A coffee shop in Bedok is reportedly experiencing low footfall and poor business.

The owner of MunCheng Coffee Shop, located at Block 510 Bedok North Street 3, apparently accumulated losses of about S$1 million since he took over the business in 2024, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Only four out of 10 stalls — a drinks stall, an economic rice stall, an Indian food stall, and a pastry stall — have been rented out and are operational.

According to Shin Min, the monthly rent for each stall is about S$2,500.

Lack of customers

Li (transliterated), a 30-year-old who runs the economic rice stall, told Shin Min that many stalls close after only a few months of operation.

He attributed the closures to the inability to sustain the business rather than the rent.

Li cited the lack of customers but “can’t explain why nobody comes”.

The pastry stall owner, who remained anonymous, told Shin Min he had operated his stall for about two years.

He claimed that business in 2026 had dropped by about 40 per cent compared to the previous year.

“We’re barely making ends meet, and it’s not just here. Other coffee shops and hawker centres nearby aren’t doing well either,” he reportedly said.

Losses

Chen, the owner of MunCheng Coffee Shop, told Shin Min that the coffee shop has been operating for about two-and-a-half years.

Half of the stalls were apparently already vacant when he took over.

Chen reportedly invested over S$500,000 in renovations.

He claimed that he chose the location of the coffee shop as there were nearby flats and a market.

Chen apparently thought that there would be footfall.

However, he did not expect the stall turnover rate to be high, and now he hoped to rent the stalls out “as soon as possible” to reduce losses.

Chen reportedly revealed that he lost money every month for the past two years, totalling about S$1 million.

To reduce operating costs, two employees from the drinks stall were apparently laid off.

Chen said everyone was cutting costs as “the market was bad”.

“At our peak, we had six employees, but we've been laying off staff one after another, and now we might only have two left," he said.

A tenant at another coffee shop said the area is increasingly becoming more aged, with more seniors around.

The Kaki Bukit 511 Market & Food Centre, a stone's throw away, has been experiencing fewer diners over the years, especially after the pandemic, a stall tenant there said.

The reason for the decline was not clear though.

A 49-year-old woman was apprehended after locking herself in a flat in Bukit Panjang for more than two hours.

The incident occurred on Jul. 21 at about 3pm at a second-floor unit at Block 207 Petir Road.

In a TikTok, emergency responders and vehicles were present at the scene with safety life air packs deployed.

In response to queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Singapore Police Force said they received a call for assistance to the incident.

Upon arrival, officers found that the woman had locked herself in her residential unit and might pose a danger to herself.

The police's Special Operations Command (SOC) and Crisis Negotiation Unit, along with SCDF, were deployed to the scene.

Two safety life air packs were deployed.

Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) rescuers rappelled from the unit above as a precautionary measure.

Officers managed to gain entry into the unit at about 5:30pm.

The woman was subsequently apprehended under the Mental Health Act and conveyed to Woodlands Hospital.

Neighbour

According to Shin Min Daily News, more than 20 police officers had gathered along the second-floor corridor.

The woman’s husband was reportedly seen speaking with emergency responders.

A resident living next to the unit, Xiao (transliterated), told Shin Min that the unit is home to a middle-aged couple who moved in about six or seven years ago.

Her husband works in an administrative role at a military camp, while the woman apparently used to work in the computer-related industry and is currently unemployed.

Xiao claimed she had a good relationship with the woman and they often visit each other's homes to chat.

The woman reportedly came to her home the previous night and mentioned to her that her granddaughter was unwell.

A couple was spotted lying on a display bed at an IKEA store in Taiwan, kissing and touching each other openly in full view of other shoppers.

The incident sparked debate online after a parent posted about it.

According to Oriental Daily, a parent posted about the incident on Threads after her child alerted her that someone in the display area was "lying on the bed kissing and touching each other”.

When she went to take a look, she found the couple being intimate on the display bed, completely oblivious to the shoppers around them.

She noted that the woman was wearing a low-cut top, and when lying on her side, her lace lingerie was visible, drawing stares from passers-by.

The parent said people should maintain basic boundaries in public places, adding that couples who want to be intimate should "go home, go to the car, or get a room".

She also questioned whether IKEA staff would step in if they saw such behaviour.

What commenters said

The post sparked discussion online, with many criticising the couple for lacking public etiquette.

Others lamented that the boundaries of public spaces seemed to be increasingly blurred.

One commenter who claimed to know an IKEA employee, said such incidents actually occur from time to time, and that staff generally turn a blind eye as long as things do not get out of hand.

One commenter wrote: "I really don't understand what these people are thinking. If you're in the mood, can you please go somewhere with no one around?”

Many others zeroed in on the hygiene of the display beds.

Another said: "You have no idea who was lying there before you, and you still dare to put your head on the pillow."

A tourist's last day in Singapore nearly turned into a nightmare after she accidentally left her bag on a bus.

Thankfully for her, two SBS Transit staff went out of their way to help her recover it, even paying for her taxi ride out of their own pocket.

According to a Facebook post by SBS Transit, Mrs K had alighted at a bus stop and realised her bag was still on Service 853.

The bag contained her passport, S$2,000 in cash and S$30,000 worth of gold jewellery intended for her daughter's upcoming wedding in Kuala Lumpur.

She approached the team at Ang Mo Kio interchange in tears, hoping they could help.

Staff from a different operator stepped in anyway

According to SBS Transit, Service 853 is not operated by the company, but Senior Assistant Interchange Supervisor Nithyananthan Palne, known as Nathan, did not let that stop him.

He contacted Tower Transit Singapore to trace the missing bag, and within 20 minutes, Tower Transit called back to confirm that a fellow passenger had found it and handed it over.

Mrs K, however, had no money to get to the other interchange to retrieve her belongings.

Senior Interchange Supervisor Alex Tan decided to book and pay for a taxi to Yishun interchange for Mrs K, out of his own pocket.

"My family was very proud of me"

Mrs K was reunited with her bag, with all her belongings intact.

Two days later, she and her daughter called to thank the officers.

Nathan recalled: "Both Mrs K and her daughter called to thank us and even extended an invitation to the wedding in Kuala Lumpur."

A week later, Mrs K returned to Ang Mo Kio Interchange in person to thank Nathan and Tan and to reimburse Tan for the taxi fare he had paid for her.

Tan told SBS Transit: "We were just happy that she got her bag back. My family was very proud of me. When I told my daughter about it, she wanted to learn from this and help others."

Mrs K writes in to commend the staff

Mrs K also wrote a thank-you letter to SBS Transit, praising Nathan and Tan for their professionalism and generosity.

Speaking about Nathan, she said in the letter: "His dedication, patience, and unwavering commitment to helping me, despite the matter not being under your company's responsibility, were truly commendable."

Talking about the two SBS officers, she added: "Their kindness, teamwork and willingness to go above and beyond their duties made an incredibly stressful situation much easier to bear."

A 77-year-old man is accused of allegedly sexually assaulting his secretary's teenage daughter on various occasions over a few years, and causing her to become pregnant in 2015 when she was 17.

The Straits Times reported that the man sought to defend himself on Jul. 20, 2026, against 10 charges.

Charges

The man, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, is accused of committing obscene acts, as well as penetrating the victim on various occasions when she was between 14 and 16 years old.

ST reported that during the trial, the prosecution will call five witnesses to testify, including the victim and her mother.

In the Jul. 20 hearing closed to the media and public, the victim, now 27, was the prosecution's first witness.

She will testify that the man had lied to be 40 years old at the time of his alleged offences, the prosecution said, adding that he apparently alienated the girl from her family by saying that her father was a bad person.

Entered into relationship

At the time of his alleged offences, the insurance agent and business owner, then 64, became the caregiver to his secretary's teenage daughters in 2012, the prosecution said in its opening address.

His secretary had been diagnosed with breast cancer and her husband was busy working, ST reported.

The accused allegedly entered into a relationship with one of his secretary's daughters, then 14.

Having been a trusted family friend of the girl's mother, he had allowed the family to stay at one of his properties rent-free between 2012 and 2013.

He would also send the girl and her sister home after school, as well as send them to their tuition and enrichment classes.

Held hands, kissed girl

ST reported that according to court documents, there was one occasion in 2012 where man picked the victim up after school when she was in Secondary 2.

He then held her hand while inside his car, and the prosecution stated that she did not resist him despite feeling uncomfortable.

In the same year, he subsequently drove her to Mandai reservoir, where he reportedly kissed her on the lips after he had parked the car.

She also did not resist him though she felt uncomfortable, according to ST.

During this period, the man was said to have exchanged text messages with the girl, prosecutors said, adding that he would also take her out for meals.

Escalated advances, police report made

The prosecution added that the man then escalated his advances after the girl became desensitised to holding hands and kissing him.

He allegedly sexually assaulted her multiple times between 2012 and 2013 when she was under 16, ST reported.

After the girl turned 16 in 2014, the man allegedly continued to engage in penetrative sexual acts with her.

In early 2015, the girl reportedly became pregnant while in junior college and was accompanied by the man when she underwent an abortion in February that year.

ST reported that court documents showed no paternity test was conducted then.

Following this, the girl ended their relationship at the end of 2017 and subsequently reported the man to the police in August 2019.

Penalties

The trial is set to continue on Jul. 21, ST reported.

If convicted of sexual penetration of a minor who is above 14 years old but below 16 years of age, the man could be jailed for up to 20 years and fined.

If found guilty of committing obscene acts with a young person, the man could be jailed for up to five years and fined up to S$10,000.

When he learnt of Faishal Ibrahim’s interactions with a female member of the public, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's first reaction was “disbelief and shock”.

He even suspected that the contents of the woman's email were fabricated.

PM Wong was commenting on the issue during a press conference on the Cabinet reshuffle on Jul. 22.

The former Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs had resigned after his interactions with the unnamed woman fell short of "standards".

He also relinquished his roles as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, and as a People's Action Party (PAP) member.

'Very serious mistake'

PM Wong said that they first learnt of the issue when the woman sent an email to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), complaining about Faishal's interactions with her.

It was a very “detailed email”, containing screenshots and contents of the interaction, PM Wong explained.

“When I first saw it, my initial reaction was disbelief and shock. I thought that the contents were fabricated, but as it turns out, unfortunately, they were genuine, and the interactions did take place,” he said.

While he did not provide further details on the interactions in question, he stressed that Faishal had made a "very serious mistake", a fact which Faishal himself accepts.

Consequences not overly harsh

PM Wong also addressed a question on whether he felt the consequences were “overly harsh”.

This was in the light of recent online discourse, including a petition which called for PM Wong to reject the resignation.

It has since accumulated 1,215 signatures.

"Let me put it this way," PM Wong said.

"First, Faishal himself, reflecting on the matter, realised that it was not tenable for him to continue as an office holder and as an MP."

While Faishal had explained that he was trying his best to manage what he felt was an awkward situation, he nonetheless accepted that his responses to her were "objectively speaking, questionable and inappropriate".

"That's why he asked to stand down, and he asked and requested for privacy for himself and for his family, and we have respected that request as much as possible.”

Not a private matter

Following the matter, PM Wong said he had “tried [his] best” to see if there was a way for Faishal to continue in office regardless.

But it was not a "private matter between two private individuals and two consenting adults," he clarified.

“A complaint has been made against him; it has entered the public arena, and that's why we have to undertake this objectively, undergo a process where we listen to both parties, and we certainly took pains to listen to Faishal's explanations as well,” he said.

But after examining the evidence and the facts, it was clear that his conduct had “fallen short of the standards” that were expected of him.

As such, Faishal’s decision to resign was the “right course of action to take”, he said.

He also acknowledged that as the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Faishal had certain expectations of him from the Malay-Muslim community.

But the same standards would be applied to every PAP MP in the “same way”, he said.

"The code of conduct is not new. The standards are not new... Does it make it more challenging to attract people? Perhaps it does.

...I understand that, but we have to maintain the high standards. It is necessary in order... to uphold trust in our system."

Done good work, but no exceptions

Calling the loss "difficult and painful", PM Wong said he understands the outpouring of support and sympathy for him from Singaporeans, and especially from the Malay-Muslim community.

He has "done good work wherever he went as MP and as office holder", and the incident does not diminish his contributions to Singapore over the past 20 years, he added.

However, PM Wong contended that making an exception for Faishal would only cause “more damage and harm” to Singapore.

“In the end, we look at the evidence. We have to do the right thing, and we have to continue to uphold the trust that Singaporeans have in our political system and in our public institutions," he said.

"It's very sad. It's very unfortunate, but we have to move forward from here."

Related stories

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has announced a new line-up for the Cabinet on Jul. 22.

This reshuffle sees five officeholders promoted, including two newly appointed, and several changes at the Minister of State (MOS) and Senior Minister of State (SMS) level.

The new appointees will be sworn in on Jul. 27, 2026.

"We are continuing our leadership transition with younger and newer members of the team taking on larger responsibilities," PM Wong said at the Jul. 22 press conference.

"At the same time, we are maintaining continuity and experience in the core leadership team. This balance matters because Singapore needs both experienced leaders who steer through immediate challenges and a new generation ready to take us forward."

During the press conference, PM Wong described it as a "renewal", sharing that "over time we will see more of the 5G emerge from this process".

Promotions

Jeffrey Siow (previously Acting Minister for Transport and SMS for Finance) will be promoted to Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance.

David Neo (previously Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and SMS for Education) will be promoted to Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Second Minister for Education.

Sim Ann (previously SMS for Foreign and Home Affairs) will be promoted to Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Home Affairs.

Jasmin Lau (previously MOS for Digital Development and Information, and Education) will be promoted to Acting Minister for Manpower and SMS for Digital Development and Information.

Goh Pei Ming (previously MOS for Home Affairs, and Social and Family Development) will be promoted to SMS for Home Affairs, and Social and Family Development.

Foo Cexiang will become MOS for Manpower, and Trade and Industry from Sep. 1, 2026.

Shawn Loh will become MOS for Education, and Health from Jan. 1, 2027.

Moves & new appointments

K Shanmugam will become Senior Minister. He will also continue in his roles as Coordinating Minister for National Security, and Minister for Home Affairs.

Tan See Leng will become Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry), and relinquish his role as Minister for Manpower.

Ng Chee Meng, the Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), will become Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.

Zaqy Mohamad was appointed Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs on Jul. 20. He will continue in his roles as SMS for Defence, and relinquish his role as SMS for Sustainability and the Environment.

Alvin Tan will become MOS for Foreign Affairs. He will continue in his role as MOS for National Development, and relinquish his role as MOS for Trade and Industry.

Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim will become MOS for Home Affairs. He will continue in his role as MOS for Foreign Affairs, and relinquish his role as MOS for Social and Family Development.

Renaming of MTI

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) will be renamed the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry from Oct. 1, 2026.

The new name reflects the ministry's growing focus on energy matters.

"Energy is becoming increasingly central to Singapore's economic competitiveness, industrial transformation, and long-term resilience," PM Wong explained at the press conference.

Complete list of Cabinet appointments

Prime Minister's Office

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong

Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Senior Minister K Shanmugam [NEW]

Ministers: Indranee Rajah and Ng Chee Meng [NEW]

Senior Minister of State: Desmond Tan

Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth

Minister: David Neo [NEW]

Senior Minister of State: Low Yen Ling

Ministers of State: Baey Yam Keng, Dinesh Vasu Dash

Senior Parliamentary Secretary: Goh Hanyan

Ministry of Digital Development and Information

Minister: Josephine Teo

Senior Ministers of State: Tan Kiat How, Jasmin Lau [NEW]

Minister of State: Rahayu Mahzam

Ministry of Defence

Minister: Chan Chun Sing

Senior Minister of State: Zaqy Mohamad

Minister of State: Desmond Choo

Ministry of Education

Minister: Desmond Lee

Second Minister: David Neo [NEW]

Senior Minister of State: Janil Puthucheary

Minister of State: Shawn Loh

Senior Parliamentary Secretary: Syed Harun Alhabsyi

Ministry of Finance

Minister: Lawrence Wong

Second Ministers: Indranee Rajah, Jeffrey Siow [NEW]

Senior Parliamentary Secretary: Shawn Huang

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Minister: Vivian Balakrishnan

Second Minister: Sim Ann [NEW]

Ministers of State: Gan Siow Huang, Alvin Tan [NEW], Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim

Ministry of Health

Minister: Ong Ye Kung

Senior Ministers of State: Tan Kiat How

Ministers of State: Rahayu Mahzam, Shawn Loh [NEW]

Ministry of Home Affairs

Minister: K Shanmugam

Second Ministers: Edwin Tong, Sim Ann [NEW]

Senior Minister of State: Goh Pei Meng [NEW]

Minister of State: Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim [NEW]

Ministry of Law

Minister: Edwin Tong

Senior Minister of State: Murali Pillai

Senior Parliamentary Secretary: Eric Chua

Ministry of Manpower

Minister: Jasmin Lau (Acting Minister) [NEW]

Minister of State: Dinesh Vasu Dash, Foo Cexiang [NEW]

Senior Parliamentary Secretary: Shawn Huang

Ministry of National Development

Minister: Chee Hong Tat 

Second Minister: Indranee Rajah

Senior Minister of State: Sun Xueling

Minister of State: Alvin Tan

Senior Parliamentary Secretary: Syed Harun Alhabsyi

Ministry of Social and Family Development

Minister: Masagos Zulkifli

Desmond Lee (i/c of Social Service Integration)

Ministers of State: Goh Pei Ming [NEW]

Senior Parliamentary Secretary: Eric Chua

Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment

Minister: Grace Fu

Senior Minister of State: Janil Puthucheary

Senior Parliamentary Secretary: Goh Hanyan

Ministry of Trade and Industry

Ministers: Gan Kim Yong (Trade), Tan See Leng (Energy & Industry) [NEW]

Grace Fu (i/c of Trade Relations)

Senior Minister of State: Low Yen Ling

Minister of State: Gan Siow Huang, Foo Cexiang [NEW]

Ministry of Transport

Minister: Jeffrey Siow [NEW]

Senior Ministers of State: Sun Xueling, Murali Pillai

Minister of State: Baey Yam Keng

Mayors

Central: Denise Phua

North East: Baey Yam Keng

North West: Alex Yam

South East: Dinesh Vasu Dash

South West: Low Yen Ling

As part of the Jul. 22 Cabinet reshuffle, Jasmin Lau will be promoted to Acting Minister for Manpower and will relinquish her role as Minister of State for Education.

She will also be promoted from Minister of State to Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information.

The 43-year-old will be taking over the manpower role from Tan See Leng, who helmed the ministry since 2021.

Tan will be appointed Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry).

Lau joins GE2025 debutants David Neo and Jeffrey Siow in Cabinet ministerial positions, the latter of whom were promoted to Ministers for Culture, Community and Youth, and for Transport, respectively.

They have yet to be co-opted into the People's Action Party's Central Executive Committee.

Lau's new appointments, along with those in the new Cabinet, will take effect on Jul. 27, 2026.

'Big shoes to fill': Lau

During the Jul. 22 press conference on the Cabinet reshuffle, Lau thanked Minister for Education Desmond Lee and her colleagues at MOE for their "guidance and partnership" in the past year.

She then turned to MOM and Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng, noting that she has "big shoes to fill".

"Jobs are on everyone's minds right now, and rightly so," Lau said.

Technology is causing disruption and workers and companies are "trying their best to navigate this change".

On this, Lau said:

"Our responsibility going forward is to help them through this change. This will mean looking at how we uplift our workers in the most vulnerable segments, helping Singaporeans cope with more free work career transitions, and also ensuring that lifelong learning is genuinely accessible and relevant."

Lau also said she will "keep a close eye" on retirement adequacy.

Noting her experience working in MOM from 2008 to 2010, Lau recognised that the workforce landscape has "changed significantly".

"So I do look forward to working with MOM colleagues this round," she added.

Lau also thanked PM Wong for "entrusting [her] with this role" and said that she is "ready to do [her] best".

Extensive civil service career

Lau, who holds a Master's degree in technology and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has an extensive career in civil service.

She was Deputy Secretary (Policy) at the Ministry of Health (MOH) before resigning from the role to run in GE2025 in Ang Mo Kio GRC.

After her successful election in 2025, she was made Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and for Education.

During her time in the roles, Lau spoke often about the impact of AI, such as during this year's Singapore Perspectives forum organised by the Institute of Policy Studies.

She also co-chaired one of the committees during the government's Economic Strategy Review.

K Shanmugam will be appointed as Senior Minister (SM) on Jul. 27.

He will continue to hold his appointments as Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs.

Shanmugam is the first senior minister to take on the position while simultaneously overseeing other ministerial portfolios.

The new appointment was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the Cabinet reshuffle on Jul. 22.

New title

Shanmugam entered politics in 1988 and was first appointed a Cabinet minister on May 1, 2008.

He is one of the longest-serving ministers in the Cabinet under the People’s Action Party (PAP).

The lawyer by profession served as the Minister for Law from 2008 to 2025, and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2015.

He took on the Coordinating Minister appointment and relinquished his Law portfolio in the last Cabinet reshuffle in May 21, 2025.

Senior ministers

Shanmugam is the first senior minister to retain other ministerial portfolios while serving in the position.

The only other senior minister in the current Cabinet is former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.

SM Lee was appointed a senior minister after he stepped down as prime minister on May 15, 2024, relinquishing the role to current PM Lawrence Wong.

During a press conference announcing the Cabinet reshuffle, PM Wong said that Shanmugan and SM Lee are the two most experienced members of his team.

"They continue to provide valuable counsel and will help guide and mentor our younger officeholders," he said.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) will be renamed to the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI) with effect from Oct. 1, 2026.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced the new name during the Cabinet reshuffle on Jul. 22.

PM Wong said that energy is becoming increasingly central to Singapore's economic competitiveness, industrial transformation and long-term resilience.

The new name reflects the ministry’s growing focus on energy matters, which are vital to Singapore's economic competitiveness and future, the government said in a press statement.

Led by two ministers

The ministry will also be led by two ministers, PM Wong announced.

Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Gan Kim Yong, who is the current Minister for Trade and Industry, will continue to oversee trade and broader economic strategy.

Tan See Leng will relinquish his role as Minister for Manpower Jul. 27, and take on a new role as Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry).

PM Wong shared that Tan will oversee energy and industry, adding that he has already been closely involved in these areas as the Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science & Technology.

“Now, he will devote his full attention to this portfolio, and relinquish his responsibilities at MOM,” PM Wong said.

In response to questions about the splitting of responsibilities between the two ministers, PM Wong explained that energy is a "very key segment" of the ministry's work, making the scope of work for the ministry larger.

"It's not just a matter of name, but it reflects the central role that energy plays, and because the work of METI is now so large, we think, and I think it's appropriate for two ministers to helm it," he added.

PM Wong further explained that Gan will continue to focus on trade, which he described as "a lot of work".

"Because we have to do lots of travelling — and in today's environment with the sort of geopolitical changes we are experiencing — a lot of negotiations around trade, as you might expect," he said

Separately, as energy and industry are becoming more important, having a co-minister rather than a second minister leading these portfolios felt "appropriate", he said.

He also noted that this is "somewhat unique, but not unusual", citing how there were previously two ministers in the education portfolio from 2015 to 2018.

Why not an energy ministry?

On the rationale for not establishing a separate energy ministry, PM Wong said that while he is not ruling it out in the future, the energy role and work is still "growing" at this juncture.

"It's not stabilised yet, and it's not clear how it will evolve in the next few years, depending on decisions we make, depending on the feasibility studies we are undertaking," he said.

He explained that they might make a move to "restructure" further when it is necessary to do so.

"So I'm not ruling it out, but I think this move is necessary for now, and appropriate for now, given today's circumstance."

Energy is an existential resource

The ministry said in a press release that energy is an "existential resource" for Singapore, just like water.

The ministry also laid out steps they had taken to secure Singapore's energy future in recent years:

a. Constructing a second LNG terminal and centralising gas procurement for the power sector;

b. Ramping up efforts to deploy solar energy across all viable surfaces, including rooftops and reservoirs;

c. Pursuing new partnerships to import low-carbon electricity from our ASEAN neighbours;

d. Studying seriously the viability of various low-carbon energy technologies, especially nuclear energy; and

e. Launching an S$800 million “Decarbonisation Grand Challenge” to fund technological advancements critical to Singapore’s decarbonisation.

This renaming therefore reflects "Singapore’s growing focus on energy, and how it remains vital to our economic growth, climate goals, and national resilience," the ministry said.

It added that there are three critical challenges to address.

Firstly, economic growth depends on continued access to "stable and competitively priced energy", it said.

Secondly, there is also a need to balance this with the transition to a low-carbon economy according to Singapore’s 2050 net-zero ambitions.

The minister said this is a "challenging task", given that Singapore is alternative-energy disadvantaged.

Lastly, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and disruptions to global energy supplies are a reminder that energy security "cannot be taken for granted", the ministry emphasised.

"METI will work with all Singaporeans and businesses to build a secure, affordable, and sustainable energy system that will power our next phase of growth and development," it said.