Here's another possible reason why you're smelling that smoggy haze-like in the air these days — according to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), there were a total of 94 wildfires that they put out this month alone.
121 vegetation fires occured across Singapore so far this year, with the bulk of them taking place in March. The biggest case was the one at Yishun Ring Road on March 2, where blaze spread the span of five by 10 metres and took an hour for firefighters to put out.
Just a little over a month after a cardboard auntie was tragically knocked down and killed (by a BMW, no less), another elderly lady suffered the same fate yesterday in Bedok.
78-year-old Poh Ah Gin had been collecting cardboard behind a coffeeshop at Block 123 along Bedok North Street 2 when a taxi mounted the kerb and smashed into her twice, The Straits Times reports. Poh — who lived alone — was pronounced dead by paramedics who arrived on scene later on.
Spending a night at the museum is no longer cool. What's in right now is a night at the shark aquarium. Specifically, Aquarium de Paris in France. Three complimentary one-night Airbnb stays are up for grabs from Apr 11 to 13, and you can enter your name into the running by penning the most original reason for why you deserve to win by Apr 3.
The best part? They'll fly you in from wherever you are in the world.
As internal investigations into the SMRT accident that took the lives of two young trainees are to be completed next week, the transport operator will have to implement interim safety procedures in the meantime.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) have since issued interim instructions meant to "strengthen existing safety procedures" that should prevent recurrence of a similar incident. The instructions are specifically designed to enhance safety of staff when carrying out works on railway tracks while investigations are still ongoing.
Priority queues are coming to all MRT stations. They'll be at platform screen doors and passenger lifts for those in need, such as the elderly, disabled, pregnant and parents with strollers. This move by the Land Transport Authority aims to promote good travel etiquette, making the assumption that people in Singapore need to be reminded to act graciously.
Six MRT stations will be the guinea pigs for these priority queue stickers — Novena, Chinatown, Sengkang, Kent Ridge and Outram Park's East West and North-East lines — as these places have hospitals close by and tend to serve a greater number of seniors. The stickers can be seen next to current queue lines, at screen doors close to station lifts and wheelchair parking spaces in the train.
On a rainy day in 2008, Aw Kian Chow slipped and fell on a sloping ramp that was part of a sheltered walkway near his home in Sembawang Drive. The accident fractured his spine and paralysed him from the neck down, causing the former freelance accountant to be bedridden. His wife, 47-year-old Angeline Aw, became the sole breadwinner for the family of four, and had to hire two caretakers for her husband.
In 2011, he sued the Sembawang Town Council for allegedly failing to provide a safe walkway. They replied to say that it was properly maintained, and while they were sympathetic to his plight, they could not be held responsible for his fall. In 2013, it is believed that the case came to an abrupt end, and the matter was resolved with confidential terms.
A while ago in an island not too far away, young Rey scoured the forest (after a chill landspeeder bumboat ride) in search of the truth that would change her destiny forever — a way to invest and earn higher returns.
Armed with a staff that coincidentally doubles as a tool to bring down bamboo poles from the clothes drying rack, she finally reaches a cliff, where a wizened old man stands, watching the view.
The old Jedi then reveals his face and grumpily informs her in Hokkien about Funding Societies, a local startup that crowdfunds for entrepreneurs as a peer-to-peer finance lending platform.
Oh, Kylie Jenner. Love her or hate her (or don't recognise her), the 18-year-old is here to stay. At least on social media, for the time being. She's the face of PUMA's latest women's training campaign, which spotlights the brand's new fitness footwear, PUMA Fierce.
Set for a global launch in April, the training shoe is touted as lightweight and laceless. The design features details like a demi upper bootie construction with technical overlays, a supportive midsole and a flex grooved outsole to enable fast movements.
Plus, it just looks cool. Like the type of gear that could get you noticed on street style blogs.
In the wake of an horribly failed April Fool's stunt, local grocery concierge startup Honestbee came clean about their campaign earlier than expected this morning.
Yesterday, the grocery delivery service came under serious brickbats when they gamely announced a new pop-up store called Explorer Joe Exotic Meats, offering the sale of panda meat, koala sausages, komodo dragon eggs and other illegal nourishments.
It's all about crabs at The Kitchen Table in April. For every Saturday in the month, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove will host a seafood spread filled with crustacean creations.
Named Crabby Saturdays, the menu features dishes like crab rangoon with chipotle aioli, Southern-style crab bisque scooped into a loaf of bread, a trio of crab sliders with cheesy fries, and linguini in a crab meat alfredo sauce. For an Asian slant, try the rice paper rolls stuffed with crab, prawns, cucumber, carrot, lettuce and pineapple salsa, or savour spoonfuls of crab curry with steamed rice.
Every Sat, Apr 2-30, noon-3pm at the kitchen table, 21 Ocean Way. À la carte dishes start from $10, and a set for two is priced at $68.
As a wider strategy from Jetstar Asia in their efforts for greater market localization across the region, they're adopting our local Singlish patois as their official customer-facing language.
Complete with tonal indifference, shortage of grammar and colourful words from various local languages, Jetstar pilots and cabin crew have been equipped with the ability to converse effectively in Singlish.
“We want customers from Singapore to be able to interact with both our site and staff as they would do with the language that they might be most comfortable with," said Jetstar Asia's Acting Head of Commercial Innovation Stephan Fule.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were alerted to an incident yesterday morning to Jalan Damai, where a migrant worker had fallen off a HDB rooftop.
The 29-year-old Indian national had been working on the rooftop of Block 662 along Jalan Damai when he fell off from at least a 10-storey height. Officers found the man lying motionless, and was conveyed to Changi General Hospital, where he subsequently passed away.
SCDF noted that the victim suffered from "traumatic arrest", in which his heart ceased to beat due to sudden and hard impact.
Three-year-old Caitlin Soleil Lucas has been through so much in the past few months. Yet through it all, she displayed such courage and tenacity, always ready with a smile, despite her suffering. Even till the very end.
Her Filipino parents first discovered her "mystery illness" last September, when insect bites on her ankle turned into lesions all over her body. Unable to get a diagnosis for her condition in Manila, the family flew to Singapore in February for medical help. The next month, National University Hospital doctors confirmed her rare illness: juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia.
Wanted by Interpol, Singaporean suspect Lim Yong Nam was arrested and detained in Batam in 2014 after being accused of smuggling electronic parts from the United States to Iran during a period of trade embargo.
The Indonesian government however has decided to extradite Lim from Batam to hand him over to the relevant US authorities to face trial. The decision was even presidentially decreed by President Joko Widodo, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
"We have also requested the US to ensure that Mr Lim is accorded his due legal rights," the ministry stated. "MFA will continue to discharge our consular responsibilities by providing Mr Lim with the necessary assistance".
37-year-old Tan Yun Yeow has been wheelchair-bound since his terrible workplace accident in 2009. The engineer was at a work site in Changi when an electrical explosion occurred, plastering his face, torso and arms with burns, and putting him into a coma. Several complications followed, and his heart even stopped beating for a while. His wife of a year and six-month-old son were left worried, as well as his brothers and their parents.
The family was prepared for the worst. But over a year later, Tan woke up. Unfortunately, he suffered brain damage and the hospital declared him mentally incapable of handling his financial and personal affairs, reported The New Paper.
Awww yiss, it looks like Elon Musk's discussions with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong may have borne some electrifying fruit.
Musk's most important electric car yet — the Tesla Model 3 — is being unveiled right now as we speak at the company's facility in Hawthorne, California. Here's the good news: Singapore's included in the list of countries that'll be able to order.
Chuckle your way through April Fools' weekend with this madcap bunch of comedians. As The Noose goes live, familiar faces like Chua En Lai, Alaric Tay, Suhaimi Yusof and Judee Tan (who also directs) bring their brand of award-winning humour to the stage at the shiny new MediaCorp theatre. Joining them are fellow Singaporean jokesters, including Kumar, Fakkah Fuzz and Rishi Budhrani, as well as comedians from across the border like Harith Iskander, Rizal Van Geyzal and Kavin Jay.
The irreverent group will poke fun at everything from here to across the causeway and beyond. Like a particular neighbour who has been "so generous in providing both countries with 11 months of fresh air annually."
We can never get enough of Korean grub — which is why menu updates at Korean restaurants are always welcomed. At Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory, which specialises in 20 types of fried and roasted birds, new dishes will be unveiled come Apr 4.
The star of the show is the honey butter chicken ($28.90), where pieces of crispy chicken are piled in a heap alongside potato wedges and pan-fried topokki (rice cakes), then smothered in honey butter glaze. If that's not enough flavour for you, there's the accompanying honeyed garlic mayo dip for extra zing.
Here's one reason to give your home a facelift — the new furniture store in town, HomesToLife. Established by furnishing company HTL International, this new flagship sits pretty on Mohamed Sultan Road, offering more than 20 international living, dining and bedding brands for customers to choose from. A sofa customisation service is also available.
Local singer/songwriter Samantha Rui has a new EP in the pipeline — apparently, she's more than halfway through with the album, so hopefully we'll be hearing more from her soon. To get a taste of what to expect, listen to this sexy new single that she recorded with music producer FAUXE.
Titled 'Down', the velvety smooth R&B melody is a little unexpected, given her previous inclinations towards indie pop and folk, but it's a neat surprise. Take a listen here.
