Lawrence Wong succeeds Lee Hsien Loong as PAP leader; Aupen founder hopes Singapore embraces brand in the same fashion as the West: Singapore live news

Brandon Chia and his wife Jiar Lin were working as full-time ICU nurses in Singapore when they had their first child together in 2022. After Lin’s 16 weeks of paid maternity leave was up, the couple opted to start working alternate shifts to care for their newborn daughter.

“I worked the morning shift, and she worked the afternoon. We would hand our baby over to each other and go out to earn money,” Chia said in a conversation with Business Insider.

When Chia’s daughter was about to turn one, the couple felt they were not spending enough time with her as they were "always exhausted from work".

Following a successful job application, they made the decision to move to the South Island of New Zealand. "In New Zealand, my wife is able to stay home to care for both our daughter, who is now 3, and our 9-month-old son, who was born here," he said.

Chia went on to explain the considerable differences in quality of life he has noticed since swapping Singapore for the "countryside" life in South Island, New Zealand. "Although I make less overall after taxes, I get more cash on hand compared to Singapore," he said.

You can read the full story of Brandon Chia and his observations, here.

The kebaya has been recognised by the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, revealed the National Heritage Board (NHB) on Wednesday (4 December).

The traditional, usually long-sleeved, women’s upper garment is famous across Southeast Asia and so it was fitting that its inclusion on the UNESCO list came following a joint nomination by Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

It’s the largest joint-nomination in terms of number of countries involved from Southeast Asia to date.

“For the first time, these five nations have joined forces to recognise the kebaya as a symbol of our shared history and cultural identity,” said Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law.

Tong also serves as Chairman of the Singapore National Commission for UNESCO.

Iconic Taiwanese romance novelist Chiung Yao died on 4 December at the age of 86 in a suspected suicide.

Her body was found in her home in New Taipei City and emergency services said she had taken her own life, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.

She was born Chen Che in Sichuan, China in 1938 and moved to Taiwan in 1949 with her parents, and would later adopt the pen name Chiung Yao when she started writing at the age of 18.

Among her most famous pieces of work include the hit Chinese drama ‘My Fair Princess’ which most notably helped to catapult the careers of Fan Bingbing, Ruby Lin, and Zhao Wei.

In 2019, she suffered the loss of her second husband Ping Hsin-tao, who was also her publisher. She has been open about her struggles following his death.

Help and support

If you're affected by any of the issues in this blog post, you can contact the Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222 (24 hours).

Bitcoin has broken the US$100,000 mark for the first time, just hours after US President-elect Donald Trump said he intends to pick Paul Atkins to be the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Atkins is expected to bring a lighter regulatory approach to the crypto industry.

The cryptocurrency hit $102,700 in early Asian trade and has been in blistering form since the early November election win by Trump, who has pledged to make the United States the "bitcoin and cryptocurrency capital of the world".

The development is also the latest in Bitcoin's controversial history which includes the mystery surrounding its supposed creator Satoshi Nakamoto, who posted about the idea for the crypto in internet forums back in 2008. Till today, no one knows who Nakamoto is – or even if he exists.

Here’s a list of the seven wildest moments in Bitcoin’s history.

A man was caught carrying more than $1.3 million in various currencies into Singapore on 27 November while under-declaring the amount he was holding.

The 49-year-old was found to have provided an inaccurate cross-border movement of Cash or Bearer Negotiable Instruments (CBNI) report, according to a multi-agency joint statement on Wednesday (4 December).

The case was just one of several highlighted by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Singapore Customs, and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) following multi-agency enforcement operations across land, sea, and air checkpoints from 25-29 November 2024.

“The smuggling of cash across territorial borders is a known way criminals launder proceeds of crime,” said David Chew, Director, Commercial Affairs Department.

Failure to report the movement of CBNIs exceeding $20,000 is an offence under Singapore law.

You can read the details of the other offences detected during the recent multi-agency operation, here.

Aupen’s Singaporean founder Nicholas Tan says the brand’s viral photo with Taylor Swift which helped catapult the handbag maker’s visibility globally was not a planned placement. "These celebrities genuinely use it," Tan told the Straits Times in a rare media interview.

"Selena Gomez has carried our bags four or five times. Jennifer Lawrence, the same. Emma Stone has worn our designs on multiple occasions. It warms my heart to know that the bag is a real part of their wardrobe," he said.

For those unaware about Aupen, the company was founded in Singapore in November 2022 and has since disrupted the fashion industry with its non-conformity to traditional product calendars and its meteoric rise to celebrity consciousness. Their bags are also only sold online – and in limited quantities.

Tan, who is a former Singapore national swimmer, says he has no plans to open a physical retail store but is currently looking for an office space in Paris. "When I’m in Paris, I see so many Parisians proudly carrying Louis Vuitton and Chanel because those brands are French. In Milan, I see Italians carrying Prada and Gucci with the same pride. It’s a reflection of their cultural identity," he told ST.

Tan hopes that one day he will see Singapore girls carrying Aupen bags with similar pride.

Aupen describes its focus as being on "minimalist, authentic designs, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship without compromise."

In July, the company announced a partnership with luxury LVMH Metiers d’Art.