100 people evacuated after Buangkok condo fire; Singapore traffic to Johor ‘back to normal’: Singapore live news

We feature a curated selection of some of the biggest, most important, and fascinating news that’s making waves online

Fire at Park Green condo in Rivervale Link on 6 October. (Photo: SCDF)
Fire at Park Green condo in Rivervale Link on 6 October. (Photo: SCDF)

And that's a wrap. Thanks for tuning in. We'll catch y'all again tomorrow.


Hello to all our readers! Yahoo Singapore will be bringing you live news updates today.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) sprang into action on Sunday night (6 October) to put out a fire which broke out in a fourth floor unit at Park Green condo in Rivervale Link. There were no reported injuries but the SCDF says around 100 people were evacuated due to the fire. More on the story below.

No VEP? No problem. The negativity surrounding the much-talked about Vehicle Entry Permit rollout appears to be over as traffic levels heading to Johor have returned to normal. This was according to Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook who has been hard at work reassuring us that the current stage of the VEP implementation was more about reminding drivers to install the RFID tag and not about fining those who had not yet completed the process.

Singapore's Pan Pacific Orchard is the world's best new skyscraper. The hotel, located at 10 Claymore Road, was given the honour by leading authority Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). But what makes the 23-storey building so special? CNN recently took a tour to find out.

The Singapore Turf Club held the Grand Singapore Gold Cup on Saturday (5 October) and around 10,000 punters showed up in support. The event marked the final race day at the club and ended over 180 years of horse racing history in Singapore.

Over 2,000 Build-to-Order (BTO) flats with waiting times of less than three years will be launched in the upcoming October 2024 sales exercise. This will include a project in Bukit Batok which will be completed within two years. HDB says this is ‘one of the shortest wait time projects’ they have ever launched. More details in the story.

In a major development, Singapore's former Transport Minister S. Iswaran issued a statement on his social media account revealing that he has decided not to appeal the 12-month prison sentence handed down by the court. He had pleaded guilty to five charges including obtaining valuable items from billionaire Ong Beng Seng. Iswaran will begin serving his 12-month prison sentence today (7 October).

Award-winning filmmaker Kirsten Tan is set to direct a film exploring the underground lesbian club culture of Singapore in the 1990s. Tan is best known for her feature film 'Pop Aye' which was picked to represent Singapore at the Oscars in 2018 in the best foreign-language film category.

Singapore has made progress since the launch of the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy last year but Prime Minister Lawrence Wong believes ‘more can still be done’ when it comes to tackling mental health. PM Wong's comments on mental health came in a Facebook video published today ahead of World Mental Health Day (10 October).

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER8 updates
  • PM Wong on mental health matters in Singapore: More can still be done

    Singapore PM Lawrence Wong wants to build a Singapore where 'no one feels alone' when it comes to mental health. (Photo: Getty)
    Singapore PM Lawrence Wong wants to build a Singapore where 'no one feels alone' when it comes to mental health. (Photo: Getty)

    Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong believes ‘more can still be done’ in matters related to mental health in the country.

    “We want to build a Singapore where everyone feels cared for and no one feels alone,” PM Wong said in a short 40 second clip on his Facebook account today (7 October).

    The video was published ahead of World Mental Health Day (10 October) and also comes a year after the launch of Singapore’s National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy.

    “Now, there is greater awareness of the importance of mental health and well-being. People are more willing to seek support and there are also more avenues for them to do so,” said PM Wong.

    Last month, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) revealed excessive social media use, body image concerns and being cyber-bullied are significantly linked to mental health symptoms among youths in Singapore.

    IMH had published the first portion of findings from the National Youth Mental Health Study (NYMHS) which stated about 1 in 3 young people (30.6%) aged between 15 and 35 years in Singapore reported experiencing severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and/or stress.

    The study involved face-to-face interviews with 2,600 young people between October 2022 and June 2023.

    More of the NYMHS findings can be read here.

  • Kirsten Tan to direct film exploring Singapore lesbian club culture

    Kirsten Tan is an award-winning Singapore filmmaker based in New York. (Photo: kirstentan.com)
    Kirsten Tan is an award-winning Singapore filmmaker based in New York. (Photo: kirstentan.com)

    A film delving into the underground lesbian club culture of Singapore is in the works, according to a report by Variety.

    The film is titled ‘Crocodile Rock’ and is set to be directed by New York-based Singaporean filmmaker Kirsten Tan.

    According to Tan, the name of the film draws inspiration from a lesbian bar in Singapore of the same name which was popular throughout the 1990s.

    “I first learned of ‘Crocodile Rock’ over a dinner party from an older lesbian friend who regaled me with tales of an entire community of women who lived their fullest and most colourful selves and identities through this bar,” Tan said.

    “It hit me soon after that had I not attended this dinner party, I would not even have known of this important landmark in Singaporean queer history, and I am only one generation away,” she said.

    Tan is best known for her feature film 'Pop Aye' which won a number of awards including the Special Jury Prize for Screenwriting at the Sundance Film Festival. It was also picked to represent Singapore at the 2018 Oscars in the best foreign-language film category.

    ‘Crocodile Rock’ will be produced by Singapore-based Momo Film Co as well as Kirsten Tan’s US-based 10 Minutes Later Films.

    Variety reports the film’s budget is set at US$1.2 million with 20% currently financed.

  • S. Iswaran will not appeal, begins serving jail sentence 7 Oct

    Singapore's former Minister for Transport S. Iswaran will begin his 12-month sentence today. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN and ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP) (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMANROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
    Singapore's former Minister for Transport S. Iswaran will begin his 12-month sentence today. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN and ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP) (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMANROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

    Former Transport Minister S. Iswaran will begin serving his 12-month prison sentence today (7 October) after deciding against an appeal.

    The 62-year-old had pleaded guilty to one charge of obstruction of justice and four charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code, including obtaining valuable items from billionaire Ong Beng Seng.

    In a statement on Facebook, he cited his family’s wellbeing and the emotional toll of a long trial as one of his reasons not to appeal.

    “I accept that as a Minister what I did was wrong under section 165. I accept full responsibility for my actions and apologise unreservedly to all Singaporeans,” he said.

    Iswaran added: “With this decision, I hope that we can put the pain and anguish behind us, move forward and rebuild our lives together.”

    Last week, Singapore prosecutors charged property tycoon Ong in connection with the Iswaran case.

  • Bukit Batok BTO project in October launch to be completed in just 2 years

    West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok will have the shortest waiting time of two years among the BTO projects to be launched in the October sales exercise. (Photo: HDB)
    West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok will have the shortest waiting time of two years among the BTO projects to be launched in the October sales exercise. (Photo: HDB)

    Singapore will launch 2,085 Build-to-Order (BTO) flats with waiting times of less than three years in the upcoming October 2024 sales exercise.

    The Housing and Development Board (HDB) made the announcement on Sunday (6 October) and revealed these flats with Shorter Waiting Times (SWT) will be offered for three projects across Bukit Batok and Sengkang.

    In Sengkang, the Fernvale Sails project will have a wait time of two years and three months while the Fernvale Oasis BTO has a wait time of two years and nine months.

    Fernvale Sails comprises four residential blocks which are 23 storeys high. (Photo: HDB)
    Fernvale Sails comprises four residential blocks which are 23 storeys high. (Photo: HDB)

    However, flats in West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok will be completed within two years which is ‘one of the shortest wait time projects’ ever launched, according to HDB.

    “With a more stable BTO market where application rates and waiting times have both come down over the past two years, we are now able to offer nearly 3,000 SWT flats in 2024,” said HDB’s chief executive officer Tan Meng Du in a statement.

    HDB has launched 2,876 units with SWT in 2024.

    Almost 70% of the SWT flats in the October sales exercise are 4-room and 5-room flats.

  • Over 180 years of horse racing comes to an end in Singapore

    The Grand Singapore Gold Cup marked the end of 182 years of horse racing in Singapore. (Photo: Singapore Turf Club)
    The Grand Singapore Gold Cup marked the end of 182 years of horse racing in Singapore. (Photo: Singapore Turf Club)

    The Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day on Saturday (5 October).

    For some, the news may not have even registered as noteworthy but for others it marks an end of an era in Singapore’s rich history in horse racing.

    “Singapore was a world leader in horse racing” and the track was one of the best, Tim Fitzsimmons, head trainer and director of Fitzsimmons Racing, was quoted as saying in a report by Bloomberg.

    An extended Heritage Walk to showcase the club's rich history. (Photo: Singapore Turf Club)
    An extended Heritage Walk to showcase the club's rich history. (Photo: Singapore Turf Club)

    Singapore has 182 years of history in the sport but its popularity has been declining rapidly. Race day spectator averages of 11,000 in 2010 dropped to about 6,000 in 2019 and have been dipping further post-COVID.

    Around 10,000 punters turned up for the Grand Singapore Gold Cup – the final race day – at the Singapore Turf Club before the land is returned to the government to be rebuilt into new public and private homes.

    Singapore’s population crossed the six million mark for the first time in 2024.

  • Pan Pacific Orchard is crowned world’s best new skyscraper

    The world’s best new skyscraper. (Photo: Pan Pacific Orchard)
    The world’s best new skyscraper. (Photo: Pan Pacific Orchard)

    It’s official. The world’s best new skyscraper stands tall in Singapore.

    Specifically, it’s at 10 Claymore Road. The site of the uber-luxurious Pan Pacific Orchard.

    The 23-storey hotel was recently named the world’s best new tall building by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

    A standout feature of the hotel are the four large planted terraces cut into the building's rectangular form. Designed by Singapore-based Woha Architects, the aim was to incorporate the country’s four environments – forest, beach, garden and cloud – into a stunning skyscraper which feels intimate as you experience it.

    Pan Pacific Orchard's Garden Terrace Lawn on the 11th floor. (Photo: Pan Pacific)
    Pan Pacific Orchard's Garden Terrace Lawn on the 11th floor. (Photo: Pan Pacific)

    “You experience the hotel not as a very big building, but at more of a neighbourhood scale,” Woha architect Hong Wei Phua told CNN during a tour of the hotel.

    The Pan Pacific Orchard opened its doors in June 2023 and was described by CTBUH as a ‘hotel in nature’ that demonstrated a ‘groundbreaking approach to high-density urbanism.’

    CTBUH is a non-profit organisation founded in the US and is recognised as the authority on skyscrapers globally.

  • Singapore traffic to Johor ‘back to normal’ after initial VEP dip

    Traffic and pedestrians on the street in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. (Photo: Getty)
    Traffic and pedestrians on the street in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. (Photo: Getty)

    Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook says traffic levels from Singapore to Johor have ‘gone back to normal’ following the bumpy rollout of the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP).

    The VEP – needed for foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia – came into effect on 1 October and was met with frustration by drivers who had faced multiple challenges trying to complete the registration and installation process in time.

    This initially resulted in a noticeable dip in traffic of around 20 per cent from Singapore to JB.

    “I have been receiving reports on a daily basis on the number of cars coming in, and the number has already gone back to normal,” Loke said.

    “Yes, there were some reductions on October 1 and 2. However, after I went down and gave my assurance on October 3, there was no more reduction,” he said.

    The VEP is being implemented in phases and the Malaysian government has assured there will only be reminders – and not fines – issued during this current stage.

    “For now, there will be no fines, only reminders for them to install their VEP as soon as possible,” Loke said.

    No specific timeline has been given on when the VEP requirements will be fully implemented.

    Under the rules, drivers of non-Malaysia-registered vehicles who do not have a VEP can be denied entry into the country or fined up to RM2,000 ($614).

  • 100 people evacuated from Buangkok condo after fire

    The aftermath of a fire inside a fourth floor unit at Park Green condo in Rivervale Link. (Photo: SCDF)
    The aftermath of a fire inside a fourth floor unit at Park Green condo in Rivervale Link. (Photo: SCDF)

    It was far from a quiet Sunday night for residents of a Buangkok condominium unit as 100 people were forced to evacuate their homes due to a fire.

    At about 8.35pm on 6 October, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to the fire at a fourth floor unit at Park Green condo in Rivervale Link.

    There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

    Firefighters who were at the scene revealed the fire involved the living room and kitchen area of the unit.

    “The fire was extinguished by firefighters with two water jets. There was no one inside the unit at the time of the incident,” said SCDF in a statement.

    “About 100 persons had evacuated from the neighbouring units,” added SCDF.