The recent US-imposed tariffs have caused an unstable external environment, which has led to unprecedented uncertainty for Singapore, according to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong. On Monday (April 14), SM Lee addressed the tariffs' impact on Singapore and stated that uncertainty is high, and over the next five to 10 years Singapore faces «a less friendly world». He was speaking at a closed-door dialogue at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Centre, which was attended by NTUC president K Thanaletchimi, secretary-general Ng Chee Meng as well as other union leaders. SM Lee acknowledged that such dialogues with union leaders were held regularly, particularly after Budget announcements. As he continued speaking about the tariffs, he said: «I hope that Singaporeans understand what is happening, what is at stake, and what we must do together to secure our future.» "Some people say, 'don't get excited, don't over blow the issue, we've weathered bigger storms before, we haven't failed'.

The writ of election for 2025 General Election has been issued today (April 15), with Polling Day to fall on May 3.  President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, on the advice of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, issued the writ today, soon after Parliament was dissolved. Polling Day will be a public holiday. Here is what comes next. Nomination Day On Nomination Day, the final line-up of candidates for each electoral division is revealed when they submit their nomination papers, election deposits, and certificates at an assigned centre. The documents are submitted to the Returning Officer (RO), who is tasked with overseeing the impartial and smooth conduct of elections. 

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has dissolved Parliament at 3pm today (April 15) on the advice of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, officially kickstarting the election proceedings. The Prime Minister's Office announced that Nomination Day will be on April 23. Polling Day will be announced by the Returning Officer.  Nomination Day must be at least five days (excluding Sundays and public holidays) and not more than one month after the date of the Writ of Election. The campaign period commences after Nomination Day and ends with the start of the eve of Polling Day. 97 seats in Parliament are up for contest across 18 GRCs and 15 SMCs. This will be Wong's first general election as Prime Minister. 

Incumbent Pioneer SMC MP Patrick Tay will defend the single seat ward in the coming election, the People's Action Party (PAP) announced on Tuesday (April 15). During a press conference at the party's branch office in Clementi, the 53-year-old thanked the residents in his constituency for the «love, support and encouragement». Tay highlighted a series of programmes he and his volunteers have rolled out over the past five years, including support for residents in healthcare, employment, and addressing the cost of living. «I ask for your support so that we can see through some of these plans that we've done and build on those things that we have done,» he added. Tay previously won a three-way contest against the Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) Lim Cher Hong and independent candidate Cheang Peng Wah with 61.98 per cent of the vote share in the 2020 General Elections.

Singaporean households will receive $500 in Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers on May 13.  $250 can be used at participating heartland merchants and hawkers, while the other $250 will be eligible for use at participating supermarkets. The vouchers will be valid till Dec 31 this year, the CDCs, Ministry of Finance and People's Association said in a joint press release on Tuesday (April 15). A list of participating businesses can be found at go.gov.sg/cdcvouchers. These CDC vouchers are part of the enhancements to the Assurance Package, which was announced in February by Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong at Budget 2025. This is in addition to the $300 CDC vouchers that Singaporean households received from Jan 3 onwards. Households will receive another $300 CDC vouchers next January, which will be valid till the end of 2026. In the press release, the authorities also reminded the public to exercise caution when claiming CDC vouchers.

The People’s Action Party (PAP) on Tuesday (April 15) introduced their candidates for the revised West Coast-Jurong West GRC, including political newcomers Cassandra Lee and Dr Hamid Razak. The team will be led by National Development Minister Desmond Lee and joined by incumbent Ang Wei Neng. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Finance and Education Shawn Huang, who is currently an MP for Jurong GRC, completed the line up. Lee, 33, is a a long-time grassroots volunteer in Jurong and a lawyer, while Dr Hamid, 39, is an orthopaedic surgeon. The announcement was made at the PAP branch office at Block 729 Clementi West Street 2. The PAP team has since the last election in 2020, lost their anchor S. Iswaran, who resigned in January 2024 following a corruption probe. The former transport minister was later jailed and then placed on home detention.

A Causeway Link bus caught fire on the Ayer Rajah Expressway in Jurong East on Saturday (April 12), forcing passengers to evacuate.  A video of the incident was shared on Xiaohongshu, showing passengers standing at a distance while thick smoke billowed from the rear of the bus. In the video, a male passenger is heard saying that the bus «almost exploded», recalling that it was a close call since they had just boarded. He captioned the video, describing the experience as «terrifying». One user wondered how the passengers and bus driver became aware of the fire, to which the person who posted the video first said they were alerted by cars honking behind them, warning them of the danger. Another video of the incident was also posted on Facebook, showing passengers moving away from the bus as sirens from two Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) fire engines are heard in the background.

A fire broke out at a barbeque restaurant in Geylang on Saturday (April 12) evening, forcing 30 diners and employees to evacuate as the flames spread rapidly. A video of the incident was posted on TikTok the following day, showing the restaurant's exhaust duct on fire and emitting thick smoke. Several people were seen in the video attempting to extinguish the fire by climbing up to the affected area. Shouting could also be heard from a distance.  When a reporter from Shin Min Daily News visited the scene, two fire trucks and two police cars were at the scene with the road cordoned off. One employee, surnamed Huang (transliteration), who was working close to where the fire began, told Shin Min that he realised the shop was on fire only when he saw smoke drifting into his shop. The 30-year-old said he immediately ran outside to check and discovered that the smoke exhaust pipe of a nearby shop was ablaze. He added that several employees tried to put out the fire using a hose. 

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Transport, and Sustainability and the Environment will not be contesting in the coming election — bringing her 24-year political career to an end. In a Facebook post on Monday (April 14), the 67-year-old MP for Hong Kang North SMC thanked the residents and grassroot volunteers in her constituency, and said she is «ready and happy» to make way for party renewal. Dr Khor said: «This has been both a very humbling and extremely meaningful journey. »As I close this very precious and memorable chapter of my life I look forward to the next chapter where I will continue to look for opportunities to serve and contribute to the community to the best of my ability." Dr Khor was first elected to Parliament in 2001 as part of a five-member People's Action Party slate in Hong Kah GRC, which was later dissolved during the General Election 10 years later.  Dr Khor, who is trained in real estate valuation, was then the MP for the newly-created Hong Kah North SMC in 2011, winning the seat in three straight General Elections.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong addressed first-time voters in a video posted on Facebook and promised to tackle challenges with the younger generation. In the post on Sunday evening (April 13), he dispelled comments about Gen Z being «soft», «entitled» and «full of themselves».  The Prime Minister said Gen Z «embodies a new desire to not settle for the status quo». He added that he sees areas for improvement in Singapore and the PAP wants to tackle future challenges with the younger generation.  PM Wong ended the video by saying «let's make Singapore the best she has ever been». The video also featured scenes of PAP candidates interacting with the community. 

The void deck of a Bukit Batok HDB block once served as a shelter for 50-year-old Ben (not his real name), who was homeless for a year. According to Tamil Murasu, Ben now has a permanent roof over his head. «There were nights when I trembled in the rain and cold without even a blanket,» Ben recalled. After he was sentenced to three years in prison, Ben lost contact with his daughter and family. «I had no home, no doorstep, and no contact with my family,» he said. Under the Joint Singles Scheme Operator-Run (JSS-OR) housing initiative for individuals like him, Ben now lives in a one-room rental flat in Woodleigh Link. Launched in 2021, JSS-OR appoints social service agencies to manage rental flats for low-income singles. The agency assigns tenants to a flatmate after considering each person's profile, preferences and living habits. There are six sites under JSS-OR, managed by various social service agencies. After being released from prison in 2022, Ben decided to turn over a new leaf, taking up odd jobs as a delivery worker and janitor.

Workers' Party (WP) new face Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal has stressed the importance of more voices and perspectives in the Parliament in a volunteer recruitment video. The clip was posted to the party's Facebook page on Sunday (April 13) and asked Singaporeans to volunteer with WP if they believe in a «responsible alternative voice in Parliament and a better future for Singapore». During his segment, Singh started by introducing himself, stating that he began volunteering with WP during the Covid-19 pandemic. «For too long in our country, we've had just one dominant voice in Parliament. We need more voices, more perspectives, not less,» added the Senior Counsel. He has been spotted on walkabouts and house visits donning WP's blue polo shirt since becoming a member in 2023, leading to speculation on whether he will be contesting the General Election. The 59-year-old was often seen in the newly formed Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, although there has also been talk of him being fielded in East Coast GRC. Singh, who is regarded as a «star catch» for WP, could also contest in an SMC.

The Traffic Police (TP) will have a new car patrolling our expressways later this year, and for the first time, it will be fully electric. A total of 19 units of the new Polestar 2 electric vehicle (EV) will be deployed to augment TP's existing fleet of patrol cars, and they will be progressively introduced from the second half of 2025. AsiaOne was invited to the TP headquarters for a preview of the new Polestar 2 expressway patrol car, and here's the lowdown on their first EV.

A four-member team from the People's Action Party (PAP) led by former senior minister of state Dr Lam Pin Min and comprising three new faces will contest Sengkang GRC in the upcoming General Election. The new candidates are Associate Professor Elmie Nekmat, venture capital firm director Theodora Lai, and food and beverage company director Bernadette Giam. They were introduced alongside Dr Lam, who is an ophthalmologist, at a press conference on Sunday (April 13) at PAP's Sengkang West branch in Anchorvale. This team is a «refreshed» one formed after learning from the experience of General Election 2020, Dr Lam said. «We did post mortem on some of the reasons why we lost, if you look at the refreshed Sengkang team, now you can tell the difference from the last one,» Dr Lam explained. Lai, 39, Giam, 38, and Dr Nekmat, 43, are younger than their counterparts from the previous team that consisted of labour chief Ng Chee Meng, 56; Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Health Amrin Amin, 47; and lawyer Raymond Lye, 59.

The Traffic Police (TP) will have a new car patrolling our expressways later this year, and for the first time, it will be fully electric. A total of 19 units of the new Polestar 2 electric vehicle (EV) will be deployed to augment TP's existing fleet of patrol cars, and they will be progressively introduced from the second half of 2025. AsiaOne was invited to the TP headquarters for a preview of the new Polestar 2 expressway patrol car, and here's the lowdown on their first EV.

The People's Action Party (PAP) will field a five-member team led by marketing director Chan Hui Yuh, featuring newcomers Dr Faisal Abdul Aziz, Daniel Liu, Jagathishwaran Rajo, and Dr Adrian Ang, to contest opposition-held Aljunied GRC, said the party on Sunday (April 13). Chan is the sole returning member from the PAP's 2020 team that lost to a Workers' Party (WP) team. Introducing the PAP team during a press conference at Block 226 Serangoon Avenue 4, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing prefaced the introduction by stating that this will be a «tough General Election», and that every election is about «electing people with integrity and commitment». «[This is] so that they can take care of the residents at the local level, form a good government at the national level... and represent Singapore at the international level,» he said. «We aim to build a team that can command the respect and confidence of international partners to take us seriously, especially in times of turbulence.» Speaking on behalf of her team, Aljunied GRC candidate Chan, 48, shared that she and her team have been active volunteers on the ground for a long time.

People's Action Party (PAP) veteran Victor Lye and former senior civil servant Jasmin Lau were seen during a walkabout at Hougang Village on Sunday (April 13) morning. They were both with Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) for Ang Mo Kio GRC Darryl David and Nadia Samdin.  SM Lee said regarding both candidates: «They have been spending time with us in Ang Mo Kio, getting to know the people, getting to know our activists, going around and getting known.»  He did not confirm if they would be fielded in the constituency. «Where exactly they're going to be deployed? Well, in due course we will announce the Ang Mo Kio GRC line-up and you will know very soon. »But we are happy to have them here and if they stay on with us, I'll be delighted to have them on my team." 

Even though the odds appear to be stacked against him, 38-year-old criminal lawyer Marshall Lim said he hopes to be given a chance to fight for the residents of Hougang. Lim, a partner in law firm Martin & Partners, was introduced on Sunday morning (April 13) by the People's Action Party (PAP) as its candidate for the Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC). Describing himself as «a fighter» in his profession as a criminal lawyer, Lim said that he has been privileged to fight for vulnerable Singaporeans in the course of his work. He was a deputy public prosecutor in the Attorney-General’s Chambers and had previously served as an assistant chief public defender at the Public Defender’s Office. Lim added that he now hopes for an opportunity to become the voice for Hougang residents as their leader.  'Mindful but not shackled' by history  Speaking at a PAP media conference to introduce his candidacy on Sunday morning (April 13), Lim said that while he is mindful of the history, he is not shackled by it.  “My focus has always been about serving the residents in a sincere way.

SINGAPORE - When Hayley Tai, 30, gets the keys to her new Build-To-Order (BTO) flat at Tampines GreenOpal in May, the bridge crossing Bedok Canal to connect to the MRT station will still not be ready, making it less convenient for the marketing manager to get to work. «I guess it would take me an additional 15 minutes to get to work, so that's a bit of an inconvenience,» she said. To better time the completion of key infrastructure and essential services, a multi-agency committee has been set up to minimise inconveniences to owners when they move into their new BTO flats. Announcing the nationwide initiative on April 12 at the Housing Board's roadshow for home owners moving into Tampines GreenOpal, Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How said: «With an extensive building programme, it is even more important for us to strengthen our planning and coordination efforts, to shape a better moving-in experience for new residents.» Between 2025 and 2030, around 130,000 BTO flats will be completed.

A 69-year-old man was arrested for drink driving after his van crashed into seven vehicles at a carpark in Ang Mo Kio. A video posted to the Singapore Roads Accident Facebook page on Saturday (April 12) morning showed the aftermath of the incident, which occurred in the wee hours. The short clip, believed to be taken by a resident in the area, captured damaged vehicles in the open-air carpark. One vehicle had its rear smashed while several other cars suffered damage to their front bumpers and headlights. Another video taken from the dashboard camera of a parked vehicle showed a white van zooming past and hitting a blue car. Police told AsiaOne that they were alerted to the incident involving a van and seven parked vehicles on Saturday at about 12.45am. The incident occurred at Block 218 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. Police said the van driver was arrested for drink driving and that investigations are ongoing. According to Shin Min Daily News, the van remained at the scene when reporters visited the carpark the next morning. The front of the van and its left door were visibly damaged.

The People's Action Party (PAP) has announced its candidates contesting in the highly-anticipated Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC during the upcoming General Election. At a press conference held at the constituency's Limbang branch on Saturday (April 12), incumbent MPs — Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Manpower Zaqy Mohammad,  Mayor of North West District Alex Yam and Hany Soh — stated that they will continue to represent PAP in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC. This is the first of the PAP’s official full slate introductions ahead of the General Election. Thanking the constituency's residents for their support, PM Wong said: «All these years, we've formed close ties and strong bonds with all of you. We've watched your children and even your grandchildren grow up and walked with you through (your) life's milestones.» «We've worked hard to improve your lives and your living environment, from neighbourhood upgrades to support schemes and community initiatives. We've listened to you, and we've incorporated your feedback and ideas into our town plans for the next five years.»

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and advisers to Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC launched the distribution of the SG60 Baby Gift at a carnival held at Hard court in Yew Tee on Saturday (April 12).  Speaking at the event, PM Wong highlighted that the SG60 Baby Gift not only celebrates the joy and significance of parenthood, but also symbolises the Government's commitment towards supporting Singaporeans in starting and raising families.  “We know that there are lots of concerns. Families want to have more children, but they often tell us that cost is a concern,” he said, pledging to do everything possible to support families.  «We hope the gift will remind all our babies and your parents of how unique Singapore is and the hopes we all have for our shared future here in Singapore,» the Prime Minister said.  The SG60 Baby Gift, distributed to parents of babies born between January and March 2025, contains 10 specially curated items designed to support early childhood development and encourage family bonding.

SINGAPORE - Over six months, alleged fraudster Ng Yu Zhi spent nearly $7 million buying eight high-end cars, most of which were given to his wife and three girlfriends. The cars included two Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB luxury saloons, top-of-the-range models which have more legroom. Ng paid $1.8 million for one in white, which he gave to his wife, and another $2.1 million for a purple one, which he gave to a girlfriend. In total, he is said to have spent more than $21 million on about 20 luxury cars. Ng also splurged on unusual car plate numbers - he paid $1.05 million for «S11T», which is believed to be the first civilian car plate registered in Singapore, and $91,000 for «ES11J». Details of the purchases emerged on April 11, when car dealer Michael Ho took the stand in Ng's ongoing criminal trial in the High Court. Ng is accused of masterminding a nickel-trading scam which attracted $1.46 billion from hundreds of investors. The investment scheme was perpetrated by his Envy group of companies between 2016 and 2021. He told investors he could buy nickel at a discount and then sell the metal for profit.