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.

Ride-hailing operator Grab will implement a temporary adjustment, adding 40 cents to its existing 50-cent fuel surcharge, to help its drivers cope with the ongoing fuel price volatility.This was announced on Tuesday (March 31) as Grab introduced a $1.1 million driver-partner support package to help drivers cope with increased daily operating costs.Grab said its existing 50-cent «driver fee», introduced during earlier periods of elevated fuel prices, will be renamed as a single «fuel surcharge» line item.This means that its passengers will now see a 90-cent line item named «fuel surcharge» in their post-trip receipt.The move, which will entirely go to Grab's driver-partners, does not apply to standard and metered taxi rides.A Grab spokesperson said: "We know that every dollar in the daily budget is being stretched right now, and we don't take the impact of even a small adjustment lightly. 

A woman was reportedly charged $1,500 for using 222GB of local mobile data, but says there is no way she could have exceeded her plan's monthly data bundle by twice.M1 customer Anna Huang (transliteration) told Shin Min Daily News that she pays $25.42 monthly for her phone plan, which includes 100 gigabytes (GB) of local data.On Feb 16, the woman reportedly received a text message from M1 informing her about additional charges of $795.91.When she called the customer service hotline, a representative confirmed the charges but purportedly declined to share details of the data usage as the bill had not been generated.Huang said she switched off data roaming on her phone after the call.When she checked her February phone bill in early March, the woman was stunned to see the receipt state that she had exceeded her local data usage limit by 122GB.Including the price of her monthly plan and GST, her total bill came up to $1516.13, according to Shin Min.

Singaporeans should brace for a period of «higher and more volatile energy costs» as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to severely strain global fuel supply chains. In a statement on Tuesday (March 31), the Energy Market Authority (EMA) warned that while regulated tariffs for electricity and town gas in the second quarter of 2026 have only been partially impacted, subsequent quarters are likely to see sharper increases in price. As a small city-state, Singapore heavily relies on energy imports, with approximately 95 per cent of electricity produced from imported natural gas. This same fuel serves as the primary feedstock for town gas production, meaning any global price surge directly translates to higher utility bills for every consumer across the island. The current regulatory framework determines tariffs based on average fuel costs in the first 2.5 months of the preceding quarter. This means calculations for the April to June period were based on prices from January to mid-March.As natural gas prices only began to climb after Feb 28, the full weight of the crisis has not yet been felt by households.

An elderly man was apprehended after locking himself inside his Clementi HDB flat on Monday (March 30) afternoon.Photos of the incident shared on Threads showed police cordoning off an HDB block, while SCDF officers deployed a yellow airbag. Several SCDF and police vehicles were also present at the scene.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police said they received a call for assistance at Block 358 Clementi Avenue 2 at about 11.20am.Upon arrival, it was established that a 79-year-old man had locked himself inside a residential unit.Based on the police's assessment that the man might pose a danger to himself, officers from the Special Operations Command, the Crisis Negotiation Unit, and the SCDF were deployed to the scene.Police officers subsequently managed to gain entry into the man's unit at 1.50pm. 

A man accused of making prank calls to the police and throwing eggs at responding police officers was brought back to the scene of his alleged crime just after 10am on Tuesday (March 31) morning.Davin Lian Ke Xiang, 28, is also accused of making at least 18 prank calls reporting criminal activities, which turned out to be false.On three separate occasions — March 15, March 21, and March 22 — he allegedly threw eggs at responding officers after they got out of their police vehicles at Block 296 Punggol Central.The calls were made through a mobile phone line fraudulently obtained using a lost identity card.Lian was wearing a white collared T-shirt, black shorts and a mask covering his entire face as he was brought to the crime scene. He was also taken up to the fifth floor at one point, and he later spent about 10 minutes answering questions from investigators.Throughout the morning, Lian was seen avoiding eye contact by hanging his head low.He will return to court on Wednesday (April 1), where he will be charged with vandalism.

A 23-year-old man was arrested on Sunday (March 29) for allegedly stealing a motorcycle parked at a carpark in the Marina Bay area.The incident happened at about 8.10am at a carpark along Bayfront Avenue. Checks by AsiaOne indicate that the alleged crime is likely to have happened at the Marina Bay open carpark. At least three areas have been allocated for motorcycle parking in the said carpark. Map showing the Marina Bay open carpark along Bayfront Avenue. INFOGRAPHIC: AsiaOne (Images and Map from Google Maps) Officers from Central Police Division established the identity of the man within 15 hours of the report. This was done through ground enquiries and with the aid of police cameras and closed circuit television (CCTV).

A fire broke out at a shophouse restaurant in Little India on Monday (March 30) night.The incident happened at about 8.10pm at 10 Roberts Lane. Map showing the location of the fire incident at 10 Roberts Lane. INFOGRAPHIC: AsiaOne/Shafiq Apandi Checks by AsiaOne indicate that the said location is the registered address of Bar B Q Tonight, a Pakistani cuisine restaurant.When AsiaOne reached the scene at about 9pm, there were at least three fire engines, two police fast response cars and an ambulance present.A police cordon in place around the affected shophouse unit stretched across three units. 

Yeo Hiap Seng, also known as Yeo's, has laid off 25 employees at its Senoko facility in Singapore, the company announced on Tuesday (March 31).Yeo's stressed that it is «fully committed» to aiding the 25 employees with job placement assistance, career guidance and counselling support. «Wherever possible, opportunities for open roles within Yeo's Malaysia will be offered,» the company said, adding that the retrenched workers will receive benefits commensurate with each of their salaries and years of service.Yeo's has also worked closely with the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union to ensure that the retrenchment package and support provided reflect appreciation for the contributions of the affected staff, the company stated.It explained that these retrenchments are part of a streamlining of operations to consolidate can manufacturing in Malaysia, which enables the Group's Johor and Selangor facilities to optimise utilisation of resources and improve manufacturing efficiency.

Cotton On has no plans to exit the Asia region, the retail company said in a statement released on March 31.A Cotton On spokesperson said: “There have been misleading media reports suggesting that Cotton On stores operating in Asia are being closed, this information is incorrect and we have no plans to exit the Asia region.”The statement added that Cotton On Asia, the liquidated entity, does not and has never operated any stores or employed team members. It was an inactive holding company that is no longer required.“This has no impact on customers, teams, stores, suppliers or operations within the Asia region,” Cotton On said.A notice published in the Government Gazette on March 30, stated that Cotton On Asia was to undergo voluntary liquidation, and that liquidators from PwC Singapore were appointed to wind up the business.But checks on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority website on March 30 showed that a second entity, Cotton On Singapore, is still operating as a retail business providing clothing for adults.