NewsLite

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of 16-year-old Nurul Ashwiny Abdullah and 19-year-old Chloe Lim Jia Xuan.

In a news release on Thursday (Feb 26) evening, the police said Nurul Ashwiny and Chloe Lim were last seen at about 6am on Feb 13, in the vicinity of Defu Avenue 1 in Hougang.

Checks by AsiaOne indicate that the road is flanked by flatted factories on both sides.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.

If you're an iPhone user under the age of 18, you might find the range of apps on the Apple App Store a little more restrictive.

Apple's app store has begun blocking users in Singapore from downloading apps rated 18+ should they not be verified as adults, according to an Apple blog post to app developers on Tuesday (Feb 24).

"Starting February 24, 2026, Apple will block users in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore from downloading apps rated 18+ unless they have been confirmed to be adults through reasonable methods," the post reads.

"The App Store will perform this confirmation automatically."

Online dating is a new norm. This Netflix romcom starring Blackpink's Jisoo pictures virtual reality dating as the next big thing.

In a press conference broadcast live on YouTube today (Feb 26), the South Korean singer-actress spoke about her experiences playing the lead role in Netflix's upcoming series Boyfriend on Demand alongside actor-singer Seo In-guk.

She said she was drawn to the romantic comedy as its premise of virtual reality "did not seem too far-fetched".

The 31-year-old plays Seo Mi-rae, a workaholic webtoon producer who puts her dating life aside after past failed relationships leave her emotionally scarred. A homebody at heart, she tries her hand at romance again through a subscription-based virtual reality dating service.

Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers called the bluff on the driver of a Malaysia-registered lorry during checks at Tuas Checkpoint on Feb 13.

In a post on its Facebook on Thursday (Feb 26), ICA said the lorry, driven by a 38-year-old Malaysian man, declared its consignment of goods as machine and mechanical appliances.

The lorry was directed for further checks where search and examination officers uncovered more than 2,400 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes.

The driver was arrested and the case referred to the Singapore Customs for further investigation.

Singapore's resident total fertility rate (TFR) reached a new low of 0.87 in 2025, revealed Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong in Parliament on Thursday (Feb 26).

Speaking at the committee of supply debate for the Prime Minister's Office, DPM Gan said that low birth rates and population will "profoundly" affect Singapore.

"Low birth rates and population will profoundly shape our nation, our society and our economy in the years ahead of us. Even with immigration, the growth of our citizen population has slowed over the decade."

Singapore's birth rates fell from 0.9 per cent per annum between 2015 and 2019, to 0.8 per cent between 2020 and 2024, and falling further to 0.7 per cent in 2025.

Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today.

1. Boarding soon: You can spend the night in a Boeing airplane at this new JB hotel

While Singaporeans seldom fly to Johor Bahru, they may want to hop on this plane.

Come mid-2026, they can check into 1975 Avenue & Hotel, a new aviation-themed hotel by Tiong Nam Logistics... » READ MORE

The number of traffic accidents resulting in fatalities and accidents resulting in injuries have continued to rise, said the Traffic Police (TP) in their annual Road Traffic Situation report on Thursday (Feb 26).

There were 147 traffic accidents resulting in fatalities in 2025 compared with 139 such cases in 2024 — a 5.8 per cent increase.

Of these accidents, there were 149 deaths in 2025 compared with 142 deaths in 2024 - a 4.9 per cent rise.

Meanwhile, there were 7,560 traffic accidents resulting in injuries in 2025 compared with 7,053 such cases in 2024 — a 7.2 per cent increase.

Star Awards 2026, now in its 31st edition, will be presented on April 19 at The Theatre at Mediacorp, the broadcaster announced in a press release today (Feb 26).

Local period drama Emerald Hill — The Little Nyonya Story and the cast scored 17 nominations across the 19 categories.

The series is nominated for Best Drama Serial, while its reality travelogue show Emerald Hill — Our Hillside Moments is nominated for Best Entertainment Programme.

Romeo Tan is up for Best Actor, competing with Chen Hanwei (The Gift of Time), Desmond Tan (Devil Behind The Gate), Richie Koh (Another Wok of Life) and Xu Bin (Fixing Fate).

Hong Kong celebrity couple Kay Tse and Louis Cheung recently sent their son James off to study overseas.

In a joint Instagram post with Kay yesterday (Feb 25), Louis wrote an emotional message accompanied by a video compilation of James from childhood to the present day.

"To my dearest son, as you head off to start this new chapter at university, my heart is filled with so much pride. It seems like only yesterday you were just a little boy and now you're stepping out into the world on your own," said the 46-year-old singer-actor.

James, who turns 19 in June, had asked if Louis would cry when he left.

Close to half of the positions available for the government-funded traineeship scheme launched last year have been filled, but applications from fresh graduates has dipped by almost 90 per cent, said Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng.

In a written parliamentary reply on Wednesday (Feb 25), Dr Tan said that close to 400 positions under the Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) and GRIT@Gov have been filled since it was launched in October 2025, and that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is working with partner organisations to expedite the filling of the allocated traineeships.

The initiative was designed to improve the employability of ITE, polytechnic and university graduates who need more help in finding a permanent job amidst uncertain hiring sentiments, with MOM initially offering 800 positions .

However, Dr Tan said that applications have since fallen by about 90 per cent compared to when the scheme was first launched, but that MOM will continue to prioritise channelling fresh graduates to full-time employment.