Former People's Action Party (PAP) MP Ong Ah Heng died on Monday (May 5), aged 84.The four-term Nee Soon Central MP served the constituency between 1997 and 2011 before retiring from politics. Dubbed «Kopitiam (coffeeshop) MP», Ong earned the nickname because of his ease of mixing with ordinary workers.He was the executive secretary of the National Transport Workers' Union between 1981 and 2006, and later rose to become NTUC's assistant secretary-general. In a 1996 interview, Ong attributed his grassroots approach to his past: «I owe a lot to the meritocratic system. There are very few countries where you could start as a construction worker and end up with a master's degree. »It is right that I repay society by involving myself in community work with the labour movement and in grassroots organisations." He later became a non-executive independent director at ComfortDelGro before retiring from the board in 2020. Ong's wake is being held at Block 204 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, and his funeral ceremony will take place there at 1pm on Sunday (May 10).

Singapore's workforce may not yet be ready for a transition to artificial intelligence (AI), but is well-positioned for it, Sembawang West SMC MP Poh Li San said in Parliament on Wednesday (May 6).She was speaking in the debate on AI transition with no «jobless growth», raised by labour chief Ng Chee Meng on Tuesday.Ng had put forward a parliamentary motion, stressing the need to put workers at the centre of Singapore’s AI-driven economic growth, as it can no longer be assumed that the latter would translate automatically into more or better jobs.Poh expressed that Singapore's AI transition should be focused on customising AI solutions for industries to empower Singaporeans, highlighting the four key pillars of the national AI strategy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong shared in his May Day Rally speech last Friday (May 1).PM Wong had targeted four industries — advanced manufacturing, connectivity, finance and healthcare — for AI transformation.«AI-powered robots will indeed be the force multiplier,» Poh stated. «Are we ready for this transition? Not yet. We are well-positioned for it, but we must move fast.»

Will Singapore provide free ride on public transport to full-time national servicemen (NSF)?The cost of transportation is included in the monthly base allowance that NSFs receive, said Chan Chun Sing, Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence.He was replying to a parliamentary question by Workers' Party MP Kenneth Tiong on Tuesday (May 5), who had asked if the $81 monthly hybrid concession pass is «adequate for NSFs earning $790 per month», and whether free public transport will be provided for NSFs by default as in other countries.Chan said in his written response that the base allowance for all NSFs is «sized for their basic personal upkeep» and given in cash.«The cost of providing free transport for NSFs would need to be cross-subsidised by other commuters through higher fares, or by taxpayers,» he said.While some countries provide conscripts a national travel pass, the current allowance NSFs receive already takes into account the price of the monthly concession pass.«Either way, the costs are funded by the Government, and ultimately, by taxpayers,» he added.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will conduct an islandwide public testing of the SG Alert system for Singtel network users on May 10 (Sunday).During the testing, members of the public connected to the Singtel network will receive an alert on their mobile phones, even without being connected to the internet. This includes foreign visitors on data-only eSIM plans.Members of the public are advised not to be alarmed.The SG Alert will appear as a pop-up notification with the header 'SG Alert', and will be accompanied by a unique alert tone and distinct vibration pattern lasting up to 10 seconds, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on May 6.The alert will also appear if a mobile phone is on «do not disturb» or silent modes while those with older phone models may see the alert appear with a «Presidential alert» header instead of «SG Alert» due to compatibility issues.

A Malaysian driver was arrested on April 15 after attempting to smuggle over 270 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes into Singapore. In a Facebook post on Wednesday (May 6) by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), officers at Woodlands Checkpoint profiled and directed the Malaysia-registered car for enhanced checks. They found more than 270 cartons and 1,600 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in various parts of the vehicle.The 35-year-old male Malaysian driver was subsequently arrested in connection with the case. The exhibits and suspect were referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation.Under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act, buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are considered serious offences. If found guilty, offenders can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded and/or jailed for up to six years.Vehicles used in the commission of such offences and proceeds of sales of duty-unpaid cigarettes are also liable to be forfeited.

A Bangladesh national was sentenced to 12 months' jail on Tuesday (May 5) for employing a fellow countryman who had overstayed in Singapore.Jahangir Mohammed, a work pass holder, had failed to duly verify the immigration status of Talukdar Md Pabel, before hiring him, the Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Tuesday.Pabel, 26, had been in Singapore on a special pass, which expired on Jan 18, 2021. Three months later, he was arrested by ICA for overstaying.Investigations found that he had approached Jahangir for a job, and worked for his company Maa Trading as a rice packer from November to December 2020.In January 2021, Pabel was re-employed as a rice packer by Jahangir at Maa Trading, and also worked as a shop assistant at a minimart operated by Maa Trading until he was arrested on April 20.While investigations were ongoing, Jahangir had coached other employees at Maa Trading to give false statements to ICA officers.Pabel was given one month's imprisonment and three strokes of the cane. He has served his sentence and since been deported and barred from re-entering Singapore.

A Singaporean man allegedly linked to an organised crime group in Cambodia that scammed Singaporeans will be charged in court on Wednesday (May 5).Ngiam Siow Jui, 30, is purportedly in the initial list of 27 Singaporeans and seven Malaysians wanted by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) over their alleged involvement with the group.Police said on Tuesday that Ngiam was arrested by the Cambodian National Police (CNP) in Phnom Penh. He was repatriated to Singapore and arrested on his arrival on Monday.Ngiam will be charged with the offence of facilitating the commission of a serious offence, in furtherance of the illegal purpose of a locally-linked organised crime group.If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to five years, fined up to $100,000, or both.The 34 people's identities were uncovered through investigations and evidence gathering in Cambodia, after a joint operation with the CNP in Phnom Penh on Sept 9, 2025. 

The police received about 1,300 reports of missing persons annually between 2021 and 2025, with the majority of vulnerable missing persons found within the day, said Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam.Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, was responding to a parliamentary question by MP Fadli Fawzi (Aljunied GRC), who asked how many missing persons have been reported since 2021 and the number of such persons who were found within a month.He also asked if the Government had assessed the feasibility of using the new SG Alert system to send location-based notification of missing persons to mobile phone users in the vicinity of where they were last seen.In his written reply, Shanmugam said the police do not track the time taken to locate a missing person as this can vary significantly from case to case.He added that the police will accord priority to vulnerable missing persons, including young children, elderly persons and persons with intellectual disabilities.

A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of mischief by fire after a blaze broke out in an 18th-floor HDB unit at MacPherson on Monday night (May 4), with eight people taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the blaze at about 9.40pm on Monday night. The fire engulfed the entire unit at Block 14 Joo Seng Road and was put out with two water jets.Three people had evacuated from the affected unit before SCDF's arrival. The eight injured were assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Two firefighters who felt unwell during the operation were also taken to SGH as a precaution.The police told AsiaOne that a 44-year-old man was arrested at the scene for mischief by fire and investigations are ongoing.