The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said in a Facebook statement that their officers foiled an attempt to smuggle about 2,800 sticks of duty unpaid cigarettes into Singapore.

ICA’s statement

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 “𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁-𝗧𝗲𝗮”!

On 31 August, ICA officers from Changi Airfreight Centre, Air Cargo Command foiled an attempt to smuggle 2,800 sticks of duty unpaid cigarettes into Singapore.

Our eagle-eyed officers had spotted anomalies in the scanned image of a postal article and decided to open it for further checks. The contraband was found shrink-wrapped with loose tea leaves and concealed in tea packaging.

The case was referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.

As guardians of our borders, ICA will continue to keep a watchful vigilant eye to thwart smuggling attempts through Singapore’s borders.

Facebook user Hoong Hoong shared how a packet of white bread used to cost $1.30, and now it has risen to $1.60.

He also lamented how toilet rolls used to come in 10-roll packaging, now they come in new packaging of 8 rolls instead.

Here is what he said

Inflation is daylight robbery for a lot of stable merchandise.

Super Value enriched white bread which we eat every morning was super value for a long time for the lower income group of the population. It was $1.30 and quietly it’s increased to $1.60.

PurSoft toilet rolls that many need because they have piles problems. From the original 10-roll packaging it has changed to a new packaging with new colours and new design of 8 rolls and once again quietly.

How can I manage if it goes on like this? I’m almost 70 living off my savings. During my time a $1000.00 monthly salary makes it to middle class.

Netizens’ comments

• How about during your great great grandfather time $10 can live for a month. Inflation is real and if u don’t invest to beat inflation, you’re gonna suffer.
• Well inflation is unavoidable and if you’re living off your savings I would suggest looking at some investment instruments like REITS, etc to earn some passive income to offset some of these expenses

27-year-old G. Mohanavarooman Gopal Oyyappan earlier pleaded guilty to four charges including drink driving, driving dangerously and causing grievous hurt and driving without a valid Class 3 or 3A license.

He also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of voluntarily causing hurt after punching a customer at a coffeeshop fight in January 2020.

He was sentenced on 5 September to 2 years imprisonment as well as a fine of $4,000, as well as being banned from driving for 10 years.

He has driven his boss’ private ambulance for an hour while drunk, having twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, and crashing the vehicle on the Seletar Expressway.

His passenger had also been drinking inside the vehicle, and suffered fractured ribs from the accident.

What happened?

Mohan and another 29-year-old, Aravindraj Manohar, were employees of I. M. Ambulance Service, a private ambulance provider.

Mohan was a medic while Aravin was a driver for the company.

on 6 July 2020 at about 8.45pm, the two went to a carpark at Bukit Batok to rest after their work, and Mohan bought 4 cans of beer for them to drink inside the ambulance until 10pm.

He later bought some more beer and vodka and told Aravin that the drinks were for his friend, and the two then fetched someone from Corporation Road to Bukit Batok Care Home before resuming their drinking until 11.15pm.

Aravin then allowed Mohan to drive the ambulance to his (Mohan’s) grandmother’s home .

Mohan then picked up a female friend at Garden Inn at about 1am and after Aravin left the ambulance, Mohan and his female friend then started drinking before he drove the ambulance from 1.30am to 2.30am.

Mohan drove dangerously, including driving against traffic flow at Hougang Street 22 and beating the red light at the junction of Philips Avenue and Yio Chu Kang road.

He then made a few lane changes before ultimately crashing the ambulance along the SLE into the guard rails, and the ambulance then toppled and skidded along the expressway.

His friend couldn’t move from her seat as her leg was stuck after the accident, and when the police arrived, one of the officers saw Mohan walking around the ambulance and panicking, as well as smelling strongly of alcohol and walking unsteadily.

Mohan then lied to the officer saying that his female friend was the driver, before begging her in Tamil to help him – he showed no concern for her as she was screaming in pain, and told her to lie that she was the driver instead.

He later failed a breathalyser test and was subsequently arrested – his test readings showed that he had 183mg of alcohol per 100ml or blood, which is more than twice the legal limit of 80mg/100ml

The woman suffered fractures to her lower ribs and was given 38 days of hospitalisation leave.

In the wake of a Grab delivery rider who died while on the job earlier last week (1 September), the total number of workplace fatalities for this year so far had equalled the total number of deaths for the whole of 2021.

The 45-year-old motorcyclist who became Singapore’s 37th workplace fatality this year, was involved in an accident with a lorry at Hougang and died in the hospital.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Manpower said that the man was on his way to collect an order for a customer when the accident happened along Buangkok Green, heading towards Sengkang East Road.

He was unconscious when being conveyed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he eventually succumbed to his injuries and died.

The lorry driver has since been arrested for drink driving and is assisting the police with their investigations.

Following the rise in workplace-related deaths and injuries, a 6-month heightened safety period was announced on 1 September.

Companies will not be allowed to hire new foreign workers for up to 3 months if they are found with unsafe work conditions or poor risk controls during this period.

Some Singapore and Malaysian passengers who have booked tickets for the Genting Dream cruise ship were reportedly unable to board after being told that it was overbooked.

The cruise ship was scheduled for departure from Singapore on Sunday, before calling at Port Klang the next day, Penang on Tuesday and returning to Singapore on Wednesday.

However, more than a hundred passengers with tickets were unable to board the cruise at Marina Bay Cruise Centre.

A spokesperson for Resorts World Cruises said that the cruise was overbooked and that all affected guests will receive a full refund.

The affected guests will also be receiving a complimentary cruise on the Genting Dream for trips before 28 April 2023.

The Genting Dream cruise ship has a capacity of 3,352 passengers.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) said in a press release on 5 September that they will be reopening the Southern Wing at Terminal 2, and it will handle departures.

CAG’s statement

Changi Airport Group (CAG) will reopen the southern wing of Terminal 2 (T2) for departure operations on 11 Oct 2022, following the resumption of arrival operations at the terminal in May this year.

The commencement of departure operations at T2 will add to Changi’s capacity and spread out passenger operations more evenly across the airport’s terminals as travel demand continues to grow in the lead-up to the year-end travel peak.

Airlines operating at Terminal 2

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be the first airline to use the new check-in rows at T2. From 11 October, SIA flights to Malaysia and Thailand will depart from T2. All other SIA flights flying to the rest of South East Asian destinations will depart from T2 from 13 October.

SIA flights arriving in Changi will continue to be assigned gates at Terminals 1, 2 or 3. Meeters and greeters are advised to check the terminal assigned two hours before the estimated flight arrival time.

Two other airlines – Air India (AI) and Air India Express (IX) – will also move to T2 to start operations on 18 October. The list of other airlines using T2 will be announced subsequently.

Refreshed design features in Terminal 2

Passengers will be greeted with a refreshed terminal design that is not only welcoming, but also more spacious. T2’s contemporary design concept is inspired by elements of nature. For instance, the extensive use of natural materials for wall cladding and flooring, coupled with giant green columns displaying a unique plant palette, engenders a sense of calm and relaxation for passengers and visitors.

T2 has been designed to enhance the check-in and wayfinding experience for passengers. Automated check-in kiosks will be available for passengers who prefer to self-serve, before dropping off their luggage at the baggage check-in counters. Thereafter, they can proceed to clear immigration via the automated immigration clearance gates.

The southern wing of T2 will offer various F&B and retail offerings in the public and transit areas. A number of familiar shops and services will also be returning to their original store locations prior to T2’s upgrading, such as Starbucks and SingPost. T2’s transit hotel and pay-per-use lounge will be open to departing and transit passengers. Eligible Singapore Airlines customers may use the SilverKris Lounge at T2.

When the northern wing of T2 is fully completed by 2024, passengers can expect even more interesting F&B and retail options, as well as new attractions that will enhance their travel experience through Changi.

In the weeks ahead, CAG will be conducting more operational readiness trials with airline and airport partners to ensure that all systems and processes are in place for a smooth opening of T2’s southern wing.

Mr Tan Lye Teck, CAG’s Executive Vice President of Airport Management, said, “With a refreshed design, upgraded systems and a high degree of automation across the passenger journey, T2 will enable Changi to serve our passengers better as we prepare for a busier year-end holiday peak. CAG will work closely with our airline and airport partners to welcome more passengers at T2.”

The Housing and Development Board has issued an update on the “landslide” incident that happened at the Clementi NorthArc BTO construction site.

HDB’s statement

[Update on incident at Clementi NorthArc BTO construction site]

Over the weekend, HDB and contractor, Chiu Teng Construction Co. Pte Ltd, have cleared a small channel in the dislodged soil in Ulu Pandan canal to let water flow through and minimise potential flood risks upstream. We have been working closely with PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency to monitor the water level in the canal since.

We also collected soil samples, and sent them for lab test to ascertain the strength and condition of the dislodged soil. The lab results have come back, and we have ascertained that we can safely widen the width of the channel from the current 1.5m to 3.5m, to further improve water flow and mitigate flood risk.

Works to widen the channel have started and expected to complete soon.

We will provide a more comprehensive update on the repairs and recovery works later this week.

In the meantime, we seek the patience and understanding of residents and park users who may be inconvenienced by the closure of the park connector or the works that are being carried out.

Image source: HDB on Facebook

A Facebook user shared how she bought a brand new Samsung Refrigerator and after using it for less than a month, the fridge broke down.

She added that after 11 days of liaising with Samsung, they have allegedly still yet to receive their replacement refrigerator.

She also further added that all of their food have spiled and the fridge still isn’t here.

Here is what she said

Samsung fridge spoiled less than 1 month of using. After 11 days of emails and them coming down, we are still waiting for a replacement fridge to be delivered to us.

Worst of all, when they have confirmed that the fridge has spoiled and needs to be replaced (we are still under warranty), an email was sent to us, stating that Samsung is exchanging a fridge out of “goodwill”, and we have to sign a contract to acknowledge it….

A one month old unrepairable fridge under warranty, they’re exchanging it out of goodwill??

They mentioned the exchange of fridge would take more than 25 days, and a loan fridge would be given in the meantime. The delivery called to deliver yesterday 6pm-8pm. After 9pm, we are still left waiting for the delivery to come.

We are kena smoked by Samsung so hard. Just left waiting and waiting, have tried calling and emailing. All our food has spoiled, and there’s still no fridge in sight.

Samsung – why you like that?