At 17, many people have big dreams about what they want to do in the future, but few have the means to go about it.

Jovan Tang wants to represent his community, help solve their problems, and improve their environment- a daunting task for anyone, let alone a 17-year-old studying for his diploma.

But Jovan has found a way to do this by… just going ahead and doing it.

Uneven pathways

Jovan was the central focus of a recent 10-minute segment on Mediacorp Series Gen Z Crash Course, where he showed host Gao Mei Gui around his Boon Keng area.

There, he gave examples of issues that local residents had flagged to him, including uneven walking paths and road crossings with inadequate speed control.

Jovan told Gao about two instances of uneven ground, one where the town council was still looking into it, and another where an improvement had been made by simply painting a bright yellow stripe on the edge of the stairs, so that the drop was more obvious.

In both cases, he had reached out to the town council on his own initiative, alerting them to where changes needed to be made.

In another circumstance, near the Boon Keng MRT station, Jovan pointed out a pedestrian crossing under a covered walkway.

He said that residents in the area had told him their concerns about how the crossing was felt to be unsafe, particularly for the elderly and young children, as cars were passing through at a relatively high speed.

A few weeks after raising the issue with the town council, additional speed bumps were installed in the area, lowering the speed of traffic and making it safer for those using the crossing.

Name recognition

Gao spoke to several residents, with about half recognising him.

A pair of teenagers noted that they recognised him from his social media accounts, praising Jovan for his “wholesome” content, and posing for a picture with him.

Others who were featured and didn’t recognise him still praised him for his efforts, while one aunty still encouraged him to continue with his studies.

But not all comments he’s encountered were so encouraging, with some online accusing him of cosplaying as a Member of Parliament.

While he acknowledged that such comments did sting, Jovan said he continued to do his best to clarify his work.

He sometimes even bumped up against sceptical residents, who even told him that what he was doing wasn’t allowed.

But he refuses to let such comments dissuade him, insisting that he was “here to serve you (the residents)”, and that his self-belief kept him going.

He told Gao that he believed that there was a path for him to go on “this community journey”, to help and support residents, regardless of the naysayers.

Here to help

His Instagram account pays testament to his commitment, with a constant stream of posts showing his activities and events that he attends to stay up to date with what’s going on in his community.

There seems to be no limit to his enthusiasm, whether it's urban mobility or international entrepreneurship.

So if you live in the Boon Keng to Ang Mo Kio area and you see a young man wandering around (you can’t miss him; he even sometimes wears all-white regalia), consider letting him know if there’s a local issue you feel needs to be addressed.

After all, he’s there to help.

A fake Lianhe Zaobao report circulating on social media claims that Nvidia founder Jensen Huang has joined the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) as an adjunct professor and strategic consultant.

The report uses the layout of the Lianhe Zaobao front page, but the Chinese newspaper said it has never published such a report.

HKUST has also not announced any such appointment, according to Zaobao.

Fake Zaobao report claimed that Huang will take in PhD students from university's campuses

The doctored image is dated Nov. 13 and copies Zaobao's masthead and page layout, paired with a photo of Huang giving a speech and a photo of the HKUST campus.

The fake report claimed that Huang has joined HKUST as a professor and strategic consultant, is taking part in the university's research in AI and computing fields, and also claimed that Huang will take in PhD students from two of the university's campuses.

It further said that Huang stated that he believed HKUST has the potential to become the "MIT of the East", a reference to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the world's leading institutions in science and technology.

Doctored image

In its article, Zaobao highlighted key flaws that exposed the doctored image, such as the article carrying the byline of a reporter who had already left the newspaper.

The email address listed was also wrong, and the cover price did not match the paper's actual price.

The fake report was not entirely made up, as the photos in it are real.

In November 2024, HKUST conferred an honorary doctorate in engineering on Huang, and he attended events at the university at the time.

Fake news and fake accounts circulating all over internet

Huang has been embroiled in a series of scandals in the past weeks, and is suspected of having three affairs in total.

He stepped down as Nvidia CEO on Nov. 12 after the scandals hit a fever pitch.

Amid the influx of coverage on Huang, false information has been thrown into the mix.

Midas Project, a U.S. nonprofit that monitors AI safety, found more than 400 fake social media accounts posing as ordinary users who defended Huang and backed Nvidia's move to sell cutting-edge AI semiconductor chips to Chinese companies, reported Chosun Biz.

Singapore has issued its first Letter of Authorisation (LOA) for a carbon credit project under the Singapore-Rwanda Implementation Agreement (IA), according a Nov. 14 press release from the National Environmental Agency.

The authorisation, for a safe drinking water project in Rwanda, is the first of its kind among Singapore’s six operationalised IAs, which are with Ghana, Bhutan, Peru, Thailand, Mongolia, and Rwanda.

Reduced emissions by boiling

The Safe Water Supply Project will see 300,000 ceramic water filters distributed to households and early childhood development centres (ECDs) across Rwanda and is expected to benefit about 1.8 million people.

The filters will enable these households and ECDs to access safe drinking water without needing to boil it, reducing the use of firewood and charcoal.

This will reduce emissions generated by burning, as well as reduce indoor air pollution.

This will also reduce the need to collect firewood, which is expected to free up time for education, income-generating activities, and community participation.

Distribution of an initial 10,000 water filters began in June 2026, with the rest to be distributed in 2027.

Between 2026 and 2030, the Safe Water Supply Project is expected to mitigate around 780,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Singapore-Rwanda climate cooperation

The issuance of the project’s LOA comes after a call for applications under the Singapore-Rwanda IA in January 2026.

The IA was signed in May 2025, during a visit by Rwanda’s Environment Minister, Valentine Uwamariya, who signed the IA with Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.

At the time, Uwamariya said the agreement aimed to “promote high-integrity carbon markets, achieve tangible emissions reductions, and support sustainable development for our communities.”

More than 20 projects are currently undergoing assessment under the Singapore-Rwanda IA.

The Safe Water Supply Project will receive two LOAs, one each from Singapore and Rwanda, in the second part of a three-part process.

The LOA signifies that the project has been approved by both countries under the IA to generate carbon credits aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which enables international cooperation to tackle climate change and to unlock financial support for developing countries.

The NEA said that the project authorisation puts the Singapore-Rwanda IA into action and mobilises carbon finance to support emissions reductions and sustainable development in Rwanda.

A Singapore-registered bulk carrier came into contact with a bridge in New Jersey, United States, on Nov. 13 at about 2.15am (Singapore time).

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a news release on Friday that the vessel, named STRATEGIC ALLIANCE, struck the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge.

No injuries, no major damage

According to MPA, there were no reported injuries to civilians or to crew members on board the vessel.

The vessel did not sustain major damage, and no marine pollution has been reported, MPA said.

Vessel now moored

MPA said the vessel is currently safely moored at the Kinder Morgan terminal in Pennsylvania.

The authority added that it was in contact with the vessel's management company and the relevant US authorities to establish the circumstances of the incident, and will investigate the incident.

The bridge has since been reopened to vehicular traffic.

According to CBS, two lanes, one in each direction, reopened to traffic at around 8:40pm local time, wihch is roughly 7.5 hours after the incident occurred.

The pedestrian path has not yet reopened, as bridge conditions are still being assessed and repairs are being made to the walkway.

Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad has visited Saudi Arabia, where he discussed preparations for Hajj 2027, and Egypt, where he visited the Rafah border crossing with Gaza and met with humanitarian organisations.

On Nov. 13, he spoke to the press about his visit, answering questions about Singapore's Hajj allocation as well as ongoing relief efforts in Gaza.

Hajj allocation

Zaqy began by acknowledging that, for many Singaporean Muslims, performing Hajj is a lifelong dream that some have saved for years.

Others have waited a very long time for their turn, and their hope for a place becomes ever more precious as they grow older.

Zaqy said that, after several years of waiting, he had been able to perform his Hajj earlier in the year and understood what the journey meant to the Singaporean Muslim community and their families.

“Every Hajj allocation is more than just a number. For me, it is also someone's hopes, someone's prayers, and someone's years of waiting.”

Same number of Hajj places as previous years

He said that for Hajj 2027, Singapore had been allocated 900 places, which is the same number it has been assigned for five consecutive seasons.

While many had been hoping for more, Saudi Arabia allocated Hajj places based on an international formula of 0.1 per cent of each country's Muslim population, and Singapore's allocation was in line with other countries.

While visiting Jeddah, Zaqy met with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq al-Rabiah, and made Singapore's case for more places in 2028.

But also said that he understood Saudi Arabia's concerns about keeping pilgrims safe.

Meanwhile, Zaqy said that Singapore was looking to make Hajj more accessible, doing what it could within its quota places.

For 2027, there would be more affordable packages, including a shorter 18-day itinerary.

He said that MUIS was helping pilgrims meet the enhanced medical requirements.

For someone in their 70s and above, another year’s wait can make a big difference, so MUIS has given some priority to applicants aged 70 and above.

“Our hope is simple. We want to help most Singaporeans fulfil their Hajj aspirations safely and with peace of mind.”

Humanitarian efforts

Zaqy then spoke about his visit to Egypt, especially to Cairo and the Rafah border.

He said that while at the border, "you can't help but think about the suffering of the families in Gaza, as it felt very close."

He said that many had lost homes and loved ones, especially during recent heavy rains, which have flooded makeshift shelters.

He also related stories told to him while visiting the Palestinian hospital in Cairo, where he spoke to several of the families there, hearing in emotional terms the suffering that they have gone through.

Zaqy said the suffering of Gazans should not be something that “we simply get used to.”

Big-heartedness

Zaqy praised the big-heartedness of Singaporeans he has interacted with over the years, saying that, through the “generosity of our people and our humanitarian organisations”, Singapore has given S$25 million over 11 tranches over the last three years.

He said that it would be important to continue to get help to families who needed it and that access to Gaza has improved since earlier in the year, while warning that it still remained challenging.

He spoke about the new humanitarian effort for Relief efforts in Gaza called SG for Humanity, which brings together four NGOs: Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF), Mercy Relief, Singapore Red Cross, and Humanity Matters.

The aim of SG for Humanity was to strengthen cooperation with the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC).

The RLAF has signed an agreement to provide essential supplies, hot meals, shelter assistance, and learning spaces for children until Ramadan next year.

It was also explored how Singapore medical professionals could contribute more, and he met with relevant authorities and ministries to try to make some of these efforts possible on the ground.

He complimented the ERC, which had been able to advise Singaporean NGOs as to what worked and what didn't, highlighting the value of the SG for Humanity network.

Ultimately, he said, the measure of success was not about how much aid Singapore sent, but how much aid actually reached the people in Gaza and those displaced in Egypt or in Cairo.

An Atlantic Asphalt tanker ship collided with an American Cruise Lines passenger ship in New Orleans on the Mississippi River on Friday (Nov. 13, US time).

32 sent to the hospital

All 197 people on board were accounted for, and 32 were sent to local hospitals, reported CNN. Investigations into how the incident happened are underway.

The collision took place on the Mississippi River as passengers were preparing to disembark from the American Heritage, which had been docked.

Some passengers ended up in the water, and the boat started taking on water, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said at a news conference on Friday evening (US time).

The tanker appeared to have "lost control", said US Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham.

She added that authorities are not aware of the "exact reason why" it could have lost steering capabilities. The person steering the tanker was a river pilot, Burnham said.

Emergency response to rescue passengers

Emergency responders rushed to help with a mass evacuation.

Those taken to local hospitals all had non-critical injuries, according to Moreno.

The Red Cross told CNN that its volunteers provided water, blankets and emotional support on scene to those affected.

US President Donald Trump also praised first responders in a social media post, saying "All of Law Enforcement and First Responders were fantastic!"

Witness said it looked like "something off the Titanic"

A witness to the crash told CBS that he saw the cruise ship hit the dock following the collision, according to BBC's report.

"It sounded like a war movie. Just imagine tons of steel crunching. That's what it sounded like," he said.

"It looked like something off the Titanic."

He also saw passengers and crew members "hollering" and "crying" as they attempted to get off the ship while it was sinking.

Microsoft issued an apology on Nov. 14 (Singapore time) for the massive outage that saw many companies' email and software services go down due to connectivity issues.

CNBC quoted a Microsoft spokesperson as saying, “We are deeply sorry for the disruption this incident has caused our customers and partners.”

“We know the trust they place in our services and take that responsibility extremely seriously.”

“We are seeing broad recovery and stability across our services.”

Technical issue

The statement, which was also shared on social media, said that the outage was a technical issue and was not related to cyber or AI/Agents.

It explained that the incident was introduced by an issue during an earlier network capacity upgrade that had surfaced after a recent network change.

Microsoft said that it has since addressed the underlying issue and was continuing to restore services to remaining customers and regions.

However, due to the scale of demand, services were restored gradually, with the company “validating stability at each stage.”

This took longer, but helped “ensure a stable restoration.”

It also said it would provide a full post-incident report after it completed a review of the incident.

Global outage

The outage affected companies globally, including Singapore, on Nov. 12 to 13.

It affected Microsoft’s Outlook Email service, as well as its Microsoft 365 suite of office software services, which included the collaboration tool Teams, as well as SharePoint and Copilot.

But while Microsoft worked to restore services, it said it was taking precautions such as extending the window where delayed emails continued to attempt delivery to 48 hours.

CNBC reported that Microsoft had said during initial updates on Nov. 12 that the problems were related to "elevated loads” on infrastructure across multiple regions, due to “a number of servers being unexpectedly unavailable, straining the remaining infrastructure.”

Initial fears from affected companies and government officials were that the outage was due to some kind of "nefarious" activity, as commented by one U.S. legislator speaking to CNBC.

The Straits Times reported that while several government and business organisations had experienced a disruption to email services, critical services like emergency services and national security readiness was not affected.

The legislator, Josh Gottheimer, a congressman from New Jersey and a former Microsoft employee, said he was concerned about the size, length, and timing of the outage.

Several tech-related content creators saw the funny side of the outage, however, with many performing skits about how tech employees were spending their time in the office as they were unable to complete any work.

Multiple traffic light outages were spotted at the intersection near Ang Mo Kio Hub and Ang Mo Kio MRT station on Saturday (Nov. 14) at around 10:45am.

Photos sent to Mothership show auxiliary police officers and traffic marshals directing traffic along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 as it drizzled.

This is part of LTA's temporary traffic reconfiguration along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 to facilitate additional recovery works.

These works are required after unexpected ground obstructions were discovered during tunnelling works for the construction of Ang Mo Kio station on the Cross Island Line (CRL), LTA said in a press release on Oct. 16.

Officers direct traffic along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8

The traffic lights at the junction appeared to be turned off in the photos and videos shared with Mothership.

Marshals directed traffic in rain

Several officers in high-visibility vests were stationed around the junction. One wore a vest marked "Auxiliary Police" and raised a gloved hand as he directed vehicles.

Light rain could be seen falling around him.

Another officer could be seen also handling traffic by the pavement at the traffic light.

Elsewhere at the junction, an officer with a whistle in his mouth stood beside traffic cones and barriers managing heavy traffic in place of another traffic light that was turned off.

The temporary traffic reconfiguration has started on 14 November 2026 and will last till May 2028.

Motorists should expect longer queue lengths entering AMK Hub during peak periods, with an additional travel time of approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

United States aviation officials have lifted a nationwide ground stop that halted flights across the country for around four hours.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that US airspace is open again, but said the fallout from the disruption could continue for days, reported BBC.

The ground stop was ordered at around 5am Singapore time on Nov. 14. US aviation officials cited "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety".

It was lifted around four hours later, US media reported.

At the time of the outage, more than 3,000 flights were bound for US airports, according to Flightradar24.

Ground stop unrelated to ongoing Microsoft outage

US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sought to reassure the public that the ground stop was not caused by a "nefarious act".

He repeatedly stressed that the incident "isn't another 9/11".

Mullin added that there is no reason to connect today's issues to the ongoing Microsoft outage.

Caused by communication issues and "old legacy equipment that failed"

The outage was caused by "old legacy equipment that failed", according to US officials.

Duffy told reporters that the US has "an incredibly old air traffic control system". He explained that the routers became "overloaded with data", which led to inconsistencies in the data received from them.

Criticised Congress over air traffic funding

During a briefing by US cabinet secretaries, Duffy criticised the Republican-controlled Congress for not allocating more funding to air traffic infrastructure.

"I can't build things if I don't have money," he said, while shaking his head.

Duffy is asking Congress for US$50 billion (about S$65 billion) to build new air traffic control systems to replace the current ones, which he described as incredibly old.

Stranded travellers

US airports were filled with stranded travellers and stuck families, NYT reported.

NYT reporter Jack Healy was himself stuck on the runway on a United Airlines flight due to leave Chicago for Rochester, New York, when the ground stop came into effect.

Reporting from his seat, Healy said flight attendants were doing their best to keep passengers comfortable by "passing out cookies and water", but added that frustration was growing because passengers had no information on when the situation might end.

Guy Gratton, an Associate Professor of Aviation and the Environment at Cranfield University, told BBC Verify that this is the longest US air traffic grounding event since 9/11, but is "clearly not on that scale".

Christmas is just around the corner, which means it’s time to start thinking about festive treats, and what to bring to your year-end gatherings.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is ushering in the season with festive drinks, cakes and a limited-edition tumbler. Essentially, everything you need for a sweet, delightful Christmas party.

Tis’ the season to sip and treat

First up, celebrate the season with the limited-edition Christmas Duo-Sip Tumbler with Flower Braided Strap.

Available in a S$19.90 bundle with a small Peppermint Dark Chocolate Ice Blended, it pairs a festive favourite with a keepsake to enjoy all year round.

Just looking for a drink? You can also get the ice blended with the option of coffee or non-coffee versions, available from S$8.80.

There’s also the newest addition to their festive drinks collection: Tiramisu Ice Blended.

Priced from S$8.80, it’s packed with espresso, mascarpone, and tiramisu flavours, topped with dark chocolate cocoa powder and a ladyfinger biscuit.

Looking for something warm and fuzzy to snuggle in the cosy Christmas atmosphere? The Peppermint Dark Chocolate Latte is available hot or iced from S$8.

The Joy of Sharing

No Christmas gathering is quite complete without cake.

This year's collection features four festive cake options, each priced at S$8.80 per slice.

Here's what you can look forward to:

Tiramisu Log Cake

Coffee lovers might want to start with this one.

The Tiramisu Log Cake features mascarpone mousse and homemade ladyfingers, topped with freshly made espresso cream.

Nutty Lemon Butter Cake

Inspired by the Nutcracker, this cake puts a festive spin on a classic butter cake.

It combines buttery lemon cake with a subtle salted caramel coating and a nutty crunch, with a slight tang from the lemon.

Cookie Dough Chocolate Cheesecake

For those who prefer something richer, the Cookie Dough Chocolate Cheesecake layers chocolate cheese and chocolate cookie dough, finished with a topping of 55 per cent dark chocolate ganache.

Flourless Chocolate Peppermint Cake

This cake brings together two familiar Christmas flavours: dark chocolate and peppermint.

It's an option for those who enjoy the combination of rich chocolate and a refreshing minty finish.

What’s Christmas without presents?

There's also something for those who enjoy getting a little keepsake with their dessert.

The Jolly Bakeware with Choco Strawberry Mousse costs S$12.90.

The chocolate strawberry mousse comes in present-inspired bakeware that is both oven- and microwave-safe.

Once you've finished the dessert, you can keep the bakeware and reuse it at home.

Better to be over-prepared

If you’re already planning your Christmas celebrations, you’re on the right track because we all know how the festive frenzies can get.

From now till Nov. 29, you can enjoy 10 per cent off selected 8-inch whole Christmas cakes if you pre-order online.

The cakes serve around 10 to 12 people and are available in three flavours: Cookie Dough Chocolate Cheesecake, Nutty Lemon Butter Cake and Flourless Chocolate Peppermint Cake.

The last date for collection is Dec. 18.

Set your alert, as you can also get the 600g Tiramisu Log Cake for S$29.90 (U.P.: S$45) if you pre-order it between Nov. 16 and 29.

Collection will take place from Dec. 3 to 18.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's Christmas 2026 collection is available while stocks last, with selected items available in-store and online.

Prices may vary across outlets and store exclusions apply.

This Coffee Bean-branded article is making it very hard for this writer to decide between something new, or something familiar….