SINGAPORE - As an elderly man jaywalked on Serangoon Avenue 3 on May 20, a yellow taxi approached him and he stopped in the middle of the road to avoid the vehicle as it went past.Just as he continued crossing the road, a motorcycle appeared and the man had to stop again as the bike almost hit him.An accident had been narrowly averted, but the incident could have ended tragically.Several elderly pedestrians The Straits Times spoke to said they knew it was dangerous to jaywalk but did so as it was faster than walking to the nearest pedestrian crossing.Singapore roads are at their most dangerous in years, with traffic deaths hitting a 10-year high of 149 in 2025, compared with 141 in 2016. There were 142 deaths in 2024.The number of people getting injured also rose from 9,342 in 2024 to 9,955 in 2025.Given the dire situation on Singapore's roads, ST has been running a series of stories calling on all road users to be more careful.The number of traffic accidents involving jaywalking elderly pedestrians increased from 95 in 2024 to 101 in 2025.

A fire broke out on a yacht berthed at Sentosa Cove on Sunday (June 7) morning, with the vessel seen engulfed in flames and thick smoke billowing into the air.An eyewitness who goes by the handle Dontellufishing said in his TikTok livestream the incident occurred at One15 Marina Club at Sentosa Cove.He said he had set out on a jet ski at around 7am for a fishing trip when he spotted the fire at around 8.45am and returned for a closer look.«I just hope nobody gets hurt, especially the crew, (as there) were many small explosions,» he said.The eyewitness added that the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were already at the scene. He approached an officer to ask whether the fire was likely to spread and was informed that it was possible, before being advised to move further away from the scene as a precaution.  «Props to the firefighters for helping out. I wouldn't dare go so close,» he said.  He also explained in the video that several yachts near the burning vessel were towed away, and that he couldn't return to shore because of the fire.

SINGAPORE – Citing medical fees and loss of future earnings as a physiotherapist, a cyclist who was hit by a motorcyclist on Nicoll Highway in 2021 sought over $500,000 in a civil suit.However, deputy registrar Sim Mei Ling awarded the cyclist, Gino Ernest Ng, around $55,000 after finding his claims for future earnings speculative.According to a judgment dated May 25, Ng was cycling on Nicoll Highway when the motorcyclist, Ang Eng Peng, collided with him.The September 2021 accident left Ng with a spinal fracture and abrasions on his right knee and right forearm. He was placed on hospitalisation leave from Sept 4, 2021, to Nov 30, 2021.In court, Ng’s medical expert testified that his spinal fracture would cause pain and chronic discomfort when treating patients. He noted that if Ng worked more than six hours, he would need a break the next day or require treatment from his colleagues.Conversely, Ang’s medical expert said Ng’s fracture had healed well and would not significantly impair his ability to work.Ng returned to work in December 2021 at his physiotherapy clinic, where he is a director and 50 per cent shareholder.

Pregnancy may explain why this poor tree shrew got stuck in a drainage pipe.On June 2, Facebook user Ng Suan Eng shared her encounter with the native mammal, which she found trapped inside a weep hole in her backyard retaining wall.«It was half dead and exhausted after struggling to survive the whole day,» she wrote.Ng called the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) to rescue the tree shrew, and praised their efforts.«After feeding it with some water, it became conscious, and the team used oil, carefully and patiently pulled it out eventually,» she wrote. «Grateful to have these guardian angels of our wildlife.»Lianhe Zaobao reported that the incident took place at Ng's home near Rifle Range Nature Park in Bukit Timah.Ng, 80, told the Chinese daily that she had first spotted two shrews darting around her backyard while she was having breakfast that morning, but around 5pm, her domestic helper heard sharp shrieks coming from the background and found one of them stuck.

A car swerved and mounted onto the walkway of a Bedok HDB block and crashed into what appears to be a dry riser on Friday (June 5) evening. The 69-year-old driver was then sent to the hospital for further medical checks.In a post uploaded to social media by Minister of State for East Coast GRC Tan Kiat How on Friday, he said that the car had swerved and mounted the pavement along the driveway between 201 and 202 Bedok North Street 1 that evening.He then expressed relief over how there were no serious injuries as nobody was in the path when the accident happened.«Thankfully, no pedestrians or other motorists were injured. Given that it happened during the evening rush, I am especially relieved that no one was in its path,» he said. «I am grateful that the outcome was not more serious».Tan then added that his team will work to repair the damaged infrastructure as quickly as possible, and thanked emergency responders who helped people at the scene after the accident.

The police has issued Disabling Directions (DD) under the Online Criminal Harms Act 2023 against YouTube, Facebook and X following the spread of content targeting the Indian community in Singapore.Narratives have been circulating in the Chinese-language information space over the last month that «Singapore is displaying anxiety over our cultural identity and ethnic politics» and there has been inflammatory content posted about Singapore's cultural identity and notions that the country is being «overrun by Indians», the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a press release on Saturday (June 6).The DD has been issued to block access to 14 such posts.Speaking to the media, Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong said that the posts, which are of foreign origin, attack Singapore's multiracial society and «try to divide people based on race.»«This, however, is not who we are,» he continued. « Every community in Singapore here is valued and everyone has an equal place. So, these videos strike at the very foundation of what makes Singapore home for all of us and they undermine the very basis of our society.»

Four persons, aged between 26 and 38, will be charged in court on Saturday (June 6) for their alleged involvement in fraudulently registering SIM cards that facilitated criminal activities.Police said in a news release on Friday night that the individuals, comprising two men and two women, were arrested during an enforcement operation in Tuas on June 4.The operation targeted errant retailers who were allegedly engaged in the registration of postpaid SIM cards that were subsequently used by overseas syndicates in crime.According to the police, the 34-year-old man and two women had allegedly used the information of actual customers to pre-register for additional postpaid SIM cards. The mobile lines that were registered were subsequently used in impersonation scams.The fourth person, a 26-year-old man was allegedly being taught how to do so.Meanwhile, investigations against another three men, aged between 30 and 65, are ongoing.Those convicted of facilitating the fraudulent registration of SIM cards that facilitate criminal activity will face a fine of up to $10,000, jail of up to three years, or both.

An artist who draws on pavements with chalk and a power washer was reported to the police after creating artwork on a sidewalk near a train station in Mountbatten. In a TikTok video on Friday (June 5), Marcus Pang shared that five hours into his project, he was stopped by Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) staff as someone had complained about him spraying chemicals onto the grass. «I laughed it off, stating that it was probably the gasoline from my power washer, and that I was using rainwater to power wash the dirty concrete,» the 24-year-old said. However, SMRT staff detained him, stating that he did not have a permit to create such artwork.In response, Marcus said he did not require a permit to do so.  @gazing.pw

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) announced on Saturday (June 6) that a Tanzania-registered container vessel, Golden Star 1, had sunk in the Singapore Strait on Friday night.MPA added that the incident happened about 6km off Batam at about 10.30pm.It added that the vessel reportedly took on water and subsequently sank.All nine crew members were later rescued by Indonesian authorities.Checks by AsiaOne on shipping tracking platforms show that the vessel's last known position is north of Sekupang in Batam, and to the south of East Coast Park.

A critically endangered Sunda pangolin that was rescued from a washing machine is ready to be released back into the wild, the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) said in a Facebook post on Thursday (June 4).The pangolin had crawled into the washing machine near Bukit Batok on the morning of May 25.Acres received a call from a resident about an «unusual animal» lodged beneath the appliance and advised the caller not to turn on the machine, reported The Straits Times (ST).Acres' rescue team took around 20 to 40 minutes to coax the pangolin out, as the species tends to cling tightly onto surfaces.

A 32-year-old Singaporean man believed to be linked to an organised crime group in Cambodia that scammed Singaporeans will be charged in court on Saturday (June 6).Francis Tan Thuan Heng had been placed on an initial list of 34 suspects — 27 Singaporeans and seven Malaysians — wanted by the Singapore police over their alleged involvement with the group. The list was expanded to include two more Singaporeans on May 5.  Jonathan Boneta, 27, and 33-year-old Lee Ding Hao, who are purportedly out of Singapore, were identified after further investigations. 

The Traffic police (TP) will get a new commander on Monday (June 8), with Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) Serene Chiu taking over the wheel.SAC Chiu, 51, who handed over command of Clementi Police Division to Assistant Commissioner of Police Allan Yue Kah Keong on June 4, will take over from SAC Daniel Tan.SAC Tan was appointed chief executive of the Gambling Regulatory Authority on June 2.The incoming TP commander joined the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in 1999. In her 27 years with the SPF, she has held several key appointments such as deputy director of the Ministry of Home Affairs' Homefront Security Division and director of the police's Public Affairs Department.

Even when employers offer new or similar roles for workers after their jobs have been made redundant, these employees are considered to have been retrenched, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) told AsiaOne on Friday (June 5).Both the ministry and labour movement also asked that companies treat retrenchments as a last resort.There has been a trend of some businesses asking workers to reapply for roles under the guise of «new opportunities», either locally or overseas, after their existing one have been made redundant.Under the law, employers with at least 10 workers must submit a retrenchment notification to MOM within five working days of notifying affected staff. Retrenchment benefits, however, are not currently mandated.Retrenchments as last resortNTUC told AsiaOne it recognises that firms may undertake various measures as a result of the evolving business environment. But it urged employers to «cut costs to save jobs, and not cut jobs to save costs».

SINGAPORE — To fund his lavish lifestyle, a man orchestrated traffic accidents between September 2019 and January 2024 to get private cash settlements from innocent drivers.Danial Ali Liaqat Ali, 28, was involved in at least 73 road traffic accidents over four years. Most of them were staged.On June 5, he was sentenced to 32 weeks’ jail and fined $6,000.He will also be disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for 48 months after his release from prison.Danial pleaded guilty to 12 charges, including cheating, dangerous driving and inconsiderate driving.Another 25 charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.While driving, Danial would look for opportunities to engineer a near-collision or a collision with another vehicle.He would drive dangerously close to them, deliberately failing to brake, or accelerating into them to cause a side-swipe collision.Following each incident, Danial would approach the drivers and demand a private cash settlement of between $180 and $1,500 from the drivers.Court documents did not state how much he received in total from the fake accidents.

A motorcyclist and his pillion were taken to the hospital after an accident at a pedestrian crossing along Serangoon North Avenue 1 in the early hours of Friday (June 5).In footage of the aftermath shared by Instagram user Zatiman, a woman can be seen sitting on the road in front of a white saloon car and a motorcycle. Behind the car is a minivan that is believed to have been involved in the accident.Multiple people can be seen surrounding the three vehicles, with some making phone calls while others gestured at each other and inspected the vehicles.«Allegedly the guy driving the small van at the back is a teeny bit drunk,» Zatiman wrote in his post. «Even I can hear it.»Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force said they were alerted to the accident at about 12.05am.A 39-year-old male motorcyclist and his 38-year-old female pillion were taken conscious to Sengkang General Hospital.A 26-year-old male van driver is assisting with ongoing police investigations.[[nid:737426]]khooyihang@asiaone.com

A Singaporean father has turned to fundraising to raise about $400,000 after doctors told him that his son urgently needs heart surgery, according to fundraising platform Give.Asia.Muhammad Rauf, 16, was born with a rare and complex congenital heart condition, said the Singapore-based platform.His father, Muhd Hidayat, who created the Give.Asia page, wrote that doctors diagnosed his condition as a «single ventricle physiology», which is a severe cardiac defect associated with numerous additional complications.In January 2026, his condition deteriorated significantly.

Seven teenagers were arrested after allegedly assaulting a 14-year-old girl at a carpark of a shopping mall on Orchard Road on May 3.Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the victim's mother said her daughter had gone out for dinner with friends before being lured to a parking lot on the 11th floor of a shopping mall in Orchard to meet an online acquaintance.At the car park, the victim was allegedly assaulted by at least seven girls, four of whom she had previously met online.The attack reportedly lasted about 40 minutes, during which the teenager was allegedly kicked, punched and slapped.Following the attack, the victim fled the scene and went to The Centrepoint before making her way to her grandmother's home in Bedok, where she then called her mother.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that they received a call for assistance in the vicinity of Bedok Reservoir Road at around 11.25pm.A 14-year-old female teenager was taken conscious to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.