Singapore's manufacturing output rose by 13 per cent year-on-year in May, driven mainly by growth in the electronics, precision engineering and general manufacturing clusters.Excluding biomedical manufacturing, output in May increased by 17.7 per cent, according to official data from the Economic Development Board (EDB) released on Friday (June 26).On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, manufacturing output decreased by 0.7 per cent, while output excluding biomedical manufacturing increased by 3.1 per cent.Biomedical manufacturing droppedBiomedical manufacturing declined 24.2 per cent in May amid softer demand for medical devices, while pharmaceuticals output contracted on lower biologics production and a different mix of active pharmaceutical ingredients, EDB said.The highest growth of 35.8 per cent was recorded in the electronics cluster, led by the info-communications and consumer electronics and semiconductor segments, on the back of robust artificial intelligence-led demand.

SINGAPORE – Singapore-founded Ohmyhome Ltd has sold its main real estate brokerage business and will now focus entirely on digital marketing. The property businesses will continue to run privately and its leadership under sisters Race and Rhonda Wong will remain unchanged.In June 18 filings lodged with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Nasdaq-listed company said it had sold its wholly owned subsidiary, Ohmyhome (BVI), to a corporate vehicle called Sterling Oat for US$1 (S$1.30).Ohmyhome (BVI) is the holding company of Ohmyhome Singapore and its subsidiaries, which are engaged in providing real estate brokerage and property-related services in Singapore and Malaysia.These services include property brokerage, property management, renovation and home improvement services, mortgage referrals, legal referrals and other ancillary property-related services.Ohmyhome Ltd said it decided to dispose of its subsidiary after evaluating its declining revenue and continuing operating losses.

There are close to 400 job vacancies being offered to foreign workers involved in a wage dispute with their employers, said Ng Chee Meng.In a Facebook post on Friday (June 26), Ng, who is secretary-general at the National Trades Unions Congress (NTUC), said that over 80 firms have stepped forward and that job placements will begin next week.The job vacancies will support about 410 foreign workers who are owed wages for several months.According to Ng, the affected workers will also be relocated to a single lodging facility and will be settled in by this weekend, making it easier to coordinate support for all of them.He added that the Tripartite Alliance Dispute Management was present at the foreign workers' dormitory to help the remaining workers lodge their claims directly. «We will make sure no one is left behind in this process,» Ng said.

SINGAPORE — The Monetary Authority of Singapore will soon start consultations on quicker approvals of new types of investment funds within its retail funds regulatory framework, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said at the Association of Banks in Singapore's annual dinner on Thursday (June 25).After the consultation process, the central bank could introduce a new category and approval process for non-traditional funds.Here are some details:Gan said that for most new fund types, MAS will aim to establish the necessary guardrails in about three months, which is quicker than the current process.Once the guardrails are in place, similar funds could receive authorisation in around three weeks.Funds would still need to meet core requirements in governance and asset safekeeping. He said a fund's underlying assets should be based on publicly traded securities and financial derivatives.Gan also said the MAS would establish the Future of Finance Institute, an innovation centre to pool resources for specific artificial intelligence and tokenisation capabilities as well as test emerging technologies.[[nid:738841]]

SINGAPORE – Disgruntled with their leader Pritam Singh and agitating for change, a group of Workers’ Party cadres aim to unseat him at the party’s internal elections come June 28.The search for a challenger has intensified in recent weeks, stemming from a High Court decision in December 2025 to uphold Singh’s conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee.The disgruntled lot have made overtures to several of the opposition party’s senior MPs, though no one has confirmed that they will run against Singh so far, party insiders told The Straits Times. They did not want to be named, citing disciplinary actions against members who had been publicly critical of the party.Names that have come up in discussion include Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam and Hougang MP Dennis Tan. Also mentioned were Sengkang GRC MPs He Ting Ru and Jamus Lim, who were part of a three-person disciplinary panel that found Singh had contravened the WP’s Constitution over his conviction.Several cadres said the situation was still fluid and may continue to change even up to the day of the votes.

Upset that he was penalised for a mistake he claimed he did not commit, a Foodpanda delivery rider has taken the battle to his customer.The rider, who identified himself as Sam, filed a police report after a customer allegedly cancelled an order he completed, he told AsiaOne on Thursday (June 25).According to the police report seen by AsiaOne, Sam received the customer's order on Tuesday at around 11.45am.The 39-year-old claimed he left the order at the designated drop-off point at the customer's office located within the Marina Bay financial district. Completing the order just after noon, Sam was on his way to get a separate order done when he received a notification from Foodpanda requesting compliance.This refers to Foodpanda's rider compliance rule, which deters riders against a range of negative behaviour such as missing items in delivery, taking long breaks or incorrectly marking orders as complete.Sam, who has been doing deliveries since 2020, immediately submitted an investigation request to Foodpanda, claiming that it was «very unlikely» that he delivered the wrong order.

A 31-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday (June 24) for allegedly molesting an 11-year-old girl in Woodlands.In a news release on Thursday afternoon, the police said the alleged offence happened at about 8.30pm on June 23 in the vicinity of Woodlands Drive 50.Checks by AsiaOne show that the stretch of road runs through several HDB precincts, including Woodlands Primary School.The man was identified and arrested by officers from Woodlands Police Division and the Criminal Investigation Department through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras.He was arrested within a day of the report being made.If found guilty of outage of modesty, he faces a jail term of up to 10 years, along with mandatory caning. The police advised victims of molestation to move away from perpetrators and call the police immediately when it is safe to do so. Where possible and safe, victims should try to note key details such as the perpetrator's physical appearance, clothing, the time and location of the incident. [[nid:737395]]editor@asiaone.com 

A Singaporean photographer got off a flight and was greeted with «disbelief» after he was informed that Cristiano Ronaldo had reposted his pictures on Instagram.Freelance sports photographer Edmund Wong was in Houston to shoot the Portugal vs Uzbekistan match at the 2026 World Cup, when he managed to snap a couple of candid shots of the Portuguese superstar on the field.Much to Wong's «disbelief», the photos were later shared by Ronaldo, 41, to his 668 million Instagram followers, but without crediting Wong.The match, which saw Portugal win 4-0, also featured the football star's first two goals of the tournament.An emotional moment ensued on the field where Ronaldo's teammates hugged him after his first goal — that was immortalised by Wong in one of his photos, which he managed to capture with a bird's-eye view.This photo was reposted by Ronaldo on his account, which has since garnered eight million likes.However, Wong, a Fifa-accredited photographer, was not credited or tagged anywhere in the caption.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Wednesday (June 24) conveyed Singapore's condolences to Timor-Leste after the passing of its former president Francisco Guterres. The 71-year-old served as Timor-Leste's president from 2017 to 2022, following decades of political and armed struggle that led to the nation's independence from Indonesia in May 2002.He won the 2017 presidential election to become the nation's sixth president, but was defeated in a run-off by Nobel laureate Ramos-Horta, when he ran for re-election in 2022.In his letter on behalf of Singaporeans, President Tharman said Guterres devoted his life to Timor-Leste.«In the struggle for independence and later as president, he played a crucial role in strengthening Timor-Leste's democratic institutions and fostering national unity,» President Tharman wrote.He added that Guterres' commitment and contributions towards the building of a sovereign and independent Timor-Leste will long be remembered.

For one former domestic helper, the bond she formed with a Singapore family endured long after her years of service.Five years after Marilou Serrano Galindo, 54, returned home to the Philippines, she reunited with her former employer Tan Teck Lee, who had taken his wife, three daughters and son-in-law to Maddela, Quirino province to visit her.Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the 63-year-old Tan said Marilou remained in close contact with his family throughout the years.Their trip to her hometown, which lasted from June 8 to 16, began with about 11 hours of travel, including a flight to Manila, a domestic flight and a two-hour car ride.«We went boating, enjoyed the scenery, ate local food, celebrated Marilou's birthday together and took many photos, creating happy memories,» said Tan, adding that the trip felt like a large family gathering.In a Facebook post shared on Wednesday (June 17), Marilou's family recounted her difficult early years working in Singapore. 

Two Singaporean men were charged by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Thursday (June 25) for harbouring and employing immigration offenders.In a news release on the same day, ICA listed 62-year-old Kamarulzaman Yahaya and 27-year-old Mohamad Elfie Hakim Bin Lokman as the two charged.Kamarulzaman is accused of harbouring a 54-year-old Filipina who had remained unlawfully in Singapore after her visit pass expired on April 28, 2003.The woman, Leonardo Federigan Leonora, was subsequently found guilty, sentenced to six months' imprisonment and fined $2,000. She has since completed her sentence, deported and barred from re-entering Singapore.Investigations revealed that Kamarulzaman had allowed Leonara to live in his Bedok unit for 22 years — from March 2004 to March 20206 — despite knowing that she had overstayed in Singapore.In the second case, Elfie was charged for employing a 26-year-old Indian national who had remained unlawfully in Singapore after his visit pass expired on June 17, 2025.Kakadiya Avanit Rajubhai was later fined $4,000. He has since been deported and barred from re-entering Singapore.

A 25-year-old male motorcyclist and a 21-year-old woman riding pillon died in the wee hours of Thursday (June 25) after their bike skidded in Yio Chu Kang.Responding to media queries, the police said they were alerted to the accident along Yio Chu Kang Road at about 3.35am.The motorcycle is believed to have skidded, the police said.Paramedics from the Singapore Civil Defence Force pronounced the duo dead at the scene.A video posted on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu show two blue police tents on the left-most lane, which had been cordoned off.A toppled motorcycle is seen slightly ahead.At least three police vehicles and about 10 officers are seen at the accident site.The deceased were believed to be a couple, reported Shin Min Daily News.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:738811]]lim.kewei@asiaone.com

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a 12-year-old teenage girl, Koon Hui Lin, who was last seen in Ang Mo Kio.Police said in a news release on Thursday (June 25) that Hui Lin was last seen at about 10am on Wednesday at Block 131 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, wearing a black t-shirt and grey pants.The address is in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio Town Garden and the popular Ang Mo Kio Park McDonald's. Anyone with information is urged to contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information will be kept strictly confidential.[[nid:735166]]editor@asiaone.com 

Having recently fallen victim to a scam, a Singaporean mother nearly dismissed a call she thought was another fraud attempt — only to discover she had won $10,000 prize in a Sheng Siong-Foodpanda launch campaign.To mark their partnership, the two companies launched a campaign from June 22 to July 19 offering customers who order Sheng Siong via Foodpanda a chance to win $10,000 in cash, with one winner announced daily. Nabeelah was named the campaign's first winner on Tuesday (June 23). The 31-year-old told AsiaOne that she had just woken up when the call came through on Tuesday. Believing it might be a hoax, she remained cautious and said it took a while for the reality of her win to sink in.«Once I realised it was genuine, I was shocked and excited… it honestly felt like a dream,» she described, adding that it was a big surprise for her and her husband.

A floating fish farm along the waterways near Pulau Ubin caught fire on Wednesday (June 24) night.The fire started after lightning struck moored fishing boats in the area, engulfing them in flames, reported 8world.It then spread to at least two neighbouring floating fish farms in the vicinity, with operators estimating huge financial losses due to the incident.The fire reportedly went on for two hours, with four police boats, two SCDF vessels and a tugboat spotted at the scene attempting to extinguish the blaze.Nobody was in the affected farm when the fire occurred, 8world reported, adding that other workers in the neighbouring fish farms had assisted in containing the fire.The Fish Farmers Association of Singapore (FFAS) stated that at least two fish farms were damaged in the fire, and estimated that the financial losses were rather substantial.FFAS chairman Daniel Tay said that the association had met with the owners of the affected fish farms, who were all «frustrated» at the incident.«We usually farm sea bass, snappers and groupers in this area, and these are all high-value fishes,» he said.

Two individuals, including a 17-year-old, were caught for vaping and underage smoking during enforcement operations carried out by the Health Sciences Authority's (HSA) last week.In a media statement on Thursday (June 25), HSA said the duo were caught during operations conducted at Bugis, Somerset and Yishun between June 18 and 20.During its operations, HSA officers detected a 44-year-old man vaping, and seized his vaporiser. He was issued a fine on the spot.Meanwhile, a 17-year-old male teen was caught for underage smoking and referred to the Health Promotion Board for cessation counselling.HSA stated that such operations are part of its ongoing enforcement patrols to detect vape-related offences.

Singapore's port has been named best globally at the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) Awards 2026 on Wednesday (June 24).The annual awards are organised by Asia Cargo News, a fortnightly logistics and supply chains publication to recognise leading logistics and supply chain service providers.In a media release on Thursday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said this is the fifth time the Port of Singapore has been named «Best Global Seaport».It was also awarded the same accolade in 2025.MPA chief executive Ang Wee Keong said the award reflects the collective efforts of the entire maritime community in strengthening Singapore's position as a leading global hub port.«As supply chains evolve and new challenges emerge, we will continue to invest in innovation, infrastructure, and talent to keep Singapore resilient, connected, and future-ready,» he added.According to AFLAS, winners are determined from over 15,000 readers who nominate and vote across 49 award categories