There may be some relief from the sweltering heat, as thundery showers are forecast on most afternoons for the rest of April, the Meteorological Service Singapore said on April 16 (Thursday).The weatherman said short-duration thundery showers are expected over parts of the island in the afternoon on most days, with showers extending into the evening on some occasions. Widespread thundery showers accompanied by gusty winds are expected during the pre-dawn and morning hours on one or two days.During this fortnight, daily temperatures are expected to range between 33 deg C and 34 deg C on most days, with temperatures reaching around 35 deg C on a few days.The first half of April was relatively wetter than the second half of March, with thundery showers occurring mostly in the afternoons, driven by daytime heating.Temperatures exceeded 34 deg C on 12 days — with a high of 35.4 deg C recorded at Paya Lebar on April 5.On April 7, widespread rain affected many parts of Singapore in the morning, with a total rainfall of 60.8mm — the highest rainfall for the first half of April — around Punggol.[[nid:732814]]

Three more European Union (EU) countries — Greece, Lithuania and Latvia —will be authorised to export meat and egg products to Singapore, the EU, Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and NParks announced in a joint statement on Thursday (April 16).With Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, the three new additions bring the total authorised countries up to 18.The announcement comes alongside the recognition by Singapore of EU-wide regionalisation measures for animal diseases such as African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease.This allows Singapore to avoid countrywide restrictions and unnecessary trade disruptions to exports, as an outbreak in one region would mean only that region gets restricted, instead of the entire country.Trade from areas outside the restricted region can still be conducted safely with the recognition of these regionalisation measures.

The Singapore brand is seen as reliable and trusted in China with opportunities for Singaporeans and Singapore businesses to collaborate and develop there, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat.He added that the Government will continue to support them to go overseas — to build connections and get opportunities.Chee, who is also deputy chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), wrote two Facebook posts as he wrapped up a five-day working visit to Beijing and Tianjin.Following his meeting with Bank of China chairman Ge Haijiao a day earlier, Chee met with China Construction Bank (CCB) chairman Zhang Jinliang in Beijing on Wednesday (April 15).They discussed further cooperation in areas such as trade financing, infrastructure financing and fintech, as well as supporting Chinese companies looking to venture into the region using Singapore as a launchpad. 

A total of 15 power banks were confiscated from outbound travellers at Changi Airport on the first day that a new rule limiting the number of devices permitted on flights kicked in.In response to AsiaOne's queries, Changi Airport Group said that the 15 power banks were collected from the 275 flights that departed between midnight and 3pm on Wednesday (April 15).The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) had announced on April 6 that all passengers departing from Changi Airport would only be allowed a maximum of two power banks on board flights as of midnight on April 15.All passengers carrying excess power banks would be required to dispose of them before their flights, said CAAS.Power banks also have to adhere to restrictions on power capacity. Only those with capacities of up to 100Wh are allowed, while those between 100Wh and 160Wh require approval from airlines in advance.

Two days after a 31-year-old Malaysian motorcyclist, who was travelling to work in Singapore, died after crashing into a lorry's rear, a photo showing a motorcyclist squeezed between a Malaysia-registered trailer and the Second Link's bridge barrier has sparked discussions on road safety.Farizatul Firdaus, a content creator from Kelantan, wrote in a Facebook post: «Imagine if there was just a small mistake...No speeding, no crashes. Just being hidden can become a tragedy.»His post, published at 9am on Thursday (April 16), received about 400 interactions in six hours and was also shared on some Johor Bahru motoring community groups.Based on the background shown in the photograph accompanying the post and the presence of cones labelled ICA (Immigration and Checkpoints Authority), the incident is likely to have happened along the Singapore-bound direction of the bridge.While it is unclear if the incident took place on Thursday, Firdaus' post has sparked a growing and spirited discussion on road safety involving motorcyclists.

Visiting the Singapore Zoo soon? Keep your eyes peeled for three new additions to the Wild Africa zone — the first-ever litter of Sri Lankan leopard cubs born here.Now over three months old, the «playful» triplets will join their mother Yala daily in the exhibit until mid-May, and subsequently every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, announced Mandai Wildlife Group on Thursday (April 16).The cubs — two males and one female — weigh around 5kg each and are often seen playfighting or curled up together, the organisation added. These behaviour help develop their social and survival skills.«The two males tend to be more laid-back, while the female is more feisty. We can already tell them apart by their demeanour and the spot patterns on their forehead, like fingerprints,» said curator Anand Kumar.The felines were given a clean bill of health after checks and have also received vaccinations against common feline diseases and deworming treatment.

A 36-year-old Malaysian woman will be charged in court on Thursday (April 16) for her alleged involvement in a case of government official impersonation scam.The woman is the 13th Malaysian since March this year to be arrested for facilitating scam syndicates to collect cash and valuables obtained from scams.In a news release on Wednesday, the police said they received a report from a 75-year-old female victim who received a WhatsApp call from an unknown person claiming to be from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).Modus operandi unchanged: Hand over money, valuables for investigationsThe unknown person claimed that the elderly woman was purportedly implicated in a money laundering case.She was then instructed to withdraw cash and hand it over to an «agent» to facilitate investigations. The elderly woman was also assured that the money would be returned after the investigations.The victim proceeded to hand over cash amounting to $10,000 to the Malaysian woman in the vicinity of Jurong West Central.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot flew over 3.8 million passengers in March this year, up 14.9 per cent year-on-year.SIA carried around 2.4 million passengers, up from the 2.2 million in March 2025.This equates to 90.3 per cent of available seats filled by paying passengers, compared to 84.1 per cent last year.Meanwhile, Scoot carried around 1.3 million passengers in the same period, up from 1.1 million in the previous year.In total, around 42.4 million passengers flew in the financial year of 2025/26, a 7.7 per cent increase from the 39.4 million in 2024/25.Explaining the spike, SIA said that there was an increase in demand for travel ahead of the Easter weekend in early April.The ongoing Middle East conflict also resulted in the increase in Europe-bound traffic as the availability of flights through the Middle East air hubs was negatively affected.Dubai and Doha, which would have usually absorbed some of the traffic between Asia and Europe, had their flights curtailed amid airspace closures and drone strikes.

Most fuel companies in Singapore have held fuel prices unchanged for the past week — through a two-week ceasefire and later a US military blockade on Iran which started on Monday (April 13) — except for Shell which raised petrol prices by 7 cents on April 13.Shell's upward price calibration that day also meant it reversed its earlier drop — by 4 cents — on April 9.In a price board update published on Wednesday at 5pm, Shell announced that it has dropped prices across its petrol offerings by 3 cents each, but kept diesel price unchanged.

PropertyLimBrothers (PLB) has said a «majority» of the roles were axed from its media arm, PLB Media, during a recent restructuring exercise, refuting media claims that 90 per cent the roles were cut.PLB said that previous reports from Tuesday (April 14) do not «reflect the scope of the restructuring exercise», but declined to reveal more regarding the scale of the layoffs, reported business publication The Edge.PLB Media reportedly employed close to 100 staff who worked on social media, videography and marketing as at February.«The restructuring affected a majority of the local media team as part of a deliberate transition towards a leaner, technology-enabled operating model,» a PLB spokesperson told The Edge on Wednesday (April 14).The spokesperson also said that a «core team remains in place» to support ongoing content strategy, creative direction and production oversight, and that the current roles are «designed to support a more streamlined workflow, with increased use of AI tools and externalised production resources where appropriate».

Measures to address bullying and hurtful behaviour in schools will be strengthened, including improvements to reporting channels and disciplinary processes, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Wednesday (April 15). Speaking to the media at Teck Ghee Primary School on Wednesday, Education Minister Desmond Lee said that an updated and comprehensive review on anti-bullying measures has been conducted following engagements with parents and students.The measures are being implemented progressively.The review was done with the support of Community and Parents in support of Schools. MOE engaged more than 2,000 educators, parents, students, professional and members of the public since August 2025 for the review.«We have completed the review and have been in the process of implementing some of the nine measures that were recommended by the review — covering four broad areas,» said Lee.These areas include enhancing values education, strengthening school culture and processes, increasing school and staff capacity, and strengthening school-home-community partnerships.

A little kindness goes a long way.A video showing road users and passers-by coming together to help a fallen motorcyclist in Woodlands has warmed the hearts of netizens.A video of the incident, which took place on April 13 at about 4pm, was shared on the Facebook page of SG Road Vigilante subsequently.In the video, a motorist can be seen falling from his motorcycle after hitting a car ahead of him while going over a road hump.Soon after the incident, two male passers-by from the left side of the road went to the motorist's aid, and three others joined them shortly after.Together, they helped to push the motorcycle back to its upright position.

Two persons, aged 34 and 37, were arrested at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) on April 10 for their alleged involvement in a case of cheating. A video posted by TikTok user Daniel shows a long-haired woman dressed in a white shirt, her hands cuffed behind her back, being led to a waiting police car. Daniel said in his post that the incident happened at around 3.45am. He did not capture the moment when the second person, a 37-year-old man, was arrested.In response to AsiaOne's queries, police said they arrested the duo for their alleged cheating while following up on an earlier report. Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao reported that the woman seen in the video and the 37-year-old man are believed to lovers. They had allegedly cheated a male victim into making multiple bank transfers into a designated account. The duo were arrested following the man's report.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:733679]]editor@asiaone.com No part of this story can be reproduced without the permission of AsiaOne.