Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government today cautioned the public not to be taken in by a video circulating online which falsely presents the Financial Secretary promoting a so-called “Government Investment Platform”.

Stressing that the video appears to be artificially generated, the Government said that the information contained in it is entirely fictitious and intended to deceive, and warned people not to fall for it. 

The case has been referred to the Police Force for investigation.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Land Registry logged 6,661 sale and purchase agreements for all building units received for registration in March, up 54.7% compared with February and up 32.9% year-on-year.

The total consideration for such agreements in March rose 61.4% from the previous month to $45.6 billion, representing a 22.1% year-on-year growth.

Of the agreements, 5,367 were for residential units, amounting to a 67.7% increase from February and a 35.2% rise from a year ago.

The total consideration for residential units was $38.8 billion, up 68.7% compared with February and 29.1% higher year-on-year.

There were 393,010 land register searches last month.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

March was drier and milder than usual, with the monthly mean relative humidity at 74%, which was 8% below the norm and the fourth lowest on record for March, the Hong Kong Observatory said today.

The monthly total sunshine duration amounted to 143.8 hours, about 44% above the norm of 100 hours.

With more sunshine, the monthly mean maximum temperature of 23.5 degrees Celsius was 1.6 degrees above the norm and the 10th highest on record for March. The monthly mean temperature of 20.1 degrees and monthly mean minimum temperature of 17.7 degrees were 0.6 degrees and 0.1 degrees above their corresponding norm.

Rainfall in the month was 38.1mm, about 51% of the norm. The accumulated rainfall in the first three months of the year was 68.4mm, which was about 54% below the norm for the same period.

There was no tropical cyclone over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in March, the observatory added.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Executive John Lee announced today that, upon his nomination and recommendation, and in accordance with the Basic Law, the Central People’s Government has approved the appointment of Joe Chow as Commissioner of Police, and the removal of Siu Chak-yee from the post.

Mr Chow was previously Deputy Commissioner of Police. Mr Siu begins pre-retirement leave after serving the Police Force for 36 years.

Commenting on the appointment, the Chief Executive said: “Mr Chow has served in the Police Force for almost 30 years and has extensive experience in criminal investigation, intelligence gathering, policy-making as well as personnel management. He has a distinguished performance and possesses proven leadership skills.

“I am confident that he will capably lead the Police Force in meeting the challenges ahead.”

On the retirement of Mr Siu, who had been Commissioner of Police since June 2021, Mr Lee lauded his efforts in maintaining Hong Kong’s status as one of the safest cities in the world.

“He has demonstrated unswerving dedication and determination to safeguarding Hong Kong and upholding the rule of law in dealing with the social unrest.”

Mr Lee added that as Commissioner of Police Mr Siu was devoted to introducing strong and effective measures to combat deception cases and other criminal activities.

“Under his eminent leadership, the Police Force has continued to excel as a world-class professional law enforcement agency.

“On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I convey my heartfelt appreciation to Mr Siu for his contribution to Hong Kong and wish him a happy retirement.”

Source: Government of Singapore

Tied with 2019 and 2016

Singapore, 23 March 2025 – Singapore’s 2024 Annual Climate Assessment Report was released by the National Environment Agency (NEA)’s Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) in conjunction with the World Meteorological Day. The report covers Singapore’s main climatic features and notable weather records and events in 2024 and is available on the MSS website at www.weather.gov.sg (please refer to Annex A for an infographic on Singapore’s climate in 2024).

Singapore’s Climate in 2024

Temperature

2          In 2024, Singapore’s annual average temperature was 28.4 degrees Celsius, making it the warmest year on record (tied with 2019 and 2016). Every month in 2024 was equal to or warmer than its corresponding long-term average temperature. Temperature records were broken on several occasions during the year, with record high daily minimum temperatures in February and record high daily maximum temperatures in December. 

3          The preceding decade (2015-2024) was Singapore’s warmest decade on record at 28.11 degrees Celsius. This is 0.05 degrees Celsius warmer than the decade from 2014-2023, and the fourth consecutive year that Singapore’s decadal mean temperature record has been broken.

4          While climate change contributed to warmer temperatures, climate variability in 2024 also played a role. The El Niño [1] event that developed in 2023 and ended in the second quarter of 2024 likely contributed to the warm temperatures in 2024, including during Singapore’s hot season (March – May), which was the third warmest hot season on record, after 1998 and 2016 which were also associated with strong El Niño events.

5          Singapore’s annual temperature trend in 2024 is similar to the global trend recently reported by the World Meteorological Organization [2]. 2024 has been declared the warmest year on record globally since 1850.

Heat Stress

6          Singapore experienced higher annual daily mean Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 27.0 degrees Celsius in 2024 compared to 26.6 degrees Celsius in 2023. However, the number of days of high heat stress [3] was lower. There were 21 days of high heat stress in 2024, fewer than the 37 days in 2023. Most of the 21 high heat stress days in 2024 were during Singapore’s hot season (March to May).

Rainfall

7          In 2024, Singapore’s annual total rainfall of 2739.8mm was 8.1 per cent above the long-term average of 2534mm, making 2024 the twelfth wettest year since 1980. January and November 2024 were exceptionally wet, recording rainfall 83.3 per cent and 47.4 per cent above their respective long-term averages. November’s islandwide average rainfall also broke the record for the wettest November since 1980. July and December were notably dry, 52.7 per cent and 30.0 per cent below their respective long-term averages.

8          While there has been a gradual increase in Singapore’s average annual total rainfall, there is no significant trend in the frequency of heavy rain events and the highest 60-minute rainfall intensity. In 2024, the highest 60-minute rainfall intensities were experienced in the months from September to December compared to the rest of the year, with the highest value of 93mm recorded on 29 December.

Notable Weather Events in 2024

Dry Spell in July

9          Between 13 and 30 July, Singapore experienced 18 consecutive days with daily total rainfall of less than 1.0mm, marking Singapore’s first dry spell since August 2019. Temperatures were also warm, with daily minimum temperatures staying above 28 degrees Celsius in most parts of the island.

Intense Sumatra Squall

10        On 17 September, an intense Sumatra Squall swept across Singapore between 7pm and 8:30pm. Maximum wind gusts exceeded 80km/h, with East Coast Parkway recording 83.2km/h at 7:33pm. The squall also brought cooler weather, with temperatures dropping by about 5 degrees Celsius in five minutes.

Heavy rains in October

11          Even though October is not usually a wet month and October 2024’s monthly rainfall was below its long-term average, Singapore experienced exceptionally high rainfall on 14 October 2024. Regional convergence of winds caused widespread thunderstorms over the island from midnight into the afternoon. The highest daily rainfall recorded that day was 145.8mm at Kent Ridge, making it one of the wettest days of the year

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Annex A

Infographic on Singapore’s Climate in 2024