Over 2.4 million eligible Singaporeans to receive special cash payment of $400 to $600 in September
To help citizens cope with rising living costs, the Ministry of Finance has announced that over 2.4 million eligible Singaporeans will receive Cost-of-Living Special Payments of $400 to $600 from Sept 9.
To get the payment, one has to be a Singapore citizen who lives here and is at least 21 years old in 2026. Also, they must not have an assessable income in the year of assessment 2025 that exceeds $100,000, and not own more than one property. No application is needed.
Singapore adopts a ‘just in case’ approach to strategic vulnerabilities: Chan Chun Sing
At the 20th Public Health and Occupational Medicine Conference at Temasek Club, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing announced that Singapore follows a more “just in case” approach to identifying and dealing with vulnerabilities, as opposed to a “just in time” one.
“We all know that preventing something from happening, dealing with the ‘known knowns’, is necessary but not sufficient... It is much more challenging to deal with the ‘known unknowns’ and the ‘unknown unknowns’,” he added.
Singapore-registered container ship crashes into riverbank in India
A Singapore-flagged container ship crashed into a riverbank in West Bengal, India, on Aug 12, reportedly due to turbulent conditions and possible steering malfunctions. A video of the incident, posted on social media on Aug 12, shows a vessel loaded with containers heading directly at a riverbank before crashing into the embankment.
There were no injuries reported in the incident. The vessel, Nawata Bhum, is a Singapore-flagged container ship according to vessel tracking platform MarineTraffic.
Costs of Pioneer Generation schemes exceed fund balance by S$785m, Govt to top up where needed: Report
The Estimates Committee found that the projected costs of schemes under the Pioneer Generation Fund exceed its remaining balance by about S$785 million. The parliamentary committee posed questions to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on whether balances are sufficient to cover the costs of this fund and two others: the Merdeka Generation Fund and the Majulah Package.
In response, MOF said the Government will top up where necessary to fulfil its commitments, though it does not seek to exactly match the fund’s liabilities each year.
Classes at Xinmin Secondary School resume after students and staff evacuated following bomb threat
On the morning of Aug 13, students and staff of Xinmin Secondary School in Hougang were evacuated following a bomb threat. In a message to parents and guardians, the school said it was alerted to the threat and immediately activated its evacuation procedures at 8.28am.
“The police conducted a thorough search of our premises, and no suspicious items were found,” it said, adding that all students and staff were accounted for.
Police to train teachers to tackle youth gang engagement
The Singapore Police Force will train teachers and social workers to recognise early signs of gang association to enable earlier intervention. Students will also participate in programmes to be ambassadors and mentors against crime and gangs. The inaugural training programme is planned for the first half of 2027, with about 120 teachers and social workers attending.
This was announced by Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong at the Community Action for the Rehabilitation of Ex-Offenders Network Summit 2026 on Aug 12.
New park combines Istana Park, Dhoby Ghaut Green and Penang Road open space
The Penang Road open space at the intersection of Orchard and Oxley roads is set to be turned into an Orchid Park, as part of plans to give the Dhoby Ghaut area a facelift.
The Orchid Park will be part of a new park that incorporates the existing open space, as well as Istana Park, Dhoby Ghaut Green and a 500m-long section of Orchard Road that will be pedestrianised. The park will be more than thrice the size of the existing 1.3ha Istana Park.
Over 100 people evacuated after fire at Junction 8 restaurant; 1 taken to hospital
Diners at Junction 8’s Japanese barbecue restaurant Yakiniku Like had their meals cut short after a fire broke out in the restaurant, leading to over 100 people evacuated from the mall and one person taken to the hospital.
The fire, which involved a table grill and exhaust ducting in the dining area of the restaurant on the first floor, was extinguished by firefighters using a hose reel, said Singapore Civil Defence Force.
