Roy Chan, currently deputy chief executive for operations at the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), will be appointed as its chief executive from Sept 1, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) announced on Thursday (July 30).He takes over from Ng Chad-Son.Chan, 52, became a member of the defence technology community in 1998.Since then, he has been involved in the integration of sensor-guided systems for both the air force and navy.He also undertook a stint as deputy head at Mindef's strategic planning office between 2009 and 2012, before returning to the agency.After his return, Chan was involved in land systems project, including the Hunter Armoured Fighting Vehicle.He was appointed to his present role in 2021.Mindef said in its statement that Chan has developed deep experience in systems engineering and architecture, large-scale programme management and systems interoperability, having led the delivery of complex defence capabilities over the years.

A company and its director will be charged in court on Friday (July 31) for allegedly providing flag registration services to a ship sanctioned by the United Nations (UN), the police said on Thursday (July 30).The Petrel 8 was banned by the UN Security Council (UNSC) in October 2017 for transporting prohibited goods, namely coal, from North Korea.Investigations by the Commercial Affairs Department revealed that the company had allegedly provided flag registration services to the carrier on May 18, 2022, the police said.The 49-year-old male company director is accused of having reasonable grounds to believe that Petrel 8 was a UNSC-designated ship when his company provided the services.The company will be charged with one count under Regulation 8D(d)(ii) of the United Nations (Sanctions – DPRK) Regulations 2010. Meanwhile, the company director will be charged under the same Regulations for abetting the company to commit the offence.Under the United Nations Act 2001, a person who contravenes the Regulations faces a jail term of up to 10 years and, or a fine of up to $500,000.

A multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) caught fire on Tampines Expressway at about 7.40pm on Thursday (July 30) towards Seletar Expressway, after the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway exit.Videos of the incident posted on social media show flames engulfing the front bonnet of the vehicle. At one point, creepers growing on the underside of the overhead viaduct can be seen burning. At least two police fast response cars and one fire engine were present at the scene. PHOTO: Screengrab/Telegram Based on a video submitted to and posted on Singapore Road Accident's Facebook page, at least two police fast response cars and one fire engine were present at the scene.The car is also seen completely burnt down.

English trip-hop legends Massive Attack have come under scrutiny for political displays at their Singapore concert on Wednesday (July 29).Footage shared widely on social media shows members Robert «3D» Del Naja and Grant «Daddy G» Marshall holding up a Palestine flag, at what appears to be the end of the concert.The duo then walk off the stage with their backing band.One post on Reddit also claimed that, during the show, «the lead singer basically said, 'I don't give a f***'» before performing a song where «a huge part of the crowd started chanting 'Free Palestine' over and over».«The way I understood it was that he didn't care about any restrictions or consequences,» the Redditor added.They tried to report the incident through the SGSecure app but claimed it crashed repeatedly.A concertgoer, who wished to remain anonymous, told AsiaOne that the chants had started when 3D dedicated their set to the Palestinian people in the middle of the concert.«The band didn't join in [with chanting 'Free Palestine'], as far as I could tell,» the 28-year-old added.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 12,800 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes at Tuas Checkpoint on July 22.In a Facebook post on Thursday (July 30), ICA said its officers had directed a Malaysia-registered lorry for enhanced checks after detecting anomalies in the scanned image of the vehicle. The cigarettes were hidden in wooden crates enclosed in metal cases in the lorry.A video accompanying the post shows officers using a variety of tools to crack open the metal cases and discovering the contraband.«Thought we 'Wooden' know,» quipped the border agency. The Malaysian lorry driver, 31, was arrested in connection with the case.The exhibits and suspect have been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.It is an offence to buy, sell, convey, possess or deal with duty-unpaid goods.Offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, jailed for up to six years, or both. Vehicles used to commit such offences, as well as proceeds from the sale of duty-unpaid goods, may also be forfeited.

Work to install a solar generation system at Marina South Pier has been completed.Announcing the sustainability milestone in a media release on Thursday (July 30), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said this also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the pier.«The solarisation project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from MPA’s shore-based operations and supports the public sector’s solarisation efforts under the GreenGov.SG sustainability movement,» the authority added.The system can generate up to 780,000 kWh of electricity annually, or the equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of about 180 four-room HDB flats. It consists of 1,092 solar photovoltaic panels installed across 3,200 sq m of rooftop and canopy space at Marina South Pier.To ensure future-proofing, the system is designed to be able to support the current and future needs of electric harbour craft operating at the pier.According to MPA, it can meet a «significant portion» of the pier's electricity requirement.

We've all read news reports about scam calls impersonating public figures, such as former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, in attempts to extort money from unsuspecting citizens.Lee, who is now Senior Minister, took to Facebook to simulate one such scam call by impersonating himself, in a bid to prevent others from falling victim to such predatory calls.In a video uploaded on Thursday (July 30), SM Lee acted out a scenario in which he picked up a phone call, only to hear a scammer impersonating him on the other end of the line.«Your bank account has been compromised. Please transfer your funds out immediately,» the mysterious caller said.After hanging up, SM Lee looked into the camera to raise awareness about such scams.«No Government official will ever ask you to transfer money or handle valuables over a phone call. Not the police, and certainly not me!» SM Lee said.

A 20-year-old man was injured after he was hit by a motorcycle while jaywalking against a red light in Bukit Batok on Wednesday (July 29), dashcam footage showed.Dashcam footage of the incident, shared on the Facebook group SGRV Admin on Wednesday, shows a man jaywalking across the road against a red light as the recording car travels along the road.The dashcam car slows to a stop as the jaywalker dashes across the road and is struck by a passing motorcycle. The two are thrown to the ground. One passer-by helps the jaywalker to the pavement, while another assists the motorcyclist, who is seen holding his side. The first passer-by later returns to help the motorcyclist too.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at about 10.20am that day at the junction of Bukit Batok Avenue 1 and Bukit Batok West Avenue 6. A 20-year-old male pedestrian and a 36-year-old male motorcyclist were taken conscious to the hospital.One person was taken to National University Hospital and the other person to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

A 24-year-old motorcyclist died in an accident with a trailer on the Seletar Expressway (SLE) on Wednesday (July 29).A video posted by Facebook user Farizatul Firdaus on Wednesday shows a navy blue police tent on the expressway.Debris and an overturned motorcycle lay on the road further down.The two left-most lanes of the expressway are cordoned off with traffic cones as a group of police officers converge along the road shoulder. The video caption claims that the accident took place near Woodlands Avenue 12.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and police told AsiaOne they were alerted to the accident along SLE towards CTE and TPE at about 9.50am. An SCDF paramedic pronounced the motorcyclist dead at the scene.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:740923]]laili.abdeen@asiaone.com 

SINGAPORE — Sheng Siong may review its prices and product range to retain shoppers ahead of the opening of the cross-border rail link with Johor Bahru in January 2027, which could intensify competition in Singapore’s grocery sector.“The retail grocery industry remains competitive, and with the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link set to open in 2027, we stand ready to adapt our pricing, promotions and product mix as necessary to remain competitive,” Sheng Siong chief executive Lim Hock Chee said on July 29.The RTS Link may intensify price competition, particularly for selected packaged groceries and household products, Sheng Siong said as it announced its financial results for the first half of 2026, filed with the local exchange after markets closed.It said the actual impact on the supermarket chain will depend on factors such as fares, travel time, exchange rates, relative pricing, and consumer behaviour after operations commence.

A former Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) captain was sentenced to 21 months and two weeks in jail for cheating almost $87,000 from five colleagues and vaping.Benjamin Song Yong Pang was also fined $6,000. The 38-year-old pleaded guilty to five counts of cheating and four vape-related charges on Wednesday (July 29), including the possession of vaping devices.Song began using e-vaporisers in late 2021 and openly vaped in his office at Nee Soon Camp, reported The Straits Times.Investigations found that his conduct normalised vaping among his subordinates. He even introduced vaping to a female colleague by giving her a vaping device and supplying vape pods to her. According to court documents, the former SAF captain incurred significant credit card debt between 2011 and 2018 from patronising Thai clubs and KTVs, although the exact amount was not disclosed.Between May 2021 and March 2024, Song deceived his five colleagues into handing over $86,750 over a total of 39 occasions.He lied to them, claiming that he would either invest their money or use it to pay his mother's medical bills. 

The Public Service Division (PSD) has announced that Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, who has served over four decades in public service, will retire on Sept 1.This is among two other announcements relating to permanent secretary appointments announced on Thursday (July 30).Prof Tan, 67, is currently Permanent Secretary of National Research and Development (NRD), and Public Sector Science and Technology and Plans Office (S&TPPO) in the Prime Minister's Office.He graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1983 and began his medical career as a renal physician, later taking on concurrent hospital and academic roles at NUS and the National University Hospital (NUH).Between 1997 to 1998, Prof Tan led the Department of Medicine at both NUS and NUH.In 2000, he was appointed as director of medical services at the Ministry of Health, playing an instrumental role in leading Singapore's public health response to the 2003 Sars epidemic. He was later appointed deputy chairman at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) from 2004 to 2017, and as NUS's president between 2008 and 2017.

Singapore's Keppel posted a 25 per cent rise in half-year profit on Thursday (July 30) on the back of stronger contributions from asset management and operating segment that include its infrastructure business.The asset manager's net profit, excluding the non-core portfolio for divestment, rose to $530 million for the six months ended June, compared with $431 million reported a year earlier.The infrastructure arm, Keppel's biggest contributor to earnings, recorded a 55 per cent increase in profit to $339 million, driven by robust performance in the integrated power business, outweighing softer spark spreads and the impact of the Middle East conflict on costs.Profit rose 54 per cent at the connectivity division, which operates Keppel's data centre business, cashing in on rising demand for AI and digital infrastructure. The segment commercialised all five of its Bifrost Cable System fibre pairs.Meanwhile, its real estate segment posted a net loss of $19 million, extending a decline from last quarter due to the absence of gains from a partial disposal of Saigon Centre last year.

Singapore's Keppel posted a 25 per cent rise in half-year profit on Thursday (July 30) on the back of stronger contributions from asset management and operating segment that include its infrastructure business.The asset manager's net profit, excluding the non-core portfolio for divestment, rose to $530 million for the six months ended June, compared with $431 million reported a year earlier.The infrastructure arm, Keppel's biggest contributor to earnings, recorded a 55 per cent increase in profit to $339 million, driven by robust performance in the integrated power business, outweighing softer spark spreads and the impact of the Middle East conflict on costs.Profit rose 54 per cent at the connectivity division, which operates Keppel's data centre business, cashing in on rising demand for AI and digital infrastructure. The segment commercialised all five of its Bifrost Cable System fibre pairs.Meanwhile, its real estate segment posted a net loss of $19 million, extending a decline from last quarter due to the absence of gains from a partial disposal of Saigon Centre last year.

A 19-year-old French national, who posted a video of himself licking a straw and returning it to an iJooz vending machine, was fined $600 for public nuisance on Thursday (July 30).Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance, while a second charge of mischief was taken into consideration.The French teenager was charged over an incident at Goldhill Centre along Thomson Road at around 2pm on March 12.After attending a boxing session there, he went to an iJooz vending machine and bought a drink.While filming the act, he took a straw from the machine, licked about half of it and placed the contaminated straw back on the straw dispenser.Maximilien then collected the drink, took the contaminated straw and left.He later edited the footage and uploaded it to Instagram, according to the statement of facts.

Former permanent secretary for home affairs development Chew Hock Yong will take over as chairman of National Parks Board (NParks) from August 1, the Ministry of National Development (MND) announced on Thursday (July 30).He takes over from Loh Khum Yean, who became NParks's board chairman in October 2023.Chew, 58, has over three decades of public service experience and leadership roles across multiple ministries, including serving as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Social and Family Development and Ministry of Home Affairs.After retiring from the civil service in 2022, the 58-year-old was appointed as chairman of the former Workforce Singapore (WSG), until June 30, when the agency merged with SkillsFuture to from the new Skills and Workforce Development Agency.