SINGAPORE - Daily global developments are a reminder that it is a dangerous world, and the only people who can protect Singapore and advance its interests are Singaporeans themselves, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Sunday (March 16), as he called for people to stay strong and united. «There is no other country you can find in this world where people of different faiths, different beliefs can come together, can break fast together, (and) can live in peace and harmony together as one family,» said PM Wong. «This is very precious, and this is something we must always cherish and protect here in Singapore.» He was speaking at Iftar Utara, a mass iftar, or break-fast meal, attended by around 7,000 residents and guests at Marsiling Mega Sports Park. The event was organised by the Marsiling Citizens' Consultative Committee, Indian Muslim Social Service Association and Masjid An-Nur. PM Wong noted how the world is undergoing profound changes, with things changing quickly in places, from the United States to China to Europe. «And every day, we are worried there are things that will impact Singapore.»

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has assured young parents that the Government will support them with its upcoming  measures. In a Facebook post on Sunday (March 16), PM Wong wrote about his visit to the new Anchorvale Village in Sengkang West for its Sports fiesta and Family fiesta, where he «had the chance to chat with many young families and multi-generational households». «We know that being a young parent is not easy, and we're committed to making this journey as smooth and fulfilling as possible- whether through better childcare, family-friendly spaces, or more support to deal with day-to-day expenses,» he wrote. «As Singapore turns 60, we are writing our next chapter together — one where families remain at the heart of our nation. No matter the challenges ahead, we will keep building a Singapore where every family can thrive.» At the community plaza in Anchorvale Village shopping centre, PM Wong spoke about support measures for parents with young children announced as part of Budget 2025, reported The Straits Times.

A British man, 57, will be charged on Monday (March 17) after allegedly using abusive words against an airline staff and causing destruction to property at Changi Airport Terminal 3. According to a police statement on Sunday, the incident had occurred on March 8. Police were alerted to the incident of a man shouting and being rude to a female airline staff. The man had also damaged a wall in a gate hold room, the statement added. Investigations revealed that upon boarding the aircraft for his flight from Singapore to London, the man realised that he had misplaced his mobile phone. He then left the aircraft, hoping to search for it at the airport lounge where he had been earlier. At the gate hold room, he approached a female airline staff member who helped him check with the airport lounge staff about his phone. She then informed him that no mobile phone was found at the lounge, the statement read. As it was close to the scheduled departure time of the flight, the female airline staff informed the man that leaving the gate hold room would result in him being offloaded from the flight.

Planning to bring the kids to Malaysia for the March school holidays? Brace yourself for a long wait at the checkpoints.  In a Facebook post on Saturday (March 15) at 9.10am, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) warned of heavy departure traffic at Woodlands Checkpoint due to tailback from Malaysia.  The car queue was beyond Woodlands Avenue 3, Exit 10A, and the estimated waiting time to Woodlands checkpoint was more than two hours. The traffic subsided at 8.23pm.  However, in an update on Sunday (March 16) at 9.20am, ICA shared that there was heavy departure traffic at Woodlands Checkpoint, once again due to tailback from Malaysia. «Ttavellers are advised to check traffic conditions before embarking on their journey,» said the agency. According to the Clear The Jam app, wait times for traffic towards Johor were estimated to be 58 to 88 minutes on the Causeway and 40 to 61 minutes on the Second Link at 10.47am on Sunday (March 16).

SINGAPORE – In just seven short years, Malone Lam Yu Xuan went from being a student in a secondary school in Choa Chu Kang to being dubbed crypto whizz-kid by some in the US in 2023. Many who saw his spending spree were amazed a 19-year-old could afford large mansions, a fleet of expensive cars and luxury clothes. In truth, Lam was living off the millions in crypto he stole from various investors, he later told investigators in the US. This was before August 2024, when he allegedly got involved in the theft of Bitcoin valued at more than US$240 million (S$320 million), one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts in US history. Legal documents obtained by The Straits Times showed that Lam, who turned 20 in 2024, had been living in the US on an expired tourist visa. Documents filed in a US court showed the then teenager pocketed millions and spent some of the money on himself and his friends. Among other things, he purchased and gifted a 2024 Mercedes SL and a 2023 Ferrari FS to Jeandiel Serrano.

SINGAPORE - From upgraded markets and food centres to Silver Zones and Friendly Streets that make the town safer for the elderly, Ang Mo Kio has seen many improvements in the past five years. There will be more improvements to look forward to in the next five years, with residents' continued support and the leadership of the town councillors, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on March 15. Speaking at the launch of the Ang Mo Kio town council masterplan, he added that the plan will continue to focus on caring for both the young and seniors, fostering inclusivity and enhancing sustainability across the town's seven divisions - Ang Mo Kio-Hougang, Cheng San-Seletar, Fernvale, Jalan Kayu, Teck Ghee, Kebun Baru and Yio Chu Kang. This includes better shared spaces like upgraded community clubs in Cheng San-Seletar and Yio Chu Kang, both of which are under renovation, and new playgrounds and community spaces that will benefit residents of Lentor Estate and Cactus Sunrise. Apart from more sheltered linkways to make daily commutes more comfortable, there will be additional senior-friendly facilities and initiatives.

A bright ring of light appeared around the sun on Saturday (March 15) prompting Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who spotted the halo, to share a photo of it on Facebook. «A rare and spectacular sight in the skies above! I am told that this phenomenon is known as a 22° halo or a sun halo,» he wrote on his post on Saturday. SM Lee also urged others to share their photos of the event.  In the comments on his Facebook page, several netizens shared images they had snapped of the sun halo while they were at Bidadari Park, Bukit Timah and West Coast.  «It was a phenomenal sight,» said one who had caught the sun halo at Mandai Wildlife Reserve. 

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).