For residents of Block 38A in Bendemeer Road, the sight of a maid stranded on the ledge outside a fourth-storey unit on Wednesday evening brought a sense of deja vu.
They had seen a similar scene play out on the same ledge less than three months ago, only it was a different maid then.
In the July 28 incident, the Indonesian maid had apparently fallen from the kitchen window of the four-room flat while collecting laundry.
Neighbours rushed to help the flat occupants hold on to the terrified woman until Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers climbed up a ladder to rescue her.
It was the maid’s first day at work, said her employer’s daughter, 24, who added that the agency subsequently sent her back to Indonesia.
In Wednesday’s incident, it appears the new maid, whose nationality is not known, had climbed out to the ledge as she resisted attempts to rescue her, even after the police arrived.
Witnesses told The New Paper yesterday they saw the maid squatting on the narrow ledge below the kitchen window.
Take a good look around, because the world has indeed changed.
Everywhere we go, posters and advertisements tease release dates for upcoming games, kids talk about their favourite Twitch personalities, and adults even discuss the Fortnite World Cup over coffee – all these situations would have seemed strange ten years ago.
Two motorists — a lorry driver and a motorcyclist — died in an accident at the junction of Woodlands Road and Mandai Estate on Friday (Oct 11) morning.
The accident involved a Malaysian-registered lorry and two motorcycles.
Photos circulating on social media show a body pinned under the lorry. The vehicle also knocked down a traffic light at the junction.
A 53-year-old motorcyclist was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene, the police said, while an unconscious lorry driver was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital where he died of his injuries.
The other motorcyclist involved in the accident refused to be taken to hospital, the Singapore Civil Defence Force added.
SINGAPORE: The 50-hectare Thomson Nature Park was officially opened on Friday (Oct 11), becoming Singapore’s seventh nature park.
Located east of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and buffered by Old Upper Thomson Road, the park houses the ruins of the former Hainan Village, offering visitors a glimpse into life in Singapore in the 1960s.
The park is also home to a number of rare and endangered animals, such as the Raffles’ Banded Langur. A subspecies of the banded leaf monkey, the animal can only be found in Singapore and southern Peninsular Malaysia and is listed as critically endangered.
With the opening of the new park, the National Parks Board (NParks) hopes to reduce “visitorship pressure” on the Central Catchment Nature Reserve by providing the public with an alternative venue to enjoy nature-related activities, it said in a press release.
First announced in 2014, the Thomson Nature Park complements existing nature parks such as Chestnut, Springleaf and Windsor, extending the green buffer for the Catchment Nature Reserve. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
First announced in 2014, the Thomson Nature Park complements existing nature parks such as Chestnut, Springleaf and Windsor, extending the green buffer for the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said: “Establishing Thomson Nature Park is an important part of our efforts to conserve our natural heritage and native biodiversity. It is the fifth buffer park that we have planned as a ring around the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
“The buffer parks that we have progressively opened over the past few years not only protect our nature reserves, but they also provide Singaporeans with more green spaces.”
First announced in 2014, the Thomson Nature Park complements existing nature parks such as Chestnut, Springleaf and Windsor. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
The trails at Thomson Nature Park are unsuitable for bicycles and personal mobility devices. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
Biodiversity surveys have found that animals, including the Raffles’ Banded Langur, frequently move between the nature reserve and Thomson Nature Park using trees, culverts or directly across the road, said NParks.
With this in mind, trees with spreading canopies have been planted and rope bridges installed along the road to facilitate the safe movement of some of these animals.
“NParks worked closely with the Raffles’ Banded Langur Working Group to situate the rope bridges where langurs have been observed to habitually cross,” it said. “Small mammals such as pangolins and porcupine also move across the road safely through culverts.”
Thomson Nature Park is home to several endangered species. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
In addition, Old Upper Thomson Road has been reduced from a dual lane to a single lane road, said NParks. To ensure that the area is more “conducive” for nocturnal animals, there are plans to close Old Upper Thomson Road to vehicles from 7.30pm to 6am daily.
Along with NParks, the Land Transport Authority has also launched a 12-month trial of the Roadway Animal Detection System along Old Upper Thomson Road.
The system, which is the first of its kind, uses video analytics to detect animals when they are near the road and alerts incoming motorists to their presence through flashing road signs.
The system has been in place since the start of the month.
“I hope that more Singaporeans will have a greater appreciation for our biodiversity and green spaces,” said Mr Lee. “Such collective efforts help ensure that our natural heritage is protected for future generations to enjoy.”
Electrical appliance giant Dyson announced on Thursday evening (Oct 10) its decision to scrap a £2.5 billion (S$4.3 billion) project to build electric cars. The plans had included its maiden electric car plant running in Singapore by 2021.
As Dyson’s decision not to pursue the electric vehicle business was taken at an early stage, the disruption to its operations and workforce in Singapore will be minimal, the Republic’s Economic Development Board (EDB) said in a statement on the same evening.
Inventor James Dyson, founder of the British company that is known for its vacuum cleaners, said in an e-mail to employees that its engineers had developed a “fantastic electric car” and “have been ingenious in their approach”.
But despite having “tried very hard throughout the development process”, the electric car could not hit the roads because it was not “commercially viable”.
SINGAPORE: Two people have died after an accident at the junction of Woodlands Road and Mandai Estate on Friday (Oct 11).
Police said they were alerted to an accident involving two motorcycles and a lorry at the junction of Woodlands Road and Mandai Estate at about 7.53am.
One of the motorcyclists, a 53-year-old man, was pronounced dead by paramedics at scene.
The male lorry driver was unconscious when brought to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
A third person involved in the accident refused to be brought to hospital, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told CNA.
A photo circulating on social media on Oct 11, 2019 shows a blue Malaysia-registered lorry with a body pinned under the right rear wheel.
Photos circulating on social media on Friday show a blue Malaysia-registered lorry with a body pinned under the right rear wheel.
SINGAPORE – Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh and his fellow Aljunied GRC MPs Sylvia Lim and Low Thia Khiang have been found liable for damages suffered by the Aljunied Hougang Town Council (AHTC), which is said to have made millions in improper payments under their watch.
In a much-anticipated judgment released on Friday (Oct 11), High Court Judge Kannan Ramesh said that Ms Lim and Mr Low had breached their fiduciary duty, while Mr Singh had breached his duty of skill and care in the hiring of the town council’s managing agent FM Solutions & Services (FMSS).
This resulted in the town council paying at least $33.7 million to FMSS from July 2011 to July 2015.
During that period, Ms Lim was chairman of the town council, while Mr Low was secretary-general of the WP.
Mr Singh, meanwhile, was a member of the town council’s tenders and contracts committee.
At this point, it is unlikely that the judgment will affect their position as MPs, as it arises from civil proceedings. The MPs can decide whether to appeal against the verdict.
SINGAPORE: One person was killed in an accident at the junction of Woodlands Road and Mandai Estate on Friday (Oct 11), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said.
Replying to queries by CNA, SCDF said it responded to a road traffic accident at about 7.55am.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene and another person was brought to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. A third person involved in the accident refused to be brought to hospital, according to SCDF.
A photo circulating on social media on Oct 11, 2019 shows a blue Malaysia-registered lorry with a body pinned under the right rear wheel.
Photos circulating on social media on Friday show a blue Malaysia-registered lorry with a body pinned under the right rear wheel. The post accompanying the photos claimed that the accident involved the lorry and two motorcyclists.
CNA has contacted the police for more information.
SINGAPORE – A half-empty stadium of 20,621 fans watched the friendly between Brazil and Senegal last night at the National Stadium, well off the sold-out crowd of 51,577 that turned out for the five-time world champions’ clash with Japan in 2014.
While the occasionally boisterous crowd cheered on Neymar and Co. in the 1-1 draw, as well as the two young pitch invaders before the start of the second half, there were swathes of empty seats and sections in the 55,000-seater National Stadium, with the two upper decks left unoccupied.
Fans who The Straits Times spoke to said they were surprised by the lacklustre turnout for the first clash between the two countries, which featured stars such as Neymar, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane.
Sam Barthi, who was at the stadium with a group of friends, attributed this to the match being held on a weekday.
The 36-year-old Brazil fan said he is still considering whether to buy tickets to the Sunday game between Brazil and Nigeria, adding that he had bought yesterday’s ticket at a discount.
Four days after he crashed into a toddler, the 18-year-old e-scooter rider has yet to apologise to the family.
But his mother did.
“His mother came to our unit (on Wednesday night) to apologise and said she did not know what her son had done until the police told her that evening,” said the toddler’s mother, Madam Siti Aisah, 42.
“She also did not know where her son was because he had not returned home on Wednesday night.”
The youth is now assisting with police investigations, after the toddler’s father, Mr Garnell Glenn Bernard, 40, a marine supervisor, made a police report on Wednesday night.
The teen was captured on video riding an e-scooter at the void deck of Block 191 Boon Lay Drive on Sunday evening.
Footage from a surveillance camera installed outside the victim’s home showed three-year-old Nur Syahirah walking past a pillar at about 8.30pm, followed by the e-scooter speeding towards her before a bang is heard.
TRAUMATISED TODDLER
The crash, which sent the rider flying, left the toddler traumatised and with bruises on her left thigh. The rider suffered a small cut on his right leg.
PHOTOS: Stomp
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