As the intensifying effects of climate change become increasingly felt, Singapore will not be spared from the impacts and cannot afford to be «mere passive bystanders», said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu. Fu, who is also Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, set out the key tenets of Singapore's first national adaptation plan (NAP) to build a climate-ready nation at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment's (MSE) Committee of Supply debate on Tuesday (March 3).Citing a 2024 World Economic Forum report, the minister warned that climate hazards are projected to cause economic loss of over a trillion dollars by 2050. «Disruptions in food production and water supplies may become frequent occurrences,» Fu said, adding that economic instability and geopolitical contestations such as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, will mean that the planet will face the impacts of climate change «more severely, and sooner».«We must prioritise building a climate-ready Singapore now,» she urged. 

For 39-year-old Sue Yang, safety had always been a given — until Iranian missile and drone attacks struck Dubai, where she has been based with her family for the past four years. Speaking to AsiaOne on Tuesday (March 3), Yang recounted the launch of attacks at the weekend. «I was at home with my family at that time. When it first happened, it caught my family and me off guard because we weren't expecting anything like that,» said the mother of one. «What was especially shocking was when we first heard the explosions (from the weapons and interceptors) — it was pretty terrifying because we didn't know what it was.»Yang shared that her 11-year-old son was initially worried, but she reassured him that everything would be fine. After coordinated offensive strikes by the US and Israel against Iran on Saturday (Feb 28), Tehran began retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the Gulf — including on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where Dubai is located.

A man was arrested for drink driving after being found asleep at the wheel near Sim Lim Square.Photos of the incident were posted on Monday (March 2) to the Complaint Singapore Facebook group, showing a blue GetGo car parked across from Burlington Square.A man in a red shirt was seen being arrested by police officers, and an ambulance was seen parked nearby.In response to AsiaOne’s queries, the police said that received a call for assistance along Bencoolen Street at 10.10am the same day.Upon their arrival, officers observed that a man was sleeping at the driver's seat inside a stationary car. The driver, a 33-year-old male, was arrested for drink-driving. No injuries were reported and police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:730736]]dana.leong@asiaone.com 

The police have arrested three Singaporean men, aged between 32 and 53, in connection with ongoing investigations into transnational scam syndicate Prince Holding Group, its founder and chairman Chen Zhi, and his associates and related companies.Chen, the alleged head of a Cambodian-based scam empire, was extradited to China from Cambodia on Jan 7. He was shown cuffed at his wrists as he was escorted off a China Southern Airlines flight that day. In October 2025, the Singapore Police Force mounted islandwide enforcement operations against Chen and his associates, seizing or prohibiting the disposal of over $150 million in assets. No arrests were made at that time as Chen and his associates were not in Singapore. 

If you have seen videos showing two horses roaming around Pasir Ris on Tuesday (March 3) and wondering if they were generated using artificial intelligence, the answer is they are real.In the videos, two horses — a white horse and a brown horse — were first seen «riding» against the flow of traffic outside Stratum, a private residential development, before «horsing» over to the right side of traffic outside Pasir Ris Elias Community Club.@asiaoneTwo horses, one white and the other brown, were seen «horsing along» Pasir Ris Drive 3 on Tuesday (March 3) morning. AsiaOne understands that the horses are likely to have escaped from Gallop Stable's horse riding school at Pasir Ris Park, some 400m away. A staff member told AsiaOne that the two horses have since returned safely. #sgnews #Singapore #Road #Horse

A tool to assess workers' artificial intelligence (AI) readiness levels and recommend training courses for upskilling will be among the new features that will be rolled out to the MySkillsFuture portal, Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau said in Parliament on Tuesday (March 3).To be launched in the second quarter of this year, it is part of the slew of announcements from Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's Budget 2026 speech which outlined a national push to boost AI capabilities.Developed by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and the Singapore Institute of Technology, users of the tool will gauge their AI readiness level through a questionnaire.They will then receive course recommendations that are appropriate for their skill level.The AI-related courses on the MySkillsFuture portal will also be tagged by archetype, which users can search for through an AI-powered digital adviser, said MOE in a press release.While there is already a wide range of AI-related courses — around 1,600 — on the website, PM Wong said the issue is that it is not always easy to navigate the options and identify what is relevant. 

He may not have found much joy in finding what they set out for, but sadness and a sense of relief instead.Muhammad Fazly Laily, 33, who led a small search party near the Kallang River last Thursday (Feb 26) night, described how they discovered the body of Muhammad Qayyim Daniel Putra Rosli, 13.Daniel was fishing with a group of friends on Feb 25 when he fell into the Kallang River and went missing.Fazly told Malay publication Berita Harian: «I do feel relieved. At least the boy's family is no longer wondering where he is. Otherwise, it would have been a pity for them to keep wondering.»Fazly, who works as a cleaner, said he had decided along with his family that they would join the ongoing search for Daniel after breaking fast.Beginning at 9.30pm from Block 15 Upper Boon Keng Road, he said that they were searching for an hour before they spotted something floating in the water.«We stopped and tried to take pictures, but we couldn't be sure whether it was the body of the deceased or not because it was very dark,» he said, adding that the object looked like «a head and shoulders».

SINGAPORE — A female former teacher has been handed more than 20 charges after she allegedly engaged in sexual activities with at least one underage boy on multiple occasions in 2023.It cannot be determined for now if this case involved more than one purported victim, as all information involving the boy mentioned or any others has been redacted from court documents.The documents also did not disclose how she was linked to the alleged victim or victims.The case involving the 40-year-old woman, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was mentioned in a district court on March 2.There is also a gag order involving the details of a certain school, said to be linked to her case.The woman faces 26 charges in total for offences including procuring an obscene act from a minor, having sex with an underage boy and performing an act that could obstruct the course of justice.Each sex-related charge is said to involve one boy, who was below 16 years old at the time.

Like a scene out of action-adventure video game Grand Theft Auto, there was drama in the quiet neighbourhood of Sembawang on Sunday (March 1) night as police sirens rang through the neighbourhood. The incident happened at about 11.10pm at a Traffic Police (TP) roadblock along Canberra Walk towards Canberra Link. Police told AsiaOne that the driver did not comply with a TP officer's instruction to stop for checks and instead sped off.A video of the incident, filmed at a bus stop in front of Block 108A Canberra Walk, shows two TP outriders and an expressway patrol car in pursuit of a dark-coloured Mazda sedan. They were heading in the direction of Canberra Crescent. According to the police, the car later self-skidded along Canberra Crescent, towards Canberra View, where the 46-year-old male car driver fled on foot, but was subsequently arrested by officers.Police said he was arrested for reckless driving, driving whilst under disqualification, suspected drink driving, cheating and suspected drug-related offences.

SINGAPORE – After dropping off eligible cans and bottles for recycling from April 1, consumers can receive 10-cent refunds via their DBS PayLah! wallets.This is the second digital refund option under the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS), apart from tapping ez-link cards, which was announced earlier.The recycling scheme requires consumers to return their used drink containers at over 1,000 reverse vending machines islandwide.Under the programme, consumers will pay an additional 10 cents, which is a refundable deposit, for bottled and canned drinks ranging from 150ml to 3 litres.To use PayLah!, consumers must generate their personal QR code under “My QR” in the app and scan it at the machine, said DBS Bank in a statement on March 2.PayLah! is open to all residents in Singapore, and people can sign up for the app without a DBS or POSB bank account, it added.After consumers return the bottles and cans, refunds will be credited into their PayLah! wallets, with confirmation via a notification.Reverse vending machines will be placed in supermarkets, HDB void decks and town centres, among other high-footfall areas.

Mobile network operators  in Singapore are «actively working» on resolving three outstanding complaints regarding weak mobile network coverage in the Bidadari estate, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo.Teo, who is also the Minister-in-charge of Cybersecurity and Smart Nation, was responding to a parliamentary question on Monday (March 2) by Member of Parliament Alex Yeo.Yeo, who represents Potong Pasir SMC, had asked the minister if the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) had received feedback of connectivity dead-zones and weak signal strength in the Bidadari estate over the past five years.He also asked if such feedback arose due to a delay by telecommunications companies (telcos) in installing boosters pending the completion of the developments, and how telcos will address such connectivity gaps.In her written reply, Teo reiterated that mobile network operators are required to meet IMDA's quality of service standards. She added that IMDA conducts regular checks islandwide to ensure that these standards are met. 

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) on Monday (March 2) said it is closely monitoring the Middle East situation and will make every effort to support and care for Singaporean students there.«The safety and wellbeing of Singaporean students remain our priority, with every effort made to support and care for them,» Muis said in a statement on Monday evening.It added that student liaison officers in Cairo, Egypt and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' overseas missions and maintaining regular contact with Singaporean students in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.«They have been offering support and guidance during these uncertain times,» Muis said.Parents and/or guardians of students in these countries can contact Muis at 6359-1199 or info@muis.gov.sg should they have further queries.Muis also urged the community to pray for the safety of students and Singaporeans in the Middle East, and for peace to return to the Middle East and all troubled regions of the world.

When faced with disadvantages and setbacks, both Singapore and South Korea share a «basic instinct» — to do better, and not resign to falling behind, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam in a Facebook post on Monday (March 3) evening.Earlier on Monday morning, President Tharman received a courtesy call from South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who is in Singapore for a three-day state visit until Tuesday.

Any hope a male Malaysian bus driver may have that the Malaysia-registered vehicle he was driving may have special powers like in the cartoon The Magic School Bus (1994) was dashed on Feb 24, after Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) image analysts at Woodlands Checkpoint detected anomalies. In a video posted on ICA's social media on Monday (March 2), officers were seen removing rectangular «parcels» from the rear luggage compartment of the vehicle. As search and examination officers tore off the black wrapping, cartons of what appear to be a China-brand cigarette were revealed.ICA said the bus was directed for enhanced checks after its officers noticed anomalies in the scanned image of the vehicle. Search and examination officers went on to extract 1,488 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes from its rear luggage compartment. The 43-year-old male Malaysian driver was arrested and the case has been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation. 

Four men and one woman have been arrested for suspected drug offences, with 1,284 vape pods and nine vapes containing etomidate seized, according to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on Monday (March 2). Additionally, $243,451.35 in cash, small amounts of foreign currencies, high luxury watches and three vehicles were also confiscated. CNB revealed that the arrests took place on Feb 25 and 26, with the former taking place after the bureau received information on a 36-year-old Singaporean man in the vicinity of Bedok North that placed him as a suspect of drug-related offences. He put up a violent struggle and necessary force was used to restrain him, CNB stated. 50 vape pods believed to contain etomidate, also known as Kpods, were seized. A 29-year-old Singaporean man was later arrested that same evening at the junction of Sembawang Road and Mandai Avenue for suspected drug-related offences. He was escorted by officers to a unit in a self-storage facility near Woodlands Close, where 1,084 Kpods were uncovered. His vehicle was also seized. 

The Government is reviewing whether safeguards on online video games are needed, said Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam on Monday (Mar 2).At the Committee of Supply debates in Parliament, Rahayu acknowledged that «many» parents are worried about their child's digital activities.«Children are amongst the most active digital users, and many parents are stretched thin as they juggle monitoring their children's digital usage with other commitments,» she said.Some concerns cited by parents regarding online video games are the exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and screen addiction.«We recognise these concerns and are studying whether safeguards on online video games are needed,» said Rahayu.She shared that the Government is also mindful of other online services that may pose a threat to online safety, including AI.Earlier during the debate, Workers' Party MP He Ting Ru had raised the issue of AI chatbot Grok generating non-consensual intimate images, as well as a previous incident where Singapore students allegedly generated deepfake nude photos of their schoolmates.

Trust and like-minded partners matter more than ever in an increasingly complex and dangerous world, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. He was speaking at a joint press conference with South Korea President Lee Jae-myung on Monday morning (March 2), after the two leaders held a delegation meeting. The South Korean president is on a three-day state visit to Singapore, following PM Wong's official visit in November 2025. During that visit, Singapore and South Korea elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and inked eight agreements. 

By the end of 2027, all Wi-Fi routers will have to meet higher security standards before they can be sold to Singapore households.This means manufacturers must ensure their products are equipped with stronger security measures, including secure communications and authentication mechanisms, said Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How on Monday (Mar 2).Speaking at the Committee of Supply debates in Parliament, SMS Tan said threat actors have been observed to be using more advanced techniques to exploit home routers.A global operation in 2025, which Singapore's Cyber Security Agency (CSA) took part in, found about 2,700 devices in Singapore were infected with malicious software.«When such personal devices are hacked, citizens' privacy can be compromised and their daily activities disrupted. These devices can also be unknowingly hijacked to launch attacks against others,» he noted.

More than 1,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents (PR) are set to benefit from civil legal advice when the income threshold is raised later this year, announced the Ministry of Law. At the ministry's Committee of Supply debate on Monday (March 2), Minister for Law Edwin Tong announced that means test criteria will be raised to a per capita household income (PCHI) threshold of $1,650, up from $1,050. The minister said the move is part of his ministry's efforts to enhance access to justice, thereby ensuring that those most in need can have access to the legal system. «This would cover more households, allowing them to benefit from legal advice in the appropriate cases,» Tong added.Speaking after Tong, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Law Eric Chua said: «This could benefit up to 1,000 more Singapore citizens and permanent residents annually.» According to the Ministry of Law, about half of the litigants for civil matters within the expanded income percentile range remain unrepresented. The ministry said the move will be implemented later in 2026.

Key tourism precincts in Singapore, including Sentosa and Orchard Road, will be redeveloped to strengthen the Republic's attractiveness to international visitors, said Minister of State for the Ministry of Trade and Industry Alvin Tan.Remaining attractive to international visitors through quality tourism is key to helping local businesses weather uncertainty, said Tan during the Committee of Supply debates in Parliament on Monday (March 2).«We are expanding our reach in segments and markets that can drive higher tourism returns, and working with our industry to create more exciting and distinctive experiences,» he said.