From March 1, individuals and organisations will need to turn to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to apply for the use of state land within HDB estates.

A new State Lands Protection Bill propose to raise the maximum fine faced by offenders who encroach on or damage state land.

• Singapore has launched a reforestation campaign after losing huge amounts of mangrove habitats in the past century.

• It plans to plant 1 million trees within 10 years to improve living conditions for wildlife and people.

• The scheme began in March 2020 and had led to the planting of 51,819 trees by October 2021.

Main photo: the roots of mangrove trees are seen along a river in Pitas, Sabah, Malaysia, July 6, 2018

It is hard to miss the two little houses sitting defiantly in the middle of the Singapore building site.

It's instantly reminiscent of the award-winning cartoon Up, the Pixar film which tells the tale of an old man who refuses to move from his home as towering blocks of flats rise around him.

SINGAPORE: Nine years ago, Mdm Lee May La, 64, nearly lost her life.