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CNA
6 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Man fined for damaging PAP posters, flags during 2025 General Election
SINGAPORE: A man who damaged People's Action Party (PAP) campaign posters and broke flag poles on GE2025 Polling Day was fined S$5,300 (US$4,130) by a court on Thursday (Aug 7). Seng Guan Heng, 57, apologised to the court for his "mistake" and said he has decided to quit drinking because of this incident. Seng pleaded guilty to a charge each of mischief, harassment by cursing at PAP volunteers, and being drunk in a public place. Another two charges were taken into consideration. WHAT HAPPENED The court heard that Seng drank five to six bottles of beer while with his friends at a coffeeshop at Block 327, Hougang Avenue 5, on May 3. He left the coffeeshop intoxicated at 11.20pm and passed an open car park nearby where he saw a parked lorry that the PAP had used for campaigning. The lorry displayed two PAP flags and six election posters, affixed to the side railings with cable ties. The court heard Seng was upset over the General Election and intended to cause damage to the PAP. He ripped five posters from the lorry, causing small tears in each poster, and threw them to the ground. He also tore two flags off the lorry by breaking the flag poles. In total, the items cost about S$205. He then took one of the flags and walked around shouting vulgarities before throwing the flag on the ground and leaving. A few PAP volunteers noticed the acts and gathered at a sheltered walkway, with at least one person filming Seng. Seng returned minutes later. When he saw the group of PAP volunteers, he shouted Hokkien vulgarities and pointed his middle fingers at them. An election agent appointed by the PAP, who was with the group, called the police to report what had happened. The police arrived and the election agent pointed Seng out. Noticing this, Seng began cursing again. The police observed Seng's unsteady gait and a strong smell of alcohol on him. He had appeared drunk in a public place and conducted himself in a manner causing annoyance to the election agent, the prosecutor said. He was arrested and later released on bail. The PAP is not pursuing compensation for the damaged property, said the prosecutor. She said the prosecution would not object to a fine being imposed. DECIDED TO QUIT DRINKING: SENG Seng was unrepresented. He passed a mitigation letter to a Mandarin interpreter, who read it to the court. In it, he said he was remorseful for his mistake. "After the mistake, I have decided to quit drinking and I no longer drink at home nor overseas," he said. "Please believe that I will definitely not reoffend." He apologised to the affected people, especially the volunteers and the owners of the posters. He said he was facing life and money stressors, with his father and sister in hospital on the day of the incident. His sister is unmarried and has been suffering from a mental illness, going in and out of hospital. His daughter has dropped out of secondary education due to a mental condition and his mother suffered a stroke and relies on a wheelchair and a maid. "Originally, I had wanted to go drinking to destress. Little did I know that I would commit a mistake after getting drunk," said Seng. "I plead for a light sentence. I cannot lose my job. I am a pillar of support for two families."
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Singapore Pools Toto sees 1 winning ticket land $1.3m jackpot for 4 Aug
SINGAPORE — The latest Toto draw on 4 Aug delivered big for one lucky winning ticket which pocketed $1,343,651 as the sole Group 1 winner for the jackpot. The winning numbers on Monday evening were 30, 32, 40, 43, 45 and 49, while the additional number drawn was 5. According to Singapore Pools, the Group 1 winning ticket was bought at the Singapore Pools Hougang N1 Branch located at Block 106 Hougang Avenue 1, #01-1209/1211. It was a System 7 Entry ticket. There were no winning tickets for the Group 2 prize so the prize money of $282,873 will be snowballed to the next draw. The previous Toto draw on Thursday evening (31 July) saw one of the largest Toto payouts for a single ticket as one lucky winner walked away with the $12.8 million jackpot. In October 2023, a record $13,077,918 was won from a single ticket. The figure was surpassed in May 2024 when $13,123,509 was awarded to a sole Group 1 winner. What is Toto? Toto was launched in 1968 as the first lottery game in the history of Singapore Pools. The game got its name from a combination of the words 'Totalisator' and 'Lotto'. The current format of Toto sees six winning numbers and one additional number drawn from 49 numbers (1 to 49) every Monday and Thursday. The jackpot sum begins from $1,000,000. A snowballing feature, which allows for the prize to increase if there are no winners, was introduced to the game in 1981. The System Entry option, where you can pay to be able to pick more numbers, was added later that year. What is the prize structure for Toto? Singapore Pools says that 54% of sales in each draw are added to the Toto prize pool. Your winnings from the pool is dependent on which prize group you land in after the draw reveals the winning numbers. Prize group Matching numbers Prize Group 1 (Jackpot) 6 winning numbers 38% of prize pool (Minimum guarantee of $1,000,000) Group 2 5 winning numbers + additional number 8% of prize pool Group 3 5 winning numbers 5.5% of prize pool Group 4 4 winning numbers + additional number 3% of prize pool Group 5 4 winning numbers $50 Group 6 3 winning numbers+ additional number $25 Group 7 3 winning numbers $10 What are the odds of winning Toto? The odds of winning the Toto jackpot (6 winning numbers) are one in almost 14 million, according to Singapore Pools. Prize group Matching numbers Odds of winning Group 1 6 winning numbers 1 in 13,983,816 Group 2 5 winning numbers+ additional number 1 in 2,330,636 Group 3 5 winning numbers 1 in 55,491 Group 4 4 winning numbers+ additional number 1 in 22,197 These figures are available on the Singapore Pools website. How do I calculate my Toto prize? Singapore Pools has a prize calculator for Toto which you can find here. How big can the Toto prize snowball to? The Group 1 prize amount will not snowball beyond the fourth consecutive draw. If there is no Group 1 winner at the end of four consecutive draws, the final jackpot amount (38% of the fourth draw's prize pool plus snowballed amount from the three preceding draws) cascades, i.e. it will be paid to the next prize group with winner(s) and shared equally. Prize amounts for Group 2, 3, and 4 will snowball until it is won. What are the largest jackpot prizes and winning shares in Toto history? Statistics from Singapore Pools includes lottery draws from 9 October 2014 onwards when Toto was updated to the current 6-out-of-49 format. According to their data, the biggest jackpot prize was $19,416,913 which was drawn on 11 February, 2022. The $19.4 million jackpot had eight winning shares which means the winning share amount worked out to over $2.4m each. It was a nice sum but nowhere close to the biggest winning shares in Toto history which came in at over $13m on two separate occasions. This happened first on 2 Oct in 2023 when a single winning share took home $13,077,918. In May last year, another lucky individual had the sole winning share of a very cool $13,123,509 jackpot. Help is available If you are facing stress due to gambling problems, the National Problem Gambling Helpline & Webchat are available daily from 8am to 11pm. Call 1800-6-668-668 or visit for support.
Independent Singapore
15-07-2025
- Independent Singapore
Elderly car driver runs over PAB rider and flees scene at Hougang
Photo: SGRV FB SINGAPORE: A hit-and-run accident took place on Sunday evening at the junction of Hougang Avenue 3 and Upper Serangoon Road, involving an elderly car driver and a power-assisted bicycle (PAB) rider. The police have since confirmed that they were alerted to the accident at around 6:40 p.m. on Sunday (Jul 13). The 23-year-old male rider of the PAB was struck while crossing at a safety island near the junction. Dashcam footage shared on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page showed a silver sedan speeding and attempting to make a left turn when it collided with the rider. Footage shows the car mounting the safety island, knocking down the rider, and running over him with both front and rear wheels before continuing forward. The vehicle also struck a road sign displaying 'Upper Serangoon' and finally came to a stop after hitting the traffic lights on the safety island. The car then reversed and sped off. Police later identified the driver as a 70-year-old man, who is currently assisting with the investigation. After being caught under the car, the rider struggled to stand up. After two attempts, he managed to stagger away from the vehicle. A passerby in white quickly came to his aid, helping him rest against a nearby traffic light pole. The injured PAB rider was taken conscious to Sengkang General Hospital for treatment. Investigations are ongoing. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
CNA
14-07-2025
- CNA
Woman who packed and delivered cannabis mixtures for fast cash gets 16 years' jail
SINGAPORE: A woman who packed and delivered cannabis mixtures for fast cash was sentenced to jail for 16 years on Monday (Jul 14). Pang Lilian, a 42-year-old Singaporean, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking under the Misuse of Drugs Act, with another 13 charges taken into consideration. Across both proceeded charges, Pang had 17 packets containing almost 1kg of cannabis mixture for trafficking. According to Pang's lawyer, Ms Azeera Ali from the Public Defender's Office, she began delivering drugs "out of financial desperation" to meet the mounting medical bills of her mother. Pang initially began delivering drugs for an unidentified person she knew as "Shopee". Around mid-2023, a person who was referred to as "John Wick" approached her to do more drug delivery jobs. Around May 2024, Pang accepted a job from John Wick to be a packer. She took on jobs for receiving, packing and selling various controlled drugs for profit. John Wick would tell her where to collect the drugs to be repacked and sold. For each ad-hoc bulk order, she was paid between S$300 (US$230) and S$500. For packing drugs, she received S$20, and S$25 for sending drugs. After some time, she received an increment of S$5 for drug deliveries and received S$30 per delivery. Past midnight on Jun 6, 2024, a party of Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers attended to a report of drug exhibits being delivered. They found that packets of drugs had been placed near Block 650 Hougang Avenue 8 for delivery to various recipients. These included packets of methamphetamine weighing a total of 8.9g, a vape device with cannabinol inside, packets of vegetable matter, tablets imprinted with images of animated character Spongebob Squarepants that contained amphetamine and ketamine and MDMA, packets of ketamine and other drugs. Pang had placed the drugs behind the water pipe between certain levels at the block to be trafficked to other people. PREVIOUS DRUG CONVICTION The prosecutor sought 16 to 20 years' jail for Pang, saying she was involved in drug delivery and packing for a lengthy period of time before she was caught. She had also packed the drugs to earn a profit, and the amount of drugs in this case was substantial. Pang also has a previous drug conviction from 2015, for which she received three years' jail. Pang's lawyer told the court that 15 to 17 years' jail would be sufficient. She said Pang was taking care of her elderly, sick mother, who was visually impaired and had various illnesses. Pang's mother needed constant care and assistance with tasks like eating and showering, and Pang was involved in caregiving almost 24/7 and was unable to hold on to a full-time job. Her father, a part-time cleaner, earned only about S$80 daily and had medical ailments, so the entire financial burden fell on Pang, with no help from her other family members, said the lawyer. "She is ashamed to have turned to drugs," said the lawyer, as Pang wiped her eyes with her shirt in the dock. "Her mother, who has since died in November 2024, would have been upset with her actions," said the lawyer, adding that Pang was diagnosed with major depressive disorder late last year. The lawyer said Pang was already facing a jail term five times higher than her previous one. Once released, she wishes to spend time with her elderly father. The judge agreed with the prosecution in that the gravity of a trafficking offence is measured by the quantity of drugs, but took note of the mitigation and imposed the lower end of the sentence sought by the prosecution.
Independent Singapore
13-07-2025
- Independent Singapore
McDonald's apologises after customer waits 48 mins order and faces "frightening" manager
SINGAPORE: McDonald's Singapore has issued an apology after a customer complained about an unusually long wait time and an unpleasant exchange with a manager at its Hougang 1 outlet. Mr Tay, who shared his experience with citizen journalism platform Stomp, said he had placed a takeaway order at the restaurant at 10.28pm on June 7. Despite initially waiting patiently, he only received his food at 11.16pm—48 minutes later. According to Mr Tay, the store was busy when he arrived, so he did not mind waiting at first. However, by 10.55pm, he noticed that other customers who had ordered around the same time were already leaving. 'I asked an auntie at the counter about it. She told me to wait for my order as it was still being prepared,' Mr Tay told Stomp, 'After 10 minutes, I asked her again. She told me to wait.' When his order was eventually ready close to 11.16pm, Mr Tay requested to speak to the duty manager to understand the delay. What followed, he said, was an unpleasant encounter. 'The auntie told him about it, but he turned his head, ignored me and carried on doing his things,' Mr Tay wrote in his feedback to McDonald's, 'After that, the auntie called him again, and he unwillingly came to the counter.' Mr Tay alleged that the manager's demeanour quickly turned confrontational when he asked why the food had taken so long. 'He immediately started with a rude attitude, opening his eyes wide and talking like a gangster,' Mr Tay claimed, 'He challenged me and asked why I couldn't see that the store was busy—are the kitchen staff dancing? He also asked if I wanted to refund my order.' Mr Tay, who said he had ordered the meal for a family birthday, declined the refund. He also expressed shock when the manager suggested he was being disrespectful. 'I asked him why he was so rude. He told me that I did not give him 'face' in front of other customers and staff. I was so surprised as I just wanted to know why it took so long,' Mr Tay said. When Mr Tay asked for the manager's name to file a complaint, the situation escalated further. 'He threw his name tag on the desk. When I wanted to take a picture of it, he timidly snatched it back and asked me to take a photo of the 'shift manager on duty',' Mr Tay recounted, 'It was definitely a forgotten order and the manager was not apologetic at all.' In his feedback, Mr Tay described the manager's behaviour as 'frightening' and said the entire episode left him 'a very disappointed customer'. McDonald's Singapore has since apologised over the episode. A spokesperson told Stomp, 'We're sorry to hear about what happened and have since reached out to make things right. Consistent service matters to us, and we've taken steps—including reinforcing training with our team—to help prevent this from happening again.' Mr Tay later confirmed that McDonald's had contacted him, apologised, and refunded the cost of the meal. Reflecting on the outcome, he said: 'Social media power is very fantastic.'
