To allow companies to retain older and more experienced workers, the maximum employment period for all work permit holders will be lifted, said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng during the Committee of Supply (COS) debate in Parliament on Thursday (Mar 6). Currently, workers who are not from Malaysia or the North Asian territories of Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan can be employed in Singapore for a maximum of 14 to 26 years, depending on their skill levels and industry sector. This restriction had caused firms to let go of experienced workers «who could be at prime working age», stated Dr Tan. Additionally, existing work permit holders will be allowed to work until 63, in line with Singapore's retirement age. Currently, they can work only till 60. The age limit for new work permit applications will also be raised to 61. At present, Malaysian applicants must be aged below 58 while non-Malaysian workers must be aged below 50.  These changes take into account the recommendations made by the Alliance for Action on Business Competitiveness, and will be implemented from July 1.

After living in their Jurong West HDB flat for over 20 years, this Singaporean couple finally decided that it was time to upgrade to a private property.  The value of their five-room flat has, after all, appreciated by around $400,000 over the years.  Jeffrey Teh, 49, and Ling Goh, 46, paid about $350,000 for their flat some 20 years ago. They subsequently forked out about $1.42 million for their three-room condo in Choa Chu Kang last year.  Speaking to AsiaOne, the couple said that their decision to make the move was driven by investment goals and the future of their two children. «We have been living in our HDB flat for a period of time and we have seen a healthy growth in our flat's market value. We thought it was a good time for us to upgrade to a private home,» said Teh, who operates his own business. Goh, who works as an admin manager, added that the leap was also made for their children as they got to enjoy the condo's facilities and the proximity to their schools. This couple is among the growing number of HDB flat owners who made the leap to private housing in 2024.

SINGAPORE — The officers and senior management involved in missteps that led to the disclosure of full NRIC numbers on a government business portal could face a range of «appropriate measures», from counselling to retraining and reductions in their performance grade and performance-based payments. This comes after a review panel investigated the incident that took place on Dec 9, 2024, and found lapses in the process and communication between the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) and the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI). Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean told Parliament on March 6 that while the review found there was no malicious or wilful wrongdoing by the officers involved, «there were inadequacies in their judgment and actions». In its report released on March 3, the review panel flagged six instances where the agencies could have done better, including clearer communications from MDDI.

Students looking to enter Junior College (JC) from 2028 will be assessed using revised admission criteria, the education ministry announced on Thursday (March 6). The revised JC admission scores will be based on the L1R4 — one language and four relevant subjects — instead of the L1R5 introduced in 1989. This means that one less subject will be counted towards students' JC admission score. As a result, they will need a gross aggregate score of 16 points, rather than 20 points, to be eligible for JC. Additionally, bonus points — which recognise co-curricular activities (CCAs) and other language programmes — will be capped at three points instead of four.

A woman and her boyfriend created fictitious female online personas to target men, whom they later extorted money from by threatening to report their interactions with purported minors to the police. On March 5, the 20-year-old woman pleaded guilty to a cheating charge and two counts of extortion. Seven other charges will be taken into consideration during her sentencing. She cannot be named as she was below 18 years old when she was involved in at least one of these seven charges. The case involving her 23-year-old boyfriend is still pending. He also cannot be named, as doing so could lead to her identity. Through their honeytrap ruse, the couple cheated one of their victims into handing over $3,500. They also extorted around $12,000 in total from other victims, including the father of a man they targeted. On Jan 13, 2024, the couple created a fictitious persona named “Farah” on messaging platform Telegram. “Farah” then contacted V1, a 25-year-old man, and they chatted about sexual activities.

A crane truck at Changi Airport's Terminal 5 (T5) worksite caught fire in the early hours of March 4. A video shared on Facebook shows the crane truck's operator cabin compartment engulfed in flames. A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) fire engine and an ambulance are also seen in the video. One worker wearing a Changi Airport Group (CAG) safety vest can be seen on the site.  SCDF said it was alerted to the crane truck fire at 35 Tanah Merah Coast Road at about 4.45am. The fire was extinguished using a hosereel and a Compressed Air Foam backpack.  No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation, SCDF added. CAG declined to comment on the incident. 

SINGAPORE — After more than a year of careful study and several debates in Parliament on the matter, the Government has ultimately decided not to carve out a separate Certificate of Entitlement (COE) category for private-hire cars owned by businesses. «We have studied this carefully and decided not to proceed with such a move,» said Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor during the debate on her ministry's budget on March 5. Instead, the authorities will continue to increase the COE quota for cars and commercial vehicles every quarter until the supply peaks from 2026, Dr Khor said. This will be done by bringing forward COEs that are guaranteed to expire in future peak supply years to fill the present supply troughs. An injection of 20,000 additional COEs over the next few years, enabled by evolving travel patterns and the roll-out of the next-generation Electronic Road Pricing system, will also boost supply, she added. Dr Khor was responding to Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten), who asked whether the authorities would create a separate private-hire car COE category and introduce other measures to manage premiums.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and transport operators will step up enforcement measures in order to deter commuters who behave badly, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said during the Committee of Supply debate on Wednesday (Mar 5). «While the vast majority of commuters are considerate and gracious, we need to protect the quality of their commute from a small minority of black sheep whose anti-social behaviours and actions cause discomfort and sometimes even endanger others,» Chee said. While public education efforts are ongoing, he acknowledges that «education alone will not be enough and needs to go together with effective enforcement». Chee said: «I have asked LTA and the operators to step up their enforcement... by strengthening our regulatory powers and increasing the penalties to deter egregious commuters, especially repeat offenders and those who refuse to cooperate when they are advised by public transport workers.» Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Baey Yam Keng also addressed measures to enhance commuter experiences on board buses.

Dr Catherine Wu, former advisor to Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C), has resigned from her position. Dr Wu was at the forefront of the recent high-profile City Developments Limited (CDL) boardroom battle between CDL executive chairman Kwek Leng Beng and his son, CDL CEO Sherman Kwek. Sherman Kwek had previously accused Dr Wu of «interfering in matters going well beyond her scope», adding that «she wields and exercises enormous influence». In a press release on Tuesday (March 4), Kwek Leng Beng said that M&C — the hotel arm of CDL — has received the «irrevocable resignation» of Dr Wu as an unpaid independent advisor, with immediate effect. «Now that Dr Wu has resigned, the CEO and his team of directors no longer have any continuing basis to make such corporate governance allegations about CDL and to justify his board coup,» said the CDL executive chairman.

Seniors living in private properties will soon be entitled to receive subsidies of up to 75 per cent, with a cap of up to $1,200, when they outfit their homes with age-friendly features under the Enhancement for Active Seniors (Ease) programme - previously limited for HDB dwellers.  Seniors living in HDB flats currently receive up to 95 per cent subsidy to offset the cost of installing elderly-friendly fittings like grab bars and ramps under the programme. The extension of this Ease programme to those living in private properties is due to its strong support and positive feedback from HDB residents, said the Ministry of National Development (MND) in a press statement. More than 70,000 private property households with seniors will benefit from the subsidy, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Wednesday (March 5) as he laid out his ministry's spending plans in Parliament. «We will do more to improve the safety and mobility of seniors living in private properties, within their own home,» he said. 

More seniors who own private properties will be eligible for a scheme to supplement their retirement income when they move into a three-room or smaller HDB flat. Speaking in his ministry's Budget debate on Wednesday (March 5), National Development Minister Desmond Lee said that the Silver Housing Bonus (SHB) will be extended to include seniors who own a private property with an annual value up to $31,000. A property's annual value is the estimated rent a property can fetch in a year if rented out, and is determined based on market rents of comparable properties and other factors. The SHB scheme - launched in 2013 - currently provides a cash bonus of up to $30,000 for those aged 55 and above who sell an HDB flat or a private property with an annual value of less than $21,000. Lee said that from Dec 1, seniors whose private property has an annual value of between $21,000 and $31,000 will receive $10,000 if they «right-size» to a three-room flat. This amount will be pro-rated at $1 bonus for every $6 that seniors commit towards their CPF Retirement Account. 

Scammers have «pivoted their playbook» as bank accounts become more protected, said Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling on Tuesday (March 4). Speaking during the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) Committee of Supply debate, Sun explained that these scammers are asking victims to convert their money to cryptocurrencies prior to performing transfers, thereby evading banking safeguards.  Scammers have also targeted assets stored in victims' crypto wallets, she said. Crypto-related scams accounted for nearly 25 per cent of all scam losses in 2024. This was up from less than 10 per cent in 2023, she added. While cryptocurrency is largely unregulated, only a fixed number of digital payment token service providers have been licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) with certain regulatory safeguards in place.

A 66-year-old traffic controller died following an accident involving a road roller at a construction site in Joo Chiat on Monday (March 3). The incident occurred at 175 Carpmael Road at around 3.55pm, according to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The traffic controller was pronounced dead at the scene by a SCDF paramedic. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that the 39-year-old male operator of the road roller was arrested on site for causing death by negligent act. Investigations are ongoing, they added. This is the fourth fatal workplace accident in 2025, following the death of a Bangladeshi worker on Feb 26 when he was struck by a steel beam, reported the Straits Times. Last year, there were a total of 20 workplace fatalities, according to a report released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in December.

SINGAPORE — The driver of the blue Porsche 911 Carrera killed in a high-speed crash on Nicoll Highway on March 2 was 37-year-old Jeffery Loh Chong Hao, The Straits Times has learnt. Loh was the director and one of three shareholders of Chee Song Foods, a company known for its halal-certified meat products sold under the CS Foods brand in supermarkets. He was also a licensed financial adviser with AIA Singapore until 2020. The Porsche was bought brand new in May 2021 and registered under Chee Song Foods, Land Transport Authority records show. According to Loh's LinkedIn profile, he studied banking and finance at the Singapore Institute of Management under the University of London International Programme. A business associate, who wanted to be known only as Koh, told ST he was shocked when he saw the video of the crash and recognised Loh's car, which he had driven to their meetings. «The industry is in shock, and we are waiting to hear if there will be a wake so we can bid farewell to him,» said Koh.

A total of 187 cases of gastroenteritis were reported during the Total Defence food resilience programme across schools, Active Ageing Centres and public agencies. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu gave these figures in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 4) in response to several MPs who asked about the food safety of the ready-to-eat (RTE) meals distributed as part of a national preparedness exercise. Responding to MPs Tan Wu Meng (Jurong GRC) and Dennis Tan (Hougang SMC) on the number of cases, Minister Fu said that as at Monday (March 3), 184 were from schools, two from Active Ageing Centres and one in a public agency. This constituted about 0.16 per cent of the participants, she added. «All affected individuals have received the necessary medical attention and have since recovered. None were hospitalised,» said Fu. "The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has also collected samples of the meals for testing and did not find any foodborne pathogens.

An 82-year-old woman was discovered dead in her flat on Sunday (Mar 2) after not responding to her friends' calls for five days. The elderly woman was then living alone in her flat at Block 171, Bukit Batok West Avenue 8.  According to Shin Min Daily News, a close friend of the deceased, who wished to remain anonymous, told reporters that the elderly woman had lived alone for over 40 years.  She added that they would typically arrange to meet up every month.  And the last time she spoke to the deceased was on the second day of Chinese New Year this year. However, when she tried calling the deceased on Feb 25, her calls were left answered.  «I wanted to remind her to watch her favourite TV series and I found it strange that no one answered the phone,» she said.  In the following days, she reportedly continued to reach out to the deceased and even went to her unit to check up on her.   As the deceased did not usually open her windows or turn on the lights, it was difficult to tell if she was home. 

The world of tech is evolving faster than ever, and in Singapore, a new wave of women are leading the charge. In an industry historically dominated by men, these women have shattered the glass ceiling to create solutions that impact lives and shape the future. According to a 2024 study by Infocomm Media Development Authority and Boston Consulting Group, women comprise 40per cent of Southeast Asia's tech sector. This growing presence signals a shift towards greater inclusivity and diversity in the industry. As we celebrate International Women's Day (March 8), it's time to shine a spotlight on the inspiring women in Singapore's tech scene who are paving the way for the next generation. Their contributions are setting new standards and opening doors for more women to thrive in tech. Joan Low https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv1Nb-DJ13A/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Who is she: Founder and CEO of ThoughtFull, a digital mental health startup.

Three Montfort Secondary School students involved in a recent viral video share some responsibility for the incident and will be punished, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Monday (March 3). This comes after a viral video, posted on Feb 22, showed a Sec 1 boy being kicked and tripped by his classmates. A woman, who claimed to be the mother of the boy, said in a Facebook post on Feb 23 that she filed a police report, and threatened to take legal action. She said that the «traumatic experience» has left her son with a phobia of attending school.

A Government review into the National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) unmasking issue found no evidence of deliberate wrongdoing or wilful action by officers from the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra). However, the review panel, led by civil service head Leo Yip, said on Monday (March 3) there was a «confluence of shortcomings» by both agencies that should have been avoided. Privacy concerns were raised over Acra's Bizfile portal, which showed names and full NRIC numbers for free via its search function from Dec 9 to 13 last year. This caused public alarm and the number of searches on the portal spiked to 500,000 during the five-day period, instead of the usual daily traffic of 2,000 to 3,000 searches. The Government subsequently apologised for the anxiety caused and explained that the error was due to a misunderstanding between MDDI and Acra. They had intended to change the practice of masking NRIC numbers, but Acra launched its new portal before these plans were publicly announced.

Three Montfort Secondary School students involved in a recent viral video share some responsibility for the incident and will be punished, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Monday (March 3). This comes after a viral video, posted on Feb 22, showed a Sec 1 boy being kicked and tripped by his classmates. A woman, who claimed to be the mother of the boy, said in a Facebook post on Feb 23 that she filed a police report, and threatened to take legal action. She said that the «traumatic experience» has left her son with a phobia of attending school.

SINGAPORE — An anonymous tip-off about computer servers that might contain Nvidia chips being exported to Malaysia, and possibly to an unknown final destination, sparked off a police investigation. This alert did not come from any country or sovereign entity, but the claim was serious enough to get the Singapore authorities to launch an independent investigation, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam at a media briefing on March 3 at the Treasury. The servers arrived in Singapore from the US before being exported to Malaysia. But whether they ended up in Malaysia, or another country, is being looked into, he said. Three men were charged with fraud on Feb 27 in a case allegedly linked to chipmaker Nvidia. Shanmugam said preliminary investigations show servers from US firms Dell and Supermicro were sent to Singapore-based companies. The servers were then exported to Malaysia. He said these servers likely contained items subjected to export controls by the US.

The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) aims to improve the psychological well-being of servicemen as they have done so in past years, Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How said during the Committee of Supply (COS) in Parliament on Monday (Mar 3). Mindef's budget for the financial year 2025 is projected to be $23.4 billion, a 12.4 per cent increase from the $20.2 billion last year. Senior Minister Heng shared that Mindef piloted the deployment of roving care teams last year which consisted of psychologists and counsellors that were partnered with unit commanders to enhance care for servicemen after basic military training (BMT). BMT is an initiation to the army and rite of passage every full-time National Serviceman (NSF) must go through, and also teaches basic soldiering skills. The ministry's Mental Health Office also ran a well-being campaign in 2024 to foster a positive workplace culture across Mindef and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). An e-learning module for mental health was also launched last year to provide servicemen with the know-how to build a positive workplace culture and support peers.

Some of HomeTeamNS servers containing the data of past and present employees were affected by a ransomware attack which was discovered on Feb 25. In a statement on Monday (March 3), HomeTeamNS said that the affected servers were immediately disabled and isolated from its IT network. Third-party cybersecurity experts were then engaged to investigate and take action. HomeTeamNS is also working with the authorities. «As part of our remediation efforts, the passwords of all our administrative accounts have been changed, and security scans and firewalls have been further enhanced to strengthen our network security,» HomeTeamNS said. Apart from employee data, the affected servers also contained the vehicle details of some HomeTeamNS members and affiliate members. «At this time, there is no evidence of data extraction, but we are monitoring closely,» said HomeTeamNS. «We have reached out to those who are affected to assist them with protecting themselves from phishing or unauthorised transactions and to minimise the impact from this incident.»