Singapore in 2 Minutes for the Week of April 24

SIA deepens role at Air India amid record losses: Sources

Singapore Airlines is deepening its operational involvement in Air India as the carrier battles record losses and recent safety lapses draw increasing concern, according to people familiar with the matter.

SIA has moved some of its employees into Air India, placing its executives in key roles across flight operations, engineering and maintenance in recent months – areas where the Singaporean carrier has long been considered a global benchmark.

The shift, the people said, marks a notable escalation in SIA’s engagement since the deadly Dreamliner crash in June 2025, moving it from a strategic partner to a far more hands-on presence inside India’s flag carrier.

Religious organisations can be powerful force in empowering climate action: Ravi Menon

Faith-based organisations can play an important role in shaping individual choices as Singapore adapts, Singapore’s Ambassador for Climate Action Ravi Menon said on April 22. “Climate change does not respect national boundaries or differentiate religions. To deal with it, we must collaborate across faiths and across borders,” he noted. 

Through spiritual principles, religious organisations can inspire individuals to be stewards for the environment, such as the adoption of solar energy, and practise moderation in consumption, while teaching them about the interconnectedness of humans and nature.

Singapore to set up $60m marine research centre to steer conservation and policy

Marine science research that informs policy decisions will get a boost with a new $60 million research centre to be established by the National Parks Board (NParks) and the National University of Singapore.

The centre will bring together universities, industry players, government agencies and policy institutions to enable a coordinated, science-based approach to manage marine and coastal resources amid escalating environmental pressures from development, climate change and biodiversity loss. 

S’pore to invest more than S$100m in maritime research over next 5 years: Jeffrey Siow

Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow announced that more than S$100 million will be set aside over the next five years to fund research and development in the maritime sector under a new blueprint.

He announced this at the opening of Singapore Maritime Week on April 21, adding that the latest Singapore Maritime Technology and Research Roadmap will guide future innovations in areas such as autonomous port operations, alternative fuels, and smart ships.

Couples with dual incomes, no kids aspire to buy private property

Local property platform Property Guru polled about 2,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents in November and December 2025 for its annual survey, which was published on April 20.

It found that higher-income working couples with no children – colloquially known as DINKs, which stands for “dual income, no kids” – are still keen to buy private property despite rising home prices. DINK couples aged 30 and above with a monthly combined income of at least S$10,000, preferred to purchase new condo units.

The survey also showed that 54 per cent of singles aged 35 to 39 who earn at least S$10,000 a month preferred to buy four-room HDB flats.

FairPrice to roll out over 1,300 smart trolleys by end-2026, with payment and navigation features

After a successful trial in Punggol Coast Mall, 1,300 smart trolleys that allow FairPrice shoppers to skip long queues and check out items anywhere inside stores will be deployed in 48 FairPrice Finest and Xtra stores by the end of 2026.

These outlets include VivoCity, Jewel Changi Airport, Nex, Junction 8, and Bedok Mall. Fairprice Group said that shoppers have reported faster check-out times of 36 seconds on average, since the start of the August 2025 Punggol trial. 

2 in 3 S’pore businesses hit by Middle East conflict; SMEs most affected: Poll

A survey of 254 companies by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) found that two in three businesses here have been moderately to severely affected by the war in the Middle East, which has driven up energy and logistics costs.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) reported facing sharper disruptions and were less confident about coping with the crisis than larger businesses. For instance, SMEs were found to be more affected by rising labour costs, exerting pressures on their cash flow.

Inflation accelerates to 1.8% in March amid higher petrol prices

Higher petrol and retail prices increased Singapore’s consumer prices in March. Overall inflation picked up to 1.8 per cent year on year from 1.2 per cent in February, driven by faster increases in private transport, retail and other goods and services.

On April 14, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) raised Singapore’s overall and core inflation forecasts for 2026 to an average of 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent, up from an earlier projection of 1 per cent to 2 per cent, due to soaring oil and natural gas prices as a result of the Iran war.

Man convicted of trafficking woman into sex work in Dubai by tricking her into marriage

On April 22, District Judge Eugene Teo found Italian citizen Achraf Arjaouy, 31, guilty of human trafficking. He promised to marry a Singaporean woman, only to make her perform sex work in Dubai later. She contracted an undisclosed sexually transmitted disease and flew back to Singapore.

Ashraf has 16 other pending charges, including multiple counts of cheating, and these will be dealt with at a later date. He is also accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in October 2025.

Private-hire driver who imported 1,100 vaporisers worth over 23k gets 14 weeks’ jail

A Malaysian private-hire driver, Suntharathasan Kanathasan, was sentenced to 14 weeks’ jail after he pleaded guilty to importing the illicit goods. He learnt about the job after chatting with a passenger, and was told he could earn RM1,000 a trip.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) caught him on his third time smuggling, and found 1,100 disposable vaporisers, worth more than $23,000 in total, in the boot of his car.