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.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan is on a five-day working visit to three North Asia countries from Sunday (May 24).In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said the visit to China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea are part of Singapore's ongoing efforts to engage external partners amidst global challenges.DPRK is North Korea's official name.Dr Balakrishnan is expected to meet with his counterparts in the three countries to reaffirm bilateral ties. He will also exchange views with his counterparts on regional and international developments.In China on Monday, he will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, Liu Haixing.Both foreign ministers have been in their respective roles for over a decade. Wang Yi was first appointed to the role in 2013, while Dr Balakrishnan became Singapore's foreign minister in 2015. Dr Balakrishnan will then fly to Pyongyang, where he is scheduled to meet with DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui.

The number of new HIV cases in Singapore has been gradually decreasing over the years, even though there was a slight increase in 2025, said the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA).In an update on the HIV/AIDS situation in Singapore, CDA on Saturday (May 23) said there were 166 new cases of HIV reported among Singapore citizens and permanent residents in 2025, a slight increase from the 151 cases reported in 2024. This brings the total number of Singapore residents known to be living with HIV to 7,248 as of end 2025, with a prevalence of 172 infections per 100,00 resident population. As of June 2025, Singapore's resident population stood at 4.2 million. «The number of new cases annually has been gradually decreasing over the years, ranging from 300 to 500 from 2009 to 2019, 200 to 270 cases from 2020 to 2023, before declining to few that 200 cases annually since 2024,» the agency stated. Explaining the increase recorded in 2025, CDA said that year-on-year fluctuations are expected, adding that it will continue to monitor the trend.

Despite continued and routine enforcement actions taken by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) against errant personal mobility device (PMD) users, one teenager appears to not have taken heed.A video posted by Instagram user YX on Saturday (May 23) shows a male teenager riding his PMD down Keppel Road at night, while mimicking Superman, extending his legs out into the air. Map showing where the male teenager was spotted riding down the road dangerously. GRAPHIC: Google Maps, Social media Based on the video, the teen whizzed past at least two cars driving along the leftmost lane in vicinity of Keppel MRT station. Checks by AsiaOne indicate that the stretch of road has a speed limit of 60kmh. 

Korban arrangements at four mosques in Singapore have been disrupted as export approval from Australian authorities was not obtained in time, said the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) on Saturday (May 23).In an earlier statement on Thursday, Muis said four mosques may face delayed arrival of live sheep as their licensed local korban operator, The Meat Brothers, was still pending export permit approval under Australia's Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System.The operator is responsible for about 400 live sheep meant for Al-Firdaus Mosque in Choa Chu Kang, Petempatan Melayu Sembawang Mosque and Pusara Aman Mosque in Lim Chu Kang. It is also responsible for a portion of the livestock for Jamae Chulia Mosque in Chinatown.In a social media post just before 6pm on Saturday, The Meat Brothers updated that it still has not received the required approval.«Given the situation, it is now increasingly clear that the livestock will not be able to enter Singapore in time,» the operator said.[[nid:736383]]

Ride-hailing operator Grab on Friday (May 23) announced that it will extend its temporary fuel surcharge and adjustment to metered taxi fares for an additional two months, to provide its driver-partners with continued relief amid elevated pump prices.In a media alert on Friday night, Grab said both the 90-cent fuel surcharge for ride-hail services and the 1-cent increase in metered fare will be extended till July 31.The operator reiterated that the amounts will go entirely to its driver-partners, with no commission taken by the platform.Alvin Wee, senior director of transport and country operations at Grab Singapore said that they recognise the pressure faced by their driver-partners due to higher pump prices.«We are maintaining these adjustments to ensure driving remains a viable livelihood while keeping the marketplace sustainable,» Wee said. 

A 26-year-old Malaysian man will be charged in court on Saturday (May 23) over his alleged role in a scam involving impersonation of Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) officers.Following his arrest on Friday, the number of Malaysians caught in Singapore for allegedly helping scam syndicates to collect cash and valuables since March this year now stands at 27.On May 21, a 34-year-old Malaysian woman was charged for assisting a crime syndicate to collect cash amounting to $13,700 and gold from a female victim.Modus operandi: Money laundering investigationPolice said they received a report on May 19 from a 61-year-old female victim who had received a call from an unknown person claiming to be from YouTrip on May 13.The victim was told that her account was involved in a money laundering investigation, and she was instructed to contact a purported MAS officer for further details.

Seven persons, aged between 19 and 49, will be charged in court on Saturday (May 23) for their alleged involvement in fraudulently registering SIM cards that facilitated criminal activities.Police said in a news release on Friday night that the individuals, comprising a Singaporean and six Malaysians, were arrested during an island-wide enforcement operation between May 21 and 22.The operation targeted errant retailers who were allegedly engaged in the registration of postpaid SIM cards that were subsequently used by overseas syndicates in crime.According to the police, the seven men had allegedly used the information of actual customers to register for additional postpaid SIM cards. These cards were then supplied to other people, and the mobile lines were subsequently used in impersonation scams.Those convicted of facilitating the fraudulent registration of SIM cards that facilitate criminal activity will face a fine of up to $10,000, jail of up to three years, or both.