In a sombre and direct message to Singaporeans, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong urged the nation to brace for a more unstable and dangerous global environment. He made these remarks in a speech posted online on April 4, 2025, following a dramatic announcement by US President Donald Trump to impose a 10% tariff on most goods imported from Singapore and several other countries. PM Wong described the new tariff measures as a “seismic shift” in global trade and warned that this signals the end of an era defined by rules-based globalisation. He highlighted how the global order — once supported by clear norms and institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) — is now eroding rapidly. The Prime Minister emphasized that the world is transitioning into a phase where nations act primarily based on self-interest, often using pressure or force to achieve their goals. “The global calm and stability we once knew will not return anytime soon,” he said. “We cannot expect that the rules w...
On April 2, 2025, a 42-year-old Malaysian national, Zhang Jiesen (transliteration), who is a Singapore permanent resident, was sentenced to 18 weeks in jail for secretly filming a female tenant in a shared bathroom. He pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism, while two other charges — obstruction of justice and breaching the Films Act — were taken into consideration during sentencing. The incident occurred in a public housing unit rented by Zhang and his wife, who then sublet rooms to four tenants — two men and two women. According to court proceedings, Zhang had malicious intentions targeting one of the female tenants. On October 20, 2023, he ordered a miniature camera and memory card online. By November, he began hiding the device in the shared bathroom used by all four tenants. Zhang carefully timed his actions. He would typically set up the camera between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., a time when he knew the victim was likely to return home from work and use the bathroom. Using blu tac...