SINGAPORE — Singapore's central bank is working with the country's private banking industry group to shorten the time needed for wealthy individuals to open bank accounts, the bank's chief said on Monday (May 25).The Monetary Authority of Singapore issued a circular on Monday guiding financial institutions to establish a client's source of wealth in a «risk-proportionate» way in order to cut application times, said managing director Chia Der Jiun.The central bank has imposed stringent anti-money laundering controls in the wealth management sector, compelling banks to do extensive due diligence into account applicants.The guidelines are expected to cut the median time needed to open an account to within one month, from the current six weeks or longer for more complex cases, Chia said.Chia was speaking at the UBS Asian Investment Conference (AIC) Singapore Wealth Edition.«It provides further guidance for applying the principles of materiality and relevance, so that financial institutions can avoid unnecessary and excessive steps in the process and be more targeted,» he added.

SINGAPORE/HONG KONG — War in Iran, strained US commitments in Asia and rising tensions over Taiwan will likely dominate the agenda at this week's annual Shangri-La Dialogue, the region's premier defence forum.The free-wheeling informal gathering, running from May 29 to 31, draws an eclectic mix of ministers, generals, intelligence chiefs, diplomats, analysts and weapons makers for carefully worded speeches and frank exchanges behind polished hotel doors.While Vietnam's President To Lam will deliver Friday (May 29) night's keynote, the spotlight will fall squarely on US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth when the Pentagon chief takes the floor against the backdrop of halting efforts to end the war in Iran.US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any deal with Iran, as his administration played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old conflict.The US blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz would «remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed», Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

Six expressway locations will see Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) rates come down by $1 from June 2, while two other expressway locations will see ERP charges go up by $1 from June 29, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Monday (May 25).These six locations are at five expressways — Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), Central Expressway (CTE), and Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) towards East Coast Parkway (ECP), and the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) said LTA.The authority said these locations and time slots were identified in anticipation of lower traffic demand over the upcoming June school holidays. Rates will revert to the prevailing charges from June 29.

SINGAPORE — Singapore's economy grew six per cent in the first quarter of 2026 from a year earlier, government data showed on Monday (May 25), higher than an official advance estimate of 4.6 per cent.On a quarter-on-quarter, seasonally adjusted basis, gross domestic product expanded by one per cent in the January-March period, compared with an advance estimate of a 0.3 per cent contraction.The trade ministry maintained its growth forecast for this year at two per cent to four per cent, but added that the Middle East conflict has significantly raised downside risks.The 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.Inflation data for April will be released on Monday afternoon. In March, core inflation rose 1.7 per cent from a year earlier, and economists expect a similar reading for April.Last month, the central bank tightened monetary policy due to the risk of the Iran war fuelling inflation. 

A coffee shop in Queenstown was reportedly hit with three blackouts in five days, two of which occurred on the same day on Tuesday (May 19). This took place at 777 Coffeeshop at Block 55 Lengkok Bahru near Redhill MRT station, reported 8world on May 21.The owner of the coffee shop, Daniel Tan, appealed for assistance in a Facebook video on Tuesday.«The electrical [sic] keeps jumping,» Tan said. «None of us can do anything now... Our tenants are very angry, nobody can sell, all the food is wasted, please help.»He also added that the residents were also upset over the situation.'Out of business'The coffee shop also looked dark and empty in the video, with tenants seated on the chairs of the tables as it appeared that they were unable to do anything.Speaking to 8world, Tan said that the blackout happened at about 10am on Tuesday, and had immediately contacted multiple organisations over the matter. However, Tan claims that help only came at about three to four hours later.This comes after another blackout which had occurred last Sunday, he alleged.

A 35-year-old female cyclist died after an accident with a tipper truck in Pasir Ris on Saturday (May 23).The incident happened at about 4.35pm near the junction of Pasir Ris Drive 4 and Pasir Drive 3, across the road from Seastrand condominium.  Map showing where the accident involving a female cyclist and tipper truck took place on Saturday (May 23). GRAPHIC: Google Maps, Social media A photo of the accident shared in a motoring chatgroup shows a tipper truck stopped along the road, with a blue police tent placed over the cyclist's body behind it.Several police officers, including those from Traffic Police, are seen at the scene.

In recent days, several rat sightings have been reported in dining establishments at Amoy Street and Kampung Admiralty, but on a train?A 36-second video posted on Reddit on Saturday (May 23) showed just that. In the video, a rat could be seen scurrying about on a train car on the East-West Line where the driver's cabin is located. An announcement in the background says: «Chinese Garden». After running down towards the end of the train car, it makes a U-turn and heads back to a row of passengers who are seen raising their legs in unison as it rushes past them.As the train doors open, it makes a dash towards the end of the train car again, even brushing past packeted food placed in a plastic bag on the train's floor.Meanwhile, two StarHub employees are seen chasing after it. The back of their shirts read, «We got you.»The rat eventually rushes onto the platform, just as a commuter is about to board. Surprised, the commuter steps back and exits the frame.It is unclear if he missed the train.On Reddit, user TheOnlyKishouArima wrote: «The economy (is) so bad that the rat needs to go (to) work.»

A woman found sleeping in the driver's seat of a car parked along Jalan Minggu in Sin Ming was arrested on Saturday (May 23) morning after a subsequent search of the vehicle turned up suspected drugs, drug-related paraphernalia and e-vaporisers, police said. A photograph published by Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao shows police officers, believed to be from the K-9 unit, conducting a search of the vehicle. PHOTO: Lianhe Zaobao The 38-year-old was later taken conscious to hospital and arrested for alleged drug-related offences, police told AsiaOne.She has been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for follow-up investigations. 

New and expanded community support initiatives aimed at helping residents cope with rising living costs will be rolled out, including affordable meal programmes, financial assistance for families and enhanced learning support for children with dyslexia.These include subsidised $2 breakfast sets and a scheme offering up to $250 for eligible families to purchase essential school items.Speaking at a doorstop at Sengkang Community Club on Sunday (May 24) after interacting with residents, Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow said the measures are part of a broader nationwide effort to help Singaporeans manage ongoing economic pressures.Siow, who is also Acting Transport Minister, noted that the Government has introduced several support measures in recent months, including transport enhancements, financial aid and household rebates.

Riding behaviour has come into the spotlight again after dashcam footage surfaced showing a cyclist riding against the flow of traffic along the East Coast Park service road at about 5.15pm on Saturday (May 23).It was not so much the cyclist's act of riding against traffic — an offence under the Road Traffic (Bicycles) Rules — but it is his behaviour which has riled up netizens.Dashcam footage shows the dashcam vehicle travelling along the said road, after car park F2, at what appears to be a safe speed. As the vehicle moves uphill, a cyclist comes into sight, riding against the flow of traffic and keeping to his left. The dashcam vehicle is seen veering left slightly to give way. But as the cyclist nears the vehicle, he sticks out his right leg at the vehicle. It is unclear what his intentions were since the vehicle had already appeared to have given way.While there were several comments likening his action to a dog easing itself, at least one cyclist has spoken out.

SINGAPORE — More than half of eight-year-olds in Singapore have used artificial intelligence (AI) tools, with usage rising sharply by ages 10 and 13.The most popular app among them is ChatGPT.By age 10, more than seven in 10 children have used AI tools, and by age 13, more than nine in 10 have done so.These findings come from a new study by Dr Xuejiao Chen, senior scientist at A*STAR's Institute for Human Development and Potential, and Professor Jean Yeung, paediatrics professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine from the National University of Singapore (NUS).The study examined how children's AI usage patterns are linked to family socioeconomical status. Its findings were presented at the Population Association of Singapore's Annual Conference held at NUS on May 21.Prof Yeung told The Straits Times that this study gives Singapore a first national picture of how children are using AI, and offers insights into how early they are doing so.The study is based on nationally representative data from 2,985 children aged eight to 13 from the Singapore Longitudinal Early Development Study (SG-Leads).

An 87-year-old woman was left bleeding on the road and later taken conscious to the hospital after a car accident in Yishun on Saturday (May 23). The incident occurred along Yishun Road Road towards Yishun Avenue 9, near Junction Nine, reported Chinese publication Lianhe Zaobao. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the incident at about 9am, involving a car and a pedestrian along Yishun Road Road. Photos of the incident, shared in an Instagram post by @sgfollowsall the same day, show the victim lying on the road next to the right rear wheel of a silver car, with a shopping trolley overturned next to her. A pool of blood is also seen.Several passers-by can be seen standing around the scene, appearing to check on the elderly woman and attempting to assist her. She was heading to a nearby market went the incident happened, according to the post's caption. A man dressed in a yellow singlet with phone in hand, who is believed to be the car driver, is seen sitting on the middle strip of the road, reported the newspaper.

A 23-year-old motorcyclist was taken to hospital after he was struck by a van which veered across three lanes on the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE).The accident happened at about 2.35pm on Saturday (May 23) along BKE towards Woodlands.Dashcam footage of the accident posted on Facebook page SG Road Vigilante shows a van veering from the third of four lanes on the expressway to hit a car and motorcycle travelling on the rightmost lane.It is unclear what caused the van's sharp-angled manoeuvre, although the person who uploaded the footage wrote  that the van's driver had hit the brakes before it was seen veering.AsiaOne could not independently verify this claim from the footage. However, based on the footage, it was raining heavily at the time of the accident.