Squeaky-Clean Singapore Steps Up Crackdown on Vapes
Vapes are already banned in Singapore. But you can still walk around sometimes and see locals casually flouting the rules, puffing on their devices — also known as e-cigarettes — at restaurants or outside on their lunch hours in the central business district.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
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School, parents on alert after vape sellers approach Fairfield Methodist primary school pupil: MAS; Pedestrian injured in multi-vehicle accident in Tampines: Singapore live news
A Primary 4 pupil from Fairfield Methodist School (Primary) was approached by two teenagers who attempted to sell an e-vaporiser. The incident occurred on July 25 as the pupil was walking home from school. The teens made their approach at a zebra crossing along Dover Rise, but the child declined the offer and walked away. A car driver was arrested on 30 July following a multi-vehicle accident in Tampines that left a pedestrian injured. The crash, which involved a van and two cars, occurred at around 9.30am at the junction of Tampines Avenue 5 and Tampines Central, near Our Tampines Hub. Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates. School, parents on alert after vape sellers target primary school pupil A Primary 4 pupil from Fairfield Methodist School (Primary) was approached by two teenagers who attempted to sell an e-vaporiser. The incident occurred on July 25 as the pupil was walking home from school. The teens made their approach at a zebra crossing along Dover Rise, but the child declined the offer and walked away. The school's principal, Soh Mei Foong, confirmed to The Straits Times (ST) that the incident was reported to the authorities. She said: "Students were informed of the incident and reminded not to engage with strangers and to inform trusted adults should they be approached by any stranger or suspicious person. "As a precautionary measure, the school will monitor activities in the vicinity of the school premises after school.' News of the encounter was shared with parents through various chat groups. Concerned for student safety, parents urged one another to be vigilant and look out for strangers near the school premises. One parent, who identified herself as Wong, said her daughter in FMS (Secondary) said students were informed during the 28 July morning assembly that a police report had been filed. "I worry for my child's safety because they are young and they probably don't know the consequences of vaping, especially Kpods," said Wong, 49. Kpods are vapes laced with synthetic drugs like etomidate, which can cause serious health effects such as muscle spasms, respiratory depression, and psychosis. For more on the attempted sale of vapes, read here. Tampines, Toa Payoh flats top choices with first-time home buyers in July BTO exercise Flats in Tampines and Toa Payoh emerged as the top choices among first-time home buyers in the latest Build-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise, according to Housing Board figures. For three-room and larger flats, there was a median of 1.4 first-timer families applying for each unit as of 5pm on 30 July, reflecting steady demand. National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat noted in a Facebook post that the first-timer application rate in this round was slightly higher than the 1.1 seen in the February BTO exercise. However, it remained below the application rates recorded in the three BTO launches in 2024, which ranged from 1.6 to 2.6. According to Chee, by 5pm, about 22,000 BTO applications had been submitted, significantly more than the 13,200 applications received in February. The most sought-after units were the four- and five-room flats at Simei Symphony in Tampines, where nearly eight first-time applicants competed for each of the 100 five-room units, and more than six applied for each of the 140 four-room flats. Simei Symphony, located along Simei Road and Upper Changi Road East, is one of four Standard projects offered in the July exercise. These flats have a five-year minimum occupation period (MOP) – instead of the 10 years for Plus and Prime flats – and will not carry the additional resale restrictions. For more on the July BTO exercise, read here. Underground pipe leak likely cause of dry rising main failure: Toa Payoh fire An underground pipe leak could be the reason why the dry rising main failed to function during the fire at Block 229 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 on 29 July. In a statement issued on 31 July, the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council said the possible cause was identified following a joint inspection with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The town council explained that discussions with SCDF pointed to a likely underground pipe leak as the cause of the malfunction. This issue prevented water from being pumped through the dry riser to the upper floors, so firefighters had to manually run hoses up the staircase to the 10th and 11th floors to combat the blaze. The dry rising main is a vertical pipe typically kept dry, and is only filled with water from a fire engine during a fire to provide water to the upper floors. According to the town council, the dry riser at Block 229 had been last tested on 28 Aug, 2024, by an authorised fire prevention and protection contractor. It was was found to be in working condition at the time. The next scheduled inspection is set for 5 Aug. The town council said SCDF requires a hydrostatic test to the dry riser to be conducted annually, which includes checks to detect such leaks. For more on the water supply issues, read here. JB mayor: No formal reports yet on Singaporean-only car wash operators Authorities will revoke the business licence of any car wash operator found to be prioritising Singaporean vehicle owners over local customers, Johor Bahru Mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad warned today. The move comes in response to growing public concern over alleged discriminatory practices. The warning follows a directive issued by the state government after a social media post went viral, claiming that a car wash in the city was only accepting vehicles from Singapore. Speaking to reporters after a Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) meeting, Mohd Haffiz said investigations into the matter will be carried out, although no formal complaints have been received so far. "We will continue to monitor this issue and conduct checks, including revoking the car wash operator's licence if they are found to have rejected local customers in favour of foreign vehicle owners," he said. 3 taken to SGH after Marsiling flat fire Three people were taken to Singapore General Hospital after being assessed for smoke inhalation following a fire at a Housing Board flat in Marsiling on the evening of 30 July. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to a fire at Block 4 Marsiling Road at around 5.50pm. The living room and bedroom of a unit on the 13th floor were on fire. Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control using a water jet, SCDF said in a Facebook post the same day. No other injuries were reported. A photo circulating on Facebook showed thick black smoke pouring out from the windows of the affected unit. According to SCDF's preliminary investigations, the fire is believed to have originated from the battery pack of a power-assisted bicycle located in the living room. For more on the Marsiling fire, read here. Pedestrian injured in multi-vehicle accident in Tampines A car driver was arrested on 30 July following a multi-vehicle accident in Tampines that left a pedestrian injured. The crash, which involved a van and two cars, occurred at around 9.30am at the junction of Tampines Avenue 5 and Tampines Central, near Our Tampines Hub. One of the car drivers, a 38-year-old man, was arrested for dangerous driving causing grievous hurt, said the police. A 60-year-old male pedestrian was injured in the incident and was taken to the hospital conscious. A video circulating on Facebook showed the aftermath of the collision – a white car with a crushed left bumper can be seen next to a van. Plastic debris and metal parts were scattered across the road. In the video, a man can be heard saying, "He's still stuck in the car." For more on the Tampines accident, read here. Retail, F&B likely to be affected as Singapore economy slows in second half of 2025: MAS Singapore's economic growth is projected to slow in the second half of the year, following an unexpectedly strong performance in the first six months, according to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Wednesday (30 July). This could spill over into domestically oriented sectors such as retail, and food and beverage, which have struggled in the first half of the year despite the robust economy growth. These sectors recorded sluggish or even negative growth during the same period. Looking ahead, the MAS expects gross domestic product (GDP) growth to be "relatively subdued" for the remainder of the year. On the inflation front, MAS noted that rising costs in water prices and health insurance premiums have been offset by easing inflation in most other categories. As a result, core inflation, which excludes accommodation and private transport costs, remained steady at 0.6 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter, unchanged from the first quarter. For more on the MAS latest quarterly macroeconomic review, read here. A Primary 4 pupil from Fairfield Methodist School (Primary) was approached by two teenagers who attempted to sell an e-vaporiser. The incident occurred on July 25 as the pupil was walking home from school. The teens made their approach at a zebra crossing along Dover Rise, but the child declined the offer and walked away. The school's principal, Soh Mei Foong, confirmed to The Straits Times (ST) that the incident was reported to the authorities. She said: "Students were informed of the incident and reminded not to engage with strangers and to inform trusted adults should they be approached by any stranger or suspicious person. "As a precautionary measure, the school will monitor activities in the vicinity of the school premises after school.' News of the encounter was shared with parents through various chat groups. Concerned for student safety, parents urged one another to be vigilant and look out for strangers near the school premises. One parent, who identified herself as Wong, said her daughter in FMS (Secondary) said students were informed during the 28 July morning assembly that a police report had been filed. "I worry for my child's safety because they are young and they probably don't know the consequences of vaping, especially Kpods," said Wong, 49. Kpods are vapes laced with synthetic drugs like etomidate, which can cause serious health effects such as muscle spasms, respiratory depression, and psychosis. For more on the attempted sale of vapes, read here. Flats in Tampines and Toa Payoh emerged as the top choices among first-time home buyers in the latest Build-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise, according to Housing Board figures. For three-room and larger flats, there was a median of 1.4 first-timer families applying for each unit as of 5pm on 30 July, reflecting steady demand. National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat noted in a Facebook post that the first-timer application rate in this round was slightly higher than the 1.1 seen in the February BTO exercise. However, it remained below the application rates recorded in the three BTO launches in 2024, which ranged from 1.6 to 2.6. According to Chee, by 5pm, about 22,000 BTO applications had been submitted, significantly more than the 13,200 applications received in February. The most sought-after units were the four- and five-room flats at Simei Symphony in Tampines, where nearly eight first-time applicants competed for each of the 100 five-room units, and more than six applied for each of the 140 four-room flats. Simei Symphony, located along Simei Road and Upper Changi Road East, is one of four Standard projects offered in the July exercise. These flats have a five-year minimum occupation period (MOP) – instead of the 10 years for Plus and Prime flats – and will not carry the additional resale restrictions. For more on the July BTO exercise, read here. Underground pipe leak likely cause of dry rising main failure: Toa Payoh fire An underground pipe leak could be the reason why the dry rising main failed to function during the fire at Block 229 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 on 29 July. In a statement issued on 31 July, the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council said the possible cause was identified following a joint inspection with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The town council explained that discussions with SCDF pointed to a likely underground pipe leak as the cause of the malfunction. This issue prevented water from being pumped through the dry riser to the upper floors, so firefighters had to manually run hoses up the staircase to the 10th and 11th floors to combat the blaze. The dry rising main is a vertical pipe typically kept dry, and is only filled with water from a fire engine during a fire to provide water to the upper floors. According to the town council, the dry riser at Block 229 had been last tested on 28 Aug, 2024, by an authorised fire prevention and protection contractor. It was was found to be in working condition at the time. The next scheduled inspection is set for 5 Aug. The town council said SCDF requires a hydrostatic test to the dry riser to be conducted annually, which includes checks to detect such leaks. For more on the water supply issues, read here. An underground pipe leak could be the reason why the dry rising main failed to function during the fire at Block 229 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 on 29 July. In a statement issued on 31 July, the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council said the possible cause was identified following a joint inspection with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The town council explained that discussions with SCDF pointed to a likely underground pipe leak as the cause of the malfunction. This issue prevented water from being pumped through the dry riser to the upper floors, so firefighters had to manually run hoses up the staircase to the 10th and 11th floors to combat the blaze. The dry rising main is a vertical pipe typically kept dry, and is only filled with water from a fire engine during a fire to provide water to the upper floors. According to the town council, the dry riser at Block 229 had been last tested on 28 Aug, 2024, by an authorised fire prevention and protection contractor. It was was found to be in working condition at the time. The next scheduled inspection is set for 5 Aug. The town council said SCDF requires a hydrostatic test to the dry riser to be conducted annually, which includes checks to detect such leaks. For more on the water supply issues, read here. JB mayor: No formal reports yet on Singaporean-only car wash operators Authorities will revoke the business licence of any car wash operator found to be prioritising Singaporean vehicle owners over local customers, Johor Bahru Mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad warned today. The move comes in response to growing public concern over alleged discriminatory practices. The warning follows a directive issued by the state government after a social media post went viral, claiming that a car wash in the city was only accepting vehicles from Singapore. Speaking to reporters after a Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) meeting, Mohd Haffiz said investigations into the matter will be carried out, although no formal complaints have been received so far. "We will continue to monitor this issue and conduct checks, including revoking the car wash operator's licence if they are found to have rejected local customers in favour of foreign vehicle owners," he said. Authorities will revoke the business licence of any car wash operator found to be prioritising Singaporean vehicle owners over local customers, Johor Bahru Mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad warned today. The move comes in response to growing public concern over alleged discriminatory practices. The warning follows a directive issued by the state government after a social media post went viral, claiming that a car wash in the city was only accepting vehicles from Singapore. Speaking to reporters after a Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) meeting, Mohd Haffiz said investigations into the matter will be carried out, although no formal complaints have been received so far. "We will continue to monitor this issue and conduct checks, including revoking the car wash operator's licence if they are found to have rejected local customers in favour of foreign vehicle owners," he said. 3 taken to SGH after Marsiling flat fire Three people were taken to Singapore General Hospital after being assessed for smoke inhalation following a fire at a Housing Board flat in Marsiling on the evening of 30 July. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to a fire at Block 4 Marsiling Road at around 5.50pm. The living room and bedroom of a unit on the 13th floor were on fire. Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control using a water jet, SCDF said in a Facebook post the same day. No other injuries were reported. A photo circulating on Facebook showed thick black smoke pouring out from the windows of the affected unit. According to SCDF's preliminary investigations, the fire is believed to have originated from the battery pack of a power-assisted bicycle located in the living room. For more on the Marsiling fire, read here. Three people were taken to Singapore General Hospital after being assessed for smoke inhalation following a fire at a Housing Board flat in Marsiling on the evening of 30 July. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to a fire at Block 4 Marsiling Road at around 5.50pm. The living room and bedroom of a unit on the 13th floor were on fire. Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control using a water jet, SCDF said in a Facebook post the same day. No other injuries were reported. A photo circulating on Facebook showed thick black smoke pouring out from the windows of the affected unit. According to SCDF's preliminary investigations, the fire is believed to have originated from the battery pack of a power-assisted bicycle located in the living room. For more on the Marsiling fire, read here. Pedestrian injured in multi-vehicle accident in Tampines A car driver was arrested on 30 July following a multi-vehicle accident in Tampines that left a pedestrian injured. The crash, which involved a van and two cars, occurred at around 9.30am at the junction of Tampines Avenue 5 and Tampines Central, near Our Tampines Hub. One of the car drivers, a 38-year-old man, was arrested for dangerous driving causing grievous hurt, said the police. A 60-year-old male pedestrian was injured in the incident and was taken to the hospital conscious. A video circulating on Facebook showed the aftermath of the collision – a white car with a crushed left bumper can be seen next to a van. Plastic debris and metal parts were scattered across the road. In the video, a man can be heard saying, "He's still stuck in the car." For more on the Tampines accident, read here. A car driver was arrested on 30 July following a multi-vehicle accident in Tampines that left a pedestrian injured. The crash, which involved a van and two cars, occurred at around 9.30am at the junction of Tampines Avenue 5 and Tampines Central, near Our Tampines Hub. One of the car drivers, a 38-year-old man, was arrested for dangerous driving causing grievous hurt, said the police. A 60-year-old male pedestrian was injured in the incident and was taken to the hospital conscious. A video circulating on Facebook showed the aftermath of the collision – a white car with a crushed left bumper can be seen next to a van. Plastic debris and metal parts were scattered across the road. In the video, a man can be heard saying, "He's still stuck in the car." For more on the Tampines accident, read here. Retail, F&B likely to be affected as Singapore economy slows in second half of 2025: MAS Singapore's economic growth is projected to slow in the second half of the year, following an unexpectedly strong performance in the first six months, according to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Wednesday (30 July). This could spill over into domestically oriented sectors such as retail, and food and beverage, which have struggled in the first half of the year despite the robust economy growth. These sectors recorded sluggish or even negative growth during the same period. Looking ahead, the MAS expects gross domestic product (GDP) growth to be "relatively subdued" for the remainder of the year. On the inflation front, MAS noted that rising costs in water prices and health insurance premiums have been offset by easing inflation in most other categories. As a result, core inflation, which excludes accommodation and private transport costs, remained steady at 0.6 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter, unchanged from the first quarter. For more on the MAS latest quarterly macroeconomic review, read here. Singapore's economic growth is projected to slow in the second half of the year, following an unexpectedly strong performance in the first six months, according to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Wednesday (30 July). This could spill over into domestically oriented sectors such as retail, and food and beverage, which have struggled in the first half of the year despite the robust economy growth. These sectors recorded sluggish or even negative growth during the same period. Looking ahead, the MAS expects gross domestic product (GDP) growth to be "relatively subdued" for the remainder of the year. On the inflation front, MAS noted that rising costs in water prices and health insurance premiums have been offset by easing inflation in most other categories. As a result, core inflation, which excludes accommodation and private transport costs, remained steady at 0.6 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter, unchanged from the first quarter. For more on the MAS latest quarterly macroeconomic review, read here.
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
China Summons Nvidia Representatives Over H20 Chip Security Risk
Chinese authorities are summoning Nvidia Corp. representatives over alleged security risks related to its H20 artificial intelligence chips. The Cyberspace Administration of China said the chips had been exposed to serious security issues in a statement on Thursday.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Guatemalan town struggles to recover after border shootout
Guatemala Security LA MESILLA, Guatemala (AP) — Nearly two months after Mexican police crossed the border into this Guatemalan town in pursuit of alleged criminals, La Mesilla hasn't fully recovered. Like many remote border towns, it lives from commerce — legal and illegal — but locals say things still haven't returned to normal since Mexican state police drove armored vehicles into the downtown and engaged in a daytime shootout in June. On Wednesday, more than 600 Guatemalan police and soldiers carried out nearly two dozen raids in the surrounding areas, but managed to seize only two guns without making an arrest, according to the Interior Ministry. A criminal organization tied to Mexico's powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel controls the area, making locals reluctant to talk. A man who sells clothing in La Mesilla said that when he saw the shootout, he used the border much like the criminals do. 'I ran, left everything; it didn't matter, I ran to the Mexican side,' he said. 'We were afraid. When we saw that everything was alright, we returned, we grabbed everything and left.' That's similar to what led to the shootout on La Mesilla's main drag steps from the border. Mexican police chased suspects they had engaged with in Mexico who fled into Guatemala. 'People want to forget what happened, but there's still fear,' the young man said. The incident was similar to another border escape a year earlier when hundreds of Mexican citizens fled into Guatemala to escape the violence sparked by the competition to control border crossings between the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels. Some of those Mexicans spent months in Guatemala as refugees. The cartels want to control the crossing of drugs, migrants and guns. Another vendor said sales still hadn't returned to normal. 'That Sunday (of the shootout) was the market day, there were a lot of people,' he said. 'Today we feel safer because there are more police, but sales haven't recovered.' The organization that authorities targeted Wednesday had been led by a father-son duo, who were both killed previously in a clash with Mexican police. Guatemala's Interior Ministry said Wednesday's operation was carried out in coordination with Mexico to attempt to keep the targets from escaping across the border. It was unknown where they had gone. Lusvin López, chief of the National Civil Police antidrug unit, said Wednesday's operation was in response the shootout in June. The United States government also provided support, according to the Interior Ministry, which didn't provide details.
