The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) announced that it will be fielding fewer candidates at the upcoming General Election. At a media conference on Sunday (April 6), chairman Dr Tan Cheng Bock confirmed that the party will be contesting the West Coast-Jurong West and Chua Chu Kang GRCs, but gave little away as to where else it will be contesting. The announcement of contesting the two GRCs came as it launched the manifesto and campaign slogan, «Progress For All», at its headquarters in Bukit Timah. It details over 60 policy proposals with the core value of supporting Singaporeans' livelihood. Apart from Dr Tan, the media event was attended by vice-chairperson Hazel Poa and secretary-general Leong Mun Wai. New members Sani Ismail and Sumarleki Amjah, who have been spotted at recent walkabouts, were also present. Fielding fewer candidates in GE2025 When asked about the number of candidates PSP will be fielding, Dr Tan did not give a direct answer but said that «there will be fewer candidates».

A 55-year-old man was found dead in a car at Upper Paya Lebar Road on April 3. An employee of a company located nearby notified the police after upon discovering the man in the driver's seat with brown liquid flowing from the corner of his mouth, reported Shin Min Daily News on Saturday (April 5). The car had reportedly been parked in the same spot for two days. In response to queries from AsiaOne, the police said they received a call for assistance along 123 Upper Paya Lebar Road last Thursday at about 3.45pm. A 55-year-old man was found lying motionless in a car at the location and was pronounced dead at the scene. A photo in the Chinese publication showed a black Kia SUV parked at the side of the road and covered with a white sheet. The police reportedly retrieved a waist pouch from the vehicle and placed the items — several Singapore and Brunei banknotes — on a white cloth. An employee from a nearby company who did not wish to be named told Shin Min that he had seen the man in the parked car on the evening of April 2. He thought the man was sleeping then.

The timing of initiatives within the Marine Parade cluster was not planned for the upcoming General Election (GE), Marine Parade GRC MP Tan See Leng said at the launch for SG60 initiatives outside Kampong Ubi community centre on Sunday (April 6). The Marine Parade cluster consists of Braddell Heights, Geylang Serai, Joo Chiat, Kembangan-Chai Chee, Marine Parade, MacPherson and Mountbatten. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who was also present at the launch in Marine Parade, had arrived at the community centre after a walkabout along Block 84 Marine Parade earlier in the day where he spoke with residents to hear their concerns. Marine Parade cluster MPs Seah Kian Peng, Edwin Tong, Fahmi Aliman, Lim Biow Chuan and Tin Pei Ling were present, alongside new faces Choo Pei Ling and Diana Pang. Nee Soon GRC MP Faizal Ibrahim also greeted attendees at the event. Two initiatives were launched: the Caregiver Support Fund (CSF) and the Industry Immersive Programme (IIP).

Shawn Loh, the former director of security and resilience programmes at the Ministry of Finance (MOF), was seen at three Jalan Besar community events on Sunday morning (April 6), intensifying speculation that he will be fielded as a candidate in the upcoming General Election.  Loh joined incumbent MPs -- Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State Heng Chee How, Denise Phua and Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah -- at the launch of Horizons @ Jalan Besar, a programme to nurture young leaders in community service.  The Horizons launch was held alongside Jalan Besar GRC's annual Mega Give and Take Market, which provides free groceries and school supplies to lower-income families. 

SINGAPORE - She was confident that even if she talked to a scammer, she would not fall for their tricks. Yet, a woman who wanted to be known only as Ms Lee, 48, lost over $78,000 to a job scam in four days. Her ordeal in February caused her to lose almost 90 per cent of her life savings. Job scams were among the top scams of concern in 2024, with victims reporting more than 9,000 cases and losing $156.2 million, according to annual police statistics. Scammers typically contact the victim on messaging apps, lure the victim into depositing money for a job offering attractive commission rates, then steal the funds. Ms Lee, who works in sales, said someone using a foreign number contacted her on WhatsApp in late 2024 offering her an online part-time job. She agreed, as she felt her work was mundane. Soon, she was contacted by another man named “Charles Khoo” who claimed to be a Malaysian in Singapore, who was married, with a newborn.

Potential candidates for the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) were seen at a walkabout in Boon Lay on April 5. Under the new electoral boundaries established on March 11, the neighbourhood surrounding Boon Lay Place Food Village is part of the West Coast-Jurong West Group Representative Constituency (GRC). Sani Ismail, Stephanie Tan and Sumarleki Amjah were spotted interacting with diners at Boon Lay Place Food Village. They were joined by NCMP and PSP's first vice-chairperson Hazel Poa. Who are the new faces? Speaking to the media after the walkabout, Sani Ismail shared that he joined PSP about seven to nine months ago. 

The three incumbent Workers' Party MPs from Sengkang GRC gave nothing away on whether they would remain in the same constituency for the upcoming election. While announcing a raft of new amenities planned for residents over the next five years, MPs He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim and Louis Chua were asked by reporters on Saturday (April 5) about their election plans. «I'll just answer that very quickly with akan datang (coming soon),» said He at Sengkang Sculpture Park, which is in former MP Raeesah Khan's Compassvale ward. «This is a town council event, so we wanted to focus on the plans that we have. As and when the election campaign kicks off later this year, you will hear from us.» The trio, along with former MP Khan, were newcomers when they contested Sengkang GRC against the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) in the 2020 General Election. In a major upset, WP won with 52.12 per cent of the vote to beat a PAP slate with three political office holders.

SINGAPORE — “Oh wow, she’s hot,” read a stranger’s text on the phone of Nora’s boyfriend. She saw his response: “Yeah, do you want? I can share with you.” When Nora (not her real name) discovered in 2024 that her partner had been trading intimate photos of her with another man, she was blindsided. “I never suspected it,” says the university graduate in her 20s. “It kind of knocked the wind out of me, and I just went into shock.” She deleted all the photos she could find on his phone, but this betrayal marked the end of their fraught year-long relationship. To this day, the discovery still haunts her. “That was what I found, but I don’t know if he had sent more things or if he had shared it with other people. I don’t know the full extent of it,” she tells The Straits Times on condition of anonymity. Nora sought counselling, but kept it a secret from her family. She considered reporting the incident to the authorities, but ultimately held back.

A woman was hit by a car at Sengkang East Drive despite having right of way at the pedestrian crossing. In dashcam footage from April 4 shared by Facebook page SG Road Vigilante, two people can be seen crossing the road at a discretionary right-turn junction, where cars can turn right into oncoming traffic or pedestrians without the use of red-amber-green (RAG) arrows. The green-man light was flashing, and two cars can be seen passing in front of the man and woman, before the latter is hit from behind by a third car and falls over. The vehicle capturing the dashcam footage stops before the pedestrian crossing, with the video showing the woman getting up and continuing on her way, as well as the driver of the affected vehicle stopping by the roadside a short distance away The incident led to outrage in the comment section, with one netizen noting that «not a single driver chose to stop» to allow them to cross. A commenter wrote: «Even until today, there are pedestrians who still do not know how to cross the road safely at pedestrian crossings despite the right of way.»

With Singapore heading to the polls soon, all signs point to an intense contest among the political parties – not only for parliamentary seats but also for primacy in the ideas they champion. In the days to come, Singaporeans will certainly hear more about the policies each party espouses, whether through election manifestos, rallies or on walkabouts during the hustings. Even so, analysts say voters should consider what MPs from the various parties in Parliament have said in the last five years, before they decide at the ballot box. The Straits Times outlines where these parties stand in four key areas: fiscal policy, cost of living, foreign talent and housing. Fiscal policy In November 2022, Parliament debated the necessity, timing and extent of the hike to the goods and services tax (GST), after the Government first gave notice in 2018 that it intended to do so. The WP and PSP both opposed the increment of the GST from 7 per cent to 9 per cent, citing the inflationary environment, and suggested alternative ways of raising revenues, such as using more past reserves and proceeds from land sales.

The topic remains hotly debated, with the last five years marked by sea changes to the Republic’s foreign talent framework, accompanied by measures to lift the local workforce. Singapore must remain open to the world to stay competitive and support the needs of society, said Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng in the debate over the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) latest budget in March. Today, foreign-owned firms make up around 20 per cent of firms here and employ 60 per cent of Singapore residents in high-earning jobs that pay over $12,500 in gross monthly salary. To the PAP government, the figures underscore the importance of attracting foreign investments and the global talent that follows such investments, in a way that complements local resident workforce growth and creates good jobs for Singaporeans. But in a shift in recent years, it has also more pointedly recognised the anxieties Singaporeans have towards competition from the foreign workforce, and the benefits that accrue to locals.

Singapore may be placed in the lowest base tier - with a tariff of 10 per cent on goods - but there are «wider and more profound consequences», said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in a YouTube video on Friday (April 4).  This is even though the direct impact on Singapore may be limited «for now», he said. His comments come two days after US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping new tariffs on goods imported from the rest of the world on what he called «Liberation Day». Trump claims that the tariffs will boost the US economy and protect jobs.  PM Wong pointed out that if other countries adopt the same approach as the US, Singapore may take a bigger hit than others, because of our heavy reliance on trade.  «Singapore has decided not to impose retaliatory tariffs. But other countries may not exercise the same restraint. »The likelihood of a full-blown global trade war is growing. «The impact of the higher tariffs, plus the uncertainty of what countries may do next, will weigh heavily on the global economy. International trade and investments will suffer, and global growth will slow,» he said. 

At the intersection of Woodlands Avenue 4 and Avenue 7, eagle-eyed road users may notice different MPs featured on the four banners flanking the junction perimeter. If one faces north at the cross junction, they will see a «Woodlands» banner on their left and a «Sembawang West» banner on their right. Turn 180 degrees to face south — a «Woodlands» banner would also be on the left, but at the right side of the street stands a «Woodgrove» banner. Facing south: HDB blocks on the left belong to Woodlands division of Sembawang GRC, and blocks on the right the Woodgrove division of Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Eriko Lim Why the differing names? Well, this junction divides the constituencies of Sembawang GRC and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC as well as the new Sembawang West SMC which has been carved out of Sembawang GRC ahead of GE2025.

US President Donald Trump announced a new slate of tariffs on April 2, affecting Singapore, along with dozens of other US trading partners, in a «declaration of economic independence». The far-reaching “reciprocal tariff” policy, includes a 10 per cent baseline tariff on almost every country — including Singapore. China, a major exporter to the US, was slapped with an even steeper tariff at 34 per cent, which combined with the pre-existing 20 per cent, brings its total tariffs to a whopping 57 per cent. Trump's surprise announcement sent global stock markets tumbling — S&P 500 companies lost a combined US$2.4 trillion (S$3.2 trillion) in stock market value while Japan's Nikkei 225 falling to an eight-year low during the trading session on Thursday (April 3), reported Reuters. «We are naturally disappointed,» said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong in response to the tariffs, at a media doorstop on Thursday (April 3).

Two Taiwanese men were charged on Friday (April 4) for cheating. According to court documents, Lu Min-Da, 25, and Lu You-Ting, 27, went to a Louis Vuitton store at Marina Bay Sands on April 2 where they allegedly bought a belt and a pair of shoes worth $2,575 in total, using stolen details linked to a Mastercard. They also allegedly used a contactless payment method linked to stolen credit card details to make fraudulent purchases at different stores in Singapore. The police said that they received a call about a suspicious credit card transaction made at a luxury retail store in Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Ngee Ann City. Following extensive ground inquiries and with the help of images from CCTV footage, the pair were arrested on the same day. The items purchased include shoes, handbags, wallets, earrings and four mobile phones, which were later recovered and seized by the police.

A 24-year-old woman is assisting the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) with investigations after a video of her vaping on a train was uploaded online in March, the Authority said on Friday (April 4). In the video, she can be seen seated in a MRT train, looking dazed. As she exhales, smoke billows from her nose and mouth, while her legs appear to twitch. The woman is then seen running a shaky hand through her hair as the video ends. HSA raided the woman's residence on March 24, where they found one e-vaporiser and three e-vaporiser pods. Upon running tests on the vape pods, its contents were determined to be etomidate, which is a «potent medicinal ingredient», the authority said. According to the authority, etomidate is used as an anaesthetic agent and should only be administered under medical supervision. Adverse effects of etomidate include nausea, vomiting, uncontrollable movement or muscle spasms, changes to breathing and blood pressure, seizures and psychosis as well as physical dependence.

Twenty-one men have been arrested in Singapore for suspected online child sex activities, the police said in a statement on April 4 (Friday). The men, aged between 23 and 61, are among the 435 people who have been arrested in a cross-border operation involving Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. Another 109 persons are assisting with police investigations. The 525 men and 19 women are aged between 13 and 68. The five-week operation took place from Feb 24 to March 28 across 269 locations in the six territories. Officers from the Specialised Crime Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department collaborated with other police forces to conduct raids. Child sexual abuse materials created by Generative Artificial Intelligence tools and over 550 electronic devices were seized. The offences faced by the 21 men include producing, possessing, gaining access and distributing child sexual abuse materials, which carries a jail term of up to seven years along with a fine or caning.

Clean-up operations are currently underway at Pulau Ubin, Changi Beach and Pasir Ris Beach due an oil leak from Johor, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). An oil patch was sighted in the Johor Strait off the northeastern coast of Pulau Ubin at 7.10pm on Thursday (April 3), said MPA in a statement. This follows an oil leak at the Langsat Terminal, near the mouth of the Johor River.  Three patrol craft from MPA and an oil spill response craft were subsequently deployed to survey the area and carry out mitigation efforts. In a joint media statement by MPA, National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks) and Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Friday (April 4), the agencies said that the oil leak has stopped and that the spill clean-up at Langsat Terminal is ongoing. The agencies said that clean-up operations are ongoing off the northeastern coast of Pulau Ubin, parts of Pasir Ris Beach and along Changi Beach.

A video jointly produced by Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri has gone viral. The video posted on both the Facebook pages on Sunday (March 30) has since garnered over 5,000 likes as at April 4.  In the video, the SPF open up with a song inspired by Raya Raya Raya, a 2023 hit by the Malaysian girl group Dolla. The officers first sing while dressed in police attire, with a band playing in the background. The video then quickly transitions to the officers dressed in civilian attire, celebrating Hari Raya at home. The video then transitions to RMP officers in police uniform who also begin singing along to the song. Similar to their Singapore counterparts, the next segment of the video shows the same officers donning casual clothing, also with a band in the background. «The SPF and RMP wish everyone a Selamat Hari Raya Adilfitri,» the video says at the end. Responding to queries from AsiaOne, SPF said that this is the first time they have collaborated with their Malaysian counterparts to create social media content.

A 24-year-old woman is assisting the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) with investigations after a video of her vaping on a train was uploaded online in March, the Authority said on Friday (April 4). In the video, she can be seen seated in a MRT train, looking dazed. As she exhales, smoke billows from her nose and mouth, while her legs appear to twitch. The woman is then seen running a shaky hand through her hair as the video ends. HSA raided the woman's residence on March 24, where they found one e-vaporiser and three e-vaporiser pods. Upon running tests on the vape pods, its contents were determined to be etomidate, which is a «potent medicinal ingredient», the authority said. According to the authority, etomidate is used as an anaesthetic agent and should only be administered under medical supervision. Adverse effects of etomidate include nausea, vomiting, uncontrollable movement or muscle spasms, changes to breathing and blood pressure, seizures and psychosis as well as physical dependence.

SINGAPORE — Singapore is disappointed that the US has subjected its goods to tariffs despite the longstanding economic relationship between the two countries and their free trade agreement (FTA), said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on April 3. And it will engage the US to understand how they have calculated the tariffs, and to clarify any misunderstanding that has led to the 10 per cent levy, he added. «The US-Singapore FTA has been a very important FTA for both countries, and has benefited the US significantly. US imports to Singapore have enjoyed zero tariffs for more than two decades, and they have also enjoyed a significant, substantial trade surplus with Singapore amounting to $30 billion,» he said. «We are, of course, naturally disappointed. Under the FTA, we have recourse, we are able to take counter measures and also seek dispute resolution. However, we have decided not to do so because imposing retaliatory import duties will just add costs to our imports from from the US, and this will affect our consumers and our businesses,» he added.

Online voting will not be implemented in GE2025 due to risks such as impersonation and possible breach of voter secrecy, said the Elections Department (ELD) on Thursday (April 3). This is because online systems have to retain information on the voter's identity and choice to ensure that online votes are accurately recorded and can be verified through audits. Hence voter secrecy might be compromised. The ELD was responding to two letters published in The Straits Times forum page on April 1 regarding the voting process for overseas Singaporeans. In one letter, the writer suggested that ELD must enable voting through «the Singpass application or another secure digital platform» for Singaporeans who are travelling during the general election. In another forum letter, ELD was urged to make the voting process «easier» and to «not create extra and unnecessary hurdles» for Singaporean voters living overseas. In their forum reply published on Thursday, Bey Mui Leng, director of media and communications at ELD, said voting by paper ballot will continue as it remains the most transparent and secure method of voting.

After receiving news that her mother had gone missing in the devastating Myanmar quake last Friday (March 28), a maid in Singapore asked to return home. Her employers readily agreed and bought a plane ticket for her. They also gave the domestic helper an $800 red packet to support herself in Myanmar. Employer Chen Huiqin (transliteration) told Shin Min Daily News that her helper had cried after learning that her 62-year-old mother had gone missing after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the country. «We felt that she should be with her family in tough times like this,» said the 52-year-old obstetrician and gynaecologist. Aside from the $335 flight ticket to Myanmar, Chen also prepared $800 in cash for her helper. She explained: «She's only worked for six months and hasn't paid off her debt to the employment agency. She has no money, so I hope this sum can give her some support.» The maid agency, Best Home Employment, told the Chinese evening daily that they had verified the matter with their partners in Myanmar and learned that the helper's mother was likely to have perished in the quake.

Since getting its clinic licence revoked by the Ministry of Health (MOH) last year for providing teleconsultations that were too brief, MaNaDr says it has implemented more stringent protocols to avoid such lapses in service moving forward. During a press conference held on Wednesday (April 2), telehealth provider MaNaDr's co-founder and chief executive officer Siaw Tung Yeng said that doctors using the platform will now need to conduct teleconsultations for at least one minute before medical certificates can be provided to patients, reported CNA. At the same time, MaNaDr will also be tightening onboarding processes for doctors and clinics using the platform, he said. The firm has since employed the use of an AI-powered note-taker which will transcribe doctor-patient conversations and implemented mandatory audio recordings.

Craving for Hokkien mee, a cancer-stricken man had sought help from netizens online to purchase the dish for him, delivering it to his doorstep. Unfortunately, the 45-year-old man died last Wednesday (March 26), Shin Min Daily News reported on Monday. He had battled pancreatic cancer for at least five years. A day after his death, users on the Facebook group he frequented mourned his passing. User Leong Gwo Wei shared a eulogy dedicated to the man, Anthony Lee, in the Hokkien Mee Hunting Facebook group, remembering his time with Lee. «Though I didn't get to know him long enough, I admire and salute his strength to fight on for his wife and daughter, and enjoying good food was something that kept him going,» wrote Leong, who was one of the netizens who assisted Lee in obtaining his beloved Hokkien mee. «I was glad to have the chance to bring him some Hokkien mee,» the 42-year-old added. In a separate post on March 29, Leong indicated that he had also delivered a packet of Hokkien mee to Lee's wake to pay his last respects.

A woman was rescued by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers from the top of an overhead bridge near Nex mall on Wednesday (April 2).  SCDF and the police told AsiaOne they were alerted to the incident along Serangoon Central at 2.40pm.  In a TikTok video uploaded on Wednesday, the woman can be seen sitting on the roof of a sheltered overhead bridge, with her legs dangling over the edge. At least ten SCDF and police officers can be seen on the bridge as they attempt to reach her.  Eventually, a SCDF officer is seen on the roof of the bridge and he approaches the woman, 45, from behind before pulling her away from the edge.  @admirer1204 A good job by SCDF in saving a Sundial lady at Serangoon NEX overhead bridge.

Woodleigh bus interchange in Bidadari estate, which was originally slated to be ready by 2021, will open on April 20. Additionally, the new bus interchange located adjacent to Pasir Ris MRT station will open on April 27, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Thursday (April 3). This will bring the total number of integrated transport hubs in Singapore to 14.  The underground Woodleigh bus interchange, located in Woodleigh Village with 330 HDB flats and a hawker centre, will be operated by SBS Transit. In a press release, LTA said that bus service 146 will be amended to operate from the new bus interchange and ply in both directions along Bidadari Park Drive to serve four additional bus stops near Woodleigh Mall and Alkalf CourtView Housing Board estate. A new service 148 will also call at the new bus interchange, added LTA. The loop service between Woodleigh bus interchange and Potong Pasir estate will connect residents to amenities including Woodleigh Mall, Woodleigh hawker centre, Bidadari Community Club and the upcoming Bidadari Polyclinic, as well as schools such as Maris Stella High School and St Andrew's Secondary School.

SINGAPORE — The mother of four-year-old Megan Khung who had been abused and humiliated for more than a year before she died was on April 3 sentenced to 19 years' jail. On Feb 28, Foo Li Ping, 29, had pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse, one count of allowing the death of a child, and one count of intentional disposal of a corpse to impede investigations. Another count of child abuse was considered in sentencing. Foo looked expressionless as the sentence was read out by High Court judge Hoo Sheau Peng. «For their own sadistic ends, the accused persons robbed Megan of her dignity,» said the judge.  The prosecution had on Feb 28 asked for 15 to 20 years' jail, saying the case involved a gross abnegation of parental duties. For more than a year, Foo and her boyfriend, Wong Shi Xiang, 38, caned and slapped Megan, deprived the girl of food and clothes, and made her sleep at the balcony of their rented condominium unit in Paya Lebar. Megan was also forced to wear soiled diapers over her head, forced to eat food from the dustbin, and forced to eat her mother's mucus - acts that were captured on video.

Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said his views on the Israel-Palestine conflict is «sharply different» from former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng's.  While speaking to the media on Wednesday (Apr 2) at Maarof Mosque in Jurong West on the latest cases being handled under the Internal Security Act, Shanmugam was asked for his views on a Facebook post made by Cheng on March 13. In his post, Cheng wrote about a group known as the Monday of Palestine Solidarity, whose members have been accused of disrupting Meet-The-People Sessions held by the People's Action Party, including Shanmugam's.