Singapore has much to celebrate this year with SG60, but we must be aware of the rapidly changing global landscape and invest in creating our future, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Thursday (Feb 27). Speaking in support of Budget 2025 in Parliament, he emphasised the need to «double down on our investments in Research, Innovation, and Enterprise (RIE)», in order to improve lives and to keep Singapore competitive. According to Heng, science, technology and innovation are advancing at an accelerated pace, given the example of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it has disrupted the global tech landscape. Investing in RIE will not only benefit Singapore's economic development, but also benefit Singaporeans, directly and indirectly. Heng raised several examples of how AI can support Singapore's declining workforce, personalise students' learning and optimise medical treatments. Singapore invests around one per cent of its gross domestic product annually to support RIE activities, and has committed $28 billion to the current RIE 2025 plan.

The driver of a Singapore-registered car left the scene after causing a collision that damaged four vehicles outside KSL City Mall in Johor Bahru. Photos of the accident, which happened on Tuesday (Feb 25) evening, showed the wrecked bonnet of a Audi sports car after it smashed into a Proton sedan. The impact left sedan's rear and bonnet badly damaged. Multiple videos on social media also showed the damage dealt to three other vehicles parked along the road shoulder. A large crowd gathered around the scene as passers-by stopped to see what had happened. In one video uploaded to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante, a man was seen helping the Audi driver get of her vehicle. Another video uploaded by Facebook user Ellen Teo showed the driver swiping at a man who had his phone camera pointed at her, before another man pulled her away. Speaking with Shin Min Daily News, a man surnamed Zhang said that he was having dinner in the area when he saw the crash happen. The Audi was travelling at a high speed before it collided with the stationary vehicles along the roadside, the 44-year-old recalled.

SINGAPORE — A tussle between father and son for control of City Developments Limited (CDL) came to light on Feb 26, with executive chairman Kwek Leng Beng publicly criticising his son Sherman, who is the property giant's group chief executive officer.  The older Kwek said he had filed court papers to address the «attempted coup» by Sherman Kwek, 49, board members Philip Lee Jee Cheng and Wong Ai Ai, as well as a group of directors acting with them to allegedly consolidate control of CDL's board. «This is necessary to deal with this attempted coup at the board level and restore corporate integrity,» said Kwek Leng Beng, who will be 84 in 2025. «We intend to change the chief executive officer at the appropriate time. We will continue to explore all legal options available to us to vigorously defend and protect the interests of CDL and its shareholders,» he said. Responding, Sherman Kwek expressed his disappointment over the «extreme actions» taken by his father over a disagreement around the size and make-up of the board of the property group.

Members of Parliament on Wednesday (Feb 26) extensively discussed the Government's plans to address the rising cost of living by disbursing more Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers among other schemes. They also voiced support for measures to help elderly Singaporeans and initiatives to encourage families to have more children, but called for the Government to provide more than just financial help. The Budget debate kicked off on Wednesday and will last until Friday. In all, 54 MPs are expected to speak before Prime Minister Lawrence Wong wraps up the debate. In his Budget speech on Feb 18, PM Wong, who is also the Finance Minister, said that the measures ensure that «no one will be left behind», and will tackle immediate challenges while laying the groundwork for the future. A total of 24 MPs and three Nominated MPs spoke on Wednesday in a debate that lasted around eight hours. Cost of living concerns Among the concerns raised by MPs about cost of living, several highlighted the $800 in CDC vouchers for Singaporean households.

SINGAPORE - Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng have filed defamation suits against Bloomberg and one of its journalists. The case against the media company and reporter Low De Wei will be heard in the Supreme Court on March 3. It comes two months after Tan and Shanmugam said they will act against Bloomberg and other media outlets for publishing statements which the ministers consider libellous concerning their property transactions. The statements were produced in a Dec 12 Bloomberg article on good class bungalow (GCB) transactions in Singapore with the headline, «Singapore mansion deals are increasingly shrouded in secrecy». The article was written by Low, who, according to his LinkedIn profile, has been a real estate reporter at Bloomberg since September 2021. The article focused on GCB deals inked from January to early December 2024, as measured by value, using findings derived from data compiled by Bloomberg News and List Sotheby's International Realty. It mentioned property transactions involving Tan and Shanmugam.

The various vouchers to be disbursed as part of Budget 2025 will help Singaporeans for a while, but not in the long term, said Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh on Wednesday (Feb 26). Kicking off the Budget debate in Parliament, the Workers' Party chief noted that the worth of Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers disbursed has increased from $100 in 2021 to $800 in 2025. «Cost increases have hurt people from across all segments of society,» he said. «Beyond the $800 CDC vouchers and $800 SG60 vouchers, more than a few political watchers noticed PAP MPs thumping their armrests in unison when the Finance Minister announced that climate vouchers worth $400 dollars were being extended to private household dwellers too — a relatively small and generally more well-off segment comprising about 15% of our population. »Reflecting on the cost-of-living crisis, this enthusiastic gesture was both ironic and telling."

The Singapore government has warned voters to remain vigilant against potential scams while checking their voter status. On Tuesday (Feb 25), an advisory issued via the gov.sg channel on Telegram addressed claims that scammers are impersonating the Elections Department (ELD) online. It also reminded voters to check their voting status only via official sources such as the ELD voter services page on its official website and the Singpass app. In a message posted on the ELD's social media platforms on Feb 19, the department said that it is aware of a scam warning currently circulating on chat messaging platforms. It also stated that the warning did not come from ELD itself. However, the image used in the message seems to be a screengrab of ELD's voter services webpage - also circulated during the 2023 Presidential Election and in 2024, ELD said.

If you think the Budget announcements this year have been generous, it's not because of the upcoming General Election (GE), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said in a response uploaded to his social media accounts on Tuesday (Feb 25). The GE is expected to take place this year, and some are wondering if this has influenced the Budget 2025 statement PM Wong delivered on Feb 18. «The fact is that the Budget coincides with a year when elections will be held,» he began. «If the Budget is deemed to be generous, it's only because we have managed our finances responsibly and well.» The government is doing «everything they can» to help Singaporeans cope with cost pressures, he also said. «That has always been our focus and will continue to be so.» Some of these measures are provided to Singaporeans in the form of vouchers - those aged 21 to 59 will receive $600 in SG60 vouchers across the month of July, while those aged 60 and over will get $800.

At least $1.1 billion was lost to scams in Singapore last year, up by 70.6 per cent from 2023. The number of scam cases rose by 10.6 per cent year-on-year to 51,501 cases, up from 46,563 in 2023, said the police in their annual Scams and Cybercrimes brief on Tuesday (Feb 25).  In 2024, e-commerce scams were the largest — 22.7 per cent of the total number of cases reported.  At least $17.5 million was lost to these scams, with concert tickets at the top of the list.

A 65-year-old American woman was arrested at Phuket International Airport with 4.3kg of crystal methamphetamine, according to multiple reports. The woman, identified as Melba Geraldine Sharp from California, was reportedly set to board Scoot Airways flight TR653 to South Korea via Singapore on Sunday (Feb 23), according to The Phuket News. The methamphetamine, worth 1.29 million baht (S$51,500), was discovered after Sharp was flagged down during a routine risk assessment of passenger profiles, The Nation reported. Officers had received a tip-off about possible drug smuggling through the airport and an X-ray screening revealed suspicious objects inside her suitcase, Customs director-general Theeraj Athanavanich told media. While examining her luggage, police found four sets of bed sheets that were unusually heavy. Authorities opened them to find rectangular packages wrapped in multiple layers of brown tape, Bangkok Post reported. Chemical tests revealed the packages to contain the methamphetamine, weighing a total of 4.3kg.

A 65-year-old male cyclist died in an accident involving a prime mover in Tuas on Monday (Feb 24) morning. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at the junction of Tuas Avenue 1 and Avenue 8 at about 11am. The cyclist was pronounced dead at scene by an SCDF paramedic. Photos circulating online show the cyclist lying face down in a pool of blood on the road. The wheel of his bicycle has been deformed in the accident. In another video of the aftermath posted on Facebook, a blue police tent is seen set up at the accident site. A prime mover and several police vehicles are spotted at the scene.

The new Large Families Scheme announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget speech on Feb 18 is neither an incentive nor a reward, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah. Rather, it provides financial support for parents who «would like three or more children», with the Government providing additional assistance.  «Incentive is like, 'if I give you money, out pops the kid',» said Indranee in a podcast with CNA shared on Monday (Feb 24). «It cannot work like that.» And to think of the scheme as a «reward» is also the wrong kind of signal to send to Singaporeans, she added.  As part of new measures to encourage Singaporeans to have more children, parents will receive a $5,000 Large Family MediSave grant for each third and subsequent child born from Feb 18. Parents will also receive $1,000 each year in LifeSG credits for each third and subsequent child between the ages of one and six, or a total of $6,000 over six years. Meanwhile, all third and subsequent Singapore citizen children born from Feb 18 will receive $10,000 in their Child Development Accounts (CDA) under the First Step grant.

Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today. 1. Fewer uni grads in 2024 found full-time work, though more had higher pay: Survey Graduates fresh out of university found it harder to find full-time permanent jobs, with the proportion dropping below 80 per cent, according to the latest graduate employment survey...» READ MORE 2. Chinese singer Curley Gao visits alma mater Dunman High School while in Singapore, buys Milo nuggets and McDonald's fries

«If you feel ok, there is no point going for health screening». This is a common misconception deterring people from getting their health checked. Reasons why one might avoid regular screenings could include the fear of discovering a negative outcome and assumptions that it takes time to keep up with appointments. Healthier SG, a national initiative, is here to help you navigate your preventive care journey with ease. In this episode, follow Chef Bob, a culinary host and esteemed chef, as he brings you through his journey of enrolling in Healthier SG. To learn how Healthier SG can help Singaporeans in their 40s like him, Bob visited Dr Precelia Lam, a Healthier SG General Practitioner (GP) from Raffles Medical who has assisted more than 300 Healthier SG enrollees in customising their health plans and supporting them in managing their health or conditions in the long-term. Dr Lam likens the Health Plan to «a recipe you and your family doctor create together». «It gives you a clear picture of your health right now and changes you need to make to keep your health on track and prevent issues down the road», she explains.