The first Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link train arrived in Woodlands North Station on Wednesday (4 Feb) as part of a scheduled train demonstration.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) shared some snaps of the train on their Facebook page that night, declaring it "another major milestone" towards seamless cross-border travel.

"Commuters can look forward to a swift 5-minute journey between Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru and Woodlands North in Singapore," said LTA.

The RTS Link is set to begin operations by end-2026.

Football fans in Singapore will be able to watch 28 matches from the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on Mediacorp's mewatch and Channel 5, the broadcaster announced on Thursday (5 Feb).

Mediacorp are yet to confirm which matches will be shown for free but you can expect to see the opening games, 23 other group-stage matches, both semi-finals, the third-place playoff, and the final.

The tournament – co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico – takes place from 11 June to 19 July this year, and will feature 104 matches after FIFA increased the number of teams participating to 48. Subscribers to Mediacorp's digital platform mewatch will get access to all of these games.

"From the opening whistle to the final trophy lift, we look forward to bringing every moment of landmark tournaments to fans across Singapore, fostering shared experiences and creating lasting memories for friends and families," said Mediacorp's chief customer officer Angeline Poh.

The Republic of Singapore Navy said on Wednesday (4 Feb) it has stepped up monitoring after a crocodile was spotted in the waters near Changi Naval Base.

It is unclear whether it is the same crocodile seen less than a week ago in waters around Sentosa which resulted in water activities being suspended at Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong beaches. Members of the public were also advised last week against water activities at St John’s, Seringat, Lazarus and Kusu Islands until further notice.

The navy, in a light-hearted video on their social channels, showed footage of the reptile swimming near Changi Naval Base, accompanied by a caption in the post which began: "Oh look! We had an unexpected visitor near RSS Singapura – Changi Naval Base, which stayed briefly before returning to the Singapore Strait."

"Our base teams have also stepped up monitoring, and are working closely with the relevant authorities," the navy added.

Ryan Routh, the man convicted of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on a Florida golf course in 2024, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday (4 Feb).

Routh had set up a sniper’s nest on the edge of Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course but his plan was thwarted by a Secret Service agent.

"It’s clear to me that you engaged in a premeditated, calculated plot to take a human life," said US district judge Aileen Cannon, who pronounced Routh’s fate in a Fort Pierce courtroom. "Your plot to kill was deliberate and evil. You are not a peaceful man. You are not a good man."

The 59-year-old was convicted in September after a disastrous attempt to represent himself at trial.

As Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp's (OCBC) new Group CEO, Tan Teck Long will be tasked with leading Singapore’s longest-running bank against their rivals. But one of his main challenges may be winning over the billionaire sitting across the boardroom table, writes Bloomberg.

The financial news agency – citing people familiar with the matter – said that Lee Tih Shih, whose family is OCBC's largest shareholder by assets, has long kept a tight grip on the firm's spending.

This includes limiting big ticket investments or risky acquisitions to preserve capital, according to the report.

Bloomberg explains why it won't be so easy for Tan to open the purse strings at one of Asia’s richest clans.

A recent article by EdgeProp argued that online response to the PropertyLimBrothers (PLB) saga revealed how fragile public trust and perception is of Singapore's property industry. And it appears many Yahoo readers feel the same way.

Over 80 per cent, at press time, of nearly 1,100 respondents in a Yahoo poll agreed that Singapore's property industry has a negative image problem. Less than 15 per cent of those polled disagreed. The poll remains open for voting.

Both the EdgeProp article and Yahoo poll were published following a week-long drama at PLB, a prominent real estate agency in Singapore. Melvin Lim, a co-founder at PLB, and Grayce Tan, VP of strategy, resigned from their positions in the wake of an online video which sparked rumours of an extramarital affair and workplace favouritism.

A review by the Associated Press (AP) and other news organisations has found frequent examples of "sloppy, inconsistent or nonexistent" redactions in files related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.

The mistakes have exposed sensitive information about sexual abuse victims – including nude photos, names and faces of victims, bank account and Social Security numbers.

AP reports that these all appeared in documents released Friday by the US Justice Department who were required by law to open its investigative files on the disgraced financier.

"Despite the Justice Department’s efforts to fix the oversights, a selfie taken by a nude woman in a bathroom and another by a topless woman remained on the site, their faces both in full view, as of Wednesday evening," AP noted in their reporting.

More of this story via the above links.

Users of mobility scooters will need a certificate of medical need from 1 June, 2026, but there are certain groups exempted.

For example, seniors aged 70 and above do not require the certificate. Users who have already had their mobility needs or disabilities assessed are also exempted.

Those caught riding a mobility scooter without a valid certificate of medical need face fines of up to $2,000, up to six months’ jail, or both.

The certificate will be available from 27 February and a list of clinics offering the assessment is available on the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) website.

More details in CNA's report, here.

Singapore has paved the way for the full roll out of its new ERP 2 system next year after a raft of changes to transport laws was passed in Parliament on Wednesday (4 Feb).

The Land Transport and Related Matters Bill requires Singapore-registered vehicles to be equipped with an on-board unit (OBU) from 1 January, 2027. The OBU uses satellite technology instead of physical gantries to pinpoint a vehicle’s location for ERP toll charges. This may lead the Government to consider a distance-based ERP model.

However, there are no plans to implement distance-based charging immediately, according to Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow. "I would like the transition to ERP 2 to be as smooth as possible, so it's best to let the situation stabilise and to have motorists get used to the new system, before too many parameters or new ones are introduced," he said.

"Distance-based charging is still an option for the future," added Siow. "We have to study this further, as there are many trade-offs involved... but if we decide to implement distance-based charging, motorists will have ample notice."

More details in the Straits Times report, here.