The housing market is showing early signs of price growth moderation amidst the rising economic uncertainty globally, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee. This is after flash estimates released by of Housing and Development Board (HDB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Tuesday (April 1) showed slower growth in the price of resale flats and private properties. Resale prices of HDB flats rose by 1.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, making it the slowest growth in the last five quarters According to HDB's flash estimates, resale prices increased 1.5 per cent in the first quarter, down from the 2.6 per cent hike in the previous quarter and the average quarterly growth of 2.3 per cent in 2024. On the resale volume in the first quarter of 2025, HDB said that in tandem with slower market conditions, the figure of 6,392 is 7.7 per cent lower than in the same period last year. In a Facebook post on Tuesday (April 1), Lee said that the slow pace of growth can be attributed to the «sustained supply» of Build-To-Order (BTO) flats, as well as the largest-ever Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise in Feb 2025.

During his recent walkabout in Bedok, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat met an inspiring and lively couple in their 90s who shared their secrets to living a long and healthy life.  A video of the heartwarming moment featuring the Lims was posted on DPM Heng's Facebook page on Sunday (March 30).  At the beginning of the clip, the elderly woman is seen speaking in Cantonese and telling DPM Heng, who is also the MP for East Coast GRC, how happy she is every time she sees photos of him. Displaying her sense of humour, the woman also joked about having «two boyfriends,» referring to her two walking sticks, to which DPM Heng laughed heartily and quipped that they must be «very supportive» of her. In the video, it was revealed that she is 96 years old while her husband, who was born in 1927, is 98. 

Medical professionals say they are concerned that young people may be abusing nitrous oxide to feel intoxicated, with buyers purchasing the gas from dubious sellers. The Straits Times was alerted to the illegal activity by a reader who gave her name only as Ms Pang. She had witnessed the driver of a luxury car unloading canisters at a condominium in the East in February. Ms Pang said the boot was filled with cartons of nitrous oxide, which is commonly used to make whipped cream and merengue. “It was concerning and suspicious because it was on the second day of the Chinese New Year, and all the baking of cakes and cookies would have been done before the new year,” she added. Ms Pang later spoke to the resident who collected the nitrous oxide canisters, and he told her that he gets weekly deliveries to his home to get his fix of laughing gas. On March 29, police arrested the driver of a sports car in Killiney Road for a rash act offence. The 37-year-old man was suspected to be intoxicated with nitrous oxide.

The housing market is showing early signs of price moderation amidst the rising economic uncertainty globally, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee. This is after flash estimates released by of Housing and Development Board (HDB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Tuesday (April 1) showed slower growth in the price of resale flats and private properties. Resale prices of HDB flats rose by 1.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, making it the slowest growth in the last five quarters According to HDB's flash estimates, resale prices increased 1.5 per cent in the first quarter, down from the 2.6 per cent hike in the previous quarter and the average quarterly growth of 2.3 per cent in 2024. On the resale volume in the first quarter of 2025, HDB said that in tandem with slower market conditions, the figure of 6,392 is 7.7 per cent lower than in the same period last year. In a Facebook post on Tuesday (April 1), Lee said that the slow pace of growth can be attributed to the «sustained supply» of Build-To-Order (BTO) flats, as well as the largest-ever Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise in Feb 2025.

SINGAPORE – Muslims make up more than half of the 80-strong Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) contingent providing rescue and relief in Myanmar following a devastating earthquake, even though it means they will miss out on spending Hari Raya Aidilfitri with their loved ones. Thanking the 48 officers and their families for their sacrifice during the festive period, Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said: “It’s a very noble act to go out there, and help other people far away.” An 80-strong force and four search canines from the SCDF left for Myanmar on March 29 to assist with rescue efforts in the quake-battered country. Mr Shanmugam, who is also Minister for Law, was speaking on March 31 after a visit to the Ahmad Ibrahim Mosque along Sembawang Road, as part of community visits on Hari Raya Aidilfitri to mosques and prayer sites in Yishun.

SINGAPORE – Recently-resigned public servant Dinesh Vasu Dash accompanied East Coast GRC MPs for a mosque visit in Chai Chee on the morning of March 31. Mr Dinesh, whose last day as the chief of Agency for Integrated Care was on March 27, is the first former public servant spotted on the ground with PAP MPs since the recent string of resignations from the Government. The 50-year-old was seen walking into Al-Ansar Mosque in Chai Chee, accompanying Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong. This comes amid speculation that he has joined the ruling party and will be fielded in the upcoming elections. Madam Hazlina Abdul Halim, 40, the former chief executive of Make-A-Wish Singapore, was also with the group. The senior vice-president of strategy and communications at advisory firm Teneo had previously been spotted shadowing MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling and was formally introduced to residents and reporters at a Marine Parade GRC walkabout on March 22.

Under the Constitution, former Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) can join political parties and contest in the General Election, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam on Monday (March 31). His comments today come after former NMP Syed Harun Alhabsyi was seen with other Nee Soon GRC MPs at an event on March 27, fuelling speculation that Dr Syed might contest in GE2025. Dr Syed and former NMP Raj Joshua Thomas had both resigned from their posts on Feb 14. Thomas had said in a Facebook post on March 26 that he had stepped down to contribute to the People's Action Party (PAP).

A five-car chain collision on the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) left eight people injured, including five who were conveyed to hospital on Saturday (March 29). A video posted by Facebook page SG Road Vigilante the same evening showed footage of a yellow taxi crashing into the back of a grey car, which had come to a stop behind two other cars. Another car which was not able to brake in time collided with the taxi, and a second car can also be seen coming to a stop behind it. The first car in the chain, which appeared to be unaffected by the chain collision, then moved off.

While repainting the exterior facade of a HDB block in Geylang, a worker was shocked to see the skeletal remains of a person in the bedroom of a flat.  The police were called in to Block 63 Sims Place, where an elderly man who lived alone was found dead, reported Shin Min Daily News.  In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at about 2.10pm on Friday (March 28). A 71-year-old man was found lying motionless in a residential unit and pronounced dead at scene. A Shin Min reporter who arrived at the scene at about 4pm the same day noted that the windows in the flat were not fully shut, and the house was filled with clutter. A notice pasted on the ground floor of the block stated that renovation works are ongoing, and a gondola system was installed. One of the workers told the Chinese evening daily he was repainting the building facade and had detected a strange odour when the gondola passed by the flat. The 27-year-old immediately informed his supervisor and called the police.

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), in Myanmar to aid search-and-rescue efforts following the massive earthquake that struck the country on March 28, helped rescue a man trapped under a collapsed three-storey building on March 30. The operation, which took about eight hours, was conducted with members of the Naypyitaw Fire Service Department, the SCDF said in a Facebook post. The force had deployed an 80-strong contingent and four search canines a day earlier to assist in rescue efforts in the country, which was struck by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake near Mandalay, its second-largest city. The death toll stands at over 1,600 in Myanmar and at least 17 in neighbouring Thailand. More than 3,400 have been injured in Myanmar, and at least 139 are still missing. In its social media post on March 30, the SCDF said it began search-and-rescue operations at around 1am in the Zabuthiri Township in Naypyitaw.

The Ministry of Law has committed about $3 million over the next two years to support registered charity Pro Bono SG’s key programmes, including The Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS). Originally a ground-up initiative, CLAS was established forty years ago to provide legal representation to accused persons facing non-capital charges in Singapore who cannot afford legal aid. The Law Society Pro Bono Services (now known as Pro Bono SG) took over the administration of CLAS in 2007. “Having a first-class [legal] system is one thing, but it being made accessible to everyone in our system and our society is quite something else,” said Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong at the Pro Bono SG Awards 2025 held on Friday (March 28). CLAS has been receiving government funding since 2015 to institutionalise and support the availability of volunteer lawyers providing legal aid.

In the 2020 General Election, the incumbent People's Action Party (PAP) team in Sengkang GRC, consisting of three political office holders, lost to a Workers' Party (WP) team of fresh faces. Five years on, Dr Lam Pin Min, the only remaining member of the losing PAP slate, told the media on Sunday (March 30) that the «new and younger» line-up is looking to win back the hearts — and votes — of residents with sincerity and passion in the coming election. «We know there's always a challenge to win back a constituency, especially a GRC from the opposition, but I think the effort speaks for itself,» said Dr Lam before a walkabout in Sengkang GRC. The 55-year-old ophthalmologist and former senior minister of state was with 39-year-old Theodora Lai, a principal at private equity firm Tembusu Partners; Associate Professor Elmie Nekmat, 43, who teaches communications and new media; and Bernadette Giam, 38, a director at local food and beverage enterprise Creative Eateries. They have an average age of 44, five years younger than the previous PAP team that contested in Sengkang, said Dr Lam. 

Jackson Lam, who is the former People's Action Party (PAP) branch chairman in Hougang SMC, will be an asset to the party, government and Parliament should he run in the upcoming General Election, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Saturday (March 29). Shanmugam was speaking at an event in Nee Soon GRC, for which he is also a Member of Parliament (MP), and described Lam as being «very good on the ground». The minister added: «I would love to see him contest the elections.» Shanmugam was speaking to the media on the sidelines of a community pop-up event by DBS Foundation. Lam, 40, was also at the event. When asked if Lam would contest in Nee Soon, he responded: «Well, from anywhere, he will be an asset to the party, to the government and Parliament, wherever he contests from. »Where he contests, and whether he contests, you have to wait and see." Apart from Shanmugam, Nee Soon GRC MPs Carrie Tan and Louis Ng were also present and were seen engaging with beneficiaries.

SINGAPORE — UOB has denied allegations of improper conduct made by the former boss of a former client which have surfaced online, calling them baseless and defamatory in a March 28 Facebook post. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said separately that it is looking into the allegations made by Koh Kien Chon, who is also known as Ken Koh. He used to be the chief executive of Yang Kee Logistics, a client of UOB. The company has since folded. The allegations made by Koh, who made a statutory declaration on Feb 25 on the matter, relate to improper conduct by UOB's executives dating back to 2016 pertaining to the sale of a property, as well as a breach of confidential information regarding the sale. A statutory declaration is a statement that is affirmed to be true. It is made before a commissioner of oaths, who may be a lawyer, court interpreter, government official or any individual who is authorised to administer oaths and affirmations. The bank said in a media statement later in the day that it has issued a warning letter to Koh.

As Singaporeans, we rarely have to think about earthquakes as their occurrence here is rare. But when travelling overseas-especially to places like Japan, Indonesia, or Taiwan — you may find yourself in an earthquake-prone zone. On March 28, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 rocked Myanmar, sending tremors to surrounding regions like Bangkok, where witnesses said that people streamed out of buildings.  Getting caught in an earthquake can be a scary and disorienting experience, especially if it's your first time; however, a little preparation and knowing what to do can make all the difference in keeping you safe.

SINGAPORE - An 80-strong force and four search canines from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) left for Myanmar on March 29 to assist rescue efforts in the quake-battered country. The Operation Lionheart contingent departed around 1pm, at full strength for the first time since a mission to Turkey in 2023, also for earthquake relief, an SCDF spokesman told The Straits Times. A 7.7-magnitude earthquake on March 28 has killed at least 1,000 people in Myanmar and injured 2,300 others, with the death toll expected to rise, according to latest reports. SCDF is answering the military junta's rare call for aid with a force including the elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, fire stations, full-time national servicemen doctors, paramedics and search and hazardous materials specialists, it said in a Facebook post. The contingent was at the SCDF's headquarters in Ubi on the morning of March 29 for a briefing before it took off on a Singapore Airlines flight, arranged «on short notice».

SINGAPORE - Pang Gek Teng, who grew Surrey Hills Grocer from one to five outlets, is no longer chief executive officer (CEO) of Surrey Hills Holdings after it terminated her employment on March 26. In a media statement on March 28, it said she has admitted to «certain wrongdoings and fraud» committed against the company. It will be carrying out investigations to ascertain the extent of losses suffered. In the interim, the CEO duties will be assumed by Koh Chew Chee, director of the board of Surrey Hills Holdings. It added that daily operations and its businesses will continue without disruption. Pang told The Straits Times via WhatsApp on March 28: «While I am deeply disappointed with the current situation, I am immensely proud of what [my colleagues and I] have accomplished together.»  «From a single vision from Joo Koon (where she opened her first outlet in 2021), we cultivated a thriving business that has resonated with so many, and I am grateful for the unwavering support from our customers, partners and employees who believed in this journey.» 

The extended leave that parents will soon get will foster deep connections with their newborn, said an analyst on Friday (March 28).  With the first phase of a new scheme to begin on April 1, eligible working parents will have six weeks of shared parental leave. The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said on Thursday (March 27) that this will apply to those with Singaporean children born on or after April 1. Under the shared parental leave scheme, eligible fathers will also be entitled to four weeks of mandatory government-paid paternity leave. Dr Mathew Mathews, head of the Social Lab and principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, told AsiaOne that the two weeks of paid paternity leave that fathers currently get «resembles a short vacation from work».  «A month off allows fathers— and businesses—to fully disconnect from work,» he said, adding that it is a genuine opportunity for them to immerse into caregiving.  «This extended leave not only fosters deeper connections with their newborn but also reinforces their vital role in parenting.»