Cambodia's latest tourist attraction has raised eyebrows among Singaporeans and tourists who have been to the sunny island set in the sea due to its uncanny resemblance to the iconic Merlion. Here's a side-by-side comparison: Photos from Canva and sovan.tevy/Instagram The seahorse sculpture in Kampot province was inaugurated on Apr. 10, 2024, and exudes a grandeur similar in scope to Singapore's Merlion. According to the Cambodian publication Khmer Times, the statue has been affectionately dubbed "Singapot" — a portmanteau of Singapore and Kampot. Similarities Both the seahorse and t ..read more

A 50-year-old Singaporean man was driving his family in Malacca on Apr. 15 when another car lost control and crashed into them. This led to the demise of one of the passengers, who is the driver's 82-year-old mother-in-law. According to Shin Min Daily News, the man was travelling with his 46-year-old Malaysian wife, six-year-old son and mother-in-law when the accident occurred at 12:50 am. The man told the Malacca police chief that the other car lost control and swerved into his lane, colliding with his vehicle. The police chief said five people were sent to Alor Gajah Hospital, inc ..read more

The winds of change appear to be sweeping not only over Singapore, but Asean as well. Lawrence Wong will be the ninth change in power in Asean since 2022, or tenth, depending on how many times you want to count Vietnam. In fact, if you go back to 2021, the entirety of Asean (other than Brunei) has seen changes in the leadership of the government, or will do so by the end of the year. Old heads Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo of Indonesia represent the two longest serving “old heads” in Asean, and they will be relinquishing their leadership roles in 2024. In ..read more

Jewel Changi Airport has seen a 26 per cent increase in traffic for financial year 2023/2024, from the previous year. According to a press release on Apr. 17, overall sales grew by 20 per cent. Of the total footfall registered, 30 per cent were overseas travellers. Here are the top five places tourists were from: China Malaysia Taiwan U.S. Indonesia Jewel's attractions located at the Canopy Park also saw a 12 per cent growth in total visitor numbers and a 35 per cent increase in sales. Fifth anniversary celebrations As part of Jewel's fifth anniversary, the tourist destination will be pr ..read more

Live streamer Jayner Teh posted a statement of apology on three of her Facebook pages on Apr. 15, 2024, to apologise for the statements she had made against travel agency Chan Brothers Travel (Chan Brothers) during a private Europe tour organised by the agency in July 2023. This came after Chan Brothers took legal action against Teh and several other live streamers for their comments made on live stream between Jul. 15  and Jul. 16, 2023. It was previously reported that Teh, Wang Lei, and a few other streamers attended a six-day, five-night private Europe tour from Jul. 11, 2023 ..read more

What can Singaporeans expect in the next few months from our soon-to-be Prime Minister Lawrence Wong? Following PM Lee's announcement on Apr. 15 that he would be handing over the top job to Wong, Mothership spoke to political analysts to get their views on his priorities as an incoming prime minister, the challenges he could face, and what Singaporeans can expect from Wong in the months to come. One theme that emerged was that Wong's priority would likely be to convey a message of stability to Singaporeans, together with his vision for Singapore's future. A GE held as early as September 20 ..read more

One woman and two children were seen riding a scooter along Strathmore Avenue in Queenstown. A passerby snapped a photo of the act and the image was shared on Facebook, resulting in the woman being called out for not being mindful of the children's safety. 3 people, 1 scooter The photo showed the woman seated between two children while riding a red scooter. A boy sat behind and held on to the woman, while a girl sat in front near the edge of the seat. Only the boy and the woman were wearing helmets. Image via SG Road Vigilante/Facebook Criticism The act garnered multiple responses from o ..read more

A Singaporean woman has gone missing while on holiday in Spain. According to Spanish media Xàbia.com, Audrey Fang, 39, had been on a solo trip in Xàbia, Valencia. She was staying at a hotel where she had made a reservation from Apr. 4 to 10. However, after leaving the hotel on Apr. 9, she did not arrive back at the hotel for the last day of her stay. Her personal belongings were also left behind in the hotel room, the media reported. Fang's brother, Benjamin Fang, told The New Paper (TNP) that his sister had been travelling alone, but they believe she was going to meet a friend. They felt ..read more

UPDATE on Apr. 16 at 10:50pm: This article has been updated to include a subsequent statement from MPA. 12 people aboard a Tanzania-flagged freighter were rescued after a fire occurred on the ship in Singapore territorial waters on Apr. 16. In a press statement by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Apr. 16, authorities were alerted to a fire on Layar Anggun 8 (LA8) near Pedra Branca at 12:50pm. MPA said that the 12 ship crew members rescued were safely recovered onto a Singapore Police Coast Guard craft and are on their way to Singapore. The rescued members inc ..read more

To improve bilateral cooperation on environmental management and climate protection, Singapore's Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). NOAA is a U.S. government agency that studies and reports on the ocean, atmosphere and coastal regions of the world. The MOU was inked by Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, and Richard Spinrad, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Admini ..read more