Singapore’s manufacturing output jumped by 29.1 per cent year-on-year in October as pharmaceuticals saw a surge in production.Excluding biomedical manufacturing, output in October increased by 15.8 per cent, according to data released by the Economic Development Board (EDB) on Wednesday (Nov 26).On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, manufacturing output increased by 11.5 per cent, while output excluding biomedical manufacturing increased by 11.7 per cent.The strongest performance in October came from biomedical manufacturing, which saw a 89.6 per cent hike, fuelled by a 122.9 per cent increase in the pharmaceutical segment.This is due to the higher production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and biological products, said EDB.Meanwhile, the medical technology segment grew 7.3 per cent due to the sustained export demand for medical devices.Transport engineering is the next best performing cluster, which grew by 29.5 per cent year on year.

New requirements for Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders will be introduced to address rising insurance premiums and private healthcare costs, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday (Nov 26). From April 1, 2026, IP riders sold will no longer be able to cover the minimum deductibles set by MOH. Additionally, the minimum co-payment for riders will be raised to $6,000 per year, up from the $3,000 miminum cap set in 2018, to keep pace with the increase in bill sizes over time. The new cap applies to co-payments excluding the minimum IP deductible. Both the deductible and co-payments can be paid using MediSave, and the minimum 5 per cent co-payment requirement remains unchanged. An Integrated Shield Plan (IP) is an optional private medical insurance plan that supplements the mandatory MediShield Life coverage. 

Cord blood banking services Cordlife Group will no longer be allowed to collect, test, process and store new cord blood from Wednesday (Nov 26), said the Ministry of Health (MOH).Cordlife will only be permitted to maintain the storage of existing cord blood units (CBUs), according to the Notice of Regulatory Action issued by the ministry.Cordlife will be allowed to perform limited actions in relation to such existing units, such as facilitating the transfer of these existing CBUs to other cord blood banks and disposal of existing CBUs in accordance with its clients' instructions.This follows MOH's Notice of Intent issued on Sept 29 on the intended suspension of Cordlife's licence and its subsequent written representations to the ministry.[[nid:723305]]Cordlife had not adequately addressed the concerns raised during the ministry's mid-point audit this July to continue providing the service in a safe, clinically and ethically appropriate manner.

Two blocks of post-war flats built in 1949 in Tiong Bahru narrowly fell short of qualifying for the Home Improvement Programme (HIP), said MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC Foo Cexiang.In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Nov 25), Foo shared that the poll for the Tiong Bahru Seng Poh neighbourhood had concluded two weekends ago, with 29 blocks taking part.«27 blocks achieved the 75 per cent threshold of units agreeing to proceed, two blocks fell narrowly short,» said Foo.He added that the results represented a «remarkable turnaround,» calling it the «most challenging yet heartwarming HIP exercise in Singapore yet».He explained that in 2019, HDB conducted a straw poll for HIP for the same 29 blocks, but despite months of effort, 10 of the blocks were still unable to cross the 75 per cent threshold. As such, a decision was made to defer the HIP.Foo highlighted several contributing challenges, such as a sizeable proportion of units in the neighbourhood being tenanted.

SINGAPORE — A 49-year-old renovation contractor who raped a woman at her home after she contacted him to carry out repair works in her flat was sentenced on Nov 26 to 12 years and three weeks in jail, and 13 strokes of the cane.The man, Koh Lee Hwa, had claimed trial to four charges: one count of rape, one count of sexual assault by penetration and two counts of outrage of modesty.He denied that he had initiated physical contact by suddenly hugging her without her consent, insisting that he was a «righteous and upright person».Koh claimed that they had consensual sex after the woman made the first move by pulling his arm.He said the sexual encounter was not rape because it took slightly over 10 minutes, which he compared with the «standard» length of time for sex between him and his wife.Koh also claimed that the woman uttered the single word «money» as he was leaving her flat, seemingly insinuating that she was trying to get money from him.These arguments were found to be «devoid of merit» by High Court Judge Mavis Chionh, who found him guilty of all four charges on Oct 28.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has ordered Meta and TikTok to disable former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff's Facebook and TikTok accounts.In a statement on Wednesday (Nov 26), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that Meta — the parent company of Facebook — and TikTok were respectively issued a disabling direction, and account restriction direction, under the Online Criminal Harms Act (Ocha).Ocha came into force in February 2024 and allows the Government to remove criminal content online.MHA explained that the directions were issued over Zulfikar's repeated attempts to stir up discontent within the local Malay/Muslim community against the Chinese community in Singapore.«He has incited feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will and hostility against, contempt for and ridicule on different racial and religious groups in Singapore,» MHA said.According to MHA, the government has received numerous feedback from members of public, including several police reports, that Zulfikar's posts threaten racial and religious harmony in Singapore.

SINGAPORE — President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be receiving an award from an American research centre in recognition of his leadership in international financial policy.The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Golub Center for Finance and Policy is awarding Tharman the Miriam Pozen Prize, the MIT Sloan Office of Communications said on Nov 25. He will be the third recipient of the biennial prize.Tharman will deliver the Miriam Pozen Lecture at an award ceremony on Dec 9 that will be held at the MIT Sloan School of Management.He will receive a $200,000 prize and a fellowship named in his honour will also be awarded to an incoming MIT Sloan Master of Business Administration student, selected in 2026.Tharman's work in this area has spanned decades. Over more than 20 years in politics, his roles included Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for Social and Economic Policies, Deputy Prime Minister as well as Finance and Education Minister. He also chaired the Monetary Authority of Singapore from 2011 to 2023, and was its managing director before entering politics in 2001.

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers foiled an attempt to smuggle in over 1,200 heat sticks, e-vaporisers and related components via Changi Airport Terminal 3 on Sunday (Nov 23).In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Nov 25), ICA said that the case involved a 39-year-old South Korean woman who holds a Singapore employment pass.ICA officers asked the woman if she had anything to declare prior to baggage screening, but she said she had nothing to declare and officers proceeded with a check on her belongings.Two e-vaporisers, more than 50 e-vaporiser pods and over 1,200 heat sticks were found among her belongings, ICA added.Heat sticks refer to cylindrical tobacco products that can be placed within an electronic device that increases the temperature of the stick, releasing an aerosol containing nicotine and tobacco.The case has been referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation.Under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, the possession, use or purchase of vapes carries a maximum fine of $2,000.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) booked more than 140 heavy vehicles in islandwide enforcement operations in November for offences such as overloading and travelling on expressways without permits. In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Nov 25), the authority said that 60 vehicles were caught travelling on expressways without valid permits.«Such vehicles can obstruct traffic and damage road structures due to their size and weight,» it added. Meanwhile, 85 heavy vehicles were found carrying loads beyond what is allowed.Overloaded vehicles pose serious risks, such as goods spilling onto the road or compromising the vehicle’s handling.LTA said such actions endanger others and damage roads.

SMRT will be providing shuttle bus services for commuters during the upcoming disruption of its train services on the East–West Line between Bedok and Tampines stations, as well as between Tanah Merah and Expo stations, from Nov 29 to Dec 8.Shuttle 7 will operate between Bedok, Tanah Merah, Simei and Tampines stations at a frequency of 3 to 5 minutes, while Shuttle 8 will operate between Bedok, Tanah Merah and Expo stations at a frequency of about 10 minutes. The shuttle buses will charge the same fares as train journeys, said the public transport operator in a statement on Tuesday (Nov 25).The closure of train tracks between the affected MRT stations is for construction works to connect the tracks from the existing East–West Line to the upcoming East Coast Integrated Depot (ECID). The works will also link a new platform at Tanah Merah station during that period.

As he was gearing up for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), Azaan Khan Mohamed Rafi Khan seemed to have it all — rugby captain, student councillor and a math whiz. But it all came crashing down when the 12-year-old was diagnosed with leukaemia, a cancer of the blood, in May. Still, the Primary 6 student beat all odds to score 14 points for his PSLE.Speaking to AsiaOne after receiving his results on Tuesday (Nov 25), Azaan and his parents shared about his cancer journey and his aspirations for the future.Although Azaan expressed slight disappointment with his results, as he was aiming for a top school in the east, his parents comforted and praised him for doing his best. His diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia had shattered his hopes of applying for a direct school admission based on sports. He was also looking forward to competing in the national school rugby championships. While his parents had considered letting Azaan take his PSLE next year, they were concerned about how it would affect his future. 

A hawker centre which made headlines for handing out cash rewards to their stallholders for catching rats has seen improvement in the problem.The initiative has been going on at Clementi 448 Market and Food Centre over the past three years. Shin Min Daily News reported last November that stall holders were given a maximum of $50 for each large rat caught.It seems that the cash reward is paying dividends, CNA reported on Tuesday (Nov 25).More than 10 rats were seen at the hawker centre per day before the Covid-19 pandemic. This month, only a single rodent has been caught so far.“Over the years, there has been a lot of improvement,” said the market’s chairman Henroy Tan.«Even this month, according to the town council’s report to the National Environment Agency (NEA), it’s only one for Block 448. So the rat cases went down tremendously.»Shin Min had earlier reported that members of the public can also receive cash rewards by joining the rat-catching efforts.

Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng suffered «light abrasions» after an incident with a cyclist during a run on Monday (Nov 24) morning.In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Nov 25), Baey said that he was crossing a one-way road in his neighbourhood when he «bumped into» a female cyclist who was travelling in the wrong direction. «I checked out the direction to my right where traffic may be coming and proceeded to run across the road when there were no vehicles in sight.»However, I didn't realise that there was a road cyclist coming from my left. I couldn't stop in time and bumped into her. I fell and landed on my right knee. She toppled but managed not to fall,« added the minister of state.Baey noted that a tall bush by the road may have blocked the cyclist's view of him, adding that the cyclist was apologetic.»Although she was riding against the traffic flow, I accepted that it's really a very quiet road in the estate and she really couldn't see my in advance," added Baey.

With his Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results, Jurong East–Bukit Batok GRC MP David Hoe, who went to the Normal (Technical) stream, would have been eligible only for today's Posting Group 1, he said.In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Nov 25), Hoe, who went on to teach economics after winning a Ministry of Education scholarship, reminded students that the national examination is not everything.«PSLE is important, but it is not everything. When I took my PSLE, my results were on track for the Normal (Technical) stream. In today's terms, this meant I was only eligible for Posting Group 1,» he said.Hoe, 37, added that his PSLE results were «just one part of a much longer journey.»«There were detours, failures, second chances, and many people who believed in me along the way,» he said, adding that one's worth is not measured by a number or posting group.

Apple and Google have been directed by the police to put in place measures to prevent the spoofing of Singapore Government agencies via iMessage and Google Messages by Nov 30.This comes amid over 120 cases involving the impersonation of SingPost, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a statement on Tuesday (Nov 25).MHA added that the police have also seen scams involving the impersonation of other SMS sender ID registry-registered (SSIR) sender identities on Apple's iMessage and Google Messages. Government agencies have been using the «gov.sg» SSIR to send SMSes since July 2024. This helped to protect the public from impersonation scams by allowing the public to identify legitimate government SMSes easily.Those measures currently do not apply to messages sent via iMessage and Google Messages.MHA said that while government agencies do not use the «gov.sg» ID to send messages via iMessage and Google Messages, members of the public may assume that messages they receive from accounts claiming to be from «gov.sg» on the two said chat messaging platforms are legitimate because they are not easily distinguishable from SMSes.

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers foiled two separate attempts to smuggle in over 2,600 e-vaporisers via Woodlands Checkpoint on Nov 15.In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Nov 25), ICA said that both cases involved Malaysians driving Malaysia-registered vehicles.The first case at 8.40am was uncovered after ICA's Integrated Targeting Centre (ITC) identified a Malaysia-registered van for enhanced checks.During the checks, ICA officers found more than 1,600 e-vaporisers, or vapes concealed within boxes hidden amongst electrical appliances and wires, and in the door panels of the van. Later that evening, at 7.50pm, ICA officers uncovered 1,000 e-vaporisers hidden underneath groceries in a Malaysia-registered car.Both the 19-year-old male van driver and the 21-year-old car driver were detained and referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation.Under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sales) Act, those charged with importing e-vaporisers and related components may be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000, or both.

For the second consecutive year, 98.5 per cent of Primary 6 students who sat for the 2025 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) can progress to secondary school.The PSLE results were released from 11am on Tuesday (Nov 25). A total of 37,926 students attempted the PSLE this year, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) in a joint statement on Tuesday.The remaining students assessed to be unsuitable for secondary school can choose to retake the PSLE next year or apply to Assumption Pathway School and NorthLight School, which offer programmes with a more «experiential and hands-on learning approach». For the 2025 Primary 6 cohort, about 65 per cent of students eligible for Posting Groups 1 and 2 can take at least one subject at a more demanding level in Secondary 1. 

SINGAPORE – A 42-year-old man who stalked an intoxicated woman around Holland Village for nearly an hour and raped her after offering to drive her home was sentenced on Nov 24 to 15 years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane.Dhanabalan Fok Jin Jin was also ordered to pay more than $18,500 in compensation to the victim for the bills she incurred for therapy and antidepressants over the past four years.Fok’s lawyer had argued that his client, a technician with an average take-home pay of about $6,600 a month, was unable to pay the sum as he is married with a child and is looking after his parents.This cut no ice with High Court Judge Valerie Thean, who noted that Fok drove a Mercedes C180 and had tenants in his flat, which suggested he had an additional stream of income.If Fok does not pay the compensation sum, he will have to serve another four months in jail.Fok had claimed trial to a rape charge in July, contending that the victim had consensual sex with him.He was convicted on Sept 22, after the judge found that the victim was unable to consent due to intoxication, and did not consent to sex with him.

At least $10.6 million has been lost due to job scams involving tasks performed on online platforms, running online businesses, or conducting web surveys since October.In a statement on Monday (Nov 24), the police said there have been at least 215 reported cases, where victims encountered advertisements on social media platforms and job portals, or have received unsolicited messages from scammers through platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.The police added that scammers typically offer three types of tasks, all of which eventually require escalating payments.The first scam type involves online tasks, where victims are required to carry out various online activities — such as promoting brands, optimising apps, or completing orders — in return for commissions. Victims are often required to deposit money to complete these tasks.The second variation targets victims through fake online businesses.  

Singapore will be establishing a new embassy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, the city state's third in Africa and first in east Africa, announced Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday (Nov 24).PM Wong made the announcement at a joint press conference with the country's prime minister Abiy Ahmed Ali after a delegation meeting.He said that there is «clear potential» for the two countries - both hubs in their respective parts of the world - to grow their bilateral cooperation, and to bridge and connect the two regions.Calling it a «tangible demonstration» of Singapore's commitment to its partnership with Ethiopia, PM Wong said it also reflects Singapore's belief in Ethiopia's strategic importance and potential.«Our embassy will also enable Singapore to strengthen our ties with Africa as a whole. Because being here in Addis Ababa will allow us to better engage the African Union, deepen our understanding of Africa, and explore new areas of cooperation,» PM Wong said.