Singapore must pay attention to those segments of the population who are at a greater risk of being left behind, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Monday (Aug 25).These include professionals, managers and executives roles that may be displaced by artificial intelligence (AI), and rank-and-file workers in sectors that are undergoing restructuring in response to heightened uncertainties in the global economy, he told participants at the Ministry of Trade and Industry's (MTI) Economic Dialogue 2025.The dialogue, which started in 2008, is a platform for students to gain insights into pertinent economic issues and challenges facing Singapore, and the role of economics in policymaking. Speaking on «navigating economic uncertainty in a polarised world», DPM Gan cautioned that «significant uncertainties» remain despite the US making deals with its key trading partners such as the European Union, Japan and South Korea.

Inflation eased in July, with core inflation falling marginally to 0.5 per cent year-on-year, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).Core inflation, which excludes private transport and accommodation, declined from 0.6 per cent in June, according to a press release on Monday (Aug 25). MAS and MTI said that the change was driven by a fall in the prices of retail and other goods, as well as lower electricity and gas inflation.Headline inflation eased to 0.6 per cent year-on-year in July from 0.8 per cent in June due to lower accommodation inflation in addition to lower core inflation.MAS and MTI maintained their 2025 full-year inflation forecast for core and headline inflation at 0.5 to 1.5 per cent, adding that «both upside and downside risks» remain.Inflation can also be negatively impacted in event of geopolitical shocks causing imported energy and shipping costs to spike, they said.At the same time, «should global and domestic growth be more hesitant and weaker than anticipated, core inflation could stay low for longer», they added.

SINGAPORE — Flying instructors have emerged as Singapore's top earners — at least by median gross monthly salary, which stands at an impressive $20,000.Following closely behind are foreign exchange brokers, who pull in a median pay of $19,750, and in-house legal counsel, who earn $17,972.The salary data is revealed in the latest Occupational Wage Survey released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in August.Conducted from July to December 2024, the survey covers a representative sample of 407,800 full-time resident employees from private sector companies with at least 25 employees each.Public sector employees are excluded from the survey, so the salaries of roles such as air force flying instructor and in-house lawyer in the judiciary and ministries are not reflected.Bus attendants, civil engineering and building construction labourers, and laundry and dry cleaning workers are among those earning the lowest median salaries, ranging from $1,400 to $1,560.The MOM data also shows the pay for each occupation at the 25th and 75th percentiles — unless the sample size for certain niche roles is too small.

A Land Transport Authority (LTA) engineer was seen shouting at two foreign workers at the Changi East Depot worksite, even hitting one of them on the helmet.A video posted to Facebook group Complaint Singapore on Sunday (Aug 24) shows the man standing across from two LTA contractor employees, loudly asking one of them if it was his first day on the job. He also demands to see the worker's driving licence.In the 57-second-long clip, the man continues to question the worker about where and when he got his licence as well as what he learned at driving school.The engineer is seen holding a card, seemingly the worker's driving licence, and hitting the latter on the helmet with it before throwing it onto the ground.In a statement posted to its Facebook page, LTA said that it is aware of the incident.«While the engineer was addressing safety lapses at the worksite, the manner in which he did so was inappropriate. We do not condone such behaviour,» read the statement.The engineer has since been counselled and reminded of the standards of conduct expected of all staff.

A good Samaritan has won praise online for clearing a road obstruction caused by a storm on Sunday (Aug 24).The scene was filmed by TikTok user jerries__, who asked in the video uploaded on Sunday morning: «Who is this good person?»Two barricades are seen lying in the middle of a traffic junction, appearing to obstruct a lane. Two more barricades near the crossing island are seen blown away and are blocking another lane on the opposite side of the road.The clip then cuts to show a pedestrian — dressed in an orange shirt and holding a black umbrella — crossing the road and pulling one of the barricades back to the crossing island.

Three men were arrested for rioting after a fight broke out in Toa Payoh on Sunday (Aug 24).In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to a case of fighting at Block 10B Lor 7 Toa Payoh at around 9.50am on Aug 24.Three men — aged between 21 and 30 — were arrested for rioting.Efforts to trace the remaining subjects involved are underway, they added.In a video shared on social media, a large group of men are seen brawling at a canteen, believed to be at Toa Payoh Industrial Park. A few men can be seeing throwing tables and chairs while others engaged in fist fights.Towards the end of the video, multiple men are also seen fleeing from the canteen towards a HDB block across the road.

SINGAPORE – Etomidate, which is increasingly being abused through e-vaporiser pods (Kpods) and devices, will be listed as an illegal drug from Sept 1.The anaesthetic agent will be classified under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) as a Class C drug, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Aug 24 on the sidelines of a community event in Serangoon.“As was announced by various ministers, including the Prime Minister at the National Day Rally, we are taking steps to strengthen the framework of enforcement, especially for users and abusers of vapes and etomidate vapes,” he said.Etomidate is a medicinal ingredient used in clinical practice and is currently classified as a poison under the Poisons Act.Once reclassified under the MDA, abusers of etomidate will face harsher penalties, such as a maximum sentence of 10 years’ jail and a $20,000 fine for illegal possession and use.Those who traffic in Class C drugs may be jailed for up to 10 years and given five strokes of the cane.This is compared with the maximum penalty of two years’ jail and a $10,000 fine under the Poisons Act for possession, use and trafficking.

What would you do if a complete stranger were to suddenly collapse next to you?Several Good Samaritans sprung into action to rescue a man who fainted near Jurong Lake Gardens on Friday (Aug 22) evening, according to a Xiaohongshu post the following day.The video post, uploaded by a user named Singapore Programmer's Daily Life (translated), showed a man lying on the ground, his chest exposed as a member of the public performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him.An automated external defibrillator (AED) was also seen attached to the unconscious man during the CPR attempts. The device provided instructions while a person, who appeared to be a woman with her long hair tied up in a ponytail, attempted to resuscitate him.Another woman can be heard helping to count the chest compressions, guiding the lifesaver to maintain the proper CPR rhythm.Other passers-by provided space around the unconscious man while using their mobile phones to shine light, improving visibility for the Samaritan.

A 4.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Johor on Sunday morning (Aug 24). In the hours after, social media was abuzz with discussions on how an earthquake can happen in Malaysia since the country is sited outside the Pacific Ring of Fire. Some also asked if an earthquake will happen in Singapore. In an interview with Malaysian media outlet The Star in March 2025, Institute of Geology Malaysia president Abd Rashid Jaapar highlighted that while Malaysia is not situated along the collision zone of major tectonic plates, several minor tremors have been recorded in certain areas (of Malaysia) over recent years.Jaapar added that while there is presently no significant earthquake risk in Malaysia, the risks exist, citing the seismic activities in Bukit Tinggi. “Earthquakes are unpredictable in both location and magnitude. “If we claim there is no risk at all, that would be inaccurate. Natural events like earthquakes are unpredictable, so we must remain cautious, but there is no need for undue concern,” Jaapar told The Star. 

SINGAPORE – All they had to go on was an allegation about corruption in the sneaker industry, sent by an anonymous whistle-blower from a burner e-mail account in 2020.Officers from the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) had no way of contacting the sender.And this was a niche industry CPIB officers knew little of.Yet, from the single bribery allegation against a shoe reseller, CPIB uncovered an elaborate web of corrupt transactions involving 10 people about when new pairs of limited edition shoes would be released for sale.Five givers and five receivers were involved, including a shoe reseller who somehow knew the release timings.Speaking to The Sunday Times on Aug 18, Mr Lam Seow Kin, assistant director of the financial investigation branch at CPIB, said these releases are known as shoe drops. Their timings are often kept secret to prevent scalpers from snapping up all the stock.Mr Lam said the e-mail claimed the shoe reseller knew the shoe drop timings.

Victims have lost at least $38,000 so far after falling prey to scams that involve fraudulent requests for tuition or school fees.At least 16 of such cases have been reported since August 2025, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Saturday (Aug 23).Scammers would approach victims by using compromised school email accounts to ask them for urgent and prompt payment of school or tuition fees.They would be asked to make payment to a bank account listed in the email and warned that failure to do so would lead to legal consequences.“Victims would subsequently realise that they had been scammed after checking or receiving notifications from the schools,” said SPF.In a separate statement on Friday, the Ministry of Education (MOE) had also warned of scam emails targeting students from institutes of higher learning and their parents, asking them to make payment for school fees, reported CNA.“Those who have transferred money or provided personal information are advised to file a police report and notify their bank immediately,” the ministry was quoted as saying.

An Italian national is on trial after allegedly luring a Singaporean woman into sex work in Dubai under pretenses that they could get married in Qatar once she raised US$10,000 (S$12,800) as proof of funds.Achraf Arjaouy, 31, faces one count of recruiting a person by deception for sexual exploitation under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, for which he has pleaded not guilty, reported Shin Min Daily News.According to CNA, the court heard on Friday (Aug 22) that Arjaouy came to Singapore in March 2021 and met the victim, who cannot be identified due to a gag order, the following month on Tinder. He claimed to the woman that he was from a wealthy Qatari family, a pilot for Qatar Airways and that he wanted to get married.The woman was swept up by his words and, within a few days, travelled to Dubai with him with the intention to marry him in Qatar, Shin Min Daily News reported.However, the prosecution alleged that Arjaouy deceived her, saying she had to show US$10,000 as a proof of funds to enter the latter country. 

Fostering a child may not always be easy, but for this couple, it was something they always wanted to do.Shanmugan Paricana, 78, and Letcheme Packirisamy, 75, has fostered three children before, and now fosters Sam, who has been diagnosed with Global Development Delay, a condition when a child takes longer to reach certain development milestones than other children their age. Speaking to AsiaOne at their home in Yishun, the couple recounted the first time they welcomed a foster child into their lives.«I have always wanted to foster children. Even before taking in my first (foster) child in 2019, I had spent nearly a decade reading up on the role,» said Letcheme. «I remembered taking in our first foster child, it was a rewarding feeling to provide them with a place they could call home.» This couple was among the 30 foster families who attended the Ministry of Social and Family Development's (MSF) Fostering Open House at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday (Aug 23).

SINGAPORE - Some 10.4ha of forest in Woodlands is slated for clearance from 2026 to build industrial and mixed-use developments for an upcoming precinct highlighted during the recent National Day Rally.The vegetation, about the size of 15 football fields, will be cleared to support new industrial developments that tap the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, which is expected to start operations in end-2026.This was revealed in an environmental impact assessment published online on Aug 20 by site developer JTC Corporation (JTC).It told The Straits Times that the works for Woodlands Gateway will ensure that the land is suitable for construction, with essential infrastructure such as roads, drains and utilities. JTC also said the project will become an employment, commercial and manufacturing hub, which will support manufacturing companies with operations in both Singapore and Johor.JTC said site preparation, such as soil investigation and surveys, are planned to commence in 2025, ahead of any works. Works at the site are scheduled to be completed by 2035, according to the report.

More than 850 vape products were intercepted by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in the last five days, as it stepped up checks at the various air, land and sea checkpoints between Aug 18 and 22.These checks were part of the ongoing effort against vapes, which saw the ICA take up a multi-pronged approach to detect and deter attempts to smuggle vapes into the country, said the agency on Friday (Aug 22).As part of the checks, ICA conducts pre-arrival risk assessments at its Integrated Targeting Centre (ITC) unit which uses data analytics to identify high-risk travellers before they arrive in Singapore.These Individuals flagged by the ITC are checked upon arrival prior to entering Singapore.A total of 184 cases were detected during the time, which also saw smuggling attempts involving duty-unpaid cigarettes and chewing tobacco across checkpoints.Over 53,000 cartons and 3,900 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes as well as more than 2,400 packets of chewing tobacco were intercepted by ICA officers.

Six people were injured in a chain traffic collision between five heavy-goods vehicles along the Tampines Expressway (TPE) on Friday (Aug 22) morning.A video posted on the same day by the Singapore Road Accidents.com Facebook page shows a prime mover and a large lorry that had crashed into each other, a smaller white lorry in the middle, and another large lorry and tipper truck in front.Paramedics are shown attending to an injured person lying on the ground, and police motorcycles and a fire engine can be seen at the accident site.In other clips, rescuers can be seen reaching into the cab of the prime mover, presumably to extricate someone inside. At least three ambulances were present, and paramedics can be seen preparing a stretcher.