A pilot study in Singapore involving Lovot — the doll-like social companion robot developed by Japanese firm Groove X — has showed significant improvements in emotional well-being and engagement among both the elderly and children with high support needs. Lovot uses AI to respond to people in real time through movement, sound and interactive behaviours. «It creates a warm and engaging presence that supports attention, participation and emotional connection during structured and organic activities,» said non-profit social service agency AWWA. Among seniors across diverse backgrounds, including those with dementia, interactions with Lovot showed an improved quality of life, greater happiness, and meaningful companionship, said AWWA in a press release on Monday (April 13). Meanwhile, children with high support needs were observed to have improved physical well-being, school environment readiness, and mobility. 

A diner raised public hygiene concerns after two dogs were seen inside a stroller at a coffee shop beside their owners. A photo posted to Facebook on Saturday (April 11) showed the owners and their pets seated at a corner table. In the photo caption, the diner wrote: «Pets are still not allowed in hawker centres (sic) and not everyone likes dog hair in their food — all the more keeping the animals at table level.»What if the animal sneezes or starts shaking off with all the fur flying all over the place?«The diner noted that there are people with various health conditions and that pet ownership has been on the rise. The diner also noted that there are a rising number of pet friendly places and restaurants, and urged pet owners to be more mindful in public places.»Let common spaces remain inclusive, clean and safe for everyone," the diner wrote.In the comments section, several netizens rebuffed the concerns, while others said that local rules and laws should be respected. 

Commuters were evacuated from a train at Sembawang MRT station on Monday (April 13) evening, after smoke was seen coming out of its undercarriage.Videos of the incident shared on social media show several commuters at the platform. The train has its doors open as smoke from the undercarriage comes through the platform gap.Cathrine, who was purportedly onboard the affected train, told Stomp that passengers had to evacuate as smoke was coming out from under one of the train carriages.«Due to an oncoming train, the (affected) train at the station had to depart, but it moved very slowly. This caused the train following behind to move very slowly too,» the commuter said.

SINGAPORE — Singapore's central bank tightened its monetary policy settings on Tuesday (April 14), flagging the risk that an Iran war-fuelled energy shock could push up core inflation even as mounting pressure on growth was underscored by a first-quarter economic contraction.The Middle East conflict has upended global growth and inflation trajectories, throwing interest-rate expectations into disarray. As a small trade-dependent hub, Singapore is especially vulnerable to supply-chain disruptions and volatile energy prices.The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said it would increase slightly the rate of appreciation of the S$ Nominal Effective Exchange Rate Index (S$NEER) policy band, in line with what most analysts polled by Reuters had expected. MAS said there would be no change to its width and the level at which it is centred.«There are considerable risks around the outlook for inflation and growth,» MAS said, adding that the Middle East situation «is evolving and remains highly uncertain».

SINGAPORE — Singapore's economy grew by 4.6 per cent in the first quarter from a year earlier, preliminary government data showed on Tuesday (April 14).Economists polled by Reuters had expected annual growth of 5.9 per cent in the January-March period.On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted basis, GDP contracted 0.3 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2025, according to advance estimates from the trade ministry. [[nid:733597]]

SINGAPORE — The Bloomberg reporter who has been sued by two ministers for defamation over an article he wrote about good class bungalow (GCB) transactions took the stand on Monday (April 13), the fifth day of an ongoing trial.Low De Wei, who is also known as Dexter, maintained that he had acted in good faith and was «motivated by the public interest in transparency and reporting on a trend in the Singapore GCB market».But the ministers' lawyer, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, grilled Low on claiming that certain deals are kept «secret» from the public and accused him of conveying falsehoods.Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng have sued Bloomberg and Low over the Dec 12, 2024, article, headlined «Singapore mansion deals are increasingly shrouded in secrecy».The article mentioned the ministers' property deals in 2023 - the sale of Shanmugam's former home in the Queen Astrid Park area to UBS Trustees for $88 million and Dr Tan's non-caveated purchase of a bungalow in Brizay Park for nearly $27.3 million.

They say imitation is the best form of flattery, and this seems to be the case for Hougang Neighbourhood Police Centre's (NPC) now-viral and much-talked about anti-scam video, with at least two of Taiwan's police districts recreating Mandarin versions of it.The original video, published on April 1, featured 35-year-old Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Benjamin Cheah, and it got over 850,000 views on Facebook at the time of this story's publication. On April 8, Taiwan's Banqiao Police posted a strikingly similar version featuring a male officer, while Kaohsiung Police's criminal investigation department featured a female officer. Both videos have received over 200,000 views on Facebook as at Monday (April 13).Since then, several Taiwanese netizens have raised concerns about plagiarism and copyright, including not crediting the source. 

Singaporeans must brace ourselves as we face multiple knock-on effects following the Middle East conflict, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam said in a speech at the Home Team Promotion Ceremony 2026 on Monday (April 13).He said the Middle East conflict has shown that Iran has the «leverage it can wield» by closing the Strait of Hormuz.«There are reports of ships paying the Iranian authorities tolls for safe passage, up to US$2 million(S$2.5 million),» Shanmugam said.«Before the conflict, 80 ships passed through the Strait daily. If all of them paid that toll, that would be US$160 million per day.»In response, the US announced that it will blockade the Strait, which will also have consequences for Singapore, the minister said.Explaining the impact of the conflict, Shanmugam explained that terrorism threats have increased, oil and energy flows have been disrupted and prices have risen.«Next consequence, a continuation of a new phenomena in world order,» he stated.

Local influencer Eunice Ng, who goes by the online moniker Mermaid Girl, has been charged in court for an offence under the Tobacco Act.The 26-year-old had allegedly advertised e-vaporisers via Telegram, purportedly taking orders from «close clients» whom she trusted, according to screenshots of her Telegram stories posted to TikTok.Citing court documents, The Straits Times reported that she allegedly wrote: «For those who want me to get vape for them, you can send me your pre-order list, and I will try to get them.»If there is high demand, I will set up a Google Form.«One screenshot had also allegedly showed her stating that the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) »didn't manage to catch« her because she had »outsmarted" them, AsiaOne reported in December last year.Ng's Telegram channel still has over 3,000 followers as at Monday evening.In a statement on Dec 30, HSA stated that it is aware of the matter and commenced investigations last month, which Ng assisted with.

The Ministry of National Development (MND) aims to keep housing affordable and accessible to the public by ensuring a robust supply of Build-to-Order (BTO) flats, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Syed Harun Alhabsyi told AsiaOne in an exclusive interview in March.«If you notice, over the past few years, we've actually been building more and building faster,» he said.«This is our effort towards making sure that every Singaporean household can have a flat of their own.»Young families are a critical sector that MND supports, with nine in 10 first-time households able to service their housing loan through the Central Provident Fund (CPF) with little to no cash outlay, he stated.A robust BTO housing supply is also expected to move demand away from the resale market, which will, in turn, moderate market prices.«At the same time, it's also important to note that we do our level best to be able to ensure that grants are available for first-timer households seeking to purchase their first flat,» Dr Syed Harun said.

The petrol price reprieve in Singapore may be over.Just like peace talks between Iran and the US, Shell made the first move again — raising petrol prices by 7 cents on Monday (April 13), on the fifth day after it calibrated prices downwards by 4 cents.In a price board update published at 3.30pm, Shell announced that it has raised prices across its petrol offerings by 7 cents each, but kept diesel price unchanged.With its latest move, the  price of its more premium 98-octane petrol went past the four-dollar mark — to $4.01.

A newly MOP-ed flat in Bedok has just set a new benchmark for the town, with a four-room unit crossing the million-dollar mark for the first time. The record-breaking deal now ranks among the most expensive HDB transactions in Bedok, a segment typically dominated by larger executive and five-room flats.First resale deal at Bedok South Horizon hits $1.12m Recently MOP-ed Bedok South Horizon breaks four-room price record in Bedok.PHOTO: 99.co Recently MOP-ed Bedok South Horizon breaks four-room price record in BedokIn early April 2026, a four-room flat at Bedok South Horizon changed hands for $1.12 million, translating to about $1,118 psf. The Model A unit spans 1,001 sqft and sits on a high floor, between the 16th and 18th storeys at Block 154B Bedok South Road. 

A Bukit Merah HDB block got an unexpected «visitor» after a monitor lizard was seen scaling its exterior wall in a viral video on Friday (April 10).The post was likened to the Taipei 101 climb by a commenter, who wrote: «Monitor lizard spotted! Probably doing the Taipei 101 climb.»Taipei 101 is a skyscraper located in the heart of Taiwan and was the world's tallest building from 2004 to 2010. The animal is seen reaching the height of the HDB block number.In the comments section, several netizens raised concerns about the incident, while others were surprised by the sight.«I have seen monitor lizards climbing trees but not buildings,» said one user.Another commented: «Not safe to sleep with the windows open.»The video has since garnered over 159,000 views and 2,400 reactions as at Monday.

Flexar, the car-sharing platform previously known as BlueSG, will begin its public beta testing phase on Wednesday (April 15).It operates on the same concept as its first car-sharing service, where users can pick up a car at any station and drop it off at another location in Singapore.The beta phase comes after BlueSG's «strategic pause» in August last year, catching users off guard.In a statement on Monday, Flexar said that the beta phase will focus on testing and refining its features in a live environment, including fleet and parking optimisation, vehicle access, as well as ensuring its platform is designed to support more flexible urban mobility.Singaporeans aged 18 and above with a valid driving licence can sign up for free using Singpass with no deposits or membership fees.Through a mobile app, they can have a choice of Flexar's fleet of electric and internal combustion engine vehicles in the central, north, north-east and east regions, including areas such as Punggol, Sengkang, Hougang, Tampines, Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh.