SINGAPORE - Visual and ultrasonic inspections of repaired tracks along the East-West Line (EWL) have shown no abnormalities since regular train services resumed after a six-day disruption in September, rail operator SMRT said on Oct 11. Ultrasonic inspections involve the use of high-frequency waves to check for faults or defects. On Oct 1, trains resumed operations between Buona Vista and Jurong East stations on the EWL. But until Oct 4, they ran under a temporary speed limit of 40kmh over the affected stretch between Dover and Clementi stations in the direction of Jurong East. The lower speed limit was in place as part of SMRT's «standard operating procedure following extensive works on the running rails», the operator said. Trains usually travel at speeds of 60kmh to 80kmh. SMRT said it returned train services to their full speed along the affected stretch from Oct 5. On Oct 11, SMRT told The Straits Times that as a precaution, it had been conducting regular visual and ultrasonic inspections along the affected stretch after lifting the speed limit, and «no abnormalities related to the incident were detected». 

SINGAPORE - Hillary O'Sullivan, 13, is living a life less ordinary.  The Singaporean was invited to perform at Bhutan's Royal Highland Festival, which ran from Oct 23 to 24, 2023. Hillary was then 12 and a student at St Joseph's Institution International (SJII). She was the first foreigner and youngest performer to be invited to participate in the South Asian country's national cultural festival since its inception in 2016. She played the piano for Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck at the event. Her Bhutan adventure was documented in the short film The Girl And Her Piano, which premiered at a private screening in Singapore on Oct 8. The 11-minute film, directed and produced by Hillary's mother Elaine Lim, highlights the urgent environmental issues in the Himalayan region, with a focus on the threat to Bhutan's glaciers. Told through the eyes of the Bhutanese people and narrated by Hillary, it was self-funded, said Ms Lim, 50, creative director of local photography studio White Room Studio. There are plans for the documentary to be streamed online, added the first-time film-maker.

SINGAPORE - A district judge acquitted two men accused of graft-related offences linked to a former Land Transport Authority (LTA) deputy group director on Oct 11, after finding the statements taken by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) «inaccurate and unreliable». Mr Pay Teow Heng, 56, was accused of giving Henry Foo Yung Thye bribes in the form of loans totalling $350,000 in 2017 and 2018. Mr Pay was a director at construction firm Tiong Seng Contractors (TSC) at that time, and allegedly did so to advance the business interest of TSC with LTA. Mr Pek Lian Guan, 59, then TSC's managing director, was accused of intentionally aiding Mr Pay in giving the bribes. The prosecution said that LTA had engaged TSC to construct an MRT station under a contract initially valued at $315 million, adding that Mr Pay was Foo's counterpart in the contract. In September 2021, Foo, then 47, was sentenced to 5½ years' jail for taking about $1.24 million in bribes in the form of loans from several contractors and subcontractors.

As online activities become an integral part of our everyday lives, digital threats are aplenty - from phishing calls we swat off like flies to ones where targets are much bigger than just us. «The military defends against the threats we can see… cybersecurity helps defend against threats we don't see,» said Gaurav Keerthi, Head of Advisory and Emerging Business at Ensign Infosecurity. The largest pure-play end-to-end cybersecurity service provider in Asia, Ensign offers bespoke cybersecurity services to enterprises and governments globally, supporting over 800 clients in at least 20 countries. The cybersecurity space, as Keerthi shares, is uniquely placed as all vendors in the industry are cognisant that commercial competition should take a backseat to collaboration. It is only by doing so that they can take down the «real bad guys». «The ones developing malware, ransomware, scams - they're the ones we're up against. The only way that we can win collectively, is if we [companies] work together. If we partner each other, if we share openly… so that we all defend Singapore better,» he explained.

Lee Hsien Yang — the younger son of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew — and his wife Lee Suet Fern are free to return to Singapore, the police said on Friday (Oct 11). «They are and have always been free to return to Singapore,» they said in response to media queries. Lee had said on Wednesday that he would not attend his sister's — Dr Lee Wei Ling's — wake and funeral in Singapore after announcing her death earlier that day. «I am organising the funeral remotely with the help of my son Huanwu in accordance with Ling's wishes,» he told CNA. Lee and his wife are currently living in the United Kingdom. Following Dr Lee's death, the subject of her younger brother's return to Singapore has resurfaced this week. On Friday, the police also said that they had asked the couple to assist in investigations in June 2022 by attending an interview.

An Indonesian maid who was hired to take care of an elderly woman was sent home on Tuesday (Oct 8) for allegedly abusing the latter.  The 77-year-old woman died on the same day, reported Shin Min Daily News.  The elderly woman's daughter, surnamed Wang, told the Chinese evening daily she had hired the domestic helper in June last year to take care of her mother, who was bedridden after suffering a stroke.  Wang had no issues with the maid until she checked CCTV footage of her mother's room on Sept 23, which revealed that the helper had been mistreating the elderly woman.  The maid reportedly pushed the elderly woman's head against the bed, and shook her body roughly. She also tried to pulling her eyelids.  Enraged by what she saw, Wang made a police report.  Although the police arrested the maid, there was insufficient evidence found, according to Wang.  The maid agency also urged her to buy a plane ticket to send the helper home.  As she was busy taking care of her mother, whose condition was deteriorating, Wang only purchased the maid's plane ticket in early October. 

A 56-year-old man was arrested and taken to hospital on Tuesday (Oct 8) after he armed himself with a knife at the Textile Centre at Jalan Sultan. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at about 3.50pm. A minute-long clip of the incident circulating online shows the man, clad only in underwear, waving a knife in the air. An eyewitness is heard saying that the man is «always» seen at the centre, and would occasionally sit and talk to himself. When a police officer approaches him, the man holds one arm out and raises his knife in the air. Another officer then points a gun at him and instructs him to drop the knife and sit down. The man obeys, putting the knife on a nearby counter and kneeling. Four officers surround and restrain him after he fails to lie on the ground. The police told AsiaOne that the man was arrested for possession of an offensive weapon. He was conveyed conscious to the hospital for an injury believed to be self-inflicted. Police investigations are ongoing.

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong attended the funeral wake of his sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling, on Oct 10, a day after her death at age 69. He arrived at the Singapore Casket in Lavender Street at around 8.25pm with his wife, Mrs Lee. Dr Lee, a neurologist and the only daughter of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, died at home on Oct 9, four years after being diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy. Her wake began at 2pm on Oct 10, and was attended by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, as well as MPs past and present, including Dr Lily Neo, Ms Denise Phua and Mr Christopher de Souza. Members of the public and opposition figures such as Mr Leon Perera and Professor Paul Tambyah were also seen at the wake, which will be on till Oct 12.

A Singaporean man drowned in the jacuzzi of a Hong Kong hotel while on holiday. The deceased, a 63-year-old man surnamed Liang, and his family were staying at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Mong Kok where the incident occurred, reported HK01. He was reportedly alone in the hotel's swimming pool and jacuzzi on Thursday (Oct 10) morning when he drowned. According to hotel staff, other guests noticed something was amiss with the man, and immediately alerted the lifeguard on duty.  A lifeguard rescued him at about 9.22am, Hong Kong police told the media.  While hotel staff administered first aid on the man, he remained unresponsive.  Liang was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The Hong Kong police are investigating the case and looking into Liang's medical history. Although an autopsy has been conducted, they have yet to determine the cause of Liang's death. 

Employers should reward employees with fair and sustainable wage increases, said the National Wages Council (NWC) on Thursday (Oct 10).  Companies that have done well should reward workers with built-in wage increases and variable payments commensurate with the firm's performance and employees' contributions, it added.  While employers who have not done well may exercise wage restraint, they should focus on improving business processes and productivity, especially by upskilling their employees.  The above are part of the NWC's recommendations for wage guidelines for the period from December 2024 to November 2025.  In a press conference on Thursday, NWC chairman Peter Seah said that NWC has adopted a more «positive tone» for this year's guidelines, while balancing caution and optimism.  «This is consistent with the NWC’s long-standing principle that wage growth should be in line with productivity growth,» he said.  The council's guidelines take into consideration the sustained productivity growth, as well as Singapore's improved economic outlook and expected moderate inflation.

SINGAPORE — Train commuters on a section of the East-West Line were delayed on Oct 10, after a train broke down near the Tiong Bahru station. A first-generation westbound Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) train had stalled at about 12.30pm, and all the passengers safely disembarked at the Outram Park station, SMRT said in a Facebook post on Oct 10. The operator said at 1.14pm that the fault was cleared, and train services were being restored. SMRT said at 1.14pm that the fault was cleared, and train services were being restored.  PHOTO: The Straits Times SMRT had said earlier on Facebook that commuters had to add 25 minutes to their travel time from Outram Park to Queenstown stations. They were also to add 20 minutes when travelling from Queenstown to Bugis stations. Free regular bus services were provided between the Outram Park and Queenstown stations.

«Can you feel our bus' aura coming from 10 miles away?» This question — posed by an SBS Transit employee in a TikTok video uploaded on Wednesday (Oct 9) — was answered with a resounding 'yes' from netizens, who awarded him with «infinite aura» points. For the uninitiated, «aura points» is a light-hearted way of determining a person's vibes and coolness. The one-minute clip continues with the two bus captains dishing out etiquette tips peppered with Gen Alpha slang and trending memes, such as the viral audio tracks of «mama a girl behind you» and «fein». «Imagine long bus rides and yap,» reads the text in the video.  It cuts back to the male bus captain, who says: «See how I don't sit at the priority seat? Such an alpha skibidi rizzler.» https://www.tiktok.com/@sbstransitcareers/video/7423729172717030664 The video has amassed over 100,000 views and 100 comments from amused netizens in less than a day. One TikTok user commented: «This is +1,000,000 aura advertising.» «I live for these videos. Slay SBS slay,» said another.

SINGAPORE — Punggol Coast MRT station, an extension from the existing Punggol station on the North East Line, will open for passenger service on Dec 10 at 3pm, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Oct 10. With this addition, Punggol Coast station will be the terminal station of the 22km North East Line, taking its total number of stations to 17. Located in the Punggol Digital District, the new station will improve transport connectivity for more than 28,000 employees in the JTC Business Park. It will also benefit some 12,000 students from the Singapore Institute of Technology's (SIT) Punggol campus as well as those visiting the upcoming Punggol Coast Mall, which is being completed in phases from September.

A Spanish couple are currently being investigated for protesting against Peter Lim, the Singaporean owner of Spanish football club Valencia. The police told AsiaOne on Thursday (Oct 10) that a police report was lodged against a 34-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, both Spanish nationals, for allegedly taking part in a public assembly. The couple's passports have been impounded while investigations are ongoing, they said. Social media posts by the Spanish man, Dani Cuesta, on Oct 3 included photos showing him holding a sign that reads «Lim Go Home» and a video of him pasting stickers saying «Lim Out» at various locations in Singapore. These locations included Merlion Park, the Esplanade, as well as Abelia – an 11-storey condominium in Ardmore Park said to be owned by Lim. Cuesta's posts soon went viral, some garnering over 260,000 views, and he received mixed reactions from netizens. Some fellow fans of the football club praised his actions, calling him a «hero without a cape» and thanking him for voicing their frustrations. One netizen wrote: «He has gone where no one managed to go before.»

A day after Dr Lee Wei Ling's death, her younger brother has brought attention to the future of their family home. In a Facebook post on Thursday (Oct 10), Lee Hsien Yang wrote that he was conveying a message from his sister. «My father's, Lee Kuan Yew, and my mother's, Kwa Geok Choo, unwavering and deeply felt wish was for their house at 38 Oxley Road to be demolished upon the last parent's death. »Lee Kuan Yew had directed each of his three children to ensure that their parents' wish for demolition be fulfilled. He had also appealed directly to the people of Singapore. «Please honour my father by honouring his wish for his home to be demolished.» Dr Lee, who died at the age of 69 on Wednesday, was living in the house at 38 Oxley Road.

VIENTIANE, Laos — The test of Asean's unity lies in how the bloc deals with internal challenges such as the situation in Myanmar, as well as key regional issues, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Wednesday (Oct 9). This is even as the 10-member grouping faces an increasingly «troubled and turbulent» external environment, he said, addressing fellow Asean leaders at the 44th and 45th Asean Summits and related meetings held in Vientiane, Laos. PM Wong, who delivered three speeches on Oct 9, also urged Asean leaders to remain united in purpose despite its diverse grouping and member states' own positions on regional and global issues. The annual regional gathering is being held against the backdrop of increasing geopolitical tensions, as well as concerns over rising military conflict in the Middle East, maritime disputes in the South China Sea, the broader US-China rivalry, and the continued civil unrest in Myanmar since the 2021 military coup.

The body of Mr Harry Tan Eng Kwang, who died after he slipped and fell while hiking in the Everest region of Nepal about two weeks ago, arrived in Singapore on Oct 9. His family is holding a three-day wake at The Garden of Remembrance in Old Choa Chu Kang Road and the cremation will be held on Oct 12. Mr Tan, 76, reportedly went missing on Sept 26 near the 5,500m-high Kongma La Pass in Nepal, which is south of Everest Base Camp. His body was found on Oct 4 after a search-and-rescue operation that lasted more than a week. Speaking to The Straits Times at a packed funeral wake, his wife, Dr Jessie Png, said her prayers were answered when his body was found, as bad weather conditions had hampered rescue efforts.

Dr Lee Wei Ling's wake will be held at the Singapore Casket, said her younger brother Lee Hsien Yang in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Oct 9) evening.  The wake will be held from Thursday to Saturday, at the Pearl and Sapphire Hall on level 3 at Singapore Casket's premises on Lavender Street.  Visiting hours are from 2pm to 10pm on Thursday, 10am to 10pm on Friday, and 10am to 1pm on Saturday.  Dr Lee will be cremated at Mandai Crematorium at 2.45pm on Saturday, according to the National Environment Agency's records.  Her younger brother, however, will not be attending her wake and funeral in person. 

SINGAPORE - The upcoming Build-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise next week will have seven projects launched in the Standard category, seven more in Plus, and just one Prime BTO project, as the Housing Board rolls out a new system of classifying flats. It will mark the first time where BTO flats will be sorted according to these three categories. The new framework will replace the current system of classifying estates as either mature or non-mature. Explaining how BTO projects will be categorised under the new framework, National Development Minister Desmond Lee said on Oct 9 that HDB does so based on a project’s proximity to the city centre, transport connectivity and amenities. Prime and Plus flats, which are located closer to amenities such as MRT stations and town centres, will come with stricter resale conditions, such as a 10-year minimum occupation period (MOP) and a subsidy clawback. Standard flats will not have a subsidy recovery clause when they are sold, and will come with a 5-year MOP.

The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) said it has lodged a police report after a prison transport vehicle damaged the side mirror of a car in an accident. The vehicle was travelling along Simei Street 3 at about 9.20am on Tuesday (Oct 8). In a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday afternoon, SPS said that inmates and escorting officers from the Changi Prison Complex onboard the vehicle were en-route to the Changi General Hospital (CGH) for the inmates' medical appointments. About 400 metres away from CGH, the right side of the SPS vehicle «made an impact» with the left side of a private car travelling on the next lane. Dashcam footage of the incident, recorded from the affected car, was uploaded to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante on Wednesday. The clip shows an item falling onto the road as the SPS vehicle drives by. The vehicle does not stop. According to the post, the car owner had heard a «knocking sound» and realised their left side mirror was «slightly damaged».

Amid the intermittent flashes of light and clicking of camera shutters, nine women sat around a coffee shop table, listening as police officers questioned them. Some hung their heads low, covering their faces with their hands or masks, while others appeared unperturbed, locking eyes with photographers around them. Holding clear Ziploc bags containing seized mobile phones and identification documents, a female officer instructed one woman to remove her face mask for identification — the latter refused, indicating that she had a cough. The officer chided her for delaying the process, warning that the longer they take, the longer they would have to deal with the uncomfortable situation they were in. This was the experience of some women on Monday (Oct 7) evening as the police conducted an operation at a coffee shop along Geylang Lorong 29. 33 women aged between 21 and 54 were arrested under the Women's Charter and Employment of Foreign Manpower Act for their suspected involvement in vice activities and illegal employment-related offences.

SINGAPORE — Marine fuel suppliers at Singapore, world's largest bunker hub, will be required to provide digital bunkering services and issue electronic bunker delivery notes starting April 1, 2025, Amy Khor, Singapore's senior minister of state for transport, said at the SIBCON 2024 conference. The move aims to streamline ship fuelling, or bunkering, processes by making data sharing between buyers and sellers more efficient and transparent, saving the industry close to 40,000 man-days per year and reducing the risk of fraud. The announced mandate followed pilot trials with various bunker suppliers since November 2023. Singapore will be the first port globally to implement digital bunkering at scale for all bunker operations, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

Following the announcement of Dr Lee Wei Ling's death on Wednesday (Oct 9), former patients took to social media to express their condolences to her family and thank her for helping them.  Dr Lee was a paediatric neurologist specialising in epilepsy, and also the director of the National Neuroscience Institute from 2004 to 2014.  She died at home aged 69, four years after she was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative brain disease which affects physical movements, walking, balance and eye movements.  On social media, Dr Lee's former patients paid tribute to her, sharing how she had helped them in the past.  One of her former patients, who was diagnosed with slight dyslexia, wrote: «I remember her kindness and admired her positive energy. Thanks to her, I managed to get into the express stream at SJI.»  Another comment described Dr Lee as an «exceptional doctor».