Category: Singapore

Singapore

An EM Services Manager Is Accused of Taking S$220,000 in Bribes—Now Singapore Town Councils Face a Much Bigger Question

SINGAPORE — A corruption case involving a former senior project manager at one of Singapore’s major town council managing agents has put fresh attention on how contractors compete for public-estate work, after prosecutors alleged that S$220,000 in bribes changed hands in connection with contract proposals involving three town councils. Phua Gim Chuan, 63, who worked as a senior project manager at EM Services, was charged in the State Courts on August 21 with six offences linked to alleged corru

August 22, 2026

Business

Tradeluxury Luxury Goods Scam: Director Charged Over S$35,000 Money Transfer — But the Bigger Mystery Is What Happened to Victims’ Money

SINGAPORE — The multimillion-dollar Tradenation and Tradeluxury luxury goods scandal has taken another turn, with a former Tradeluxury director charged in Singapore over an alleged S$35,000 transfer linked to criminal proceeds. Yap Lee Peng Somchai, a 30-year-old Singapore citizen, appeared in court on 21 August 2026, facing one charge under Singapore's Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act for allegedly transferring property despite having reasona

August 22, 2026

Singapore

Singapore Just Put an AI Chatbot Between Citizens and Government Services—But What Happens When the Questions Get Personal?

SINGAPORE — Finding the right government information could soon become as simple as asking a question in a chat box. Singapore is beta testing Chat.gov.sg, a new artificial intelligence-powered government assistant designed to help members of the public navigate official services, policies and information without having to search across multiple agency websites. The platform entered its final pre-release testing phase on July 3, 2026, according to Channel NewsAsia. The initiative is led by Ser

August 22, 2026

Business

Singapore MRT Commuters Were Charged More Despite Tapping Before 7.45am — SimplyGo Reveals What Went Wrong

SINGAPORE — Thousands of Singapore commuters who expected cheaper MRT fares during the morning rush got an unwelcome surprise this week after a SimplyGo system issue prevented eligible pre-peak discounts from being applied. SimplyGo said the problem has now been resolved after affecting an average of 210,000 journeys a day on Aug. 20 and 21. The company attributed the disruption to a configuration error that affected both SimplyGo EZ-Link transactions and bank-card payments. Commuters notice

August 22, 2026

Singapore

A Crocodile Photo Shut Down Pandan Reservoir—But PUB’s Investigation Uncovered a Very Different Story

SINGAPORE — What began as an alarming report of a crocodile at Pandan Reservoir has taken an unexpected turn after authorities determined that the photograph submitted as evidence of the sighting was fake. National water agency PUB said on Friday, August 21, that further investigations established the photo connected to the reported crocodile sighting a day earlier was not authentic. PUB subsequently stopped its search operations and lodged a police report, saying it takes seriously false infor

August 22, 2026

Singapore

Priest Stabbed During Communion: Singapore Man Gets Jail and Caning—But What Happened Inside St Joseph’s Church?

SINGAPORE — Nearly two years after a shocking stabbing at St Joseph’s Church in Upper Bukit Timah, the man who attacked a Catholic priest during communion has been sentenced to four years and three months in jail and nine strokes of the cane. Basnayake Keith Spencer, 38, was sentenced on Aug. 21, 2026, after pleading guilty to voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon and offences involving the possession of weapons in public without a lawful purpose. The case stems from the No

August 22, 2026

Singapore

Singapore Airlines Is Returning to Madrid After 20 Years—But the Bigger Surprise Is What It’s Doing Across Europe

Singapore Airlines is preparing one of its most significant European network changes of 2026, and the headline attraction is a destination the carrier has not served for more than two decades: Madrid. Beginning October 26, 2026, Singapore Airlines (SIA) plans to operate five flights a week from Singapore to Madrid via Barcelona, subject to regulatory approvals. The move will make Madrid the airline’s 15th destination in Europe and its second in Spain, alongside Barcelona. But Madrid is only pa

August 22, 2026

Business

She Started With a $700 Used Bass Guitar—Now This Singaporean’s Cat Designs Are Taking the Guitar World by Storm

SINGAPORE — What began as an attempt to make an old bass guitar look less ordinary has turned into an international business for Singaporean entrepreneur and product designer Julia Becker. Becker, 24, is the founder of ThreeStools, a Singapore-based business creating custom and 3D-printed guitar and bass pickguards featuring unconventional designs—including her now-famous cats. Her creations have attracted customers from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Japan, South Korea

August 22, 2026

Singapore

Singapore’s Marriage-and-Parenthood Reset Is Coming — But What Will Change After Sunday’s National Day Rally?

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s struggle to get more people to marry and have children is moving into a new phase, with marriage, parenthood and the rising pressures of family life expected to take centre stage at Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s 2026 National Day Rally on Aug. 23. But this year’s discussion is shaping up to be about more than simply encouraging Singaporeans to have more babies. Instead, analysts expect the Government to address a much broader question: How can Singapore make marriage a

August 22, 2026

Singapore

A “Zoom Meeting” With PM Lawrence Wong Looked Real—Then a Singapore Victim Lost S$4.9 Million

A sophisticated deepfake scam in Singapore has exposed just how convincing artificial intelligence can make a completely fabricated video conference. At least S$4.9 million was transferred by one victim after scammers allegedly created a fake Zoom meeting featuring convincing digital impersonations of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and other senior government officials. The case has prompted renewed warnings from the Singapore Police Force that seeing a familiar face on a video call is no longer

August 22, 2026