Continued peace, stability and growth in Asean, with its population of around 700 million, will transform the region, and this will translate to better jobs, opportunities and living standards for its people, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has said.In a video released on his YouTube channel on Saturday (July 5), PM Wong emphasised the importance of strength, unity and cooperation among the bloc's 10 members, adding how stability and growth can be achieved through closer economic integration. Recognising the rising geopolitical tensions and profound changes happening around the world, he noted that it is not the first time the region has met with uncertainty.«Our founding leaders knew we were better off facing challenges together, rather than alone,» he said, adding that Asean was formed in 1967 during the Cold War, another period of turmoil.«So we came together, respecting each other's sovereignty and focusing on mutually-beneficial co-operation.»That unity helped lay the foundations for peace and stability in our region," he stressed.

The first Housing Development Board (HDB) Build-to-Order (BTO) project in the new Sembawang North neighbourhood will be launched in the upcoming July 2025 BTO sales exercise.Sembawang Beacon, a 775-unit, 53ha development, is expected to be ready in about three years' time and will offer flat types ranging from 2-room Flexi to 5-room and 3Gen flats, HDB said in a release on Sunday (July 6).The design of Sembawang Beacon will draw inspiration from the area's rich maritime heritage, it added, as Sembawang was once home to the British Naval Base in the 1920s, where distinctive black-and-white houses served as quarters for naval officers.Hence, the residential blocks and drop-off porches will feature white facades outlined by bold black frames, incorporating elements reminiscent of colonial houses.The maritime theme extends to the development's recreational spaces, including a playground featuring nautical motifs and elements such as a lighthouse play structure.

Central Provident Fund (CPF) members can now use a new online tool to make better-informed decisions about their housing, retirement savings, and health insurance plans.Launched on Friday (July 5) at CPF's 70th anniversary commemorative book launch event, the initiative titled PLAN (Plan Life Ahead, Now!) offers members a centralised online platform where they can understand how their CPF savings can be allocated across major life needs and how one financial decision may impact another.Through a dynamic dashboard tailored to each user's life stage, members can estimate their retirement savings and payouts, determine how much they can afford to spend on a home, and evaluate the cost of health insurance premiums.Speaking at the launch event, CPF Board chief executive Melissa Khoo said the new tool reflects the Board's commitment to empowering members to take charge of their financial health, reported The Straits Times.She highlighted CPF's vital role in Singapore's social security system and reaffirmed its commitment to ongoing innovation in support of its members.

The Red Lions and Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) Naval Divers will jump at two separate locations, the Padang and Marina Bay, during the National Day Parade this year in celebration of Singapore's 60th year of independence.This inaugural Jump of Unity will comprise a showcase jump by the Red Lions, followed by an operational demonstration by the Naval Divers.They will then perform a simultaneous, combined salute at the respective locations.Speaking to media at iFly Singapore on June 26, Team Lead of the NDP 2025 Red Lions Team Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Chew Eng Seng said that he is excited for the upcoming jump despite this being his fifth time performing in the parade.«Every year we have a different profile and...a different team dynamic that (brings) the team together,» he said, adding that this year is even more special as it is SG60.This year, the Red Lions will be jumping from a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) C-130 Hercules aircraft at approximately 10,000 feet, linking together in a ring formation before turning outwards in a «bomb burst» around the 7,000 feet mark. 

The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has co-opted three first-time General Election candidates to its Central Executive Committee (CEC) - the party's highest decision-making body.In a statement released on Saturday (July 5), the opposition party said that the three new members are Sani Ismail, Lawrence Pek and Stephanie Tan.They were General Election 2025 candidates in West Coast-Jurong West GRC, Chua Chu Kang GRC and Pioneer SMC respectively.At the same time, PSP will also see the retirement of Chairman Dr Tan Cheng Bock, First Vice-Chairperson Hazel Poa and Treasurer S Nallakaruppan.PSP cited the sweeping change as part of a renewal the party's leadership following the May 3 general election.«The CEC thanks Dr Tan, Ms Poa and Mr Nalla, who are founding members of the party, for their leadership and contributions since 2019,» it wrote, adding that «they will remain as members of the party».A'bas bin Kasmani, who contested in PSP's slate for Chua Chu Kang GRC, succeeds Dr Tan as chairman of the party, while Anthony Neo, who is previously head of membership, has been appointed as treasurer.

Although the SG60 vouchers were only released on July 1, several listings had already surfaced on online marketplace Carousell.Some even bundling them with CDC vouchers in so-called «package deals,» Shin Min Daily News reported on Thursday (July 3).The SG60 vouchers, a one-off initiative, were released to celebrate Singapore's 60th year of independence. They can be used at all businesses that accept CDC vouchers and are valid until Dec 31, 2026.Since their release, over 450,000 Singaporeans aged 60 and above have claimed the SG60 vouchers. Those aged 21 to 59 will be eligible to claim $600 worth of vouchers starting from July 22.Shin Min Daily News found that as soon as the SG60 vouchers were issued, there were at least three listings on Carousell.They were advertised as «CD Vouchers» or «supermarket voucher» - likely to bypass the platform's moderation system.One seller, speaking to a Shin Min reporter posing as a buyer, claimed to have $500 in CDC vouchers and said he would include the SG60 vouchers for a $20 "discount.

The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has co-opted three first-time General Election candidates to its Central Executive Committee (CEC) - the party's highest decision-making body.In a statement released on Saturday (July 5), the opposition party said that the three new members are Sani Ismail, Lawrence Pek and Stephanie Tan.They were General Election 2025 candidates in West Coast-Jurong West GRC, Chua Chu Kang GRC and Pioneer SMC respectively.At the same time, PSP will also see the retirement of Chairman Dr Tan Cheng Bock, First Vice-Chairperson Hazel Poa and Treasurer S Nallakaruppan.PSP cited the sweeping change as part of a renewal the party's leadership following the May 3 general election.«The CEC thanks Dr Tan, Ms Poa and Mr Nalla, who are founding members of the party, for their leadership and contributions since 2019,» it wrote, adding that «they will remain as members of the party».A'bas bin Kasmani, who contested in PSP's slate for Chua Chu Kang GRC, succeeds Dr Tan as chairman of the party, while Anthony Neo, who is previously head of membership, has been appointed as treasurer.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issued composition penalties amounting to $27.45 million to nine financial institutions (FIs) for anti-money laundering breaches connected to the $3 billion money laundering case from 2023.MAS identified the nine FIs through supervisory examinations conducted between early 2023 and early 2025, according to a statement released on Friday (July 4).The nine FIs being penalised — including banks like Credit Suisse Singapore Branch, United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) and UBS AG, Singapore branch — were found to have breaches in connection with anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) to persons of interest (POIs) in the major money laundering case.According to MAS, the penalties took into account various factors including the extent of the FI's exposure to the POIs, the number of breaches of MAS' requirements, among others.Credit Suisse was fined $5.8 million, the highest of the nine FIs.

A man, who drove in a car park with his lover's husband hanging on to the bonnet, testified in court on Friday (July 4) that he had initially dropped the woman off below her home.«However, I think, erm... yeah. We actually then (went) up to the multi-storey carpark, have some intimacy acts,» Chia Hiok Seah told the court.The «intimacy acts» was not «anything sexual» as the woman, named as Shunyi, was menstruating that day, he reportedly said.Chia, 50, is accused of causing hurt through a rash act to endanger human life and appearing nude in public on June 29, 2024, at the multi-storey car park Block 278 Compassvale Bow.The woman's husband had allegedly fallen off the car and suffered injuries including a facial laceration, puncture wound on his face, abrasions over his hand and knee and a scratch on his chest, according to previous media reports.Chia was allegedly naked with Shunyi in his car, when he came face-to-face with the angry husband. In a moment of panic and fear, he drove off, with the infuriated man clinging onto the vehicle bonnet, reports said. [[nid:719741]]

While drunk, a 21-year-old man fought with his colleague and bit off part of the latter's ear.Senthilkumar Vishnusakthi was convicted on one count of causing grievous hurt to victim Nesamani Hariharn, and handed a jail term of six months on Thursday (July 3).According to court documents seen by AsiaOne, the incident occurred at about 7pm on Feb 15 at a dormitory in Kallang.Senthilkumar, an electrician, had consumed three cans of beer before returning to the dorm, where he saw Nesamani, 31, watching a movie, reported The Straits Times.The younger man then began talking loudly about the victim, accusing him of spying on him and reporting back to their work supervisor about his poor work performance, also calling his co-worker a «dog» for following him around.Nesamani confronted Senthilkumar, and the pair's argument turned physical with punches thrown by both sides, according to CNA.Senthilkumar then grabbed the victim from behind and bit off a part of his left ear lobe.Other dorm residents reportedly restrained Senthilkumar and called the police.

The 44-year-old man accused of murdering his 79-year-old mother in a Sengkang HDB flat was taken back to the crime scene on Friday (July 4).The accused, Lim Yuen Li, arrived at the scene at about 9.33am.He allegedly killed Wang How Khiew in a unit at Block 465B Fernvale Road on the 11th floor between 2am and 10.30am on June 1.When Lim arrived at the crime scene, he was dressed in a red polo shirt, black shorts and slippers, with his head lowered and his wrists and ankles restrained.Parts of the corridor leading to the unit was cordoned off when Lim was approaching it.He was accompanied by several police investigators and forensics officers, and was seen talking to them. Later, the gate opened, and he was led into the unit.AsiaOne observed at least five forensic evidence bags processed by the crime scene specialists which were sealed in the presence of police investigators.He then spent more than three hours at the alleged crime scene.Charged with murderIn an earlier statement, the police said that they received a call for assistance at the unit at about 11.48am on June 2.

SINGAPORE — Sellers of private homes will have to pay higher seller's stamp duty (SSD) rates of between four per cent and 16 per cent if they sell a residential property less than four years after the date of purchase.The SSD is currently payable by those who sell a residential property within three years of purchase, at rates of between four per cent and 12 per cent.The Ministry of National Development, Ministry of Finance and Monetary Authority of Singapore announced the longer holding period and higher rates, which will kick in on July 4, in a statement late at night on July 3.The authorities said that in recent years, the number of private residential property transactions with short holding periods has increased sharply.«In particular, there has been a significant increase in the sub-sale of units that have not been completed,» they said. A sub-sale refers to the sale of a unit to another buyer before the unit is completed.«Therefore, the Government will revert to the pre-2017 SSD holding period of four years and raise the SSD rates by four percentage points for each tier of the holding period.»

The Workers' Party (WP) has responded to a statement by the People's Action Party (PAP) on Thursday (July 3), which raised concerns over WP secretary-general Pritam Singh's recent media engagement with Malaysian political podcast Keluar Sekejap. In its statement titled 'PAP opposing for the sake of opposing', WP said that public perception in Singapore to the podcast has been positive.«It exemplified how a non-government Singaporean politician can speak fairly and frankly about Singapore and the Singapore government, without denouncing either.» Doubling down on its assessment that the podcast was well-received, the party said that it was aware one PAP member had remarked that «Pritam did well». It also said that other PAP members had happily posed for pictures with one of the podcast's hosts when the latter was in Singapore over the weekend, suggesting that Singh's appearance on the podcast «had no detrimental impact whatsoever on Singapore's national interests».

Enforcement of the new pedestrian-only paths will be «reasonable», Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng assured in a Facebook post on Wednesday (July 2).Beginning on Tuesday, cyclists as well as motorised and non-motorised personal mobility device (PMD) users will face severe penalties for using pedestrian-only paths.First-time offenders can be fined up to $2,000 or jailed for up to three months, or both.Following that, some cyclists have voiced their concerns, arguing that the penalties are only applied to cyclists and mobility device users while pedestrians can still traverse both pathways legally.On Facebook group Singapore Park Connector Network (PCN) Cyclist, some users have expressed their displeasure towards the new regulation.«Not going [to] fine pedestrians but only cyclists?» One user questioned. «Why not ask the pedestrian to jaywalk on the road, and cars must give way, if not fine the driver?»

SINGAPORE — While on a train, a 57-year-old man thought about his unsatisfactory sexual relationship with his wife and decided to touch himself.Cheng Choong Peng then flicked his bodily fluid onto a woman, staining her pants.On July 2, Cheng pleaded guilty to one charge of public nuisance and was sentenced to three weeks' jail.State prosecuting officer A. Majeed Yosuff said that on the morning of Feb 5, Cheng boarded the same train as the victim at Jurong East MRT station and stood behind her.While on the train, Cheng thought about his unsatisfactory sexual relationship with his wife, who would tell him that she was tired whenever he wanted to be intimate with her.Feeling sexually frustrated, Cheng decided to perform a sex act on himself and unzipped his pants to touch himself.After he was done, he saw some of his bodily fluid on the floor and on his hands.Cheng then flicked his bodily fluid off his hand and onto the woman's pants.The prosecutor said Cheng saw that the fluid had landed on the woman's clothing but did not tell her, as he was afraid that she would call the police.

The People's Action Party (PAP) has raised concerns over the Workers' Party (WP) engagement with Malaysian media, saying that domestic politics should remain within Singapore's boundaries, the ruling party said in a statement on Thursday (July 3).In particular, PAP took issue with WP secretary-general Pritam Singh's appearance on Keluar Sekejap — a Malaysian political podcast hosted by former Malaysian health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan — on June 24, saying that his choice to speak on foreign soil «raises serious questions».«It touches on a fundamental principle — that Singapore’s domestic affairs should be debated and decided by Singaporeans, within Singapore,» said PAP.The ruling party quoted Chiam See Tong, a former Opposition MP, who said that the Opposition must be «truthful…good patriotic Singaporeans…and not go around the world denouncing Singapore».

An avid reader of fantasy and dystopian fiction, 27-year-old Megan often turns to social media platform Goodreads and TikTok sub-community BookTok for recommendations on what to read next.Both platforms have become go-to resources for book lovers to discover trending reading lists and reviews on popular titles.«I haven't come across much Singapore Literature (SingLit),» said Megan, who declined to give her full name. She told AsiaOne that the only SingLit titles she had encountered were from English class during her schooling years.Many readers have similar experiences with SingLit, and are largely unaware of the vast range of titles and genres published by the literary community in Singapore, as seen in the results of the National Library Board's (NLB) National Reading Habits Study 2024. Only three in 10 adults had read a SingLit book in the past 12 months, according to the study released on June 26 which surveyed 3,725 Singapore residents. Among the 2,575 respondents that were non-readers of SingLit, over half said that they were unaware of local authors and literary works.

Shatec, a hospitality and tourism training institute in Singapore, is reportedly shutting down after more than 40 years of operation, due to operational difficulties.Chinese publication Shin Min Daily News reported that real estate firm CBRE has been appointed as the exclusive marketing agent for Shatec's main campus building at Bukit Batok Street 22. The four-storey property is reportedly listed for sale at $18 million, with its land lease expiring in 2051.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, Shatec's chairman Loh Lik Peng said that the institute is currently in the early stages of reviewing its long-term plans.«The sale of the building is part of Shatec's asset management strategy. As the review is still ongoing, we are unable to provide further comments,» said Loh.Shin Min reported that after an evaluation, the Shatec board concluded that the current model was no longer sustainable and made the difficult decision to begin winding down operations from April 1. 

The owner of a local automotive detailer has admitted to generating fake five-star customer reviews and posting them on its business page on popular online car platform sgCarMart for the last two years. This comes after the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) launched an investigation into Lambency Detailing in January, following a customer complaint regarding unauthorised reviews using her name.In a media release on Thursday (July 3), the consumer watchdog said it confirmed with seven other Lambency Detailing customers that false reviews containing their names, car plate numbers, and photographs of their vehicles had been posted on sgCarMart without their consent.CCCS said it also used digital technology and algorithms in its investigations, which found mass postings of suspicious five-star reviews on sgCarMart on certain dates.When shown evidence, Holding company Quantum Globe, which owns and operates Lambency Detailing, admitted to having used their customers' information without their knowledge or consent to create the reviews.

There is no train services at all stations of the Bukit Panjang LRT line due to a power fault, transport operator SMRT has said.The announcement was published in a post on social media platforms Facebook and X at 9.13am on Thursday (July 3).Free regular buses as well as bridging buses are available outside all 12 affected stations, said SMRT.'We apologise for the disruption'In a Facebook post at 9.18am, SMRT said that a power fault had occurred on the line at 8.50am.«Our staff are on-site working to resolve the issue and are assisting affected commuters,» it added.SMRT also said that in-train and station announcements have been made to inform commuters.«We apologise for the disruption to your journey and appreciate your patience.»As of their latest update made on Facebook at 9.56am, train services are still not available across the entire LRT system.lim.kewei@asiaone.com

The police arrested a 17-year-old male teenager on Tuesday (July 1) for allegedly trespassing onto the MRT tracks along Upper Changi Road, between Simei and Tanah Merah stations. He will be charged in court on Thursday (July 3) for wilfully endangering the safety of persons travelling along the railway and for trespassing. Police said they received a report on June 10 regarding an individual who trespassed onto the MRT tracks at the said location. The teenager was identified through ground enquiries and follow-up investigations. Police did not say when the alleged trespass occured. Earlier in June, rail operator SMRT told AsiaOne that it had filed a police report  after a video taken in dimly lit conditions, showing a passing train on a nearby track made rounds on social media. 

Two Home Team agencies -- the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) -- will be getting new heads after the Ministry of Home Affairs announced leadership changes on Wednesday (July 2). Veteran narcotics officer Sebastian Tan, 49, returns to CNB as its director on Aug 1. He is currently the Senior Director of the Ministry's International Cooperation and Partnerships Division. He takes over from Leon Chan, 44, who is currently acting director of CNB. Chan will return to the Singapore Police Force.Tan joined CNB in 2002 and rose to become its deputy director for operations between 2017 and 2021.During his tenure, he is credited with maintaining a high tempo of anti-drug enforcement operations in the line divisions he oversaw. He was also responsible for significant policy and legislative amendments, including the review of the drug rehabilitation regime. 

While a life of luxury may be out of reach for many in Singapore, this man has found a way to consistently make bank — and he's willing to share his secrets.Grab rider Afiq Zayany claims that he earns around $4,000 to $6,000 a month, allowing him to live in a two-storey villa in Johor Bahru, according to a recent video on his YouTube account Ringgit & Dollars.«You want proof? I'll give you proof,» Afiq, a Singaporean, says in the video.He says he earns around $200 a day in Singapore, according to a screenshot he took of the earnings for the first week of June in his Grab application.The golf villa in Johor Bahru that he lives in costs about RM1.4 million (S$424,600), said Afiq in another YouTube video.  

Eight men and 12 women, aged between 24 and 55, were arrested for various offences during a multi-agency enforcement operation in Geylang on Friday (June 27).The offences include drink driving, driving without a valid licence and insurance, non-maintenance of fire safety provisions, providing massage services without a valid licence, suspected drug-related offences, and working without a valid work permit. Members of the media, including AsiaOne, were invited to observe the enforcement operation, led by Bedok Police Division.The enforcement operation, involving officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force, is part of their ongoing efforts to clamp down on illicit activities and regulatory offences in the area, said the police in a statement on Wednesday (July 2). Our first stop was a hair salon along Geylang Road which actively promotes its hair washing services on social media. 

Security company Certis has agreed to roll back its latest mandate that required employees on sick leave to share their live location if they are not at home, following discussions with the Union of Security Employees (USE).«Certis, which is unionised under USE, has agreed to do so, and there will be no location tracking of officers on medical leave,» it said in a statement on Tuesday (July 1). USE, an affiliate of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), said that the decision comes after a meeting with Certis management.The union also said that officers should use their medical leave to rest, and that they «do not condone any abuse of medical leave as such behaviour undermines trust and affects the wellbeing of the fellow officers».

A man who caught his wife naked with another man in the latter's car climbed onto the vehicle's bonnet in a desperate bid to stop them from leaving.But he fell and sustained injuries, after the man stepped on the accelerator to drive off.The purported lover, Chia Hiok Seah, was taken to court on Tuesday (July 1) for the offences of causing hurt through a rash act and appearing nude in a public place, reported Shin Min Daily News.According to court documents seen by AsiaOne, the incident occurred at about 2.13am on June 29, 2024, at the multi-storey car park Block 278 Compassvale Bow.Chia, 50, is accused of causing hurt to victim Goh Yong Sern by driving while Goh was on the front bonnet, causing him to fall to the ground.This resulted in Goh suffering injuries including a facial laceration, puncture wound on his face, abrasions over his hand and knee and a scratch on his chest, the documents stated.Chia was also handed a second charge of appearing nude in the car park while being in the vehicle.

SINGAPORE — Few had expected Samuel Lim Hong Xiang to survive after his grandmother's domestic helper poured acid down his throat when he was just three months old.But Lim defied every medical prognosis and lived on.Despite severe damage to his vocal cords and tongue, Lim graduated with a master's degree in speech pathology from the University of Melbourne and, earlier in 2025, fulfilled his dream of becoming a speech and language therapist at Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities.But in June, barely five months into the job, Lim was diagnosed with nose cancer. He died on June 28 at the age of 26.Lim leaves his parents, Lim Boon Keong and Madam Tan Poh Ling, both in their early 50s, a 20-year-old sister and a 23-year-old brother.«We were told he had stage 4 cancer,» Lim's father told The Straits Times.«But in his final week, he looked fine. He said he didn't feel any pain. He wanted to live.»Madam Tan said that despite the diagnosis, Lim remained hopeful. He had received his first chemotherapy treatment three days before his death and had expressed his hope to return to work.

Warm and humid nights are expected to hit Singapore in the first two weeks of July due to prevailing south-west monsoon conditions, with winds blowing mainly from the south-east or south-west, said the Meteorological service Singapore (MSS) on Tuesday (July 1).During this period, the daily maximum temperatures are likely to range between 33 degrees Celsius and 34 degrees Celsius on most days and slightly exceed 34 degrees Celsius on a few days, it stated.Some nights may also be warm and humid, with temperatures staying above 28 degrees Celsius.Short-duration thundery showers are also expected over parts of the island in the late morning and afternoon on most days, said the meteorological service. In addition, Sumatra squalls may bring widespread thundery showers and gusty winds in the pre-dawn and morning hours on a few days.Despite the expected rainfall, MSS forecasts that total rainfall for the first half of July will be near average across most parts of the island.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has expressed concern over the state of private insurance and private healthcare and its unsustainability, stating how insurers and hospitals have gotten «tied up in a knot».He added that the Ministry of Health (MOH) is helping with the «untying process», according to his Facebook post on Tuesday (July 1).Ong's comments come after Great Eastern (GE) insurance group issued a notice last month that it is suspending the issuance of pre-authorisation certificates for admissions to Mount Elizabeth Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital from June 17, reported CNA.Pre-authorisation certificates are taken as confirmation that the insurer has agreed to cover the patient's medical costs before treatment.Sharing MOH's view on the matter, Ong noted that he had expressed his concerns about the state of private insurance and private healthcare «for some time».

Cyclists, non-motorised personal mobility device (PMD) and motorised PMD users will face severe penalties if they use pedestrian-only paths, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Tuesday (July 1). Motorised personal mobility devices include e-bikes, while non-motorised ones include kick scooters.This follows the conversion of over 200km of footpaths adjacent to cycling paths across Singapore into pedestrian-only paths, which have been marked with pedestrian logos and «Pedestrians-Only» wordings.Paths coloured red are for cyclists, while those that remain grey are pedestrian-only.Only pedestrians and those with personal mobility aids (PMA) such as electric wheelchairs can utilise the pedestrian-only paths, presuming they stay within speed limit of 6kmh come 2026, the authority explained.At present, the speed limit for personal mobility aids remain at 10kmh.