When AsiaOne polled readers living in Singapore on their concerns, daily expenses, healthcare, transport, housing, and raising children topped the list. They were also concerned about job security. Acknowledging these challenges, we wanted to find out how Singapore is doing in areas of interest and concern to citizens: what's working, and what's changing? To do this, we turned to the latest Singapore Public Sector Outcomes Review (SPOR) that was published on Nov 1, 2024. To our surprise, we found many initiatives that have been introduced or enhanced in recent years. Here are some important takeaways: Health and Wellness While the prevalence of obesity and high blood pressure have increased, we made progress reducing the prevalence of high cholesterol and diabetes since 2019. More Singaporeans are taking charge of their health, with over one million residents enrolled in Healthier SG with a primary healthcare provider. Additionally, healthcare remains affordable for all through subsidies, MediShield Life and MediSave.

When he didn't receive morning greetings from his father for three consecutive days, one man got worried. He was about to check on his father when he got a phone call from the police. The 62-year-old was found dead in his home at Block 499C Tampines Avenue 9 by a friend on Sunday (Nov 24) morning, Shin Min Daily News reported. The elderly man, a stroke survivor, had left his door unlocked so that others could check on him with ease. That morning, the friend arrived at the flat to find that the man had died in his sleep, immediately calling the police after discovering the body. The police then contacted the deceased's son, who rushed to the scene. According to a cabby who alerted Shin Min to the incident, several police cars and ambulances were seen around the ground floor of the HDB block.  After speaking with residents in the area, the cabby learned that someone had died. Deceased wished others a good morning every day Speaking with a Shin Min reporter at the scene, the deceased's son, who declined to be named, shared that his father lived alone in the flat after his mother's death.

SINGAPORE — People in wealthy Singapore have taken for granted comforts such as electricity and air-conditioning for decades, but a dwindling band of residents on a tiny island to its east saw the arrival of a solar grid 11 years ago as a miracle they still talk about. The outlying island of Pulau Ubin, a rare rural spot amid the futuristic architecture of the southeast Asian financial hub, is a treasure trove of biodiversity and home to wetlands once under threat of reclamation until the plans were postponed. Though electricity was expensive, said Chu Yok Choon, one of 30 people living on the island that spans just 10 sq km, he loved the fact that the solar grid let him hit a button by the village well to pump water to his home. «Life on the mainland doesn't feel natural,» said the 79-year-old, who had to draw water from the well and use generators to provide electricity until 2013. «Life here is quieter.»

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has retired its last two Challenger-class submarines, making way for the new Invincible-class submarines. RSS Conqueror and RSS Chieftain were decommissioned in a ceremony held at Changi Naval Base on Monday (Nov 25), the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said in a news release. The ceremony, officiated by Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral (RADM) Sean Wat, marked the final handover of duties from the Challenger-class Submarines to the Invincible-class Submarines, said Mindef.

Local property developer UOL Group has apologised after several attendees of a dinner and dance event were photographed in blackface make-up. A picture shared by TikTok user Summer88959 on Sunday (Nov 24) shows eight people — wearing matching tracksuits and afro hair wigs — posing in front of a backdrop bearing the company logos of UOL Group and the Pan Pacific Hotels Group. «Emmm … like that will kena (be punished) or not?» the TikTok user asked in the caption. Another photo circulating online shows the group on stage at the event, which was held in the Sands Grand Ballroom at Marina Bay Sands on Nov 14. PHOTO: X/Surejwrites The photos sparked criticism online, with one netizen commenting: «Eight people and not even one person thinks it's not ok to do this.» «It's 2024 already, why are we still doing this?» asked another.

SINGAPORE — The Singapore banking sector's overall exposure to the Adani Group, the Indian conglomerate embroiled in bribery and fraud allegations by US authorities, is small, the Monetary Authority of Singapore said on Monday (Nov 25). «Banks have in place measures to review and manage their exposures to borrowers and counterparties,» an MAS spokesperson said in a statement.  

All civil servants will receive a 1.05-month year-end bonus, said the Public Service Division (PSD) on Monday (Nov 25). Junior staff in grades equivalent to MX15 and MX16 as well as those in the Operations Support Scheme will receive an additional one-time payment of $600. Together with the mid-year payments, civil servants will receive a total of 1.5-month bonus in 2024, with those in the more junior grades receiving total additional payments of up to $850. «This year-end payment takes into consideration that Singapore's Gross Domestic Product is expected to grow by around 3.5 per cent in 2024 as well as the National Wages Council guidelines for 2024/2025,» said the PSD.

SINGAPORE — A man was taken to hospital after a container fell on the forklift he was operating at the Pasir Panjang Terminal on the morning of Monday (Nov 25). In a statement, port operator PSA Singapore confirmed the incident happened at the container yard at Pasir Panjang Terminal 3 at about 6.40am. The Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted to the incident at about 6.55am and took the conscious 37-year-old man to National University Hospital. He is in stable condition, according to PSA. In a video circulating online, a forklift is seen lifting a container, which then moves a column of five containers directly behind. The column starts to fall towards the forklift as it backs away, with the top container of the pile then falling on the operator's cabin before rolling to the ground. As the video ends, a man can be seen falling out of the damaged cabin onto the ground. In another visual, a column of four containers is seen bracing against the front of the forklift, with the cabin tilting backwards. At least six firefighters are seen at the scene, with two tending to a person lying on the ground.

A stall in a coffee shop has closed its doors after some uninvited guests found their way in. In a video circulating online last week, several rats were seen scurrying inside the porridge stall at Block 23, Hougang Ave 3. In the video, at least five rodents can be seen searching for food in the shop before stopping to nibble on what appears to be a large slab of meat. A voice can be heard saying: «It's (the rats) eating the meat!» According to Lianhe Zaobao reporters who visited the location on Nov 23, the stall was undergoing renovation. The stall's tiles were being replaced, and the signboard was taken down. A man, who declined to be named, claimed that he was the «new owner» of the stall, adding that the stall had already been fined in the past. Noting that it is not unusual for rats to be spotted at food stalls, he said: «I've seen the video, I think the reactions are quite exaggerated. »The coffee shop regularly engages pest control, so I'm not worried that this will adversely affect business."

Some homes in a Clementi HDB block have no water supply after a pipe burst in the wee hours of Monday (Nov 25) morning. According to Jurong GRC MP Tan Wu Meng, the burst pipe affected the water supply to the lower floors of Block 324 Clementi Ave 5 as well as Block 325. A video Dr Tan posted on Facebook on the same day shows the walkway leading to Block 324 flooded with muddy water. The burst water pipe was right beside the block, wrote Dr Tan in his post. He visited the site at about 7.30am on Monday and saw that some nearby homes and businesses have been affected.

[UPDATE Nov 25] A taxi driver has shed light on the accident in Yishun on Nov 21. The 38-year-old cabby told Shin Min Daily News that he was waiting at the traffic light when he heard a sudden loud bang. «I looked to my left and saw the car that flipped right next to me. It scared me to death,» he said. According to the eyewitness, the male driver opened the door on his side to let his female passenger climb out of the flipped car. The woman then took off running towards Yishun Community Hospital, followed by the driver who climbed out using the same door. «I turned left and saw the woman running towards the emergency department of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital,» he added. The taxi driver described the pair as a young couple. While he saw a clear liquid leaking from the car, the cabby said he did not see any smoke. The eyewitness told the Chinese evening daily that once he drove further down the road, he spotted a police car and immediately reported the accident.

Insisting on transferring money to an online 'friend', a woman disregarded the advice of bank staff and police officers who suspected she had fallen for a scam. When she realised she was conned, the woman had already exhausted her savings and even taken out loans, losing a total of about $330,000 to scammers. Peck Chun Hua, investigator at OCBC's anti-scam unit, told Shin Min Daily News that the woman in her 30s had wanted to transfer $20,000 to an international bank account on April 16. As there was no prior transfer history, the bank's fraud analyst contacted the woman to confirm the transaction and found that she was speaking anxiously and could not reasonably explain the purpose of the transfer. During the phone call, the fraud analyst also discovered the woman wanted to make five transactions to two bank accounts and only had an email address but not the recipient's name. The case was then flagged to investigator Peck, who learnt from colleagues at the police's Anti-Scam Centre that the recipient's account was marked as suspicious. He blocked the transaction and alerted the police.

SINGAPORE — The USB charging ports on public buses here are of significantly lower voltage, which greatly reduces the likelihood of electrocution, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said. «These ports operate at a significantly lower voltage of about 5V DC (direct current), compared to the 230V AC (alternating current) voltage of standard three-pin sockets,» it said in response to queries. LTA added that it regularly checks on public bus operators to make sure that their monthly inspections on their vehicles are up to maintenance standards. Some 870 public buses here are equipped with USB charging ports, the authority said. As at May 2022, Singapore has about 5,800 public buses. Malaysia has banned the use of three-pin sockets and USB ports on express buses since Nov 6, after an 18-year-old died from electrocution on Nov 1. He was using an electric socket to charge his phone while he was on an express bus to Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Nov 20 that the teenager died due to faulty electrical wiring installed by unlicensed parties.

SINGAPORE — When Jillyn Lee, 19, first tried a matcha drink in 2022, she was captivated by its rich and creamy taste. The Singapore Polytechnic student has since made drinking matcha — powdered green tea — a daily ritual, enjoying it at least twice a day. Her obsession with the superfood even led her to Japan in October 2023, when she visited tea shops and returned with 30 tins of matcha worth $900. However, the global surge in popularity for the green powder, packed with nutrients and antioxidants, over the past year could spell trouble for enthusiasts like her. Brewing trouble Photos circulating on social media show snaking queues and signs outside tea shops in Tokyo advising customers about out-of-stock products or purchase limits.

The People's Action Party (PAP) elected its 38th central executive committee (CEC) - the party's top decision-making body - during the biennial PAP Conference on Sunday (Nov 24). Party chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the top decision-making body's new members during the event's finale, after party cadres voted on the matter earlier that morning. Over 3,000 attendees, including PAP cadres, guests and branch activists, were present at the conference, which was held at the Singapore Expo. Aside from Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the new CEC comprises:

The People's Action Party (PAP) elected its 38th central executive committee (CEC) - the party's top decision-making body - during the biennial PAP Conference on Sunday (Nov 24). Party chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the top decision-making body's new members during the event's finale, after party cadres voted on the matter earlier that morning. Over 3,000 attendees, including PAP cadres, guests and branch activists, were present at the conference, which was held at the Singapore Expo. Aside from Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the new CEC comprises:

SINGAPORE — About 3,000 PAP cadres, activists and guests — including several who featured in a video sharing personal stories and interactions with him — paid tribute to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Nov 23. People's Action Party chairman Heng Swee Keat lauded the outgoing party chief for his contributions in a speech on the first day of the biennial PAP Awards and Conference. SM Lee has been secretary-general of the PAP since 2004, and has served the party and its Teck Ghee branch since 1984. Heng, who is Deputy Prime Minister, noted that the party had successfully completed the third handover of the premiership since Singapore's independence, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong taking office in May. PM Wong is currently the PAP's deputy secretary-general. «Thank you, secretary-general, for four decades of guidance, wisdom and foresight,» he said. As prime minister, SM Lee led the country through the global financial crisis of the late 2000s, and through the more recent Covid-19 pandemic.

A Singaporean man was arrested on Friday (Nov 22) for making a false bomb threat at Bangkok's Don Mueng International Airport. The man, identified as Ho, made the hoax call targeting an AirAsia flight taxiing for takeoff at 2.47pm on Thursday (Nov 21), according to Khaosod English. The aircraft, flight FD 3114, was bound for Hat Yai in Songkhla province and carried 162 passengers and six crew members, reported The Nation. As a result of the threat, takeoff for flight FD 3114 was immediately halted and passengers evacuated. The plane was then brought back to the bay for an inspection. Officials called off the emergency situation at 7.30pm, after confirming that no suspicious object was found on the plane or among passengers, The Nation reported. Ho arrested at airport terminal At a press conference on Nov 23, Police Lieutenant General Choengron RimPadee, Commander of Immigration Division 2 and spokesman for the Immigration Bureau, said that Ho was arrested at around 7pm on Nov 22.

The recent spate of heavy rain has not only disrupted outdoor plans but also impacted businesses as well. Some hawkers at East Coast Lagoon Food Village, located along East Coast Park, in particular, have reportedly borne the brunt of the recent wet weather. According to 8world, several hawkers at the beachside food centre have shared that footfall, along with their takings, have halved in the past two weeks. As a result, some of them said they will be extending their operating hours on the weekends to make up for the shortfall. The Meteorological Service Singapore had stated in its fortnightly forecast on Nov 15 that moderate to heavy thundery showers will be expected in many parts of the island on most days in the second half of November as north-east monsoon conditions set in. Business affected Hawkers interviewed by 8world stated that as seating at the food centre are mostly outdoors, businesses would invariably be impacted by rain. One hawker stated that they would try to open for longer when the weather is good.

This doll has teeth, as does their distributor - and some companies may be about to find out. Pop Mart has announced their plans to take action against unauthorised use of Labubu's likeness in promotions done by other brands in Singapore, according to a post on its official Facebook account on Friday (Nov 22). The company manages the intellectual property (IP) for Labubu and The Monsters, a story series created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung. In 2019, blind-box brand Pop Mart entered an exclusive licence agreement with Lung, covering other characters aside from Labubu including Zimomo, Tycoco, Spooky and Pato. «We have recently discovered instances of unauthorised use of Pop Mart's intellectual property (IP) by certain brands, including Recoil and PlayMade,» the Facebook post said. 

INCHEON, South Korea - Former teacher Tong Ming Yan, a Singaporean, and her South Korean husband Jang Jong-seok were looking forward to moving back to Singapore with their two children in June, after having lived in South Korea for two years. They had booked their flight and Tong had made arrangements to return to her teaching position at St Gabriel's Secondary School. The family had already sent ahead half of their belongings. But their move has been stalled. Tong, 35, lies in a vegetative state at a South Korean hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a gastroscopy. While she was resuscitated after nearly 20 minutes, she had already suffered irreversible brain damage, according to a medical report seen by The Straits Times. Tong had signed up for a 350,000 won (S$336) comprehensive health screening at an Incheon hospital that included the gastroscopy - an examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract - and colonoscopy under sedation. «We discussed and felt that it would be good for Ming Yan to undergo the test before going back to Singapore, for peace of mind,» Jang told ST.

While others learn subjects like maths or science, this student learnt to save lives—a skill that proved useful recently. Secondary school student Mark Eli Fernando has saved the life of a cardiac arrest victim along Pasir Ris Street 21, according to a Facebook post by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on Friday (Nov 22). Fernando received a notification of a cardiac arrest incident from his SCDF myResponder application at about 11.30am on Sep 7, 2024. Without wasting any time, Fernando followed the notification and rushed to the scene, finding a man unconscious inside the unit. He drew upon the first aid training he received as part of the Pathlight Hummingbird Scouts from Pathlight School, retrieving an automated external defibrillator (AED) from the lift lobby before returning to the unconscious man. Fernando began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the man, also using the AED in an attempt to revive him. Fernando's efforts were subsequently rewarded as the cardiac arrest victim regained consciousness before the SCDF arrived.

The death of two community cats in Marine Parade recently has drawn outcry and calls for eyewitnesses. The two cats, both siblings, were killed in traffic accidents at the same spot two days apart, according to a Facebook page called Cats of Marine Terrace.  The first cat, a tuxedo named BatBat, died around midnight on Nov 16. «Many witnesses saw a car driving very fast along the one-lane small road and hit BatBat. Passers-by caught up with the driver; however, the driver insisted that he did not hit the cat and expressed angry behaviour,» the post read. An update made later that day shared claims by witnesses that the car had sped up to hit the cat, despite two vehicles previously managing to avoid it. The post added that a police report was made later that morning. AsiaOne has contacted the Singapore Police Force for more information. Cats of Marine Terrace is also looking for dash cam footage from other cars who were in the vicinity during the accident.

Lim started her part-time job as a swim coach as a university student for her monthly expenditures. Now, she works full time as a HR manager but continues her coaching job every weekend. Speaking to AsiaOne, the 24-year-old laments her busy schedule that often extends into 10-hour work days. Despite that, she has never thought of quitting her side hustle, which makes up about five per cent of her current pay, to get more rest and time for her personal life. «I use [income from coaching] as spending money so that I don’t have to touch my main salary.» As a young adult without any significant financial commitments, she gives a portion of her full-time salary to her parents as monthly allowance and puts a majority of the remaining balance into her savings. Side hustle culture among Gen Z Lim is just one of many young adults with side hustles to support their income. To better understand the saving and investment preferences of its readers, including young adults, AsiaOne conducted a survey which received 1,190 valid responses.

SINGAPORE – Two people were taken to National University Hospital after an accident near the Woodlands Checkpoint on Friday (Nov 22). The police said they were alerted to an accident involving three cars along the BKE towards the checkpoint at about 12.05am. A 36-year-old female driver and her passenger, an eight-year-old boy, were conscious when taken to the hospital by the Singapore Civil Defence Force. Police investigations are ongoing. A video of the scene posted on Facebook shows a red car and two white multi-purpose vehicles stationary on a two-lane road, with debris scattered around them. A boy is seen sitting on the side of the road next to the red car, with what looks like blood on the surrounding road surface. Motorcycles are seen manoeuvring between the damaged vehicles. An eyewitness, who gave his name only as Mr Shairul, said the accident happened on the viaduct leading to the checkpoint and that an off-duty medic was on site tending to those involved in the accident. Mr Shairul said the woman, whose leg was bleeding, was crying, while the boy told the medic that his neck and chest hurt.

A SBS Transit bus driver was killed after an accident in Kaki Bukit on Thursday (Nov 21) night. The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told AsiaOne that a bus was believed to have skidded at the junction of Kaki Bukit Avenue 2 and Kaki Bukit Road 1 at 11pm. The 58-year-old bus driver was unconscious when he was conveyed to Changi General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Five passengers, aged between 26 and 38, were also taken to hospital, the police added. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, an eyewitness surnamed Yao said that she was working at her car repair shop in Kaki Bukit Industrial Estate when she heard a loud bang. «My colleagues and I ran out to see a bus had hit a tree,» said the 30-year-old. «There were still some passengers on the bus. My colleagues quickly called the police.» Photos shared on the Singapore Road Accident Facebook page showed the windshield of the bus was smashed. Shin Min reported that the bus also collided into a street lamp and traffic light. A crowd of passers-by had formed while several police officers and SCDF personnel attended to the injured.