SINGAPORE: Bird nuisance has always been a problem at food and market centres in the country, and vendors and cleaners have now come up with another way to scare these birds away—using laser pointers. 

When Shin Min Daily News visited a food centre located at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, it was observed that many birds gathered near the dish return area and garbage cans to eat the leftovers. Moreover, some birds even fly into the stalls for food. 

In an interview, a 64-year-old food stall owner admitted that the birds often gather on the beams and pillars of the food centre, and bird droppings would fall directly onto the ground or the diners’ tables. 

Another 62-year-old vendor declared that in order to keep the floor clean, she has to sweep the bird droppings several times a day, and it added to her daily workload. 

To somehow scare these birds away, one claimed: “Many of us vendors have laser pointers, which we use to scare away birds that fly above customers.” More so, one of the solutions that they had been implementing in the centre is that cleaners speed up clearing of leftover food from the tables to prevent birds from flying in.

Better situation after the renovation process

The Ang Mo Kio Town Council recently shared that the market and hawker centre will be closed for two months from June 8 for comprehensive maintenance and renovation. It is expected to reopen on August 8. 

The renovation includes a range of upgrades, such as replacing tables and chairs, installing more fans, adding more bird control equipment, and improving the toilets. People expect that the bird situation would get a lot better after the renovation process. 

Other related news

In similar news related to bird disturbances, these were also reported disturbing a coffee shop located in Toa Payoh when they directly fly onto the tables and snatch diners’ food. 

With this, the diners admitted that it was difficult to send them away, and the vendors even made their own partitions to prevent the birds from entering.

Read more about the news story here. 

This article (New way to scare away wild birds: Food vendors now use laser pointers for birds who openly steal food from diners) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Many residents are bothered because of suspected leaking from the ceiling of the activity area of an HDB flat in Jurong East, and this has been a concern for nearly a year. With this, many people are worried that residents, especially the elderly and the children, may slip and fall.  

As reported by Shin Min Daily News, a 74-year-old driver complained that the ceiling of the activity area on the ground floor of their HDB flat has a leaking problem, and when reporters visited the site, it was found that there is indeed a concern, given that there is water and moss is forming on the ground. 

The resident also pointed out that every Monday to Friday morning, a group of people would come to their place to do aerobics, and that the number sometimes reaches over a hundred. However, because of the lakes, people need to deliberately avoid the areas affected, which is very inconvenient. 

Furthermore, a 73-year-old resident admitted that the authorities had conducted repairs to the ceilings, but the leak continued even after. She believes that the leaks are from the water pipes in the kitchen or toilet of the second-floor resident, because the water still seeps in even when it is not raining. 

The Town Council then confirmed that they had received the feedback about the leak last May 2024 and identified the source after further investigation. With this, the authorities contacted the affected residents to arrange waterproofing repairs inside their units.

More so, to minimise the impact on residents, the town council has taken several temporary measures downstairs, into the relevant areas during the HDB renovation and repainting work in June last year. They also cleaned up the stains and applied anti-slip treatment to the ground.

However, due to the recent worsening of the water seepage, authorities need to conduct more direct repairs on the affected units. They have temporarily closed the affected area below the leak to ensure public safety.

Other related news 

In other similar news, there was a report where a resident of a Yishun HDB flat recently raised safety concerns after concrete blocks began falling from the ceiling of his unit, causing cracks in parts of the ceiling and walls. 

The building where the unit is located is said to be 42 years old, and when reporters visited the area, many residents unfortunately reported similar problems. 

Read more about the story here. 

This article (Jurong East HDB residents alarmed as year-long ground-floor leaks risk slips for elderly and children) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A man who dumped dismantled office furniture and partitions on Joo Yee Road last year has been fined S$8,000.
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Last May 28, the National Environment Agency (NEA) confirmed that they received public feedback on July 24 last year about the illegal dumping of office items in the said area. Further investigations revealed that the waste came from renovation work at an office located on Genting Lane, as reported by 8world News. 

Moreover, the driver involved in this incident admitted to dumping the waste on the roadside last year, with convenience as his reasoning. This case was concluded last May 26, where the driver was found guilty and fined $8,000. 

Authorities are also encouraging the public to report any suspicious and illegal dumping incidents. They are making sure to have strict enforcement against people who are illegally dumping garbage around the city. 

“When reporting, please provide the date, time, and location of the incident, the registration number of the vehicle used to carry out the illegal disposal, as well as any supporting photos and video clips,” NEA declared.

Dumping trash is a crime 

The National Environment Agency claimed that illegal dumping is a serious crime because it not only pollutes the environment but also endangers the health and safety of the public. When caught, first-time offenders can face a maximum fine of $50,000, and/or 12 months in jail. Furthermore, repeat offenders can face a maximum fine of $100,000 and can have jail time for at least one month up to 12 months. 

Other related news 

In similar news related to health concerns of the public, there was a recent report where a food delivery driver spilt food, resulting in revealing how the delivery bag used to store the food was filthy. 

A netizen voiced out that they saw a food delivery rider’s bicycle overturned, and the delivery bag was extremely dirty. 

Read more about the news story here.

This article (Driver says he dumped office furniture by the roadside because it was ‘more convenient’, gets S$8,000 fine) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A luxury yacht caught fire at Sentosa Cove on Sunday morning, sending thick black smoke into the sky and drawing the attention of residents, hotel guests and boaters nearby.

The fire broke out at about 8:10 am on June 7 at 11 Cove Drive, according to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The vessel, a yacht berthed at a pontoon, was already fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

SCDF said its land-based teams reached the scene within seven minutes and immediately began firefighting operations from the pontoon. What started as a marina fire soon became more challenging when the burning yacht drifted away from its berth during the operation.

That unexpected movement forced firefighters to adapt on the spot. To support the effort, SCDF activated a marine vessel. At the height of the operation, firefighters used two water jets from the pontoon and a water monitor from the marine vessel to bring the blaze under control, and no injuries were reported.

Thick smoke could be seen from across the marina

The incident unfolded at ONE15 Marina Sentosa Cove, an area better known for luxury yachts, waterfront homes and weekend leisure activities than emergency operations.

According to a June 7 Channel NewsAsia (CNA) report, the vessel involved was Eagle Wings III, a 112-foot yacht used for private charters and events. Thick smoke could be seen from across the marina, attracting the attention of guests staying nearby.

Two hotel guests said they noticed the smoke shortly after leaving their room and were surprised by the scale of the fire. Photos and videos shared online showed flames consuming much of the yacht as emergency crews worked to contain the blaze.

Firefighters had to continue battling the fire when the yacht drifted away from the pontoon

A yacht fire is already a difficult situation. A moving yacht makes it even harder. Unlike a building fire, a vessel can shift position because of wind, currents or damage caused by the blaze itself.

When the yacht drifted away from the pontoon, firefighters had to continue battling the fire while preventing further risks to nearby boats and marina infrastructure.

Facebook/Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)

SCDF firefighters extinguished a fire aboard the Eagle Wings III yacht at ONE15 Marina Sentosa Cove

The incident also showed why Singapore maintains both land-based and marine firefighting capabilities. Having crews on the water allowed SCDF to continue attacking the blaze from multiple angles when conditions changed.

Marina operations resume thanks to the speed and coordination of the emergency response team

By Monday, ONE15 Marina Sentosa Cove informed members that marina operations had resumed after receiving clearance from the authorities.

The affected berth remains closed as a precaution while safety and environmental measures stay in place. Oil containment barriers were deployed around the damaged vessel, whose burnt hull was left largely submerged after the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

While luxury yachts attract attention for their size and price tags, Sunday’s incident nevertheless proves that emergencies can happen anywhere. Safety systems, emergency planning and rapid response rarely make headlines until the day they are needed most.

And beyond news of a vessel engulfed in fire and smoke, this case demonstrated the speed and coordination of the emergency response team, preventing injuries and preventing a serious blaze from becoming a larger maritime incident.

This article (SCDF: Luxury superyacht catches fire at Sentosa Cove marina, sending thick black smoke into the air while fully engulfed in flames) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Stray cats also deserve to be loved. With this, a 21-year-old set up a page on social media to help save more than 100 stray cats in the western factory area and is eager to raise $200,000 to help these animals. 

As reported by Shin Min Daily News, the 21-year-old volunteer started a social media page last December to raise awareness of saving stray cats and finding adopters for them. Last month, the page shared that more than 100 cats are currently living in vacant factories in the western part of Singapore, where these animals are struggling to survive. Furthermore, some of the cats have reopened wounds, are malnourished, or are infested with fleas.

Additionally, some of the factories are going to be demolished, so the page appealed to cat lovers to help rescue these stray cats through an online crowdfunding campaign. 

“These cats did not choose this life. But today, we can choose differently for them. Please help us get them out in time…Thank you for being their chance,” the campaign declared. 

More details about the situation 

In an interview, the one who initiated the cause explained that she learned about the situation because of her father, who worked in the industrial area. Upon learning about the situation, she went to visit the site to investigate and found that the cats were distributed at the junction of the industrial area and the woods—a remote environment that makes rescuing quite difficult. 

She also pointed out that there are some cat lovers who take care of the stray cats, but some of them are already old and will lose their financial capabilities once they retire. 

With this, she launched a crowdfunding campaign in hopes of raising $200,000 for the cats’ relocation, medical treatments, boarding, and daily feeding expenses. 

Currently, her team has successfully rescued 30 cats, of which 23 are temporarily cared for by the cat feeders’ relatives and a few foster families, and the other seven are staying in stray cat organisations.

More so, she emphasised that the donations could also alleviate the financial burden for cat lovers who were helping the cats in the past years. She hopes that through public fundraising, she can at least cover six months of rescue and resettlement costs and give stray cats a chance to survive.

Know more about the campaign here. 

Authorities know about  the situation 

As stated by the Parks Board, they are aware of the presence of a community of cats in the factory areas. In response to an inquiry,  the National Parks Board is working closely with the Ministry of Manpower and Jurong Group to assist tenants and workers in the area, while also promoting the Stray Animal Sterilisation and Rehabilitation Program (TNRM) to strengthen sterilisation efforts and manage the cat population. 

The authorities also indicated that they will work closely with TNRM’s partners to further strengthen management efforts in the area. 

This article (Woman aims to raise $200,000 to help save 100 stray cats in a factory area) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: For some Singaporean residents, rainy days are stressful as it is. However, people who are passing on the West Coast Expressway, near the industrial area around Boon Leat Terrace, are experiencing much more inconvenience when the water from the overpass is becoming like ‘mini waterfalls’ that further soak their clothes and shoes.

A 29-year-old resident admitted that she is facing this problem every time it rains heavily. In an interview, the resident shared that there were at least four places on the bridge where water would splash down, and even shielding herself using her umbrella was of no use, as reported by Shin Min Daily News. 

“The impact of the rain falling from the sky is strong, and my lower body will still get wet,” she claimed. 

Furthermore, a 30-year-old worker who works nearby stated that the sidewalk is the only route available for people to pass through, and they have to be extra careful every time it rains. The worker also declared that she has been working for two years near the bridge and has encountered the ‘mini waterfall’ no more than 10 times, but it is still troublesome when one gets wet. 

People believe that the waterfall is caused by poor drainage of the elevated highway, which leads to water accumulation on the bridge. “If possible, we hope the authorities can build covered walkways to solve this problem.” 

On the other hand, a 41-year-old driver also claimed that he would usually speed up while crossing the area to avoid being splashed by the water. He also declared that the authorities should check the drainage system of the overpass for the safety of the drivers and motorcyclists. 

Other related news 

In similar news related to water leaks, there was a report where many residents are bothered because of suspected leaking from the ceiling of the activity area of an HDB flat in Jurong East. 

This has been a concern for nearly a year, and many people are worried that residents, especially the elderly and the children, may slip and fall.  

Read more about the news story here. 

This article (Elevated bridge becomes ‘waterfall’ during downpour; residents demand covered walkways for safety) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A very talented 11-year-old boy has been named one of the youngest street performers in Singapore and is gaining recognition for his impressive musical skills. 

The young performer is a fifth-grade student, and participated in the National Arts Council audition last year, all thanks to the encouragement and support of his guitar teacher, who happened to be a street performer. With this, they officially began performing on the streets last November. 

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, the young boy admitted that seeing the audience smile through his music and performance is the happiest thing. 

Musical background 

It was no surprise when the young boy gained his talents from the corners of his home. It was reported that when he was only 5 years old, he was inspired by the singing of his family’s maid and began to study vocal music. 

When he was in third grade, he shared that he sang publicly for the first time during an event and was amazed when the whole school sang along—this gave him confidence to do what his heart wanted to do. 

Currently, he has performed four to five shows on the streets and was also invited to sing at his friends’ birthday parties. He is also learning how to play the ukulele and guitar, and improve his stage presence. 

Monetary results 

With each of his performances, the young performer will sing songs in different languages such as English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Hokkien. He admitted that in the past six months, he had earned a total of $900 in tips. 

“I haven’t decided how to use the money yet,” the young performer claimed. 

His mother also described that every performance of her son is rewarding, and that it gives lessons that he can’t learn inside the classroom. 

This article (11-year-old boy earns $900 in six months by just singing on the streets in different languages) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A very interesting yet disappointing experience happened when a netizen came across a bunch of tables being ‘choped’ by 35 water bottles at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, and after a few minutes of waiting for the people who ‘reserved’ the seats, nobody showed up. 

On Reddit, the netizen took a picture of the incident and claimed: “The lunch crowd was starting to arrive but nobody showed up to claim these bottled.” 

With this, netizens expressed their thoughts and opinions in the comments section. One comment explained that there are no legal consequences for removing items used to chope seats. 

“Police also won’t entertain you if you complained, yes I’ve tried before, no legal consequences because of the absurd amount involved to do so,” the comment claimed. 

For some, they assumed that a company employees reserved the seats and remarked: “This is fine if the 20ish employees are actively queuing for food at the moment. It is not fine if the seats are ‘pre-booked’ for whatever event. Please shame this cheapskate company and report them to hawker management and MP.” 

One more netizen declared that companies should book a proper restaurant instead if they want to reserved such number of seats. 

A netizen also gave the benefit of the doubt and suspected that it is a marketing campaign since no one reclaimed the space. 

“Could be marketing campaign gone wrong? and they actually wanted to give away free samples, and people thought the packed water is use to chope the seat,” the comment concluded. 

The culture of ‘choping’ 

In Singapore, the practice of ‘choping’ or ‘seat hogging’ is common and is mostly done by many. This is to secure a seat in crowded places by placing items such as tissue packs, shopping bags, umbrellas, and phose cases on top of the table. These items serve as a temporary markers that the seats have been taken. 

While reserving seats this way may be acceptable for some, there should be limits to respect other people’s space and time. 

This article (Too much for Singapore’s ‘chope’ culture? 35 water bottles reserve 16 hawker seats in Singapore, owner vanishes) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Construction noises from a college in Singapore have been a nuisance for residents living nearby for nearly 10 months now. The noises, which occur almost every single day, cause the residents to stay up late at night, causing great distress to many.

According to the notices posted at the construction site, the project includes two 12-story buildings for teaching, a 3-story multi-purpose hall, and an indoor gymnasium. This new campus is expected to open in January 2028. 

With this, a 43-year-old resident living at Jurong West Street shared that she only knew that she was living near a college campus that was under construction last August. With this information, she discovered that two schools had emerged, and the campus was vacant for a while before being rebuilt, as reported by Shin Min Daily News. 

The resident admitted that the noise from the early stages of the project was bearable. However, she shared: “For a period of time, they worked until about 10 p.m. almost every day, and once even until midnight, making it impossible for us to sleep.” 

Due to the stressful noises, the resident’s husband had reported the incident to the police twice and contacted the authorities more than three times. Moreover, they also filed a complaint through the OneService app early this year. With these reports, the National Environment Agency responded that they had taken appropriate actions to address the concerns. 

Unfortunately, the resident claimed that the situation has not yet improved, and even pointed out that at the beginning of this month, the construction site was still operating until about 10 PM. 

“In addition to the noise, there is also a lot of dust, and I have to close the windows every day,” she declared. 

Some residents believe that the construction period may be prolonged if the residents keep on complaining, and they will have to face such problems for a longer period of time. 

In response to queries, the National Environment Agency stated that the construction noise exceeded the legal limit, and enforcement action had been taken against the contractor. Furthermore, the authorities collaborated with the contractor to implement additional noise reduction measures at the construction site. 

The spokesperson from the contractor remarked that they understand the residents’ concerns and have reminded their team to minimise the impact on the surrounding environment. They will also make sure that work is completed during the day.

Other related news 

In similar news related to HDB complaints, there was a report where discarded mattresses had caused great inconvenience to residents when bedbugs were suspected to breed on the exterior walls, entering units. 

With this, some residents suffer from red and swollen arms after being bitten.

Read more about the news story here.

This article (‘The situation has not improved’: Ten months of non-stop construction noise leaves residents sleepless) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A woman was unfortunately angered by a minor bump from an 8-year-old girl on a crowded subway. With this, the 44-year-old intentionally and forcefully shoved the young girl against a wall, causing her great stress. 

The incident occurred on Jan 16 last year at the Buona Vista MRT station. The girl’s mother then called the police to report the incident. The woman pleaded guilty to one count of reckless conduct and was sentenced to five days’ imprisonment.

Case details 

According to further investigation, the young girl and her mother had gotten off the train. At the time, the platform was quite crowded, causing the young girl to unintentionally bump the woman. 

As reported by Shin Min Daily News, the mother and daughter continued walking in the station when the woman intentionally caught up with them. The young girl, who was wearing her school uniform at that time, was shoved hard, causing her to hit the wall. Due to the impact of the collision, the young girl later experienced pain in her head and shoulders, but did not seek medical attention. 

The suspect did not apologise afterwards, instead whispering to the mother’s ear as she walked away: “She pushed me, so I pushed her back.” 

Fortunately, the incident was captured on CCTV. The surveillance footage showed that the platform was indeed crowded. After the girl and the suspect bumped into each other slightly, the suspect approached from behind and pushed the girl. The suspect was arrested on June 10th last year.

Other related news 

There was a recent report where a netizen observed that many people are getting angrier at life. 

This causes stressful and disappointing daily interactions that might affect the outcome of their everyday living. 

Read more about the story here. 

This article (Woman gets 5-day jail sentence for pushing schoolgirl into wall at crowded MRT station) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Another nuisance relating to birds was caught when a resident filmed an unusually large flock of birds settling at an HDB flat. On Reddit, the netizen admitted that this is the first time that he/she had seen many birds at someone’s flat and claimed that even more birds flew out when he/she stopped filming.

The netizen remarked that he/she had reported the incident to the authorities, and encouraged others to do the same if they encounter similar situations. 

Other netizens shared their thoughts and opinions on the post. One commented that having these birds near the HDB flat is ‘highly unsanitary’. 

“That’s the issue in my area. The pigeons aren’t scared of humans and cats anymore. Saw once a flock of pigeons attack one cat. Had reported it, but no reply yet… I guess the relevant authorities have too many reports to deal with,” a netizen shared. 

For some, they suspected that the owner of the flat was feeding the birds. A comment claimed: “This person thinks out of the box for feeding pigeons. I can’t throw food out to feed then I will ask them to come to my house to eat.” 

One more netizen concluded that he/she has reported such cases before. “Nothing was done after they ‘promise’ not to do it again, just to do it again the next week,” the comment concluded. 

In Singapore, it is written under the Wildlife Act that pigeons are classified as wild animals; hence, feeding them publicly is illegal. If convicted of such a crime, offenders can be fined or face imprisonment. 

Other related news 

In similar news related to bird complaints, there was a report where a 67-year-old woman was caught repeatedly feeding pigeons in different HDB estates located in Yishun.

Due to this, the suspect faces four charges for feeding wild animals without permission for violating the Wildlife Act. 

Read more about the story here.

This article (Netizen alarmed by unusual flock of birds at someone’s HDB flat, urges public to report to the authorities) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A fire incident once again broke out in a Woodlands HDB flat, suspectedly due to a double mattress that was left in the elevator lobby. The unfortunate accident happened last June 5, in the lobby located on the 4th floor. 

According to residents, the wall and ceiling in the elevator lobby were blackened, and an electrical box was also burned to the point of melting. To ensure safety, the area of the incident was later on closed off, and ‘work in progress’ signs were posted on the walls, as reported by Shin Min Daily News. 

A 50-year-old resident admitted that he did not see anything unusual when he passed by the area at 3 PM but later on found signs of fire when he took out his trash at 5:30 PM that day. 

He declared, “I remember there was a double mattress at the spot where the fire started, and it must have been there for more than 10 days, but I don’t know why it caught fire.” 

Furthermore, another netizen claimed that he had heard about the fire through his maid, and remarked: “We didn’t see the fire happen, but we know that there were black marks in the elevator lobby afterwards, and we could still smell a pungent odour.” 

When reporters visited the site the next day after the incident, they discovered that the walls of the elevator lobby had been repainted and the electrical boxes had been restored to their original condition. 

Moreover, the Town Council is also assessing the location of the incident and will implement necessary repairs once the safety of the residents is confirmed and there are approvals from relevant authorities.

To avoid life-threatening incidents like this, let us always be reminded to remain vigilant. Don’t hesitate to report any items that are possible to start a fire, and don’t be afraid to offer your assistance in case others require help.

Other related news 

In similar news related to fire incidents, there was a report where a portable power bank for a small fan was left charging when it suddenly caught fire early in the morning. 

Fortunately, two residents managed to escape on time, and 30 residents needed to be evacuated.

Read more about the story here.

This article (Another fire incident: Fire caused by double mattress blackened the walls of the elevator lobby in Woodlands HDB flat) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.