two Malaysian men, aged 38 and 44, were arrested for their alleged involvement in overseas scam operations targeting Singapore residents on Wednesday (July 8), after they were brought back to Singapore from Malaysia by officers from the police's new Cyber Command.In a news release on Thursday morning, police said the State Courts of Singapore had issued Warrants to Arrest (WTA) for the duo.This follows a raid in Kuala Lumpur conducted by the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) on January 13, 2025, where 16 Malaysian nationals were arrested for their suspected involvement in government official impersonation scams targeting Singaporeans.According to the police, they are believed to be linked to over 50 reported cases, with total losses exceeding $1.4 million.Responding to the WTAs issued for the two men, the RMP handed over the duo to officers from the police's Cyber Command on Wednesday.They will be charged in court on Thursday with the offence of being a member of a criminal conspiracy to cheat.

About 1.5 million eligible adult Singaporeans will receive up to $850 in GST Voucher (GSTV) while around 710,000 senior citizens will receive MediSave top-ups of up to $450 under the GSTV – MediSave scheme.In a statement on Thursday (July 9), the Ministry of Finance said the cash payouts will vary according to recipients' assessable income for the Year of Assessment 2025 and the annual value of their homes.Eligible seniors will receive between $150 and $450 in MediSave top-ups, depending on their age and the annual value of their place of residence. The funds will be credited automatically into their CPF MediSave accounts.Together, about $1.4 billion will be disbursed under the GSTV – cash and GSTV – MediSave schemes this year as part of the permanent GST Voucher scheme in 2026. 

To some, it might just be an old passport. But for one man, his late mother's travel document allows him to bring her along on his journeys.«It's my way of bringing her along to see the world we both loved,» wrote Instagram user Nathan Yong in a post on Tuesday (July 7).The accompanying photo showed her passport in Naryn province, Kyrgyzstan.Yong, a designer, said he felt the urge to take the photo after realising it was the 100th day since his mother's demise, «the day our family is meant to gather in prayer for her».«Perhaps it is just a coincidence. Or perhaps, in ways beyond our understanding, she was reminding me that she is still with me,» he wrote.«I miss her more than words can express, yet there is comfort in feeling that she's still sharing this journey with me.... I wish we could have experienced this together one more time.»Wish you were here mum,« he added.'The love you still need to express'Yong's post has received nearly 5,000 likes as of Wednesday evening, with netizens touched by his words.»Can feel that you love her so and I'm sure she knows that too," said one user.

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a 13-year-old teenage girl, Hailey Goh Ming Shan, who was last seen in Tampines.Police said in a news release on Wednesday (July 8) night that Hailey was last seen in the vicinity of UOB Tampines Centre at about 6am the same day.She was wearing a purple T-shirt and black shorts.Anyone with information is urged to contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information will be kept strictly confidential.[[nid:735166]]editor@asiaone.com

As Parliament sat on Tuesday (July 7), a 40-year-old man allegedly sent an anonymous email to the Prime Minister's Office, lying that there was a bomb at Parliament House.Just four days earlier, the suspect purportedly submitted an online form to the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX), lying that there was a bomb at the HTX building.In a news release on Wednesday night, the police said officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and Central Police Division identified the culprit and arrested him on Tuesday.Several electronic devices believed to have been used to perpetrate the threats were seized from him as case exhibits.The police said that upon receiving the false threats, officers conducted thorough checks of both premises, which they said included a «systematic sweep» of the buildings and their surroundings.No items of security concern were found.AsiaOne understands that the threat on Tuesday was received at around noon when Parliament was in session.The man will be charged in court on Thursday for communicating false information of a harmful thing.

A 63-year-old man was found dead in a HDB flat in Yishun on Tuesday (July 7), after neighbours noticed a «bad stench for days» and flies in their home.A photo shared by an anonymous user in Facebook group Complaint Singapore the same day shows a police hearse parked along a road.«Since last week, my house has had so many flies. I was quite puzzled because there's no unattended rubbish lying around my house, so I just dismissed the case,» the post captioned.The user noticed several police cars at the car park at around noon.The neighbour was found dead in a unit just two floors below the user.Replying to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they were alerted at about 12.35pm on Tuesday to a case of unnatural death at Block 286 Yishun Avenue 6.The 63-year-old man was found dead inside the flat.Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.Investigations are ongoing.[[nid:739679]]esther.lam@asiaone.com 

Phase 2A of the registration exercise for children entering Primary 1 in 2027 will begin at 9am on Thursday (July 9), with no vacancies available at Canossa Catholic Primary School in MacPherson.The school, which has 120 places in total, received 61 applications in Phase 1. With 60 places reserved for Phases 2B and 2C, this means that it has no available spots for Phase 2A.The first phase, which opened on June 30, closed on July 2, with eligible applicants receiving their results on Wednesday.This phase is for a child who has a sibling studying in the same primary school.Meanwhile, Phase 2A is primarily for the child of an alumni. Those whose parents are staff members at the school, or members of the school's advisory or management committee, are also eligible for this phase.Children who study in the school's Ministry of Education (MOE) kindergarten also come under Phase 2A.The setting aside of 60 places in each school for Phases 2B and 2C is intended to ensure continued access to all schools in later phases, according to the ministry.

Temasek Holdings delivered strong results for the latest financial year, achieving a net portfolio value of $518 billion amid a turbulent year marked by global trade tensions.The Singapore-headquartered investment company released its annual report on Wednesday (July 8) for the financial year ended March 31, highlighting strong long-term returns with a 20-year total shareholder return of 6.8 per cent.At the same time, Temasek also achieved 10-year total shareholder return of 7.1 per cent, «demonstrating the portfolio's ability to perform through market cycles».The five-year total shareholder return was comparatively lower at 4.6 per cent however, due to headwinds in Chinese capital markets between 2021 and 2024.Temasek's portfolio comprises three segments, with around 40 per cent Singapore-based Temasek portfolio companies, 40 per cent global direct investments and 20 per cent Partnerships, Funds, and Asset Management Companies.According to Temasek's report, around 26 per cent of its portfolio is exposed to the Americas and 17 per cent is exposed to China.Total exposure to Europe, the Middle East and Africa is around 12 per cent.

Former senior minister of state Koh Poh Koon has taken his place on Parliament's backbench after stepping down from political office, with a new seating arrangement released on Tuesday (July 7) reflecting the change.The People's Action Party (PAP) MP, whose final day as senior minister of state for manpower and health was June 1, is now seated in the second row of the House.He is positioned between Workers' Party chair Sylvia Lim and Radin Mas MP Melvin Yong, according to Parliament's latest seating plan.Koh left political office for family reasons after more than a decade in public service. Following the Prime Minister's Office announcement of his resignation on May 22, he said in a Facebook post that he was grateful for the opportunity to serve but had decided it was time to put his family first.«I have been an absent husband, father, and son since I stepped into [political office] in 2015, placing the needs of Singapore and my constituents above my family,» said Koh then, who has two daughters.