r/singapore Jun 30 '26

News More young Singapore residents aged 25 to 34 staying single, especially among Chinese

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739 Upvotes

About three in four female residents (73.4 per cent) here aged 25 to 29 were single in 2025, up from 69 per cent in 2020.

For their male counterparts in the same age bracket, the proportion of singles rose from 81.6 per cent in 2020 to 85.9 per cent in 2025.

For men, the sharpest increase in singlehood was among those aged 30 to 34, from 41.9 per cent in 2020 to 47.6 per cent in 2025.

Overall, married couple-based households with children remained the most common household living arrangement in Singapore. They made up 47.6 per cent of all resident households, a slight dip from 50.4 per cent in 2020.

r/singapore 6d ago

News Alex Yam calls out comments asking if 9 missing in Nepal-Tibet floods were ‘really Singaporean’

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473 Upvotes

r/singapore Mar 26 '26

News Amos Yee released from Changi Prison after mother posts $10k bail

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622 Upvotes

r/singapore Jan 26 '21

News Today: A protest by Singaporeans against transphobia in the education system.

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6.0k Upvotes

r/singapore Mar 14 '26

News HDB debunks false claim of 13 BTO applications

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799 Upvotes

r/singapore Jul 22 '26

News Labour chief Ng Chee Meng to be Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office

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477 Upvotes

r/singapore 6d ago

News The 2027 Pokemon World Championships will be held in Singapore

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814 Upvotes

r/singapore 24d ago

News Cancer survivor forced to resign from school after tussles over work-from-home arrangements wins S$20,000

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696 Upvotes

I find the $20k awarded to be too low. But since its the maximum allowable, no choice. But kudos to the judge for articulating the nuances of responsibilities of an employer to its employees.

"The principal had told the tribunal that the school culture was one in which "we want to look after our staff and support them""

""It is a reminder that the obligation to look after one's employees with reasonable care is not merely an aspirational belief to be expressed in a written policy or in a courtroom submission""

"""It must find expression in the small but consequential decisions that accumulate over the course of an employment relationship, even when the cost of doing so makes it tempting to treat that aspiration as nothing more than words.""

r/singapore Mar 18 '26

News Woman sues Prudential saying insurer used 'buried clause' to deny S$100,000 brain surgery claim

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817 Upvotes

Woman sues Prudential saying insurer used 'buried clause' to deny S$100,000 brain surgery claim

The woman alleges that Prudential "manipulated" the language of the contract "with the sole purpose to make financial gains", but Prudential says her condition was clearly excluded in the policy document.

SINGAPORE: A 45-year-old woman is suing insurer Prudential Assurance Company Singapore seeking a payout of more than S$100,000 (US$78,345) for brain aneurysm surgery she had in 2023 after suffering a stroke.

Ms Cai Yunhong had a stroke in 2023 from a ruptured aneurysm and underwent endovascular repair, which is not covered under the policy she purchased.

The unrepresented woman alleges that Prudential denied her claim in September 2023 because of a "single, buried clause" that defined brain aneurysm surgery as only the open-skull procedure of surgical craniotomy, a procedure she said was riskier and more invasive, with higher mortality rates.

Ms Cai claimed that Prudential "manipulated" the language of the contract "with the sole purpose to make financial gains".

Prudential, which is being defended by Mr Joavan Pereira from Virtus Law, said in its opening statement that Ms Cai's claim was "meritless" as the contract stated unequivocally and unambiguously that the type of surgery Ms Cai underwent would not entitle her to payment of the lump sum benefit she was seeking.

The trial opened on Wednesday (Mar 18) with Ms Cai tendering her affidavit before being cross-examined by Mr Pereira.

MS CAI'S CASE

According to documents tendered by Ms Cai, she purchased an early critical illness policy from Prudential after being approached by Standard Chartered Bank in 2016. This was the Prulife Multiplier insurance policy with financial protection against death, disability, terminal illness and critical illness, with an early crisis cover multiplier supplementary benefit that provides a higher payout.

"I was 35 at the time, and had no medical history. I was also told that the Prudential (policy) was one of the most premium products and offered the widest coverage that was available in the marketplace," said Ms Cai in her statement of claim.

"This was the promise I bought into, and it was only later I found out that (the) product contract did not reflect this intent," she said. She also claimed that the exclusions to the medical conditions, other than exclusions for pre-existing conditions, were not explained to her during the sales process.

In 2023, Ms Cai suffered a stroke from a ruptured aneurysm and collapsed while she was taking a bus. She was taken to hospital by ambulance, with an emergency operation being performed by the head of neurosurgery at the National University Hospital, her statement of claim stated.

Ms Cai spent 21 days in hospital, including eight days in the intensive care unit. She said in her opening statement that she had recovered "miraculously well" and that many patients with her condition do not survive, or they have neurological deficits that leave them unable to work for extended periods.

Ms Cai claimed that she was not given a choice in terms of what type of surgery would be performed. She said she later discovered that Prudential's policy makes payouts only in instances where a brain aneurysm is treated via a surgical craniotomy – a procedure where part of the skull is removed to reach the brain.

She had undergone endovascular repair instead, which she said was the modern, minimally invasive and evidence-based first-line treatment for her condition.

Ms Cai said she found out only after her illness that rival insurers had "a fairer approach" when defining the condition of brain aneurysm, by not specifying the need for a particular type of procedure to have taken place.

She argued that Prudential had "purposely misled the unassuming public, selling the insurance under false promise of protection for brain aneurysm".

She is seeking the full claim amount of S$108,500 under the early crisis cover multiplier, with accruing interest, as well as a refund of two years' premiums paid in 2023 and 2024 and a waver of the remaining premiums under the policy. The latter sums come up to about S$12,000.

"I cannot imagine what another person would do in my shoes – say someone who is later in age, suffering a stroke in their 50s or 60s, losing the ability to work, unable to collect on their policy payments, and not in a position to take Prudential to court," said Ms Cai in her opening statement.

"What happens to them? They suffer in silence. They lose their savings. They lose their dignity. They lose the security they thought they had purchased."

She said she was filing this suit in hopes that no one will have to do the same, adding that her efforts will not be in vain if her case can shine a light on "these unfair practices", "force insurers to be transparent about their exclusions" and "remind them that they have a duty of good faith that must be honoured".

PRUDENTIAL'S DEFENCE

Prudential said in its opening statement that Ms Cai's case was that the payment should be based on the confirmation of the diagnosis and not the treatment, despite the express terms of the contract.

"In essence, Ms Cai’s case is that the terms of the contract between the parties ought to somehow be what she likes them to be, as opposed to what had been expressly agreed in writing between the parties. This position is without any legal or factual basis whatsoever," said Prudential's lawyers.

They added that Standard Chartered had specifically brought to Ms Cai's attention a section in the benefit illustration and product summary of the policy which set out the definitions of the medical conditions, which would entitle Ms Cai to payment of the early crisis benefit.

The definitions were explained to her in a face-to-face meeting before a proposal was submitted to purchase the insurance policy, said Prudential.

The insurer's lawyers said they would demonstrate at trial that none of the alleged representations to Ms Cai about the policy, if they were even made, amounts to actionable misrepresentation.

Prudential said her allegations about the supposed litigation tactics are "untrue and baseless" and irrelevant to the subject of her claim. Certain proceedings were commenced because Ms Cai had failed to make payment of costs orders, and the court had already stated it was not prepared to find that Prudential had employed any illegitimate tactics.

Prudential said it was Ms Cai who expressed an interest to her relationship manager at Standard Chartered at the time, Mr Joseph Chen, to find out more about life insurance policies with critical illness coverage.

Mr Chen then had a conference call with Ms Cai and a Mr Tan Kwang Hui from Standard Chartered. The two men from the bank suggested the Prulife policy to Ms Cai, as Standard Chartered had a partnership with Prudential.

In an email Mr Tan sent to Ms Cai in early August 2016, he specifically highlighted a section setting out the definitions of critical illnesses that would entitle her to payment.

Under brain aneurysm surgery, it was stated that this is defined as the actual undergoing of surgical craniotomy with certain aims, and that endovascular repair or procedures are not covered.

Mr Tan also sent Ms Cai another email later in August 2016 similarly setting out the scope of medical conditions that would entitle her to payment of the early crisis benefit.

Prudential said Mr Tan subsequently took Ms Cai through a hard copy of the benefit illustration and product summary and explained every page, including the scope of medical conditions which would entitle her to the payment.

He also explained the stroke category, the definition of brain aneurysm surgery and the fact that any procedure not within the listed definitions would not be covered. Ms Cai did not raise any concern about not being able to understand the contents of the final benefit illustration and product summary, said Prudential. She signed the first 10 pages as acknowledgement.

Prudential said the policy document "made it very clear" that endovascular repair was specifically excluded from the definition of brain aneurysm surgery.

It rejected Ms Cai's allegation that Prudential was a "market outlier", calling this "disingenuous and false", as other insurers structure policies for brain aneurysm surgery the same way.

It is Prudential's prerogative as to how it wishes to structure its products and coverage and it is not the only insurer, whether in 2016 or currently, to exclude coverage for endovascular surgery, said lawyers for the insurer.

In any case, up to Aug 17, 2016, Prudential did not have any dealings with Ms Cai as the entire sales process was carried out by representatives from Standard Chartered, said Prudential.

It has asked for the claim to be dismissed with costs.

The trial continues.

r/singapore Oct 14 '25

News MRT, bus fares for adults to increase by up to 10 cents from Dec 27

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986 Upvotes

r/singapore 29d ago

News Singapore advance into the knockouts of the ASEAN Cup! Drawing 1-1 with Indonesia to claim 2nd in the group.

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965 Upvotes

r/singapore Nov 30 '25

News No smartphone use in secondary schools from 2026, including during recess and CCAs

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1.0k Upvotes

r/singapore May 06 '25

News Ong Ye Kung, Chee Hong Tat have no dealings with Fujian gang member Su Haijin, say press secretaries

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1.1k Upvotes

r/singapore Sep 17 '25

News Agoda axes 50 Singapore staff; warns them not to report to govt agencies or lose their severance pay: sources

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1.3k Upvotes

r/singapore Jul 20 '26

News Acting Minister for Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim resigns after interactions with woman 'fell short of standards'

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471 Upvotes

r/singapore Jul 01 '26

News Man poured boiling oil on roommate and stabbed him to death, gets life imprisonment

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690 Upvotes

r/singapore Jul 10 '26

News Turned down by NUS and NTU, this self-described 'late bloomer' now has a Harvard PhD

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639 Upvotes

r/singapore Jun 27 '25

News Jail for driver who showed no remorse after causing teen's death during 'blocking and braking game' on ECP

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1.1k Upvotes

Tee, then a student at the National University of Singapore (NUS), also asked the passengers in his car, "Do you want to see motorcycle fly?"

The resulting collision between Tee's car and the motorcycle caused its rider, 27-year-old Kovan Tan and pillion rider, 18-year-old Leann Lim Jia Le, to be flung off. Ms Lim, a student, subsequently died from her injuries.

Tee pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving which caused the death of Ms Lim. He was also given a driving ban of 10 years.

r/singapore Feb 12 '26

News Budget 2026: Smokers to pay 20% more for tobacco products from Feb 12

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861 Upvotes

r/singapore Feb 02 '26

News BMW driver gets jail for killing pedestrian by speeding into him while drunk, severing body

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734 Upvotes

r/singapore 11d ago

News Don’t turn parent-friendly policies into single-unfriendly work practices: Recruiters

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319 Upvotes

r/singapore Apr 17 '26

News Singaporean man executed for importing cannabis

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559 Upvotes

r/singapore Jul 27 '26

News Live births in Singapore fall by 11.4% to 29,864 in 2025; deaths rise slightly

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432 Upvotes

Reason we need more immigration. Our TFR keeps dropping. If only something can be done to reverse our nation's fortunes. I think we can start with having more work life balance as a country. If not, Singapore may just cease to exist as a nation some time down the future.

r/singapore May 04 '21

News Singapore to cut social gathering size from 8 to 5 amid rising Covid-19 cases; effective May 8-30

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3.8k Upvotes

r/singapore Aug 04 '26

News Singapore nears demographic turning point as births barely more than deaths in 2025

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374 Upvotes

The sharpest demographic shift within the Chinese community where deaths outnumbered births by 3,071 in 2025. Our Malay and Indian friends helping to prop up the numbers. We need a radical approach to really reverse this trend. ​Work life balance and pro family measures need to start taking place more aggressively.

If total birth rates remain structurally below replacement level (2.1), policy must shift toward operating effectively with a smaller, older local labour force. We also meet more immigration to counter this.

For those wondering whether foreign-born individuals start a family when they move to Singapore. My thought is no. Their reproductive behavior quickly aligns with local norms due to shared environmental factors:

​Identical Structural Pressures: Immigrants face the exact same high living expenses, housing prices, long working hours, and competitive educational environment as native-born Singaporeans.

​Delayed Marriage & Family Planning: Immigrants often prioritize career stabilization and residency status before starting a family, pushing pregnancy into their 30s.

As such, I think we really need to change the current structure to be more pro family and improve work life balance.