Singapore's eastern region will be home to a new private not-for-profit acute hospital, with consistently high hospital bed occupancy rates in the east and central areas cited as a key reason for its location.In response to queries from AsiaOne, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the decision was made after considering various factors, with hospital bed occupancy rates in the central and eastern regions being one of the key considerations.The spokesperson added that the new not-for-profit private acute hospital is also intended to provide more lower-cost private healthcare options for Singaporeans.According to MOH data, Singapore had 12,767 acute hospital beds in 2025, including 10,784 in public hospitals, 334 in not-for-profit hospitals and 1,649 in private hospitals.The new hospital, which was first announced in 2024, is expected to have between 300 and 400 beds.
The 42-year-old Singaporean man with cerebral palsy, who was carried up Malaysia's Batu Caves by his brother during Thaipusam, has died.News of his death was shared by his brother, Suresh Vanaz, in an Instagram (IG) post on Sunday (August 30).Suresh shared a notice of his brother Gunaseelan's wake in the post. The notice featured a Manchester United logo in the background and stated that Gunaseelan died on Saturday.«With a very heavy heart that I share the heartbreaking news that my beloved brother, Gunaseelan, has passed away peacefully,» Suresh wrote.Describing his brother's death as a «sudden loss», he said Gunaseelan would «always hold a special place» in his heart.The post drew numerous messages of condolence from Suresh's IG followers.One wrote that Suresh should be «truly proud» of himself for caring for Gunaseelan «while protecting his dignity and keeping his respect intact», describing it as «one of the greatest acts of love anyone can give».
Singapore is deploying a specialist Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team from the police to assist in the identification of dead bodies in Nepal after deadly floods tore through the Nepal-China border on Aug 26.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Monday (Aug 31) afternoon that the deployment is in line with the Nepal government's request.Speaking to the media on Saturday, Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said Kathmandu needs foreign help in technical areas such as rescuing people stuck in tunnels, identification of dead bodies and DNA testing.Singapore's deployment of personnel was conveyed by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan when he spoke with his Nepali counterpart.
A 25-year-old man was arrested on Sunday (Aug 30) for his alleged involvement in several cases of loanshark harassment.Police said in a news release on Monday afternoon that they were alerted to an incident at a residential unit along Jalan Bukit Merah just after midnight on Saturday.Officers attending to the case found the main gate and door of the victim's unit splashed with red paint.A wall near the unit was also defaced with loanshark-related graffiti, the police said.The man was identified by officers from Central Police Division and Ang Mo Kio Police Division through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras.He was arrested on Sunday and preliminary investigations indicate that he is believed to be linked to other similar cases of loanshark harassment.The man will be charged with the offence of loanshark harassment on Tuesday.If found guilty of the said offence, he could be jailed for up to five years, fined up to $50,000, and receive up to six strokes of the cane.The police warned would-be perpetrators that they have zero tolerance for loanshark harassment activities.
Homegrown transport giant ComfortDelGro (CDG), through a joint venture with Paris-headquartered RATP Dev, has won the contract to operate and maintain Denmark's Copenhagen Metro.Announcing this on Monday (Aug 31),CDG said the consortium, KBH Metro Partner, was selected following a competitive international tender.The contract covers the operation and maintenance of the fully automated 43km network, and will run for 12 years until 2039, with an option for a three-year extension, CDG added.It is valued at about DKK 17 billion (S$3.4 billion), with contract signing expected in September, following completion of the statutory standstill period.Copenhagen Metro is a light rapid transit system in Denmark's capital with four lines and 44 stations, including 30 underground. Last year, the system carried a record 135 million passengers, and is one of three rapid transit systems worldwide — alongwith New York City Subway and Chicago «L» — to operate 24/7 throughout their respective city limits.
Two women in Sengkang confronted a man who allegedly followed them through an HDB estate, with him eventually running into a multi-storey carpark after one of the women chased him.A TikTok video uploaded by user muahchee on Saturday (Aug 29) shows the two women attempting to locate the man, who is standing some distance away and seemingly watching them.At one point, the man can be seen standing behind a pillar, which one of the women also points out in the video. According to the woman in a white shirt, he had allegedly been following them since they were at another HDB block.The woman in a black shirt eventually spotted him and began recording him.After being caught, the man raised his hands, turned away and walked off.The woman in black then followed him, prompting the man to start running away.He could also be heard screaming as she chased after him.The man eventually ran towards a multi-storey carpark, where he apologised to the women.In the video, one of the women said: «He messed with the wrong person.»The women later said that they did not manage to catch up with the man.
All unsecured loans from licensed moneylenders will be subject to a mandatory cooling-off period of three business days from Sept 15, announced the Ministry of Law (MinLaw).Moneylenders will only be allowed to retain a portion of the loan approval fee, up to the stipulated limits, said the ministry on Monday (Aug 31).If the principle amount of the unsecured loan is $5,000 or less, licensed moneylenders will only be allowed to retain a maximum of $50.If the unsecured loan is worth more than $5,000, moneylenders can retain a maximum of 3.5 per cent of the principal, not exceeding the loan approval fee.As such, there will not be any interest charged, and the total amount to be repaid by the borrower cannot exceed the principal amount of the loan, said MinLaw.Prior to the ministry's announcement of the cooling-off period, licensed moneylenders were allowed to keep the full loan approval fee, as well as any interest accrued, if a borrower cancels a loan.
SINGAPORE - Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Alex Yam has called out comments questioning if the nine Singaporeans reported missing in the Nepal-Tibet disaster were «really Singaporean».In a Facebook post on Aug 31, he called the floods that struck the Himalayan border of Nepal and China's Tibet a «terrible tragedy» and listed the names of the Singaporeans who are still unaccounted for.They are: Estee Loeh, Ghosh Aditi, Ng Kit Kuen, Rajesvaran Ayyavoo, Rengarajan Prabu, Shalinny Deavy Elan Sozan, Shubakshi Rawla, Subramaniam Diraviam and Sumit Rawla.Yam said that scrolling through the comments, he found something else equally difficult to stomach.«While families wait desperately for news of their loved ones, a loud minority of people apparently looked at the names and faces of those missing and decided that this was the moment to ask whether they were really Singaporean,» he said.He added that some have said they hope that people remain stranded or die, while others have also questioned why the authorities should help these Singapore citizens.
Singapore-based taxi operator ComfortDelGro said on Monday (Aug 31) its joint venture with Paris-headquartered RATP Group had been selected to operate and maintain the Copenhagen Metro under a contract valued at about $3.4 billion.Here are some further details.The contract covers the operation and maintenance of the fully automated network, including four lines, 44 stations and 43 kilometres of track, among others, ComfortDelGro said in a statement.The contract will run for 12 years until 2039, with an option to extend by a further three years.Signing of the contract is expected in September, with operations expected to commence in September 2027.«The selection marks ComfortDelGro's second rail operation in Scandinavia, following the group's earlier contract to operate and maintain the Stockholm Metro,» the Singaporean firm said.KBH Metro Partner is the joint venture between ComfortDelGro and a unit of RATP Group.[[nid:742491]]
Heavy traffic is expected at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints during the upcoming September school holidays, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in an advisory on Monday (Aug 31).The September school holidays start on Sept 4 and end on Sept 14.In its advisory, ICA highlighted that security checks have been stepped up at all checkpoints since Feb 28 — when US and Israel struck Iran — due to the heightened global security environment.«Travellers should therefore expect longer waiting time during peak travel periods,» ICA said.Tips for faster immigration clearanceThose intending to travel through the checkpoints should plan their journey in advance and consider travelling during non-peak hours such as early mornings and late evenings.They can also check the Land Transport Authority’s One Motoring website and ICA’s social media pages for the latest traffic conditions.Travellers are also encouraged to use QR codes generated via the MyICA mobile app to enjoy «faster and more seamless» immigration clearance.
Former permanent secretary for home affairs Pang Kin Keong will take over as chairman of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) board from Sept 1, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) announced on Monday (Aug 31).He takes over from Alan Chan, who became LTA's board chairman in April 2016.Pang, 59, spent 35 years in the public sector, and retired from administrative service on June 1.Since joining the public service in 1993, he has served in various roles, including as principal private secretary to then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, director of the Internal Security Department (ISD), and director in the Ministry of Trade and Industry.Pang was also Permanent Secretary for Transport between 2012 and 2017 and is credited for leading several major initiatives to position Singapore's transport infrastructure for the future, including the planning of Changi Airport Terminal 5 and Tuas Port.
SINGAPORE – They each drove Lamborghinis, wore expensive watches and ran schemes where they promised investors high returns for money put into their property deals and other businesses.But just three years after self-styled wealth gurus Lim Jian Bin, 36, and Jason Fong Wai Hong, 46, separately told dozens of investors that they could earn them high dividends, the duo went silent.Now, more than 50 investors are worried about the $5 million they have locked up in various investments.Lim, who is also known by his online moniker Takeshi Lim, and Fong, were well-known figures on social media and at wealth seminars, where they promised followers guaranteed returns of up to 15 per cent each year.Both men have since been declared bankrupt – Fong in April, and Lim in July. The Straits Times understands Fong travelled to Kuala Lumpur on a flight on June 21, 2026, and has not left Malaysia.Worried investors have filed multiple police reports, with some wondering if they had been duped into a ponzi scheme.
SINGAPORE – Residents of Canberra Residences in Sembawang are heading to court over claims that defects at the condominium remain unresolved more than a decade after the development was completed.The management corporation (MCST) is suing main contractor MCC Engineering (Singapore), formerly known as China Jingye Construction Engineering (Singapore), over an alleged breach of a 2020 settlement agreement.The dispute dates back to June 2019, when the MCST commenced its legal proceedings for the first time against condo developer MCC Land (Singapore) and 17 other parties over alleged defects at the project.The lawsuit ended after the MCST, main contractor and developer signed a settlement agreement on Sept 1, 2020. The agreement was intended to settle all claims, demands and liabilities arising from the development and the earlier lawsuit.It required the contractor to carry out rectification, upgrading and drainage works at the development.
A total of eight hawker centres across Singapore will close for between one and three days between Aug 30 and Sept 6 for cleaning.Cleaning at hawker centres owned by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment is conducted by National Environment Agency (NEA), while town councils are responsible for cleaning HDB hawker centres.Such cleaning is conducted regularly so that Singaporeans can enjoy affordable food in a clean and hygienic environment, NEA said on its website.This round of cleaning covers hawker centres across most regions, including Dunman Food Centre in Joo Chiat, Senja Hawker Centre in Bukit Panjang, Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre in Woodlands and Chinatown Complex Market.
Two-time Olympian Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman has set her sights on an Asian Games medal after podium finishes at the past two Asian Fencing Championships gave her confidence that she can challenge the continent's best.The 26-year-old won an individual bronze in women's epee at the 2025 Asian Fencing Championships before getting Singapore a team bronze at the 2026 edition in New Delhi.Many of the same fencers will line up at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which will run from Sept 19 to Oct 4.«Obviously, I want to come home with a medal, but it's not going to be easy,» Kiria said after the Team Singapore Flag Presentation Ceremony at OCBC Square on Saturday (Aug 29).«Asia is really competitive for fencing, especially in the women's epee discipline, so it's going to be tough matches all day round.»[[nid:743857]]But her recent results have given her belief heading into her third Asian Games.«We know what to expect,» she said. «It gives us a lot of confidence knowing that we've done it before.»
Singapore football rarely attracts genuine superstar signings. The last bonafide global name that ended up on our shores, seeking a late-career stint, was former Liverpool and Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant, who joined Tampines Rovers. And that was already a decade ago.But that changed this past weekend. Keisuke Honda turning up at Jurong East Stadium in an FC Jurong jersey felt like one of those surreal, pinch-me moments, especially if you’re a long-suffering local football fan.I’ve followed football in Singapore for years, and fresh off the Singapore National Team’s incredible run to the ASEAN Hyundai Cup semi-finals, I felt that we needed another big moment to sustain fan interest in the sport and get them to support local football again in between international tournaments.Enter the 40-year-old Japanese legend. For those who are not familiar, the midfield general’s claim to fame is playing for the likes of Italy’s AC Milan and Russia’s CSKA Moscow.
A 25-year-old man will be charged in court on Monday (Aug 31) for his alleged involvement in the murder of a 29-year-old man in Tuas on Saturday night.Police said in a statement on Sunday afternoon that the incident happened at about 10.10pm along Tuas South Street 15 towards Tuas South Avenue 14.The victim was found lying motionless on the road by police officers and later pronounced dead at scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic.According to the police, both the victim and the suspect are known to each other.The 25-year-old man was arrested within four hours of receiving the report.Checks by AsiaOne indicate that said road, in an industrial area, is largely deserted except for a few heavy industry companies. There is also a workers' dormitory along Tuas South Street 15.Police investigations are ongoing.If found guilty of murder, the man may be sentenced to death. [[nid:743444]]editor@asiaone.com
A 46-year-old auxiliary police outrider was taken to the hospital on Friday (Aug 28) night after a limousine taxi rear-ended it at Changi Airport. The incident happened at about 10.40pm along Airport Boulevard towards Changi Airport Terminal 1.Dashcam footage posted on a professional drivers' group on social media shows the enforcement motorcycle lying on its left side.A black Toyota Alphard multi-purpose vehicle bearing a taxi vehicle registration number is seen stopped behind it. ComfortDelGro operates a fleet of Toyota Alphard limousine taxis.Meanwhile, paramedics are seen attending to the outrider lying on the road.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police stated that the auxiliary police officer was taken conscious to the hospital. They added that the 54-year-old male taxi driver is assisting with ongoing police investigations.[[nid:743816]]editor@asiaone.com
Hawker Zhang Xiaohai was doing cashier duties at a Hougang zichar stall after receiving a $10 note on Aug 2, when he realised something unusual.The portrait of Singapore's first president Yusof Ishak, which is featured on the note, was seen with a piercing stare, and his mustache appeared to be «shaved off» too.The 42-year-old, who works at the stall 21 Seafood, told Lianhe Zaobao in a report published on Aug 28: «My first thought was that I received a counterfeit banknote.»He added he believed counterfeit banknotes are rare in Singapore and as the note doesn't feel different, he only roughly checked when he received it.From a photo and reel released on the stall's Xiaohongshu (XHS) profile on Aug 27, the portrait appeared to have been tempered with, with scratches seen on Mr Ishak's eyelids and philtrum.Zhang said during the interview that he believed it was more likely a prank.Despite feeling something amiss, he and the owner of the stall, only known as Mr Guo, didn't pursue the matter immediately then.
MIT Artspace, a pottery studio in Chinatown, has closed abruptly, leaving customers with unfinished pieces.In an interview with Stomp, a 24-year-old student nicknamed Dylan said he received a text about the studio’s closure on Aug 3, after nearly two months of waiting for his pottery pieces.He had attended their workshop in June but was told the glazing and firing process would take more time.According to a screenshot of the message he provided to Stomp, the studio management was required to “hand over the unit”, and customers could collect their pieces including those which were not completed.The studio also said they were unable to individually pack the items, requesting customers to come and collect their items within a week.Dylan went back to the studio and found his pieces but said none of them were glazed nor fired.Pottery pieces are required to be glazed and fired to be considered food safe.He told Stomp: “What shocked me most was the scale of what we saw there. There appeared to be hundreds of pieces — I would estimate around 400 — left outside, with customers having to search through them for their own work.”
