2 dead in Toa Payoh flat fire; A guide to claiming your SG60 vouchers: Singapore live news

Yahoo

5 days ago

A man and a woman were found dead after a fire broke out in a flat at Block 173 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 on the evening of 22 July. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Facebook later that evening that it responded to the fire at around 7.30pm. The living room was on fire when firefighters arrived at the unit, located on the second floor. The flat was filled with smoke and they extinguished the fire using a water jet.
Singaporeans can start claiming their SG60 vouchers in July. Seniors aged 60 and above can claim them from 1 July, while those aged 21 to 59 can claim them starting from 22 July, 10am. The dates were split up to prioritise older Singaporeans to recognise their contributions to the country, and devote more resources in the first three weeks of July to support elderly Singaporeans who need help to claim the vouchers digitally or print them out, said Mayor of the South West District Low Yen Ling.
Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates.
Singaporeans still hold the world's most powerful passport
Singapore has once again tops the Henley Passport Index, allowing Singaporeans to continue being the holder of the world's most powerful passport. According to the latest Henley Passport Index released on 22 July, Singaporeans enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 193 out of 227 destinations worldwide.
This is a slight dip from the 195 destinations recorded in the January 2025 edition of the index, but it was not enough to knock the Republic out of the top spot.
Singapore lost visa-free or visa-on-arrival access after Pakistan and Mauritania, a West African nation, changed their visa policies, moving from visa-on-arrival to e-visa systems. Despite the change, Singapore's passport continues to offer its holders exceptional global mobility.
Japan and South Korea came in second, with access to 190 destinations. Seven European Union countries – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain – share third place with access to 189 destinations.
The US slipped again to 10th place and is on the brink of dropping out from the top 10 ranking. This is the lowest position ever for the US in the 20-year history of the index.
The Henley Passport Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
For more on the passport rankings, read here.
A guide to claiming your SG60 vouchers
Singaporeans can start claiming their SG60 vouchers in July. Seniors aged 60 and above can claim them from 1 July, while those aged 21 to 59 can claim them starting from 22 July, 10am.
The dates were split up to prioritise older Singaporeans to recognise their contributions to the country, and devote more resources in the first three weeks of July to support elderly Singaporeans who need help to claim the vouchers digitally or print them out, said Mayor of the South West District Low Yen Ling.
Singaporeans can visit go.gov.sg/sg60v to claim their vouchers.
They will be required to log in with their Singpass account before receiving a link via SMS from SenderID 'gov.sg' to access their vouchers. No banking information or financial transactions are required to claim the vouchers.
For more information on claiming SG60 vouchers, read here.
2 dead in Toa Payoh flat fire
A man and a woman were found dead after a fire broke out in a flat at Block 173 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 on the evening of 22 July. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Facebook later that evening that it responded to the fire at around 7.30pm.
The living room was on fire when firefighters arrived at the unit, located on the second floor. The flat was filled with smoke and they extinguished the fire using a water jet.
"During the firefighting operation, firefighters found two unresponsive persons inside the unit and immediately carried them out," SCDF said.
The police added that a man and a woman were found "lying motionless in a unit and were pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic".
Cai Yinzhou, an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, told reporters that three units on the same floor were affected and HDB has arranged alternative accommodation for the occupants.
For more on the Toa Payoh flat fire, read here.
Singaporeans still hold the world's most powerful passport
Singapore has once again tops the Henley Passport Index, allowing Singaporeans to continue being the holder of the world's most powerful passport. According to the latest Henley Passport Index released on 22 July, Singaporeans enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 193 out of 227 destinations worldwide.
This is a slight dip from the 195 destinations recorded in the January 2025 edition of the index, but it was not enough to knock the Republic out of the top spot.
Singapore lost visa-free or visa-on-arrival access after Pakistan and Mauritania, a West African nation, changed their visa policies, moving from visa-on-arrival to e-visa systems. Despite the change, Singapore's passport continues to offer its holders exceptional global mobility.
Japan and South Korea came in second, with access to 190 destinations. Seven European Union countries – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain – share third place with access to 189 destinations.
The US slipped again to 10th place and is on the brink of dropping out from the top 10 ranking. This is the lowest position ever for the US in the 20-year history of the index.
The Henley Passport Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
For more on the passport rankings, read here.
Singapore has once again tops the Henley Passport Index, allowing Singaporeans to continue being the holder of the world's most powerful passport. According to the latest Henley Passport Index released on 22 July, Singaporeans enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 193 out of 227 destinations worldwide.
This is a slight dip from the 195 destinations recorded in the January 2025 edition of the index, but it was not enough to knock the Republic out of the top spot.
Singapore lost visa-free or visa-on-arrival access after Pakistan and Mauritania, a West African nation, changed their visa policies, moving from visa-on-arrival to e-visa systems. Despite the change, Singapore's passport continues to offer its holders exceptional global mobility.
Japan and South Korea came in second, with access to 190 destinations. Seven European Union countries – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain – share third place with access to 189 destinations.
The US slipped again to 10th place and is on the brink of dropping out from the top 10 ranking. This is the lowest position ever for the US in the 20-year history of the index.
The Henley Passport Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
For more on the passport rankings, read here.
A guide to claiming your SG60 vouchers
Singaporeans can start claiming their SG60 vouchers in July. Seniors aged 60 and above can claim them from 1 July, while those aged 21 to 59 can claim them starting from 22 July, 10am.
The dates were split up to prioritise older Singaporeans to recognise their contributions to the country, and devote more resources in the first three weeks of July to support elderly Singaporeans who need help to claim the vouchers digitally or print them out, said Mayor of the South West District Low Yen Ling.
Singaporeans can visit go.gov.sg/sg60v to claim their vouchers.
They will be required to log in with their Singpass account before receiving a link via SMS from SenderID 'gov.sg' to access their vouchers. No banking information or financial transactions are required to claim the vouchers.
For more information on claiming SG60 vouchers, read here.
Singaporeans can start claiming their SG60 vouchers in July. Seniors aged 60 and above can claim them from 1 July, while those aged 21 to 59 can claim them starting from 22 July, 10am.
The dates were split up to prioritise older Singaporeans to recognise their contributions to the country, and devote more resources in the first three weeks of July to support elderly Singaporeans who need help to claim the vouchers digitally or print them out, said Mayor of the South West District Low Yen Ling.
Singaporeans can visit go.gov.sg/sg60v to claim their vouchers.
They will be required to log in with their Singpass account before receiving a link via SMS from SenderID 'gov.sg' to access their vouchers. No banking information or financial transactions are required to claim the vouchers.
For more information on claiming SG60 vouchers, read here.
2 dead in Toa Payoh flat fire
A man and a woman were found dead after a fire broke out in a flat at Block 173 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 on the evening of 22 July. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Facebook later that evening that it responded to the fire at around 7.30pm.
The living room was on fire when firefighters arrived at the unit, located on the second floor. The flat was filled with smoke and they extinguished the fire using a water jet.
"During the firefighting operation, firefighters found two unresponsive persons inside the unit and immediately carried them out," SCDF said.
The police added that a man and a woman were found "lying motionless in a unit and were pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic".
Cai Yinzhou, an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, told reporters that three units on the same floor were affected and HDB has arranged alternative accommodation for the occupants.
For more on the Toa Payoh flat fire, read here.
A man and a woman were found dead after a fire broke out in a flat at Block 173 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 on the evening of 22 July. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Facebook later that evening that it responded to the fire at around 7.30pm.
The living room was on fire when firefighters arrived at the unit, located on the second floor. The flat was filled with smoke and they extinguished the fire using a water jet.
"During the firefighting operation, firefighters found two unresponsive persons inside the unit and immediately carried them out," SCDF said.
The police added that a man and a woman were found "lying motionless in a unit and were pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic".
Cai Yinzhou, an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, told reporters that three units on the same floor were affected and HDB has arranged alternative accommodation for the occupants.
For more on the Toa Payoh flat fire, read here.