A battery from an Etaton electric bus caught fire during repairs, producing thick smoke. This is believed to be the first incident in Singapore where an electric bus battery caught fire during repairs. 这起The fire occurred at approximately 2 p.m. on Wednesday (March 25) at the Yutong Service Station inside AutoCity, No. 160, Shin Min Road. When a Lianhe Zaobao reporter arrived at the scene at approximately 4:30 PM, the fire had already been extinguished. Several firefighters remained at the scene to deal with the burned batteries. It was observed that the bus involved was an electric bus from Tower Transit, and based on its appearance, it was likely an E12 model from Zhengzhou Yutong Bus. It is understood that these buses use CATL lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are known for their high safety, ultra-long cycle life, high temperature resistance and low cost, making them suitable for energy storage and economical electric vehicles. After ensuring the battery cooled down, firefighters placed it in a specially designed fireproof box and transported it away. (Photo by Chen Yuanzhuang) After ensuring the battery cooled down, firefighters placed the burned battery into a specially designed fireproof box and transported it away. An unnamed staff member said the battery that caught fire was one that had been removed from the bus, but declined to reveal the specific reason why the battery had been removed. The staff member said that after the maintenance personnel discovered the battery was on fire, they used the fire blanket provided in the maintenance station to cover the burning battery and immediately called the Singapore Civil Defence Force for assistance. Chen Zhiguang (52 years old), a car repair mechanic working at AutoCity in Xinming, said in an interview: "The shop took measures to control the fire after the battery caught fire, but because of the strong smoke and odor, the shop asked the Civil Defence Force for help." Chen Zhiguang said that no explosion was heard when the fire occurred. Lianhe Zaobao is seeking more details from the Singapore Civil Defence Force, ETATM, and the Land Transport Authority.

SINGAPORE – A male teacher was engaged in a video call with a 15-year-old student in late 2013 when he told her to undress. When the minor complied, the teacher exposed himself and performed a sexual act. The 39-year-old man, who is married and father to two children aged one and five, was sentenced to five months’ jail on March 25.   The offender, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victim’s identity, had pleaded guilty to one count of committing an obscene act with the girl. The Ministry of Education (MOE) told The Straits Times in August 2025 that he had been suspended since April 2023 and was no longer teaching in any school. Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie told the court that the man began teaching at a school in 2012.   He taught the victim’s class biology for one term when she was a secondary three student, but did not teach them any subjects the following year, the court heard.seated atop car boot   In October 2013, the victim and another student approached the offender for a consultation on biology-related questions as the O-level examinations were approaching. Subsequently, the man created a Facebook group chat titled “Bio consultation” with himself, the victim and her schoolmates as members.   He also shared his personal mobile phone number with the students and invited them to contact him via WhatsApp if they had any questions. The victim later contacted him on the messaging platform over school-related issues. They started chatting on personal matters soon after and the victim told him her home address. A day before the biology O-level exam in November 2013, the man contacted the victim to tell her that he was near her home. He asked if they could meet for a consultation before her biology paper and they met at a park near her home at around 8pm on Nov 14. The DPP said: “Subsequent to this meeting, the accused and victim began to engage in video calls at night, and they would also meet in person at a park near the victim’s house. The accused would hold the victim’s hands and her during some of these in-person meetings. “The accused was engaged to his fiancee at this time but told the victim that he intended to end his relationship with his fiancee to be together with the victim.” The pair also engaged in a video call between Nov 14 and Dec 27, 2013, during which the victim exposed her private parts while the man stimulated himself. The pair engaged in similar calls on multiple other occasions before Dec 27, 2013, the court heard. She turned 16 later that month.   They stopped contacting each other after she entered junior college in 2014. The prosecutor told the court: “As a result of the accused’s offences and the victim’s relationship with the accused, the victim struggled with her self-worth as she felt that she would only be worthy of love and affection if she acceded to sexual requests from her partners. “The victim struggled with these issues for years up to 2023.” On or around April 6, 2023, the victim saw a Straits Times news report about another teacher who was investigated in a molestation case. She then realised that the offender’s actions towards her were exploitative. The victim filed a report through MOE’s online portal, and the school where the offender taught found out about the case soon after. On April 6, 2023, the principal spoke to him before the police were alerted five days later. The offender was suspended from duties later that month and he was arrested in August 2025.