Over 112,000 people discontinued their optional private health insurance add-ons in 2025 after policyholders faced rising premiums.

According to The Straits Times, 65,000 people dropped their Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders in 2024; compared with 2025 figures, that is a 72 per cent increase.

Around 5.6 per cent of the 2 million-odd pool of IP rider policyholders quit in 2025, ST noted, citing figures they received.

Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, Ong Ye Kung, said that as prices of IP and IP rider premiums rise, policyholders have downgraded or cancelled their plans in a September parliamentary reply, reported ST.

Downgrades and cancellations stood at 99,000 in 2023, 105,900 in 2024 and 128,200 in 2025.

Likewise for riders, the drop was 84,800 in 2023, 103,400 in 2024 and 181,800 in 2025.

What is an IP and its rider?

MediShield Life, the national healthcare insurance scheme, insures all Singaporeans across their lifetime, covering expenses such as hospitalisations and surgical procedures.

However, for those who want additional coverage, they can choose to purchase an IP.

An IP is an optional plan offered by a private insurer. It provides additional coverage for private wards and private healthcare institutions, according to MOH's website.

On top of the base IP, policyholders can buy riders.

Riders are optional add-ons to reduce out-of-pocket payments. They may also cover additional benefits with higher premiums.

Figures

An MOH spokesperson provided ST with a breakdown of rider figures, which revealed that for those who lowered their coverage, over 60 per cent stopped their riders while less than 40 per cent downgraded their policy.

For those who ceased purchasing riders, the numbers remained similar at 66,100 in 2023 and 65,000 in 2024, with a sharp increase to 112,300 in 2025.

Downgrades to lower-tier riders also rose from 18,700 in 2023 to 38,300 and 69,400 in 2025, reported ST.

In a parliamentary answer in May 2026, Member of Parliament for West Coast – Jurong West GRC, Hamid Razak, said that from December 2021 to December 2024, private hospital IP premiums and private hospital rider premiums have been rising at a yearly average of 8.6 per cent and 17.2 per cent, respectively.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) also noted in a forum reply that annual premiums can reach up to S$9,000 for a rider policyholder aged 70, and even higher when they get older.

Additionally, ST noted that annual rider premiums could triple when policyholders age from 50 to 70 years old.

ST added that IP policyholders with riders could pay around S$12,700 to S$22,700 depending on the insurer and IP coverage.

About 71 per cent of Singapore residents, approximately three million people, held IPs at the end of 2024.

During renovations of their Build-to-Order (BTO) Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat, a homeowner was shocked to notice that an unknown man was trespassing into the unit at will through the open front doors.

The incidents were captured on the homeowner's CCTV camera, which they also used to communicate with the man.

According to the clips posted on Instagram, the man entered the flat twice in a week.

In the first instance, he was seen clad in a bright yellow shirt and carrying a backpack while using his phone to snap pictures of different rooms inside the flat.

Days later, he trespassed again, this time clad in a teal shirt and accompanied by an unknown woman, supposedly his wife.

According to the homeowner, the man had tailgated Building Service Centre (BSC) workers entering the flat.

The homeowner then decided to confront the duo and talk through them through their CCTV system.

When asked why he was back, the man claimed he had not been in the flat for long, according to the video.

At the same time, his wife could be seen walking deeper into the flat, ostensibly into the bedrooms.

"Thank goodness we installed CCTV and nothing was stolen," said the homeowner.

Homeowner installed keypad lock days before

They wrote in the post: "The craziest part? It happened just ONE DAY after we installed our keypad lock and CCTV!"

The homeowner told Stomp the first incident happened in late July, when contractors were carrying out air-conditioning installation works.

The main door was left open to allow the workers access to piping outside the unit.

According to Stomp, the homeowner expressed their surprise and concern about having an unexpected visitor in their unit.

They had initially not intended to highlight the issue as they thought that the man was simply curious about the unit.

However, when he returned days later, they were more concerned, in particular about the privacy and security of the home.

"It made us realise that it would be worthwhile to raise awareness that, regardless of the circumstances or intention, entering another person’s home without permission is not something that should be encouraged," the homeowner told Stomp.

They added that while they believed in maintaining the "kampong spirit", respecting boundaries is an important part of it.

The homeowner added that they did not wish to blame or shame anyone, but simply wanted to raise awareness about unauthorised entry.

In the tech field, AI is rapidly replacing junior-level tasks. Young tech workers have borne the brunt of slower hiring and a preference for experienced talent.

But the pursuit of short-term productivity cannot undermine the development of experienced professionals in the years ahead.

So whose job is it to bridge this gap? Tan Kiat How, patron of the TIP Alliance+, and Lim Bee Kwan and Gavin Chua, co-chairs of the TIP Alliance+, offer their insights.

Tan Kiat How is Senior Minister of State of for the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI).  Lim Bee Kwan is president of the Singapore Computer Society, and Gavin Chua is chairman of SGTech.

By Tan Kiat How, Lim Bee Kwan, and Gavin Chua

For young Singaporeans preparing to enter technology careers, this should be an exciting time.

AI can write software, build applications and help small teams achieve what once required many people.

Yet excitement is increasingly accompanied by anxiety: fresh graduates see restructuring, changing entry-level roles and headlines about hundreds of job applications going unanswered.

Some wonder whether they chose the right profession.

These concerns deserve more than reassurance. They deserve a practical response.

Singapore’s technology workforce grew 3.8 per cent to more than 222,000 in 2025. Almost six in ten technology professionals now work outside the Information and Communications sector, as opportunities expand in finance, manufacturing, healthcare and other industries.

A technology career need not begin in a technology company. But a growing profession does not necessarily mean an easier entry into it.

AI can enable smaller teams to complete some tasks faster, even as employers seek new hires who can contribute earlier. Strong technical foundations remain essential, alongside AI fluency, domain understanding and practical judgement.

When the first rung changes

Stanford University’s Digital Economy Lab found weaker relative employment trends among young U.S. workers in highly AI-exposed occupations, with slower hiring appearing important.

Reporting on India’s IT sector also points to reduced graduate recruitment and a preference for experienced talent.

These are warning signs, not proof that AI caused the changes or that Singapore faces identical conditions.

They nevertheless raise a question we cannot ignore. Junior engineers traditionally learnt by writing simpler programmes, testing systems, making mistakes and receiving guidance from experienced colleagues.

AI can now assist with much of that work. If the tasks through which people learnt their craft are changing, how will tomorrow’s professionals gain experience and judgement?

Problem-solving

We should not allow the pursuit of short-term productivity to undermine the development of experienced professionals our economy will need in the years ahead.

Yet this burden cannot fall on any one party — least of all young people.

An employer may reasonably automate junior tasks and hire experienced staff. But if every employer does so, who will develop the next generation of engineers, architects and technology leaders?

Schools cannot recreate workplaces on their own. Students cannot create vacancies or change recruitment practices themselves.

What makes sense for individual organisations in the short term may not produce the best outcome for the economy as a whole.

Even government cannot close the gap simply by subsidising courses.

That is why we have been working through TIP Alliance+, bringing ITEs, polytechnics, autonomous universities, employers, industry associations and government agencies together.

The partnership connects three things that must evolve together: what students learn, how they gain experience, and how employers recognise their capabilities.

Three practical changes

First, bring industry closer to education.

Industry-led skills pathways in AI, cloud and cybersecurity are being made more accessible. Domain pathways help students understand how technology is applied in financial services, government and, in future, healthcare.

The aim is not merely to teach more technology, but to connect strong foundations to real problems.

Second, bring apprenticeship into the curriculum.

Through Bridge2Tech, we aim to provide 3,000 year-long Enhanced Internship opportunities over three years across ITEs, polytechnics and autonomous universities.

The enhancement is not simply duration. It is the close co-design between educational institutions and employers of what students learn and contribute.

These credit-bearing, curriculum-linked placements last 10 to 12 months, meet course requirements and involve meaningful industry projects.

Students can follow substantial work through, learn from experienced colleagues and receive feedback, while employers benefit from their contributions.

Early results are encouraging. In MOE’s Internship Survey, Enhanced Internship participants reported better outcomes than regular interns in supervision and mentorship, training quality, career preparedness and satisfaction.

In an IMDA survey, 94 per cent of participating employers intended to continue offering Enhanced Internships; 83 per cent said they would hire their intern if a suitable vacancy existed.

Turning principle into practice

But these are reported experiences and intentions, not proven long-term employment outcomes.

Making this possible requires commitment on all sides. A year-long placement represents one-third of a three-year diploma.

Institutions must adjust curricula and schedules; employers must provide substantive projects, mentorship and developmental feedback; government helps reduce barriers and support participation.

This is partnership in practice — not simply organisations agreeing in principle, but changing how they operate.

As the model expands, we want to raise the quality bar further: help students learn when to rely on AI and validate its outputs, give them progressive ownership of real work, and strengthen structured coaching in judgement and professional responsibility.

We should automate the task, not the learning.

Third, bring hiring closer to demonstrated capability. More than 200 employers have pledged support for skills-based hiring through TIP Alliance+. Degrees and diplomas remain valuable, but employers should also recognise practical projects, industry certifications and demonstrated skills.

The next test is whether commitments change job advertisements, assessments and hiring outcomes. We cannot change how students learn without also changing how employers hire.

Work in progress

TIP Alliance+ and Bridge2Tech are concrete steps, not complete solutions.

Success is not measured only by courses completed, internship places offered or employer pledges. It is whether young people develop meaningful capabilities, enter good jobs and progress in their careers.

So we must keep listening, evaluating, and improving.

Employers also have reason to invest. Young people can bring fresh perspectives and AI skills that create value now, while mentorship and apprenticeship develop the experienced talent every organisation will need later. Developing that talent is a shared investment whose benefits reach across companies and generations.

Imagine a virtuous exchange: AI-native students bring fresh perspectives and hands-on familiarity with generative tools, complementing the experience and business knowledge of senior colleagues.

Together, they translate business challenges into practical solutions, while helping the wider workforce build confidence and capability in adopting these technologies.

We cannot promise that every job will remain unchanged. But we can make sure young people do not have to navigate the transition alone. We must develop tomorrow’s professionals even as we improve today’s productivity.

If AI is changing the first rungs of the career ladder, we must build new bridges — together.

A Singapore Airlines (SIA) aircraft was seen tilting sharply to one side while attempting to land at Perth Airport in Australia on Oct. 31, 2026.

A video circulating online showed the aircraft tilting to the right as it approached the runway, with its right wing appearing close to the ground.

The plane subsequently climbed back into the air instead of landing.

Footage of incident shared on Facebook

The footage was shared on Facebook by Chris Perry on Oct. 31.

Perry's sister was reportedly among the passengers on board the aircraft.

A second video posted by Perry showed the aircraft subsequently landing safely.

SIA confirms aircraft encountered strong winds

In response to Mothership's queries, an SIA spokesperson confirmed that flight SQ213, travelling from Singapore to Perth on Oct. 31, encountered strong winds while approaching Perth International Airport.

"As a result, the pilots decided to conduct a go-around,” the spokesperson said.

"The Airbus A350-900 aircraft landed safely at 1230hrs (local time) and taxied to the gate," the spokesperson added.

"The safety of our customers and crew is SIA's top priority."

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A post shared by Mothership (@mothershipsg)

A man heard a voice telling him to kill someone.

Chua Jing Yuan, 27, later brought a knife and a claw hammer to Kallang Wave Mall and wandered around for an hour.

He decided to target a 31-year-old woman, slashing and stabbing her before fleeing.

Chua pleaded guilty on Nov. 2 to attempted culpable homicide causing hurt over the attack, reported CNA and The Straits Times.

Two charges for possessing offensive weapons in public was taken into consideration during sentencing.

Chua was originally charged with attempted murder but was assessed to be suffering from major depressive disorder with psychotic features, which allowed him a defence of diminished responsibility.

He was ultimately sentenced to five years and six months’ imprisonment.

Mental illness

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Chua was first seen at Jurong Polyclinic in May 2021 for anxiety.

He was then referred to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital where he was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder with obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

He attended treatment but defaulted after his last appointment on Mar. 20, 2023, when he was observed to have improved.

Subsequently, his mental state deteriorated, and he reported hearing a voice telling him to kill someone else and to end his own life by drinking bleach.

Spotted victim

Sometime on Jul. 13, 2025, Chua decided to act on the instructions of the voice.

According to him, the voice insisted that he dress completely in black clothing and buy bleach, a knife, and a hammer.

Chua bought the items at Jurong Point, then went to a stairwell where his sister lived to pack them into a backpack.

He changed and placed his old clothes into a riser compartment so that his family could find them after he died.

On Jul. 14, 2025, Chua went to Kallang Wave Mall at about 12:30am to find a suitable target.

At about 1:20am, he spotted the victim, who was going to the restroom after drinking with her boyfriend and an acquaintance.

He decided to kill her and uttered “wait a moment” in Mandarin.

The victim stopped in her tracks.

Chua then quickly took the knife from his backpack and slashed the victim on the left side of her neck and stabbed her once in her right chest.

He believed this was the fastest way to kill her.

Chua then fled and searched for another location to commit suicide by drinking bleach.

The victim rushed to her boyfriend and acquaintance, who gave chase and later restrained Chua.

Passers-by at the scene also helped to subdue Chua and called the police.

Threatened to kill himself

When police officers arrived at around 1:30am, Chua asked them to shoot him.

He told the police: "I kill her so that you can shoot me".

He also started banging his head on the ground, threatening to kill himself.

Victim underwent surgery

The victim was taken to the hospital, where she underwent surgery.

She suffered a stab wound over her chest wall and a laceration over her neck.

The victim remained well post-operatively, and she was discharged the next day, on Jul. 15, 2025.

She was later reviewed in August 2025 and found to have no significant disability.

She incurred medical expenses over S$2,510, of which S$1,590 was reimbursed by insurance.

Major depressive disorder

Chua was assessed at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), where he was found to be suffering from major depressive disorder with psychotic features.

The doctor found that this was significantly contributory to his offending as it severely compromised his judgment.

He was reticent, with poor concentration and eye contact, appeared severely depressed and had mood-congruent auditory hallucinations, the doctor said.

However, Chua was found fit to plead in court as he was "not of unsound mind" at the time of the offence.

Chua's condition, however, would have qualified him for a defence of diminished responsibility, as his depression was severe and had badly compromised his judgment.

For attempted culpable homicide causing hurt, Chua can be jailed for up to 15 years, fined, caned, or a combination of the three.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

• National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)
• National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)
• SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767
• Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
• Centre for Domestic Employees: 1800 225 5233 (24 hours)
• Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training: 1800 339 4357 (24 hours)
• HOME (migrant worker): +65 6341 5535 (WhatsApp / Viber / SMS)
• HOME (domestic worker): +65 9787 3122 (WhatsApp / SMS / Call)
• SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 8985 5528 (For targets of online harms)
• National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH): 1800-777-0000

On Oct. 26, 2026, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers at Changi Airport Terminal 4 profiled four arriving foreigners for further checks and found a total of 5,272 vaporisers and related components in their luggage.

All four were referred to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and will face higher penalties under the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act (TVCA).

The haul was part of enforcement actions taken between Oct. 26 and 29.

Over the course of four days, ICA detected 50 cases of travellers found in possession of vaporisers.

More than 5,476 vaporisers and related components were seized in total.

ICA said that about 68 per cent of the cases involved short-term visitors and 32 per cent were Singapore residents, comprising citizens, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders.

"These checks aim to detect and deter attempts to smuggle vaporisers into Singapore. Vaping is illegal in Singapore. Foreigners who visit or reside in Singapore must abide by our laws," ICA said.

Short-term visitors who re-offend will be banned from re-entering Singapore, while long-term pass holders who re-offend may have their passes revoked on a third offence and be deported and banned from re-entering Singapore, ICA added.

A 51-year-old man, who raped his daughter in 2024, was sentenced to 14 years’ jail on Nov. 2.

The sentence included four months in lieu of caning as he is above the age of 50, The Straits Times reported.

The victim, then 15, fled to a police station afterwards while the man was in the shower.

When he came out and realised the victim was missing, he went out to look for her and saw her inside the police station in the neighbourhood.

He then went back home to change into a pair of jeans before going back to the station to surrender himself.

The man pleaded guilty on Sep. 7, 2026, to one charge each of rape, outrage of modesty and criminal breach of trust.

Investigations later revealed that he had also taken two photographs of the victim's chest between 2021 and 2023.

His charge for criminal breach of trust involved embezzling money from his employer while he was the company’s general manager.

Raped daughter

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the victim had lived in the same household as the man since she was five years old.

As she was growing up, her father often got angry at her and he would use physical violence on her.

On the night of Aug. 10, 2024, the man confronted her over the cleanliness of their home.

He became enraged, swept the items on the dining table onto the floor, and told her to go to her room.

He subsequently dismantled the CCTV cameras in the flat before going to bed.

The following morning, the man went to the victim's room to wake her.

When she did not respond, he lifted one end of the blanket covering her and molested and raped her.

The girl was shocked but did not react as she feared that doing so would anger him.

Victim ran to police station

After the assault, the man went to shower.

The victim then ran to Choa Chu Kang neighbourhood police centre and reported the incident.

When the man realised that she was no longer in the flat, he went looking for her.

He walked past the police centre and saw the girl sitting inside.

He then returned home, changed into jeans and walked back to the police centre, where he surrendered.

He was arrested and taken into custody on Aug. 11, 2024, and had remained in custody since.

A man was charged with two counts of voyeurism for allegedly recording videos of 410 male victims in toilets from Feb. 24, 2025, to Dec. 23, 2025.

Gary Teo Yong Jie, 24, is also accused of taking a video of a male victim using a urinal on May 26, 2023.

Chargesheets stated that Teo allegedly filmed 369 similar videos of the 410 male victims.

Teo was charged on Oct. 30 and did not enter a plea.

His next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 27.

For one count of voyeurism, he can be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of the three.

Flowers and notes have been left at the scene of the Oct. 29 Tampines hit-and-run accident, where a married couple, both aged 24, died.

Mothership had previously reported that the wife was one month pregnant with their second child.

The couple was laid to rest next to each other at Choa Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery on Oct. 30.

They left behind a six-year-old son. Over S$429,000 has been raised on a Give.Asia fundraiser as of 11:30am on Nov. 2 to support the orphaned boy.

Notes and bouquets

Members of the public left bouquets lining the pavement, accompanied by notes reading "rest in peace".

One of the bouquets also held a note written in Chinese that appeared to be written by Lee Tay Lang, known by his ordained name Venerable Shi Fa Rong, a Buddhist monk who prays for victims of accidents and tragedies.

When Mothership visited the scene on the evening of Nov. 1, some of the victims' friends stood vigil.

The accident

The accident involved two cars and a motorcycle.

Eyewitnesses reportedly saw the couple on the motorcycle flung into the air after a blue Audi crashed through the centre divider and pummelled into the motorcycle, before hitting another car.

Authorities were alerted to the accident at Tampines Avenue 12 around 10:35pm.

The public freed the pair trapped in the Audi only to watch them flee towards the nearby blocks.

Traffic police officers established the identities of the couple, consisting of a man aged 30 and a woman aged 29, using police cameras, CCTV footage and extensive ground enquiries.

On Oct. 30, they were arrested in the vicinity of West Coast Road.

A 30-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving causing death alongside eight other charges, including driving under disqualification as a repeat offender, failing to render assistance, and displaying a false licence plate.

A 36-year-old Malaysian man was seen slapping a woman in a Kuala Lumpur shopping mall on Nov. 1.

According to Sinar Daily, he allegedly did so after the unknown woman shoved his seven-year-old son from behind, causing him to fall, and hit the back of his two-year-old daughter.

The family was walking around the mall.

In a viral clip shared on Threads, the man is seen confronting a woman in a yellow top and black skirt, while mall security guards stand around them and try to defuse the situation.

The two can also be heard shouting at each other.

View on Threads

 

After a few seconds, he stepped forward and pushed her back, prompting her to hit him twice on the chest and face.

He then slapped her in the face, causing her to stumble back and fall to the ground.

In the second video shared in the post, the man is seen being held back by police officers as he continues to shout in the woman's direction.

Why did this happen?

Another user shared a WhatsApp conversation purportedly between the man in the video and a friend.

It explained that the woman in yellow pushed his son and slapped his daughter.

In the background of the video, the man's son, dressed in a blue shirt and brown pants, can be seen crying while two women comfort him.

Malaysian police said that they received a report from the man on Nov. 1, reported Bernama.

He told the police that he was walking around the mall at 3pm with his two-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son when the woman suddenly approached them from behind.

She allegedly pushed his son to the ground and hit his daughter on the head.

The police added that they were investigating the incident and called on the public to refrain from speculating.

Another post claimed that the woman had slapped her friend in the face and walked away, right before the incident with the man occurred.