The Mosque Building Fund (MBF) was established in 1975 as a means of gathering funds for the building of mosques in new public housing estates in Singapore. Following the formation of the Mendaki Foundation in 1984, the MBF merged with the Mendaki Fund and was ...

The Central Provident Fund (CPF) is a key component of Singapore’s social security structure. It is a compulsory save-as-you-earn scheme that enables working Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents to set aside a percentage of their monthly gross salary for ...

Michael and Sonya Fong were Singapore's first couple to set out on a world motorcycle trip, which they called "Baby Quek's Big Adventure", on 17 September 1995. They travelled for nearly two years, returning on 14 May 1997. Riding their 1,000 cc BMW motorcycle, ...

Singapore held its inaugural Grand Prix in mid-September 1961 called the Orient Year Grand Prix. It was renamed the Malaysia Grand Prix in 1962. After independence in 1965, Singapore held its own grand prix from 1966 called the Singapore Grand Prix, held around ...

The first international sports event ever held in Singapore was the 7th Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games from 1 to 8 September 1973. There were 16 sporting events and a total of 1,623 athletes from seven countries who took part in the SEAP Games. Singapore ...

Bilingualism has been the cornerstone of Singapore’s language policy since the People’s Action Party (PAP) was elected to power in 1959. The policy entails an emphasis on using English and the mother tongue languages, particularly that of the three main ethnic ...

The first Cooling-off Day was implemented for Singapore’s general election in 2011. No campaigning activities are allowed on Cooling-off Day, which is designated as the day before polling day to give voters time to think rationally and reflect on the issues that ...

Recognising the importance of family planning to national development, the government organised Singapore’s first national family planning campaign in 1960. The campaign aimed to raise public awareness on the need for family planning and the disadvantages of having ...

Suratman Markasan (b. 29 December 1930, Singapore– ) is a prolific poet, novelist and respected literary pioneer in Singapore. His literary career spans from the early 1950s to the present. The numerous awards he has received include: the Southeast Asian Writers ...

Singapore’s national reserves, or net assets, are a vital strategic resource for the country, and are therefore strictly protected by the Constitution. Specifically, the Constitution safeguards the portion deemed to be “past reserves” – reserves that were not accumulated ...

Singapore’s national reserves are the net assets (assets minus liabilities) of the country. Being a small nation lacking in natural resources and relying heavily on external trade, Singapore requires ample reserves as its security net to ensure a stable currency ...

The Lehman Brothers Minibond saga arose from the company’s bankruptcy filing in September 2008 and centred on the impact this had on several structured investment products linked to the failed investment bank. When investors discovered that the company’s collapse ...

Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) is one of the most important Malay historical works, and one of the finest literary works written in Malay, that has been handed down in various versions. There were at least seven versions of this text. Sejarah Melayu is also one ...

Void decks are the open spaces located on the ground floor of Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks of flats. These were introduced in blocks built after 1969. The void deck is generally defined by the structural columns of the block. Small kiosks selling ...

Located on Guillemard Road, the former Singapore Badminton Hall was built to host the 1952 Thomas Cup, which was first held in England in 1949 and won by the Malayan team. Although the games did not eventually take place in the building, subsequent Thomas Cup matches ...

Popular music flourished in Singapore during the 1960s, when a number of local bands became extremely popular with their cover versions of British and American songs as well as original compositions. These bands had a strong following and often played to crowds ...

The national campaign to minimise cash transactions was launched on 14 March 1985 to urge Singaporeans to carry out financial transactions electronically. The drive to bring Singapore closer to a cashless society was part of the government’s plan to improve efficiency ...

The Lehman Brothers Minibond saga refers to the chain of events resulting from the Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy filing in September 2008. Following the collapse of the Lehman Brothers, about 10,000 retail investors in Singapore lost all or a large part of their ...

The Singapore Turf Club, renowned for its horse racing events, is the oldest existing club in Singapore. It was founded by Scottish merchant William Henry Macleod Read, and began as the Singapore Sporting Club (SSC) on 4 October 1842. The SSC was renamed the ...

On 12 June 2018, Singapore hosted a historic meeting between the United States President Donald Trump and leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Chairman Kim Jong Un. Both leaders discussed denuclearisation and how to ease military tensions. ...