Public holidays 2026: Singapore to have 6 long weekends; Former Mediacorp actor Ian Fang surrenders to court to begin 40-month jail sentence: Singapore live news

Yahoo

16-06-2025

Singaporeans will be able to enjoy six long public holiday weekends in 2026, according to the Ministry of Manpower's list of gazetted public holidays. The list was released on 16 June.
Good Friday (3 April), Labour Day (1 May) and Christmas Day (25 Dec) will fall on a Friday. Since Vesak Day (31 May), National Day (9 Aug) and Deepavali (8 Nov) fall on Sundays, the following Mondays will be designated public holidays.
Former Mediacorp actor Ian Fang surrendered himself to the State Courts just before noon to begin his 40-month jail sentence. Fang, 35, pleaded guilty to multiple sexual offences involving a 15-year-old girl who cannot be named due to a court-imposed gag order. He admitted to three counts of sexually penetrating an underage girl. Five other charges, including sexual penetration of an underage girl, harassment and obstructing the course of justice, were taken into account during sentencing.
Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates.
Former Mediacorp actor Ian Fang surrendered himself to the State Courts just before noon to begin his 40-month jail sentence.
Fang, 35, pleaded guilty to multiple sexual offences involving a 15-year-old girl who cannot be named due to a court-imposed gag order. He admitted to three counts of sexually penetrating an underage girl. Five other charges, including sexual penetration of an underage girl, harassment and obstructing the course of justice, were taken into account during sentencing.
Fang was accompanied by his mother and spoke to the media outside the State Courts. He said, "I definitely will try my best to be a better person, a better version of myself. It is an expensive and very huge mistake that I need to pay off.
"I believe it will definitely make me a better person. I really hope that everyone can give me a chance, to show that I can be the person you want me to be."
For more on Ian Fang's jail sentence, read here.
Singaporeans will be able to enjoy six long public holiday weekends in 2026, according to the Ministry of Manpower's list of gazetted public holidays. The list was released on 16 June.
Good Friday (3 April), Labour Day (1 May) and Christmas Day (25 Dec) will fall on a Friday. Since Vesak Day (31 May), National Day (9 Aug) and Deepavali (8 Nov) fall on Sundays, the following Mondays will be designated public holidays.
This makes the six long weekends.
According the list, Hari Raya Puasa falls on 21 March, which is Saturday, but this is subject to confirmation.
For more on the 2026 public holidays, read here.
The Trump administration is considering expanding its travel ban to include 36 more countries, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation banning citizens of 12 countries from entering the country. He said that the move was necessary to protect the United States against "foreign terrorists" and other national security threats.
In an internal diplomatic cable that was sent over the weekend, and signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department raised over a dozen concerns about the 36 countries and sought corrective action.
"The Department has identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days," said the cable.
For more on the Trump's potential travel ban on the 36 countries, read here.
Singaporeans love to travel and that isn't lost on the telcos who are seeking to woo globetrotters with 'borderless' mobile plans at low prices. With these plans, consumers can use a generous bundle of mobile data across borders without paying more, or activating a travel e-SIM or roaming feature.
M1 is the latest telco to jump on this trend with its Maxx plan that offers 290GB of data for use in Singapore and Malaysia for a monthly record low price of $7.90. The plan also includes 10GB of mobile data for use in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.
Singapore's virtual telco Circles.Life started this trend in September 2023 when they launched a monthly plan that let customers use 100GB across eight Asian destinations (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh).
The plan cost $30 monthly for the first three months, then $37 after that.
Fabian Sossa, vice-president of corporate and global marketing at Circles.Life, said: "The plan is designed for mobile professionals, digital nomads, students, tourists and families with cross-border ties... essentially anyone who needs connectivity across multiple countries without friction."
For more on local telcos' 'borderless' mobile plans, read here.
A new crane tipped over at Tuas Port during its delivery on 15 June to a non-operational berth. No injuries were reported in the accident.
In a joint statement on the same day, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and port operator PSA Singapore said an assessment of adjacent port equipment and facilities has found no damage.
The incident is under investigation.
For more on the Tuas Port accident, read here.
Business owners in Johor Bahru (JB), especially hawkers, have raised concerns to the authorities about the impact of Singapore commuters on their businesses. The issue seems to centre around the fact that parking spaces near the CIQ complex and JB City Centre have been monopolised by Johor residents who commute to Singapore for work.
These workers typically park as early as 5am, and return as late as 8pm.
It was reported that workers even occupy designated lots for these businesses, removing cones and disregarding reserved signs. A hawker in Perling said she found that her allocated business lot had been taken when she arrived to her stall one morning.
At the Iskandar Malaysia Food Court in Gelang Patah, a stall owner claimed nearly 20 vendors have experienced declining profits over the past two years due to this ongoing issue.
For more on the challenges JB food vendors face over parking lots, read here.
Elise Lim was on the "safe path" to success – she qualified for the Integrated Programme (IP) after her Primary School Leaving Examination, and managed to get into the Art Elective Programme to pursue her interest in art.
However, she stepped away from it all in her fifth year of the IP at National Junior College to study fashion at Temasek Polytechnic (TP). She had cultivated an interest in cosplay during her fourth year, and tried making character wigs and props, and tailoring costumes.
Lim said, "It's not common for people to drop out of the IP, and a lot of parents could be worried that this is an unstable future, which is true, because the design and art field is unstable."
Yet, after three years, the 19-year-old has achieved some level of success in her field with more than 94,000 followers on TikTok where she posts tutorials on how to make wigs, and other cosplay content. On Instagram, she has 12,200 followers.
Lim is now in her third year of the fashion design and management at TP. She juggles studies and taking on commission orders for wigs on a first come, first served basis. The prices of her wigs range from US$100 to US$700 (S$130 to S$900).
Lim's mother, who only wanted to be known as Mrs Lim and declined to reveal her occupation, said, "I'm proud of Elise and generally supportive of her love for crafting... My main concern is her frequent exposure to chemicals when making wigs, and I hope she takes care to protect herself."
For more on Elise's inspirational journey from IP to fashion and cosplayer, read here.
Former Mediacorp actor Ian Fang surrendered himself to the State Courts just before noon to begin his 40-month jail sentence.
Fang, 35, pleaded guilty to multiple sexual offences involving a 15-year-old girl who cannot be named due to a court-imposed gag order. He admitted to three counts of sexually penetrating an underage girl. Five other charges, including sexual penetration of an underage girl, harassment and obstructing the course of justice, were taken into account during sentencing.
Fang was accompanied by his mother and spoke to the media outside the State Courts. He said, "I definitely will try my best to be a better person, a better version of myself. It is an expensive and very huge mistake that I need to pay off.
"I believe it will definitely make me a better person. I really hope that everyone can give me a chance, to show that I can be the person you want me to be."
For more on Ian Fang's jail sentence, read here.
Singaporeans will be able to enjoy six long public holiday weekends in 2026, according to the Ministry of Manpower's list of gazetted public holidays. The list was released on 16 June.
Good Friday (3 April), Labour Day (1 May) and Christmas Day (25 Dec) will fall on a Friday. Since Vesak Day (31 May), National Day (9 Aug) and Deepavali (8 Nov) fall on Sundays, the following Mondays will be designated public holidays.
This makes the six long weekends.
According the list, Hari Raya Puasa falls on 21 March, which is Saturday, but this is subject to confirmation.
For more on the 2026 public holidays, read here.
The Trump administration is considering expanding its travel ban to include 36 more countries, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation banning citizens of 12 countries from entering the country. He said that the move was necessary to protect the United States against "foreign terrorists" and other national security threats.
In an internal diplomatic cable that was sent over the weekend, and signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department raised over a dozen concerns about the 36 countries and sought corrective action.
"The Department has identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days," said the cable.
For more on the Trump's potential travel ban on the 36 countries, read here.
Singaporeans love to travel and that isn't lost on the telcos who are seeking to woo globetrotters with 'borderless' mobile plans at low prices. With these plans, consumers can use a generous bundle of mobile data across borders without paying more, or activating a travel e-SIM or roaming feature.
M1 is the latest telco to jump on this trend with its Maxx plan that offers 290GB of data for use in Singapore and Malaysia for a monthly record low price of $7.90. The plan also includes 10GB of mobile data for use in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.
Singapore's virtual telco Circles.Life started this trend in September 2023 when they launched a monthly plan that let customers use 100GB across eight Asian destinations (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh).
The plan cost $30 monthly for the first three months, then $37 after that.
Fabian Sossa, vice-president of corporate and global marketing at Circles.Life, said: "The plan is designed for mobile professionals, digital nomads, students, tourists and families with cross-border ties... essentially anyone who needs connectivity across multiple countries without friction."
For more on local telcos' 'borderless' mobile plans, read here.
A new crane tipped over at Tuas Port during its delivery on 15 June to a non-operational berth. No injuries were reported in the accident.
In a joint statement on the same day, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and port operator PSA Singapore said an assessment of adjacent port equipment and facilities has found no damage.
The incident is under investigation.
For more on the Tuas Port accident, read here.
Business owners in Johor Bahru (JB), especially hawkers, have raised concerns to the authorities about the impact of Singapore commuters on their businesses. The issue seems to centre around the fact that parking spaces near the CIQ complex and JB City Centre have been monopolised by Johor residents who commute to Singapore for work.
These workers typically park as early as 5am, and return as late as 8pm.
It was reported that workers even occupy designated lots for these businesses, removing cones and disregarding reserved signs. A hawker in Perling said she found that her allocated business lot had been taken when she arrived to her stall one morning.
At the Iskandar Malaysia Food Court in Gelang Patah, a stall owner claimed nearly 20 vendors have experienced declining profits over the past two years due to this ongoing issue.
For more on the challenges JB food vendors face over parking lots, read here.
Elise Lim was on the "safe path" to success – she qualified for the Integrated Programme (IP) after her Primary School Leaving Examination, and managed to get into the Art Elective Programme to pursue her interest in art.
However, she stepped away from it all in her fifth year of the IP at National Junior College to study fashion at Temasek Polytechnic (TP). She had cultivated an interest in cosplay during her fourth year, and tried making character wigs and props, and tailoring costumes.
Lim said, "It's not common for people to drop out of the IP, and a lot of parents could be worried that this is an unstable future, which is true, because the design and art field is unstable."
Yet, after three years, the 19-year-old has achieved some level of success in her field with more than 94,000 followers on TikTok where she posts tutorials on how to make wigs, and other cosplay content. On Instagram, she has 12,200 followers.
Lim is now in her third year of the fashion design and management at TP. She juggles studies and taking on commission orders for wigs on a first come, first served basis. The prices of her wigs range from US$100 to US$700 (S$130 to S$900).
Lim's mother, who only wanted to be known as Mrs Lim and declined to reveal her occupation, said, "I'm proud of Elise and generally supportive of her love for crafting... My main concern is her frequent exposure to chemicals when making wigs, and I hope she takes care to protect herself."
For more on Elise's inspirational journey from IP to fashion and cosplayer, read here.