Singapore will likely be subjected to US president Donald Trump's new global tariff rate of 15 per cent, said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, highlighting the need for the country to prepare for its impact.Speaking to media at a doorstop interview on Sunday (Feb 22), DPM Gan noted that the increase is «a stark reminder... that [Singapore is] now facing a very unpredictable and uncertain operating environment», describing the situation as «very fluid».Elaborating on the element of «uncertainty» around the tariffs, DPM Gan said the government will monitor developments to assess its next steps and explore alternatives, and possible exemptions on the levies.«We will continue to work with our counterparts in the US to seek greater clarification on how the tariff will be implemented...because Section 122 has a time limit and therefore we can expect there will continue to be changes in time to come,» he told the media.

Eleven men, aged between 32 and 58, were arrested on Sunday (Feb 22) morning for their alleged involvement in the illegal transaction of marine gas oil in Singapore waters.The police said in a news release on Sunday afternoon that Police Coast Guard officers arrested four crew members from a Singapore-registered tugboat and seven crew members from a foreign-registered tugboat in the waters off Selat Puah — a stretch of waterway to the south of Jurong Island, between Pulau Bukom and Pulau Sudong. 

Diners at a food court in Lucky Plaza shopping centre were joined by an unexpected guest — a hungry rat — during their meal.In a Facebook video posted on Feb 19, a rat can be seen on a yellow plate with food as diners scrambled away from the table.The rodent could be seen climbing across the table while diners hastily removed their belongings.Ten seconds into the video, a staff in red appears and calmly picks up the rat with a tablecloth before walking away. A staff caught the rat smoothly with a table cloth. (PHOTO: Screengrab/Reddit/uandurfader) The video posted by Facebook user Sheryle O. Oro has garnered over 70,000 views and reactions from netizens.However, it is not clear when the video was taken.Many commenters appeared to be tickled by the scene.

A person allegedly entered a private residence in Upper Thomson without permission on Saturday (Feb 21) night.The police said in response to AsiaOne's queries that they received a call for assistance at an estate along Marigold Drive at about 9.40pm.Officers responding to the call learnt that the individual had allegedly entered the house and had left before their arrival.Efforts to trace the suspect are underway, and investigations are ongoing, the police said.According to The Straits Times, five Special Operations Command police vehicles were spotted along Upper Thomson Road at about 11pm.Lianhe Zaobao reported that the suspect is a man, and that he had been discovered by the homeowner who called the police upon seeing the stranger.No one was injured and there was no loss of property, stated the report.Anyone with information relating to this incident is advised to contact the police at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.All information received will be kept strictly confidential.

A 31-year-old motorcyclist died in hospital on Sunday (Feb 22) after an accident with a tipper truck on the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE).The police said they were alerted to the traffic accident before the Lower Delta Road exit at about 4.10am.The male motorcyclist was unconscious when he was taken to hospital and subsequently succumbed to his injuries.A video uploaded to Facebook group Malaysia-Singapore Border Crossers showed at least five police vehicles along the expressway, which had two lanes cordoned off with traffic cones.Several officers are seen near an upright motorcycle, with the truck parked further ahead.The police said a 38-year-old male tipper truck driver is assisting with ongoing investigations.[[nid:730232]]lim.kewei@aisaone.com

Mistakenly undercharged $198 for a lobster dish at a Siglap eatery, a family returned the next day to pay the correct amount.In a heartwarming Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 19), the owner of Cheng Ji Seafood Restaurant thanked the diners for their honesty.Owner Dai Xingying (transliteration) told Shin Min Daily News that she had wrongly keyed in the price of two small Australian lobsters as $2 instead of $200 when calculating the bill for the family of four.The error went unnoticed due to the bustling Chinese New Year (CNY) crowd, and Dai did not find any discrepancies when recording their sales at the end of the day.To her surprise, two teenagers from the family returned on Thursday night to inform her that they had been undercharged.

SINGAPORE - The family of Ms Audrey Fang, who was killed in Spain in 2024, has asked a Spanish court to keep suspected perpetrator Mitchell Ong in custody for another two years.Ms Fang, a Singaporean who had travelled to Spain alone, was found dead with 30 stab wounds on April 10, 2024, in a field in the town of Abanilla. Ong, also a Singaporean, was arrested in Spain on April 16 that year.Lawyer Manuel Martinez, who is representing Ms Fang's family as a private prosecutor, noted that Ong's pre-trial detention will soon be up, according to a document seen by Spanish media outlet La Verdad.A private prosecutor allows victims to actively participate in criminal proceedings by presenting evidence and seeking compensation alongside or independently of the public prosecutor.Citing a possibility that Ong might try to evade justice if released, Mr Martinez asked the judge to keep Ong detained for longer.The document viewed by La Verdad stated that Ong has no financial resources or ties to Spain, and warned of the risk that he could try to influence the investigation.

SINGAPORE - A passenger on board a ship where a fire broke out early on Feb 20, killing a crew member, has described the incident as «a truly terrible and traumatising experience».The World Legacy cruise ship, which had 271 passengers - including 139 Singaporeans - and 388 crew members on board, was en route to Singapore when a fire broke out in the lounge area on deck nine at about 4am. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said an Indonesian crew member died. He was a 23-year-old laundry attendant aboard the ship, said the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore in a statement on Feb 21.Identified only by his initials PL, he was found collapsed in the lobby of deck nine by firefighters, the embassy said in response to queries by The Straits Times.Despite medical assistance, the crew member was pronounced dead at 4.30am with the cause of death determined as cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to asphyxiation.

A taxi driver was spotted opening their car door while driving along Bartley Road East, raising safety concerns.The incident occurred on Feb 19 around 6pm, according to a Facebook post shared by SG Road Vigilante on Feb 20. In the video, the driver of a yellow Toyota Prius taxi can be seen opening the door while the vehicle was in motion. He was reportedly alone in the car when the incident happened. A voice in the clip can be heard saying: «He's driving very fast.» Witnesses shared that the car almost crashed into the road divider a couple of times. At the end of the video, the driver can be seen closing the vehicle door. Speaking to ComfortDelGro, a spokesperson told Lianhe Zaobao that the company is aware of the incident and is conducting investigations. «The safety of our taxi drivers is our top priority,» they added. AsiaOne has reached out to ComfortDelGro for more details. [[nid:729886]]melissateo@asiaone.com

SINGAPORE – When Charmaine Tan turned 16, she was eager to follow in her parents' footsteps and be a regular blood donor.She also wanted to spread the word, and began volunteering with the Singapore Red Cross' youth donor recruitment initiative YouthInspire.Now 18, and having donated blood three times, the soon-to-be university student hopes to inspire her peers to do the same.Her role is an important one, as new figures show the proportion of youth blood donors  aged 16 to 25 – continuing on its downward trend.In 2025, there were more than 9,600 youth donors, making up about 12 per cent of the donor pool, according to Health Sciences Authority (HSA) figures released in January 2026. This is down from 28 per cent in 2015.Blood donors made up 1.3 per cent of Singapore's population in 2025. On the whole, the total number of blood donors grew nearly nine per cent – from 71,277 in 2015, to 77,567 in 2025.In the same period, total blood donations rose almost 12 per cent, from 122,048 units to 136,172 units.

A two-room HDB resale flat at SkyParc @ Dawson has been sold for $695,000, setting the highest price ever for this type of unit.The 505 sq ft unit - which has recently completed its minimum occupation period - is located at Block 95 Dawson Road between the 34th and 36th storeys, according to data from HDB's website.It has a remaining lease of 94 years and nine months. This sale makes it the most expensive two-room HDB resale transaction in Singapore that has officially been recorded, according to 99.coThe last two-room resale flat from that same block was sold at $540,000 last December, based on HDB's data. That unit is located between the 7th and 9th storeys. Before the recent $695,000 sale, the national record for a two-room resale flat was $585,000, set by a unit at Ghim Moh in August 2023 that held the top spot for nearly three years, reported 99.coSkyParc @ Dawson, which was completed in December 2020, is located near Queenstown and Commonwealth MRT stations. 

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visited his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur on Friday (Feb 20).In a Facebook post, PM Wong shared that Anwar had invited him to buka puasa (break fast) at the historic Carcosa Seri Negara.«I deeply appreciate the warm hospitality, and the opportunity for a candid exchange on a wide range of issues,» he added. «Wishing you and all Malaysians a blessed Ramadan. I look forward to our next meeting.» Friday marked the second day of Ramadan 2026.

A person was rescued from a HDB flat in Tampines after a fire broke out late at night on Feb 19. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the incident at Block 267 Tampines Street 21 at about 11.25pm. The fire involved the contents of a bedroom of an 11th floor unit and was extinguished with a water jet. SCDF conducted forcible entry and rescued a person from the unit, who was taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.About 40 residents from the affected block were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precautionary measure.The cause of the fire is under investigation.A resident living in the affected building told Shin Min Daily News that she only learned of the fire after hearing the sirens of fire trucks. She shared that there were at least five fire trucks, three police cars, and one ambulance on site. Firefighters were also seen rushing upstairs carrying water hoses. «I saw a large fire in the bedroom of that unit, with thick smoke billowing out,» she recounted. 

SINGAPORE – A 53-year-old man who sexually assaulted his girlfriend's daughter, who was then 10 to 11 years old, was sentenced to 24 years' jail on Feb 20.The girl's mother was in court with other family members and broke down in tears on hearing his sentence.He cannot be named under a gag order imposed to protect the victim's identity.The sexual acts, which were committed between February 2021 and February 2022, took place at home and in a van parked at cemeteries.The girl told her mother about the abuse in December 2021, but the woman chose to believe the man when he denied that he had assaulted the girl.In sentencing, Justice Aidan Xu considered the harm caused to a very young victim and that the man had taken advantage of his relationship with the girl's mother.However, the judge added that it was not necessary to impose additional jail time in lieu of caning.The man cannot be caned as he is more than 50 years old.Deputy Public Prosecutor Tay Jia En had sought 22 to 24 years' jail, and 12 months' jail in lieu of the maximum 24 strokes of the cane.

A total of 59 motorists were caught for various traffic violations or engaging in dangerous road behaviour during a five-day stepped-up traffic enforcement operations at Woodlands Checkpoint, said the police and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a joint statement on Friday (Feb 20) night.On Feb 12, the agencies had warned motorists that they will be conducting enforcement operations from Feb 13 to the first day of the Chinese New Year on Feb 17.The law enforcement agencies said that the operations at Woodlands Checkpoint were aimed at deterring and detecting motorists who commit traffic violations and engage in queue cutting at the checkpoint.«The 59 motorists were detected for committing traffic offences such as driving against the flow of traffic, crossing double white lines, and leaving vehicles in positions likely to cause danger, obstruction or undue inconvenience. Some of these drivers were also found to have cut queues,» the agencies added.

If you find yourself receiving unsolicited calls from scammers claiming that you have outstanding insurance premiums or had performed bank card transactions, do not hand over your valuables for purported «investigation purposes».In this scam variant, victims who deny the claims would be transferred to other scammers impersonating as government officials from the Monetary Authority (MAS) of Singapore or Ministry of Law, said the Singapore Police Force in an advisory on Feb 20.These victims would then be accused of being involved in criminal activities such as money laundering, and provided with fake documents such as a «warrant of arrest» or «financial inspection order». The victims were then instructed to hand over their valuables to unknown subjects, purportedly for «investigation purposes».These items were either newly purchased by the victims, acting on the scammers' instructions, or owned by them.They would only realise that they have been scammed when the scammers become uncontactable, or when they sought verification with the relevant agencies.

A 30-year-old male motorcyclist was taken to hospital on Friday (Feb 20) afternoon after an accident with a car in Tampines.The accident happened at about 1.45pm along Tampines Central 7, outside the entrance of The Premiere @ Tampines — a Design-Build and Sell Scheme project.A picture of the aftermath seen by AsiaOne showed paramedics treating the motorcyclist on the road. Beside them, a man was seen directing traffic as a woman stood beside the paramedics. Meanwhile, a blue multi-purpose vehicle was seen stopped on the leftmost lane of the road.Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force said that the 30-year-old male motorcyclist was conveyed conscious to Changi General Hospital.Police investigations are ongoing. [[nid:730207]]editor@asiaone.com 

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a 16-year-old male teenager, Boey Xiang Le.In a news release on Friday (Feb 20) night, the police said Boey Xiang Le was last seen at about 11.33am on Thursday, in the vicinity of Block 10 Buangkok View.Checks by AsiaOne indicate that this is the address of the Institute of Mental Health.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, said the police.[[nid:729516]]editor@asiaone.com  

Hours after a fire broke out onboard the Liberia-flagged cruise ship World Legacy on Friday (Feb 20) morning, which resulted in the death of an Indonesian crew member, several members —who are not part of the core crew left behind for essential duties — disembarked in Singapore.Two members, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AsiaOne that while they did not know the dead crew member, the experience was a stressful one.One member, who has been working onboard World Legacy for only a few months, said this was the first incident he encountered onboard.«I panicked for a moment,» he admitted, citing the short time he had spent onboard.The crew member, a Southeast Asian, said the non-core crew will be going to a hotel provided for them, but was unsure of the plans for them in the coming days.Another crew member, also a Southeast Asian, told AsiaOne that he was «very stressed» when the fire broke out at the lounge on deck nine at about 4am as he was on duty.He claimed that he was not aware that a fellow crew member had died, until he found out from others while they were being ferried to HarbourFront Terminal on Friday evening.

Singapore will be progressively easing some Nipah virus public health measures from Monday (Feb 23) as no cases have been reported in the country in connection to the two reported in the Indian state of West Bengal or the case in Bangladesh.In a statement on Friday (Feb 20), the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said that it will remain vigilant against the virus even as the country returns to baseline surveillance levels.The agency said: «The Nipah virus situation in West Bengal has stabilised, with no new cases reported. No human to human Nipah virus transmission has been detected in Bangladesh.»Hence, CDA will cease temperature screening at the airport and seaports for flights and ships arriving from affected areas in India and also stop disseminating Nipah virus health advisories for travellers at Singapore's points of entry.To maintain surveillance levels, Nipah virus will continue to be covered by the SG Arrival health declarations and Maritime Declaration of Health.Incoming travellers will still have to declare if they are arriving from affected areas in their arrival cards, the agency said.

Over 10,500 recipients will benefit from a $4.3 million Ramadan support package that was announced by Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim on Friday (Feb 20) evening.The announcement was made during a break fast (buka puasa) session with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at Al-Mawaddah mosque in Sengkang.  President Tharman Shanmugaratnam interacting with Muslim community leaders at Al-Mawaddah mosque on Friday (Feb 20). PHOTO: AsiaOne/Ong Chin Wee According to the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), the Ramadan support package comprises $3.5 million from zakat funds and $800,000 from fidyah contributions.

Train services along the East-West Line (EWL) and Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) will be adjusted to facilitate essential upgrading works in the coming months, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA), SMRT and SBS Transit in a joint statement on Friday (Feb 20).From March 14 to 17, there will be no train services between Tanah Merah and Expo on the EWL, so that works to disconnect train tracks linking the EWL to Changi Depot can take place.The service adjustment follows the successful operationalisation of the East Coast Integrated Depot (ECID) in December 2025.This will be the last planned suspension to link the EWL to the new East Coast Integrated Depot.During the affected period, a shuttle bus service will run at a frequency of five to eight minutes between the two stations, said the statement.Train services between Expo and Changi Airport will run at seven-minute intervals during peak hours, while services between Tuas Link and Pasir Ris will continue to operate as per normal. 

A hood of a BMW car caught fire along Woodlands Avenue 5 on Friday (Feb 20). In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SDCF) said it was alerted to the incident at about 9am. The fire, which involved the engine compartment of a car, was extinguished using a water jet, SCDF added.No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.In a Facebook post by SGRV Front Man, photos of the incident show a black BMW parked on the left side of the road with its bonnet in flames. Cloud of smoke can also be seen.At least five firefighters are seen attempting to douse the flames.  [[nid:729871]]

A car driver evaded a police check in Paya Lebar before abandoning the vehicle near Edgedale Plains estate in Punggol in the wee hours of Tuesday (Feb 17), the first day of Chinese New Year (CNY).Efforts to trace the driver are underway, police said in response to AsiaOne's queries.The car had been travelling along Airport Road towards the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway at about 2.20am when it encountered a roadblock set up by the traffic police.When signalled to stop, the driver sped off and led the police on a chase to Punggol. The car was subsequently found in the vicinity of Edgedale Plains.Users in a Telegram group said on Tuesday that they had sighted the pursuit of a Malaysia-registered car at Hougang Street 12 and Rivervale Drive.Videos uploaded later showed multiple police vehicles near Block 122A Edgedale Plains, with their warning lights flashing.An employee of a nearby minimart told Shin Min Daily News that six or seven police cars had chased a red BMW around the estate. The shop's CCTV camera did not capture the driver's appearance and escape path.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:729639]]

Police are looking for an unlicensed driver after an hit-and-run accident at Simei on Friday (Feb 20) early morning.Videos shared on social media show thick plumes of smoke emerging from a grey SsangYong car mounted on the curb outside Changkat Primary School.Separate videos also show a police car and ambulance parked nearby.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that they were alerted to the incident at around 1am, where a car is believed to have self-skidded along Simei Street 3.A 21-vear-old man was arrested at the scene for permitting another person to drive without a valid driving licence. The driver of the car had fled the scene before the police arrived, and efforts to locate him are underway, the police said.The Singapore Civil Defence Force told AsiaOne that one person was assessed for minor injuries and that they declined to be sent to the hospital.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:730159]]dana.leong@asiaone.com 

Some 22,000 eligible civil servants will be receiving salary adjustments of between 2 per cent and 9 per cent come Aug 1, said the Public Service Division (PSD).The salary revisions were announced by PSD in a media release on Friday (Feb 20).It said that salary levels in the market have increased since the last revisions to the affected schemes were made in 2022, adding that the adjustments are to keep pace with market standards and enable the public service to continue to attract and retain talent to deliver well for Singaporeans.The 22,000 eligible officers are on the following schemes: management executive scheme (MXS), technical support scheme (TSS), management support scheme (MSS), corporate support scheme (CSS), operations support scheme (OSS), and their related schemes.«Officers in the above schemes perform a range of roles, such as policy and planning, administration and operations,» PSD said.Those on the MSS will receive salary adjustments of 2 per cent to 9 per cent, with higher adjustments for grades that have larger gaps with market benchmarks. There will be no adjustments for MXS officers whose salaries are already competitive.

A fire broke out at a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Jurong West on the third day of Chinese New Year (Feb 19).The incident happened at about 1.05pm on Thursday at Block 337A Tah Ching Road.A video of the incident posted by realtor Aaron Wong, who lives across from the affected block, showed black smoke and flames coming out from the window of a bedroom on the 12th floor.Wong and his sister could be heard shouting across the block to alert residents there about the fire.Speaking to AsiaOne on Friday, Wong said that their maid, who was in the kitchen at the time, had heard a loud «boom» as the fire broke out.«She alerted us to the fire and my sister called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF),» he added.According to Wong, who was formerly a Singapore Airlines cabin crew, his instincts kicked in due to the training he had received at the airline.«We were just concerned about the safety of those staying there, especially the elders,» he said.At least five residents, including domestic workers with the elderly in their care, self-evacuated prior to SCDF's arrival.

A 33-year-old car driver crashed head-on into an SBS Transit bus after running a red light along Upper Changi Road North on Feb 14. Dashcam footage of the accident posted on Facebook on Tuesday (Feb 17) by SGRV Admin shows a silver Honda civic speeding past a red light. An SBS Transit bus service 5 was making a right turn at the same time and the car, which was unable to stop in time, smashes directly into the bus.   The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told AsiaOne they were alerted to the accident at the junction of Upper Changi Road North and Flora Drive at around 2.45pm.The male car driver was taken to Changi General Hospital and is assisting with investigations, the authorities said. Police investigations are ongoing.Netizens had mixed reactions about the incident as some debated that the traffic light design was misleading while others argued the driver did not observe safe driving habits. 

A 45-year-old man was found dead in Tampines on Feb 17, inside a Chinese New Year bazaar tent set up outside a Sheng Siong supermarket.In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police and said that they were alerted at about 8.50am to a case of unnatural death at Block 506 Tampines Central 1. A coffee shop employee, identified as 64-year-old Liao, told Shin Min Daily News that he was passing by the supermarket at about 9am when he saw that police had cordoned off the front of the supermarket.When reporters got to the scene, police had covered the body with a white cloth, with the Chinese New Year goods display area still sealed off to the public. Sidaya (transliteration), 31, who works at a nearby grocery store, told the Chinese evening daily that she saw the man at around 8am, lying on the ground with his arms and legs outstretched as though asleep. Sidaya said that staff from Sheng Siong supermarket had tried to wake the man but he did not respond, so they called the police. The man was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force parademic. 

A fire broke out onboard the Liberia-flagged cruise ship World Legacy on Friday (Feb 20) morning, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).The incident happened at around 4am, when the vessel was enroute to Singapore.In a media statement on Friday morning, MPA said the fire was brought under control by crew members. One of the 388 crew members is reported to have died from the fire. None of the crew members onboard are Singaporeans.There are also 224 passengers onboard the cruise ship at the time of the incident, of whom 185 are Singaporeans.MPA said there were no reported injuries among the other crew members and passengers.Checks by AsiaOne at 8.45am showed that the vessel is currently anchored at Raffles Reserve Anchorage, about 8.6km southeast of Sentosa and south of Pulau Semakau.

Tropical weather seems to be taking a backseat at this time of the year as heavy rains batter parts of Singapore, causing temperatures to dip.Temperatures across the Republic continued to fall on Thursday (Feb 19), with thunderstorms over southern, western and central areas in the late afternoon and alerts for flash floods by the National Environment Agency (NEA).Amid the wet weather, temperature reached a low of 21.1 deg C on Jurong Island according to data from the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) at 9.07pm.The highest temperature recorded at the time was 23.2 deg C at the East Coast Parkway region. PHOTO: Screengrab/Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) The country's coldest temperature of 19.4 deg C was recorded in 1934 and 1989, according to records from the NEA.

Two Malaysian men were arrested after Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers foiled their attempt to smuggle over 30,000 tobacco products including e-vaporisers.The incident occurred at Tuas Checkpoint on Feb 2, according to an ICA Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 19).More than 22,000 e-vaporisers and related components and over 14,000 heat-not-burn products were uncovered when enhanced checks were conducted on the Malaysia-registered lorry.The products were found hidden within a consignment declared as cosmetics, said ICA.Both the 28-year-old driver and the 21-year-old lorry attendant were arrested and the case referred to the Health Sciences Authority for further investigation.Under the enhanced penalties introduced on Sept 1 last year, those convicted of importing vapes into Singapore will face a jail term of up to six months, a maximum fine of $10,000, or both, for their first offence. 

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will visit Malaysia on Friday (Feb 20) to break fast with his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim. In a statement on Thursday evening, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said that his visit is at the invitation of PM Anwar.«Prime Minister Anwar will host Prime Minister Wong to a buka puasa (break fast) meal,» the statement read. PM Wong will return to Singapore on the same day.In a separate statement, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the two leaders are expected to also discuss bilateral cooperation and issues of mutual interest, including the outcomes of the recent Leaders' Retreat held on Dec 4, 2025.Singapore is Malaysia's second largest trading partner with total trade reaching RM402.35 billion (S$130.3 billion) last year, an increase of 1.5 per cent compared with 2024.[[nid:726275]]editor@asiaone.com 

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme offered by Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) business school rose 10 places to rank 12th in the 2026 Financial Times (FT) Global MBA ranking on Feb 16.According to FT, its ranking features 100 of the world's top full-time MBA programmes, with 128 business schools involved in the ranking process for this year's edition. Among the key ranking criteria are weighted salary of alumni students three years after completing their MBA and salary increase from before the MBA till post-MBA. NTU Business School's MBA programme was ranked 22nd in the 2025 edition. Alongside its climb up the ranks, weighted salary of its programme graduates also climbed by about 4.3 per cent, rising to US$194,918 (S$247,000). Based on FT's career progression assessment, NTU MBA graduates also saw an average salary percentage increase of 136 per cent after completing the programme.MIT Sloan, Insead and University of Pennsylvania's The Wharton School ranked first, second, and third respectively.[[nid:719202]]editor@asiaone.com 

An intoxicated woman slapped an elderly taxi driver in an unprovoked attack after stating that she did not have any cash or cashless payment methods to settle her $24 fare. Shalini Devarajan, 36, was sentenced to two weeks' jail on Feb 19 after she pleaded guilty to assaulting the male victim, who was 73 years old at the time. Deputy Public Prosecutor Adelle Tai said the fare remains unpaid. Court documents stated that Shalini reeked of alcohol when she boarded the victim's taxi at around 3pm on Nov 11, and fell asleep during the ride. When they reached her stated destination in Yishun Street 22, the driver woke her up and told her the fare was $24. She replied she had no cash or cashless payment methods with her, and needed to go up to her unit to get the money. «The [driver] asked her to leave her phone in the [taxi] and go up to the unit, but she refused. [He] then suggested following her up to the unit to get the money, but the accused refused this as well,» DPP Tai said.