SINGAPORE - At least $1.7 million has been lost since January in six cases involving scammers who baited their victims with supposedly outstanding insurance premiums, the police and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said on March 14. In these cases, the victims received calls from scammers who pretended to be representatives or employees of NTUC Union, Income Insurance, UnionPay and MAS. The victims were told they had outstanding premiums tied to their new or expiring life insurance policies. They were redirected to other scammers, claiming to be with Income Insurance or UnionPay, who proceeded to harvest their bank account details, private credentials and other personal information. The victims were advised to cancel their insurance policies if they did not want the supposed outstanding fees automatically deducted from their bank accounts. They were instructed – in some cases via WhatsApp’s screen-sharing function – to transfer money to a specified bank account, which the scammers claimed was a necessary step to verify their bank accounts.

An elderly man died after he fell in a SBS Transit bus on Wednesday (March 12) evening. The 80-year-old lost his balance while bus service 262 was making a right turn at a junction in Ang Mo Kio. He had stood up from his seat and was preparing to alight when he fell before he could grab a pole, SBS Transit spokeswoman Grace Wu told The Straits Times (ST). The bus captain administered first aid to the elderly man and called for an ambulance. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said they were alerted to the incident at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 and Bishan Road on March 12 at about 8pm. The man was conscious when taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he subsequently died. Police investigations are ongoing. «We are in touch with his family and are saddened to learn of his passing. We would like to extend our deepest condolences to them during this difficult time of loss,» Wu told ST. A netizen, who identified themself as the grandchild of the deceased, took to social media platforms Facebook and Xiaohongshu (XHS) to appeal for witnesses to contact them.

SMRT has issued a warning after a man climbed over the platform screen doors at Boon Lay MRT station on Thursday (March 13) to retrieve his mobile phone that fell onto the tracks. In a post on the public transport operator's Facebook page on Friday, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said that a commuter had activated the emergency stop plunger (ESP) on the west-bound platform at approximately 8.15am after witnessing the incident. «Thanks to the timely activation of the ESP, the incoming train was halted in time, and the individual was unharmed. Our staff immediately intervened, detained the trespasser and alerted the police,» he added. Trespassing onto the tracks poses «severe safety risks», such as getting hit by a train or being electrocuted by the high-voltage third rail, Lam explained. «Such reckless actions not only endanger lives but can also cause service disruptions, affecting many commuters. Additionally, when emergency brakes are applied, there is a risk of injury to passengers onboard the train.»

A former Kinderland pre-school teacher who was filmed manhandling several children at a Woodlands pre-school was convicted in court on Thursday (March 13). Singaporean Lin Min, 35, has been sentenced to 17 months' and two weeks jail, after previously pleading guilty to three charges of ill-treating a child. Three other charges were taken into consideration for sentencing. The case had made the news in August 2023 after clips of Lin forcefully feeding children liquids went viral online. One video also showed her striking a child's bottom with a book. The Mandarin teacher was subsequently fired and barred by the Early Childhood Development Agency from working in the pre-school sector.

When an explosion occurred at an HDB flat, teachers at a My First Skool branch in the same block quickly acted to ensure the children's safety, even carrying some kids away from that block, said a parent of one of the kids.  Hafizah Ali, 35, whose two-year-old son is in that pre-school, told AsiaOne that she received a call from his teacher at about 1.25pm on Wednesday (March 12) to inform her about a fire in the same block. The children had been evacuated to a Residents' Corner in the next building, and Hafizah's son was crying, the teacher said. «I hurried over and saw about five fire engines, ambulances and [a] police car already there,» said the home-based business owner.  Although her son had stopped crying by the time she reached him, he burst into tears once again upon seeing her, said Hafizah. «He hasn't started talking so I may not know exactly how he felt, but as his mom I know [when] he needs comfort,» she explained.

SINGAPORE — When Inspector Muhammad Rasidi Suriade of the Police Coast Guard (PCG) got a call on Feb 28 about a Singapore-registered chemical tanker being boarded illegally by unknown suspects, he rushed to the scene. He and his colleagues were on a PCG boat patrolling Singapore waters just five minutes away. The PCG boarded the tanker after it entered Singapore territorial waters. Insp Rasidi and five officers boarded the vessel at around 8.20am and saw a crew member lying on the ship's main deck, bleeding from his right eye. Seeing that his injuries were serious, Insp Rasidi told two of his officers to stay with the injured man, while the remaining four officers turned their attention to finding the suspects. Insp Rasidi was recounting the «unauthorised boarding» incident that happened in the Singapore Strait, outside Singapore territorial waters. The 29-year-old injured Indian national is in a stable condition and has been discharged from hospital.

SINGAPORE — Trusted family friends and senior establishment figures in Singapore intervened and mediated a truce which put a halt to an acrimonious boardroom fight between billionaire Kwek Leng Beng and his son Sherman Kwek, according to sources who spoke to The Straits Times. The halt came after more than two weeks of tit-for-tat media statements by both men, during which the share price of their real estate company City Developments Limited (CDL) reached a 16-year low. The Straits Times understands that the senior figures are neutral parties who have kept in contact with the senior Kwek, who is the executive chairman of CDL, and his son, CDL's group chief executive. The mediation took place in earnest after Kwek Leng Beng announced on March 4 the resignation of Catherine Wu as «an unpaid independent adviser» to the board of CDL's hotel arm, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C). Sherman Kwek had said Wu was the reason for the dispute between the father and son. He accused her of meddling in matters well beyond her scope, adding that she wields and exercises enormous influence. 

Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today. 1. GE2025: 5 hot wards to watch The electoral boundaries of Singapore have been redrawn — which means election season is almost here. New faces from various political parties have been spotted on the ground over the past few months, with some opposition parties laying early claims on certain constituencies... » READ MORE 2. CDL saga: Kwek Leng Beng ends lawsuit, all parties to remain in roles

SINGAPORE — Four Dutch crew members on a Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima, which hit another vessel at Pasir Panjang Terminal in June 2024, have admitted to failing to discharge their duties properly. The incident caused serious damage to a bunker vessel — the Singapore-flagged Marine Honour — and led to the worst oil spill in Singapore in 10 years. On March 12, Richard Ouwehand, 49, Martin Hans Sinke, 48, Eric Peijpers, 56, and Merijn Heidema, 26, pleaded guilty to one charge each under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 for their role in the oil spill. The oil spill spread to the coastlines of East Coast Park, Labrador Nature Reserve and Sentosa, the Southern Islands and even to the Johor coastline in Kota Tinggi. Deputy Public Prosecutor Regina Lim told the court on March 12 that clean-up operations took more than two months, and that the full extent of the oil spill's impact on the coastal and marine environment is still being assessed. Marine Honour is still undergoing repairs for the damage, and the cost of repairs is estimated to exceed $6.6 million, the prosecutor added.

A 62-year-old bus driver died after he was involved in an accident with a lorry on Wednesday (March 12). The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the accident at 11.15am near the junction of Eu Tong Sen Street and Outram Road. SCDF told AsiaOne two people were taken to Singapore General Hospital. The police said the the bus driver was unconscious when taken to the hospital, where he later died. A 47-year-old passenger was taken conscious to the hospital. In a video posted online, a white bus is seen mounted on a kerb with a fallen tree lying in its path.  Police investigations are ongoing.

Prosecutors told a court on Thursday (March 13) that a case in which Singapore-based firms have been accused of fraudulently supplying US servers to Malaysia involves transactions worth US$390 million (S$519 million). Three men have been charged with committing fraud against Dell and Super Micro by falsely representing where the servers would end up. Local media have linked the case to the possible transfer of Nvidia's artificial intelligence chips to Chinese AI firm DeepSeek. The US is investigating if DeepSeek, whose AI model's performance rocked the tech world in January, has been using banned US chips. Authorities have said the servers may have contained Nvidia chips but did not say whether the chips were the high-end semiconductors that are subject to US export controls. Asked about the potential link to DeepSeek, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said last week that he did not want to speculate. The three suspects are Singaporeans Aaron Woon, 41, and Alan Wei, 49, and Chinese national Li Ming, 51.

Repairs are ongoing at a Yew Tee HDB block after floor tiles popped out at the lift landing area on March 11. In a minute-long video posted on TikTok by user yunzhonh.qu, cracked tiles were seen strewn over the area at Block 691A Choa Chu Kang Crescent. Some tiles could also be seen popping high into the air. As at 12pm on Thursday (March 13), the video has garnered 524,000 views. In response to the incident, MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC Alex Yam said in a Facebook post that town council workers have removed the popped tiles and repairs will take two weeks to complete.  He added that popping tiles occur with changing temperatures or age. 

The electoral boundaries of Singapore have been redrawn — which means election season is almost here. New faces from various political parties have been spotted on the ground over the past few months, with some opposition parties laying early claims on certain constituencies. As recommended by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), there will be 10 five-member GRCs and eight four-member GRCs, as well as 15 SMCs in the 2025 General Election (GE). Particularly fierce contests are predicted to take place in some electoral divisions; here are five notable ones to keep an eye on. Aljunied GRC The first ever GRC to be won by an opposition party, Aljunied has been held by the Workers' Party (WP) since GE2011. In GE2020, the WP team of Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, Faisal Manap, Gerald Giam and Leon Perera claimed Aljunied GRC with 85,603 votes (59.93 per cent).

You may be familiar with the history of how Singapore grew from a fishing village to the metropolitan city that it is today. With such a huge transformation, it is important to reflect on how we got here and what our next steps are. To guide Singapore in charting its next lap of growth, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has unveiled the Singapore Economy 2030 vision. The strategic blueprint centres on four key pillars to propel Singapore's growth trajectory: Trade, Enterprise, Manufacturing, and Services. Here are the important takeaways from the Singapore Economy 2030 vision: Trade 2030 By 2030, Singapore aims to boost its export value to at least S$1 trillion and its international commodity trade flows to US$2 trillion (SGD$2.7 trillion). To achieve these goals, the Trade 2030 strategy focuses on anchoring new flows and growing trading volumes, deepening companies' efforts in key areas such as sustainability, and enhancing trade relationships with global economies.

SINGAPORE - Billionaire tycoon Kwek Leng Beng will drop the lawsuit he had filed against his son Sherman Kwek and other directors of City Developments Limited (CDL), in the latest turn of a high-profile family rift that set tongues wagging for more than two weeks. The executive chairman of CDL said on March 12 that he has decided to drop the lawsuit he had filed in February to stop his son and majority directors of CDL from implementing a number of board resolutions.  The lawsuit was also filed to restrain two newly appointed independent directors from exercising their powers. “I will continue in my role as executive chairman, and Sherman Kwek will continue as group chief executive officer,” he said. All the current directors, including the two new independent directors – Ms Jennifer Duong Young and Ms Wong Su-Yen – will remain on the CDL board, he added. The older Kwek said all CDL board members have agreed to put aside their differences for the greater good of CDL and its stakeholders.

Although the newly formed Sembawang West single-member constituency (SMC) has split from the Sembawang group representation constituency (GRC) for the upcoming general election, it «remains an integral part of the Sembawang family», said MP Ong Ye Kung. Ong, who is also Minister for Health, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (March 12) that the new ward's upgrading and development plans will continue to be part of the GRC's town development plan. «As an SMC, [Sembawang West] will be able to have more autonomy and flexibility to implement initiatives to address the specific needs of its residents,» he wrote. Ong also said that the change in electoral boundaries in the area was not surprising as more residents have moved into Sembawang GRC, and the population has expanded considerably over the past few years. «Increasing the number of MPs from five to six in the area will help to better serve the needs of our residents,» he said, adding that the key change for the constituency is that it will go from being a five-person GRC to a «five-person GRC plus an SMC».

Voting patterns in the new Punggol Group Representation Constituency (GRC) may change due to young residents, a political expert has said. On Tuesday, the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee announced changes to constituencies which will include five new GRCs such as Pasir Ris-Changi, Punggol, Jurong East-Bukit Batok, Marine Parade-Braddell Heights and West Coast-Jurong West.  The new SMCs include Bukit Gombak, Jalan Kayu, Jurong Central, Queenstown, Sembawang West and Tampines Changkat. Speaking to AsiaOne on Tuesday (March 11) on the key battleground constituencies for the upcoming General Election (GE), independent political observer Dr Felix Tan commented that the new Punggol GRC comprises «a lot of younger voters and newer estates» which may «shift voting patterns around». On the ground, younger Punggol residents are hopeful that this change would help their voices be better heard. «I thought that (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) was actually quite big, so maybe being just Punggol GRC might be a good thing,» 34-year-old Punggol resident Lim told AsiaOne. «Maybe our MPs may be a bit more focused on our GRC.»

HANOI — Singapore and Vietnam on Wednesday (March 12) have agreed to enhance co-operation in subsea cables, finance, and energy, marking an upgrade in their relations to Vietnam's highest level, during a visit by its Communist Party Chief To Lam to the city-state. Singapore is the third Southeast Asian nation, after Malaysia and Indonesia, with which Vietnam has established a «comprehensive strategic relationship». In a joint statement released following the upgrade, Lam and Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong witnessed the exchange of six agreements and discussed co-operation in undersea cable development, digital connectivity, and cross-border data flows. Southeast Asian countries, a major junction for cables connecting Asia to Europe, aim to expand their networks to meet the surging demand for AI services and data centres. Vietnam alone plans to launch 10 new submarine cables by 2030.

Although the newly formed Sembawang West single-member constituency (SMC) has split from the Sembawang group representation constituency (GRC) for the upcoming general election, it «remains an integral part of the Sembawang family», said MP Ong Ye Kung. Ong, who is also the Minister for Health said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (March 12) that the new ward's upgrading and development plans will continue to be part of the GRC's town development plan. «As an SMC, (Sembawang West) will be able to have more autonomy and flexibility to implement initiatives to address the specific needs of its residents,» he wrote. Ong also said that the change in electoral boundaries in the area was not surprising as more residents have moved into Sembawang GRC, and the population has expanded considerably over the past few years. «Increasing the number of MPs from five to six in the area will help to better serve the needs of our residents,» he said, adding that the key change for constituency is that it will go from being a five-person GRC to a «five-person GRC plus an SMC».

Following the latest report by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), several opposition parties, including the Workers' Party (WP) and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), have come out to express concerns over some of the boundary changes.  In a statement after the report was released on Tuesday (March 11), the WP noted «significant changes» to areas where they have been «working consistently for the last few years». The party didn't name those areas.  The Committee's proposed changes include 18 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and 15 single-member constituencies (SMCs), an increase from the current 17 GRCs and 14 SMCs. The proposed revisions were a result of «population shifts and housing developments», said EBRC.

SINGAPORE – A 58-year-old man was arrested after a younger man was found dead in a Housing Board flat in Boon Lay on March 11.  The 56-year-old man was found lying motionless in an 11th-floor unit at Block 187 Boon Lay Avenue, and was pronounced dead at the scene. The police said they received a call for assistance at about 11.35am. Preliminary investigations showed that both parties were known to each other. The Straits Times understands that the pair are brothers. The suspect was arrested at the scene. Police investigations are ongoing. When ST arrived at the scene at 5.25pm, several police officers were outside the unit, which had been cordoned off. A body was removed from the unit at 5.30pm.