Singapore will build its first new Hindu temple in 20 years in Yishun, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) said on Wednesday (April 1).The ministry said in a statement that construction for the Sree Guruvayoorappan Ayyappan Temple in Yishun Avenue 3 is expected to begin by September and will take up to three years.The last Hindu temple to be built was the Arulmigu Velmurugan Gnanamuneeswarar Temple in Sengkang in 2006.MCCY said that the Sree Guruvayoorappan Ayyappan Temple will also feature an adjacent annex building with a multi-purpose hall and event spaces to host cultural, educational and social outreach programmes.The facilities will support community-building initiatives such as inter-faith collaboration and food distribution, the ministry added.  Former MP R. Ravindran will lead the temple’s board of trustees to oversee the construction of the temple.

A 29-year-old Malaysian man and a 19-year-old Singaporean man were arrested on Monday (March 30) for their alleged involvement in a case of government official impersonation scam.The 29-year-old is also the tenth Malaysian to be arrested for similar cases in March this year.In a statement on Wednesday night, the police said they received a report from an 86-year-old male victim who got a call from an unknown person claiming to be from telco Simba. The unknown person claimed the victim's identity was used to purchase equipment. He was then contacted by another person shortly, who claimed to be an officer from the Ministry of Law.The «officer» directed the victim to transfer close to $13,000 to a specified bank account to prove that he did not purchase the equipment. The male victim complied and transferred the requested amount accordingly. He only realised that he has been scammed after he told his family about the matter. 

Former police commissioner Hoong Wee Teck will take over as chairman of the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) from Wednesday (April 1), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced in a press release on the same day.Hoong, who is presently deputy chairman of GRA, served in the Singapore Police Force for 38 years and led it for 11 years as its commissioner.He handed over command to new top cop How Kwang Hwee earlier in January.The ministry paid tribute to outgoing chairman Tan Tee How, who served in the role for about eight years.«His leadership has helped GRA to effectively fulfil its responsibilities of keeping gambling in Singapore free from criminal influence, and minimising its harms to Singapore society,» MHA said.The former Casino Regulatory Authority was reconstituted as GRA in 2022, following the enactment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Act and the Gambling Control Act.

With more than 30,000 fans in attendance at the National Stadium, Singapore signed off their 2027 Asian Cup qualifying on a high with a 1-0 win over Bangladesh in their Group C clash on Tuesday (March 31).The Lions thus completed the campaign unbeaten.Harhys Stewart's first-half goal in the 31st minute, his first in international football, was the difference as the Lions withstood immense pressure from Bangladesh to seal the win.A swift counter-attack saw Glenn Kweh played through on goal, and his powerful shot was parried by Bangladesh goalkeeper Mitul Marma.The rebound fell kindly to Ikhsan Fandi, who showed composure to tee up Stewart, who tapped it into the net, sparking a roar from the crowd.Bangladesh continued to press after the break and spent long periods in Singapore's half but were unable to find a way through.Speaking after the match, Lions' coach Gavin Lee said: «I think first and foremost, we've got a good result, but not a good performance.»I think all the boys know despite us having a clean sheet and finishing the campaign unbeaten, we’re definitely not satisfied with the performance."

Enhanced public health measures for measles will be implemented from Wednesday (April 1), after 12 new cases were reported between Feb 1 and March 24. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said the reported cases involve those living in Singapore, with six having travelled abroad recently.Of these cases, 11 were not fully vaccinated, including two infants under 12 months old who were not yet eligible for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination.Among the cases, eight are not genetically linked, while four are part of a known cluster, the agency said, noting that there is currently no evidence of wider community spread and that epidemiological investigations are ongoing. Under the new measures, CDA said it will maintain most of the stepped-up precautions introduced in February, including mandatory testing for all suspected cases.Additional precautions will apply to individuals who work or study in high-risk settings, such as childcare centres with infants below 12 months and healthcare facilities with medically vulnerable individuals.

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) has taken water filter company AOX to task for misusing its logo to promote its products.In a statement on Tuesday (March 31), the consumer watchdog said that investigations found that AOX had also included a «false and misleading» statement in its physical stores: «Our findings were verified by Competition and Commission of Singapore». CCS said that the use of its logo is both an unfair trade practice and an offence.AOX has since admitted to committing the offence and agreed to stop using CCS’ logo and refrain from engaging in any unfair trade practices. It will issue a clarification on its website and in its physical stores.CCS Chief Executive Alvin Koh said: «Representations that CCS has verified any product-related claims when this was not done is an unfair trade practice as it misleads consumers.»Businesses should not, in marketing their products or services, misuse CCS’ logo."

Singtel mobile customers on Tuesday (March 31) reported receiving SMS notifications informing them of a «goodwill rebate» on their upcoming bill.Messages shared with AsiaOne read: «We sincerely apologise for the recent network disruption. We know how important staying connected is. As a small gesture, you'll receive a $5/$10 goodwill rebate on your bill — no action needed.» Singtel postpaid customers have reported receiving messages informing them of «goodwill rebate» on their bill. PHOTO: AsiaOne readers The telco added that the rebate will be reflected within the next one to two billing cycles, assuring customers that Singtel will continue to enhance its network and strengthen resilience.

Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today.1. Over 1 million households to receive U Save, S&CC rebates in April: MOFMore than one million Singaporean HDB households will receive U-Save and Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates in April as part of the permanent GST Voucher scheme... » READ MORE2. Woman hit with $1,500 phone bill after racking up 222GB: 'How could I have used so much data?'

Malaysia has increased enforcement measures at checkpoints bordering Singapore to prevent subsidised items from being taken across the border, The Star reported on Tuesday (March 31).These include more checks by the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency, a Malaysian Home Ministry official told The Star.Raising concerns that Singaporeans might head to Johor to stockpile essentials amid the Middle East conflict, the official added: «We do not want people to smuggle subsidised packet cooking oil or other subsidised items such as sugar, flour and rice.»Fuel is also an issue and officers will be flagging any motorists who take back petrol in containers.Speaking at a screening operation involving 20 officers that took place last Thursday at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex, the official explained: «The main reason is to curb any form of smuggling and for people to adhere to the regulations set by the agencies.»

SMRT-owned point-to-point transport operator Strides Premier has raised its street hail fares and time-based unit fare since Monday (March 30).In an announcement on Tuesday (March 31), it said the increase in street hail fares by 1 cent per distance and time-based unit fare — which came into effect on Monday — are part of measures to support its taxi and private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver-partners.Other measures include a one-time $50 fuel credit that can be used at Strides Premier's in-house fuel station at Changi South; fuel savings of up to 35 per cent compared to prevailing market rates at its in-house fuel station; and up to $500 in fuel credits for new PHV or driver partners.Strides Premier noted that drivers are feeling the strain from rising fuel costs, adding that stakeholders are coming together to help ease the pressures collectively.Said CEO Ang Wei Neng: "Our taxi and PHV driver-partners are the backbone of our business, and in times of rising fuel prices, we stand by them.

Electricity and gas tariffs will increase from April to June amid rising fuel prices due to the ongoing Middle East conflict.Grid operator SP Group said in a statement on Tuesday (March 31) that household electricity tariffs will increase by 2.1 per cent from the previous quarter to 29.72 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) after Goods and Services Tax.This means that the average monthly electricity bill for four-room HDB flats will increase by $1.96.Checks by AsiaOne on the Open Electricity Market’s price comparison website showed that fixed-price retail plans for residences currently ranged between 28.80 cents and 29.18 cents per kWh.Meanwhile, City Energy said that gas tariff will increase from April to June, from 23.63 cents per kWh to 23.89 cents per kWh, attributing the hike to the Middle East war which began on Feb 28.«The town gas tariffs in the subsequent quarters are expected to increase further as the full effect of the elevated fuel prices are incorporated,» said City Energy.

More than one million Singaporean HDB households will receive U-Save and Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates in April as part of the permanent GST Voucher scheme. In a statement released on Tuesday (March 31), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said the rebates will help to offset utilities expenses and S&CC for lower- and middle-income HDB households. Eligible households will receive up to $190 in U-Save rebates and up to one month of S&CC rebates in April, depending on their flat type, the ministry added. The U-Save rebates amount for April and July 2026 will include the additional U-Save rebates announced during Budget 2026.In total, households can receive up to $570 in U-Save rebates and 3.5 months of S&CC rebates.  The rebates are disbursed quarterly in April, July, October, and January each year, with the April payout marking the first quarterly disbursement for 2026. 

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has flagged social media companies X and TikTok for «serious weaknesses» in proactively detecting and removing egregiously harmful content.The two firms did not adequately act against the child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEM) and terrorism content uploaded to the respective platforms, said IMDA on Tuesday (March 31).The industry regulator issued letters of caution to the two social media services to place them both under enhanced supervision.The warning requires them to regularly provide updates on implementing rectification measures, which is enhancing their automated detection systems to flag violations.The Code of Practice for Online Safety - Social Media Services requires designated social media services to proactively detect and swiftly remove CSEM and terrorism content before they are viewed by users.In its Online Safety Assessment Report in 2025, IMDA identified 73 cases of CSEM that originated from or targeted Singapore users on X, up from 33 in 2024.On TikTok, 17 cases of terrorism content shared by Singapore-based accounts were found.

China-headquartered oil and chemical company Sinopec caught up on the diesel surge, raising its posted price for diesel by 21 cents on Tuesday (March 31) morning.Its move follows that of Shell's 20-cent diesel hike over the weekend, and that of Caltex, Esso and SPC on Monday. As with the other major fuel companies in Singapore, Sinopec kept its petrol prices unchanged.Diesel prices here first started to surpass the price of 95-octane petrol on March 12 with Caltex and Shell raising their respective posted price for diesel to $3.38.On that day, the price of 95-octane petrol was recorded at $3.35 at both fuel companies.Following the latest round of diesel hike by Sinopec, the price of diesel now ranges from $3.92 at SPC to $4.13 at Caltex, Esso and Shell.