Despite the significant potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve and transform lives, governments must remain «clear-eyed», look beyond the hype, and address real concerns about jobs and livelihoods, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Sunday (Nov 23).He was speaking about creating a fair and just future for all at the third session of the G-20 summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa.AI is evolving rapidly, with tremendous potential to improve and transform lives, noted PM Wong, pointing out that the world is still in the early stages of the AI journey.It is therefore natural to see excitement and exuberance about what smarter machines can do, which, he said, is reflected in the massive investments flowing into infrastructure such as data centres."But as governments, we should be clear-eyed and look beyond the hype. 

A small fire broke out on a Scoot flight from Hong Kong to Singapore on Saturday (Nov 22) when a passenger’s power bank overheated. The incident was documented by a user on social media platform Xiaohongshu, who posted a video of cabin crew extinguishing the fire. No injuries were reported.The passenger had noticed a «strong burning smell» towards the end of the flight and thought a laptop had caught fire.In the video, cabin crew are seen gathering and putting an item into a large plastic bag near the front of the plane.According to the passenger, the cabin crew took a long time putting out the fire with water and a fire extinguisher.She said passengers were only informed of the fire through an announcement by the pilot after landing, and that passengers were not allowed to to disembark until firefighters checked the cabin.«There was some panic as we were unsure if the situation was fully resolved. The smell of smoke and chemicals added to the discomfort,» she reportedly told The Straits Times.Another passenger also commented on the Xiaohongshu post with a picture of the cabin wall that appeared to be burnt.

The police are investigating after a video of a private-hire car flashing a racist message at its rear window made its rounds online.In the video uploaded to the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page on Friday (Nov 21), the offensive remark can be seen repeatedly scrolling on the silver Honda Spada's rear-mounted LED panel.The incident is believed to have occurred on Nov 20 along Woodlands Centre Road.The 53-year-old driver, who wanted to be known only as Maman, told Shin Min Daily News he was unaware of the vulgar message that was displayed.«It was supposed to display the words 'Support Liverpool.' I started work at 7.30pm the day before yesterday and didn't get off until 2am the next day. I didn't notice anything unusual at the time,» the driver reportedly said.He only realised something was amiss after a relative sent him a video of the offensive message that was displayed.

Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim will be making his first working visit to Brunei as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs from Nov 24 to 25. In a statement on Sunday (Nov 23), the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said that Assoc Prof Faishal's visit is intended to strengthen ties and build rapport with Bruneian ministers and religious leaders.When in Brunei, Assoc Prof Faishal will meet with Brunei's Minister of Religious Affairs Badaruddin Othman, Minister of Home Affairs Ahmaddin Rahman and State Mufti Abdul Aziz Juned. The acting minister will also visit religious institutions including the Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, which is used to store artefacts with Islamic heritage. Assoc Prof Faishal will be accompanied by senior officials from Muis on the trip.The acting minister was in Saudi Arabia and Jordan from Nov 6 to 11, also for a working visit. 

SINGAPORE – Over the last 25 years, Madam Amidah Sufaat, 71, has started her day at the crack of dawn, preparing meals for pupils at West View Primary School.“Old students of the school still remember me. I have also catered for some of their weddings because they like my food so much,” she said.Soon, the aroma of her fried chicken will no longer waft through the canteen during recess. The school will be switching to a central kitchen model in 2026, catering from Chang Cheng Mee Wah Food Ind.Instead of queueing up in front of different canteen stalls, pupils will pick up pre-ordered meals from automated meal dispensers.Madam Amidah will be joining the new vendor, not as a cook but helping with the logistics when the food trays arrive at the school every morning.“I will miss serving the teachers and the children my food, but the student numbers have fallen over the years, so it is becoming more challenging,” she said.

The strongest link in Singapore's defence ecosystem is every Singaporean playing a part in defending the nation, said Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing. Speaking during his visit to Navy@Vivo 2025 on Sunday (Nov 23), Chan said that threats have evolved to become more complex and extensive.«The mission sets for the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) have become much more complex. The sea lines of communications, the air lines of communications, that we have to secure have become much more extensive.»The threat challenges have become more complicated,« Chan said.Referring to Singapore's finite manpower and resources, the defence minister said Singapore will have to »constantly look at the future" to find ways to overcome the challenges.An encouraging sign, however, has been members of the public wanting the government to share more on how the threats are evolving and what they can do in their respective areas.

From «furnace» to «red light district» — some Bukit Merah residents in a recently repainted HDB estate have raised complaints about the colour choice for their blocks.One resident who has lived in the area for 20 years told Shin Min Daily News that the bright red colour for Blocks 12 to 14 is «visually uncomfortable».The light reflected from the building's exterior also left his kitchen «awash in red» during the afternoon, he said. The colour reflected by the red paint left his kitchen «awash in red» during the afternoon, said one resident. PHOTO: TikTok/Shin Min Daily News «To put it bluntly, it looked like a red-light district!» exclaimed the 59-year-old photographer, surnamed Wen.Wen stated that after he lodged a complaint to the town council in September, workers had repainted part of the exterior wall outside his kitchen white.

Some 4,634 Singapore drivers have been fined a total of RM1.39 million (S$436,400) for various Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) violations since enforcement began on July 1.In a Facebook post on Saturday (Nov 22), the Malaysia's Road Transport Department (JPJ) said 65,039 Singapore-registered vehicles were checked at various checkpoints since the enforcement started. These include the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI), the Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB) checkpoints across from Woodlands and the Second Link, and various locations across JB.The figures were shared by JPJ Deputy Director-General of Planning & Operations, Jazmanie bin Shafawi, at a press conference in JB on Friday (Nov 21) night.Some 159 summonses were also issued between Nov 15 and 20 to vehicles, including privately owned and company-owned ones, that were still under VEP pre-registered status.The summonses were also issued to vehicles that had either not registered for a VEP or had an expired VEP.

JOHANNESBURG - Flexible multilateralism is one way forward as the world works out how to reform the global institutions and rules to address today's challenges, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said at the Group of 20 (G-20) summit on Nov 22.This means that instead of being paralysed by old ways of doing things, smaller groups can start laying the foundations for a refreshed system through plurilateral agreements, with others coming on board later.Countries should also build new partnerships, linking up regions, blocs and like-minded economies in mutually beneficial ways, he added.PM Wong made these points on the opening day of the historic summit in Johannesburg, during a working session attended by leaders of the world's biggest economies.The meeting this year is the first ever to be held in an African country. South Africa, as G-20 president, has focused the attention on issues affecting the world's poorest nations, such as widening economic inequality and debt sustainability for developing countries.

Hong Kong said on Nov 21 that Singapore's Acting Minister for Culture, Community, and Youth, David Neo, has apologised after he was heard calling the Chinese city's football players and fans «idiots» following the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier.The comments were made after Singapore's 2-1 win in Hong Kong on Nov 18, which secured the Lions a place at the 2027 Asian Cup on merit for the first time since they featured as the host nation in 1984.In an Instagram livestream from one of the visiting players' accounts, Neo was seen praising the team's performance. «It was fantastic…you kena pressured by them, all the fans were bloody idiots, end up players also played like idiots [sic]... But you all played like lions,» he said then.

It was a heartwarming exchange which went viral, and not something Station Inspector (SI) Ramdzan had expected. A Malaysian fishing boat had accidentally drifted into Singapore waters on Nov 15, but the friendly interaction with Police Coast Guard SI Ramdzan left such a good impression on one of the anglers that he ended up posting the exchange on social media.In the clip posted on Nov 18, SI Ramdzan had gently assured the anglers with good humour that checks had to be conducted, putting them at ease.The patrol officer shared in a Facebook post by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Friday (Nov 21) that he did not know he was being recorded and was «completely caught off guard» when he found out about the viral video.«I was a bit worried at first because you never know how these things will be perceived.»