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Daily roundup: Off-duty healthcare professionals from Singapore revive elderly man in JB — and other top stories today, World News

Daily roundup: Off-duty healthcare professionals from Singapore revive elderly man in JB — and other top stories today, World News

AsiaOne4 days ago
Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today.
1. 'We have to be ready anywhere, anytime': Off-duty healthcare professionals from Singapore revive elderly man in JB
A team of off-duty patient care associates (PCAs) from Parkway East Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital managed to save an elderly man's life after resuscitating him at a carpark in Johor Bahru... » READ MORE
2. Singapore delivers ninth tranche of humanitarian aid to Gaza
A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft departed for Jordan on Tuesday (Aug 12) morning to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza for the ninth time.
The RSAF C-130 transport craft left Paya Lebar Air Base carrying medical supplies from the Ministry of Health and food from various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) at about 7.10am... » READ MORE
3. Ong Ye Kung rebuts KF Seetoh's claims regarding treatment of stallholders at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has rebutted local food critic KF Seetoh's concerns regarding the alleged treatment of hawkers at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre.
Ong, who oversees the ward where the food centre is located, took to Facebook on Monday (Aug 11) to refute the veteran critic's claims that stallholders are being charged for storing supplies in baskets and would be penalised for not providing free meals... » READ MORE
4. Singaporean woman deported from Malaysia
A Singaporean woman was deported from Malaysia in the first week of August, the New Straits Times reported.
The woman left Malaysia via the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex in Johor Bahru, according to a statement from Malaysian Immigration Department.... » READ MORE
editor@asiaone.com
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HSA assessing rapid urine kits to speed up detection of etomidate in vapes
HSA assessing rapid urine kits to speed up detection of etomidate in vapes

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HSA assessing rapid urine kits to speed up detection of etomidate in vapes

Rapid urine test kits could soon be used by the authorities to detect etomidate, an illicit substance increasingly found in vapes here. This marks another step in a recent clampdown against such vapes, known as Kpods, which have grown in appeal partly because some sellers claim the drug cannot be detected in urine. A Health Sciences Authority (HSA) spokeswoman said on Aug 7 that such claims are false. She added HSA was evaluating rapid urine test kits that could enable faster detection of etomidate use. Ways to test for etomidate in hair and using saliva are also in the works. Currently, vape pods, including those suspected to contain illicit substances such as etomidate, are tested at HSA's laboratories. They also conduct confirmation tests for etomidate in both blood and urine samples from patients admitted to hospitals. The spokeswoman added: "Our laboratory findings confirm that even trace amounts can be detected in the urine of those who are vaping etomidate." Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung said on July 20 the authorities were working to list etomidate as an illegal drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. This came after a third of more than 100 vapes seized during enforcement operations and tested at random contained the substance. The legal update paves the way for abusers and traffickers of Kpods to face stricter punishment, such as mandatory rehabilitation and jail time for repeat offenders. Growing demand Law enforcement agencies in other countries are also finding ways to test for the illicit substance as they grapple with a growing trend of etomidate abuse. The substance, once called "space oil" in Hong Kong, has now been banned and renamed, and police there have been carrying rapid testing devices since January. The Hong Kong Free Press reported that the device can be inserted into a vape and detects the drug within 15 seconds with a 99 per cent accuracy rate. An etomidate rapid test kit used by the Hong Kong police force to detect the illicit substance in vape pods. Police there have been carrying these devices since January 2025. PHOTO: HONG KONG POLICE FORCE/X The substance emerged in the city in late 2023 and is now a scourge, with 327 etomidate abusers recorded in the first half of 2025, exceeding the 300 for the whole of 2024. Two manufacturers of etomidate rapid test kits told ST there is a growing global demand for their products. Chinese firm Hangzhou Clongene Biotech began developing urine and saliva rapid test kits two years ago in response to higher demand in China and abroad. A sales manager, who wanted to be known only as Ms Blanche, said it mainly supplies these kits to the government, hospitals and police. She told ST on Aug 12: "We received inquiries from some biopharmaceutical companies from Singapore in the past two weeks, and we are preparing samples for them to test now." Chinese firm Hangzhou Clongene Biotech began developing urine and saliva rapid test kits for etomidate two years ago in response to growing demand in China and abroad. PHOTO: HANGZHOU CLONGENE BIOTECH Mr Kutong, a technical support and market manager for Ecalbio, a Chinese company which started manufacturing such kits in 2018, said it sold 400,000 test kits in 2024, up from 300,000 in 2023 and 100,000 in 2022. He added that customers have come from the US, Canada and Russia, but not Singapore. Results in minutes The etomidate kits produced by these two companies resemble Covid-19 test kits. Urine and saliva samples can be tested on them, and results are displayed within five to 10 minutes. If etomidate is present, only the control line will become visible. A negative result is indicated by both the control and test lines becoming visible. In June, a published paper in scientific journal Dalton Transactions presented a new chromium(III) complex-based sensor which could test for etomidate. The sensor works by displaying a colour change if etomidate is present within vape liquids, and can provide accurate results within a minute, according to the research paper. The team of researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong Baptist University said vaping etomidate is a red-hot social issue that has led to health concerns and deaths. The researchers wrote: "A fast, sensitive and cost-effective detection tool for etomidate is urgently needed to support law enforcement."

3 Singaporeans arrested over suspected drug offences, children found in units during raids, Singapore News
3 Singaporeans arrested over suspected drug offences, children found in units during raids, Singapore News

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3 Singaporeans arrested over suspected drug offences, children found in units during raids, Singapore News

Three Singaporean men were arrested by Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) for suspected drug offences on Aug 14 in separate operations. CNB said in a news release that a 36-year-old man was arrested for suspected drug trafficking in a residential unit around Bukit Batok West Avenue 9. About 892g of methamphetamine, also known as Ice, and 100 nimetazepam, or Erimin-5, tablets were seized, and his wife and four young children, aged between one and eight years old, were present at the scene. Around the same time, a 41-year-old man was arrested for suspected drug trafficking offences in a residential unit near Jalan Kayu, and CNB officers seized about 158g of Ice and 9g of MDMA, or Ecstasy. Earlier that day, a 42-year-old man was arrested in his residence near Tampines Street 86 for suspected drug offences. Drug paraphernalia was discovered under the coffee table in the living room, where his 10-year-old daughter was also present. [[nid:721123]] "CNB will continue our operational tempo to take down drug offenders. We take seriously any situation where individuals, especially children, are exposed to drugs and are subjected to unsafe environments," said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Chang Gim Fook, Deputy Director (Operations) of the Intelligence Division. If found guilty of trafficking more than specific amounts of drugs, such as 250g of methamphetamine, a person may face the mandatory death penalty. [[nid:721408]] drimac@

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ERROR: The request could not be satisfied

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ERROR: The request could not be satisfied

A father of four was among three Singaporeans arrested during anti-drug operations across the island on Aug 14. The man's children, aged between one and eight, and his wife were present when Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers raided a residential unit in Bukit Batok West Avenue 9. The 36-year-old was arrested for suspected drug trafficking offences. About 892g of methamphetamine, also known as Ice, and 100 Erimin-5 tablets were seized from the unit, CNB said in a statement on Aug 15. Two other Singaporean men, aged 41 and 42, were also arrested in separate raids on the same day for suspected drug offences. In total, about 1,050g of Ice, 100 Erimin-5 tablets, 9g of Ecstasy and various drug paraphernalia were seized. The drugs, estimated to be worth more than $128,000, could potentially feed the addiction of 600 abusers for a week, the statement said. The 42-year-old man was arrested on the morning of Aug 14 in a residential unit near Tampines Street 86. "During the raid, CNB officers found multiple drug paraphernalia under the coffee table in the living room," said CNB, adding that the man's 10-year-old daughter was also present in the room. Later that afternoon, CNB officers arrested the 41-year-old man in a residential unit near Jalan Kayu for suspected drug trafficking offences. Officers recovered about 158g of Ice and 9g of Ecstasy from the unit. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Chang Gim Fook, deputy director of CNB's intelligence division, said: "We take seriously any situation where individuals, especially children, are exposed to drugs and are subjected to unsafe environments." Those convicted of trafficking more than 250g of methamphetamine may face the death penalty. Investigations are ongoing.

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