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This past week, the impending execution of a convicted Malaysian drug trafficker who allegedly has “severe mental disabilities" drew criticism from activists, international NGOs and even billionaire Richard Branson. Nagaenthran Dharmalingam’s execution has since been delayed as he tested positive for COVID-19 in prison, but why the sudden international scrutiny on his death sentence? Also, Healing...

To recognise their “courage and invaluable work”, the Ministry of Health will be awarding 100,000 public healthcare workers $4,000 each. We discuss what this gesture means, and if it’s enough to stem the tide of healthcare workers leaving the industry in 2021. Elsewhere, an F45 fitness studio faced backlash for posting a “Happy Deepavali” greeting video featuring 2 of their members making racially...

Eeeeeyakkkkk! There was a lot of buzz recently when WWE unveiled their first ever Singaporean wrestler, Dante Chen. But what does it really take to make it to the pinnacle of the wrestling business? We speak to the pioneer of the local wrestling scene, Andruew Tang AKA “The Statement”, and find out how Singapore Pro Wrestling has coped with the hiatus on live events, and how he intends to bring mo...

There was a bombshell revelation in Parliament on Monday, as Workers’ Party MP Raeesah Khan admitted that her past account of accompanying a sexual assault victim to the police station had been fabricated. What’s next for the youngest ever MP? Also, Elon Musk promises to sell billions of dollars of Tesla stock to fund a UN campaign if it can really help end world hunger.    Find us here! Our YLB S...

It's a short one today, folks! Singapore-born footballing talent Harry Birtwhistle, 17 years old, has been offered a professional contract to play with the Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Premier League, but has been disallowed from skipping his National Service obligations or even renouncing his SG citizenship to pursue the opportunity. Is this a fair move by MINDEF? How will this decision factor...

National Development Minister Desmond Lee unveiled the new PLH model under HDB, which aims to keep public housing in prime locations “affordable, accessible and inclusive for Singaporeans”. What difference will it make for the average SGean? Also, to the chagrin of a few other local authors, Wang Lei, the getai singer, was selected to speak on “dying trades” as part of the Singapore Writer’s Festi...

Over the weekend, it was revealed that local and foreign delegates at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum (NEF) to be held from 16th-19th November would be allowed to dine together in groups of up to 5 at pre-designated restaurants in the city, in spite of the current curbs that limit dining-in to a maximum of 2 people until 21st November. Double standards? Elitism? Why are so many people furious? In...

On the movie set of “Rust”, in which Alec Baldwin is acting and a producer, a prop gun in the actor’s hands misfired and killed their cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Does Hollywood have a problem with safety? Also, the courts rejected a man’s guilty plea after he had live-streamed his tense and allegedly xenophobic row with a bus driver. Why did they do so?   Find us here! Our YLB Subreddit for d...

The liberalisation of the SG energy market that began in 2018 was supposed to herald a bright new future for consumers. However, 3 electricity retailers have suddenly thrown in the towel in the past week, leaving their customers back at square one. Was there anything that could have been done differently? And NOC is back in the news again, with a fresh set of allegations by staff and ex-staff, thi...

Recently, streaming platform Netflix came under a firestorm of criticism from the LGBTQ+ community both outside the company and internally, with transgender Netflix staff planning a walkout on 20th October. All this was caused by the launch of Dave Chapelle’s final standup comedy special on their platform, which contained “transphobic” content, and the CEO’s defense of the material in spite of the...

Recently, with the announcement of VTLs with 11 different countries, SGeans have been flocking to travel agents and airline offices to plan their year-end trips. But as Haresh personally discovers, the VTL isn’t as attractive a prospect as it looks on paper. In the NBA, Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving has been banned from playing or training with his team as long as he remains unvaccinated. I...

Content creator Jaze Phua recently exploded on TikTok, gaining 1.5 million followers in a month, largely based on his Squid Game videos. We discuss how TikTok differs from other platforms he’s been on, and where he sees the future of entertainment and social media. And of course, we talk about the current issue of the toxic culture among Singapore YouTubers - why and how did we come to this?   Fin...

A study by a social enterprise, Happiness Initiative, uncovered that several socio-demographic factors such as household income and sexual orientation had a disproportionately large impact on Singapore residents’ happiness. Also, YouTube channel Night Owl Cinematics, after facing a tsunami of online criticism for the way its co-founder, Sylvia Chan, verbally abused her employees, is now doubling d...

This week, we come face to face with the outspoken and controversial Singapore athlete and SEA Games gold medalist, Soh Rui Yong. Never one to mince words, he reveals what he thinks about comments that he’s arrogant, the origins of his competitive drive, and also explains why he’s offering 700 packets of chicken rice as a prize for his 2.4km Challenge.   Find us here! Our #YLB Subreddit for show n...

Recently, an ex-employee of Facebook, Frances Haugen, testified at a US Senate hearing about how there is no accountability within Facebook’s leadership with regards to the harm caused to users of the social media platform. Is Facebook really as evil as it sounds? Also, users found that “Ask Jamie”, the AI chatbot service that answers FAQs on most SG government services websites, will dole out saf...

Recently in Parliament, Minister Shanmugam pressed opposition MP Raeesah Khan to divulge more details about a claim she had made about the police’s poor management of a case of sexual assault. Khan refused, reasoning that she needed to maintain confidentiality. Who’s right or wrong? Also, a community of wild chickens has appeared in Dover Close, dividing residents’ opinions about wildlife in their...

The Active Mobility Advisory Panel, tasked by the SG government with reviewing rules for on-road cycling, has concluded that bicycle registration and licensing of cyclists are not recommended. Why was this done in spite of the increasing number of incidents between motorists and cyclists? Also, a social worker has singled out the Mediacorp talk show ‘Hear U Out’ as “immoral” for exposing their gue...

Singapore’s annual Population in Brief report revealed that total population fell 4.1% to 5.45 million as a result of COVID-19. We discuss the numbers and why it’s alarming for SG’s future. Also, runner Soh Rui Yong is in the news again, but this time for launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise $180,000 to pay for damages and legal fees in his defamation suit vs. fellow runner Ashley Liew. Why...

As quickly as we embarked on a COVID-endemic strategy, Singapore has tightened restrictions on social gatherings once again. It’s not the first time we’ve clamped down to reduce the spread, but why is there so much more frustration this time? In other news, the co-founder of indie bookstore BooksActually, a longstanding bastion of Singapore literature, was accused by several female ex-employees of...

And we thought our jobs were tough! This week, we speak to Paul Laurence, a Singaporean who clears unexploded RPGs, landmines and IEDs in war-torn countries for a living. After a long career in the SAF, Paul has worked as a deminer in places such as Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq, Somalia and Papau New Guinea. We read about him in an eye-opening feature in Rice Media, and really wanted to know: wh...

This week, Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim wades into the argument on whether SG should continue its mask mandate in a FB post, triggering a fierce debate online. We also spoke to MMA fighter Victoria Lee, the teenage sensation who burst onto the scene in 2021 with 2 consecutive victories in ONE Championship. With heavy expectations weighing on the 17-year-old’s shoulders as Angela Lee and Christian L...

At the end of the year, a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) General, Tan Chee Wee, will be appointed chief executive of the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA). We debate whether a high-ranking military officer really has the competence and knowledge to oversee SG’s pre-school sector. Also, an enrichment centre behind a PR campaign involving clowns loitering around outside primary schools has apo...

Since the bombshell news about the closure of Yale-NUS, we’ve not heard directly from actual students about how they’re coping with the loss. So we connected with Ethel Pang, a final-year student at Yale-NUS, to find out what she and her peers have been doing since learning of the school’s imminent closure. Also, she shares her views about Minister Chan Chun Sing’s explanation in parliament about...

At the recent livestreamed parliamentary debate, a hot mic caught part of a private conversation between several MPs, in which Minister Vivian Balakrishnan had allegedly labelled opposition politician Leong Mun Wai “illiterate”. The minister has since written a FB post revealing that he has apologized to Leong for his remarks, so why are SGeans online making a ruckus about this? Also, we discuss t...

A recent feature by CNA highlights a trend of more young, single Singaporeans moving out from their parents’ homes to live in their own rental spaces. We discuss if this is a good idea, how COVID has changed things, and delve into our own experiences for answers. Also, athlete Soh Rui Yong has supposedly angered commando soldiers with his open challenge to run 2.4km in under 7 minutes. But is this...