Have you found yourself watching the pennies more closely?About six in 10 Singapore consumers said their grocery expenses have increased the most in the past 12 months, according to a post-Budget 2026 poll conducted by Consumers Association of Singapore (Case).Results of the survey, which collected responses from 366 users of the Price Kaki app, was shared by Case president and Radin Mas MP Melvin Yong in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Feb 24).About 59.5 per cent of respondents said grocery costs rose the most, while above 10 per cent of respondents each chose healthcare and transport as the areas they spent more on over the past year.The poll also found that a combined 82.1 per cent of those surveyed believe that the Cost-of-Living Special Payment and CDC vouchers announced at Budget 2026 would be most helpful in addressing cost of living concerns.Eligible Singaporean adults will receive a Cost-of-Living special cash payment of between $200 and $400, and every Singaporean household will get $500 in CDC vouchers in 2027.

Molestation cases went up 7.3 per cent in 2025 compared to the year before, according to the latest police's annual crime brief.The number of cases rose to 1,531 compared to 1,427 in 2024.This is despite the decrease in other crimes of concern — shop theft, theft in dwelling and voyeurism.Of the outrage of modesty cases in 2025, 372 were reported in residential premises, 164 in public transport and 115 in public entertainment outlets.Molestation cases in shopping complexes saw a decline compared to 2024.More than half of the molestation cases in 2025 involved offenders known to the victims, the police added.Overall, last year saw a total of 20,857 cases while 2024 had 19,969, a 4.4 per cent increase.Theft in foreign worker dormsTheft in dwelling saw a 0.9 per cent decrease from 1,514 cases in 2024 to 1,500 in 2025, but the number of cases in foreign worker dormitories jumped 57.4 per cent from 54 to 85 in 2025.Victims and perpetrators were most often residents sharing the same room, police said.

If you encounter a pop-up alert from the police while browsing websites, informing you that «your computer has been blocked» due to outstanding fines, do not enter any bank card details, or your bank balance may be hurt. The scam variant was revealed by the police in a news release on Tuesday (Feb 24), following reports from members of the public. According to the police, victims would encounter fraudulent pop-up alerts claiming to be from the police while browsing websites on their computers or laptops. The websites would appear frozen and unresponsive, while carrying alerts that would contain the police's logo and the victim's purported outstanding fines for violating the law. They would then be asked provide their bank card details to pay the «fines». Those who did so would realise that they have been scammed when they discovered unauthorised transactions made on their cards. «These alerts are fraudulent,» said the police. They also reminded the public to ignore any pop-up alerts claiming to be from the police. 

Member of Parliament Saktiandi Supaat on Tuesday (Feb 24) called for the Government to raise the income tax exemption threshold to «restore» fairness in the tax structure for lower- and middle-income earners. For workers in Singapore, the first $20,000 they make is not taxed. Kicking off the Budget 2026 debate in Parliament, Saktiandi, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Trade and Industry, said that threshold has remained unchanged since its introduction in 2002, while median incomes and the GST have increased. «In real terms, its value has eroded… more low- and middle-income earners enter the tax base not because they are significantly better off, but because the system has not been recalibrated,» he said. The MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC suggested raising the income tax exemption threshold to $25,000 or $30,000 to provide «meaningful relief» to families, so that they can retain more savings and build their assets. To maintain fiscal discipline, Saktiandi said that this move can be paired with calibrated adjustments at higher income tiers. 

A tourist was reunited with her lost 999-gold bracelet, thanks to the SBS Transit staff who helped retrieve it.She had lost it while on a train to VivoCity last month.999-gold, otherwise known as 24-karat (24K) gold, contains 99.9 per cent pure gold.On Jan 18, Facebook user Chuen Yen Liew made a post that his wife had «lost her 999-gold bracelet during her recent trip to Singapore». They reported the loss at Harbourfront MRT passenger service counter, even though they «didn’t have much hope of getting it back». At 6.30am the next day, Chuen said he received a call from the Clarke Quay station manager, who informed him that the bracelet had been found and asked him to collect it. Chuen also thanked assistant station managers (ASM) Bong and Edward «for their honesty and kindness in finding and returning the bracelet», adding that the incident «really restored our faith in humanity». 

The 25-year-old male driver of a dark-coloured saloon car seen driving against the flow of traffic along Bartley Road East in Bedok last December will be charged in court on Wednesday (Feb 25). On December 16, 2025, AsiaOne reported on the incident which happened at about 12.50am on December 14.  Analysing the video, AsiaOne noted that the vehicle was first sighted near the junction of Kaki Bukit Avenue 4 and Bartley Road East. 

SINGAPORE — Volvo has expanded its recall of electric cars in Singapore because of a battery defect that could lead to a fire, with another 58 owners of the EX30 Single Motor Extended Range now affected.The recall initially reported in January involved 143 EX30 Ultra cars. However, seven were later confirmed to be unaffected, bringing the revised figure from that initial batch to 136.Responding to queries on Feb 23, a spokesperson for Wearnes Automotive, Volvo's distributor in Singapore, confirmed that all 194 owners have been notified.As with the earlier recall, owners affected in this round have been advised to limit their car's maximum charge to 70 per cent.This is an interim fix while the owners wait for replacement parts.In January, it was reported that 33,777 cars globally were affected. Volvo informed customers of a potential hardware issue within the car's high-voltage battery. This can cause the battery to overheat if it is charged to above the 70 per cent threshold, which, in very rare cases, could lead to a fire.

A dog has died after allegedly falling from a HDB unit in Choa Chu Kang, according to a Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 19). The post, uploaded by Faizal Bulat to the Lost and found pets in Singapore group, has since garnered over 900 reactions and more than 120 comments. The Facebook post contained a photo of a white dog, which appears to be a maltese, lying on the concrete floor. Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the National Parks Board (NParks) said it was alerted by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to an incident involving a pet dog which allegedly fell from height and died in Choa Chu Kang on Feb 19.«We are in contact with the dog owner and are looking into the matter,» NParks group director for enforcement and investigation Jessica Kwok said. She advised pet owners to secure their house to keep their pets safely indoors and prevent them from escaping or falling from height. Windows and gates should be secured with mesh or grilles that pets cannot squeeze through, and cats and dogs need to be microchipped and licensed. 

Fresh information has emerged regarding the alleged home intrusion in Upper Thomson on Saturday (Feb 21). Residents in the landed enclave told AsiaOne on Monday (Feb 23) that a similar case happened on the first day of Chinese New Year (Feb 17) at a private residential property along Taman Permata, also in Upper Thomson, some 500m away. AsiaOne understands that residents living in the affected property returned home to find what appeared to be shoe marks in the living room and called the police. Similar to the case at Marigold Drive, some houses along Taman Permata also have backyards bordering the dense forested area of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. 

Singapore's present peace, at a time of significant uncertainties and tensions around the world, makes it a «small oasis of peace» that is precious, said Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam.Shanmugam, who is also the Minister for Home Affairs, was speaking at a breaking of fast event on Monday (Feb 23) evening, organised by the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) — formed in 2003 to rehabilitate detained Jemaah Islamiyah members and their families through counselling. The RRG has since broadened its scope to include countering misinterpretations promoted by self-radicalised individuals and those in support of ISIS. Referring to the economic uncertainties, political stresses and conflicts around the world, Shanmugam pointed out that Singapore's peace was one of careful design.«In the middle of all of this, we remain a small oasis of peace. That is because we focus on a number of fundamentals,» the minister said.

The National Parks Board (NParks) announced on Monday (Feb 23) that it will resume crow shooting from the second week of March as part of its efforts to actively manage the crow population.It said that public complaints against crows have risen sharply from about 5,000 cases in 2020 to about 15,000 cases last year.Over the same period, feedback on crow aggression has surged from over 460 cases in 2020 to more than 2,000 cases in 2025.In a Facebook video posted on Monday, Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat said that if the crow population is not brought under control, there will be «more and more» crow-related attacks, thereby affecting the safety of residents.He said: «We should not wait for this to happen before we take action. »I have therefore asked NParks to bring back crow shooting as one of the measures to reduce the crow population in Singapore." NParks said it intensified its multi-pronged crow management efforts after shooting operations ceased in 2020. This includes crow trapping and removal, as well as nest removal.