Singapore has been ranked the most competitive in the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness Yearbook 2026.

According to its website, Singapore rose one spot to claim its ranking out of 70 economies.

Among them, Hong Kong rose one spot to second, and Switzerland dropped two spots to third place.

Top in business efficiency

Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said via a LinkedIn post that he was pleased Singapore had risen to the top position.

Noting that Singapore took the top spot in Business Efficiency, Gan said the country continued to perform well in a volatile global landscape.

He added that this included areas such as International Trade, Productivity and Efficiency, as well as Technological Infrastructure.

Rankings

The report stated that Singapore's top spot in business efficiency comes after it ranked second in 2024 and eighth in 2025.

Singapore placed third in economic performance after previously claiming the top spot in 2025.

In terms of government efficiency, it maintained its third place ranking from 2025.

It also rose one spot to place fifth in infrastructure.

Act decisively to bolster economy

Gan said that as a small and open economy, it is critical that Singapore continues to get its economic fundamentals right.

He added: "The government will act decisively to bolster our economy, support our businesses, and help our workers stay nimble and adaptable to respond to new challenges."

"We will also continue to partner our stakeholders to strengthen Singapore's economic resilience so that our economy remains strong and vibrant and creates even more opportunities for Singaporeans for many more years to come."

About the ranking

An earlier report stated that the ranking evaluates economies with various population sizes, as well as those with GDP "on both ends of the scale".

It also takes into account ongoing global issues that may pose challenges to each economy.

Having lost sexual interest in his wife following her pregnancy, a 40-year-old man pretended to be a female pimp online to solicit sex from women.

He would bait the unsuspecting victims with "fast cash" of up to S$5,000 and tell them that the "customer" demanded they blindfold themselves during sex.

In fact, he was the customer all along.

He would then disappear on the victims when they asked for payment after sex.

One of his victims was 15 years old at the time.

The man, Loh Guang Ze, 40, faces 10 charges of obtaining sexual activity by fraud, sexual penetration of a minor and voyeurism, among others.

He pleaded guilty to five of the charges, with the rest to be taken into consideration during sentencing, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Lost sexual interest in wife after watching her give birth

According to Shin Min, investigations revealed that the man lost sexual interest in his wife after watching her give birth.

In 2021, he went onto the classifieds website Locanto to solicit sexual services from women.

About 30 women got in touch with Loh.

Of these, nine fell victim.

Pretended to be female pimp to lure victims

Loh would pretend to be a female pimp by the name of "Sherry" and seek out women who wanted to make S$3,000 to S$5,000 in "fast cash" in exchange for their sexual services.

He would claim that he could attract a "sugar daddy" or arrange customers for the women.

He would also ask the women for photos.

If they appealed to him, he would take his ploy a step further.

According to Shin Min, Luo would also suggest to the victim that there was a customer interested in them.

He also emphasised that the customer requested the victim be blindfolded throughout the transaction.

He used the excuse that the blindfold was due to the customer's fetish and for privacy reasons.

In truth, he wanted to hide the fact that he was the customer and avoid being recognised by the victim.

Following the sexual act, Luo would ignore the victim's request for payment and even block them.

15-year-old victim

One of Loh's victims was a 15-year-old girl, whom he swindled on Aug. 4, 2021.

The teen came across an advertisement made by Loh and contacted "Sherry".

He lied to the 15-year-old that she would be paid S$5,000 so long as she provided sexual services three times while blindfolded and in her school uniform.

He promised to place the cash in a letterbox.

They proceeded with the arrangement, meeting up in a handicap toilet at Teck Whye Community Club.

Loh then arrived as the customer and had sex with the 15-year-old.

He also recorded the act on his phone, resulting in an 11-minute and 23-second video in which the girl's face and uniform were visible.

After the act, the 15-year-old asked "Sherry" when she would get paid, but was told that she had not completed the agreed-upon three services.

The teen said that the "customer" did not respect her wishes and cancelled the arrangement.

Promised victims they would get payment after the second time

Two of Loh's other victims, aged 19 and 22, were also filmed in secret.

They were also deceived into offering their sexual services a second time.

Loh had lied that they would receive their payment as long as they provided their sexual services again.

In a bid to receive their promised payments, the two victims agreed.

However, he cut them off afterwards.

Cheated victims of over S$18,000

Shin Min reported that in July 2023, the police received an anonymous report from a female, accusing Luo of receiving sexual services but refusing to pay after.

The police launched an investigation and apprehended Loh on Jul. 3, 2023.

The prosecution pointed out that Loh had deceived nine victims and cheated them of a promised amount of over S$18,000 for their sexual services.

They also noted that Loh intentionally chose locations that made it difficult to trace his identity.

Additionally, the prosecution said that Loh knew that one of his victims was underage, yet still went ahead to arrange for her sexual services.

He even made a video recording of her in secret, they pointed out.

The prosecution sought 68 to 75 months' imprisonment and three strokes of the cane.

Loh's lawyer said that Loh has admitted to wrongdoing and is willing to bear the consequences of his action.

Loh's case will be heard again in court on Jun. 30 for sentencing, according to Shin Min.

A man spotted by chance his elderly neighbour lying on the floor at home following a fall and unable to get up on his own.

The fortuitous encounter led to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers gaining entry to the elderly man's flat.

The incident took place on Jun. 16 at a block at King George's Avenue, and was captured on a home surveillance camera.

Spotted through the gate

Muhammad Hisyamuddin and his wife had just returned home when they noticed their elderly neighbour lying on the floor of his flat.

They managed to catch a glimpse of what happened through the locked gate.

"We could see him through the locked gate and initially thought he had fainted," he told Mothership.

The elderly man responded when Hisyamuddin called out to him.

As he laid on the floor, he said he had fallen and could not get up.

His phone was out of reach and he could not provide his family's contact numbers.

SCDF arrived in 11 minutes

Hisyamuddin called 1777 first and was advised to dial 999. He made the call at around 2:49pm.

According to him, SCDF officers arrived about 11 minutes later.

The team was able to gain access to the unit and assist the fallen mam.

According to Hisyamuddin, the incident happened to be captured on his home CCTV, which was installed to monitor his own gate.

However, the camera's active tracking feature followed movement and recorded the scene.

The elderly man's son-in-law later returned home and confirmed that he was already aware of the situation.

In response to queries, SCDF said they received a call for assistance at King George's Avenue at about 2:50pm on Jun. 16.

The elderly man was subsequently conveyed to Raffles Hospital.

"Help can arrive in time"

Hisyamuddin said the incident underscored the vulnerabilities of elderly residents living alone:

"What stood out to me was how vulnerable elderly residents living alone can be when they experience a fall and are unable to access their phone or contact family members. It also reminded me of the importance of looking out for our neighbours and having emergency plans in place for elderly loved ones."

He added:

"It reminded me that help can arrive in time, but only if we play our part as neighbours by looking out for one another and taking action when something seems wrong."

Hisyamuddin has shared a personal account of the incident on his @syaamhisyam TikTok account.

@syaamhisyam I came home today and found my elderly neighbour lying on the floor inside his house… At first, I thought he had fainted. But what happened next made me realise how important it is to look out for the elderly living alone. Part 1/2 #Singapore #SGCommunity #LookOutForEachOther #ElderlyCare #Neighbour ♬ original sound - Syaamhisyam

The Ministry of Health (MOH) issued a notice on Jun. 18 to Windsor Convalescent Home stating that it intends to revoke its licence to provide nursing home services.

The move will take effect from Oct. 30, allowing for time to transfer the current residents to other nursing homes, MOH said in a press release.

Windsor Convalescent Home currently operates a 45-bed nursing home service at 369 Pasir Panjang Road.

MOH decided to revoke its licence following an audit it conducted in April 2026, when the ministry found "serious and systemic lapses" in resident safety, clinical and nursing care, and infection control practices.

Inadequate care

The MOH audit revealed that the nursing home failed to conduct appropriate reviews for residents in several aspects including falls, pressure injuries, and weight loss.

It also failed to follow up on or adhere to the residents' care plans.

The home managed the residents' medication poorly, including omitting medications, using expired medications, and having discrepancies in medication quantity, the ministry added.

Basic care was inadequate as well.

MOH said the home neglected residents' fundamental care needs such as basic grooming, did not provide them with appropriate nutrition based on their individual needs, and did not store food ingredients for their meals appropriately, with some ingredients found to be expired.

Inadequate infection control

Additionally, the home did not implement infection prevention and control measures, and did not ensure hygiene and sanitation in housekeeping processes, MOH found.

On top of all that, the home's key office holders also did not exercise clinical governance over the care delivered to residents, and did not provide oversight of the operation and maintenance of the premises.

Further assessment

MOH first notified Windsor Convalescent Home of its intention to revoke the home's licence on May 5.

The ministry gave the home 14 days to submit representations for MOH's consideration, then extended the period to 28 days upon request by the home.

MOH said that after receiving the representations, the ministry carefully considered them along with the findings of the April audit, and ultimately assessed that the home was unable to continue providing nursing home services safely.

Interim care for the residents

Although the home's licence will only officially be revoked from Oct. 30, MOH has deployed an interim care team there to ensure residents are properly cared for before they are transferred to nursing homes of their choice and eligibility.

This is to safeguard their safety and well-being given the serious and systemic lapses found at Windsor Convalescent Home, the ministry explained.

MOH will work closely with the interim team from Vanguard Healthcare to ensure no new residents are admitted before the licence revocation date.

Taking regulatory action

The audit of Windsor Convalescent Home was part of MOH's ongoing audit of selected nursing homes.

The objective is to gauge the homes' compliance with infection and prevention control practices, and basic custodial and nursing care, MOH said.

"MOH will not hesitate to take regulatory actions if licensees and/or key appointment holders are found to have fallen short of regulatory requirements to deliver adequate and appropriate care," it added.

The ministry plans to share the findings of the audits with the sector at a suitable platform.

It will also work with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) to enhance support for the sector, including training staff on skills to adhere to the required standards of care.

MOH will continue to monitor all nursing homes to ensure compliance with requirements under the Healthcare Services Act (HCSA).

Residents in Bedok Reservoir were greeted with brown, murky liquid coming from their taps and toilets.

In a TikTok on Jun. 16, brown liquid was seen emerging from the user’s tap and toilet.

The on-screen text read: “sh*t coloured tap water & toilet bowl water.”

The user wrote in the caption that the water discolouration occurred three times “in the span of 48 hours”.

She had to apparently let the liquid run for about 30 minutes to get clean water.

The liquid also seemed to leave sediment.

Intermittently

The user, Pan (transliterated), told 8World the issue occurred intermittently.

These incidents occurred on Jun. 12, Jun. 15 and Jun. 16.

The water discolouration apparently affected her and her next-door neighbour.

Pan reportedly unknowingly used the discoloured water to brush her teeth and questioned if the water was safe to use.

She claimed the liquid stained the inside of her toilet bowl.

Pan also said she informed PUB of the incident.

She claimed that water samples were collected from the pipes in her home.

Investigation

In response to Mothership's queries, PUB, Singapore's water agency, was alerted to a resident’s feedback on the discolouration of water from her tap on Jun. 16.

PUB and Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) jointly visited the resident’s unit at 5:30pm the same day.

They apparently performed flushing at her unit, as well as two other affected units on the same level.

Checks on water samples from PUB water mains reportedly confirmed no abnormality in the water quality.

AHTC staff also flushed their internal water service pipes.

The water cleared up after their affected service pipes were flushed.

PUB is working with AHTC and the affected residents to investigate the cause of the water discolouration incident.

Pan also told The Straits Times that her tap water was currently clear on Jun. 18.

Hong Kong dim sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan will be closing its Plaza Singapura outlet, with its last day of operations being Jul. 12, 2026.

Tim Ho Wan's Plaza Singapura outlet was the Hong Kong restaurant's first overseas branch.

It drew long queues when it first opened in 2013.

The restaurant wrote in an Instagram post that the outlet's closure was part of the mall's redevelopment.

"To express its sincere gratitude for these 13 delicious years of legacy since the opening of Tim Ho Wan Plaza Singapura, Tim Ho Wan will launch a '13 Days of Gratitude' countdown leading up to the final day of operations, from Jun. 30 to Jul. 12," the restaurant said in a Jun. 18 press release.

The promotion features a 30 per cent discount on a different Tim Ho Wan menu item each day over the 13 days.

Following the Plaza Singapura outlet's closure, Tim Ho Wan will have eight remaining outlets across Singapore.

Singapore's electricity tariff is expected to rise in the coming quarter.

This is despite the signing of a deal between the US and Iran on Jun. 18 to cease hostilities and restore shipping traffic flow to the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's natural gas trade flowed before the conflict.

Responding to Mothership's queries, a spokesperson for the Energy Market Authority (EMA) explained that Singapore's regulated electricity tariff is determined on a quarterly basis, based on the average fuel costs in the first 2.5 months of the previous quarter.

The spokesperson continued:

"With the Middle East conflict straining global fuel supply chains, natural gas prices have increased sharply since the end of February.

Consequently, the regulated electricity tariff is expected to rise significantly in the coming quarter."

The tariff is currently 29.72 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), taking into account GST, The Straits Times reported.

More households taking up fixed-price contracts

The EMA spokesperson shared that since the liberalisation of Singapore's electricity retail market, households can choose to buy electricity from SP Group at the regulated electricity tariff, which is revised every quarter, or from retailers who offer fixed-price and time-of-use contract plans.

Between Feb. 1 and Jun. 1, 2026, the proportion of households who have taken up fixed-price electricity retail plans has gone up from 36.6 per cent to 37.1 per cent.

EMA attributed this increase to a confluence of factors such as consumers’ efforts to insulate themselves from the potential of higher tariffs, and new households formed during this period.

Meanwhile, those who buy electricity from SP Group under the regulated electricity tariff decreased from 63.4 per cent to 62.8 per cent.

"Consumers are encouraged to be aware of their various electricity purchase options, and choose an option that best suits their needs and preferences," the EMA spokesperson said.

Consumers can also check EMA's Price Comparison website to identify their preferred electricity retail plan.

U-Save rebates of S$110 to S$190 will also be disbursed to eligible Singaporean households in July 2026 to help offset utility expenses.

Rebates on service and conservancy charges will also arrive in July 2026.

Singapore shipping mogul Teo Siong Seng and several other executives were named in two civil lawsuits in the United States over an alleged global price-fixing scheme.

These class-action lawsuits, filed by American manufacturers, are separate from a criminal indictment brought forward by the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

Since being named by the U.S. DOJ in May, Teo has taken a leave of absence from his leadership roles, The Straits Times (ST) reported. These include his position as chairman of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), pro-chancellor at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and member of the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce. He has also stepped back from his duties at shipping firm Pacific International Lines (PIL).

Class action lawsuits

The civil lawsuits were filed in California on Jun. 2 and 9 by manufacturing firm C.A. Spalding Company and shipping company Daybreak Express, according to ST.

The American firms are separately seeking to recoup millions of dollars in losses allegedly caused by the container cartel over several years.

C.A. Spalding, which supplies components to the aerospace and automotive industries, claimed it was forced to overpay for container shipping.

CNA reported that the firm is seeking "multiple or treble damages" in monetary relief, meaning the defendants could be ordered to pay three times the actual financial losses suffered by US businesses.

US criminal indictment

The US Justice Department indictment, filed on Jan. 22 and unsealed on May 19, accused several companies of orchestrating a price-fixing conspiracy.

The DOJ named five entities and two unnamed manufacturers as being in a cartel that collectively controls over 95 per cent of the world's standard dry container market. Teo is the chief executive of one of the named firms, Singamas Container Holdings. The other companies include China International Marine Containers (CIMC), Shanghai Universal Logistics Equipment, and CXIC Group Containers.

Federal prosecutors stated that the cartel's customers included "major US-based shipping lines, logistics companies, and container lessors".

The alleged price-fixing ultimately led to shipping delays and higher prices for American consumers.

According to the indictment, the accused companies artificially inflated prices by restricting container output. They allegedly did this by limiting the number of shifts and hours that each production line could run daily, installing video surveillance cameras to ensure "no company violated the agreed-upon output restrictions", and agreeing not to build any new container manufacturing factories.

As a result, between 2019 and 2021, the price of a standard shipping container roughly doubled from US$1,600 (S$2,060) to US$3,500 (S$4,507). The DOJ noted that this surged the manufacturers' profits by approximately one hundredfold.

The alleged conspiracy lasted over four years, from November 2019 to January 2024.

According to the documents,  a Singamas executive reportedly told Teo that he had reminded the other members "not to be high profile since it might violate the monopoly law or be accused of price manipulation by our customers”.

Teo had purportedly written in response to the executive: “We also need to keep low key.”

Teo's response

According to ST, in a statement on May 28, Teo announced he would not seek re-election as SBF chairman when his term ends on June 24.

"I have proactively decided to take these leaves of absence to afford myself sufficient time to attend to this matter, and for the best interests of the aforementioned organisations."

A 64-year-old Singaporean man, who was previously convicted of drink-driving and traffic offences on three separate occasions, was sentenced to 10 months and six weeks’ jail, a fine of S$26,000 and a lifetime revocation of his driving licence.

Kenny Yeap Beng Chye faced eight charges related to offences consisting of drink-driving and harassing police officers.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Jun. 27.

He pleaded guilty to five of the charges, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Beer

On Jun. 26, 2025, at about 8pm, Yeap drank about six to eight glasses of beer at a coffee shop at Block 138 Tampines Street 11.

At about 9:30pm, he picked up a former female client at Changi General Hospital and drove her to Tebing Lane for a late-night meal.

During the meal, the pair got into an argument and the female client left.

Yeap then decided to drive to his former client’s house to apologise to her.

Collision

In charge sheets seen by Mothership, on Jun. 27, 2025, at about 12:57am, Yeap collided into a pillar after losing control of his car while negotiating a right bend on the single-lane two-way road along the car park service road of Block 209 Punggol Place.

A member of the public witnessed the incident and alerted the police.

Two patrolling officers responded to the scene and smelled alcohol on Yeap.

He was subjected to two breathalyser tests, which he failed.

Yeap was found with at least 106 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, which exceeded the legal limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

Yeap also used his left leg to kick the groin area of one of the officers when they restrained him.

While being conveyed to the traffic police headquarters, he spat and hurled vulgarities in English and Hokkien at the police officers.

History

It was revealed in court that Yeap had five prior traffic offences consisting of drink-driving, speeding, and driving without a licence while disqualified.

He has been convicted of traffic offences since 1994.

In July 2001, he was sentenced to a 20-year license revocation for drink-driving.

This case marks Yeap's fourth drink-driving conviction.

The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) has apologised after graduates received transcripts with formatting errors at the school's commencement ceremony.

After the ceremony on May 30 and 31, an individual claiming to be a recent graduate wrote to Mothership about receiving a transcript with errors.

The mistakes were found in the text printed at the back of the transcript.

They include extra and missing spacing, and "?" characters where spaces should be between words.

A number of students allegedly also had some extra-curricular activities missing or repeated in the printing.

"Around 600 to 700 undergraduates would have received this transcript, all with the same errors, some with additional errors," the reader said.

They were unsure whether postgraduates were affected too.

Human errors

According to the reader, there was "general unhappiness" among the affected students, who also discussed the source of the errors on Telegram group chats.

The types of mistakes led the reader to believe that the transcripts were generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

In response to Mothership's queries, an SUTD spokesperson has clarified that the errors were human errors.

"We apologise for the formatting errors in the transcripts. They should have been checked and corrected," the spokesperson said.

"We will be reaching out to all affected graduates to make the necessary amendments. We will also put in place further checks to ensure that this doesn't happen again."

Requests for reprints

Several students made requests for their transcripts to be reprinted, the reader said.

On Jun. 16, the SUTD spokesperson added that the school had sent an email to all affected students.

The email also included a form that affected students can fill in to request a new transcript, the Mothership reader confirmed.

The school apologised for what happened in the email and said it recognised the mistake.