A car fire occurred at an open-air Toa Payoh carpark on Friday (Aug 21) evening.Footage from the incident shows the vehicle engulfed in orange flames, sparking a small explosion, while a large crowd of onlookers kept their distance.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the incident near Block 148 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh at around 6.05pm and that the fire involved the engine compartment of the car, which was extinguished with a water jet.No injuries were reported.The cause of the fire is under investigation.@doublebubble.coCar on fire at Blk 148 Lorong 1 TPY♬ original sound - Double Bubble Co.

A female motorcyclist died after an accident with another rider on Friday (Aug 21).In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) shared that they were alerted to the two-motorcycle accident along the BKE towards the PIE at around 11.30am.One rider was conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and another to Woodlands Hospital.The 32-year-old male motorcyclist was taken conscious to the hospital, but the 45-year-old woman was conveyed unconscious and later died at the hospital.Earlier on Tuesday (Aug 18), a 25-year-old male motorcyclist died following an accident along Seletar West Link.A 57-year-old woman was subsequently arrested for careless driving causing death and investigations are ongoing.[[nid:743197]]drimac@asiaone.com

Remember the accidental baby selfie trend that took social media by storm?It seems Singaporeans have moved on from posting babies to hunting a criminal. Specifically, a «Jun Jie».If your name is Jun Jie or Tan Jun Jie, and you recently saw a social media post accusing someone with your name of theft, corruption or some other dubious crime, fret not, you are probably not in trouble.Businesses in Singapore recently hopped on a social media trend of calling out «Jun Jie» for allegedly committing crimes at their establishments.The posts typically start off on a rather serious note, with the business addressing the supposed offender directly.They then reveal, for example, an item that was allegedly stolen, accompanied by attractive product images.But before anyone named Jun Jie can start looking over his shoulder, the businesses reveal that the entire thing is a joke, and the alleged crime is often something far more innocent than it initially sounded.As an apology for the unnecessary scare, some businesses even offer real Jun Jies a freebie.

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is investigating claims that a wheelchair assistant at Changi Airport had $5 docked from his pay for being 11 seconds late for work.In response to queries from The Straits Times, MOM said on Aug 21: «We are aware of this case and have contacted Aventa Services, the employer of the affected employee, to establish the nature and extent of the deductions.»The ministry said that it will take appropriate enforcement actions if the deduction is found to be unauthorised or excessive.The incident first came to light in an Aug 12 LinkedIn post by Juliet Low, the founder of direct hire caregiving app Maid Without Borders Singapore.In the post, she detailed her encounter with a wheelchair assistant at Changi Airport who said he had $5 docked from his pay because he was 11 seconds late a few weeks ago. The assistant was said to be earning $7 an hour.«He actually showed me a picture of his payslip stating the 11-second deduction. That's almost an hour of his pay - for 11 seconds,» Low wrote, adding that the deduction was «completely disproportionate».

Two traffic police officers were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation after their vehicle caught fire early on Friday (Aug 21).Dashcam footage shared by SG Road Vigilante on Facebook shows a vehicle engulfed in flames.Thick smoke can be seen as several firefighters attempt to put out the blaze.According to the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the incident occurred along the BKE towards Woodlands, on a slip road towards the SLE, at around 12.10am.The two traffic police officers were patrolling when they noticed smoke emitting from their vehicle's engine compartment and evacuated immediately.The duo, alongside a member of the public, attempted to extinguish the fire before it was put out by firefighters with a water jet.The officers were conveyed conscious to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.[[nid:743197]]drimac@asiaone.com

A Singaporean security guard was sentenced to 14 days' jail and fined RM7,000 (S$2,200) after pleading guilty to insulting Islam in Johor Bahru last month. Mohamed Anim Atam, 56, was sentenced on Friday (Aug 21) and ordered to serve his jail term from the date of his arrest on Aug 18, Bernama reported.He was charged under Section 298 of the Malaysian Penal Code, which carries a maximum one-year jail term, a fine, or both. If he fails to pay the fine, he will face an additional three months of jail time.According to charge sheets, Mohamed Anim committed the offence at about 5pm on July 30 in Johor Bahru.He had made offensive remarks about Islam while travelling in an e-hailing vehicle, reported The Star.A man recorded the incident and later uploaded the footage to social media.On the next day, a police report was lodged. Deputy Public Prosecutor Eizlan Azhar sought an appropriate sentence, noting that the case had gone viral on social media and involved race, religion and royalty issues, The Star reported. 

When Martin Wong came across a serious traffic accident along Seletar West Link on Tuesday (Aug 18) evening, he stopped to help.While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, he assessed the condition of the injured motorcyclist before performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him.But unlike the other emergencies Wong had responded to, this one ended in tragedy.The 25-year-old motorcyclist later died in hospital.As footage of the incident emerged online, some people started to question whether the motorcyclist had died because of the accident or because of CPR.Speaking to AsiaOne, Wong said he understood why people who had only seen photographs or short videos of the incident might have questions.«They may only be seeing one part of what had happened,» he told us.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter was activated on Friday (Aug 21) night to evacuate a man onboard a ship who required urgent medical attention.In a social media post just before midnight, RSAF said the patient was safely and successfully evacuated in a stable condition to Sembawang Air Base.He was then transported by ambulance to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.«We wish him a speedy recovery, and salute our airmen and healthcare workers for their dedication and commitment to saving lives,» RSAF wrote in its post.Both the RSAF's H225M and CH-47F helicopters are capable of medical evacuation missions, with the latter having a longer range capability. The helicopters achieved full operational capability in April 2024.[[nid:735746]]editor@asiaone.com 

A trailer self-skidded and toppled over outside Pasir Panjang Terminal on Friday (Aug 21) morning, resulting in at least two of the four lanes along West Coast Ferry Road being temporarily unpassable to traffic.The incident happened at about 7.05am at the junction of West Coast Ferry Road and Harbour Drive and did not involve any other vehicle. Map showing where the trailer overturned on Aug 21. GRAPHIC: Google Maps, Social media Footage of the incident posted on social media shows the trailer lying on its left side.It appears to have been making a right-turn from West Coast Ferry Road towards Clementi Road when it overturned.At least one fire engine, an ambulance and three police vehicles are seen in the video.

A 33-year-old man seen sitting at the ledge of an outdoor garden of a commercial building in Commonwealth was rescued on Thursday (Aug 20) night.The incident happened at about 8pm at 1 Commonwealth Lane, the registered address of One Commonwealth, a light industrial development. A video of the incident posted on social media shows Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescuers rappelling down the building from the rooftop of the nine-storey building. They are then seen accessing the floor below from an opening.At least one safety life air pack is seen deployed on the ground floor.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police stated that officers responding to the incident had assessed that the man could pose a danger to himself.Officers from the police's crisis negotiation unit and SCDF were then activated.SCDF told AsiaOne that they deployed two safety life air packs as a precautionary measure, adding that nets were deployed as its Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) rescuers rappelled from the unit above to rescue the man.The 33-year-old was brought in safely at about 10.40pm. 

Singapore and Vietnam will hold their first high-level strategic dialogue on Aug 25.The first Singapore-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue (SVSD) will be co-chaired by Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing and permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam central committee secretariat Tran Cam Tu.The high-level strategic platform was formalised through an exchange of memorandum of understanding on cooperation during President To Lam's state visit in May.In a news release on Friday (Aug 21), Singapore's Public Service Division (PSD) said the dialogue will allow political leaders and senior officials from Singapore and Vietnam to exchange views on issues such as governance, leadership development, and transformation of public services.

An elderly woman was taken to hospital after she fell while riding an escalator at a shopping mall in Yishun on Wednesday (Aug 19).In a video posted to Facebook, the woman can be seen lying on her side on the steps of the stationary escalator as several SCDF personnel attended to her.A shopping trolley can also be seen near the escalator. The incident took place on the escalator connecting the first and second floors of Junction Nine, Lianhe Zaobao reported. The woman is believed to have fallen while riding the escalator with the shopping trolley. Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call for assistance at 18 Yishun Avenue 9 at about 4.45pm. The woman was subsequently taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.AsiaOne has reached out to Junction Nine for comment.Escalator safety[embed]https://www.facebook.com/BCASingapore/posts/pfbid02JfzdV2fP5uEQum9VnWGLFrPUg5oG51CPeRiuhGftL4bTffYiCM8Uwugh59QS6hVul[/embed]

National water agency PUB has ceased search and capture operations at Pandan Reservoir after the reported crocodile sighting there turned out to be fake.In an update on Friday (Aug 21) evening, the agency said further investigations found that the photograph provided in relation to the sighting was fake.«PUB takes a serious view of false information that may cause public alarm and disrupt activities. We have ceased search operations and made a police report,» PUB added.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police confirmed that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.Significant resources were deployed following the Thursday report.PUB had alerted the National Parks Board and installed signage around the reservoir to advise the public to exercise caution.In addition, the Singapore Rowing Association and Singapore Canoe Federation, which conduct water activities in the reservoir, were informed to suspend all activities.[[nid:743162]]editor@asiaone.com 

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a 13-year-old girl, Kayverlyn Tan Min Er, who was last seen in Jurong West.Police said in a news release on Friday (Aug 21) that Kayverlyn was last seen at about 10.40am on Wednesday in the vicinity of Westwood Avenue.The address is in the vicinity of Jurong Police Division.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 

Friday sermons at mosques in Singapore have been temporarily shortened amid hotter weather and parts of the city state experiencing the haze, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) announced on Friday (Aug 21).With the change, the first sermon — typically around six to seven pages — will, for now, be under four pages.The change, which started on Friday, is in place until further notice.Explaining its decision, MUIS, citing the Prophet's teachings, said that individual hardship and the needs of the congregation can be taken into consideration.It noted that difficult weather can be a valid consideration too.«May this help make it a little easier for everyone to gather, worship and remain comfortable during these challenging weather conditions,» MUIS said in a social media post.Muslims can also access the Friday sermons on MUIS' prayer sermons page.As of 3pm on Friday, Singapore's 24-hour Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) remains in the moderate range. [[nid:742959]]

A 27-year-old man who was among 11 individuals arrested during an islandwide anti-loanshark raid on Aug 12 was charged on Thursday (Aug 20) for allegedly trafficking etomidate vaporiser pods.Felix Chan Zhi Hao was arrested at his Marsiling rental unit, where police officers uncovered more than 300 vaporisers and related components during a search of his unit.The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said in a news release on Friday that they were alerted to the find and took over a total of 56 vaporisers, 247 vaporiser pods and a vaporiser battery.An instant urine test administered on Chan also returned positive for etomidate. He later admitted to vaping the substance the night before his arrest.Laboratory tests subsequently also confirmed that the seized pods contained etomidate.Preliminary investigations revealed that some of the vaporisers and pods seized were for Chan's personal consumption, with the majority allegedly intended for supply.The case has been adjourned to Oct 1. HSA's investigations are ongoing.

Basnayake Keith Spencer, 38, who stabbed a priest at St Joseph's Church in November 2024, has been sentenced to 4 years, 3 months' and nine strokes of the cane. He pleaded guilty to his crime on Friday (Aug 21).Apart from one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to Reverend Christopher Lee, Basnayake was handed three additional charges of being in possession of a weapon in March last year.The Singaporean of Sinhalese ethnicity was found with a 14.5cm penknife, a flip knife and a fishing gaff, a pole fitted with a sharp hook, at the church.Basnayake allegedly approached Father Lee, then 57, at the Upper Bukit Timah Road church shortly before 6.30pm on Nov 9.

A 27-year-old man was taken to hospital on Wednesday (Aug 19) following an accident with a lorry along Tuas Viaduct towards Pioneer Road. Dashcam footage of the accident shared with SG Road Vigilante and posted on its Facebook shows a Malaysia-registered motorcycle approaching two lorries along the two-lane carriageway.The motorcyclist is next seen attempting to lane-split between the two lorries.At this moment, traffic ahead of the lorry on the rightmost lane slows and it is seen slowing down and swerving slightly to its left.This manoeuvre resulted in the left rear tyre of the lorry clipping the front wheel of the motorcycle, sending it to the ground and crashing into the viaduct's sidewall.

Singapore's consumer watchdog has warned members of the public of phishing emails impersonating its officers.The Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE) said in a Facebook post on Friday (Aug 21) that such emails could be phishing attempts designed to obtain recipients' personal information.It added that recipients of such emails may be asked to click on a link, provide personal information, or take other actions. A closer look at the sender's email address may reveal telltale signs of fraud.In one example shared by CASE, the sender's name appeared as «CASE Investigation», but the email was not sent from «case.org.sg» — the association's official email domain.The consumer watchdog also advised members of the public to always take a moment to check before taking action.«When in doubt, stop, check and verify,» it said.Members of the public can call CASE's helpline at 6277-5100 to verify if an email is genuine. They may also contact the 24/7 ScamShield helpline at 1799.[[nid:743103]]editor@asiaone.com 

An ITE student sprang into action to help three people escape after a fire broke out in a Buangkok HDB flat early Thursday morning (Aug 20).The student, who lives in the unit next door, also responded with a fire extinguisher to help put out the fire, which occurred at Block 979B Buangkok Crescent.In a Facebook post on Thursday, Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC Victor Lye said the student led three people out of the affected flat and responded with a fire extinguisher before firefighters arrived.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told AsiaOne that it was alerted to the fire at about 12.25am that day.The blaze involved the contents of a bedroom in a unit on the second floor and was extinguished by SCDF firefighters using a water jet.About 60 persons were evacuated as a safety precaution during firefighting operations.One person was taken to Sengkang General Hospital.Lye said the person, an elderly resident, suffered cuts to their feet and has since been discharged.

SINGAPORE — An elderly scam victim’s $500,000 claim against UOB has been thrown out by the High Court after the court found that she had deliberately concealed evidence that was unfavourable to her.Assistant Registrar (AR) Ramu Miyapan said the woman’s conduct amounted to an abuse of the court process, as she had presented a version of events that was materially different from what she had stated in a police report.The court struck out the claim even though the assistant registrar acknowledged that the claimant was an elderly woman who did not speak English and had already lost a significant amount of money in what appeared to be a scam.In grounds of decision released on Aug 18, AR Ramu said the case was not about whether the woman’s underlying claim against UOB had merit, but about her conduct in the court proceedings.The claimant, Lao Iok Sim, also known as Liu Yuchan, opened a UOB savings account at the bank’s People’s Park Complex branch on June 9, 2022, and applied for personal internet banking that same day.

A 51-year-old woman was taken to hospital after allegedly falling from a height at an HDB block on Wednesday (Aug 19) morning.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said they received a call for assistance at Block 43 Holland Drive at 7.45am. The woman was conveyed unconscious to National University Hospital and apprehended under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008.Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, a witness at the scene, Zhang Jingbin (transliteration), said he heard that the woman would sometimes shout at her neighbour without reason.Zhang believed that the woman had fallen from the a fourth-floor unit as the window was open at the time of the incident.Footage supplied by Zhang showed how the rescue was carried out.

National carrier Singapore Airlines' low-cost subsidiary arm Scoot on Thursday (Aug 20) announced the launch of three times weekly flights to Guiyang in south-west China from Oct 26.Guiyang is the capital city of Guizhou province and is known for its rich ethnic minority cultures, captivating landscape of abundant green spaces and mountains, as well as a pleasant climate.The new route, to be operated by the Airbus 320neo aircraft, will strengthen its China network and offer travellers an additional gateway option ahead of the year-end holiday season, Scoot said.Prices for one-way economy class tickets will start from $158 inclusive of taxes.Bookings for the new flights are available via its website, mobile application from Aug 20, and will also be progressively made available through other channels, according to Scoot.Following the commencement of services, Scoot will operate 81 weekly flights to 16 cities in mainland China. Its network will also increase to 86 destinations across 18 countries and territories across the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Europe.

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a 14-year-old teenage girl, Jasmine Tay Xin Yi.In a statement on Friday (Aug 21) morning, the police said she was last seen in the vicinity of Block 183B Boon Lay Avenue at about 12.30pm on Wednesday.She was wearing a black shirt and shorts.The said address is part of Boon Lay Grove, a HDB Build-to-Order (BTO) project near Boon Lay Shopping Centre. Those with information are 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, the police said.[[nid:735166]]editor@asiaone.com 

A police report has been filed after a group of boys were filmed entering a lift shaft at an Woodlands HDB block.In a TikTok video posted on Tuesday (Aug 18), the boys can be seen entering the roof of a lift cabin which appears to be undergoing maintenance.As the lift moves up, one boy can be heard instructing his friend to open the lift doors before lift moves downwards.The boy can also be heard telling another boy beside him, «Don't worry, don't worry.»As the lift moves down, they can be seen exiting the lift, with two other boys helping to open the doors.In another video posted on Aug 16, two boys can be seen at the lift lobby, with one of then standing on a stool while the other pulling the lift doors open.A boy is also seen gesturing for others to join him as he steps onto the top of the lift cabin before climbing back out and closing the lift doors.

A search and capture operation is ongoing at Pandan Reservoir after a crocodile was sighted at about 3pm on Thursday (Aug 20).In a joint statement on Thursday night, national water agency PUB said it has alerted the National Parks Board (NParks) and signage is being installed around the reservoir to alert members of the public to advise them to exercise caution.Meanwhile, the Singapore Rowing Association and Singapore Canoe Federation, which conduct water activities in the reservoir, have been informed to suspend all activities.PUB said that the based on a photograph it was provided with, the crocodile sighted is believed to be an estuarine crocodile (crocodylus porosus).This specie of crocodile is known to feed and rest in brackish and freshwater areas and are usually found in the water or on mudflats.