SINGAPORE \u2013 While other students in school read the news to stay informed, 15-year-old Rueven Chia follows current affairs to guide his investment choices.<\/p>\n
The Swiss Cottage Secondary 3 student gets his daily dose of current affairs through social media, using what he learns to choose which stocks to buy through his father\u2019s brokerage account.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although he is wary about the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, Rueven is not overly concerned about the dangers, such as people being replaced by AI.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there is quite a bit of distinction between AI-generated texts and those written by a human,\u201d he said. \u201cI still don\u2019t think we need to be fearful of AI. It is best if we can incorporate both of these elements together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rueven was one of nearly 1,000 Swiss Cottage students who attended the What\u2019s The News? (WTN) assembly programme on July 9.<\/p>\n
WTN, launched in 2025<\/span><\/a> as part of The Straits Times\u2019 180th anniversary celebrations, is an interactive current affairs initiative that encourages young people to stay informed about issues shaping Singapore and the world.<\/p>\n Besides a current affairs competition for students, the initiative also includes assembly programmes in selected schools and a travelling showcase.<\/p>\n The assembly programmes, which focus on current affairs and media literacy, will be held at six schools. The event at Swiss Cottage Secondary School was the second stop, after East Spring Secondary School.<\/p>\n Swiss Cottage student Lee Kong Ray, 16, said the assembly was enjoyable and engaging.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Secondary 4 student turns to Mothership, ST and Instagram account leoexplains10 \u2013 which features explainers on global politics and international affairs \u2013 for his daily dose of news.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cNews shapes my personal thinking, allowing me to evaluate from different perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n During the one-hour programme, host Rishi Budhrani engaged students through lively quizzes and audience participation that challenged them to think critically about the news they consume. Students who answered the questions received prizes \u2013 a water bottle or a bag.\u00a0<\/p>\n Approximately 1,000 Swiss Cottage students attended the What\u2019s The News? assembly programme at Swiss Cottage Secondary School on July 9.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Also at the event was ST assistant Life editor Clara Lock, who shared with the students what sparked her interest in journalism.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lock, who joined ST in 2018 as a travel correspondent, said: \u201cI got the chance to combine my love of reading, writing and seeing the world in one amazing job opportunity. Who would say \u2018no\u2019 to that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n She added: \u201cSingapore has the world\u2019s strongest passport, and we want to help people make better and smarter travel choices.\u201d<\/p>\n The WTN competition is open to students aged 15 to 19 from local secondary schools or their equivalent, pre-university institutions, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s competition drew more than 6,000 students from over 70 schools. St Gabriel\u2019s Secondary School emerged champion in the finals on May 26<\/span><\/a>, ahead of Victoria School, the School of Science and Technology and Presbyterian High School.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>