For Muslims in Singapore, celebrating Hari Raya Puasa has been more than a little different this year, what with the coronavirus outbreak preventing everyone from having big family gatherings outside their own household.
Gone too are the usual sight of families out and about dressed in traditional, colourful baju for the occasion. The vibrancy of the festivities is definitely not lost on one local family though, whose outfits for Hari Raya were striking hues of red, yellow, robin egg blue, pink, and green.
Essentially, the colour palette of various food delivery services operating in Singapore. Well, except Honestbee — the beleaguered start-up ceased its food delivery service here last year after facing financial troubles.
But don’t let that technicality bother you. Here’s an assembly of food delivery riders performing a fun festive shout-out in their uniforms, sparkling like they could be collected and fitted onto an Infinity Gauntlet.
Being stuck at home has given us the opportunity to find out more about our spouses and family members, be it the good or bad.
As someone who’s more of a homebody, I confess I have no qualms about staying home for such a long period of time. In fact, it has given me the opportunity to explore areas of my life that I never knew I’d take joy in if not for this CB.
As we enter into phase one after the end of the circuit breaker, my colleagues and I took some time to reflect upon the last two months to find out if we’ve emerged as better versions of ourselves, as well as what we’ll miss and continue doing even after CB has lifted.
Before we get into things proper, we just want to make it clear that we’re not passing judgement without knowing the full story and context behind this viral argument.
And it’s a weird one, too. On Monday (May 25), a man posted on the SG Covidiots Facebook page that he saw a stranger loitering outside his HDB flat early in the morning.
A confrontation ensued, and we get to see, via recorded footage, what they squabbled about. We don’t know who the stranger is and why he chose to skulk on that particular floor of the Klang Lane block, but the argument revolved around urine, smoking, throwing water, and emergencies.
No brute force involved here, just lots of raised voices and a very confused resident who could not believe that a masked man with a mullet was offended at being filmed after he just took a piss right outside residential homes. According to the resident, the stranger made a run for it when he made a call to the cops.
SINGAPORE: Six suspected drug offenders have been arrested, with drugs and various weapons seized by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).
In a news release on Wednesday (May 27), CNB said that the suspects, who are Singaporeans aged between 23 and 50, are believed to be linked to drug syndicates in Malaysia.
Raids were conducted here after Malaysian authorities rounded up 30 suspected drug offenders, including two Singaporean men, in various parts of Johor.
The suspects were allegedly from syndicates involved in smuggling drugs into Singapore via courier companies.
CNB’s raids on May 18 were conducted simultaneously at five different places in Bukit Batok, West Coast Road and Kim Keat Avenue.
One of the suspects, a 28-year-old man, was arrested in a residential unit in Bukit Batok West Avenue 9.
“The suspect refused to comply with lawful orders of the CNB officers and forced entry was effected,” said the agency.
It added that officers found 29g of Ice and two Erimin-5 tablets in the unit, along with three samurai swords, two parangs, three pocket knives and a knuckle duster.
Some of the drugs and drug paraphernalia seized in a CNB operation on May 18, 2020. (Photo: CNB)
During the other raids, CNB seized small packets of Ice, an ecstasy tablet, some packets suspected to be stained with controlled drug, as well as improvised drug-smoking apparatuses.
MALAYSIAN DRUG SYNDICATES
A larger haul of drugs was found during the raids in Johor – 8.4kg of Ice, 1.29kg of ketamine, 6g of cannabis, 1,430 ecstasy tablets, 105g of ecstasy powder and 108 Erimin-5 tablets.
Officers from Malaysia’s Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) also seized cash of more than RM579,000 (S$188,560) and various machinery used in illicit drug production.
“The arrests on both sides of the Causeway is a testament to the close cooperation between CNB and NCID,” said the agency.
“Both agencies will continue share intelligence in timely fashion and work closely together against transnational drug trafficking activities.”
SINGAPORE – As Singapore enters Phase 1 of the post-circuit breaker period from June 2, many are wondering what can and cannot be done under the new regulations. While more businesses and activities will be progressively allowed, some restrictions will continue to be in place during Phase 1.
Here are answers to frequently asked questions about the post-circuit breaker period, as well as information on which services and facilities will be reopening.
Will my favourite bubble tea shop reopen? Can I return to my office?
You may have to wait longer to get your fix of bubble tea, as outlets selling predominantly beverages are still not allowed to reopen.
Have you been unable to telecommute during the circuit breaker period and wondering if you can return to the office?
You can return to the workplace if your company is on the list of businesses permitted to resume operations from June 2, and if your employer has put safe management measures in place. However, telecommuting must still be practised where possible.
SINGAPORE – A taxi driver posted a false message in a Facebook group, claiming he had received information that all food courts and coffee shops would close and supermarkets would open only two days a week.
He was one of four men who pleaded guilty in a district court on Wednesday (May 27) to offences during the coronavirus outbreak.
In his Facebook post, 40-year-old Kenneth Lai Yong Hui also stated: “Better go stock up your stuff for the next month or so.”
The prosecution said that his lies could “conceivably result in public alarm and panic buying” and urged Senior District Judge Ong Hian Sun to sentence him to at least four months’ jail.
The judge agreed with Deputy Public Prosecutor Deborah Lee and sentenced the Singaporean to four months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to transmitting the false message.
Lai claimed that sometime between April 15 and 16 he saw a text message on WhatsApp which said that hawker centres and coffee shops would be closed.
The DPP said : “The accused was unable to identify who sent the alleged text message, and it was also not recovered from the phone of the accused.”
After a year of withholding several of its upcoming products in 2019 due to some unfortunate trade restrictions, Chinese tech giant Huawei will finally be releasing them in Singapore.
Its mainline laptops, the Huawei MateBook 13 and MateBook D15, alongside its flagship tablet, the Huawei MatePad Pro, will launch in Singapore on June 8.
In keeping with the company’s approach to its smart ecosystem, the new MateBooks and the MatePad Pro are fully-synergistic with other Huawei devices, including smartphones such as the P40 Pro, and wearables such as the Watch GT2e.
This is thanks to the Multi-screen Collaboration feature that allows users to access and transfer files seamlessly among these devices.
SINGAPORE: Members of the public have been warned against purchasing or consuming two products found to have “potent medicinal ingredients”, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said in a press release on Wednesday (May 27).
They include a product called Lung Tan Tsao, which caused adverse effects in a woman who took it, and a product called Candy B+ Coffee Extra Power, which was found to contain more than 50 times the usual daily dose of erectile dysfunction medicine tadalafil.
Both products originated overseas and have not been detected for sale in Singapore, according to HSA.
The first product, Lung Tan Tsao, caused weight gain and swelling of the face in a woman in her 40s, who got the product from a friend who bought it in Malaysia, said HSA.
The product was labelled for the relief of various conditions including eczema, allergies and pain.
However, the woman’s doctor became suspicious of the product as “it cleared the woman’s eczema as rapidly as a prescription medicine would do”, said HSA.
A woman in her 40s experienced weight gain and swelling of the face after taking Lung Tan Tsao. (Photo: HSA)
Subsequent tests revealed antihistamine, chlorpheniramine and a steroid called dexamethasone in the product.
“These potent medicinal ingredients can cause serious adverse effects when used without medical supervision,” said HSA.
Chlorpheniramine is used to relieve allergic reactions such as hives and asthma. Possible adverse effects include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Dexamethasone, a steroid, is usually prescribed for inflammatory conditions and should only be used under strict medical supervision.
“Long-term unsupervised use of steroids can cause serious adverse effects including increased blood glucose levels, which may lead to diabetes and Cushing’s syndrome,” HSA said.
ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION MEDICINE FOUND IN COFFEE PRODUCT
The other product, Candy B+ Coffee Extra Power, was brought to HSA’s attention after Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers found 15 boxes of it in a parcel and referred the case to HSA for further investigation.
The product, which was labelled a “superfood” and “fountain of youth”, claimed to contain known herbal ingredients such as tongkat ali extract, sky fruit extract and maca powder.
Its packaging also carried Good Manufacturing Practice and NSF International logos.
Candy B+ Coffee Extra Power was found to contain over 50 times the usual daily dose of tadalafil, an erectile dysfunction medicine. (Photo: HSA)
However when HSA tested the product, it was found to contain more than 50 times the usual daily dose of tadalafil, an erectile dysfunction medicine.
Tadalafil can increase the risk of stroke and heart attack if used without medical supervision, said HSA.
The misuse of quality certification logos on the product also “aimed to mislead consumers” into thinking that the product is safe and manufactured under high quality standards, said HSA, but there is no way of verifying if these logos are authentic.
HSA added that illegal and adulterated products such as Candy B+ Coffee Extra Power can often resurface under a different name or packaging to evade authority checks and trick consumers into buying them.
In September 2017, HSA had previously alerted the public to a similar product named Candy B+ Complex, which was also tested to contain tadalafil.
Both products were labelled under the same manufacturer, California Pure.
HSA warned it would not hesitate to take action if Lung Tan Tsao and Candy B+ Coffee Extra Power surface on local e-commerce platforms or are found in physical premises.
This includes working with website administrators to take down online postings of the products.
The authority warned consumers to see a doctor immediately if they have taken Lung Tan Tsao, as discontinuation of steroids without proper medical supervision can cause serious withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, confusion and low blood pressure.
Consumers should stop taking Candy B+ Coffee Extra Power immediately and consult a doctor if they feel unwell or have health concerns.
The public should also avoid purchasing health products from unfamiliar sources and be careful when buying such products online or from friends.
“You cannot be certain where and how these products were made. They can contain potent ingredients which can seriously harm your health,” said HSA.
All sellers and suppliers should stop selling Lung Tan Tsao and Candy B+ Coffee Extra Power immediately, said the authority.
“It is illegal to sell and supply such products which contain potent medicinal ingredients,” it said.
If convicted, sellers and suppliers could be jailed for up to two years or fined up to S$10,000, or both.
SINGAPORE – A 34-year-old man was arrested for dangerous driving and suspected drug-related offences after an accident in Bedok North Road involving three cars and a lorry on Tuesday night (May 26).
A two-year-old girl was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, while four others, three male drivers aged 31, 55 and 69, as well as a woman passenger, 31, were conscious when they were taken to Changi General Hospital.
The police said they were alerted to the accident at 8.53pm in Bedok North Road towards Tampines Avenue 10.
In a 43 second video uploaded to the Singapore roads accident.com Facebook page, a red car is seen hitting the drivers’ side of a lorry. The red car mounts the curb and goes off road while the lorry swerves across the road and over the barrier into oncoming traffic.
