What's happening around you
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Tampines brick-faced HDB blocks to be painted over to fix seepage, drawing heritage criticism
An eight-block HDB project at Tampines Street 45, known for its exposed brick facade, is slated for a repair-and-paint exercise to address water seepage. Residents are voting on three colour schemes until Sept 13, while some residents and heritage advocates oppose painting over the distinctive brickwork entirely.
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Man earns S$80 returning bottles collected from dormitories to Tampines recycling machine
A 40-year-old Filipino worker in Singapore has earned close to S$80 by collecting and returning beverage bottles and cans to a BCRS machine in Tampines. He collects the items at his dormitory at night and says he wants to help keep the environment clean.
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Flight disruptions strand travellers, cause extra costs for those returning to Singapore
After days of flight disruptions between Singapore and Jakarta caused by volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau, the first flights began arriving at Changi Airport on Sept 8. Passengers expressed relief but also frustration over last-minute rebooking costs and missed conference days.
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Elderly man, 71, found dead after fall at Punggol block
A 71-year-old man was found dead at the foot of Block 126B Edgedale Plains in Punggol on Monday afternoon. Police believe he fell from height, and no foul play is suspected. He was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.
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SCDF award for motorist who helped injured rider on Upper Changi Road
Muhammad Haris Karee received the Community First Responder Award from the Singapore Civil Defence Force for helping an injured motorcyclist on Upper Changi Road last month. Haris, a senior public relations manager, expressed happiness at receiving the award.
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Minibus driver freed with hydraulic tools after three-vehicle crash in Bedok
A 38-year-old minibus driver was trapped in his seat after an accident involving his vehicle, a lorry and three cars in Bedok. He was rescued by the Singapore Civil Defence Force using hydraulic tools and taken to hospital with two other drivers.
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Prosecutor seeks up to 13.5 years' jail for driver in fatal Tampines crash
The prosecution has asked for a jail term of up to 13.5 years for Muhammad Syafie Ismail, who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and hurt in a multi-vehicle collision in Tampines. The April 2024 crash killed two people and injured eight others. The court is also considering a lifetime driving ban for the 45-year-old.
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Photographer urges Tampines town council to spare iconic brick facade from repainting
Architectural photographer Darren Soh has appealed to Tampines Town Council and MP David Neo to reconsider painting over the brick facade of Blocks 497A-L at Tampines Street 45. The blocks are slated for repainting, with residents voting on three colour schemes until Sep. 13. Soh argues the brick facade is historically and architecturally significant and that painting it would be an irreversible loss.
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Mee+ eatery in Tampines burns down in fire after four months of frequent power trips
A Malay cuisine eatery, Mee+, at Block 477 Tampines Street 43 in Singapore burned down in a fire on the morning of Sep. 3. The fire started from the store's electrical distribution box, and the Singapore Civil Defence Force evacuated about 20 people from the block. The founders, who invested over S$20,000, have no plans to rebuild and said they had experienced almost-daily power trips since opening four months ago.
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Woman blocked in by double-parked car on East Coast Road for nearly an hour
A woman in Singapore was unable to drive her car out for about 50 minutes after another car double-parked beside hers on a small road near East Coast Road on the morning of Sep. 5. She called the car owner about 20 times before someone answered and hung up. A colleague of the owner later arrived to move the car and apologised.
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Loyang Avenue lanes reopen after water pipe repair
Lanes on Loyang Avenue towards Changi Village reopened late on Sept 4 after PUB completed urgent repairs on a water pipe leak. The two-lane closure, announced on Sept 3, caused traffic congestion and a related exit closure on the TPE.
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Punggol East riverfront land eyed for over 8,000 new homes; tenants told leases won't be renewed
Singapore's government-owned riverfront land in Punggol East could yield over 8,000 new homes. The Urban Redevelopment Authority's Master Plan 2025 designates five large residential sites there, and current tenants have been told their leases, ending December 2026, will not be renewed to make way for redevelopment.
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OTH Tampines offers free lunchtime motorcycle parking to ease Friday prayer congestion
Our Tampines Hub (OTH) is offering free motorcycle parking during weekday lunch hours to help worshippers at Masjid Darul Ghufran, especially for Friday prayers. The initiative, which began in 2024, has also seen the number of motorcycle lots at the hub increased from 68 to 143. The move is part of efforts to address illegal parking near the mosque that has been blocking access to fire extinguishers and walkways.
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NEA fines for ground littering drop to 5,300 in first half of 2026
Singapore's National Environment Agency reported a drop in fines for ground littering and corrective work orders in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year. The agency credited targeted enforcement and surveillance, including a pilot with town councils that improved the catch rate for high-rise littering. One hotspot at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 saw a 54 per cent drop in litter count.
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SMRT inspects all tunnel doors after metal fell on track in 2025
SMRT has completed inspections of all cross-passage doors in its tunnels after a metal layer fell onto the track between Expo and Changi Airport stations in September 2025. The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau's report found the cladding was not secured properly and SMRT was unaware of wind load requirements. SMRT is working with the LTA on renewal works for the doors.
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Chai Chee food court loses S$250,000 in seven months, family owner says cannot continue
The family-run Bai Nian Food Court at ESR BizPark @ Chai Chee has lost about S$250,000 over seven months due to poor weekday footfall. Second-generation owner Tommy Pang said the business cannot continue like this, with only one external tenant remaining.
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MUIS distributes $3.3m to 830 elderly zakat recipients, to review aid framework
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) has distributed about $3.3 million to 830 eligible elderly zakat recipients through top-ups to their CPF Retirement Accounts. The disbursement is part of the MUIS-CPF Matched Retirement Savings Scheme launched in 2025, and MUIS announced it will review its Zakat Financial Assistance framework.
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Two lanes on Loyang Ave closed overnight for emergency water pipe repairs
Motorists on Loyang Avenue in Singapore face heavy traffic as two lanes are closed for emergency repairs following a water pipe leak. The closure, between Block 149 Pasir Ris Street 13 and the Pasir Ris Drive 1 junction, is expected to last until the morning of Sept 4. PUB is investigating the cause of the leak, and water supply to homes and businesses is not affected.
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Australian man jailed for stealing perfume at Changi Airport
An Australian man was sentenced to four days in jail on September 1 for stealing two bottles of perfume worth over S$400 from a shop at Changi Airport in November last year. He was arrested when he tried to re-enter Singapore in August.
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Van driver jailed 14 years for running over fellow contraband dealer in Kaki Bukit
A 51-year-old Singaporean van driver, Toh Sze Ee, was sentenced to 14 years' jail on Wednesday for causing grievous hurt to a cyclist in Kaki Bukit Avenue 5. The victim, a Bangladeshi man, later died in Bangladesh. The charge was downgraded from attempted murder during the trial.
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20 evacuated after fire at Tampines HDB block; cause under investigation
Twenty people were evacuated from Block 477 Tampines Street 43 in Singapore after a fire broke out at a ground-floor unit on Sept 3. The Singapore Civil Defence Force extinguished the blaze, which involved an electrical distribution box. One person from a neighbouring unit was assessed for shortness of breath but declined hospital care.
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Man jailed 8 weeks for drunken ruckus at Changi Airport that delayed Scoot flight to Malaysia
A 25-year-old British national was sentenced to eight weeks' jail and fined $2,800 on Sept 2 for causing a disturbance at Changi Airport Terminal 1. Arudchelvan Karnan, who was drunk after drinking a bottle of whiskey, shoved a Scoot employee and triggered an anti-hijack button, delaying a Malaysia-bound flight by 53 minutes.
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Bai Nian Food Court at Chai Chee loses S$250,000 in seven months due to lack of footfall
Bai Nian Food Court at ESR BizPark @ Chai Chee has lost about S$250,000 over the past seven months. Owner Tommy Pang says the food court is only 10 to 20 per cent occupied on weekdays due to a lack of footfall, as companies moved out of the business park after the COVID-19 pandemic.