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Singapore’s hidden bill: From the Middle East oil shock to your wallet

May 25, 2026

When oil prices rise, the first signs may not always appear at the petrol station. They may show up in a school bus fee, a ferry surcharge, a grocery bill, a courier charge, or the cost of a home renovation. For Singapore, where much of daily life depends on imported energy, distant geopolitical conflict can […]

Songbirds in a Garden City

May 21, 2026

Singapore’s transformation into the metropolis it is today has drastically reduced its forest cover. Despite this, migrant and indigenous songbirds have adapted to Singapore’s environment since the 1950s, cementing their ecological role as a lasting feature of the island. In ‘Songbirds in a Garden City’, the sixth chapter of Singaporean Creatures: Histories of Humans and […]

Why the stigma over flexible work persists in Singapore

May 20, 2026

As Singapore continues adapting to post-COVID workplace norms, flexible work arrangements (FWAs) have emerged as both a normalised workforce expectation and a source of tension within organisations. Although tripartite guidelines introduced in December 2024 require employers to formally consider employees’ requests for FWAs, ‘Why the stigma over flexible work persists in Singapore’ (Channel NewsAsia, May […]

The AI risk of losing the skills you’ve mastered over the years

May 20, 2026

By Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS President.

The modern worker in trouble

May 19, 2026

Contemporary workers are facing a tougher reality than previous generations, and the picture is getting grimmer across several fronts. In ‘The modern worker in trouble’ (The Business Times, May 2026), Dr Georgios Georgiou (NUS Economics) argues that difficulties which plague the current generation span across job security, work-life balance, and housing affordability. Workplace hardship begins […]

The eloquence of the kiai in poetic verse

May 19, 2026

By Dr Azhar Ibrahim (NUS Malay Studies).

The small sentiments and grand era of Xinyao

May 16, 2026

By Professor Ong Chang Woei (NUS Chinese Studies).

Mosquitoes, Public Health, and the Construction of a Modern Society

May 14, 2026

A key member of the Culicidae family, mosquitoes have evolved from being a minor nuisance to a formidable public health threat as carriers of deadly diseases, particularly in tropical Singapore. Associate Professor Timothy Barnard (NUS History) delves into the historical efforts to monitor, regulate, and eradicate these insects in the context of Singapore’s transformation into […]

Decades of image-based sexual abuse: How perpetrators evade tech platforms and the authorities

May 11, 2026

As digital technologies become more embedded in everyday life, the nature of sexual harm is shifting in ways that increasingly challenge existing regulations and social understanding. In Singapore, recent developments show how image-based sexual abuse has evolved alongside advances in artificial intelligence (AI), transforming from the non-consensual sharing of real images into the creation and […]

Tilapia, Travel, and the Making of a Singaporean Creature

May 7, 2026

Singapore, though a relatively young city-state, boasts a rich animal history that reflects its evolving relationship with nature amidst rapid urban transformation. In ‘Tilapia, Travel, and the Making of a Singaporean Creature’, the first chapter of Singaporean Creatures: Histories of Humans and Other Animals in the Garden City (NUS Press, 2024), edited by Associate Professor […]

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