While Singaporeans were celebrating National Day and taking some time off to relax over the long weekend, the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) search-and-rescue unit Rescue 10 was hard at work, as always.In a Facebook post on Aug 9, RSAF said that its personnel responded to a medical evacuation request at sea.The incident involved a ship crew member who required urgent medical attention while aboard a vessel at sea.According to RSAF, the crew member was successfully evacuated and transported to Singapore General Hospital, where he is reported to be conscious and in a stable condition.«We wish him a speedy recovery, and salute our RSAF aircrew and healthcare workers who remain ready around the clock to save lives,» RSAF wrote in its post.Based on the photographs posted, the H225M helicopter landed at the hospital's new helipad. 

The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in Singapore on Monday (Aug 10) remains in the moderate range, albeit an improvement from a day earlier on National Day.According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), the 24-hour PSI for Singapore is in the moderate range of 70, in Singapore's central region.In comparison, the 24-hour PSI reading at 1pm on Aug 9 was 81.PSI values of between 51 and 100 are in the moderate range.Meanwhile, the 1-hour PM2.5 reading is in the normal band in all four regions of Singapore, with the reading highest in the central region at 39.In its health advisory on planning for outdoor activities during haze, NEA said normal activities can continue when readings are in the good or moderate range.If readings go into the unhealthy range, members of the public are advised to cut down on prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion.Government agencies 'stand ready'Recent dry conditions have led to an escalation in hotspot activity, with hotspots and smoke plumes observed over parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

A restaurant involved in preparing and cooking seafood foraged from Changi Beach has apologised.In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Saturday (Aug 8), Havelock Palace said it had confirmed the incident following an internal review and apologised for its involvement.«We acknowledge that accepting and handling ingredients outside our approved sourcing channels did not meet the standards we expect of ourselves as a food establishment,» said the restaurant.Havelock Palace said it has since tightened its procedures, including its food sourcing and receiving controls, as well as supplier documentation and traceability.It has also prohibited food from unauthorised or unverified sources, saying that it would conduct refresher training for its management and kitchen teams on food safety and proper food handling.

Two men sit at a blue mosiac table beneath a public housing block in Toa Payoh. The tiled tables and stools are a longstanding fixture of the communal spaces around older housing estates. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Shafiq Apandi A commuter looks out the window of an SBS Transit bus in Singapore. The buses' purple, red and white livery is a familiar sight on the city-state's roads.

SINGAPORE — His curiosity was piqued when a neighbour told him in 2025 about the returns Fun Coffee was giving for investments, but Bryan Ho, who works in finance, found a number of red flags.Ho, 40, said the company's website was poorly done and he could not find details about its headquarters in Vietnam.On its website, the company claimed to be based in Phu Quoc, Vietnam, with assets of more than US$1 billion (S$1.28 billion) and a team of more than 5,000. It advertised annual returns of between 197 per cent and 278 per cent, reported South China Morning Post.Ho said that despite his suspicions, he attended a Fun Coffee event on Oct 20, 2025, at Kent Ridge. The organisers had promised a $50 cash reward for turning up.Participants were instructed by a person named «Stella» over text to meet at Kent Ridge MRT station and were later taken to a nearby open field.Ho said about 10 to 12 people, who were mostly seniors, turned up for the event.He said the group was asked to do «very primary school activities», such as folding paper planes and relay races.

A bus captain has been hailed a hero after he rushed to the aid of driver whose black Lamborghini caught fire near a bus stop along Holland Road on Saturday evening (Aug 8).In a video shared by Instagram user Smb340d, a bus captain can be seen handling a fire extinguisher as he and a Caucasian man carefully inspect a smoking Lamborghini.A short distance behind the vehicle is SBS Transit bus 123, which bus captain Zhang Zhipeng was driving when he noticed the smoke-emitting vehicle.As the driver paces anxiously around his car, Zhang can be seen placing the fire extinguisher at the rear of the Lamborghini and spraying it into the vehicle's interior.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, SBS Transit spokesperson Grace Wu said Zhang safely stopped his bus and informed his passengers of the situation before taking a fire extinguisher from the bus to assist.The 51-year-old approached the still-burning car and found that the driver's fire extinguisher had been depleted. He immediately stepped in to help put out the blaze.«Bus captain Zhang used his extinguisher to put it out before returning to his bus and continuing his journey,» Wu said.

For first-time NDP host Xixi Lim, the most memorable moment of NDP 2026 was not the lights, lasers or fireworks.Instead, it was hearing more than 40,000 Singaporeans recite the pledge and sing the National Anthem in unison at the National Stadium on Sunday (Aug 9).Speaking to AsiaOne after the show, Xixi said she became emotional as the celebrations drew to a close.«At that moment, I cried very hard because it was the culmination of weeks of hard work and I just felt very touched that it has all come to an end,» she said.Asked which part of the performance moved her the most, the comedian and content creator pointed to the echoes of the pledge and anthem ringing through the stadium.Despite the long rehearsal hours and demands of hosting one of Singapore's biggest annual events, Xixi said she would gladly do it again.«It's worth it.»

While 42,000 spectators filled the National Stadium to celebrate Singapore's 61st birthday on Sunday (Aug 9), 21-year-old Zevita Ng was among the many volunteers working behind the scenes to ensure the National Day Parade (NDP) ran smoothly. For Zevita, the assignment felt like a full-circle moment.The last time she attended an NDP at the National Stadium was 10 years ago as a Primary 5 student.This year, she returned on the other side of the experience as an NDP volunteer, greeting spectators and helping to set the mood before they entered the stadium.«It was like a full-circle moment to come back here for my first NDP as a volunteer,» she told AsiaOne at one of the stadium entrances.

For Singaporean Debbie Ong, the opportunity to attend the National Day Parade (NDP) in person for the first time was worth a 2,500km flight home from Hong Kong.The 50-year-old and her husband, Thomas Richoux, have been balloting for tickets every year since moving overseas 16 years ago.When they finally secured a pair for NDP 2026, they booked their flights back to Singapore «without a second thought».Back in Hong Kong, the couple would host National Day gatherings for Singaporean and non-Singaporean friends, serving local dishes such as popiah and curry chicken while watching the parade live on television.«We're really happy. Really, really happy. It's a nice feeling to be able to finally see it in person,» said Ong.The couple's long-awaited, first NDP experience mirrors a parade that will be marked by a host of firsts.Held at the National Stadium for the first time since 2016, this year's edition features a string of milestones, from the world's largest closed-roof indoor drone light show to the first participation of a contingent representing persons with diverse abilities. 

One person was taken to hospital after an electric mahjong table caught fire in a Tampines HDB flat on Saturday (Aug 8) night.The incident happened at about 9.30pm at Block 449 Tampines Street 42.A livestream posted by TikTok user M.K Collector shows black soot on the external facade wall outside the bedroom and toilet of a ninth-floor unit. Some residents are seen waiting at the void deck of the block, while Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) paramedics attended to a person seated within a police cordon.During his livestream, the TikTok user claimed that the fire started due to a candle placed on a mahjong table.In response to AsiaOne's queries, SCDF stated that the fire involved an electric mahjong table in a ninth-floor unit. SCDF added that members of the public used buckets of water to help put out the fire prior to firefighters' arrival.According to the Singapore Police Force, an 86-year-old man was conveyed conscious to the hospital, tallying with SCDF's statement that they had sent one person to the Singapore General Hospital. 

As the nation prepares to celebrate National Day in Kallang, the Government stands ready should haze conditions worsen, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Sunday (Aug 9).As of 1pm, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) stood at 81, in the moderate range, in Singapore's Central region.Recent dry conditions have led to an escalation in hotspot activity, with hotspots and smoke plumes observed over parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, NEA said.Under prevailing southeasterly winds, smoke haze could be transported towards Singapore, particularly from hotspots in southern Sumatra. Dry conditions are expected to persist over the coming week, increasing the risk of haze if the fires continue.Singapore's Haze Task Force (HTF), comprising 28 public agencies, is ready to take action should air quality deteriorate and the 24-hour PSI reading exceed 100, which would prompt NEA to issue daily haze advisories.The advisory will include the 24-hour PSI forecast, which will aid the public in planning their activities and events for the following day.

Their work may take them to many places around the world, but there's only one country they call home.The stewards and stewardesses of Singapore Airlines (SIA) have put together a performance for all Singaporeans in a video shared on SIA's Instagram page on Friday (Aug 9) — our country's 61st birthday.The video begins with a flight steward, Kelvin, playing a violin, while stewardess Lei Hoi plays a guzheng.Leading steward Jasper, dressed in a short-sleeved batik shirt, then eases into the first song of the performance: Semoga Bahagia, composed by Zubir Said.Zubir Said also composed Singapore's national anthem, Majulah Singapura.

Singapore's character is revealed not just through policies, but by the everyday acts of its people — regardless of background — recognising their common responsibility to one another, said Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh in his National Day message. «All of us, including our fellow Singaporeans — regardless of race or religion — who have recently taken up citizenship, but enjoined as fellow Singaporeans with the red passport, are empowered to play a part in strengthening our nation. »Collectively, we are RSS Singapore,« he said in the message put up on the Workers' Party's (WP) Facebook page on Saturday (Aug 8) evening.Such acts include neighbours caring for one another, essential workers persevering through heat and rain, and volunteers strengthening their communities, Singh added.He also called on Singaporeans to build a stronger country. »Singapore is strongest when all who call it home, whatever their background, recognise our common responsibility to one another."

A total of three winning shares split the $5.1 million jackpot in the Toto National Day draw held on Friday (Aug 7).According to Singapore Pools, the winning shares were a $28 QuickPick System 8 entry bought at Seah Geok Eng Agency at Block 476D Upper Serangoon View, and two $1 QuickPick System 8 entries bought through the Singapore Pools' account betting service.Each winning share received about $1.7 million in prize money.The winning numbers were 5, 7, 30, 33, 36, 46, with the additional number 44.Meanwhile, eight winning shares split the Group 2 prize, with each share receiving $135,119.The next draw will be held on Monday, with an estimated prize money of $1 million.[[nid:741062]]editor@asiaone.com 

What time is it?For generations of Singaporeans, the answer is almost instinctive: It’s Tiger time.For Thomas Heng, however, the answer is more personal. The 64-year-old senior technical officer from Johor Bahru has spent over four decades inside the brewery that turned those three words into one of Singapore’s most enduring marketing catchphrases. By the time he retires in 2027, he would have spent 42 years making Tiger Beer, longer than many in the country have been old enough to drink it.The Malaysian also happens to be one of 130 production workers whose jobs will progressively disappear as Tiger Beer prepares to cease brewing operations in Singapore by end-2027, relocating production to Malaysia and Vietnam. About 50 of the affected workers are, like him, foreigners too.Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APBS) – which also brews Heineken beer for Singapore consumption – employs a total of 530 workers before the restructuring, with some remaining staff expected to take on redesigned roles.

Singapore's character is revealed not just through policies, but by the everyday acts of its people — regardless of background — recognising their common responsibility to one another, said Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh in his National Day message. «All of us, including our fellow Singaporeans — regardless of race or religion — who have recently taken up citizenship, but enjoined as fellow Singaporeans with the red passport, are empowered to play a part in strengthening our nation. »Collectively, we are RSS Singapore,« he said in the message put up on the Workers' Party's (WP) Facebook page on Saturday (Aug 8) evening.Such acts include neighbours caring for one another, essential workers persevering through heat and rain, and volunteers strengthening their communities, Singh added.He also called on Singaporeans to build a stronger country. »Singapore is strongest when all who call it home, whatever their background, recognise our common responsibility to one another."

Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and former chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers Eddie Teo have been awarded the Order of Temasek (With Distinction) — the highest honour conferred at this year's National Day Awards.The award recognises individuals who have rendered exceptionally distinguished service to Singapore.They head this year's list of National Day Award recipients, which sees a total of 7,491 individuals recognised for their contributions to Singapore. The recipients are made up of 6,624 civilian recipients, including public servants, educators, community and grassroots leaders, while 867 are military personnel.According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) website, the honour was introduced in 1962 and has three grades — the Order of Temasek (With High Distinction), the Order of Temasek (With Distinction), and the Order of Temasek. 

Singapore is taking a «fresh look» at issues relating to marriage and parenthood to help families lighten the load as family life comes under greater strain, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Saturday (Aug 8).Ultimately, economic growth and technological progress must translate into better lives for all Singaporeans, he said in his National Day Message on the eve of the nation's 61st birthday.

Since Singapore's independence 61 years ago, Singaporeans from all backgrounds have come together as «one people and one nation», and as the world becomes increasingly divided, the values embodied in Singapore's national pledge are more relevant than ever, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.In his National Day message on Aug 8, he called on Singaporeans to keep faith with one another and stay true to the ideals of the national pledge.And if Singapore and its people can do so, there will be a better and stronger Singapore, PM Wong said.«Six decades ago, that conviction found expression in our National Pledge,» he added.  «It reflected a simple but powerful belief — that we could become one nation, bound together not by race, language or religion, but by a shared commitment to one another and to Singapore.» 

A 38-year-old driver died after his car was believed to have crashed into a traffic light and road divider in Hougang, causing it to flip onto its side on Friday (Aug 7).The incident occurred at around 4.20am that morning at Hougang Avenue 6 towards Hougang Avenue 10.Photos of the aftermath shared on Facebook by user Eng Seng Teo show a black car lying on its side with its bonnet crushed, next to a broken road railing and surrounded by debris. At least two police cars can be seen at the scene.Long (transliterated), a 29-year-old passerby, told Shin Min Daily News that he had seen the overturned car and the unconscious driver.He added that about 10 Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel were at the scene to rescue the trapped driver.Lin (transliterated), a 60-year-old renovation contractor, told the Chinese daily that she had heard a loud bang and went to take a look. She added that passersby knocked on the car window but received no response and had to wait for SCDF to arrive.

Two persons, aged 23 and 29, were arrested for their alleged involvement in a case of motor vehicle theft.Police said in a news release on Aug 7 that they were alerted to a case of car theft at a multi-storey carpark along Kranji Loop at about 7.45pm on July 24.According to the victim, he had parked his rental car at the carpark on July 21.Officers from Woodlands Police Division established the identity of a 29-year-old man through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras.He was arrested on Aug 6 and the stolen vehicle was also recovered.Preliminary investigations revealed that the keys to the rental car had been left unattended overnight on one of the car tyres.Investigations against the 23-year-old woman are ongoing.The man will be charged in court on Aug 8 with the offence of theft of motor vehicle. If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to seven years and fined.[[nid:742094]]editor@asiaone.com 

Three people, aged between 25 and 38, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a coordinated scheme that compromised the Singpass accounts of work permit holders.Police said in a news release on Friday (Aug 7) night that since early August, at least 23 work permit holders have reported that their Singpass accounts were locked after being approached and offered an $80 cash incentive in exchange for access to their accounts. Some of the victims were purportedly told that their Singpass accounts would be used to purchase National Day Parade (NDP) tickets at a discounted price of $500.After they agreed to participate in the scheme, the work permit holders were allegedly instructed to meet the perpetrators at locations such as MRT stations, Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates and construction sites.Subsequently, the victims' work permits were scanned and their Singpass passwords obtained from them.The compromised accounts were then used to apply for telco or financial accounts, the police said.