13 h. ago Singapore organisers in limbo over work visa ban on foreign performers

For about two years, six nights a week, performers from mainland China, Taiwan and Malaysia have entertained hundreds of guests at the HaveFun Live Show in Singapore, but its organisers are now in a fix ahead of coming work permit changes. On Monday, the manpower ministry announced that a scheme allowing foreign performers a work permit of up to six months at public entertainment outlets in Singapore would cease in June after enforcement operations uncovered syndicates abusing the scheme. A...

Politics

16 h. ago ‘Better late than never’: Singapore parents laud curbs on phone use in schools

There are some days when stay-at-home mother of three Lynn Lee finds her 15-year-old daughter watching drama programmes or playing games on her phone for hours on end, unaware of how much time has passed. The 49-year-old, whose children are aged between 10 and 15, calls it an addiction and says her teenager’s screen time can be between eight and 10 hours a day despite parental controls that shut off her internet at 10.30pm. According to Lee, the addiction has caused her daughter’s temperament to...

Politics

21 h. ago Japan moves to ease tensions; China’s reusable rocket: SCMP’s weekly roundup

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Japan’s Sanae Takaichi moves to ease weeks of tensions with China over the Taiwan Strait After weeks of turmoil in relations with China, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sought to dial down tensions with Beijing over a...

Events

21 h. ago Chinese boy lost after US detention, helper’s last call in fire: weekly roundup

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Japan’s Sanae Takaichi moves to ease weeks of tensions with China over the Taiwan Strait After weeks of turmoil in relations with China, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sought to dial down tensions with Beijing over a...

Events

23 h. ago Are Singaporean Chinese the ‘least attractive’? Viral image ignites debate

A widely shared image on social media depicting colour sketches of men from different regions in China has ignited debate on the physical appearance of Singaporean Chinese based on their ancestry, with online users concluding they are the least attractive of the gene pool. But psychotherapists say perceptions of beauty might be warped by media and celebrity culture, warning against the normalisation of conversations centred on physical appearance. The discussion was prompted by drawings of male...

Politics

23 h. ago Are Singaporean Chinese the ‘least attractive’? Viral image stirs debate

A widely shared image on social media depicting colour sketches of men from different regions in China has stirred debate on the physical appearance of Singaporean Chinese based on their ancestry, with online users concluding they are the least attractive of the gene pool. But psychotherapists say perceptions of beauty might be warped by media and celebrity culture, warning against the normalisation of conversations centred on physical appearance. The discussion was prompted by drawings of male...

Politics

29 h. ago China says it is working ‘with all parties’ to prevent escalation in Venezuela

China said on Wednesday that it is working “with all parties” to prevent a military escalation in the Caribbean as the United States intensifies operations near Venezuela, the latest sign of Beijing’s growing diplomatic and symbolic support for President Nicolas Maduro. Asked to comment on the Venezuelan crisis, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters that Beijing “opposes any action that violates the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter or undermines the...

Politics

38 h. ago ‘No longer contentious’: Malaysia to weigh Singapore’s water project plan

Malaysia said on Thursday that it would consider a proposal by Singapore to jointly develop water infrastructure in southern Johor, signalling the intention of both sides to move beyond decades of rancour over the vital resource. The two countries have for years disagreed over various issues related to water supply, ranging from prices to the interpretation of the 1962 water agreement signed by them. Malaysia has argued that Johor’s water is sold too cheaply to Singapore. With Johor experiencing...

Politics

48 h. ago Singapore court upholds opposition leader Pritam Singh’s conviction for lying

Singapore’s highest court has upheld a S$14,000 (US$10,820) fine handed to opposition leader Pritam Singh for lying to a parliamentary committee. In February, the Workers’ Party (WP) chief was found guilty of two counts of giving false testimony to a committee scrutinising a lie told by Raeesah Khan, a former member of parliament for the party. Singh, who pleaded not guilty, received the maximum fine of S$7,000 for each charge following a 13-day trial. The 49-year-old appealed against the...

Politics

64 h. ago Top Fabrication Yards in Asia: Why China, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are Key to Project Success

Top Fabrication Yards in Asia: Why China, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are Key to Project Success  Onrec

Politics

3 d. ago How a husband’s secret life between Singapore and Malaysia was exposed

A man who had been married for 15 years secretly wed again in Sarawak, Malaysia, and fathered two more children, all the while keeping this second family from his wife and two kids in Singapore. Ng Teong Min’s deception lasted 30 years from 1995 until August this year, when a whistle-blower exposed his double life in an email to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. The 67-year-old pleaded guilty to the offence of bigamy and was sentenced to one year and five months’ jail on Tuesday. Ng,...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Malaysian promoting Singapore’: viral video sparks debate over talent use

A high-gloss travel video created by a Malaysian visual-effects specialist to promote Singapore has gone viral, prompting some in Malaysia to ask why their own tourism board has not tapped local talent as effectively. The one-minute film, produced in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), features Mohamad Sofian Abdullah, better known as Sofyank, weaving his signature special effects into a tightly edited journey across the city state. The video shows the 29-year-old creator –...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Schrodinger’s Pakistan’, Chinese travellers eye Singapore: 7 Asia highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Accountability test for Philippines’ Marcos family as budget scandal widens A former prominent lawmaker now in hiding has released new videos accusing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s family of orchestrating massive corruption, escalating a scandal that is...

Politics

4 d. ago Chinese national jailed in Singapore for attempted rape of ex

A PhD student who attempted to rape his former housemate after his repeated advances were rejected was sentenced to jail and caning in Singapore on Monday. Gao Xiong, a 31-year-old Chinese national, will be imprisoned for six years, six months and six weeks, and receive three strokes of the cane. He pleaded guilty to four charges which include attempted rape and criminal trespass, with another three charges taken into consideration. The court heard that Gao was completing his PhD studies in...

Events

4 d. ago Like a ‘debt collector’? US ambassador irks Singaporeans for justifying tariff

The United States’ new ambassador to Singapore has come under fire for his remarks defending the 10 per cent tariff on the city state by framing it as the US seeking help from a friend after it had played an important role in Singapore’s economic miracle. Orthopaedic surgeon Anjani Sinha, who officially started his tenure on November 17, told government-funded local media outlet The Straits Times that the US was asking friends such as Singapore to help President Donald Trump “rebalance” and...

Politics

4 d. ago Like a ‘debt collector’? US ambassador irks Singaporeans by justifying tariff

The United States’ new ambassador to Singapore has come under fire for his remarks defending the 10 per cent tariff on the city state by framing it as the US seeking help from a friend after it had played an important role in Singapore’s economic miracle. Orthopaedic surgeon Anjani Sinha, who officially started his tenure on November 17, told government-funded local media outlet The Straits Times that the US was asking friends such as Singapore to help President Donald Trump “rebalance” and...

Politics

4 d. ago Standard Chartered raises China 2026 GDP growth forecast to 4.6%

Standard Chartered raises China 2026 GDP growth forecast to 4.6%  MSN

Politics

4 d. ago International Geothermal Standard Committee Launched in Beijing with Permanent Secretariat at Sinopec

International Geothermal Standard Committee Launched in Beijing with Permanent Secretariat at Sinopec  PR Newswire

Society

4 d. ago Tengku Zafrul on US trade deal, Umno and looking like a Singapore minister

Tengku Zafrul Aziz is rarely seen without his signature gleaming white smile and well-tailored suit over a trim physique and flat tummy, evidence of a strict exercise regimen. Malaysia’s minister of investment, trade and industry jokes that he is often mistaken for a Singaporean politician when abroad, perhaps because of his lean appearance and – this part is unspoken – his technocratic background. But there is one difference: “You can ask me anything on stage and I’ll try to answer.” Despite...

Politics

6 d. ago Singapore becomes Plan B for Chinese travellers giving Japan a wide berth

Amid the diplomatic fallout between Tokyo and Beijing, Hunanese accountant Echo He feels relieved she has chosen Southeast Asia for her year-end trip with her husband and colleagues, instead of the popular choice, Japan. The latest spat between both nations arose on November 7 when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested her country could deploy its military forces in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait. This infuriated Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited...

Politics