Singapore's stockpiling of food has broadened to include frozen chicken and other types of food — to ensure that there's a variety to meet Singapore's need during emergencies.But more stockpiling is not the ultimate solution as there are costs involved. «There is a balance between cost elements (Government, taxpayers and businesses), because the more you stockpile, the more holding costs you incur,» said Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Zaqy Mohamad.He was speaking to the media during a visit to a 13,500 sq m stockpile warehouse operated by supply chain and logistics firm YCH Group on Wednesday (Oct 22).The facility, kept as cold as minus 23 deg C, ranks among the largest automated storage and retrieval system facility in Asia.Today, Singapore imports more than 90 per cent of its food from countries like Brazil, China, Malaysia and Poland. 

Almost three quarters of Singaporeans are likely to find online harms more severe if they target vulnerable victims or have a considerable impact on them, according to a multi-phase online safety study conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).The study, titled «Online Harms in Singapore, from Evidence to Action», was conducted between June 2024 and May 2025.Funded by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, it comprised focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, as well as a survey of 600 Singapore citizens and permanent residents, conducted after the focus group discussions and in-depth interviews.The demographic of survey respondents generally reflected the age and gender distribution of Singapore's resident population in 2024.This study was released shortly after the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Bill (OSRA) was tabled in Parliament on Oct 15.[[nid:723988]]In the focus group discussions, respondents from all demographics consistently ranked child sexual exploitation, violent content, terrorism, and vice-related content the most severe online harms.

A man has been charged for allegedly trafficking e-vaporiser pods containing etomidate.The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) charged 31-year-old Chua Beng Kai Jeremy in court on Wednesday (Oct 22), it said in a news release.On Tuesday (Oct 21), officers from the Singapore Police Force responded to a call for assistance and discovered the accused's car stationary and facing against the flow of traffic along Punggol Central.He appeared dazed when approached.Upon inspecting the vehicle, officers found e-vaporisers and alerted HSA. Officers from HSA subsequently seized two e-vaporisers and 30 e-vaporiser pods from the vehicle, said the authority.Laboratory testing confirmed that the seized pods contained etomidate.Investigations are ongoing and the case has been adjourned to Nov 19.Importers, sellers and distributors of etomidate e-vaporisers now face stiffer penalties, including three to 20 years' imprisonment and five to 15 strokes of the cane for importers.Sellers and distributors face two to 10 years' imprisonment and two to five strokes of the cane.

Applications for the October Build-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise have exceeded three times the number of flats launched, said Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat.In a Facebook post, he said that a total of 31,095 applications were received as at Wednesday (Oct 22) 5pm.The exercise — in which 9,144 Standard, Plus and Prime flats were launched across 10 projects — will close at 11.59pm today.Despite being oversubscribed, the minister assured that many first-time applicants have a good chance of securing a flat.«For first-timer families, majority of the three-room and larger flat types, have application rates of two and below,» he wrote.«Overall, the median application rates for first-timer families in the BTO exercises have come down this year (ranging from 1.1 to 1.7), compared to 2024 (ranging from 1.6 to 2.6).»

SINGAPORE — While he was taking a lift at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) with his wife and friends, a man glanced at another woman's buttocks and molested her as he exited.Chinese national Hu Guisheng, 39, was jailed for six days after pleading guilty to one charge for outrage of modesty on Oct 22.He was on a social visit pass to Singapore and was staying at MBS with his wife and friends.The incident happened in the early hours of March 8 after they had drinks at club Ce La Vi on the 57th floor.They left the club at about 1.34am and waited for the lift. The victim, who cannot be identified as there is a gag order on her identity, was also waiting for the lift.CCTV footage of the incident played in court showed Hu holding his wife's hand as they entered the lift.When the lift reached level one, the victim held the door open for the others to exit before her.Hu waited for everyone to step out of the lift before he moved forward to stand next to the victim. Then he took a quick glance at her buttocks and molested her as he exited.

A foreign influencer's stunt at Marina Bay Sands has gone viral after he claimed to have «sneaked» into the infinity pool, which is accessible only to in-house guests.Kaz Sawyer, who has 8.7 million followers on TikTok, is known for posting videos involving challenges and stunts such as welding two cars together, and sending a GoPro down a water hole.In the one-minute video, he is seen trying to access the rooftop garden by sneaking through the entrance, asking hotel guests for help and timing the comings and goings of staff members.All these attempts fail, but the 24-year-old American then claims to have made reservations at the rooftop bar after speaking with a receptionist who tells him it is the closest he can get to the pool. PHOTO: Screengrab/TikTok/Kaz Sawyer He is then seen climbing over a ledge purportedly located near a door that leads directly to the pool.

A man who filmed foreign workers resting at a void deck, questioning whether they were allowed to sleep there, has drawn flak online as netizens weighed in on how migrant workers are treated in Singapore.The clip, shared by singaporeinfluenceviral on TikTok, shows a void deck where at least three foreign workers are seen sitting or lying on mats on the floor.The man behind the camera approaches them and questions their actions, saying that they are «not allowed to smoke inside».«Who said you're allowed to sleep here?» he asks repeatedly. «Here is not your grandfather's place, okay. This is not nice, you know.»The workers, who are sitting cross-legged on the ground, remain silent as the man continues speaking. «You all are all no use,» the man adds before walking away.The caption reads: «Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council allowed contractor to sleep anyhow», questioning whether the foreign workers were homeless or had no proper place to rest.The New Paper has reached out to Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council for comment.

For Muhammad Harith Firas, 15, seeing a close friend struggle with Kpod addiction was both frightening and eye-opening.The Secondary 3 student at Presbyterian High School told AsiaOne on Wednesday (Oct 22): «I know someone who actually vapes, and I've caught him on multiple occasions. Whenever he vapes, he doesn’t behave the same — he becomes very lethargic and gets angry easily.»Added Firas: «His grades were slipping and I get scared that he might actually hurt me whenever I try to stop him from vaping.»On Oct 22, the media were invited to Presbyterian High School to observe how anti-vaping lessons are conducted in schools across Singapore as part of ongoing efforts to educate students about the risks of vaping.Firas is among the secondary school students currently attending such lessons.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) has said that online accusations of wrongful treatment towards a patient were not made with full context of the situation.The hospital said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Oct 21) that it takes the allegations of «insensitive and inappropriate» treatment made by the female patient seriously.Earlier in October, a Facebook user had made a series of Facebook posts claiming that hospital staff of a TTSH ward had forcibly restrained her and administered an «unknown» injection.The incident, she said, took place on Oct 10 where several nursing staff went into the ward, «ripped opened» her clothes and gave her an injection.She alleged that she was arrested and transferred to the Institute of Mental Health despite being «in a clear mind and stable». The patient claimed she was assessed to be of sound mind by doctors there and discharged.She also posted a copy of a police report that she made on Oct 18. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police confirmed that a report was lodged.

Changi Airport posted 17.3 million passenger movements in the third quarter of 2025, an increase of 3.1 per cent compared to the previous corresponding period. Airport operator Changi Airport Group (CAG) reported on Wednesday (Oct 22) that aircraft movements, which includes take-offs and landings, totalled 91,600 — comparable to the same period in 2024. The operator indicated Australia, China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia as the airport's top five markets for the quarter. «China and Vietnam recorded the strongest growth, at 9.7 per cent and 11.3 per cent respectively. The top five city links for the quarter were Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bangkok, Denpasar (Bali) and Shanghai, with the Singapore-Jakarta route posting double-digit growth,» added CAG. Meanwhile, despite global trade uncertainties, the operator reported a 3.7 per cent increase in airfreight throughput compared to the same period last year.The airfreight throughput for the third quarter stands at 531,000 tonnes. 

A total of 18 motorists aged between 23 and 48 will be charged for drink driving on Thursday (Oct 23).In a statement on Oct 22, the police said the 18 motorists were arrested between July and October 2025 after failing breathalyser tests. A 33-year-old man will also be given an additional charge over leaving his van in a manner that caused undue convenience to others.Police said the man was found to have left his van in a stationary position at Clive Street, obstructing other road users and potentially posing a danger to them.

A commuter's encounter with a ScamShield ad on the MRT has sparked online amusement after he was 'Rickrolled' by the campaign.«Your bill is overdue. Pay now to avoid disruption http://p4ybill.cc/27js,» said the advertisement spotted at HabourFront MRT station.The 16-second clip shows TikToker Derrick entering the link from the ad into his phone, before Rick Astley's 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up starts playing.

Three women, who had been accused of organising a procession to publicise the cause of solidarity with Palestine without a permit, were acquitted on Tuesday (Oct 21).However, the prosecution will be appealing this verdict, the Attorney-General's Chambers told CNA on the same day.Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 25, and Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 29, had been charged with one count of organising a public procession in a prohibited area, while Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 37, was charged with one count of abetment of organising a public procession in a prohibited area.They were part of a group of about 70 people who walked from Plaza Singapura mall to the Istana's rear gate on Feb 2, 2024 with the intention to deliver letters regarding the Palestinian cause to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).PMO is located in the Istana and has a mail drop-off point there.All three Singaporean women had contested their respective charges and the case went to trial on July 1.

Singapore's new multi-role combat vessels (MRCVs) are «almost like the battleship Galactica», in the 1970s science fiction series Battlestar Galactica, because their weapon systems and capabilities can be evolved as the mission evolves, said Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing. Speaking on Tuesday (Oct 21) at the launch of the first Victory-class MRCV named Victory at ST Engineering's Benoi shipyard, Chan said that as Singapore's sea lines of communications extend further, new capabilities, such as the MRCVs are needed for Singapore to ensure that these strategic lines, «remain open and accessible».