Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong has shared how he regularly looks out for ways to improve the interface of the websites of various government services.Speaking to 800 students and academics during the Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum on Tuesday (Sept 9), SM Lee said that he becomes a “mystery shopper on behalf of the government” when “getting things done”.“I need to go to MOM (Ministry of Manpower) to do something on their website [and] CPF to check my account,” he said at the University Cultural Centre in the National University of Singapore. “And I look at the interface and say, ‘Surely we can do better’.””So I send them a suggestion and tell them, ‘This is just a suggestion. Please take it seriously, but think about the best way to make things better’.”SM Lee said government services will improve when Singapore has a more involved and engaged population who would feel that “if they think something can be better, they can do something about it”.“The most Singaporean thing about you SM,” quipped the forum’s moderator, NUS Associate Professor Leong Ching, “is that you complain to the different agencies.”

Israel's recent airstrikes on Doha are a «blatant violation of the sovereignty of Qatar», said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Sept 10. The ministry deemed the airstrikes on Sept 9 an «egregious and dangerous action» that poses a threat to ongoing negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza.Israel had attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday (Sept 9), Reuters reported. Qatar has been acting as a mediator alongside Egypt in talks between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza. MFA said that Singapore stands in solidarity with Qatar.Separately, the Singapore Embassy in Doha issued a notice on Wednesday, advising Singaporeans in Doha to «to exercise caution, avoid unnecessary travel and crowded areas, and follow the instructions of the local authorities».They also encouraged Singaporeans to e-register with MFA so that they can be contacted in event of an emergency. 

MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho - With the shift of a joystick, a Neros Archer drone whirs to life, kicking up a cloud of sand as it lifts off.It quickly cuts through the clear blue sky, soaring over a mini 'city' made of container blocks. At a distance, a ground station control device displays a first-person view of the drone.The Neros Archer is one of three types of micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) employed by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) at this year's Exercise Forging Sabre in the US.Over 800 troops are involved in the exercise held in Idaho, US, from Sept 6 to 21, and sees more drones being used alongside manned platforms for integrated strike operations.At Saylor Creek Range in Mountain Home, members of the RSAF's newly established Drone Rapid Operationalisation, Integration and Deployment (DROID) unit demonstrated to the media the capabilities of the Neros Archer and Skydio X10 micro drones.Drones commercially availableThe drone unit was inaugurated in July 2025 and is participating in Exercise Forging Sabre for the first time.

A macaque has been found dead, entangled in a fishing net while hanging from a tree in Pulau Ubin.In a post shared to Facebook group Singapore Wildlife Sightings, on Sunday (Sept 7), photos of the monkey's carcass showed it entangled in a fishing net, as it hung from a tree. A user who uploaded the photos to the group commented that a foul smell was present, with flies buzzing around. 

The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) will be acquiring four new Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft to replace its ageing Fokker 50s which have been in service since 1993. Singapore acquired nine Fokker 50s in 1993. Four of the nine were designated utility transport aircraft, while the remaining five were assigned as maritime patrol aircraft (seen in picture). PHOTO: AsiaOne/Darren Wong This was announced by Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing during his meeting with United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on Wednesday (Sept 10). Chan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Public Services, is in the US for his introductory visit as Defence Minister from Sept 9 to 13. 

Families with three or more children aged between one and six years of age will receive $1,000 LifeSG Credits (LFLC) from Thursday (Sept 10), according to the Ministry of Social and Family Development.These credits are part of the Large Families Scheme announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at Budget 2025, which will see eligible parents receive a $5,000 increase in Child Development Account First Step Grant (CDA FSG) for each third and subsequent child born on or after Feb 18.They will also receive $5,000 Large Family MediSave Grant (LFMG) and $1,000 each year in Large Family LifeSG Credits per third and subsequent child.Subsequent disbursements every AprilLarge families will receive the $1,000 in LFLC from Sept 10, while subsequent disbursements will be made in April annually beginning in April 2026 for children born between 2020 to 2025, the ministry said. The CDA trustee of each eligible child will receive the credits automatically and trustees will be notified via SMS after the amount has been credited to their digital wallet. No application is needed.

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a 13-year-old boy, Riril Firdaus, who was last seen on Monday (Sept 8) at around 5pm in the vicinity of Lorong Napiri.Lorong Napiri is a street in Hougang.Checks online show that Bowen Secondary School, Gravehaven Children's Home, Bright Vision Hospital and AWWA School are the only properties located at the nearly 350m long street.Anyone with information is urged to contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential, said the police.[[nid:722339]]editor@asiaone.com

SINGAPORE — The National Environment Agency (NEA) overpaid a project partner by $0.53 million for the operation of a waste-to-energy plant from December 2021 to January 2025.This occurred as NEA did not check with the partner on an update of the project's financial model, which would have included necessary adjustments to costs. It only did so when the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) asked about it in August 2024.This was noted in the AGO's annual report released on Sept 9 that highlighted key lapses by various ministries and public agencies for the 2024 to 2025 financial year.NEA's project partner was required to provide waste incineration services to NEA for a period of 25 years from 2021 to 2046. It had to submit a financial model incorporating the cost, funding, operating and technical assumptions, and update it within 30 days when it found out certain costs like the land lease premium and grid connection costs — which AGO found the partner had known since 2018.With the eventual update of the financial model, NEA estimated that it would pay $1.73 million less for the remaining contract period from February 2025 onward.

A 29-year-old man was arrested at Woodlands after being caught with over 1,400 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes.The Indian national was arrested on Aug 27 during an enforcement operation at Woodlands Terrace, said Singapore Customs in a press statement on Tuesday (Sept 9).During the operation at the back lane of the industrial estate, Singapore Customs officers noticed the man transferring a black trash bag between two Singapore-registered trucks. The officers then conducted checks and found 122 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes in the first truck.Some 1,323 cartons and 16 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were also found in the second truck.In total, Singapore Customs seized 1,445 cartons and 16 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes, in addition to the two trucks involved. The total duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded amounted to around $156,693. Investigations revealed that the man had been allegedly instructed to transfer part of the duty-unpaid cigarettes from the second truck to the first truck for delivery. Court proceedings are ongoing against the man, said Singapore Customs.

MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)'s digital innovation startup Agile Innovation Digital (RAiD) have, for the first time, joined the ranks of Exercise Forging Sabre held in the US.A team from RAiD will form part of the over 800 personnel from the Singapore Army, RSAF, Digital and Intelligence Service and the defence technology community partaking in this year's drill.RAiD is a startup team that provides digital solutions to RSAF personnel. Over in the US, they will be working with the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) to harness digital solutions and data analytics to help the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).The unilateral exercise is currently ongoing at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho from Sept 6 to 21, and is the tenth edition in a series that started in 2005. At this biennial integrated sense and strike exercise, the SAF will be sharpening its digital prowess through new technologies including upgraded mission software and an expanded drone line-up.

SINGAPORE — Within a year of consuming extremist content, a 14-year-old boy supported ISIS, far-right and far-left extremism, communism, hated women and Jews, and idolised Osama bin Laden, Hitler and Kim Jung-il.He was in contact with several foreign extremists, one of whom offered to help the boy plan an attack in Singapore and even sent him bomb manuals.His picking and choosing of ideologies were so varied the Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Sept 9 his was the first self-radicalisation case involving a «salad bar» of ideologies.The teen is one of two male Singaporeans recently issued with restriction orders (ROs) under the Internal Security Act (ISA).The other is a 30-year-old self-employed business owner.ISD said the boy, who was issued an RO in September, became exposed to extremist ideologies online in mid-2024. He had chanced upon foreign extremist personalities who posted far-right extremist and true crime content.True crime refers to a genre of media that focuses on real-life criminal cases, often involving violent offences like murder, assault or serial killings.

Marking a world first, a generative AI tool has been launched to help simplify complex trade rules and provide clear guidance on free trade agreements (FTA) for businesses here. This comes amid a global changing order and uncertainty surrounding the US tariffs, said the Centre for the Future of Trade and Investment (CFOTI) which unveiled the tool — Trade AI Advisor (TAIA) — at a Singapore Business Federation (SBF) seminar on Tuesday (Sept 9). Powered by SBF's extensive FTA database and other sources, this tool will deliver «actionable answers that help businesses unlock opportunities, ensure compliance, and stay competitive», said the federation. «Our aim is to equip companies with the tools and intelligence they need to interpret developments, assess implications and plan ahead with confidence,» said the chairman of CFOTI Gan Seow Kee.CFOTI - a public-private partnership established by SBF last year - aims to help local and regional businesses strengthen their capabilities in global cross-border trade.