Unable to focus at work after discovering that his girlfriend had cheated on him, a man decided to forge his grandfather's death certificate in order to take leave from his job. For his actions, Barath Gopal, 29, received a fine of $4,000 after pleading guilty on Wednesday (Feb 5) to one count of forgery under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, local media outlets reported on Thursday. Gopal was working as a security financing operation analyst between November 2022 and December 2023, according to The Straits Times. Distraught after finding out about his girlfriend's infidelity in November 2023, he decided to take a break from work. However, instead of filing for leave using the four days of annual leave he had held at the time, Gopal lied to his supervisor. He claimed that his grandfather had died in his sleep and requested three days of compassionate leave — the maximum duration allowed under the company's policy. His leave request from Nov 8 to Nov 10, 2023, was granted.

Former president Halimah Yacob has denounced US President Donald Trump's recent comments regarding the Gaza Strip, stating that they were «truly horrifying». Trump, in a joint press conference with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held at the White House on Wednesday (Feb 5), had said that the US would «level» the Gaza Strip, «take over» and rebuild the territory. The recently inaugurated president also suggested relocating Palestinians residing in the area to neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Jordan.

Lion City Sailors winger Khairin Nadim has secured a move to Portuguese second-division side FC Vizela on a one-and-a-half-year deal.  The 20-year-old will feature primarily for Vizela's under-23 squad, while being closely monitored by the first-team coaches.  Khairin could make his debut on Feb 25 when Vizela's under-23s take on Benfica B.  «Playing in Europe has always been my goal, and I'm happy to be able to realise this dream,» Khairin said in a Sailors press release on Feb 5. «I'm not just representing the Sailors, but also Singapore as a young player here.» Khairin was once the youngest debutant in the Singapore Premier League (SPL), when he played for the Young Lions in 2020 at 15 years and 298 days. The record is now held by Nathan Mao, who debuted at 15 years and 5 days for the Sailors in 2023.  Khairin still holds the record as the second-youngest Singaporean to score in the SPL, netting against BG Tampines Rovers at 16 years and 194 days.

In Matthew Lim's WhatsApp group chat with his National Service buddies, football banter and workout routines are frequently brought up. But in the past year, their light-hearted conversations have taken a somber turn after two of the 30-year-old's friends were laid off. Lim, who has been in the tech industry for six years, is not feeling too confident about keeping his job either. He added that the recent news reports of mass layoffs in the once-booming tech sector, such as when consumer electronics giants Dyson and Samsung axed jobs last October, gave him the «chills.» «The price of a cup of kopi first went up by 20 cents, and now 50 cents,» he told AsiaOne on Monday (Feb 3). «I'm not even concerned about a pay raise, but more about whether I will still have a job at the end of the year.»

Two men have been arrested for allegedly assaulting a man with a brick in Geylang. The police were alerted to the incident which occurred at Lorong 21 Geylang on Tuesday (Feb 4) at 9am, according to a statement released on Wednesday. The two individuals, aged 21 and 22, had allegedly used a brick to attack a 43-year-old man. The victim was conveyed to Changi General Hospital after being found with multiple fractures on his face and abrasions on his body. Officers from the Bedok Police Division used images from CCTVs and police cameras to identify the suspects and arrested them within 11 hours of the report. The two men will be charged in court on Thursday with the offence of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous means with common intention. If convicted, the suspects face jail terms of up to 15 years. They may also be caned and/or fined. «The police have zero tolerance for such brazen acts of violence and will not hesitate to take action against those who blatantly disregard the law,» said the police.

SINGAPORE - Nearly $7 billion will be spent on marriage and parenthood initiatives in financial year 2026, up from over $4 billion in 2020. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah cited this figure to show how much recent policy changes to the early childhood sector and to parental leave entitlements will add up to on an annual basis. Speaking in Parliament on Feb 5, Ms Indranee said Singaporean families continued to be a top national priority, even as family formation and fertility rates fall here and around the world due to changing social norms. She noted that the $7 billion figure is over and above government subsidies in other areas such as education and housing. “The decision to marry and have children is a deeply personal one, but we know from our surveys that the majority of Singaporeans aspire to get married and have children,” she said. “This is encouraging and gives hope for the future.” In the last five years, the Government has made a series of “major shifts and bold moves” to address people’s concerns in order to make Singapore as conducive to marriage and parenthood as possible, she said.

No government e-services can be used with only a person's NRIC number and its date of issue, said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) on Tuesday (Feb 4). In a written reply to questions raised by several MPs during Parliament, Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo said that government agencies have conducted checks on the potential impact on online services. These checks came after scammers used compromised Singpass accounts to change the addresses of victims via the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's (ICA) e-service platform last month. «So far, there have been no transactional services identified that can be completed in the same manner,» she said. Teo explained that government agencies are required to conduct regular risk assessments of their tech systems, including risks arising from systems managed by other agencies, adding that vulnerabilities must be addressed immediately.

A backpack containing over $14,000 in cash was returned to its rightful owner, thanks to an honest passenger and bus captain. The incident was shared on the SBS Transit Facebook page on Tuesday (Feb 4). Bus captain Chen Long was driving bus service 58 when a passenger handed over a backpack that had been left behind. The 42-year-old bus captain immediately contacted the operations control centre, and learnt that a passenger had reported the missing backpack 25 minutes prior.  He brought the misplaced backpack to Bishan Interchange after his shift and handed it over to the staff, who discovered that it contained more than $14,000 in cash. «I was overjoyed to see everything intact! Deeply grateful to the staff who helped recover my belongings, and I wish the bus captain all the best in his work,» said the owner, who was relieved after picking up her backpack. The money was intended to open a bank account, she added. «It's about doing the right thing,» said Chen, sympathetic to the owner's anxiety.

Rather than starting the new year on the right foot, these men appear to have chosen to use their fists instead. A volunteer was allegedly attacked by three devotees at the Sheng Hong Temple in Jurong East, according to a Facebook post by the temple's management on Monday (Feb 3). According to them, the incident occurred during the early hours of Jan 29, the first day of Chinese New Year. It is known to be a time where many devotees rush to be the first to plant their incense offerings, believing that it would bring them good fortune. Prior to the worship hall opening to the public for prayers, one devotee purportedly attempted to rush in, accidentally tripping and falling, the post read. Clamouring to his feet, they stated that the devotee then began attacking a volunteer dressed in the temple's uniform. Two other devotees also got involved, attacking the volunteer, said the temple's management. They added that a fourth person wanted to «talk with [the volunteer] outside», to which the volunteer declined, expressing that he did not want there to be any trouble on the first day of Chinese New Year.

The Chinese-Malay-Indian-Others (CMIO) framework has worked well for Singapore, and helped forge and preserve racial harmony, said Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam on Wednesday (Feb 5). He was responding to a parliamentary question by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leong Mun Wai on when the Government plans to review the CMIO model. During an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) conference last month, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong said that the CMIO framework should be constantly reviewed to reflect Singapore's increasingly complex multicultural landscape.  In his reply during Parliament, Shanmugam said the CMIO framework helps the Government administer race-based policies and programmes which promote social cohesion, provide targeted interventions within the various racial communities, and safeguard the rights of minorities. This includes the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) which draws from the CMIO framework to ensure a good mix of races in public housing estates.