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MOE to follow up with NUS, other varsities on students’ safety after dismissal of Tembusu fellow over sexual misconduct allegations

aseanpr 25 10 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Education Ministry is following up with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and other universities to ensure the safety of students, after the dismissal of former Tembusu College fellow Dr Jeremy Fernando amid allegations of sexual misconduct. In a Facebook post on Saturday night (Oct 24), Minister of State for Education Sun Xueling said that the university leadership has been asked what more can be done to prevent such instances from happening in the future. "At the end of the day, our institutes of higher learning (IHL) have a duty of care to their students. There must be zero-tolerance in our campuses for any form of sexual misconduct, harassment or violence," she wrote. Dr Fernando was sacked from NUS on Oct 7 after internal investigations found that he "had an intimate association" with an undergraduate - a serious breach of its code of conduct for staff, NUS said last Wednesday. Two students had alleged that Dr Fernando made non-consensual advances towards them, and the university said that it had made a police report, "given the seriousness of the allegations". Ms Sun said: "The issues around this case lead us to question: How can we better guard again...

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Oct 25

aseanpr 25 10 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Sunday, Oct 25. Malaysia’s King calls for calm ahead of meeting with other royals to discuss emergency move Today's informal session will discuss Malaysia PM Muhyiddin's proposal of emergency measures. READ MORE HERE Over 400,000 TraceTogether tokens collected; 50% participation in digital contact tracing Singapore requires three-quarters of population to participate in digital contact tracing as it prepares for phase 3. READ MORE HERE Workplace convenience, saving phone battery power among reasons for rush for TraceTogether tokens Checking in with the TraceTogether app or token will be mandatory by end-December at all popular venues. READ MORE HERE More on this topic Related Story ST newsletters: Get alerts on the latest news Ex-NUS professor accused of sexual misconduct apologises, files police report Dr Jeremy Fernando said he has filed a police report on a related aspect of the situation. READ MORE HERE More cycling lanes? Learn from PMD experience While more on-road bike lanes are welcome, a lot more effort must go into clarifying rules, public education and promoting good road-usage habits, says associate editor Chua M...

1,000 new gardening plots to be available to public next year

aseanpr 25 10 月

3 minutes

Gardening enthusiasts and more families can nurture their own small gardens as the National Parks Board (NParks) is doubling the number of available plots to 2,000 over the next year. The new plots, each slightly larger than a queen-size bed, will be spread across 18 parks, including Aljunied Park, Choa Chu Kang Park, Punggol Waterway Park and West Coast Park. Applications are open until Nov 8. Along with the extra allotments, NParks will also distribute about 60,000 seeds - such as for kangkong and Chinese spinach - to the public, and hold free online master classes on how to grow more difficult varieties like capsicums and tomatoes. These virtual classes, which were launched as part of NParks' fourth Community Garden Festival at HortPark yesterday, are running this weekend. Participants can redeem free seeds of edible plants and learn planting tips and techniques through live demonstrations. The classes will also be available for free on the NParks YouTube channel. NParks also announced two new attractions yesterday - My Backyard Kitchen and Valley of Edibles - at HortPark, showcasing edibles such as lady's fingers and brinjal. The Community Garden Festival is part of the edible ...

AGC files disciplinary complaint against lawyer M. Ravi with Law Society

aseanpr 25 10 月

3 minutes

A disciplinary complaint against lawyer M. Ravi was filed with the Law Society by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) last Friday. The complaint relates to "possible professional misconduct" by Mr Ravi, the AGC said in a statement last Friday evening. It was filed because Mr Ravi had neither apologised nor retracted statements he made earlier which the AGC had said were "false, misleading, and unfairly and illegitimately discredit AGC", the statement added. The AGC further said Mr Ravi's conduct "falls short of the standards of professional conduct to be expected from an advocate and solicitor of the court". Last Monday, Mr Ravi told alternative news website The Online Citizen that the prosecutor had been "overzealous" in prosecuting his client Gobi Avedian, and this "led to the death sentence" being given to him by a High Court judge. Mr Ravi made the comments after the five-judge Court of Appeal reversed a 2018 decision to convict Gobi on a capital charge for drug trafficking. He also said, among other things, the apex court's judgment calls into question "the fairness of the administration of justice in Gobi's case by the prosecution". The AGC said in last Friday's statement t...

Residents grumble about TraceTogether: What’s wrong with just SafeEntry?

aseanpr 25 10 月

1 minute

A grumpy chorus of "Why can't I continue to use just SafeEntry/SingPass/NRIC" arose among Straits Times Facebook users in response to the upcoming roll-out of TraceTogether-only SafeEntry. It's amazing how attached we can become to a system that's just a few months old. KDsquared Chewchew asked: "The question is why? SafeEntry was so awesome with the ability to check in my kids and spouse. Now can TT app do that as well?" 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.

Morning Briefing: Top stories from The Straits Times on Oct 24

aseanpr 24 10 月

2 minutes

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Saturday, Oct 24. Malaysia's palace weighs request to declare emergency as PM Muhyiddin treads unprecedented path A declaration of emergency would allow the government to enact laws and approve expenditure without a parliamentary vote. READ MORE HERE Anwar slams PM Muhyiddin's emergency plan as means to cling to power Mr Anwar said the government was using the Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to justify its abuse of power. READ MORE HERE Firing of NUS don: Delay in reporting to police is out of concern for victims, says Tommy Koh The university will delay making a police report if doing so might cause the victim to self-harm, said college rector. READ MORE HERE Fears mount as South Korea probes cause behind 36 people's deaths after flu vaccination Investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the deaths. READ MORE HERE Final US presidential debate more focused, but unlikely to shift public opinion Much of the debate ended up in reasonably robust but polite and inconclusive circular arguments. READ MORE HERE 'It is terrifying': Europe braces for lengthy battle with Covid-19 France became the second EU nation to repo...

Best kids’ subscription boxes: Learning out of the box during the pandemic

aseanpr 24 10 月

10 minutes

SINGAPORE - When Ms Ziyi Sheena Cheong signed up for a children's books subscription service in January, she did not realise how useful it would turn out to be. At the time, the busy mum of two wanted to find age-appropriate titles and was impressed by the detailed questions from One Happy Book. Chace, four, and Scarlett, two, were "absolutely delighted" by their monthly package of surprises, she says. Their subscription proved a godsend during the circuit breaker, when they read twice a day. "The kids and I got to spend quality time. They loved pointing at the illustrations and they pretended to know how to read the words (they're still learning) but it was very nice," says Ms Cheong, 34, a florist who runs ForPeopleWhoLoveFlowers. "It helped accompany us during the day and in the evening when we were getting them ready for bed. After reading them over and over again many times, I gift them to my friends' kids so the books get love over and over again." The pandemic has renewed interest in such subscription boxes for kids as families spend more time at home and parents seek out meaningful ways to engage their little ones. While there are many overseas-based services, there are now...

Man jailed for bid to bribe police officer enforcing mask rule

aseanpr 24 10 月

2 minutes

A 28-year-old man was sentenced yesterday to four weeks in prison for attempting to bribe a police officer to avoid Covid-19 enforcement action. Individuals convicted of a corruption offence such as bribery can be fined up to $100,000 and imprisoned for up to five years. The Chinese national was spotted on May 7 by a patrol team from the Public Transport Security Command with his mask down near the smoking corner of Boon Lay MRT station. The four police officers approached Chen Long and instructed him to wear his mask properly. He complied, but was spotted soon after by the same patrol team with his mask pulled down to expose his nose. Chen, who is on a work permit in Singapore, was then taken to a room in the MRT station to be interviewed. During the interview, Chen showed the money in his wallet to police officer Chan Hui Shi and offered $50 to be let go. The officer refused his offer, and Chen was issued a composition fine of $300 for an offence under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act. The incident was later reported to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. Anyone caught not wearing a mask outside the home faces a fine of $300 for a first offence and $1,000 for a secon...

Science Talk: You can’t always teach an old drug new tricks – lessons from WHO’s Covid-19 drug trial

aseanpr 24 10 月

10 minutes

The Covid-19 pandemic is unprecedented in terms of its impact on the world. While other pandemics have been more deadly, such as the plague, cholera and the 1918 Spanish flu, they occurred before the modern era of antimicrobials. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, doctors and scientists have been looking hard for drugs which can be used to treat and prevent Sars-CoV-2 infection. Public health interventions such as quarantine and contact tracing were and still are widely used to prevent infection. However, once infection occurs, there is only supportive care. This often means time in an intensive care unit (ICU) with the use of oxygen and other standard medical treatments, but no specific targeted options against either the virus or the host immune response. With the development of penicillin and other antibiotics for bacterial infections, many previously deadly infectious diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis are no longer as deadly, and neither are malaria and tuberculosis. Highly active antiviral agents were also developed for the human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C. When developing new virus-specific drugs from scratch, it can take years (probably about 10 to...

You can’t always teach an old drug new tricks

aseanpr 24 10 月

10 minutes

The Covid-19 pandemic is unprecedented in terms of its impact on the world. While other pandemics have been more deadly, such as the plague, cholera and the 1918 Spanish flu, they occurred before the modern era of antimicrobials. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, doctors and scientists have been looking hard for drugs which can be used to treat and prevent Sars-CoV-2 infection. Public health interventions such as quarantine and contact tracing were and still are widely used to prevent infection. However, once infection occurs, there is only supportive care. This often means time in an intensive care unit (ICU) with the use of oxygen and other standard medical treatments, but no specific targeted options against either the virus or the host immune response. With the development of penicillin and other antibiotics for bacterial infections, many previously deadly infectious diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis are no longer as deadly, and neither are malaria and tuberculosis. Highly active antiviral agents were also developed for the human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C. When developing new virus-specific drugs from scratch, it can take years (probably about 10 to...

Singaporeans least worried about getting Covid-19 in South-east Asia, but less confident of job security: Survey

aseanpr 23 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - While residents of Singapore are the least worried about contracting Covid-19 compared to people from five other South-east Asian countries, they are also the most pessimistic about an economic recovery, according to a research survey. The findings released on Friday (Oct 23) showed that more than half of 500 Singapore residents indicated they are less confident about their job security compared to three months earlier - the highest observed when compared to respondents from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Only 27 per cent of Singapore residents are expecting the economy to improve in the next six months, market research firm Ipsos said. Ipsos conducted the online survey from Sept 18 to 22, asking respondents questions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. They included how residents of the six South-east Asian countries have adapted to Covid-19 restrictions, as well as their household income and spending patterns. Five hundred people aged 18 and above - which Ipsos said was nationally representative in terms of age, gender and ethnicity - were surveyed from each of the countries. On contracting the coronavirus, 73 per cent of Singapore responde...

Catholic stance on marriage remains unchanged, says S’pore Catholic Church in response to Pope Francis’ remarks

aseanpr 23 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Responding to reports that Pope Francis had endorsed same-sex civil unions in the new documentary Francesco, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore on Thursday (Oct 22) said the Catholic Church's stance on marriage remains unchanged. Any comment made by Pope Francis that has been recorded in a documentary "is not considered or admissible as an official papal teaching", the Catholic Church of Singapore said in a statement. It said the "Catholic understanding of marriage is defined as the sacrament by which a baptised man and a baptised woman bind themselves for life in lawful marriage". This constant teaching on marriage "remains unchanged regardless of a civil union between two persons of the same sex approved by the state", the Church added. "We do not know at the moment what the Holy Father actually said in the interview and the context of what he said," the Church said, adding that it has not had an official statement or communication from the Vatican. "What is legal in society is not necessarily moral or licit for Catholics in the teaching of the Church." Civil unions are legally recognised relationships that are granted similar legal rights to conventional mar...

Court of Appeal allows Singaporean death row inmate to argue his case on scheduling of executions

aseanpr 23 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Court of Appeal on Friday (Oct 23) gave the green light for Singaporean drug trafficker Syed Suhail Syed Zin, 44, to argue his case that death row inmates are not being treated equally in the scheduling of executions. Suhail is seeking judicial review of the Singapore Prison Service's decision to carry out the death sentence on him before those who were convicted before him, which he contends is a violation of his right to equality under the Constitution. The decision by the apex court to grant permission for judicial review came after Suhail's lawyer, Mr M. Ravi, cited the case of Malaysian drug trafficker Datchinamurthy Kataiah, who was given the death sentence before Suhail in 2015. Mr Ravi also pointed out that Datchinamurthy's inmate number is 944, while Suhail's is 949, to support his case about the sequence in which they were put on death row. Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, giving the decision of the three-judge apex court, said that on the face of it, there is an inconsistency between the known facts and an affidavit submitted to the court by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Based on this apparent inconsistency, the threshold to grant permission for judic...

Chief Justice grants leave to probe DPPs for misconduct in former maid Parti Liyani case

aseanpr 23 10 月

4 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Chief Justice has given the green light for an investigation to be conducted into former domestic worker Parti Liyani's complaint of misconduct against the two Deputy Public Prosecutors involved in her theft trial. Ms Parti had earlier sought leave to start disciplinary proceedings against DPP Tan Yanying and DPP Tan Wee Hao who handled the theft charges against her. Ms Parti was later acquitted by the High Court on appeal. She was accused of stealing from her former employer, Mr Liew Mun Leong, who is the former chairman of Changi Airport Group. The charge alleged that Ms Parti had stolen, among other things, a Pioneer DVD player and, on appeal to the High Court, she was acquitted of all charges. In his judgment on Friday (Oct 23), Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon wrote: "In particular, the applicant contends that the DPPs had, in their conduct of the trial, concealed material facts and thereby created the false impression that the device was fully functional. "She contends that but for the false impression that had been conveyed, she would not have agreed, under cross-examination, that the device was operational. On this basis, the DPPs suggested that she had lied ab...

Singapore and Germany agree to establish Reciprocal Green Lane for business and official travel

aseanpr 23 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Singapore and Germany have agreed on a Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL), said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the German Federal Foreign Office in a joint statement on Friday (Oct 23). Dates for the opening of the lane are yet unclear, as the ministries say operational details of the RGL, including the procedural requirements, health protocols, and application process, will be announced in due course. Singapore currently has no green lane arrangements with any country in Europe, a region which is in the midst of a second wave of coronavirus infection. "The RGL will enable essential travel for business or official purposes via direct flights between both countries," said the ministries in a statement. Eligible applicants, who are resident in Germany or Singapore, will have to abide by the Covid-19 prevention and public health measures mutually agreed by both countries. Both countries agreed that the RGL could serve as a model for future similar arrangements between Singapore and other European countries. Hong Kong was the last most recent territory that Singapore made special travel arrangements with. Apart from Germany, Singapore currently has travel arrangements w...

Rise in cyber security threats as more people work from home: Cisco survey

aseanpr 22 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Businesses in Singapore have seen a significant increase in cyber security challenges as more people work from home amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey commissioned by American tech giant Cisco has revealed. Of the nearly 3,200 companies from 21 countries polled in the survey from June 16 to Sept 4, Singapore made the largest shift to remote working in Asia-Pacific. About six in 10 organisations here said they experienced at least a 25 per cent increase in cyber threats since the pandemic started. These threats included connections to malicious sites on the Internet and phishing attacks. However, less than half, or 42 per cent of companies, said that they were "very prepared" to cope with these threats and transition to working remotely. Around half, or 54 per cent of companies, indicated that they were "somewhat prepared", while 3 per cent said they were "not prepared" for the transition. The remaining one per cent said they did not know whether they were prepared for it. The survey, conducted by local public opinion and data company YouGov, gathered data from 3,196 companies across 21 countries, including the United States, China and Germany. It showed that in the As...

Former Singaporean detained under ISA jailed six weeks for passport offence

aseanpr 22 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - A former Singaporean detained under the Internal Security Act for terrorism-related activities was jailed for six weeks on Thursday (Oct 22) for flouting the Passports Act. Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff had falsely declared that he had not obtained citizenship of another country when renewing his Singapore passport in 2013. The 49-year-old, who was arrested for actively promoting terrorism and glorifying the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), had acquired Australian citizenship despite holding Singapore citizenship. Dual citizenship is not permitted in Singapore, and Zulfikar has since renounced his Singapore citizenship. Zulfikar pleaded guilty to one charge under the Passports Act on Thursday. The court heard that Zulfikar, who lived in Australia for 14 years, had applied for Australian citizenship in 2011 with his then 15-year-old son so that his child could evade his national service liabilities. Zulfikar "took no steps to renounce" his Singapore citizenship when his application was successful, said Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's (ICA) Prosecuting Officer, Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Ganeshvaran. To prevent the local authorities from disc...

Experience the new Straits Times app with fresh look, content made for mobile reading

aseanpr 22 10 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Straits Times' revamp to mark its 175th anniversary is in full swing. Following the launch of the redesigned ST website last week, users can start downloading a refreshed version of the ST app for their smartphones from Thursday (Oct 22). Both the iOS and Android versions, available on Apple's App Store and Google Play, will be rolled out in phases to users. It may take up to a week for all users to get the latest app update. From a cleaner look to better navigation and content designed for mobile reading, the new app aims to further enhance the reading experience of users, who are consuming more news on their smartphones. ST editor Warren Fernandez, who is also editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings' English/Malay/Tamil Media Group, said: "Many more readers are turning to us on the go, checking in several times a day on their smartphones. "This revamped app is part of our effort to serve them better. We will keep working at it to do so." Key features of the new mobile app include: A cleaner look, and bolder use of pictures to highlight key stories. A refreshed layout that allows readers to see more headlines at a glance. They can also expect a richer reading e...

Waste management sector one step closer to progressive wage model

aseanpr 22 10 月

3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The waste management and recycling sector is one step closer to having a progressive wage model (PWM) after a proposal was sent to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) recently to ask for the formation of a tripartite committee on the issue. National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) assistant secretary-general Zainal Sapari, disclosing the development on Thursday (Oct 22), said NTUC had sent in the proposal after getting buy-in from the Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS). The labour movement is awaiting MOM's reply. Mr Zainal was speaking at the sidelines of a visit he made with NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng to waste management company Wah and Hua Pte Ltd in Kranji Crescent. Mr Zainal and Mr Ng said they could not give a date for when the PWM would be implemented for the waste management and recycling sector, as the process takes time. For instance, the tripartite committee would have to work with companies in the industry to come up with the skills ladder and also work with the statutory boards to find suitable ways for the model to be implemented, explained Mr Zainal. Their comments on the PWM comes after the issue got an airing in Parliament ...

Man charged over claim he had explosives in his car

aseanpr 21 10 月

2 minutes

SINGAPORE - A man who allegedly drove up to a medical centre near the Paya Lebar Air Force Training Command and claimed he had explosives in his vehicle has been charged in court with a law passed soon after the September 2001 attacks in the United States. Zayd Hashim Siraj is said to have driven up to the Singapore Aeromedical Centre in Airport Road on Monday (Oct 19), where he told Station Inspector Go Kheng Wah that he had explosives in his car. The 30-year-old was charged on Wednesday with an offence under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations, which were adopted by member states of the UN to deal with terrorism and the financing of terrorism. There was no indication in court documents if a device was found in his car, or about his motivation for allegedly carrying out the threat. The Singaporean is currently remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric observation. The Singapore Aeromedical Centre specialises in occupational and aviation medicine, according to its website. It is also involved in the physiological education and training of pilots and others. The incident happened on Monday between 3.26pm and 3.55pm. A check on the Accounting and...

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