The Government is currently studying the experiences of other countries that have passed new laws to tighten access to the internet and social media for children, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said at the National Day Rally 2025 on Sunday (Aug 17).PM Wong highlighted the concern that the government has regarding the impact of technology, including social media, on children, explaining that many parents worry that their children spend too much time in front of their screens.«This isn't a new worry — in the past, children were constantly reminded not to watch too much TV,» he compared.«But today's environment is on a wholly different scale. Everyone is online — always connected, and always within reach on their phones.»This means that parents find it harder to set boundaries or keep track of their child's digital footprint, whether they are scrolling on social media, surfing the internet or playing games online.«When young people become overly immersed in the virtual world, they may lose touch with the real one. They may grow up more socially isolated,» PM Wong warned.

The Government will support fresh graduates and help them secure employment opportunities with government-funded traineeship programmes. The programme is meant to offer more training opportunities amid the current economic uncertainty, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as he announced it during his National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 17). «After graduation, I know many are concerned about jobs,» he said, adding that the traineeships will be a «near term» solution that provides these graduates with the chance to gain real-world experience while receiving an allowance.Through the traineeships, graduates will be able to «keep their skills sharp», he said, better equipping them to secure full-time jobs once the economy fully recovers.The new government-funded traineeship programme will apply to Institute of Technical Education, polytechnic and university graduates.According to PM Wong, the programme will be announced by the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce (SERT) and will begin with «a more focussed rollout».«If the economy worsens, we will scale up the programme,» he added.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong addressed the nation during the National Day Rally 2025 on Sunday (Aug 17), where he weighed in on Singapore's journey thus far and unveiled his plans for the future. The rally also saw attendance from Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and Opposition leader Pritam Singh.Speaking from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central at Ang Mo Kio, he looked back on the nation's 60th birthday, which was celebrated at the Padang and Marina Bay.«60 may not seem like a major milestone, but for us it carries deep meaning, because it comes at a turning point in global history and it marks the start of a new chapter in our Singapore story,» PM Wong said.Highlighting the turbulence present in the world today, he stressed that peace and stability are now «precarious», and shared Singapore's steps forward for a «complex new era».Here are five key points he brought up during the rally. 

The disruptions to the North East Line and the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) lines on Aug 12 was due to a «double fault» scenario which occurred in a voltage transformer for one of two interconnected switchboards at the Sengkang Depot Substation — an occurrence described as «rare».The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SBS Transit (SBST) said this in a statement on Saturday (Aug 16), providing updates on the power fault incidents which occurred on Aug 12 and Aug 15.In the case on Aug 12, which occurred at 11am and lasted for about three hours, the two faults occurred at the voltage transformer for Switchboard 2, the statement read.The first involved a high current surge due to a fault in the voltage transformer, while the second was a dislodged cable connecting to the voltage transformer.

A 12-year-old girl was sent to hospital after allegedly being involved in an accident with a cyclist at Punggol Waterway Park.According to a Facebook post by user Matthew L. Tan to the SG PCN Cyclist group on Saturday (Aug 16), the accident involved his friend's daughter and occurred on Friday in front of Waterway Point mall.He wrote that the girl was «knocked down by a cyclist» and was unconscious in the hospital's intensive care unit.A photo posted of the incident showed a girl lying on the ground, surrounded by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers and several bystanders.A pink bicycle was also pictured on the ground near the girl. Girl conscious when taken to hospitalAccording to Lianhe Zaobao, the bicycle which hit the girl was a fixed-gear bike or «fixie», which are not typically affixed with brakes.A police spokesperson told AsiaOne that the police had received a call for assistance at about 5.20pm on Aug 15. A 12-year-old girl was taken to hospital while conscious. A 51-year-old man is assisting the police with investigations for rash act causing hurt and investigations are ongoing.

Patrons at nightlife venues will soon see «Vaping is Prohibited» signs displayed at entrances and within premises.In a press release on Aug 16, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) announced that it is partnering with the Singapore Nightlife Business Association (SNBA) to step up efforts against vaping at nightlife establishments.The signs will carry QR codes linking directly to HSA's online reporting portal, enabling patrons and staff to report any illegal use or supply of e-vaporisers. Nightlife venues have also been urged to deny entry to patrons found carrying or consuming e-vaporisers.«Working with industry partners like SNBA helps strengthen ground-level deterrence and is an important part of HSA's strategy to combat illegal vaping,» said Adjunct Professor (Dr) Raymond Chua, HSA Chief Executive Officer. «Vaping has no place in daily life, including Singapore's nightlife entertainment scene.»SNBA president Danny Loong said the association is committed to working closely with HSA to ensure nightlife venues remain safe and compliant with the law, while safeguarding the health of patrons and staff.

SINGAPORE - A routine evening at home turned into a life-changing moment on Aug 10 for Ms Latashni Gobi Nathan, when she and her best friend helped her next-door neighbour deliver a baby.While watching post-National Day celebrations together from the rooftop of their Punggol Housing Board block at around 6pm, the neighbour, Ms Nur Amalina, 34, told Ms Latashni and her husband that she was having mild contractions.«Around noon, I was having mild contractions. We talked to the neighbours and asked them to help with taking care of our two daughters if I needed to go to hospital the next day,» Ms Amalina, a homemaker, told The Straits Times.The baby was not due until Aug 17, the 34-year-old added.«At around 10pm, my contractions got even more intense. I told my husband we had to go. I started panicking, wondering if I had the time to make it to the hospital or not.»Ms Amalina's husband Dzukri Bachtiar, 40, a field service engineer, said he managed to remain calm."I was already prepared on what to do. My parents, who live with us, were on holiday that day, so it was just us. We had contacted my sister, but she could make it only at 11pm.

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and Singapore Police Force (SPF) seized four e-vaporiser pods suspected to contain etomidate during a joint enforcement operation in City Hall.On Saturday (Aug 16), AsiaOne was among the media invited to visit a seemingly quiet, unassuming building along Coleman Street.The authorities raided two public entertainment establishments at the location during the wee hours of the morning.Upon the media's arrival at around 1.15am, a crowd was seen leaving the building with some people seemingly agitated and a few even hurling expletives.At one point, some were also heard shouting incoherently from the higher floors.The first establishment raided by police and HSA officers was a smaller area which had multiple private karaoke rooms.Upon entering the premises, two suspects were seen seated in adjacent rooms while facing away from the doors. 

SINGAPORE — A man who was on death row for drug trafficking has had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment after succeeding in his petition for clemency, which is rarely granted.Tristan Tan Yi Rui, 33, was sentenced to death in February 2023 after he was found guilty of trafficking 337.6g of methamphetamine. His conviction and sentence were upheld by the Court of Appeal.In response to queries from The Straits Times on Friday (Aug 15), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that on Aug 14, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, on the advice of the Cabinet, granted a pardon to Tan.The statement said the Cabinet was advised that the sentence imposed on Tan was legally sound.«Nevertheless, a recommendation was made to grant clemency to him because of the specific facts and circumstances of the case,» said MHA.The statement said Tan was arrested as part of a Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) operation which involved the arrest of several other subjects.One of the other subjects arrested in the operation, who was tried separately on a capital charge, eventually received a non-capital sentence.

Three Singaporean men were arrested by Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) for suspected drug offences on Aug 14 in separate operations.CNB said in a news release that a 36-year-old man was arrested for suspected drug trafficking in a residential unit around Bukit Batok West Avenue 9.About 892g of methamphetamine, also known as Ice, and 100 nimetazepam, or Erimin-5, tablets were seized, and his wife and four young children, aged between one and eight years old, were present at the scene.Around the same time, a 41-year-old man was arrested for suspected drug trafficking offences in a residential unit near Jalan Kayu, and CNB officers seized about 158g of Ice and 9g of MDMA, or Ecstasy.Earlier that day, a 42-year-old man was arrested in his residence near Tampines Street 86 for suspected drug offences. Drug paraphernalia was discovered under the coffee table in the living room, where his 10-year-old daughter was also present.[[nid:721123]]

Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre has decided to hold back on its Pay-It-Forward initiative where hawkers must provide free meals for the needy each month or risk being penalised.The issue was first raised by local food critic KF Seetoh on Aug 8, when he posted a screenshot of what appears to be a contract stating the breakdown of the requirement for the hawkers and calling it «forced charity».Amid public backlash, the management at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre said in a Facebook post on Friday (Aug 15) that it will be removing the clauses requiring the provision of free meals when the tenancy agreements are renewed in September. The hawker centre is managed and operated by Canopy Hawkers Group, a subsidiary of Food Canopy.It added: «No hawkers have been penalised for not providing free meals under the tenancy agreements and we also do not intend to enforce the obligation in the future.»Seetoh's remarks about hawkers being «contractually forced» to provide budget meals priced up to $3.50 were also addressed.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will deliver his National Day Rally (NDR) speech from 6.45pm onwards on Sunday (Aug 17) at the Institute of Technical Education College Central.In a Facebook post on Friday afternoon, PM Wong offered a preview of his speech, saying that he will be sharing more about the government's plans for the economy, the young and seniors.PM Wong will also talk about how Singapore will chart its way forward beyond SG60.  The uncertain economic outlook, and the need for Singapore to rise above the new challenges has been a recurring theme since General Election 2025. 

Billionaire and property tycoon Ong Beng Seng will have his Singapore permanent residence (PR) status reviewed following his conviction and sentencing for abetting obstruction of justice on Friday (Aug 15). In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that it will review the residency status of Singapore permanent residents who have been convicted of an offence.«ICA will review Mr Ong Beng Seng's PR since he has been convicted and sentenced,» added ICA. The 79-year-old pleaded guilty on Aug 4 to one charge of abetting former Transport Minister S. Iswaran in obstructing the course of justice.A second charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts was taken into consideration for sentencing.Ong, who was born in Malaysia in 1946, was fined $30,000 on Friday. This is also the maximum fine the district court can impose.

Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng has been granted judicial mercy by the courts, and fined the maximum stipulated sum of $30,000 for abetting the obstruction of justice.The 79-year-old, who has incurable cancer, listened intently as District Judge Lee Lit Cheng passed the sentence on Friday (Aug 15) afternoon.The offence of abetting the obstruction of justice carries a jail term of up to seven years, or a fine, or both.Ong pleaded guilty on Aug 4 to one charge of abetting former Transport Minister S. Iswaran in obstructing the course of justice.A second charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts will be taken into consideration for sentencing. Iswaran was handed a 12-month jail term on Oct 3, 2024. This term included four months' jail for obstructing the course of justice by making payment to Singapore GP to cover the cost of the flight from Singapore to Doha.Judge Lee noted Ong's «lower culpability», as it was Iswaran who had asked Ong to bill him for the Doha trip.Judicial mercy is when the courts give leniency to offenders with exceptional personal circumstances, on humanitarian grounds.  

Dr Lee Wei Ling, the daughter of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, has a wish fulfilled nearly a year after her death.In a Facebook post on Thursday (Aug 14), Lee Hsien Yang said that he took his sister «on one last boat ride» from Edinburgh, Scotland to scatter her ashes out at sea.«Farewell Ling. My principled, steadfast and indomitable sister,» he added.Dr Lee, a neurologist, died at the age of 69 on Oct 9, 2024, four years after she was diagnosed with a rare, degenerative brain disease.Lee described the country where he strewn Dr Lee's ashes upon the waves as one that held deep significance for both of them.He recalled: «Ling and I went to Scotland on our own when we were still in school. We toured the countryside, and stayed in Edinburgh, climbed Arthur’s Seat, and visited Edinburgh castle.»She returned by herself from time to time over the years for her medical exams, and to hike the rugged hills she loved so much."