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Teen accused of murdering father has his case adjourned to Feb 17

aseanpr 6 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - The case of the 14-year-old boy accused of murdering his own father has been adjourned to Feb 17 after the police said they needed more time to complete their investigation. One of his defence lawyers, Mr Shashi Nathan, told The Straits Times that medical, psychiatric and forensic reports linked to the case are also not ready. With the adjournment, the teenager will remain in remand at a boys' home. He was not offered bail at the Youth Courts on Wednesday (Jan 6), as he faces a murder charge. Details about the boy and his family cannot be revealed, as those under 18 are covered under the Children and Young Persons Act. The Singaporean is accused of murdering his 49-year-old father in a condominium unit in Flora Road, near Loyang Avenue, at around 10am on Dec 11 last year. The man was found injured and motionless. He was taken unconscious to Changi General Hospital where he later died. The boy, who was in the same unit, was arrested. The teenager is represented by lawyers from Withers KhattarWong. While offenders convicted of murder could receive the death penalty, those below 18 years old do not get the death sentence but may be imprisoned for life. More on this topic R...

About 40% of sexual assault cases from 2017 to 2019 involved victims below 16

aseanpr 6 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - About 40 per cent of sexual assault cases reported to the police from 2017 to 2019 involved victims below the age of 16. In those three years, there were 6,988 reports of sexual assault, including rape, sexual assault by penetration, outrage of modesty, and sexual offences involving children and vulnerable victims, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said on Tuesday (Jan 5). In these cases, 2,798 victims were below 16, and 1,000 victims were between 16 and 20 years old. Another 3,685 victims were aged 21 and older, while 390 victims were employed as foreign domestic workers. The number of victims does not tally with the total number of cases, as a case could involve more than one victim, or a victim could be involved in more than one case. Of all the reports made, 1,368 cases resulted in prosecutions, with 931 convictions to date. Mr Shanmugam gave these figures in a written response to parliamentary questions filed by Ms Raeesah Khan and Ms He Ting Ru, who are both MPs for Sengkang GRC. They had asked for statistics related to sexual assault cases, including the age profile of victims, the proportion of repeat offenders and the nature of relationships among thos...

What data does TraceTogether collect?

aseanpr 6 1 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - The TraceTogether token and mobile phone app are used for contact tracing. They exchange short-distance Bluetooth signals with nearby users of the token or app to quickly track people exposed to confirmed Covid-19 cases. But what kind of data does TraceTogether collect? When signing up for TraceTogether, a random user ID (a string of numbers and letters) is generated and linked to the user's contact number and identification details, such as his name and NRIC number. These details are stored in a secure server, according to the TraceTogether website. The Ministry of Health (MOH) uses the identification details to contact the right person when necessary. When app or token users are near one another, their user IDs are exchanged in an encrypted and randomised form, and can be decrypted only by MOH. The encrypted Bluetooth data exchanged is stored in the app or token, and does not contain personal identifiable information. Bluetooth data older than 25 days is also erased automatically. Only when a user tests positive for Covid-19 will MOH request that he upload the Bluetooth data to the Government's servers for tracing close contacts. The app also collects anonymised infor...

440,000 eligible for matched top-ups to CPF retirement accounts

aseanpr 6 1 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - A total of 440,000 people will be able to receive matching amounts of up to $600 annually for cash top-ups made to their Central Provident Fund (CPF) retirement accounts, under a new scheme which kicks off this year. They make up about 53 per cent of CPF members between 55 and 70 years old, said the CPF Board on Wednesday (Jan 6). The Matched Retirement Savings Scheme, which was announced last year, aims to help more older CPF members attain the basic retirement sum. It allows anyone, including family members, employers or members of the community, to make top-ups to a person's retirement account. Each dollar of cash top-up will be matched by the Government for the next five years, capped at $600 per year. Top-ups can be made on the CPF website or the mobile app. They also do not have to be made in a lump sum. This means that small and regular top-ups throughout the year using Giro can also receive the matching grant. CPF Board chief executive Augustin Lee said: "About half of CPF members turning 55 today have yet to attain the basic retirement sum. This matching grant by the Government will encourage them to save more with CPF. "There's no better savings interest rate ...

Worker who rescued boy on Hougang ledge says it was the “best job” he has done in his life

aseanpr 5 1 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - When Mr Das Dipto arrived for work at Block 244, Hougang Street 22 on Sunday (Jan 3) at 7.35am,the landscape maintenance worker did not expect to be involved in "the best job I've done in my life". The 27-year-old was there to prune trees, but ended up rescuing a child, believed to be six years old, who was stuck on a window ledge barely wide enough for his feet. Mr Dipto, who moved from Bangladesh to work here eight years ago, told The Straits Times on Tuesday (Jan 5) he was cleaning a boom lift, he used for pruning trees, when a frantic woman approached him and his colleague - Mr Biswas Jibom. She pointed to the boy, who was clinging on to laundry poles while on a ledge three-storeys high at the neighbouring Block 243. The woman told them the door to the boy's flat was locked, so Mr Dipto decided the best way to reach him was to use the boom lift - a caged platform at the end of a mobile crane. With Mr Biswas directing him, he steered the machinery towards Block 243 and the boy, who was crying. In a video shared on WhatsApp and uploaded to Facebook, the child can be seen standing on the ledge while holding on to a laundry pole. Passers-by are heard shouting at the chi...

151 suspected secret society members arrested over two weeks

aseanpr 5 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Police have hauled in more suspected members of unlawful societies, announcing on Tuesday (Jan 5) that they had arrested 52 men between Dec 30 and Jan 3. The suspects, aged between 16 and 65, were picked up as part of a two-week islandwide operation that started on Dec 21. This brings the total number of men arrested to 151. Police had announced on Dec 30 the arrest of 75 suspects and on Dec 21, 24 more alleged gang members. As part of the operation, proactive checks were conducted at various congregation hot spots, including food and beverage outlets and shopping malls. The police said that they will continue to monitor the situation and conduct targeted enforcement operations to suppress gang activities that threaten public safety. The police added that they have zero tolerance for secret society activities and will not hesitate to take action against those who choose to be associated with gangs. "Members of the public are advised to steer clear of secret society activities and to report those engaging in such activities to the police immediately," said the police. Anyone found guilty of being a secret society member can be fined up to $5,000, jailed up to three years...

2 years’ probation for teen who bit cop and also caused spinal cord injury

aseanpr 5 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A youth who left a policeman with a spinal cord injury and superficial bite wounds was on Tuesday (Jan 5) sentenced to two years' probation. As part of his probation, the 17-year-old drug offender has to remain indoors from 10pm to 6am every day and perform 80 hours of community service. He also has to undergo regular urine tests. The teenager cannot be named as those under 18 are covered under the Children and Young Persons Act. The offender had pleaded guilty in a district court on Nov 19 last year to one count each of causing grievous hurt to a public servant and methamphetamine consumption. The victim - a full-time national serviceman - and his colleague were conducting foot patrol at Block 90 Redhill Close at around 2pm on Aug 5 last year when they entered a lift on the seventh storey, which was occupied by the offender and his cousin. Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Hsiao Tien had disclosed in earlier proceedings that the officers decided to search the occupants when they noticed the two appeared nervous and had bloodshot eyes. A small brown box the cousin was holding was found to contain drug-taking utensils. When they arrived at the ground floor of the block, the v...

Parliament: World Economic Forum participants in Singapore to undergo rigorous Covid-19 testing

aseanpr 5 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Participants attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Singapore this May will have to abide by strict public health requirements, said Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan on Tuesday (Jan 5). This includes undergoing a rigorous Covid-19 testing regimen involving pre-departure and on-arrival tests, as well as adhering to strict safe management measures. "To minimise the risk of seeding local transmissions, we will also put in place measures to manage the interactions between the local community and the event attendees," Mr Tan said. He was responding to Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang), who had asked about health requirements for WEF participants and contingency plans should the situation worsen to the extent of border closures. Mr Tan said specific public health requirements and contingency plans are currently being worked out, and will take into consideration the latest coronavirus situation in Singapore and around the world. "The health requirements developed for this event could also serve as an important reference for subsequent events that are going to be held in Singapore," he added. In December 2020, the WEF announced its decision to shift the annu...

Parliament: Plans to make energy greener, more reliable as Singapore rebounds from 2020 electricity demand fall, says Tan See Leng

aseanpr 5 1 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Overall electricity demand in Singapore is expected to have fallen by between 2 per cent and 4 per cent last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but energy use is expected to rebound as the economy recovers and grows. Singapore wants to green its energy mix as this happens, but is also taking steps to ensure electricity supply remains stable and reliable, said Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng in Parliament on Tuesday (Jan 5). "We will harness four switches to transform and diversify our energy supply, so as to achieve our vision of a clean and efficient energy future," he said in response to four MPs who had asked about Singapore's efforts to tap renewable energy and the country's electricity import plans. Currently, 95 per cent of Singapore's electricity is generated from burning natural gas, the cleanest form of fossil fuel, but a fossil fuel nonetheless. The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases, which trap heat on the planet, causing the climate to change. Dr Tan said this fuel will continue to be the main source of energy for power generation to serve households and industries here reliably in the medium term, given that the Republic d...

Gardens by the Bay restarts full light and sound show from Friday

aseanpr 4 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Visitors to Gardens by the Bay will get to enjoy the full suite of its light and sound show from this Friday (Jan 8) as Singapore moves into phase three of its reopening. Garden Rhapsody, the popular light and sound show at main attraction Supertree Grove, will return to its original time slots of 7.45pm and 8.45pm every evening, Gardens by the Bay said on Monday. The show had been paused during the circuit breaker last year and the two shows were replaced by soothing background music and soft lighting in September. The show, which sees the lights of 12 Supertrees moving to a musical soundtrack, is free and lasts for 15 minutes. There are 11 shows lined up for this year, the Gardens said in a statement. This month, visitors will get to experience Garden Waltz, a compilation of waltz music from well-known composers such as Frederic Chopin's Grande Valse Brilliante and Johann Strauss Junior's By The Beautiful Blue Danube. Safe distancing and security officers will be out in force to ensure safe management measures such as the wearing of masks and keeping a safe distance are adhered to. Gardens by the Bay senior director of programming and events Chua Yen Ling said: "Singa...

KTV outlets may now opt to be exempted from Covid-19 test

aseanpr 4 1 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE (TNP) - Selected karaoke outlets may be allowed to reopen without their customers needing to take a Covid-19 swab test as part of the pilot programme, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). But these outlets must observe a different set of rules such as a maximum group size of two and a ban on liquor consumption, an MHA spokesman said last Tuesday. On Nov 6 last year, KTV outlets - closed since March 26 - were told that some could reopen under a three-month pilot programme, but customers must test negative on either the antigen rapid test or the polymerase chain reaction test at least 24 hours before the end of their KTV activity. The spokesman said MHA and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) had engaged the KTV sector and received feedback seeking separate safe management measures to apply to different types of KTV operations. The ministries then decided that alternative safe management measures could be imposed on a case-by-case basis to achieve the same public health outcomes. The spokesman said: "On a case-by-case basis, MTI may approve karaoke outlets' applications to adopt an alternative arrangement for the pilot, where no pre-event testing will be required f...

Parliament to be live-streamed for the first time on Monday

aseanpr 4 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Parliamentary proceedings will be live-streamed for the first time on Monday (Jan 4), said the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) in a statement. The live streaming will commence during Monday's sitting, which starts at 1.30pm. It will be available to members of the public via MCI's YouTube channel, in both the original language and English-translated versions. The public can also access parliamentary proceedings via video clips of all speeches and exchanges, which are recorded and uploaded online within hours of each sitting. They can also choose to read the Hansard - a written record of all parliamentary proceedings - online, or attend sittings in person. The Government had in September 2020 first agreed in principle to live-stream the proceedings. Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran said then that the Government has so far been reluctant to implement live streaming due to both practical and policy reasons, including the risk of MPs playing to the gallery instead of seriously debating national issues. But he acknowledged that global trends have made online streaming commonplace, with legislatures in other countries also live-streaming ...

New bus terminal for Bukit Panjang opens on Jan 23

aseanpr 4 1 月

1 minute

SINGAPORE - A new bus terminal for Bukit Panjang will open from Jan 23, according to a Facebook post by the Land Transport Authority on Monday (Jan 4). The Gali Batu Bus Terminal, located in Woodlands Road, replaces the Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park. With the opening of the new terminal, services 75 and 184 will be extended to serve more commuters, with two more pairs of bus stops along Woodlands Road. Service 974 will loop at Bukit Panjang town centre and skip a bus stop along Upper Bukit Timah Road. The bus stop outside Bukit Panjang station Exit A will allow for both boarding and alighting instead. The bus terminal is built on the rooftop of the Gali Batu MRT depot.

Singapore students account for more than half of world’s perfect scorers in IB exams

aseanpr 4 1 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Amid a Covid-19 pandemic which has disrupted learning, students from Singapore who sat the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma exams last November have managed to outshine their global counterparts again. The Switzerland-based IB Organisation, which conducts the exams, said Singapore produced 55 of the 99 perfect scorers - more than half - this year. Of the 2,228 students in Singapore who took the exams, 97.73 per cent passed. The global pass rate was 76.68 per cent, while the rate for the Asia-Pacific region was 91.83 per cent. The average scores of Singapore students were also higher than those of their global and regional counterparts: 38.35 points against 29.81 and 34.83 respectively. More than half - 50.65 per cent - of Singapore students also scored 40 points and above, out of 45. In comparison, 11.63 per cent of global students and 27.66 per cent of Asia-Pacific students achieved the same result. On Monday (Jan 4), students from eight schools - including Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), School of the Arts and St Joseph's Institution - received their results. Dr Siva Kumari, IB director-general, called 2020 a "tumultuous year for our students". "I am extre...

Robinsons’ last outlet at Raffles City to close by Jan 10; multi-buy discounts on offer

aseanpr 3 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Robinsons will close its last store at Raffles City by Jan 10, bringing 162 years of history to an end. Liquidator KordaMentha told The Straits Times that while the last day of operation will be no later than next Sunday, the actual last day may come sooner depending on stock levels left. "Discounts will continue to be updated daily, noting the intention is to sell stock down to zero," said KordaMentha on Saturday (Jan 2). When The Straits Times visited the Raffles City outlet on Saturday afternoon, all three floors were packed, with about 100 people milling around the third floor, where clothes and household items were on sale. Some shelves were already empty, while others were stocked with make-up, bags, shoes and menswear. Multi-buy discounts were offered, with customers able to get 80 per cent off the lowest marked price of items with a purchase of five items or more. Fixtures and fittings such as coat hangers, mannequins and shelves were on sale as well. Ms Faith Leong, 19, who visited the Raffles City store on New Year's Day with a friend said it was a "shame" that the retail stalwart was closing. The department store had announced on Oct 30 last year the closure ...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Jan 3

aseanpr 3 1 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, Jan 3. Malls and restaurants buzzing on first weekend of Singapore's phase 3 reopening Strong winds and wet weather did not deter Singaporeans from making the most of the long weekend. READ MORE HERE Rainfall on Saturday among highest in Singapore in past 39 years The amount of 210.6mm is more than half of Singapore's average monthly rainfall in January. READ MORE HERE Malaysia's high-speed rail project without Singapore stop is redundant: Transport experts It will likely end up a white elephant if it is built, analysts said. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Time for Singapore to do more to stub out smoking? The Jan 1 raising of the minimum age limit for smoking to 21 is the latest step to manage the harm of tobacco. But some feel more needs to be done. READ MORE HERE Covid-19 testing tightened for shore-based staff in Singapore's maritime sector They will be tested every 7 days in the light of 2 cases in which a marine surveyor and a harbour pilot tested positive for Covid-19. READ MORE HERE Police probing group of 44 who were drinking, smoking, singing in...

Deterrent policies introduced by nations around the globe

aseanpr 3 1 月

1 minute

Given the health hazard posed by smoking and the peer pressure on youth to "act cool", deterrent action, like the Singapore Government's move to raise the minimum age for the purchase of cigarettes, has been implemented by countries around the globe. On Jan 1 this year, the Republic raised the minimum age for smoking to 21, from 20. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Chinatown boy Lee Yuan Siong seeks to conquer China for AIA

aseanpr 3 1 月

1 minute

Ever since Mr Lee Yuan Siong came to my notice a few years ago as the Singaporean who helped power Ping An to be China's No. 1 insurer, I'd been looking forward to an opportunity to meet this Chinatown-boy-made-good. Like Hong Kong-based Milton Cheng, who is global chair of giant American law firm Baker McKenzie, Mr Lee was one of those Singaporeans whose careers and personal journeys profited immensely by stepping out of the comfort zone of this balmy island. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Time to do more to stub out smoking in Singapore?

aseanpr 3 1 月

1 minute

What started as a curiosity for a 16-year-old, wanting to be cool and fit in with friends, quickly turned into a full-blown habit. Today, Chris is a self-confessed smoking addict. That is not his real name and with reason: As of two days ago, the full-time national serviceman, now 20, became guilty of underage smoking. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

Mercury drops to 21.5 deg C in Admiralty as wet and windy start to the New Year continues into Saturday

aseanpr 2 1 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - It is still sweater weather in Singapore, with the wet and windy condition on New Year's Day showing no signs of easing. The lowest temperature recorded on Saturday (Jan 2) at 1pm was 21.5 deg C in Admiralty. This was lower than what was initially forecast by the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Thursday, which predicted an average temperature of 23 deg C to 33 deg C over the first two weeks of January, dipping to lows of 22 deg C on some days. Similarly, the rain showed no sign of abating on Saturday, with significant rainfall recorded in Pasir Ris and Changi. Dr Winston Chow, Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society at the Singapore Management University's School of Social Sciences, projected that the record for the highest total rainfall in one day might well be broken. "The highest total rainfall in one day for January is 216.2mm for manned weather stations, and 238.2mm for automated weather stations," he said in a tweet on Saturday morning. "As of 10.30am, the Changi Airport station has measured 159mm of rainfall since midnight. With the monsoon surge not expected to cease until tomorrow, chances are this record will be broken with time to sp...

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