A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of mischief by fire after a blaze broke out in an 18th-floor HDB unit at MacPherson on Monday night (May 4), with eight people taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the blaze at about 9.40pm on Monday night. The fire engulfed the entire unit at Block 14 Joo Seng Road and was put out with two water jets.Three people had evacuated from the affected unit before SCDF's arrival. The eight injured were assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Two firefighters who felt unwell during the operation were also taken to SGH as a precaution.The police told AsiaOne that a 44-year-old man was arrested at the scene for mischief by fire and investigations are ongoing.

A lucky punter turned a $1 lottery ticket into a $12.8 million windfall after striking the Toto cascade draw on Monday (May 4) night.The winner had purchased a QuickPick ordinary entry ticket online through Singapore Pools, according to its website.The winning numbers were: 7, 18, 19, 30, 36 and 48, with an additional number of 11.With no winners from the past draws, the jackpot had snowballed to an estimated $10 million and ultimately grew to over $12.8 million.A total of 17 winning shares split the Group 2 prize sum of $87,564.The next draw will be held on May 7, with an estimated top prize of $1 million.[[nid:730599]]lim.kewei@asiaone.com

A 22-year-old man will be charged in court on Tuesday (May 5) for his alleged involvement in several cases of loan shark harassment.Police said in a news release on Monday night that they were alerted to such cases at two residential units along Bedok North Avenue 3 and Whampoa Drive, and an industrial unit at Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2.Photographs of the alleged crime scenes provided by the police show the main gates and doors of the affected units splashed with red paint.There were also debtor notes asking the victims to pay up. Offices from Bedok Police Division and the Police Operations Command Centre established the identity of the man through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras, arresting him within 12 hours of the first report being made.A total of three debtor's notes, one mobile phone and one can of paint were seized from the man as case exhibits.The offence of loan shark harassment carries a fine of between $5,000 and $50,000, imprisonment of up to five years, and up to six strokes of the cane.

Free tuberculosis (TB) screening for tenants, workers and frequent visitors to Bedok Central will be extended by one more day to Friday (May 8), said the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA).The extension will allow an additional 500 individuals to be screened.In a statement on Monday evening, the authority said a total of 708 people have undergone screening as at 6pm.Of them, 541 were screened at Heartbeat@Bedok and 167 had visited the SATA CommHealth Bedok Clinic.It is mandatory for all working at Heartbeat@Bedok, Block 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market and Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre to be screened, and 280 of them have done so.The remaining 428 opted to be screened on a voluntary basis.

The roof of a bus stop outside Bukit Panjang Plaza was knocked askew on Sunday (May 3) evening after a double-decker bus allegedly hit it while turning out from the bus bay.An image of the incident shared by a reader of Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao shows glass shards on the ground, while the roof is misaligned at an angle. A photo of the damaged bus stop shared with Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao by its reader. PHOTO: Lianhe Zaobao reader When AsiaOne visited the scene on Monday evening, the damaged bus stop had been removed. In its place, a gazebo was installed as a temporary shelter for commuters.

Car sharing service Flexar, the BlueSG team's new brand, has officially launched in Singapore with a fleet of over 200 electric and internal combustion engine vehicles.This comes after a public beta testing phase which received nearly 10,000 registrations in just two weeks, the firm said on Monday (May 4).The «redesigned» point-to-point car sharing service draws on «insights from the strategic pause of BlueSG», with an intelligent fleet system and parking optimisation to improve vehicle availability, the firm said.Over 200 Flexar vehicles, including the Hyundai Avante, Honda Fit, Toyota Sienta, and Opel Corsa-e models, are available across 100 stations in the central, north, north-east and east regions, including towns such as Punggol, Sengkang, Hougang, Tampines, Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh.It aims to expand monthly across regions and can «support thousands of vehicles across an extensive islandwide station network» at full scale.

A 56-year-old man has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a series of mischief and theft cases involving several cars in Bukit Batok and Tengah.Police said in a news release on Monday (May 4) night that they received several reports of side windows of cars being shattered on Sunday.They did not specify the number of cars allegedly damaged by the man as investigations are ongoing.According to the police, he allegedly stole items including cash amounting to $100 and paper receipts from one of the cars.He was identified and arrested by officers from Jurong Police Division within 13 hours of the first report being made, through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras. He will be charged in court on Tuesday with the offence of theft — an offence which carries a penalty of three years' jail, a fine, or both.[[nid:735020]]editor@asiaone.com

Singapore and New Zealand inked the world's first legally-binding bilateral supply chain resilience agreement on Monday (May 4) — with the two countries committing to continue trading essential products, including food, fuel, healthcare and chemical products — even during times of crisis.The Singapore-New Zealand Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES) was signed by Minister-in-charge of Energy, Science and Technology Dr Tan See Leng and his New Zealand counterpart Todd McClay, at the annual leaders' meeting.«Under the agreement, Singapore and New Zealand commit not to impose unnecessary export restrictions on agreed essential supplies, including, food, fuel, healthcare and chemical products,» Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry said in a statement.It added that the agreement will also provide a framework for both countries to facilitate the movement of goods, share information and engage in consultations before or during supply chain disruptions, thereby providing businesses and consumers on both sides with greater confidence and stability during supply chain disruptions.

About 2,590 people were caught with vaporisers in the first three months of 2026 and penalised by health authorities.Of them, 377 were in possession of etomidate-laced vapes, also known as Kpods, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Monday (May 4).Over the same timeframe, 256 people were ordered to attend rehabilitation programmes — which is mandatory for first-time Kpod offenders and repeat regular vape offenders.A total of 520 vape users have enrolled in rehab since stricter anti-vape penalties kicked in last September, and 123 of them have successfully completed rehab. A 12-year-old girl, who was caught vaping for the second time in October 2025, completed rehab in January 2026.«Her parents reported significant behavioural improvements, better school attendance and improved academic performance,» said MOH and HSA.Meanwhile, 28 offenders who failed to attend compulsory rehab were taken to court, while another 42 defaulters are being investigated.

If you are told by a «government official' that you are under investigation for criminal activities, and asked to make cash deposits or transfers for »safekeeping«, or to prove your innocence — stop and tell someone, or you could be the next victim of scam.Since April 2026, there have been at least 68 such cases reported, with losses totalling at least $5.4million.Scam variants involving victims meeting unknown persons to hand over cash or valuables have been widely reported this year, but it seems that scammers are evolving their techniques to catch victims off-guard.In this variant, victims are similarly told that they are being investigated for criminal activities arising from a handset they did not purchase, a telecommunications contract they did not sign up for, or unauthorised bank transactions.They are then instructed to perform cash transfers or deposits via an automated teller machine (ATM) into a »safe account«. In some cases, victims were asked to physically hand over their bank cards and PIN to those pretending to be an »officer« or »inspector".

Fourteen suspects, aged between 17 and 28, will be charged in court between May 4 (Monday) and May 8 for allegedly providing fraudulently registered SIM cards in return for cash.The nine men and five women purportedly received between $10 and $20 per registered SIM card.Police said the suspects handed over between 29 and 80 SIM cards, registered under their names, to a criminal syndicate.They were allegedly instructed to buy SIM cards in bulk across different retailers before handing them over to couriers.Those convicted of knowingly providing a registered SIM card to another person to facilitate a crime for any gain will face a fine of up to $10,000 and/or a jail term of up to three years.Scam mules will face discretionary caningScammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates also face mandatory caning of at least six strokes if convicted. Those who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds face discretionary caning.Those involved in mule-related offences may also face restrictions on banking services and mobile line subscriptions.

The ongoing energy disruptions from the Middle East crisis do not just serve as a reminder that such shocks are becoming part of the new normal, but also, the need for businesses and markets to diversify, de-risk, and build resilience with trusted partners, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.He was speaking at the New Zealand-Singapore Leadership Forum, organised by Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), on Monday (May 4) morning.The forum seeks to foster dialogue and collaboration between both governments with business leaders, to find ways to improve the business environment, and support investments both ways. On the issue of supply chain resilience, which affects both businesses and consumers, PM Wong said episodes such as the Middle East crisis serve as reminders that such shocks are not one-offs, but «becoming part of the new normal».

Amidst the intensifying effects of climate change being increasingly felt, Singapore has designated 2026 as the Year of Climate Adaptation — to raise awareness on the importance of the issue and strengthen the resilience of business and communities.In line with these efforts, the fourth edition of the Go Green SG movement, which runs from May 11 to June 28, will see some 500 partners from across the people, private and public sectors organising more than 1,000 initiatives.These «new and behind-the-scenes exclusive» activities are designed to rally Singaporeans to take climate action, said the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) on Monday (May 4).«Go Green SG is our whole-of-nation movement to rally citizens, businesses and the community to take collective action towards a more environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient Singapore,» the ministry added.

A 29-year-old Malaysian man will be charged in court on Monday (May 4) over his alleged role in a scam involving impersonation of government officials.Following his arrest on Saturday, the number of Malaysians caught in Singapore for allegedly helping scam syndicates to collect cash and valuables since March this year now stands at 22.The police said they received a report on April 30 from a female victim who had received a call from an unknown person claiming to be from Singtel. This woman was told her information may have been used to purchase an iPhone with a contract and that she would be liable for charges.She was then directed to contact an «investigation officer» who accused her of money laundering involving a syndicate in Cambodia, according to a news release on Sunday.Believing that she could prove her innocence if she followed their instructions, the female victim purchased a Rolex watch at Far East Plaza, worth over $108,000, and handed it over to the 29-year-old to prove her innocence.