Local businesses hoping to digitalise and adopt artificial intelligence (AI) can find tailored solutions with support from the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and partnerships with industry stakeholders.Speaking at the inaugural SMEs Go Digital Day held at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre on Tuesday (Oct 7), Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, Tan Kiat How said that «SMEs can punch above their weight» with the effective use of AI.«We cannot stand still. Technology developments, especially AI is advancing rapidly. Customer expectations are increasing, demanding quicker responses and more personalised services,» he said.According to the Singapore Digital Economy (SGDE) report by the IMDA, the number of local SMEs adopting AI has tripled to around 15 per cent between 2023 and 2024 — resulting in cost savings of 52 per cent on average.Go Digital AdvisorAt the event, Tan launched Go Digital Advisor, a new tool in the IMDA's Chief Technology Officer-as-a-Service (CTO-as-a-Service).

The trial of Malone Lam, a Singaporean accused of carrying out a cryptocurrency heist involving hundreds of millions of dollars, was delayed at the last minute on Monday (Oct 6).The postponement was due to the case being «superseded with 11 more defendants and an additional RICO conspiracy count», they told CNA.«We have a status conference at the end of October and we anticipate a trial date being set at that hearing,» a spokesperson said.Lam, 20, faces multiple charges which include wire fraud, money laundering and RICO conspiracy. His trial date was initially set for Oct 6.According to the US Department of Justice, RICO refers to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act. It is a law which was designed to target mafia bosses, reported The Economist.RICO conspiracy is a felony and the most serious charge Lam faces. It carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Wire fraud and money laundering each carry up to 20 years' jail.Lam and 12 of his associates had formed a «Social Engineering Enterprise» in late 2023 via online gaming platforms, according to prosecutors.

A two-year government grant of up to $100,000 will be available to local businesses that export or operate in overseas markets, amid concerns over the impact of the recent trade tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump.The Business Adaptation Grant (BizAdapt) will support up to 50 per cent of eligible costs for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and up to 30 per cent for non-SMEs, Enterprise Singapore said in a factsheet on Tuesday (Oct 7).The grant will be available from Oct 7 until Oct 6, 2027, and will cover two categories of businesses.The first group includes companies that export to or operate in overseas markets and are affected by the tariffs, and the second group includes businesses with manufacturing facilities locally or overseas that support to reconfigure their operations.  For the first group, the grant will help them conduct free trade agreements, trade compliance assessments, legal and contractual advisory and supply chain optimisation and market diversification advisory.

SINGAPORE — Teachers in Singapore schools are spending fewer hours teaching and marking, but they are clocking more work time overall due to non-teaching tasks.These include lesson planning, student counselling, co-curricular activities and communicating with parents, a new global survey has found.Singapore's teachers reported working an average of 47.3 hours a week, higher than the OECD average of 41, according to the Teaching and Learning International Survey (Talis) released on Oct 7.In the previous edition of the survey in 2018, teachers here said they put in 46 hours a week.The survey's findings also indicate that Singapore teachers are quick to adopt digital technologies, with three in four using artificial intelligence (AI) to teach or facilitate student learning. This is more than double the global average of 36 per cent.The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development study polled 194,000 teachers worldwide, with a total of 55 education systems joining the latest round.

Remember to look up on Tuesday (Oct 7) evening for the first of three supermoons of the year — the Harvest Moon. Its appearance comes right after the Mid-Autumn Festival on Monday (Oct 6), the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. In the past, the Harvest Moon gave farmers in the Northern Hemisphere extra hours to gather crops with its evening glow.The supermoon on Oct 7 will begin rising around 7pm and will be visible in the sky from around 8pm onwards in Singapore.Keen observers can visit open public areas such as East Coast Park, Marina Barrage, and the Southern Ridges. Supermoons occur when the moon's orbit is closer to the earth, making the moon appear larger and brighter than usual. It will be visible to the naked eye as long as the skies remain clear.According to the weatherman, the 24-hour forecast for tonight will be partly cloudy.The next supermoons after Tuesday's are the Beaver Moon on Nov 5 and the Cold Moon on Dec 4, symbolising the onset of winter.

A drivers' association in Malaysia is calling for Singapore-registered private-hire vehicles (PHV) to be barred from entering the country.The Southern Private Hire Vehicle Association made this demand in a Facebook post on Monday (Oct 6) night, urging Malaysian authorities to act on their requests immediately.In addition to stopping Singapore PHVs from entering Malaysia, the group is asking for the government to start legalising local cross-border point-to-point services, as well as to strictly penalise Singapore PHVs operating illegally in Malaysia.«End the vague 'let's not harm each other' stance and shift towards concrete action,» states another request.The association said that the list of demands was created with agreement from group members and industry stakeholders.«Our industry is not demanding special privileges — we are merely calling for a fair and level playing field,» it added.«If no action is taken soon, local operators will be pushed to the brink of survival, and the industry's order and stability will become increasingly difficult to sustain.»

The task force formed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and train operators SMRT and SBS Transit has convened an independent advisory panel of rail experts to assist in improving rail reliability in Singapore.The task force, chaired by LTA chief executive Ng Lang and includes the CEOs of SMRT Group and SBS Transit Group, aims to address the recent spate of train service disruptions.This will be done by reviewing the incidents to identify worn out components and conducting full audits of the maintenance and operation of critical systems.It will also look at reducing the impact of service delays to commuters, LTA, SMRT and SBS Transit said previously.On Monday (Oct 6), the task force, formed in September 2025, said the independent panel will review the findings of the technical audits and share international best practices that can improve rail reliability.The five-member panel consists of Ir Dr Tony Lee Kar Yun, Patrick Bauchart, Dr Cai Chang Jun, Professor Tsay Huel-Sheng and Kon Shinichiro, who each have different expertise in areas including operations and maintenance, signalling technology and power supply systems.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) will be getting a new leader after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced a leadership change on Monday (Oct 6).How Kwang Hwee, 46, will be appointed Commissioner of Police on Jan 6. He will take over from Hoong Wee Teck, 62, who is retiring after 10 years in the role.How joined the SPF in 1998 and rose to his present post as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Policy) in 2024.He had previously led the Operations Department as its director and was also the Deputy Commissioner for Investigation and Intelligence. How is credited with leading the planning and execution of several major operations, including the security operations of the Trump-Kim Summit in 2018 and the anti-money laundering cases which resulted in the arrest of 10 foreign nationals. 

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of an 18-year-old woman who was reported missing on Oct 3.In a news release on Monday (Oct 6), the police said Nurin Huraiyah Binte Hasnizam was last seen on Oct 3 at around 5pm in the vicinity of Block 556 Bedok North Street 3.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:723311]]editor@asiaone.com 

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has extended his condolences to the families of those who died in the Optus outage.The Australian telco is wholly owned by Singtel.In an interview with Australian broadcaster ABC on Thursday (Oct 2) and released on Monday (Oct 6), PM Wong noted that he fully understands the anger and frustration caused by the incident.«I would like to extend my condolences to everyone who has been impacted by the outage, especially the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.» A 68-year-old woman and two men, aged 74 and 49, died and more than 600 customers were affected across Australia after Optus' emergency call services suffered an outage for about 13 hours on Sept 18. This was Optus' second major outage since 2023.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will be making his first official visit to Australia and New Zealand as head of government from Oct 6 to 11.His visit coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations with both countries, and also reaffirms the excellent state of bilateral ties, said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in a statement on Oct 6. PM Wong will visit Australia from Oct 6 to 9, and will hold the 10th Singapore-Australia leaders' meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.The leaders will also participate in the signing of the joint declaration to launch the upgraded Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. PM Wong will also call on Governor-General Sam Mostyn and meet with leader of the opposition Sussan Ley.He will then leave Canberra for Sydney where will meet with New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, senior business leaders, and have a dialogue at the Lowly Institute. 

Three people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out in a HDB flat kitchen in Toa Payoh on Monday (Oct 6).Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at Block 63, Lorong 5 Toa Payoh at around 9.45am.Upon arrival, SCDF found that the kitchen of a third-floor unit was on fire and that the blaze was extinguished using a water jet.As a precaution, about 50 residents from the affected block were evacuated by the SCDF and the police.Two people were assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital, while another person who felt unwell was sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.SCDF added that preliminary findings indicate that the cause of the fire is likely from an electrical origin in the kitchen.

SINGAPORE — A sandbox pilot to offer influenza vaccination at retail pharmacies has proven so popular that more outlets will soon offer this service to the public.The three major retail pharmacy chains participating in the sandbox — Guardian Health & Beauty, Unity Pharmacy, and Watsons Singapore — will expand the service after obtaining approval from the Ministry of Health (MOH).While a regulatory decision has not been made whether to mainstream this service, MOH will run this sandbox for at least another year.Influenza vaccination has traditionally been offered at private general practitioner (GP) clinics, travel clinics and polyclinics.In October 2024, MOH launched a trial allowing the public to be vaccinated at three retail pharmacies — Guardian at Nex in Serangoon, Unity at Parkway Parade in Marine Parade, and Watsons at Paragon in Orchard.It was initially targeted to minimally run for a year before MOH licenses such community services under the Healthcare Services Act.

The man suspected of murdering a 30-year-old Vietnamese woman outside a HDB flat in Yishun was taken back to the crime scene by the police on Monday (Oct 6).Koh Ah Hwee, 66, arrived at Block 323 Yishun Central just before 10am in an unmarked police vehicle, dressed in a red polo T-shirt, navy blue shorts and clear slippers. The Singaporean was restrained at his wrists and ankles and led up by about five police investigators to the fifth floor of the block, where he resides.Koh, who appeared stoic, was questioned there for about an hour before being taken to the sixth floor, where the deceased Nguyen Phuong Tra and her husband lived.

The police has nabbed seven men - aged between 28 and 53 - for their suspected involvement in a transnational illegal betting syndicate.The arrests occurred during an operation which was made possible by a collaboration with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Meta, said the police in a news release on Monday (Oct 6).The police stated that they had received several reports of victims in Singapore being enticed to open accounts with an online gambling website since March 2023. These victims would then be asked to transfer money to anonymous bank accounts in exchange for gambling credits. They could initially redeem their winnings through bank transfers from these anonymous bank accounts. However, after these victims continued to gamble and attempt to redeem more winnings, the syndicate would inform them they need to either accumulate more winnings or purchase more credits in order to redeem the funds they won. Several victims lost more than $175,000 as a result of this scam, said the police.

SINGAPORE - Ms Rinchen Koh and Mr Benjamin Burke were on their usual walk in the neighbourhood with their shih tzu, Casper, when a German shepherd dashed out and attacked the smaller dog.As Casper was bleeding profusely from a ripped jaw, the couple could not get any taxis to take them to an animal hospital. Thankfully, a neighbour stepped in and sent them to Beecroft Animal Specialist & Emergency Hospital, where Casper underwent surgery to stop the bleeding. They arrived at the hospital about an hour after the incident occurred.The horrifying ordeal in June 2023 left Casper with a ripped jaw, and he had to have his lower jaw replaced.Ms Koh and Mr Burke were then working in veterinary clinics as a vet nurse and a vet technician respectively. The couple wondered if the response time could have been shortened if there had been an emergency service available.Thus, in September 2023, together with a private investor, Ms Koh and Mr Burke pooled together $10,000 and set up Royal Animal Rescue (Rar). The goal is to provide swift pre-hospital care for all pets and transport them to a pet hospital as quickly as possible in an emergency.

A 33-year-old man was taken to hospital after an accident involving two cars and a lorry in Hougang just after midnight on Oct 5.The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident along Hougang Avenue 8 and the junction of Hougang Avenue 7 and Hougang Street 52 at about 12.05am on that day.A 29-year-old male car driver is assisting with investigations, the police said.Another male car driver, 33, was taken conscious to Sengkang General Hospital, the authorities said. SCDF added that it assessed a person for injuries, but the person declined to be taken to hospital.A photo uploaded to social media platform Reddit by user Various_Bluejay_1004 showed the aftermath of the accident.A white GetGo car with a damaged bonnet can be seen facing the flow of traffic on the right of a two-lane road.Several onlookers can be seen gathered on a nearby grass patch.In another video posted on TikTok by user annaphylaxisb, a black car with its back part severely damaged can be seen stationary in the yellow box on the road. Debris can be seen strewn across the ground.